Bordeaux have shed light on why Louis Bielle-Biarrey had his Top 14 final appearance ended just minutes into the second half of a classic encounter with Toulouse.
The recently crowned first-time Champions Cup champions were looking to complete the 2024/25 double but they eventually ran out of steam, losing 33-39 after extra time following a helter-skelter night of entertainment in Paris.
Bielle-Biarrey’s fitness was the subject of much commentary coming into the final as he hadn’t played since a June 7 concussion sustained against Vannes. Bordeaux boss Yannick Bru suggested after last weekend’s semi-final win over Toulon that the winger wouldn’t be available for the final.
That prognosis changed early in the week and Bielle-Biarrey was named at No.11 to face Toulouse. “At the start of this week, he met a lot of specialists; he scored 10/10 in his neurological tests,” Bru told reporters in the lead-up to the final.
The Top 14 showpiece didn’t go well for the recently turned 22-year-old, though, as he lasted less than 42 minutes, but Bordeaux insisted this curtailed appearance had nothing to do with his recent concussion symptoms.
“It was extremely painful…”
“On the second (half) kick-off, he took a huge headbutt to his pelvis,” Bru explained. “It was extremely painful, it prevented him from running, but it has nothing to do with the rest [the concussion he suffered in early June].”
The other major injury story that emerged from the final was Toulouse fly-half Romain Ntamack, who suffered a shoulder injury. “His mouthguard beeped at first (to detect the risk of concussion),” explained Ugo Mola, the Toulouse boss.
Ntamack passed his resulting head injury assessment and returned to the field, but he was soon permanently off. “He took a shock to the shoulder on contact. He could no longer shake hands, so we didn’t take any risks,” Mola added.