By Jason Harris
May 3 2006

Biarritz showed why they are reigning French Champions and first in the Top 14 as they comprehensively outplayed Saracens in a winner-takes-all clash in the Heineken Cup. The Basque side ran in six tries as their pace and power proved too much for a depleted Sarries sqaud and won easily, 43-13. It was always going to be a tough assignment in the back yard of one of the best sides in Europe and it was made all the more difficult as Sarries had to start without the likes of Cobus Visagie, Iain Fullarton, Nick Lloyd, Andy Farrell and last-minute withdrawal Ben Skirving.

However, during the first half Sarries kept in touch despite shipping three tries from centre Frederico Martin-Aramburu, wing Jean-Batptiste Gobelet and hooker Benoit August in the space of 34 minutes. Two Glen Jackson Penalties and his conversion of a super try scored by Kevin Yates after a Jackson break, ably supported first by Mosese Rauluni and then by Ben Russell. However, Dimitri Yachvili's kicking boots were not on at that point in the game and the sides changed ends with the score 19-13 to Biarritz.

Just before the break Simon Raiwalui was given 10 minutes in the sin bin by referee Alan Lewis for a high tackle on David Couzinet - who didn't return for the second half - and this was the catalyst for the floodgates to open and for Biarritz to cut loose.

It took just one minute and 19 seconds of the second period for the home side to claim their try bonus point; fullback Nicolas Brusque rounding off a neat, first-phase backs move from a lineout. Yachvili had now found his range and converted as well as adding another penalty before the Sarries lock returned to the fray. At 29-13 down, the mammoth task began to look impossible for the Men in Black.

Sure enough, two further tries followed, along with Sarries going down to 14 men for a second time after Dan Scarbrough was yellow carded for a late hit on Brusque. Centre Philippe Bidabet scored try number five, converted by Yachivili, with an arcing 40 metre run to the line and outside half Julien Peyrelongue put the icing on the cake in injury time to make it a round half dozen. Yachvili's work for the day was already done and it was replacement scrum-half Julien Dupuy who nailed the final two points of the match as Sarries failed to trouble the scorers in the second half.


SCORERS: Biarritz: Tries: Martin-Arramburu (13min), Gobelet (20), August (34), Brusque (43), Bidabe (63), Peyrelongue (80). Conversions: Yachvili 4, Dupuy. Penalty goal: Yachvili (51). Saracens: Try: Yates (22). Conversion: Jackson. Penalty goals: Jackson 2 (7, 36).

SCORING SEQUENCE (Biarritz first): 0-3, 7-3, 12-3, 12-10, 19-10, 19-13 (half-time), 26-13, 29-13, 36-13, 43-13.

BIARRITZ: N Brusque; J-B Gobelet, P Bidabe, F Martin-Arramburu (rep: D Lison, 45), S Bobo (rep: B Dambielle, 76); J Peyrelongue, D Yachvili (rep: J Dupuy, 69); P Balan (rep: K Lealamanua, 58), B August (rep: B Noirot, 64), B Lecouls, J Thion (rep: O Olibeau, 41), D Couzinet, T Dusautoir, T Lièvremont (rep: S Betsen, 63), I Harinordoquy.

SARACENS: M Bartholomeusz; B Johnston (rep: M Cairns, 67), T Castaignède (rep: K Sorrell, 24), D Harris (rep: D Scarbrough, 53; sin-bin, 64-74), T Vaikona; G Jackson, M Rauluni (rep: A Dickens, 60); K Yates (rep: A Liffchak, 73), S Byrne (rep: A Kyriacou, 73), B Broster (rep: T Mercey, 73), S Raiwalui (sin-bin, 37-47), K Chesney, B Russell, D Seymour, H Vyvyan.

Referee: A Lewis (Ireland).

Attendance: 8,000.