Bayonne-score-incredible-try-against-Exeter-Chiefs-in-the-Champions-Cup-2024
Bayonne scored one of the Champions Cup’s great tries as they earned their first-ever victory in the competition with a 40-17 triumph over Exeter Chiefs.
The Frenchmen put together a stunning attack, which went through several pairs of hands, for Victor Hannoun to cross the whitewash.
That secured the try bonus-point – following on from scores by Tom Spring, Konstantin Mikautadze and Aurelien Callandret – to put them 26-7 in front at the break.
It set them on their way to an impressive win, despite the Chiefs briefly threatening a comeback through Dafydd Jenkins and Rusi Tuima.
They would refind their composure and rounded off an excellent evening when replacement Federico Mori scored a brace.
Click here for scorers
Bayonne had already been eliminated following Munster’s bonus-point on Saturday, but they wanted to end their Champions Cup campaign on a high.
The hosts certainly did that, playing at a pace that Exeter simply failed to deal with, especially in the first half. Sireli Maqala was particularly impressive and it was the Fijian centre’s off-load that allowed Spring to cross the whitewash in the first minute.
Although the Chiefs hit back through Dan Frost after some brilliant work by scrum-half Tom Cairns, they were back under pressure when Mikautadze touched down.
The French outfit were putting their opponents under significant pressure and that led to a cynical infringement from visiting centre Ollie Devoto.
With Devoto off the field, Bayonne scored again as Callandret crossed the whitewash before they put together arguably the move of the Champions Cup pool stages.
Starting inside their own half, they broke down the right before moving towards the left with the ball going through several pairs of hands. Eventually, it found its way out to Hannoun for a truly incredible score.
At 26-7 down, the Chiefs had a lot of work to do in the second period, but there was far more intent after the break and it yielded two quick-fire tries.
Firstly, new Wales captain Jenkins went over before Tuima followed him to get them back into the contest with 35 minutes remaining.
They were also helped by yellow cards for Thomas Dolhagaray and Callandret but, to the hosts’ immense credit, they stemmed the bleeding and got back on the front foot.
Their physicality proved too much for Exeter and Mori effectively sealed the victory after going over from close range.
A few minutes later, Jenkins found himself in the sin-bin for a high tackle and Mori completed his brace.
It was a dreadful evening for Exeter but their passage into the last-16 was already assured, where they will face fellow Premiership side Bath at home.
The teams
Bayonne: 15 Tom Spring, 14 Aurélien Callandret, 13 Sireli Maqala, 12 Yan Lestrade, 11 Victor Hannoun, 10 Thomas Dolhagaray, 9 Guillaume Rouet, 8 Rodrigo Bruni, 7 Baptiste Heguy, 6 Pierre Huguet, 5 Kote Mikautadze, 4 Denis Marchois (c), 3 Junior Tagi, 2 Vincent Giudicelli, 1 Matis Perchaud
Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Swan Cormenier, 18 Martin Villar, 19 Manuel Leindekar, 20 Manex Ariceta, 21 Kleo Labarbe, 22 Federico Mori, 23 Bastien Pourailly
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Josh Hodge, 14 Ben Hammersley, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Harvey Skinner, 9 Tom Cairns, 8 Greg Fisilau, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Ethan Roots, 5 Dafydd Jenkins (c), 4 Rusi Tuima, 3 Ehren Painter, 2 Dan Frost, 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Josh Iosefa-Scott, 19 Lewis Pearson, 20 Ross Vintcent, 21 Stu Townsend, 22 Joe Hawkins, 23 Zack Wimbush
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)
Assistant Referees: Saba Abulashvili (Geo), Shota Tevzadze (Geo)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wal)
News Related
-
Asylum seekers travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP) Up to 40 Conservative MPs are poised to rebel over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy as they question ministers’ commitment to the scheme. A major row is ...
See Details:
Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR
-
In the saltmarsh fringing where the Ballyboe River dissolves into Trawbreaga Bay, a little egret wears its plumage like a windblown stole. Our car swoops across the 10 arches of Malin bridge and we park along the village green. Malin is almost as far north as you can get on ...
See Details:
Country diary: A tale of three churches
-
Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/EPA Hampton Court is an enduring monument to the power of Henry VIII, a pleasure palace down the Thames from Westminster and the City of London. On Monday it was the scene of power projection of a different kind, as Rishi Sunak pitched for investment from some of ...
See Details:
Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty
-
-
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to bring an overseas defender to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report. Postecoglou’s centre-back options The Lilywhites currently have Micky Van De Ven, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Eric ...
See Details:
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January
-
A £100m campaign urging households and businesses to use less water will be funded from customers’ bills, Ofwat has said. Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign The regulator’s chief executive David Black told MPs that if the measures worked it would be cheaper than building ...
See Details:
Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign
-
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Group B – Canada Training – Olympic Park, Melbourne, Australia – July 24, 2023 Canada’s Christine Sinclair during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) – BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be renamed “Christine Sinclair ...
See Details:
Soccer-Venue renamed 'Christine Sinclair Place' for Canada soccer great's final game
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Phil Taylor makes his pick for 2024 World Darts Championship winner
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Soccer-Howe aims to boost Newcastle's momentum in PSG clash
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Hamilton heads for hibernation with a word of warning
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 1-10 start to the season
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
This exercise is critical for golfers. 4 tips to doing it right
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
One in three households with children 'will struggle to afford Christmas'
-
OTHER NEWS
Kobbie Mainoo made his first start for Man Utd at Everton (Photo: Getty) The Football Association are reportedly confident that Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo will choose to represent England ...
Read more »
Michael Smith will begin the defence of his world title on the opening night (Picture: Getty Images) The 2024 World Darts Championship is less than three weeks away and the ...
Read more »
For the first time a long haul commercial aircraft is flying across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A long haul commercial flight is flying to the US ...
Read more »
The King has met business and finance leaders from across the world at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the conclusion of the UK’s Global Investment Summit. Charles was introduced ...
Read more »
After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan Saturday, many college football fans were wondering where Lou Holtz was. In his postgame interview after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14 in ...
Read more »
Darius Slay wouldn’t have minded being penalized on controversial no-call No matter which team you were rooting for on Sunday, we can all agree that the officiating job performed by ...
Read more »
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) Quarterback Mac Jones remains committed to finding success with the New England Patriots even though his future is up in the air following ...
Read more »