Rugby

Madosh Tambwe stars as Bordeaux-Begles secure Top 14 semis spot

Congolese winger Madosh Tambwe scored twice as Bordeaux-Begles beat Lyon 32-25 on Sunday to seal a place in next weekend’s French Top 14 semi-finals in a game played without a television match official (TMO).

Tambwe took his tally for the campaign to nine tries after joining from the Bulls in Pretoria this season.

The 26-year-old crossed twice in the second half to help Bordeaux-Begles book a tie with Champions Cup holders La Rochelle in San Sebastian next Saturday.

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“Madosh is a great player, he arrived and shined quickly before a tough first winter in France where he discovered the harshness of the Top 14 in winter,” back-rower Mahamadou Diaby told reporters.

“Tonight he came along at the right time.”

No TMO

In the other semi-final, record 21-time champions Toulouse will play Racing 92 on Friday after they beat Stade Francais 33-20 in a Parisian derby.

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Before kick-off in balmy conditions in Lyon, host broadcaster Canal+ said there would be no TMO during the match because of a technical issue linked to the TV truck.

The first controversy due to the problem came after six minutes as Matthieu Jalibert crossed for Bordeaux-Begles and referee Ludovic Cayre awarded the try despite television footage showing a knock-on from the fly-half.

The home side responded to lead 17-8 at the break as France winger Ethan Dumortier and Fiji centre Josua Tuisova responded to Jalibert’s early effort.

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With half an hour to play there was just two points between the sides as Jalibert converted Diaby’s try to make it 17-15.

Diaby’s touchline effort was whistled by the home fans as the flanker seemed to lose control of the ball.

Tuisova hobbled off the field due to a knee issue with a quarter of an hour remaining before Tambwe and Lyon centre Josiah Maraku crossed to leave the score 25-25 with five minutes left.

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Tambwe’s crucial intervention came with two minutes to go as he galloped 50 metres to score from a set-piece move and Jalibert added the conversion as Bordeaux-Begles secured a last-four spot with just their third away win of the season.

On Saturday, Perpignan avoided relegation for a second straight season by beating Grenoble 33-19 in a play-off at a sold-out Stade des Alpes.

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By Agence France Presse
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