'Magic' Jalibert guides Bordeaux-Begles past Scarlets
Bordeaux-Begles head coach Yannick Bru on Saturday said Matthieu Jalibert performed "magic tricks" after the France fly-half scored 16 points as the holders hammered the Scarlets 50-21 in the Champions Cup to maintain their 100 percent record.
Earlier, the Stormers ran in six tries to see off a youthful La Rochelle side 42-21 while South Africa captain Siya Kolisi scored as the Sharks edged three-time winners Saracens 28-23.
The mercurial Jalibert, 27, scored two tries and slotted three conversions as the French club remained top of Pool 4 having beaten the Bulls in South Africa last weekend in their opening game.
"It's great, when things are tight and we're not controlling things, Matthieu pulls out a magic trick," Bru told BeIn Sports.
"Right now he's full of confidence, he tries things.
"We're happy to have him," Bru added.
No 8 Fletcher Anderson and prop Henry Thomas crossed for the Welsh region, who remain winless having lost by a point at home to Bristol last Saturday.
Jalibert started at outside-half despite Bru resting a host of first-choice players, including influential scrum-half Maxime Lucu, who led the side to the title in May.
Dwayne Peel was without Wales duo Blair Murray and Taine Plumtree for the Scarlets, who are the country's only representative in the top-tier tournament.
Despite the apparent difference in class between the sides, the visitors opened the scoring after just eight minutes thanks to Anderson, at a sold-out 32,000-capacity Stade Chaban Delmas.
The hosts then dominated the first half despite a disjointed display, as Jalibert dotted down twice, alongside touchdowns from hooker Gaetan Barlot, prop Jefferson Poirot and flanker Tiaan Jacobs.
Jalibert set up South African Jacobs, having made a superb earlier break to underline his status as one of the game's leading fly-halves.
Bru substituted Jalibert off with half an hour left, to rest him ahead of Bordeaux's French Top 14 clash with Toulon next weekend.
Full-back Xan Mousques and winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who scored a hat-trick against the same opponents on his first senior start three years ago, finished off the rout in the final 20 minutes.
In the same group, two-time winners Munster beat Gloucester 31-3 in front of 35,000 people at the Gaelic sports stadium Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork to bounce back from a hammering at Bath seven days ago.
- Stormers on top -
Stormers' second win in a row put them top of Pool 3 ahead of four-time winners Leinster, who beat Leicester 23-15 on Friday.
La Rochelle, who beat English side Leicester in their opener last week, lie third in Pool 3.
Saracens are top of Pool 1 despite the defeat to the Sharks, just points difference ahead of Sale, who bounced back from last week's home defeat to Glasgow to win 35-14 at Clermont, for their first victory at Stade Marcel Michelin since 2008.
Sale ran in five tries despite the sin-binning of Arron Reed.
Saracens pushed Sharks all the way despite resting British and Irish Lions trio Maro Itoje, Jamie George and Owen Farrell.
In Saturday's later game Antoine Dupont's six-time winners Toulouse travel to Glasgow.
Sunday's pick of the ties is in-form Bath heading to Toulon.
F.Peeters--RTC
