Champions Cup final: Leinster 19 Bordeaux Bègles 41On a sobering weekend for Irish rugby at the hands of the French, this was especially deflating for Leinster. They’ve had more heartbreaking final defeats, but the unprecedented scale of this fifth loss in a decider over the last eight seasons could prove the most damaging in the long-term.The revisionism following this latest final loss will not be pleasant. Akin to the Challenge Cup final the night before, the gulf between Leinster and another French powerhouse in Union Bordeaux Bègles (UBB) was pronounced. It was their second triumph in succession, echoing the Toulon and La Rochelle periods of supremacy.But, ominously, it was also a sixth French title in a row. Leinster are their only realistic challengers from Ireland, but they were beaten by the break, when blitzed by a five-try salvo and trailing 35-7.Leinster had some passages of fine attacking and didn’t roll over and have their belies tickled, Ciaran Frawley bringing some assuredness in his last European game before joining Connacht and Max Deegan making a big impact.Their spirit cannot be doubted, but they were overpowered in the collision zone. They critically came off worse in the kicking and aerial game, and their defence couldn’t cope with the tempo of the UBB attack. Noel McNamara, take another bow.Operating behind a potent pack, Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert pulled the strings sharply. Louis Bielle-Biarrey underlined why he is the best finisher in the world as well as being an ever more complete winger. They had their luck, but they made it, for they also again showed they can soak up pressure and inject punishing line speed and tackling execution, with Yoram Moefana a powerhouse in midfield. How on earth are they sixth in the Top 14? Meanwhile, Leinster’s blitz defence in which they have invested so much in the last three years wasn’t really a factor.It was 27 degrees at kickoff under a sweltering Bilbao blue sky and extended roof, and though Leinster were roared on by at least 5,000-plus fans, more than half the 53,331 were French, most of which were UBB fans. This was akin to a home match.Leinster's Tommy O'Brien scores their first try against UBB. Photograph: Ben Whitley/PA That feeling intensified as the first-half horror show, and Leinster’s hopes, unravelled. Ironically, ala Ulster the night before, it began encouragingly when Leinster struck first before the amalgam of French power, tempo and pace proved just too much.Hugo Keenan had spilled his first catch but Leinster exited well, as they generally did, before McCarthy and Jack Conan won a turnover scrum at a UBB lineout maul. On they went through 19 phases until Garry Ringrose found Tommy O’Brien in space on the edge and Harry Byrne added a superb touchline conversion.That was as good as it got for Leinster. They had the better of a marginal call when Cameron Woki was adjudged to have brushed the touchline before grounding in the corner when tackled by Byrne. But as UBB cranked up their pounding game, that was only a temporary reprieve.Back for a penalty advantage, UBB opted for a tap penalty under the posts. A carry by temporary replacement Temo Matiu cleared the way for captain and cult hero Maxime Lucu to pounce and convert. The UBB “Allez Allez Allez” anthem reverberated around the San Mamés.After Byrne kicked the restart long and dead, Leinster were a little unlucky when a Bielle-Biarrey kick which went dead brushed Keenan’s finger tips. From the resultant five-metre scrum, UBB bunched the Leinster defence and Jalibert took Moefana’s pull back for Pablo Uberti to finish untouched, Rieko Ioane and Keenan having become disconnected on the edge.Now it time for a rendition of La Marseillaise before a water break, not that it stemmed the Bordeaux heat. “Moment by moment” had been the Leinster mantra, but UBB were winning most of the little moments, as when Bielle-Biarrey reclaimed a Lucu box kick above O’Brien.Soon UBB were pounding the Leinster line again, Jalibert keeping the ball alive with a looped ball to Uberti and Bielle-Biarrey gathered his bounce pass to step inside two defenders and score.Union Bordeaux Begles’ Maxime Lucu celebrates after he scores his side's first try of the match. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Leinster were then repelled by a huge and draining UBB defensive set which ended with Conan spilling Gibson-Park’s pass. UBB hardly needed the luck which followed when Jalibert’s miscued kick sparked some midfield ping-pong, Damian Penaud hacking through and nudging Gibson-Park to gather a wicked and bounce and release Bielle-Biarrey for another try.The game was up already, but UBB twisted the knife in first-half overtime when Leinster mounted one more promising attack only for Yoram Moefana to pick off Byrne’s intended pass for James Ryan to make it 35-7 at the break.To their credit, Leinster rallied at the start of the second half, Lucu being binned for a high tackle which prevented a line break and Leinster’s power game went into overdrive before McCarthy powered over. Ciaran Frawley, just introduced for Byrne, hit the upright with a kickable conversion.Instead, Lucu returned and with a comfortable lead elected to land a couple of penalties, the second from inside halfway after Josh van der Flier kicked the ball in a ruck.Though looking exhausted, Leinster probed once more, Rónan Kelleher charging off a tap penalty and Henshaw combining with Garry Ringrose to outwit Penaud for a third try. Matters were summed up when UBB could afford to withdraw Jalibert to a raucous reception with 10 minutes remaining.There was also a cheap shot to many at clearouts when Ugo Boniface thuggishly caught an unsuspecting Ryan, and the yellow card was the least he deserved.Deegan made a couple of big carries but Moefana ended one siege and a wilting Caelan Doris knock on, in his 17th carry, ended another. That was that, but this one had been done and dusted a long time before.SCORING SEQUENCE – 8 MINS: O’Brien try, Byrne con 7-0; 13: Lucu try, con 7-7; 17: Uberti try, Lucu con 7-14; 24: Bielle-Biarrey try, Lucu con 7-21; 36: Bielle-Biarrey try, Lucu con 7-28; 42: Moefana try, Lucu con 7-35; Half-time 7-35; 45: McCarthy try 12-35; 59: Lucu pen 12-38; 64: Lucu pen 12-41; 71: Ringrose try, Frawley con 19-41LEINSTER: H Keenan; T O’Brien, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, R Ioane; H Byrne, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, D Sheehan, T Clarkson; J McCarthy, J Ryan; J Conan, J Van der Flier, C Doris (capt). Replacements: T Furlong for Clarkson, C Frawley for Byrne (both 44 mins), J Osborne for Henshaw (50), R Kelleher for Sheehan (54), M Deegan for Conan (59), P McCarthy for Porter (63), Henshaw for Keenan (64, HIA), D Mangan for McCarthy (71).BORDEAUX: S Rayasi; P Uberti, D Penaud, Y Moefana, L Bielle-Biarrey; M Jalibert, M Lucu (capt); J Poirot, M Lamothe, C Sadie; B Palu, A Coleman; P Bochaton, M Gazzotti, C Woki. Replacements: T Matiu for Bochaton (9 mins), L Swinton for Coleman (41), B Tameifuna for Sadie, U Boniface for Poirot (both 48), T Matiu for Woki (50), G Barlot for Lamothe, B Vergnes-Taillefer (both 54), A Retiere for Uberti (63), H Reus for Jalibert (69).Yellow card: Lucu (41 mins), Boniface (73).Referee: K Dickson (ENG).