Damian Penaud scored a tournament record six tries as Bordeaux-Begles hammered the Sharks, while Antoine Dupont shone as Toulouse thrashed Leicester in Champions Cup action on Sunday.
Wales coach Warren Gatland will no doubt have been an interested, if slightly apprehensive, spectator as the two French teams – packed with the core of the France team – were ruthless in the two matches that came just 12 days before Les Bleus open their Six Nations campaign against the stuttering Welsh in Paris.
Penaud's hatful of tries in the 66-12 victory saw Bordeaux secure top spot in Pool 1 with 20 points from a maximum of 20, and home advantage in the next round in April.
Dupont's France back-up Maxime Lucu, Ugo Boniface, Yoram Moefana and Jacques Nguimbous all added tries for Bordeaux, with Matthieu Jalibert hitting eight conversions.
"The first part of the path has been very well managed," said Bordeaux coach Yannick Bru.
"We were drawn in Toulouse's pool, so the slightest mistake would cost us an away match in the knock-out phase."
2024/25 Pool Stages ✅
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One blow for Bordeaux was the absence of winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who withdrew from the match with vertigo and will miss the first get-together of the France team ahead of the Six Nations.
The heavy defeat for the Durban-based Sharks meant Ulster – who beat Exeter 52-24 on Friday – leapfrogged them into fourth place with a better points difference of -61 compared with the South Africans' -87.
Ulster will now be away from home for their last-16 Champions Cup tie as the Sharks drop into the second-tier Challenge Cup.
Six-time champions Toulouse finished second to Bordeaux in the same Pool 1, on 19 points, but their 80-12 victory over Leicester was similarly impressive, with them running in a dozen tries in a masterful display.
"Today's match was close to perfection," acknowledged Dupont.
Not to be outdone, there was also a famous 32-24 away victory for Castres over English giants and three-time champions Saracens.
The win snapped a run of 21 straight defeats away from home in Champions Cup action for the French club.
Castres captain Adrien Seguret scored the decisive try to ensure the shock win that saw the Top 14 team take second place in Pool 3, which is topped by Northampton.
Saracens, with new England skipper Maro Itoje in the second row, finished fourth behind Munster and miss out on a home tie.
BONUS POINT IN 21 MINUTES
Star scrumhalf Dupont, an Olympic sevens gold medallist at last year's Paris Games, opened the scoring against the Michael Cheika-coached Tigers, Dimitri Delibes and Emmanuel Meafou both then crossing as the home side showcased their fine offloading game.
Italy back Ange Capuozzo dived in at the corner to hand Toulouse an attacking bonus point in just the 21st minute.
Hooker Julien Marchand was next over the whitewash and Meafou bagged a second. With Thomas Ramos booting all six conversions, Toulouse were a barely believable 42-0 up at halftime.
England scrumhalf Jack van Poortvliet jinked over to finally get Leicester on the scoreboard early in the second period, but Toulouse hit straight back with a five-pointer from man-of-the-match Thibaud Flament.
A smart turnover by Jack Willis released Capuozzo and the Italian showed a clean pair of heels to sprint in for his second to take the six-time Cup champions past the 50-point mark.
Leicester notched up two more tries through Solomone Kata and Will Hurd, matched by Ramos and Flament, with his second, before Dupont – now playing in the centre – and Matthis Lebel had the final word.
So all in all, 146 points and 22 tries for the two French teams, more than enough material for Gatland and his Wales coaching staff to mull over before their daunting Friday night trip to the Stade de France.
France coach Fabien Galthie, however, will be rubbing his hands at getting access to his in-form raft of players shining at both Top 14 and Champions Cup level.
"There was a lot of pleasure, it was a great team effort," said Flament of Toulouse's victory before turning to heading to France duty.
"There's a lot of excitement and I hope pleasure to come," he said. "The job is done, we can carry on in peace."
In the late game, Sale thrashed Pool 4 winners Toulon 33-7 to secure a last-16 tie against Toulouse. The result saw Racing 92 miss out on the knock-out phase.
Another super Sunday of rugby done 😮💨
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 19, 2025
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