Bourgoin end Warriors' challenge
Bourgoin reached the European Challenge Cup final with a 22-11 victory over Worcester in the last four.
Last Updated: 02/05/09 4:33pm
Bourgoin reached the European Challenge Cup final with a 22-11 victory over Worcester Warriors at Stade Pierre Rajon.
Morgan Parra kicked 14 points, Coenraad Basson scored a second-half try and Benjamin Boyet added a drop goal as the French team booked a final date with Northampton, who beat Saracens in the competition's other semi-final on Friday.
Worcester's points came through Joe Carlisle's two penalties and a late try from Miles Benjamin.
The visitors welcomed back skipper Pat Sanderson along with Greg Rawlinson, Dale Rasmussen and Ryan Powell.
Bourgoin dominated the early possession and held a clear edge in the scrum. And that power at the set-piece laid the platform for Parra to convert a ninth-minute penalty.
The hosts nearly extended their slender lead in the 11th minute when Boyet's kick through hit the corner flag but the television official spotted that full-back Florian Denos failed to ground the ball.
Worcester levelled in the 28th minute through Carlisle's short-range penalty after Irish referre Peter Fitzgibbon deemed the home side to be off-side.
Then Mike Ruddock's men, with the wind at their backs, took the lead six minutes later through Carlisle's second penalty from just inside his own half.
Rawlinson injury
Worcester lost Rawlinson through injury after 36 minutes but wasted a rare chance to attack a minute later when former All Blacks winger Rico Gear fumbled the ball following Netani Talei's rampaging run.
But the Guinness Premiership outfit weathered another period of danger in the final few minutes of the half to gain a narrow 6-3 advantage at the break.
Bourgoin levelled two minutes after the restart when Parra landed a 40-metre penalty and the scrum-half completed his hat-trick of three pointers in the 51st minute to put his side 9-6 in front.
The French side inched further ahead with Parra's fourth successful penalty in the 57th minute before Boyet added a superb 47-metre drop goal.
And Bourgoin struck the decisive blow when Basson crossed for the game's opening try in the 62nd minute.
Rudie Coetzee made the initial break with a mazy run after coming inside off his wing and the ball was quickly moved left to provide Basson with a simple finish in the corner.
Parra stroked the conversion from the touchline to extend his team's advantage to 22-6 with 17 minutes remaining.
Bourgoin were content to sit on their lead in the final quarter-of-an-hour and, although Worcester winger Benjamin crossed for a try two minutes from time, they comfortably closed out the victory.
