"It's All or Nothing" - Lawrence Dallaglio backs Bath to secure Champions Cup Final place

This is a mouth watering encounter for fans and pundits alike as the French and English champions go head to head.

Two-time champions cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio said with a flicker of envy “I don't get to play rugby anymore but if I could, this would be the sort of game that you would get incredibly excited about because it's got all of the intensity and build-up of an international game but yet the excitement and anticipation of one of the biggest club games in the world really.”

The Premier Sports pundit is unsurprisingly correct, this game has all the feels of a test match with stars all over the pitch. The headache for the coaches is how to fit all their stars on the pitch at once.

Under head coach Johann van Graan guessing Bath’s starting XV is no small order. The South African has revitalised Bath in recent years guiding them to three domestic finals in a row and a treble last year. In order to compete on multiple fronts van Graan has built a culture of constant rotation. This constant rotation has raised eyebrows in some cases but against Bordeaux expect to see Bath’s best.

Dallagio said “It's knockout rugby. So you'd expect Bath to put their best team out on the field. It's not really a question of playing your cards close to your chest. It's all or nothing, isn't it, to try and get to the final.”

The selection at the halfbacks is easy to predict. This game has the two best half back pairings in Europe go head to head: Maxime Lucu & Matthieu Jalibert for Bordeaux and Ben Spencer & Fin Russell.

“I think, is the best word, both pairings, because with Spencer and Finn Russell, you know, you've got real balance, real leadership and ability to keep the ball up front and play, you know, the tactical kicking game with Spencer and obviously Finn at any moment can break out and cause any team problems.

“Jalibert at times has produced things from another planet, really, in terms of his all-round game. You know, no one in the back row seems to be able to get close to him to challenge him, really.” Dallaglio added with the look of a man who’d like to try.

Bath and Bordeaux are known for their expansive attacking rugby with both teams averaging close to 40 points a game in this competition. Dallagio acknowledges the damage Bordeaux’s backs can do but, as all good forwards do, he must give their pack its flowers.

“I was so impressed with the way that they played against Toulouse because, you know, yes, they've got incredible talent to score at wide, you know, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and, Damian Penaud and obviously the halfbacks are very skilled. But actually, you know, they've got the ability to play quite narrow and through the middle with an incredibly powerful pack”.

“You're going up against a team that have beaten Toulouse, taken Leicester apart in recent weeks, dismantled Northampton in the early stages of the competition, you know, you're going up against one of the very best sides in Europe”.

As with any rugby game the battle up-front is going to be key with both sides possessing monstrous packs with behemoth’s like Ben Tameifuna and Thomas du Toit set to battle it out except for some seismic irregularities in south west France.

Dallaglio added, licking his lips “the power game is as beautiful as anything else. These sides possess so many ball carriers. But it's not just the power, it's their ability to play and to link with their teammates as well. I mean, you know, one of Bordeaux's strengths is the offloading game that they have in the forwards.

“It's exciting because it's, you know, the sort of balance of speed, flair and attacking brilliance. You have to have that kind of power and physical intimidation and aggression. And both sides possess this in in abundance”

For Bath winning an away semi-final is a tall order but not impossible. Dallagio, a man who has done it, had some advice for the west country side.

“All I know is that you need to sort of ensure when you're playing away from home that you don't give yourself a mountain to climb. Bordeaux appeared to be one of those sides that if they start the game well they become very difficult to stop.

“If you're Bath and it's imperative that they start the game well and they don't give themselves too many big problems on the scoreboard in the second half because it's not a game where you want to be chasing it really.”

Both teams are coming off losses in their domestic leagues but again Dallagio says that isn’t always a bad thing: “when you lose a game just a week before the biggest game of your season, you know, that kind of sparks you into life.”

When pressed for a score prediction the England and Wasps legend said, “if you ask ten people nine of them will say Bordeaux so I'm going to be the one that will stick his neck on the block and say somehow Bath will come out on top, 32-35.”