Lamothe hat-trick guides Bordeaux-Begles into Top 14 final

Hooker Maxime Lamothe scored a historic hat-trick as Bordeaux-Begles beat Toulon 39-24 on Saturday to set-up a repeat of last season's French Top 14 final.

Lamothe became the first player to score three tries in a Top 14 knock-out game which helped clinch a place in next Saturday's decider in Paris against holders and record 23-time champions Toulouse.

Bordeaux-Begles will now eye a double after winning the Champions Cup a month ago and seek revenge for being hammered 59-3 in last year's domestic final.

New Zealand centre Leicester Fainga'anuku, Fiji winger Setariki Tuicuvu and Georgia prop Beka Gigashvili were Toulon's try-scorers in their first French semifinal since 2017.