"It's hard to compete with a Formula 1 team like that after coming through the play-offs... If you want to beat Toulouse in the final, you have to qualify directly for the semi-finals," he went on.
Positives are hard to find after a one-sided defeat like that - but he tried. "It is better to be outclassed in the final than to lose 29-28 on a late refereeing decision.
"Slaps like this are a reminder of humility and reflection. I hope that next season, we will be able to rise to this standard. There will be time to debrief. But that time has not arrived. Right now, we all need some rest." Bru had gambled on the fitness of star fly-half Matthieu Jalibert - who had missed the semi-final victory over Stade Francais with a thigh injury and tighthead prop 'Big' Ben Tameifuna, who picked up a shoulder injury in that match.
Neither one of them had matches to remember.
But Bru had no regrets about selecting players despite doubts over their fitness. "You can't beat Toulouse by playing small," he said.
"We had to take a gamble, and to do that we needed our best players on the pitch. On the other side, there were 23 internationals. With 23 other Bordeaux players, the result would have been identical." He has a point, but Jalibert admitted that he was struggling after the opening 15 minutes. "It was complicated," he said. "The season was as good as over for me.
But then Mateo Garcia felt some discomfort before the final ... [and] I was getting better and better.
"We decided to take the risk.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
England show who's No.1
ENGLAND women’s head coach John Mitchell says his side will take valuable lessons from the 24-12 win over world champions New Zealand as they build towards their WXV1 title defence.
Skivington: We're going to roll dice and go for it
THE Cherry and Whites are the enigmas of the Premiership.
Looking to go one step beyond this time around
NE small step is what it will take for Bath to go one better than last season and secure the Premiership for the first time, but it would be one of the biggest taken by the club in the professional era.
Four-try England make it 17 wins on the spin
ENGLAND women opened the Allianz Stadium era at HQ with a victory over New Zealand to make it 17 wins on the bounce before their WXV title defence.
Time for Borthwick to prove his worth
HONEYMOON periods are not set in stone and in my estimation Steve Borthwick’s ends this summer. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still in good shape.
Barrington ready to power up the Mob
RICHARD Barrington has signed up to the Ampthill “Mob” reassured that he’ll still have a target on his back most weeks.
Skivington keen to build identity
GLOUCESTER won their first trophy for nine years last season and reached the Challenge Cup final, but when George Skivington went on holiday the day after the campaign ended the words in his head were never again.
Roebuck targets England success
WINNING a maiden England Test cap to top the best season of his career will not be enough for Sale winger Tom Roebuck.
Booth: Tough telling players I was leaving
TOBY Booth admits telling his Ospreys players that he would be leaving at the end of the season was one of the hardest things he has had to do in his career.
Stephens' debut try sees off old rivals
DORKING had to dig deep in another tight game between two old rivals, with the lead changing hands twice and result in doubt right up to the final whistle.
