Ian Madigan seals win for Bordeaux over Racing during Top 14 debut

Ian Madigan said he has settled in well in Bordeaux after leaving Leinster and is delighted to have made a winning start to his career in the Top 14.

The 27-year-old was the star of the show as Bordeaux-Begles made an opening night 15-9 win over reigning champions Racing, with Madigan outscoring Dan Carter by five penalties to three.

Former Clontarf scrumhalf James Hart also made an impressive debut for Racing 92 following his move from Grenoble but it wasn't enough to prevent an opening night defeat for Ronan O'Gara's men.

Bordeaux led 6-3 at the break and three more penalties from Madigan ensured a winning start to his career in France in front of a crowd of 22,771.

“It was good to see some of the kicks off the ground going well, the kicking out of hand wasn’t my finest day but I’m working hard on that in training and hoping that’s going to click for me soon once I get a flow of a few games,” Madigan said.