Post-match reaction to Bourgoin's 32-30 European Challenge Cup victory over London Irish.
Exiles boss puts Euro defeat down to complacency
London Irish head coach Toby Booth believes his players were guilty of not showing Bourgoin enough respect after their shock 32-30 defeat at the Madejski Stadium.
The result ended Irish's European Challenge Cup adventure at the quarter-final stage.
It could have been a different story had full-back Delon Armitage converted brother Steffon's injury-time try to force extra time, however he missed and the tournament favourites were knocked on their home patch.
The defeat also closes another route to Heineken Cup qualification for the Exiles and Booth was furious with his team's display.
He said: "I don't think we paid them enough respect. We did not come in with the right frame of mind.
Silverware
"They had nothing to lose after they secured their Top 14 status next season and said let's roll the dice.
"We were appalling at times tonight defensively. If we have scored 30 points and that's not enough to win the game then something's wrong.
"For long periods of the first half we were not prepared to put our bodies on the line.
"You saw the real London Irish come out in the last 10 minutes but if you leave yourself a mountain to climb then sometimes you have too much to do.
"We set out to qualify for the Heineken Cup and win some silverware this season and 50 per cent of our options have been taken away from us.
"We are still in the box seat for a top-four challenge but we have got two cup finals remaining, starting with Northampton.
Surprised
"I was very honest with the players afterwards but I said we can't waste time feeling sorry for ourselves."
Bourgoin's South African flanker Wessel Jooste admitted their nothing-to-lose attitude paid dividends.
He said: "This was like a present for us because we had secured our Top 14 safety last week.
"We are a French side and the try just after halftime really lifted our spirits - we thought why not let's go for it.
"But I am quite sure that if the game had gone into extra-time that we would have fallen apart because we were dead out there.
"We surprised ourselves because we know they are capable of ripping us to bits but we were like a French side tonight that were free spirits on the field."
