Bordeaux’s demolition of Leinster completed a clean sweep of European rugby for France
Six Nations. Champions Cup. Challenge Cup.
Bordeaux Bègles’ commanding victory over Leinster secured a remarkable European clean sweep for French men’s rugby teams.
Leinster, a team brimming with Irish international talent, found no answer as Bordeaux cruised to a 41-19 victory in Bilbao, becoming only the sixth side to successfully defend their European crown.
This triumph came less than 24 hours after Montpellier delivered a similarly dominant performance against Ulster in the Challenge Cup final, claiming the competition title for the third time.
Earlier in the year, France also retained their Six Nations title after a dramatic conclusion to a captivating tournament, edging out Ireland.
According to their Irish attack coach Noel McNamara, Bordeaux drew inspiration from Rory McIlroy, who secured his second Masters victory in April, ending his wait for another Green Jacket.
The irony of using a Northern Irish athlete as motivation will not be lost on observers.
“We spoke about Rory McIlroy in the lead-up to the quarter-final against Toulouse,” McNamara told the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
“There’s a beautiful ad that said good players want one Green Jacket and really good players want two, and we’ve got fantastic players.
“That’s what makes the game of rugby wonderful. They made a decision that one isn’t enough. The challenge for us now is we’re a young club, we’re a new club and it’s continuing to set that standard.”
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Ireland Rugby Social post-match in Bilbao
Bordeaux have now secured 16 consecutive Champions Cup victories across two campaigns, navigating a challenging path to the title this season.
In the final, they defeated United Rugby Championship holders Leinster, scoring five tries in a dominant first-half performance that effectively sealed the outcome with 40 minutes remaining.
Prior to that, they overcame reigning English Premiership champions Bath in the semi-finals and eliminated Top 14 champions Toulouse in the quarter-finals.
This impressive run underscores Bordeaux’s ascendancy – a club formed in 2006 through the merger of two clubs – establishing them as a force to be reckoned with in European rugby.
Led by a powerful and athletic pack, player of the tournament Louis Bielle-Biarrey seamlessly translates his exceptional abilities from the French national team to his club.
Maxime Lucu is arguably the best scrum-half in the game today, a bold statement considering Antoine Dupont captains the national team, while fly-half Mathieu Jalibert is a world-class playmaker.
After a stunning performance, Mathieu Jalibert led the Bordeaux celebrations
The partnership between Lucu and Jalibert, which shone for France during Dupont’s knee injury absence, extends beyond their on-field connection.
“It’s no happy accident,” said McNamara. They make the effort to connect. They’ve been together for quite a long time.
“I think there’s a really nice symbiosis between the two of them, but honestly a lot of it is work, it’s connecting off the pitch, it’s preparation and it’s understanding what they see.”
McNamara emphasizes a “very straightforward mindset” and highlights that “part of our identity” is celebrating a player’s impactful collision or crucial turnover as much as a try scorer.
“It’s something that really suits our profile and something we’ve worked really hard to build good habits around,” he added.
“I think that’s probably where we’ve probably come on a little bit even this year, just understanding the effort and the work that goes in to create those moments where we’re going to strike, rather than just when that moment comes.”
These habits will undoubtedly fuel Bordeaux’s ambition to emulate the great Toulon side of 2013-2015, who secured three consecutive Champions Cup titles.
French dominance in the Champions Cup is evident, with Top 14 sides having lifted the trophy in each of the last six seasons, including Bordeaux’s double alongside two wins each for La Rochelle and Toulouse.
Leinster have been defeated in four of those finals, and their quest for a fifth European star continues.
McNamara, who previously coached at Leinster and with Ireland’s youth setup, acknowledged his former side’s “remarkable consistency to keep coming back.”
“I think lesser people and lesser teams probably wouldn’t be able to do that, so it’s tough for them. I hope to see them back in the fight next year,” he said.
“It’s an incredibly competitive competition and it creates tough times and tough people.”
Leinster, Ulster and Ireland have all come out second best to France or French opposition in the space of three months
Being runners-up has been a recurring theme this season, with Andy Farrell’s Ireland and Ulster also finishing as the best of the rest in their respective competitions.
Tony McWhirter, a 1999 European Cup winner with Ulster, believes French rugby “is completely different” as clubs prioritize European success.
He stated that French clubs have the financial resources to build their squads around top players, while Ireland focuses on developing its international team.
“You could see what it meant to Bordeaux to win it, and the same with Montpellier,” McWhirter said on the Ireland Rugby Social podcast.
“The issue is we are talking about taking ourselves from being second, and the problem from the weekend is that it shows we are probably not close enough to make that move to be number one.
“We’re not too far away and we’re building to get there, but French rugby is in a different place at the minute.”
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