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Irish Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Gordon D'Arcy: The greatest danger to Leinster could come from within
As Champions Cup finals go it was a reasonably well contested affair and part of the charm of the result was that it saw a new name engraved on the trophy, that of Union Bordeaux Bègles (UBB). While it didn't break up the French hegemony in terms of dominating European rugby over a handful of years now, it did admit a new club to the inner sanctum. That's an important consideration in the greater scheme of things. Bordeaux are a relatively new club, founded in 2006 through the merger of Stade Bordelais and Club Athlétique Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde and represent the nouveau riche of French rugby. On Saturday Union Bordeaux Bègles confirmed that they are now a major player in European rugby . Bordeaux demonstrated what is achievable when two tribes come to a table to negotiate a singular pathway in rugby terms. It's not always an easy outcome. The model failed to take root in Wales, with hugely debilitating consequences for the sport as regional identities failed to inspire lasting loyalty. In contrast, Bordeaux's rise has been underpinned by a clear sense of place and purpose: a strong supporter base, a core of French players and coaching structures that were dialled into the club's ambitions to be able to compete in the Top 14 and Europe. It was predicated on getting the right people and players in situ and then providing them with the requisite support. READ MORE UBB's progress has been based on a steady progression, top six finishes in the Top 14 since 2020, losing the domestic final to Toulouse last season and now, Champions Cup winners. Converting potential into trophies matters, not least because it reinforces that the work being done is properly attuned to the end goal. For all talk of development, culture or process, it's silverware that validates a project. Unsurprisingly, they've quickly turned their focus to the Top 14. Historically, teams chasing a double face a very tough assignment. The emotional and physical toll of one final often leaves sides flat in the weeks that follow. You have to come down the mountain before you can start climbing again. You really have to be mentally and physically resilient when you embark on that journey to peak for a second time. Damian Penaud will have to get himself up again for Bordeaux-Bègles' next match. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho Leinster are on the opposite side of that coin, the last occasion they managed to win a trophy of note was the 2021 URC title. Since then, they have morphed into the 'nearly men', a tag no one wants. This season's URC comes with a 'now or never' ultimatum, a watershed moment that has the potential to lift the pall of disappointment. The province's obsession with the Champions Cup has left them susceptible to taking their eye off the URC prize. Once again, they have a shot to change that narrative. To not seize the opportunity would feel significant. Key players are ageing. The discrepancy in standard between some frontline players and those that covet that status is, in some positions, a little wider than you'd like. As we've seen so often in sport, windows close faster than anyone anticipates. It's important to stress, Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber aren't the ones who will decide whether Leinster lift silverware this season. That might sound counterintuitive, even unfair, considering the hours they pour into preparation. But at this stage of the season with the sun beating down on battered bodies, only the players can propel Leinster to outright success. The loss to Northampton wasn't a blip, based on the trail of tears in Europe over previous campaigns. That defeat to Saints exposed something we don't normally associate with Leinster teams − a lack of urgency. For long stretches, Leinster looked flat, hesitant, as if they were waiting for someone else to win it for them. The following week against Glasgow in the URC? More of the same, a team with more gears than a Bugatti Veyron but stuck in second. Andrew Porter, RG Snyman and Leinster may have to look within themselves to find a way through their remaining URC opponents. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho This isn't a systems issue. Leinster's model is as detailed and well-drilled as any in Europe. Their support lines, defensive shape and breakdown presence all bear the mark of top-class coaching and organisation. But none of that matters when the mentality isn't right. And now comes the uncomfortable bit. This isn't about refining a kick strategy or analysing lineout options. This is about each player looking inward, having that hard conversation with himself. On paper, Leinster are still favourites to win the URC. There's one caveat. How badly do they want it? When things go wrong, and they will at some stage, what happens then, in the 65th minute, when the lungs are burning, and the scoreboard is tight? Where do players look? What do they do? That's not something a coach can instil. That's internal. That's yours alone as a player. There are clear and present threats to Leinster's aspirations. Glasgow will back themselves if they earn another shot at the Irish province. Munster are lurking and have been here before, excelling in adversity when they won the title. The South African sides, as ever, click into gear when trophies come into view. But the greatest danger to Leinster might come from within. Carrying the psychological baggage of the Northampton defeat could prove fatal; the little voice expressing doubt can get very loud when you're struggling in a match. Leinster's occasional starter Jordie Barrett in action against Glasgow. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Those moments, that's where great teams, truly great teams, find a way to push through. Leinster have yet to answer whether they are still in that category. They have the talent, the depth, the experience. But you must meet those assets halfway with the required conviction. The URC run-in offers every incentive − home advantage, a partisan crowd and familiarity. But those can become pressure points too. Just like against Northampton, the sense of 'we should win this' can quickly become 'we must not lose this'. That's when the shoulders tighten. That's when instincts freeze. And that's where the coaches' influence ends. If this group is to right the wrongs of recent seasons, it won't be because Leo delivered a rousing speech or Jacques unveiled a new defensive scheme. It will be because the players accepted individual responsibility. It will be because the squad leaders demand standards, not hope they appear opportunely. Leinster will want to be on active duty for the next three weekends. To accomplish that is a test of character as much as playing capacity. The most important work won't happen in a team meeting or on the training pitch; it'll be framed by what takes place after looking in the mirror.
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Gerry Thornley: Leinster still most likely disruptors to undisputed era of the French
It has been forecast before, and has proven premature, but this is it then. We're in the very midst of it now. The era of the French. Top 14 clubs are now dominating European rugby like never before and beating them to the trophy has never looked more difficult. Of course there have always been, and always will be, different cycles. Nothing lasts forever. Northampton's 9-8 win over Munster in 2000 heralded a run of four English winners in a period of five seasons. From 2006 to 2012, there were five Irish champions in seven years. Ah, blissful times! Alas, only one in the last 13 years. From 2013 to 2015 there was that Toulon three-in-a-row as they hit the tournament like a tornado, before English clubs provided four of the next five champions – three of them by Saracens, who were subsequently derided and relegated for financial doping. But never before has one country accounted for five Champions Cup triumphs in succession. What's more, Union Bordeaux Bègles (UBB) became the third different French winner in this era, emulating La Rochelle's maiden win in 2022 over Leinster in Marseille, by beating Northampton in Cardiff last Saturday. READ MORE That old chestnut about the French being Eurosceptics, save for Toulouse, has never looked so hoary. In truth, on foot of Toulouse and Brive winning the first two European Cups and Colomiers reaching the final in the fourth season it was always a bit of a myth anyway and perhaps distorted by Castres' seemingly dilettante attitude. Five different French clubs account for their 13 titles – Toulouse (six), Toulon (three), La Rochelle (two), Brive and UBB one apiece. England's 10 titles have come from six clubs and Ireland's seven trophies have been shared among three of the provinces. But the French have also provided six other finalists, including Clermont and Racing 92, who have each lost three deciders. That hardly indicates disinterest. Bordeaux players celebrate in the dressing room after the game. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho As well as the 5,000 or more UBB fans who travelled to Cardiff and matched the 20,000 Saints fans for noise and colour, a crowd of 25,000 filled out the fan zone in Bordeaux to watch the match on a giant screen and nearly 40,000 people gathered around the Place des Quinconces on Sunday for the team's civic reception and open top parade. Pierre Hurmic, the Mayor of Bordeaux, exclaimed: 'We have definitively proven, if it was necessary, that Bordeaux is a great rugby city.' President Emmanuel Macron posted on X: 'Wine is not the only Bordeaux treasure: the Union Bordeaux Bègles inscribes its name in gold letters in the European legend of rugby! Bravo. With panache and heart, France is proud.' As well as other Top 14 and ProD2 clubs, the Barcelona and French footballer Jules Koundé congratulated his fellow Girondins, as did PSG ahead of their Champions League final against Inter Milan next Saturday. UBB's triumph is timely too. The most recent French TV deal in the post-pandemic world of 2022 was reputedly reduced from €30 million to €16 million. Yet, on foot of EPCR botching TNT's offer to renew its €15 million per year contract and having to accept roughly half that from Premier Sports, French television still remains the main broadcasting backer. Union Bordeaux Bègles' Maxime Lucu celebrates. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho True, it's dwarfed by the Canal+ eight-year extension of €696.8m to show all Top 14 rugby until 2032, which is worth €139.4m a season, but EPCR's next four-year deal with beIN Sports and France Télévisions is expected to be confirmed later this week. In addition to beIN Sports again broadcasting every Champions Cup match, as well as some Challenge Cup fixtures, France Télévisions (ever presents since 1995-96) will continue to cover two Champions Cup matches, and Challenge Cup fixture, on a free-to-air basis each weekend. Such is the tournament's reach in France that the Toulon-Toulouse quarter-final drew a record 3.2 million viewers. By contrast, from next season onwards, as part of Premier Sports' contracts with EPCR, the subscription channel will have exclusive coverage of the Champions and Challenge Cups. No matches will be on free-to-air, and that goes for the URC as well, save for TG4. In so many respects therefore, the French are now the heartbeat of European rugby. Yannick Bru described this as the best of the four Champions Cups he has won as a player, assistant coach and now head coach. Their president, Laurent Marti, who has masterminded their rise from formation in 2006 through promotion in 2011, couldn't stop grinning when talking to the French media in the Principality Stadium mixed zone. 'I prefer to be champion of France but I discovered the Champions Cup from a different angle,' he admitted. 'I understand better why some people love it. It's magical because it's international, and I think that without Yannick [Bru], we wouldn't have won it.' UBB benefited from the draw, securing a maximum 20 points in the pool stages with a 66-12 win at home to the Sharks a week after Toulouse failed to earn a bonus point away to the South Africans. This effectively led to UBB having home advantage in the semi-finals against Toulouse. Still, they beat six-time former champions, with 13 titles between them, en route to their first star and scored 54 tries in their eight matches. Leinster fans will forever lament that semi-final defeat and wonder what might have been, but Champions Cups usually get the champions it deserves. What's more, you look at players like Louis Bielle-Biarrey (21), Yoram Moefana (24), Nicolas Depoortère (22) and backrower Marko Gazzotti (21), and UBB look here to stay. Coupled with the arrival of the South African franchises, this tournament has never been harder for an Irish side to win. Realistically, Leinster remain the most viable contender by a distance. Their playing budget, swelled by 11 central contracts, is probably in the ballpark of €9-9.5 million, with a chunk of that underwritten by the IRFU. But the union recoup all the fees generated by the provinces from the EPCR and URC. They also receive a sizeable amount of money, previously €250,000 to €300,000 from Leinster hiring the Aviva Stadium, and also pocket 50 per cent of Leinster's share of the gate receipts from, say, a Champions Cup home quarter-final, which could be €350,000 to €400,000. Still, Leinster maximise their socio-economic advantages, akin to Toulouse and UBB, and their playing budget is not a world away from the Top 14 salary cap of €10.5 million. It's also more than the €7.75 million of Premiership clubs such as Northampton. The playing budgets of Connacht, Munster and Ulster probably range from €4 million to €6 million but like pretty much everyone else belts are being tightened. Money talks, and although they lost a semi-final at home to Northampton, Leinster remain the likeliest threat to this Era of the French.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Can Northampton upset Bordeaux in the European Rugby Champions Cup final at Principality Stadium? Saints are 9/4 outsiders with Sky Bet to do so
The Gallagher Premiership's Northampton are 9/4 outsiders to upset Top 14 side Bordeaux in the European Rugby Champions Cup at Principality Stadium on Saturday. The Saints caused a major upset in the semi-final - as Sam Vesty's side defeated Leinster 37-34. Northampton entered their semi-final fixture against Leinster as sizeable 9/1 outsiders with Sky Bet. Meanwhile, Northampton's opponents in the final Bordeaux are odds-on favourites at 2/5. The Eagles cruised to victory in their final four showdown against fellow Top 14 side Toulouse - as Matthieu Jalibert and Co went on to win 35-18. In addition to the head-to-head odds - Sky Bet are offering a Price Boost for Saturday's final. Enhanced from 13/2 to 7/1 - the bet requires Northampton to win by 1-5 points. The Saints have won two of their last three games across the Gallagher Premiership and European Rugby Champions Cup by 1-5 points. Sky Bet odds for Northampton vs Bordeaux (European Rugby Champions Cup final): Bordeaux 2/5 Northampton 9/4 Sky Bet Price Boost for Northampton vs Bordeaux: Northampton to win 1-5 points WAS 13/2 NOW 7/1
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Johann van Graan wants Bath to ‘enjoy the moment' in Challenge Cup final
Johann van Graan wants Bath to 'enjoy the moment' when they continue their quest for a possible trophy treble in Friday's EPCR Challenge Cup final against Lyon. Bath will arrive at the Principality Stadium with this season's Premiership Rugby Cup already secured, while they are Gallagher Premiership leaders by 15 points and booked a home play-off in April. The twin prizes of European success and domestic title glory are tantalisingly close, with Bath firm favourites against opponents currently 11th in the French Top 14. It will be Bath's fifth Challenge Cup final appearance. Victory over Worcester at Kingsholm 17 years ago was their last major piece of silverware. Head of rugby Van Graan has transformed standards – and expectation levels – since arriving at the club from Munster in 2022, and he said: 'This is a special moment for the club. 'It is the first European final that we as a group have played in. It's exciting, and we have got to enjoy the moment, as that is what finals are about. 'It's one-off, we are playing against a good side. Keep it simple, stick to your process, keep doing the things that got you into the final. 'We want to get better. If you think about it, we've improved in every single area, so we are not about to stop now. 'We will keep trying, keep finding a better way. One of our sayings is our process needs to lead to performance. If it doesn't lead to performance, then let's find a better way to do it. 'You have got to back yourself that we will become better as a group. You go through experiences together, so this is another experience for us.' Van Graan has made four changes from the side that beat Premiership opponents Leicester 43-15 last time out. Tom de Glanville returns at full-back, with centre Max Ojomoh taking over from an injured Cameron Redpath, and there are also starts for England tighthead prop Will Stuart and number eight Miles Reid. The game, meanwhile, will be refereed by Hollie Davidson, who becomes the first female official to take charge of a European Professional Club Rugby final. It is the latest high-profile appointment for Davidson, who was part of on-pitch officiating teams in the 2024 and 2025 men's Six Nations and 2024 Rugby Championship. Lyon have shown impressive Challenge Cup form this season, beating the likes of Racing 92, South African heavyweights the Sharks and Ospreys in their bid to regain a trophy they won three years ago. Van Graan added: 'They have a good maul – specifically their five-man maul – a good scrum, and they've got some fantastic broken-field runners. 'As a group, we needed to get to know them a bit more, but it has been 90 per cent focused on ourselves and what do we need to do and how do we improve.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Massively disappointing' - Murphy on Munster defeat
Ulster head coach Richie Murphy says his side is resigned to playing in the second tier of European rugby next year after their 38-20 defeat to Munster on Friday. For the second week in succession, Ulster failed to register a score in the second half - leaving them five points off the play-offs with one game left to play. A top eight finish in the United Rugby Championship would not only guarantee a spot in the post-season play-offs but also a coveted place in the Champions Cup. "I think over the last couple of weeks, although we haven't got the results that we wanted, this will stand to us in the long run and it means probably playing [in the] Challenge Cup next year so that's where we're at," Murphy said after the defeat. "We'll learn from it and we'll dust ourselves off, go to Edinburgh next week and try and finish on a high but at this moment of time it's massively disappointing for us." With captain Iain Henderson and wing Robert Baloucoune back in the starting side, Ulster had opened brightly with an early try from Stuart McCloskey and went in at the break four points behind their hosts. But the intensity of the opening half fell away as Munster took control of proceedings to see out a win that leaves hopes of a play-off place for them in their own hands. "We didn't look after the ball well enough - probably didn't look after ball well enough all day - and around some breakdown areas as well, so it's disappointing for us," Murphy continued. "When we were four points behind, we had a couple of opportunities where we're just forcing passes and balls are on the ground. Munster in Thormond Park have lived off that for years, so you can't give them those opportunities."
