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Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Noel McNamara and Bordeaux discover what doesn't break you can make you stronger
If it doesn't break you, it can make you, the saying goes, and certainly it was the kind of experience that might have broken lesser teams . They strained every sinew in reaching their first final last June only to be beaten 59-3 by Toulouse in the biggest game of their history, an embarrassment which lingered throughout last summer and beyond. The only way of fully exorcising the demons from the most one-sided final in the 133-year history of the French Championship was to lift silverware and it tells us much about Bordeaux Bègles as a club and a team that, having dethroned Toulouse in the semi-finals with a third victory over them this season, they have done just that by winning their first Champions Cup . 'There's absolutely no doubt about it, it was catastrophic; it was a nightmare,' agreed their attack coach Noel McNamara in the aftermath of UBB making more positive history. 'Everything that could go wrong went wrong,' he said, stating that 'the healing started' with an opening day win over Stade Francais. READ MORE [ The inside story of how Terenure signed Carlos Spencer as a coach Opens in new window ] 'But ultimately, it was about getting to a final and getting over the line because as it goes on pressure builds a little bit more and if we didn't get over the line today pressure builds a little more again.' A key learning and factor here was ensuring the squad was fresher at the business end of the season and McNamara cited the summer acquisition of Jonny Gray, Joey Carbery and Rohan Janse van Rensburg, even though only the latter played here and for eight minutes at that. 'I do think we did learn from that final. It is a scar but often scar tissue can be stronger and I think we showed a lot of character as well.' Union Bordeaux-Begles assistant coach Noel McNamara. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho From Clare to Here, you could write a song about it. It's a road less travelled but McNamara is the only Irish coach thus far this season to be a champion. On an increasingly impressive CV this looks like the highlight to date, but McNamara told The Irish Times: 'I've always had the same sensation regardless of whether it was winning the schools Cup with Clongowes or whether it was winning a Grand Slam with the Irish 20s, it's a sense of relief. 'You think very quickly about the people that have helped you to get to this point and at the final whistle I thought about my family and the sacrifices that they have made, and I hope that it repays some of the faith that they've shown in me.' As well as his wife Sinead and their three young daughters Iseult, Aarya and Portia, McNamara's two sisters Joanne Hickey and Edel O'Connor, and her son Sebastian, were among the Principality crowd. Union Bordeaux-Begles' assistant coach Noel McNamara and family. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho 'But, honestly, it's a sense of relief and your mind quickly switches to the next challenge,' he continued. 'The journey for me is genuinely more enjoyable than the destination and I don't coach for days like this, I coach because I love coaching. I love helping people get better, building a collective together and that's what I hope to continue to do.' Having signed on for another two years, he couldn't be in a better place right now. 'This is very special. You grow up watching this competition, it holds a really special place in Irish people's hearts. I think for me it's about that feeling of belonging. I think that's what it always has been for Irish teams, they want to belong and be able to compete against the best teams in Europe and for us it was no different. We wanted to belong, to show that we deserved to be here and that it was on merit.' Carbery, while happy, understandably didn't look entirely content amid the post-match celebrations after missing out on the match day 23. But this was his second well-earned Champions Cup winners' medal. While an unused sub in Leinster's win over Racing 92 in Bilbao in 2018, Carbery has again made five appearances in this triumph, including three as a starter compared to two seven years ago. 'We've got a very deep squad and some fantastic players, and I think Joey is absolutely deserving of his medal,' said McNamara. 'He's made a significant contribution and there's not that many Irish players who have two Champions Cup winners' medals,' said McNamara, adding that Carbery would have been in the 23 with a 5-3 split and will still have a big role to play this season. Bordeaux's Joey Carbery. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho UBB sit second in the Top 14, five points clear of Toulon, whom they face away next Sunday before hosting Vannes on Saturday week. Whatever happens, UBB will henceforth have one star on their claret or blue jerseys, but this doesn't feel like a one-off. 'One hundred per cent,' said McNamara. 'I said to the boys last week that win or lose, we chase the next opportunity on Monday regardless, and we've been very clear. This is not a destination, this is an important point on our journey. 'Getting over the line might manage to release us a little bit. We've got a fantastic opportunity in the Top 14 over the next few weeks. Toulon away next Sunday will be a big challenge for us to get everyone back down to ground but that's exactly what we want. 'We want to play in these games, we want these challenges, we want these privileges. It's not about getting to this point and saying it's fantastic,' said McNamara. 'There's absolutely no reason why we can't continue to go from strength and ultimately that's the objective. That's the goal of the club.'
Scotsman
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Finn Russell denied final reunion as Blair Kinghorn and Toulouse lose grip on trophy to another Scot
Bordeaux-Begles and Lyon complete finalist list with big wins Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland star Blair Kinghorn and Toulouse have relinquished their grip on the Investec Champions Cup after the defending champions lost their all-French semi-final against Bordeaux-Begles. Toulouse were hoping to retain the trophy they won last season but without Scotland full-back Kinghorn, who is currently sidelined by injury, they went down 35-18 to Top 14 rivals Bordeaux-Begles, who will now face Northampton Saints in the final. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Louis Bielle-Biarrey's stunning try was the moment to savour for Bordeaux, who had raced into a 10-0 lead with a try from Pete Samu and a Matthieu Jalibert penalty, but Toulouse edged 11-10 up with a pair of Juan Cruz Mallia penalties either side of Dimitri Delibes' try. Louis Bielle-Biarrey celebrates Bordeaux-Begles' win over Toulouse. | AFP via Getty Images But Bielle-Biarrey then lit up the Matmut Atlantique with a moment of brilliance, somersaulting his way over the line after Romain Buros had burst through the Toulouse defence. When the 21-year-old France wing scored a second just 19 seconds into the second half, Jalibert converted for a 25-11 lead but Pierre-Louis Barassi capitalised on a visit to the sin bin for Marko Gazzotti to pull one back for Toulouse and inject some nerves into the finale. Pierre Bochaton powered over for a fourth Bordeaux try in the 64th minute and Ben Tameifuna added a late fifth to put Bordeaux into their first Champions Cup final, to be played in Cardiff on May 24. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jonny Gray left out of team Bordeaux did not select their Scotland internationalist Jonny Gray in their matchday 23 despite playing 45 minutes against La Rochelle last weekened and he will hope to return to the reckoning for match against Northampton, who stunned Leinster 24 hours earlier to book their place in the final. In the EPCR Challenge Cup, Bath - conquerors of Edinburgh in the semi-finals - will take on French opposition in Lyon on March 23, also in Cardiff, after they won their all-Top 14 clash with Racing92 on Sunday lunchtime. Léo Berdeu was the main man for Lyon, kicking 19 points in their victory at the Stade de Gerland.
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Johnson replaces Gray on Scotland bench in France
Oyonnax lock Ewan Johnson has been named as a late replacement for Jonny Gray on the Scotland bench to face France in their final match of this season's Six Nations in 30-year-old Gray misses his chance to earn an 81st cap because of a knee born in England with a Welsh mother and Scottish father but who also qualifies for France through residency, made his international debut last year and will earn his fifth cap should he come off the bench on playing in the French second tier, the 25-year-old has agreed a two-year contract to join Top 14 club Bayonne this summer.
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Gregor Brown to make his first Six Nations start for Scotland against France
Gregor Brown will make his first Guinness Six Nations start for Scotland after being selected in the second row for Saturday's showdown with France in Paris. The 23-year-old Glasgow forward – who made his debut last summer – will take the place of Jonny Gray – who drops to the bench for the Stade de France showdown. In the only other change to the starting XV, Matt Fagerson takes over from the injured Jack Dempsey at number eight. Co-captain Rory Darge has recovered from the hip issue that forced him off in last Saturday's victory over Wales and takes his place in the back row. Edinburgh forwards Marshall Sykes and Ben Muncaster will get their first involvement of the championship after being named on the bench. Glasgow backs Kyle Rowe and George Horne drop out of the 23 altogether. The Scots are no longer in title contention but can play a part in deciding the outcome of the championship, with France requiring a victory to secure the silverware. Scotland team to face France on Saturday: B Kinghorn (Toulouse), D Graham (Edinburgh), H Jones (Glasgow), T Jordan (Glasgow), D Van der Merwe (Edinburgh), F Russell (Bath), B White (Toulon); P Schoeman (Edinburgh), D Cherry (Edinburgh), Z Fagerson (Glasgow), G Brown (Glasgow), G Gilchrist (Edinburgh), J Ritchie (Edinburgh), R Darge (Glasgow), M Fagerson (Glasgow). Replacements: E Ashman (Edinburgh), R Sutherland (Glasgow), W Hurd (Leicester), J Gray (Bordeaux), M Sykes (Edinburgh), B Muncaster (Edinburgh), J Dobie (Glasgow), S McDowall (Glasgow).
BBC News
13-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Gray dropped as Townsend makes two Scotland changes
Guinness Six Nations 2025: France v ScotlandWhen: Saturday, 15 March 2025 Kick-off: 20:00 GMT Where: Stade de France, ParisCoverage: Listen live on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & BBC Sounds, follow live text coverage on BBC Sport app & website. Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has made two changes to his line-up for Saturday's final Six Nations match away to Brown starts in the second row in place of the benched Jonny Gray while Matt Fagerson replaces Jack Dempsey in the back row, with Dempsey out with a hamstring Marshall Sykes, back-rower Ben Muncaster and versatile back Jamie Dobie come into the squad as Scots have two wins so far in this year's championship. More to Kinghorn, Graham, Jones, Jordan, Van der Merwe; Russell (co-captain), White; Schoeman, Cherry, Z Fagerson, Brown, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Darge (co-captain), M FagersonReplacements: Ashman, Sutherland, Hurd, J Gray, Sykes, Muncaster, Dobie, McDowall.
