Latest news with #UnionBordeauxBègles
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Bordeaux player who triggered Henry Pollock scuffle cited
Jefferson Poirot, the Union Bordeaux-Bègles prop, faces a ban after being cited for grabbing the throat of Henry Pollock after the final whistle of the Investec Champions Cup final. Poirot will appear in front of a disciplinary panel on Thursday as the only player singled out from the fracas between the Bordeaux and Northampton Saints teams. According to a statement from European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) on Monday evening, Poirot has been charged by citing commissioner Tim Lowry with committing an act contrary to good sportsmanship in contravention of law 9.27. 'He is alleged to have grasped the throat of Henry Pollock in a way that was dangerous and had the potential to cause serious harm,' read the EPCR release. Committing an act contrary to good sportsmanship carries a low-end sanction of two weeks or matches, a mid-range sanction of six weeks or matches and a top-end sanction of between 10 and 52 weeks or matches. The incident occurred in the seconds that followed the end of Bordeaux's 28-20 victory on Saturday at Principality Stadium in Cardiff. As Fraser Dingwall aimed a chip towards Rory Hutchinson, the Northampton captain was tackled by Bordeaux fly-half Matthieu Jalibert. Jalibert and Dingwall became involved in a brief exchange before Curtis Langdon, the Saints hooker, had a separate altercation with Jalibert. Pollock, who has subsequently been mocked by celebrating Bordeaux player s over the past two days, arrived on the scene and appeared initially to attempt to separate Langdon and Jalibert. However, a group of Bordeaux players then ran from the touchline on to the field. These included Poirot, who had been replaced and was photographed in a head-to-head exchange with Pollock, as well as Pete Samu and Tevita Tatafu. The latter also pushed Pollock away in a moment that was captured by television cameras. Andrea Piardi, the assistant referee, was later seen to console Pollock. The 20-year-old had earlier gestured towards his throat. Sam Underhill, meanwhile, could now miss Bath's bid for Premiership glory through suspension. The openside flanker has been cited for a high tackle on Lyon's Davit Niniashvili in the first half of the Challenge Cup final. Underhill saw only yellow for the incident, yet has been called before a panel himself and is at risk of a three-week ban. Underhill's hearing will take place on Tuesday evening, his tackle on Niniashvili having been identified as a red card offence by citing commissioner Philippe Lenne. Referee Hollie Davidson opted for yellow card on Friday evening after deeming that a change of direction from Niniashvili offered sufficient mitigation. "You are very, very lucky..." 🗣️ Big moment in the first half as Sam Underhill was issued a yellow card for a head-on-head collision, rather than a straight red 🟨 #ChallengeCupRugby — Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) May 23, 2025 A six-week ban reduced to three, the common punishment for a mid-range offence, is the most likely outcome if Underhill is to be found guilty of a dangerous tackle. He would not be eligible for World Rugby's coaching intervention programme, commonly known as 'tackle school', because he used that avenue to reduce a three-week ban by a week earlier this season following his red card against Pau. This means that the 28-year-old would miss this weekend's Premiership fixture against Saracens as well as the play-off semi-final and the decider should Bath again qualify for the season showpiece.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
British & Irish Lions Test places up for grabs, says Lawrence Dallaglio
The race for British & Irish Lions Test places begins in Cardiff this weekend as Northampton Saints' quartet of tourists get the chance to stake their claim in the Investec Champions Cup final against Union Bordeaux Bègles (live on Premier Sports 1 from 1.30pm). That is the view of Lawrence Dallaglio, who speaks from experience, having won the competition twice, as well as touring three times with the Lions. Dallaglio will be up close and personal this weekend in the Principality Stadium, as part of the 15-strong Premier Sports TV punditry team delivering the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup for Premier Sports, the new broadcasters of international club rugby's premier competitions. It is the Challenge Cup first on Friday night, followed on Saturday at 2.45pm by the Investec Champions Cup. Fresh from selection to Andy Farrell's squad, half-back pair Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith, prolific winger Tommy Freeman and rising star Henry Pollock will all have huge roles to play as Saints try to claim the trophy for their second time against French giants Union Bordeaux Bègles, who are in their first final. The match is being shown live on Premier Sports 1 across the UK with a full 90-minute build-up with the most experienced presenters, commentators and pundits in the business on hand to take supporters through all the twists and turns of what's set to be a box office final. And while the focus is unquestionably on backing up Saints' spectacular semi-final win away to tournament favourites Leinster, Dallaglio believes that the race for a starting Lions spot will also get underway at Principality Stadium. 'There are some wonderful individual match-ups throughout the teams. Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert are going up against Mitchell and Smith, who are British & Irish Lions,' said Dallaglio. 'Test selection starts now, and if you continue to play well and dominate and show you can manage a game in the most intense environments like Cardiff against a quality side, that is another feather in your cap before you have even got on the aeroplane.' The battle of the half-backs could have huge implications for who comes out on top, while Freeman will hope to maintain his rich vein of form against Bordeaux's own superstar quick men, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud – who is expected to be back fit after limping off in the semi-final. It is the fourth member of the Lions quartet who could have the biggest impact, though, with Pollock potentially in line to start at No.8 in the absence of the injured Juarno Augustus. That is a big challenge, but Dallaglio believes the youngster is up to the task. He added: 'It would make sense for Pollock to play at No.8. They will miss Augustus' ball-carrying and his strength and power on both sides of the ball. 'It's important that they find a way to replace that. If you put Pollock at No.8, you could argue it causes their opponents some different problems because he's got some pace that could be problematic for Bordeaux's back row. 'I can't think of any player who has had a more impactful 12 months than him. 'I'd picked him out early on as someone who I felt was going to go on an upward trajectory pretty quickly. A number of people were fending me off on that one, but with every performance, his star has been rising. 'He has done in 12 months what some people spend their entire career trying to achieve.' Following that victory over Leinster in Dublin, Dallaglio is urging Northampton to take this chance against a French side who do not have much experience winning big finals. It has been five years since an English side won the competition – Exeter Chiefs did so during Covid-19 – but Dallaglio believes Saints are hitting form at just the right time. He added: 'Bordeaux are a powerhouse of French rugby. They are a star-studded team with huge firepower. You look at Bielle-Biarrey and Penaud, if he's fit, and then Lucu and Jalibert in the half-backs, they have some very good players. 'But from what I've seen in this competition, they do give you chances as well. They concede a lot of points as well as scoring. 'If you were to compare Northampton to any team in the Top 14, Bordeaux wouldn't be too far away in terms of a similar team. 'Northampton are certainly saving their best until last. They have had their problems this season, and it's never easy to defend a Premiership title. A lot of their players have been recognised internationally, and that puts a different kind of challenge on the squad. They have come out the other side in great shape. 'Their performance against Leinster was one of the greatest Champions Cup performances of the modern era. Once you have beaten a team like Leinster in the way they did, then anything is possible. They will want to go and get a second star on their jersey. 'It's important that Northampton are able to push it home. You never quite know, especially as a Premiership club, when your next title shot might come. 'You don't get these opportunities very often, and you have to seize them. That will be the message I'm sure from Northampton, to seize the day and go out and win.'
Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Zinedine who? Bordeaux's rise to rugby-mad city with Europe's biggest crowds
The streets of Bordeaux are prepped to celebrate the fulfilment of a union formed of something old and something new. In the city where French rugby built its first provincial home, a teenaged coalition senses its maiden glory. Merger is a dirty word in rugby. Time and time and place again, attempts to combine teams are viewed as a sacrifice of history. Better to fail alone than succeed together. Not so much in Bordeaux and, because it's a merger, in Bègles. Though the city of wine carries the cachet, her southern suburb is an equal partner in the club with the highest attendances in Europe, on the cusp of success to match. Union Bordeaux Bègles, born in 2006, could become European champions on Saturday. As
