Bordeaux claim historic trophy in Champions Cup victory

Union Bordeaux Begles (UBB) claimed a historic victory against Northampton Saints on May 24, winning their first ever trophy since the club formed in 2006. After a decisive 28-20 victory in the Champions Cup, the club can officially add a star to their jersey and sing ‘Champions d’Europe’ at the top of their lungs this week – which, it must be said, they have not hesitated to do.

If there’s one thing I didn’t expect from my year abroad in Bordeaux this year, it would be my newfound love for Rugby and specifically my adopted team, UBB. French rugby culture is built around a sense of community, a sport that is accessible for all, and an atmosphere that isn’t found elsewhere.

The 25,000-person fan zone held in the biggest square in Europe – Quinconces – acted as a perfect microcosm for this endearing culture. Open from 13:30 the zone quickly filled up with loyal supporters, kitted out with merch, flags, homemade signs, and plenty of burgundy face paint. The crowd came together through the clubs’ chants, and the tension rose as we watched the highlights of every UBB game in the cup, including that incredible win against the Sale Sharks where Damian Penaud scored six tries.

Two big injuries for Saints early on in the game tipped the balance in Bordeaux’s favour

By kick-off, the tension had become palpable. An early converted try from Coles and Smith left the crowd reeling as Saints stormed into the lead. After six minutes of play, Penaud’s try brought UBB back into the game, restoring high spirits without any hesitation.

Two big injuries for Saints early on in the game tipped the balance in Bordeaux’s favour, and Northampton had to work hard to find their groove again. Louis Bielle-Biarrey found space for Bordeaux’s 2^nd try of the game using his unrivalled speed to place the ball over the line, but TMO found a forward pass in the lead-up. Back to 5-7.

A masterclass from Matthieu Jalibert led to Bordeaux’s confirmed second try of the game, as he outstepped almost a 1/3 of the Saint’s team before passing the ball over to Coleman on the wing. Jalibert subsequent conversion meant that Bordeaux took the lead for the first time with the score at 12-7.

The chanting only got louder in the fan zone as the first quarter passed by. Fin Smith took a penalty from around 40 metres out to keep Saints firmly in the game, but Jalibert took one straight back. 15-10.

After being taken out in mid-air, Penaud got right back up to score Bordeaux’s third

Bordeaux found themselves with a yellow card after 30 minutes when Mahamadou Diaby committed a high tackle. After a brief interlude of stress at the fan zone, the crowd got going again, chanting ‘Union’ over and over, just as they would at their home ground, the Stade Chaban Delmas.

Another Saint’s penalty (15-13) and a yellow card straight after for Tommy Freeman made it neck and neck. After being taken out in mid-air, Penaud got right back up to score Bordeaux’s third try, yet Jalibert failed to convert, much to the despair of Bordeaux fans. A converted try for Northampton in the 40^th minute brought the score even at 20-20 going into the second half. All was still to play for.

An early disallowed try from Saints in the second half showed it was anyone’s game. Another yellow for Northampton and Maxim Lucu nailed the Bordeaux penalty. The fan zone wondered if it was too early to hope, but Bordeaux certainly looked the stronger team.

UBB saw another try disallowed after losing control of the ball on the line, but just 7 minutes later it was Cyril Cazeaux who powered his way through to score Bordeaux’s 4^th. Saints needed two scores with 25 minutes remaining, and the French side were refusing to make it easy.

An incredible victory for an incredible team

Despite serious fatigue, Saints were putting in a great defensive effort holding the ball up over Bordeaux’s tryline, but they needed to attack if they wanted a look in. After a series of disciplinary errors, it wasn’t looking up for Northampton, allowing the fan zone in Bordeaux to grow in excitement.

The time ticked past 80 minutes, the ball went out, and the crowd went wild. Tears of happiness for the players, splashes of beer in the air for the fans. 14 tries for Penaud over the competition rightfully saw him awarded player of the year for UBB, whilst player of the match went to captain Lucu.

Bordeaux become the 5^th French team to win the Champions Cup, extending a French winning streak which had previously seen Toulouse and La Rochelle exclusively win the competition across the last four finals.

UBB fans couldn’t be prouder of our team, and that was obvious when they returned to Bordeaux the following day to meet a crowd of over 50,000 supporters cheering them on. An incredible victory for an incredible team, which has left the city buzzing for days. It now remains to be seen if Bordeaux can go for two trophies in a season, with French Top 14 playoffs approaching imminently. Allez Bordeaux Allez!