Everything To Know About UBB Rugby Before Investec Champions Cup Final
Everything To Know About UBB Rugby Before Investec Champions Cup Final
Everything to know about Union Bordeaux-Begles rugby ahead of the 2025 Investec Champions Cup Final
Union Bordeaux-Begles rugby is in the Investec Champions Cup Final for the first time ever. The French squad is loaded with international talent and has fared exceptionally well throughout the 2024-2025 club rugby championship season.
- Subscribe To FloRugby To Watch Champions Cup In 2024-25
- 100 Best Rugby Players In The World: Here's The Full List
- The 25 Best Rugby Clubs In The World On April 30 | FloRugby Rankings
UBB dethroned reigning champion Stade Toulouse in dominant fashion, coming away with a 35-18 win over the powerhouse. Though the win was dominant, UBB saw an injury to star Damian Penaud, whose timeline to return is still unclear.
Here’s everything to know about the UBB rugby squad:
Damian Penaud Injury
The star suffered an ankle injury just before the hour mark of UBB’s win over Toulouse. The winger was seen limping off the field, but in the only injury update provided about Penaud so far, his prognosis was seemingly positive, with UBB sharing that he has a fighting chance to return for the final.
Penaud is nominated for the Investec Player of the Year award and has played in every match for UBB this club season, making him a key part of UBB’s success.
First Time Championship Competitors
Though one of the best rugby clubs in the world this year, this is UBB’s maiden appearance in the Champions Cup finals. Bordeaux-Begles took down one of the world giants in Toulouse to get to the championship stage. Now, UBB has one game left against the Northampton Saints to hopefully claim the title in their first appearance on the stage.
Though Saints have been the giant slayers this season, can they take down the star-power that UBB brings to the pitch?
Top Club Rugby Team In The World
FloRugby ranks UBB as the top club rugby team in the world, and it makes sense why. UBB is loaded with international talent, and the players are a cohesive unit that dominates opposing sides. UBB holds a 22-0-7 record on the season and looks to keep its undefeated streak alive, adding a championship to its name.
The Northampton Saints are third in the rankings, but have played nine less games than UBB, holding a 12-0-9 record.
The Stars of UBB
Pete Samu:
The 33-year-old Australian is still in top form, and just signed a major deal with Super Rugby Pacific in Australia to return to his homeland in 2026. He’s been a dominant force for UBB and is hoping to bring them to their first Champions Cup title in club history and then later a French Top 14 title.
Samu was huge in UBB’s win over Toulouse, orchestrating an early try that put UBB up early, and allowed the squad to break down Toulouse.
Matthieu Jalibert:
The Frenchman shined for his club against Toulouse and is set to have another big game against the Saints, as the fly-half is one of the key parts of UBB’s strong offense. After beating Toulouse, UBB coach Yannick Bru couldn’t single out one star that performed well, as his whole team was on fire, but gave a heavy mention to Jailbert, citing his steady feet that led him to be named Investec Player of the Match.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey:
The young Frenchman is a star in every term of the word, adding a dangerous scoring threat to any team he plays on. The 21-year-old winger is known as one of the fastest players in the world, and is not afraid to show off his speed on offense and defense, adding to his stock. In the 2024-2025 season, he scored 18 tries in 19 matches, including two in the win over Toulouse.
Bielle-Biarrey is young, but in 2024, signed on to stay with UBB until 2027, making an impact on the club and international level.
Damian Penaud:
Though the star suffered an ankle injury in the game against Toulouse, his positive prognosis was a blessing for UBB fans to hear, as he is one of the most dynamic players in the game. Known as a “serial scorer,” Penaud started his career in a UBB uniform with an electric performance, scoring four goals. This season, he’s scored 19 tries in 19 matches, tallying over 1,300 minutes on the pitch.
The UBB Squad
Front Row
- Jefferson Poirot – Prop
- Benjamin Tameifuna – Prop
- Connor Sa – Hooker
- Maxime Lamothe – Hooker
- Ugo Boniface – Prop
- Sipili Falatea – Prop
- Zaccharie Affane – Prop
- Romain Latterrade – Hooker
- Carlü Sadie – Prop
- Toma'Akino Taufa – Prop
- Matis Perchaud – Prop
- Zinedine Aouad – Prop
Second Row
- Cyril Cazeaux – Lock
- Guido Petti – Lock
- Alexandre Ricard – Lock
- Adam Coleman – Lock
- Jonny Gray – Lock
- Jacques Nguimbous – Lock
Back Row
- Mahamadou Diaby – Back Row
- Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer – Back Row
- Pierre Bochaton – Back Row
- Tevita Tatafu – Back Row
- Pete Samu – Back Row
- Marko Gazzotti – Back Row
- Temo Matiu – Back Row
- Tiaan Jacobs – Back Row
Half-Backs
- Jules Gimbert – Scrum-half
- Maxime Lucu – Scrum-half
- Matthieu Jalibert – Fly-half
- Zack Holmes – Fly-half
- Théo Nanette – Scrum-half
- Paul Abadie – Scrum-half
Centers
- Jean-Baptiste Dubié – Center
- Rémi Lamerat – Center
- Yoram Moefana – Center
- Federico Mori – Center
- Pablo Uberti – Center
- Tani Vili – Center
- Nicolas Depoortère – Center
Wings
- Louis Bielle-Biarrey – Wing
- Santiago Cordero – Wing
- Geoffrey Cros – Wing
- Gatien Massé – Wing
- Madosh Tambwe – Wing
- Arthur Duhau – Wing
- Ben Tapuai – Wing
Full-Backs
- Romain Buros – Full-back
- Nans Ducuing – Full-back
- Arthur Duhau – Full-back
Where To Watch The 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup Final
Fans in North America can catch the action live on FloRugby, the official EPCR streaming partner, as the two sides vie for European glory in Cardiff.
How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby
FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:
FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.