The 25 Best Rugby Clubs In The World On May 14 | FloRugby Rankings
The 25 Best Rugby Clubs In The World On May 14 | FloRugby Rankings
Andy Farrell names his 2025 British & Irish Lions squad as global rugby’s top leagues heat up and our top 25 club power rankings take a dramatic new shape.
Flights booked, jerseys fitted and excitement palpable, Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions squad has been announced!
Unsurprisingly, the bulk suppliers of the 2025 Lions feature for squads ranked inside our top 25 this week.
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Away from the excitement surrounding the quadrennial tour, the world’s top three professional rugby leagues each took interesting turns as the race for the respective playoffs heats up.
In the BKT United Rugby Championship, the top eight teams took their usual weekly shift and scrabble, while in the Gallagher Premiership, the race for fourth position remains alive and well.
Across the channel, the reigning champions stamped their authority on the league once again, just a week removed from conceding their Investec Champions Cup title at the semifinal stages.
Diving south of the equator, the Chiefs quieted any narratives that the Crusaders were set to overhaul them as the No. 1 side with comprehensive dismantling of their Christchurch rivals.
With the results in the books, here is how our top 25 professional clubs' power rankings look heading into another huge week of domestic action:
1. Stade Toulousain | 23-6-1
How do you overcome a gut-wrenching loss in the Champions Cup? Well, you put 50 points past a major Top 14 rival.
Smacking RC Toulon around like a JV team, Toulouse sent out a warning shot that it is far from done in the Top 14.
Now 15 points clear atop the table with three rounds remaining, the competition once again runs through Toulouse.
2. Union Bordeaux-Begles | 22-8-0
Stuttering its way to a rather damp squib result against Montpellier can be forgiven, as UBB clearly has an eye to next week’s Champions Cup Final.
Still, the loss ensured that not only is Toulouse assured of top spot, but that Toulon remains just two points behind in third place.
Regardless of the Champions Cup implications, UBB likely cannot afford another loss, especially when going head-to-head with RCT a week after the Champions Cup Final.
3. Leinster Rugby | 21-3-0
Venting all of its frustrations on Zebre as if the team simply was a stress ball, Leinster put aside its Champions Cup disappointment to lock in top spot in the URC with a round to play.
Next up is a Glasgow Warriors side that is teetering of late and on which Leinster already put a monster score just weeks ago in the Champions Cup.
In every reality, the URC is Leinster’s to lose. If Leinster does not take out the league this season, it will be hands down the most disappointing season for the province in at least 20 years.
4. Northampton Saints | 12-10-0
Dumped out of the race to retain their Premiership crown by second-to-last Exeter is a very disappointing result for the Champions Cup finalists.
Sure, the focus is all on the final, but unlike their opponents, UBB, the Saints needed to battle on both fronts to make the Premiership playoffs.
A bonus-point win would’ve had them just six points adrift of the top 4 with two rounds to play.
The pressure to deliver a Champions Cup title has just ratcheted up a notch for Phil Dowson’s side.
5. Bath Rugby | 17-6-0
Taking a beating at the hands of its fiercest rival will disappoint Johan van Graan, but similar to the Saints, Bath rotated heavily for the upcoming EPCR Challenge Cup Final.
Unlike the Saints, Bath is assured of top spot in the Premiership and remains the odds-on favorite to land its first Premiership title since 1996.
6. Bayonne | 16-11-1
Proving its class once again in securing an away draw against Racing, Bayonne took a step clear of the chasing pack to all but cement itself in the top 4 of the Top 14.
This result is remarkable for a club that is competing with some of the professional super clubs and more than holding its own.
7. Chiefs | 9-3-0
Downing their closest rivals for the title for a second time this season, the Chiefs silenced any conversations about the Crusaders closing the gap atop the table.
When fit and on deck, the Chiefs' first team is a step ahead of everyone in the competition and possesses an ability to morph its game plan for opponents week on week.
8. Vodacom Bulls | 15-8-0
Lurking ominously in second position on the URC table, the Bulls are in pole position to secure a home run through the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Should they do so and set up the expected final vs. Leinster in Dublin, Jake White’s side will hold no fear of knocking over the league leaders once again.
Before that, they need to solidify their second spot and navigate what no doubt will be a challenging knockout run.
9. Glasgow Warriors | 14-8-0
Teetering on the brink of collapse, the reigning champions were pumped by Benetton last time out.
Oftentimes, these results are an anomaly, but the Warriors simply have not looked right since Leinster tore them to shreds in the Champions Cup quarterfinals.
Since then, they have lost to Benetton and the Bulls, with their last win in the league being a tight 14-6 victory over Zebre Parma.
They do have a squad capable of going on a run, but an away clash with Leinster next time out is not a fixture where you would back them to get back on track.
10. Brumbies | 8-4-0
Steadily working their way into pole position, the Brumbies are second on the Super Rugby table, albeit the Crusaders have a game in hand.
Thumping the Force last time out was an expected result, with their real test coming this weekend against the Reds. This clash will decide who the cream of the Aussie crop is in 2025.
11. Bristol Bears | 10-10-0
Taking a step closer to knockout rugby, the Bears' win over arch-rival Bath was a true statement from Pat Lam’s side.
Sure, Bath heavily rotated its squad, but the Bears did what they needed to and locked in a big-time win in front of 50,000 at the Principality Stadium.
12. Leicester Tigers | 12-7-0
Pretty well settled into second position, Michael Cheika’s Tigers, along with Saracens, probably are the side Bath would least like to see in the final.
Stacked with big-game players who have been there and done it, the Tigers are our pick to take out the high-flying West Country side.
13. Crusaders | 8-3-0
Losing to the Chiefs for the second time was brutally disappointing, and losing Will Jordan to injury could be season-altering for the former champions.
Taking on the Waratahs, who lost their own superstar in Joseph Sua’ali’I, is a clash that the 'Saders should back themselves to win. If they don’t, the top two spots on the league table will begin to slip away.
14. DHL Stormers | 10-11-0
Just a tick below where they were over the past fortnight, the Stormers still delivered a dominant showing, albeit it was against the worst team in the URC.
Making hard work of the Dragons in the opening half, the Stormers regrouped at halftime to romp away to a 48-12 win.
As we have said before, the Stormers are the team nobody wants to see coming in the knockout stages.
Now pretty much locked into the fifth position, bar a shock loss to Cardiff on Friday, the Cape Townians will back themselves to overturn the Sharks in Durban in the quarterfinals.
15. RC Toulon | 18-12-0
On the receiving end of a Toulouse backlash, RCT proved once again that its a step behind the Big 2 in the Top 14.
Still, Toulon is good enough to knock over either UBB or Toulouse when playing with a full squad to call on, but the team's inconsistency feels set to derail the efforts at some point.
16. Queensland Reds | 7-4-0
Preparing for arguably their biggest match of the season so far against the Brumbies, the Reds know that to have any chance of the top 2, they need to win.
Suffocating the Waratahs in Sydney last time out, the Reds highlighted their ability to play a tactical knockout style game when it counted.
17. Hollywoodbets Sharks | 13-8-0
Despite being jam-packed with talent, the Sharks still don’t convince us that they are a true threat for the URC this season.
Losing Eben Etzebeth to a leg injury only makes their route to the final more challenging.
18. Benetton Rugby | 11-9-1
Annihilating the reigning champions last time out, Benetton looked like the side we expected it to be all season.
Next up, is a season-defining match away to Munster, win and Benetton is in the knockout stages, lose and there probably will be a trip home.
19. Scarlets | 11-10-1
Picking up their first win on South African soil in the URC, the Scarlets put one foot in the knockouts.
Depending on results across the league, they might not need any points against the Sharks, but even just a losing bonus point should see them home.
20. Munster Rugby | 11-12-0
As touched upon in the Benetton section, Friday’s clash in Cork will be season-defining for the former champions.
Still struggling mightily in the line-out, Munster initially was made to work for its win against Ulster, before cantering away in the second half.
Set to say another emotional goodbye, three of Munster’s greatest servants in Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray and Stephen Archer will play their last matches in Cork.
If Munster can harness that emotion, the team likely will set up a dream quarterfinal clash with Glasgow.
21. Saracens | 11-10-0
Putting a cricket score on Newcastle is not a newsworthy event for Saracens. The result did, however, put them joint on points with Sale for the final semifinal spot.
Whether they can jump past the Sharks is a big question, but if they do, Bath will not enjoy seeing them on their side of the bracket.
22. Gloucester Rugby | 11-10-0
Just three points outside of the semifinal spots, the Cherry and Whites’ loss to Harlequins was a bitter pill to swallow.
Had they won, they would be in the top 4. Instead, it all likely will come down to their clash with Northampton on the final week and how other results go around the league.
23. Lyon | 16-12-2
Taking a loss at home in the Top 14 is more painful than in other leagues, given how challenging road wins are.
The loss to Pau now sees Lyon slip behind the other top contenders for the top 6.
Focusing on the upcoming Challenge Cup final could alleviate some pressure in terms of securing Champions Cup rugby next season.
24. Hurricanes | 5-5-1
On a bye last time out, the Canes are riding a two-game win streak in which they knocked over the top two sides in the competition.
Prior to that, they secured a hard-fought draw on the road against the Western Force.
What we are suspicious of is their ability to consistently perform, so for us, they are firmly in the berserker mold of a team that could ruin someone else’s season, but not quite win the title.
25. Stade Rochelais | 12-14-1
With three games on the bounce, could La Rochelle be awakening just in time for a playoff run?
Now joint on points with sixth-place Montpellier and one point behind fifth-place Castres, we are not ruling Ronan O’Gara’s powerhouse side out of having a last dance run with its veteran squad.
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