Bordeaux Captures No. 1 Seed In Investec Champions Cup Playoffs
Bordeaux Captures No. 1 Seed In Investec Champions Cup Playoffs
Union Bordeaux-Bègles secured the No. 1 seed in the Champions Cup Round of 16 after a late bonus-point try sealed a dramatic win over Bristol Bears.
The defending Investec Champions Cup winners will start the next playoffs as the top seed of this year’s knockout stage.
Union Bordeaux-Bègles beat the Bristol Bears — the No. 1–ranked team at FloRugby entering Round 4 — 27-15 at Ashton Gate in Bristol to secure not just the win, but a bonus-point victory and the No. 1 seed in the Round of 16 playoffs in April.
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UBB jumped out to an early 17-5 lead, but the Bears rallied in the second half to cut the lead to five points in the final 15 minutes. Drama ensued in the final three minutes of the match, with Bordeaux still needing a bonus point to lock up the No. 1 seed.
With massive momentum behind the Bears, Bordeaux risked losing the top spot in Pool 4 with a loss, so they opted to kick a penalty in the 78th minute instead of going for the fourth try of the match near the try line. The penalty kick missed, opening the door for Bristol in the final minute.
Hopefully Glasgow Warriors fans didn’t start celebrating.
On the ensuing restart, Bristol mishandled the kickoff, and one of the sport’s biggest stars, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, scooped the ball up and broke away for the bonus-point, clinching try in the 79th minute for a 27-15 win.
What This Means for the Round of 16 Playoffs
It means Bordeaux will not have to leave Stade Chaban-Delmas until the Champions Cup Final in Bilbao, Spain. It also means that the Warriors’ match against Saracens won’t be for the top seed.
Because of a blowout win over the Scarlets in Round 2, UBB owned one of the best points differences — the first playoff tiebreaker — in the 24-team field.
When Are The Investec Champions Cup Playoffs?
The Round of 16 begins on April 3. The quarterfinals begin on April 10, the semifinals on May 1 and the Investec Champions Cup Final is on May 23.
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A FloRugby annual subscription includes live coverage of PREM Rugby, the Top 14, URC, the EPCR Challenge Cup and the Investec Champions Cup, streaming on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
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Investec Champions Cup Round 4 Fixtures
Friday, Jan. 16
- 3 p.m. ET – Pau vs. Vodacom Bulls (Pool 4)
- 3 p.m. ET – Bath Rugby vs. Edinburgh Rugby (Pool 2)
Saturday, Jan. 17
- 8 a.m. ET – Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Clermont Auvergne (Pool 1)
- 10:15 a.m. ET – Bayonne vs. Leinster (Pool 3)
- 10:15 a.m. ET – Stormers vs. Leicester Tigers (Pool 3)
- 12:30 p.m. ET – Toulouse vs. Sale Sharks (Pool 1)
- 12:30 p.m. ET – Munster Rugby vs. Castres Olympique (Pool 2)
- 3 p.m. ET – Gloucester Rugby vs. Toulon (Pool 2)
Sunday, Jan. 18
- 8 a.m. ET – Bristol Bears vs. Bordeaux-Bègles (Pool 4)
- 10:15 a.m. ET – Northampton Saints vs. Scarlets (Pool 4)
- 10:15 a.m. ET – La Rochelle vs. Harlequins (Pool 3)
- 12:30 p.m. ET – Glasgow Warriors vs. Saracens (Pool 1)
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European Union Rugby Lives On FloSports And FloRugby
Rugby fans can stream every match from the Top 14, Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship on FloRugby, along with the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, making the platform the U.S. home for the world’s biggest club competitions and the game’s top players.
How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby
Professional club rugby in Europe all streams on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:
- United Rugby Championship
- PREM Rugby
- Top 14
- Investec Champions Cup
- EPCR Challenge Cup
- Currie Cup
- Super Rugby
- And more
FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.