Penaud named Investec Champions Cup Player of the Year

Bordeaux’s French international winger Damian Penaud is the latest in a long line of coveted stars to scoop the prestigious Investec Champions Cup award thanks to an unmatched 2024/25 season in club rugby’s greatest competition.

Bordeaux beat England’s Northampton Saints 28-20 but it was Penaud who shone brighter than most at the Principality.

But most importantly, his performances go far deeper than his exploits in Cardiff.

While he went over twice in the first-half in the Final, Penaud had already secured the record for the most about of tries scored in a single edition of the Investec Champions Cup when he crossed for the 12th time against Munster Rugby in the quarter-final.

Another record-breaking performance came in the pool stages in UBB’s Round 4, 66-12 demonstration against the Hollywoodbets Sharks. The Frenchman went over six times in that one – a record for a single match in the Investec Champions Cup.

And it’s not just on the try front that Penaud brought his fair share of contributions. First in the leaderboards for clean breaks and assists heading into the Final, Penaud wholeheartedly transformed UBB’s Investec Champions Cup campaign in 2024/25.

In being recognised for his incredible season, Penaud becomes the third Frenchman in a row to be given the accolade, following in the footsteps of Antoine Dupont (2024) and Gregory Alldritt (2023).

A truly well-deserved award, Penaud’s stellar season has gone a long way in UBB’s win in this year’s competition.

Penaud and fellow Bordeaux and French Test winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey are the only two players to der directly involved in 3- plus tries for club and country and Barry, another of the stars in the Investec Champions Cup final is the only player to pass 40 tries and assists. He could well reach 50 as the Top 14 season is still to be completed and he could be involved in France’s three-Test series against the All Blacks in New Zealand.

The potency of Bordeaux as a team is emphasised with No 10 Matthieu Jalibert’s 21 try assists and five tries.

Bordeaux, currently second in the top 14 with 16 wins from 24, cannot catch first place Toulouse but they must win at least one of their remaining two matches to ensure they are not overtaken by third-placed Toulon.