France celebrates Bordeaux brilliance as Leinster are ripped apart in Bilbao

Bordeaux were brilliant in winning the Investec Champions Cup. The French media hailed the triumph as the ultimate expression of modern French club rugby – brutal up front, fearless out wide and tactically superior to Leinster in every department.

Bordeaux won 41-19 after scoring 35 unanswered points in the final 30 minutes of the first half to lead 35-7 at the break.

They were the defending champions after winning the Investec Champions Cup for the first time last season.

South African prop Carlü Sadie started at tighthead prop for Bordeaux. Former Springboks Heinie Adams and Shaun Sowerby are part of the Bordeaux coaching team.

The 2023 Springboks World Cup winning coach Jacques Nienaber leads the coaching team at Leinster.

From L’Equipe to Midi Olympique and Rugbyrama, the reaction centred on Bordeaux’s attacking brilliance, the genius of halfbacks Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert, and the devastating efficiency with which the defending champions dismantled Leinster’s defensive system in Bilbao.

French outlets described Bordeaux as the rightful kings of Europe and portrayed the final as further proof of the Top 14’s dominance over the northern hemisphere club game.

The consensus across France was emphatic: Bordeaux are not simply champions again – they are the benchmark of world club rugby.

L’Equipe led with Bordeaux’s “masterclass”, celebrating the violence and beauty of the performance, while praising the attacking freedom that left Leinster’s much-hyped blitz defence shredded across the San Mamés turf.

Midi Olympique celebrated Bordeaux’s “total rugby”, describing the champions as a side capable of mixing South African physicality with traditional French flair. The publication focused heavily on the tactical brilliance of Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert, the pair who controlled the game from start to finish.

Sud Ouest, Bordeaux’s regional powerhouse publication, revelled in what it described as the greatest night in the club’s history, praising the side for humiliating one of Europe’s traditional superpowers on the biggest stage.

And make no mistake, humiliation is exactly how the French saw it.

Bordeaux’s 35-7 halftime lead became the defining image of the final. The French media loved the fact that Leinster were effectively beaten before halftime. They loved the symbolism of a supposedly clinical Irish machine being reduced to panic and chaos.

The destruction of Jacques Nienaber’s defence became a major talking point.

For months, Leinster’s blitz system had been framed as rugby’s tactical gold standard. Bordeaux dismantled it with width, pace, instinct and broken-play brilliance. France’s rugby writers viewed it almost philosophically: structure beaten by imagination.

French outlets especially glorified Louis Bielle-Biarrey.

The winger is now the face of French rugby’s next golden generation and Bilbao felt like his coronation. His two tries ripped the soul out of Leinster and French reaction described him as “unstoppable”, “electric” and “untouchable in space”.

Rugbyrama focused heavily on Bordeaux’s attacking identity and how the champions played “without fear”. The outlet contrasted Bordeaux’s ambition with what many in France now view as Leinster’s overly programmed approach in knockout rugby.

The French media revelled in another statistic.

This was the sixth straight Investec Champions Cup title won by a French club.

Toulouse built the dynasty and La Rochelle bullied Europe into submission.

Bordeaux, late to the party, have now added speed, flair and chaos to the French empire in winning back to back titles.

Le Figaro Sport praised Bordeaux’s physical dominance and their ability to win collisions against a Leinster pack packed with internationals. The publication noted how Bordeaux repeatedly won the gainline battle, exposing Leinster defensively and emotionally.

Meanwhile, France Bleu Gironde celebrated the emotional significance of the victory for Bordeaux and the wider Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, describing the triumph as a moment that “belongs forever to French rugby history”.

The French also loved Bordeaux’s route to the title.

Bulls, Northampton Saints, Bristol, Scarlets, Leicester, Toulouse. Bath and Leinster.

They did it tough first up in Pretoria, at altitude against the Bulls. They trailed 33-21 and won 46-33. They did it big against Toulouse and were dominant in the semi-final and final, scoring 38 points against Bath and 41 against Leinster.

French reaction pieces repeatedly highlighted that Bordeaux beat Europe and South Africa’s biggest club brands to retain their crown.

The inspirational Bordeaux scrumhalf and captain Maxime Lucu scored 21 points & brilliant winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey got a brace of tries.

BORDEAUX BÈGLES – Tries: Maxime Lucu, Pablo Uberti, Louis Bielle-Biarrey (2), Yoram Moefana. Conversions: Lucu (5). Penalties: Lucu (2).
LEINSTER – Tries: Tommy O’Brien, Joe McCarthy, Garry Ringrose. Conversions: Harry Byrne, Ciarán Frawley.