By Michael Cantillon, Sports Journalist
Bordeaux-Begles ran out convincing 41-19 winners over Leinster at San Mamés in Bilbao to retain the European Champions Cup, completing back-to-back titles and handing Leinster their heaviest final defeat.
Leinster struck first when Tommy O’Brien finished in the corner after patient build-up, Harry Byrne converting to put the Irish side 7-0 up. Bordeaux quickly responded: a potential early score for Cameron Woki was ruled out after TMO review, but Maxime Lucu soon levelled by diving over beside the posts and converting his own try.
From there Bordeaux took control. A misfortune for Leinster handed the French side a five-metre scrum that led to Pablo Uberti’s try. Louis Bielle-Biarrey then produced two blistering touchdowns, the first jinking inside several defenders and the second a lightning sprint after a charged-down kick and ricochet. Yoram Moefana capped the first half with a 60-metre intercept score after Leinster elected to play on in the closing seconds. At the interval Bordeaux led 35-7.
Lucu was outstanding with the boot, converting all five Bordeaux tries and later adding two long-range penalties in the second half, one from inside his own half, to underline his influence as captain and playmaker.
The second half briefly swung Leinster’s way when Lucu was sin-binned for pulling Joe McCarthy by the hair; McCarthy went over from close range to make it 35-14. But Bordeaux regrouped, forcing turnovers and defending strongly even while down to 14 at times, and Lucu’s return and penalties closed out the margin. Garry Ringrose added a late consolatory try for Leinster, and Ugo Boniface was sin-binned late for an illegal clear-out, but there was no comeback.
Joe McCarthy, Tommy O’Brien and Ringrose were Leinster’s try-scorers; for Bordeaux the scorers were Lucu, Uberti, Bielle-Biarrey (2) and Moefana. Lucu’s kicking haul and general control of the game were decisive.
Leinster captain Caelan Doris reflected on the gulf in the contest, praising Bordeaux’s attack and admitting his side lost the contact battle: “You have to credit them. Some of their attack in the first half was incredibly hard to deal with… We left ourselves too tall a mountain to climb.”
Bielle-Biarrey, named Champions Cup Player of the Year, celebrated the back-to-back titles and paid tribute to the forwards and the club environment: “It’s really special… if the forwards don’t do a great job, the backs don’t do a good job. It’s because of them I can be Player of the Year.”
The victory cements Bordeaux-Begles as Europe’s top side for a second successive season and leaves Leinster to reflect after losing their fifth Champions Cup final since 2019.