International & Sevens — Saturday 23 May 2026

Bordeaux asserted their dominance on the international stage this weekend, defeating Leinster 41-19 in the Champions Cup final in Bilbao. The performance cemented the French men's team's clean sweep of European honours, solidifying Bordeaux as the sixth side to retain the trophy. Despite being a side stacked with Irish internationals, Leinster simply could not contain Bordeaux's potent attack.

This win follows a stunning showing by Montpellier, who earlier in the month secured their third Challenge Cup title after besting Ulster. Adding to the French dominance, the national team had already completed a domestic clean sweep by winning the Six Nations title at the expense of Ireland earlier this year.

Bordeaux's winning run is backed by a remarkable streak of sixteen consecutive Champions Cup victories across two separate campaigns. Interestingly, the club’s Irish attack coach, Noel McNamara, revealed that their inspiration for the run came from an unexpected source: Rory McIlroy, who won the Masters for the second time in April. McNamara did not mince words, noting the motivation to the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast: "There's a beautiful ad that said good players want one Green Jacket and really good players want two, and we've got fantastic players." He stressed that while the club is relatively young, it continues to set a high standard.