Bordeaux Begles

Stade Bordelais, founded on 18 July 1889, had already collected seven French championships before the First World War; Club Athlétique Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde added two more, in 1969 and 1991, both finals won against Toulouse, plus a Coupe de France in 1949. In 2006 the two sides joined forces as Union Bordeaux Bègles, a name settled on only in the spring of 2008. Stade Bordelais itself carried on separately, and still plays on in the amateur ranks.

The new club plays at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, rebuilt in stages through 1987, 1998 and again for the 2007 World Cup, and holds just under 33,000 for rugby. It took until 2025 for Union Bordeaux Bègles to add a trophy of its own: the European Rugby Champions Cup, beaten out against Northampton Saints 28-20. The domestic title has proved harder to find — Toulouse denied them in the Top 14 final in both 2024 and 2025, the second time after extra time, 33-39.

Yannick Bru has coached the side since 2023, on a contract that runs to 2029, and the academy he draws on has already produced Matthieu Jalibert and Maxime Lucu. But the player Bordeaux talks about most is Louis Bielle-Biarrey, a product of that same academy.