Champions Cup Final Preview: Leinster Take On Bordeaux-Begles
The stage is set for the Champions Cup final, with Leinster and Bordeaux-Begles ready to clash in Bilbao’s iconic San Mamés Stadium on Saturday. This will be Leinster’s first appearance in the final after a one-year hiatus, while Bordeaux-Begles are looking to make it two titles in as many years.
From a South African perspective, the match will be of particular interest, with Carlu Sadie starting at tighthead for Bordeaux-Begles. Additionally, Leinster’s senior assistant coach, Jacques Nienaber, who led the Springboks to the 2023 World Cup, will be hoping to add to his impressive CV.
Match Details And Team Lineups
The Champions Cup final kicks off at 15:45 South African time. Leinster are chasing their fifth Champions Cup crown, but they have fallen short in recent years, despite consistently reaching the latter stages of the competition. Leinster centre Garry Ringrose reflected on the lessons learned from previous campaigns, saying, “As with all the big games I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in with Leinster, I’ve learned valuable lessons. Some a little bit more painful than others.”
He added, “Lessons from previous experiences are just to focus on the preparation and working as hard as we can to go all in on the game. We can’t control the outcome, we can’t control the results, unfortunately, so it’s just focusing on preparing as best we can, and what will be will be result-wise.”
Union Bordeaux Bègles captain Maxime Lucu is looking to help his side make history, saying, “A second title would mean extending the club’s history even further. Last year, we were so happy and we just didn’t want it to end. When you’ve had as many painful final defeats as we have in the past, you just want to relive the emotions the times you do come out on top… that’s what we live for.”
The team lineups are as follows: Leinster XV: 15. Hugo Keenan, 14. Tommy O’Brien, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Robbie Henshaw, 11. Rieko Ioane, 10. Harry Byrne, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park, 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Tom Clarkson, 4. Joe McCarthy, 5. James Ryan, 6. Jack Conan, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris (c). Replacements: 16. Ronan Kelleher, 17. Paddy McCarthy, 18. Tadhg Furlong, 19. Diarmuid Mangan, 20. Max Deegan, 21. Luke McGrath, 22. Ciaran Frawley, 23. Jamie Osborne.
Union Bordeaux Bègles XV: 15. Salesi Rayasi, 14. Pablo Uberti, 13. Damian Penaud, 12. Yoram Moefana, 11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10. Matthieu Jalibert, 9. Maxime Lucu (c), 1. Jefferson Poirot, 2. Maxime Lamothe, 3. Carlü Sadie, 4. Boris Palu, 5. Adam Coleman, 6. Pierre Bochaton, 7. Cameron Woki, 8. Marko Gazzotti. Replacements: 16. Gaetan Barlot, 17. Ugo Boniface, 18. Ben Tameifuna, 19. Lachie Swinton, 20. Temo Matiu, 21. Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer, 22. Arthur Retiere, 23. Hugo Reus.
EPCR Finals Weekend In Bilbao, Spain
The Champions Cup final will be played on Saturday at 15:45, with Bordeaux-Begles taking on Leinster. You can catch the action on dstv.
