so that's an achievement that won't be missed by us but we know we've got three more games to keep building on that." Henry Pollock and his band of brothers pulled off a remarkable heist in Dublin on Leinster to make them believe anything's possible Toulouse player ratings: Toulouse’s title reign came to an end on Sunday as Bordeaux-Begles booked their place in the Investec Champions Cup final for the first time with a 35-18 win Bereft of some of their superstars, this was not the Toulouse that have dominated European rugby over the last 12 months as plenty of players were outmatched by their opposite man It is back to the Top 14 for Toulouse – where they sit at the top of the ladder – but their campaign to add a seventh star ended miserably 1 Cyril Baille – 6Got the upper hand against the Bordeaux pack during his 48 minutes on the field which Toulouse ultimately could not capitalise on 2 Julien Marchand – 6Back as a starter following Peato Mauvaka’s injury he showed exactly what he brings to the party just minutes into the match with a penalty won in his own 22 Had a performance sprinkled with turnovers 3 Dorian Aldegheri – 6Alongside Baille looked strong at the set-piece and perhaps went off earlier than he should have 4 Thibaud Flament – 7Well-rounded display as ever from the lock in a pack that matched 5 Emmanuel Meafou – 4Coughed up possession which led to Bordeaux’s opening try though it did require a sensational counter-attack from the hosts though Bordeaux made a point of closing him down early 6 Francois Cros – 6Plagued the Bordeaux lineout and got through his work in defence 7 Jack Willis – 7Alongside Marchand the Englishman formed one of the most lethal jackaling duos in the game and they went tit-for-tat with each other with turnovers and penalties won on the west coast At his usual elite level but only managed 65 minutes 8 Alexandre Roumat – 5Got through his share of carries during the 50 minutes he was on the field Overshadowed by his replacement Anthony Jelonch Bordeaux-Begles booked their place in their first ever Investec Champions Cup final with a 35-18 victory over reigning champions Toulouse on Sunday at the Matmut Atlantique 9 Paul Graou – 6Kicked well at times to relieve some pressure off his side. Was turned inside out by Louis Bielle-Biarrey as Bordeaux scored swiftly after the break Started to look a bit more lively as Toulouse began to chase the match but he did not last much longer after that 10 Romain Ntamack – 5Up against his French No.10 rival Matthieu Jalibert his counterpart certainly won their battle but failed to have the influence the Bordeaux star had 11 Dimitri Delibes – 5Opened Toulouse’s try scoring account though much of the work was done inside him Otherwise a fairly quiet display before leaving on the hour mark 12 Pita Ahki – 4There were some bright flashes with some offloads but he was largely neutralised by Yoram Moefana 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi – 7Breezed through the Bordeaux defence early on Rewarded with a try in the second half with yet another silky line 14 Ange Capuozzo – 4Was not necessarily rewarded with breaks or metres but the winger frequently challenged the Bordeaux defence 15 Juan Cruz Mallia – 5Kicked from the tee relatively well in Thomas Ramos’ absence and topped the match for metres carried though it was the opposing back three that made the greatest impact Replacements16 Guillaume Cramont – 5Perhaps could not make the same impact that Marchand could make 17 Rodrigue Neti – 4Some brainless decisions from the replacement, and also put in a limp effort to stop Pierre Bochaton scoring what proved to be the decisive try in the match 18 Joel Merkler – 6Maintained the same strength in the scrum and added some robust carries 19 Clement Verge – 6Enjoyed a busy 15 minutes on the field 20 Anthony Jelonch – 6Brought some impetus from the bench after coming on with some punchy carries 21 Mathis Castro-Ferreira – 5The 21-year-old struggled to make a huge impression during his cameo 22 Naoto Saito – 5Came on with Toulouse staring down the barrel of a defeat and maybe had too big a task to turn the match around 23 Santiago Chocobares – 5Got his hands on the ball but Toulouse looked to have run out of ideas by the time he came on Owen Farrell's hopes of making the British and Irish Lions squad named later this week took a major hit on Sunday at the Stade de Gerland as he was forced from the field early as his Racing 92 side lost to Lyon in the Challenge Cup semi-final News, stats, live rugby and more! Download the new RugbyPass app on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android) now Join free and tell us what you really think Henry Pollock and his band of brothers pulled off a remarkable heist in Dublin on Leinster to make them believe anything's possible Is the Queensland boss the right man to lead Australia forward And will Joe Schmidt be tempted to stick around for Rugby World Cup 2027 Northampton Saints found a way of beating the fabled Jacques Nienaber blitz and inflicting another 'horrific' Champions Cup loss on the Leinster giants Steven Donald very much in the news these days Whatever blows your skirt up So how many big tournament has Leinster/ Ireland won in the last 6/7 year Even with them being the so called favourites You can’t argue the fact that Irish rugby has an issue when it comes to closing out big games…… as for my team/country we have won more WC’s than Ireland made it past a QF…….Stop making excuses and just except that Irish rugby teams choke and wear that tag proudly……you have earned it! …so you’ve finally given up farting against thunder in the face of overwhelming evidence on how cocksure Leinster fell flat on their arses then?? When I lost $75,000 in bitcoin I found a crypto expert by the name of HACKERONE975 Recovery I was able to find my misplaced cash with the assistance of this HACKERONE975 recovery specialist but I'm happy to report that my bitcoin was found and returned to me after two days If you require assistance recovering your lost bitcoin transactions you should send an email directly to HACKERONE975 Recovery using: hackerone975 @ gmail c om assisted me in recently recovering mine Is that a promise RW There’s quite a few happy to form a guard of (dis)honour on your way out…😉😂 Ive blocked you and I am unblocking you to ask you respectfully to stop replying to my comments and stalking my posts The site does not allow my posts to be invisible I’ve blocked Ed as he has innundated my comments with baseless claims of arrogance against Leinster Ireland and Irish people based on his result Could you (respectfully) ask him to stop doing that I had hoped blocking him would stop him seeing my post but this website does not facilitate that I am happy to leave the site if he persists They earned those home ties Tom Jordan may well be that player The farcical draw for RWC 2023 has been apologized for and acknowledged by World Rugby This doesn’t change the result but does show that it was not a meritocracy A team not good enough to win their pool ended up winning the tournament So are we talking incompetence negligence or arrogance on why it wasn’t addressed before now…?? I’ve blocked that poster so can’t see his comment Can you discuss rugby instead of piling on the insults Yes it must be so so very difficult for poor old Leinster having to make do with their raw and undercooked squad… Cap counts: start+bench international(B&I lions) Thanks for a very interesting article ,Nick be back in the morning to comment a bit more How you fare in tight EPCR matches may come down to what experience you have in tight matches Leinster have a lot less competitive coming from the URC as a top14 team or indeed a Premiership team but many of the weaknesses exploited by Northampton would surely have been shored up with more competitive matches in the lead up I disagree Ireland had as good a chance of any of winning the RWC 2023 Ireland were the only team in the top 4 that had to play a big team the week before the QF (Scotland were then ranked #5) As well as injuring both wingers this took a big dint out of potential preparation for the QF Obviously the ludicrous draw affected Ireland also (as well as France and Scotland) I am sure Ireland would not have chosen NZ as the opposition to break our QF hoodooo NZ were a team full of players with RWC semi final and winners medals Ireland (like France) had a sum total of 0 knock out win caps on the team It was well remarked during the knock outs that if you had to play France the time to play them was the QF before they were up and running Ireland get the QF hoodoo off their backs with a match against (Arg/Wal/Eng/Fiji) they become a much harder proposition for NZ in a semi particularly as the playing fieled would be level with NZ having to focus on a big match the week before as Ireland had to I can’t go on about how incompetent the RWC draw and scheduling has been basically since the inception of the tournament Lets have a fair draw and see how the teams fare So more incompetent or negligent prep rather than arrogance then interesting perspective and definitely worth considering Yeah Bath have some CC growth to do but JVG is a smart operator you only need to look at the meteoric transformation he’s taken them through after so many years of failure and then look forward to his recruits for next year… True but no margin more than 5 points even with Ireland at peak performance so Aussie does undertsand what it needs to do on the field Nobody will want to paly the Blues in the playoffs esp if they get some injured players back DW Usually he’s part of a two-man zone with one of the wings or the FB Both cover one half of field v the kicking game I think it’s one reason why Manie was dropped Put him a backfield with Willie or similar and they can be beat Bordeaux had raced into a 10-0 lead with a try from Pete Samu and a Matthieu Jalibert penalty, but Toulouse edged 11-10 up with a pair of Juan Cruz Mallia penalties either side of Dimitri Delibes’s try. However, Bielle-Biarrey then lit up the Matmut Atlantique with a moment of brilliance, somersaulting his way over the line after Romain Buros had burst through the Toulouse defence. Read moreWhen the 21-year-old France wing scored a second just 19 seconds into the second half Jalibert converted for a 25-11 lead but Pierre-Louis Barassi capitalised on a visit to the sin-bin for Marko Gazzotti to pull one back for Toulouse and inject some nerves into the finale Pierre Bochaton powered over for a fourth Bordeaux try in the 64th minute and Ben Tameifuna added a late fifth to put Bordeaux into their first Champions Cup final “They had a 10-minute spell of domination and we did not crack We’re so happy to qualify in front of our fans as we’ve been through very tough moments,” said Jalibert referring to Toulouse’s 59-3 win against Bordeaux in the Top 14 final last season Owen Farrell’s hopes of being selected for the British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia were dealt a blow after he suffered a head injury for Racing 92 in his side’s 29-15 semi-final defeat by Lyon selected at inside-centre for the first time this season instead of his usual fly-half position was forced off after just 19 minutes with the score at 0-0 The 33-year-old England fly-half took a hit to the head from Mickaël Guillard’s hip as he attempted to tackle his opponent Farrell is a three-time Lions tourist and was in contention for a place in father Andy’s squad for this summer even though his debut season at Racing 92 has been affected by a groin injury A 37-man Lions squad will be named on Thursday Free weekly newsletterThe latest rugby union news and analysis Léo Berdeu kicked the first of five penalties to open the scoring for hosts Lyon before Vincent Rattez registered their first try Diego Escobar and Kleo Labarbe both touched down for Racing either side of Beka Saghinadze crossing for Lyon’s second try but it was Berdeu’s kicking which made the difference and set up a Challenge Cup final clash against Bath on 23 May Following a pulsating Investec Champions Cup semi-final between Bordeaux-Begles and Toulouse here’s our winners and losers from Sunday’s clash at Matmut Atlantique It had a mighty job to match the entertainment that Leinster v Northampton Saints provided yesterday but Bordeaux and Toulouse certainly provided a similar spectacle A semi-final played at an incredibly high pace with glorious running rugby, big hits and tries to boot, these two teams put on quite a show for Champions Cup viewers Now has eight tries in the tournament this season which is stunning on its own but throw in that making it 29 tries in 26 matches this season and it’s just getting silly The finish for his first crossing was acrobatic but the second try was even better as he contributed twice in the lead-up before he raced under the posts They might not be France’s number one number two but Maxime Lamothe and Julien Marchand would probably stroll in to many Test sides as their starting hooker Both were an absolute nuisance at the breakdown and rugged around the field with Lamothe in particular impressing every time he plays in Europe and the Top 14 Definitely won his individual battle with Romain Ntamack and it was clear he was fired up for this game as he and Maxime Lucu steered the ship in the right direction His running and kicking game were on point and he will be desperate to bottle this performance with such crucial matches just around the corner for this special team Bordeaux-Begles v Toulouse: Five takeaways as ‘rugby genius’ Louis Bielle-Biarrey stars to end champions’ ‘magnificent reign’ Another barnstorming performance from the Wallabies number eight as he looks to sign off from Bordeaux with silverware and he’s now one game away from doing just that He grabbed the first try of the semi-final after running a smart support line and was strong thereafter with Bordeaux’s back-row getting one over their opposite numbers What a sad sight to see the great France and Bordeaux entertainer helped from the field by two medical staff on 57 minutes with what looked like an injury to his lower leg Penaud has been a shining light for Bordeaux-Begles this season as he has oozed class with every touch and rugby fans will now hope it’s not a serious and long-term issue Toulouse player ratings v Bordeaux: Enforcer ‘bottled up and too easily contained’ but he wasn’t alone in being ‘well below par’ As mentioned he came off second best in his battle with Jalibert and it was clear that missing Antoine Dupont and Thomas Ramos hurt him from a playmaking viewpoint Ntamack never gave up the fight despite his struggles alongside Paul Graou A watching Dupont was sorely missed for his talents and how he takes the weight off him at 10 The Australia and Tonga international forward had his game cut short after 28 minutes when he got his head in an awkward position whilst attempting to make a tackle Coleman never looked like passing a HIA as he walked down the tunnel and so it proved but the silver lining of today is he has a Champions Cup final to look forward to The Toulouse man mountain was well contained by Bordeaux as they stopped him at source and harried him all afternoon thus negating his potential impact in the carry The sight of Roumat being clattered back by Lucu after he attempted to pick from the base summed up a disappointing day at the office for the Toulouse number eight READ MORE: Bordeaux-Begles player ratings v Toulouse: Matthieu Jalibert and Louis Bielle-Biarrey lead the way while Wallabies star also shines First-time Champions Cup finalists Bordeaux have suggested that Damian Penaud has a fighting chance of making the May 24 decider versus Northampton Jordie Barrett is one of three Leinster players nominated for the award Following some impressive performances in the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals over the past few days A monumental weekend in Europe saw holders Toulouse given a breakdown lesson by Bordeaux on the Atlantic Coast found themselves at the wrong end of arguably Northampton’s finest ever performance 15 Romain Buros (Bordeaux-Begles): A really classy outing that demonstrated why France are so keen to have him around their squad Pivotal in setting up the first try for Pete Samu with a magnificent miss pass to Matthieu Jalibert he takes the shirt from Saints’ James Ramm and Toulouse’s Juan Cruz Mallia one of the few ST players that did themselves justice in the Bordeaux humidity 14 Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints): The big man just keeps delivering What a season he’s had and continues to have Sometimes his size belies just how quick he is whilst UBB will wait anxiously on the fitness of Damian Penaud who limped off early 13 Nicolas Depoortiere (Bordeaux-Begles): The big centre had another thrilling outing as his breakdown and defensive work was a feature of the way UBB closed down Toulouse A word for his opponent – Pierre Louis Barassi has been in great shape for Toulouse all season and once again kept fighting to the end 12 Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints): There’s a good chance that Dingers may be winging it Down Under with the Lions Once again the mortar in the Saints bricks although Yoram Moefana once again shone for UBB Note to ed: why on earth did Jordie Barrett not start for Leinser 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Bordeaux-Begles): Wow The little magician is the form player of the world right now – so much so that we’re not even naming a runner-up since no one can get anywhere near him right now Jack Willis confirms British & Irish Lions squad announcement plans after ‘gut punch’ Champions Cup defeat 10 Fin Smith (Northampton Saints): Our toughest call of the weekend given Matthieu Jalibert‘s genius at the Matmut Atlantique for Smith to steer a team of underdogs to win on the road against the tournament favourites underlines just how brilliant he was Jalibert is a close runner-up and needs singling out for his brilliance in that first movement try for Bordeaux 9 Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints): Another blistering performance of spike and control from the brilliant Saintsman Mitchell has booked his place on the Lions tour there was little to choose between Mitch and the brilliant Maxime Lucu for Bordeaux 8 Juarno Augustus (Northampton Saints): A thundering performance that completely eclipsed Caelan Doris’ effort in defeat Augustus has looked fitter than ever this season and Saints benefit from his sharpness Toulouse may be ruing leaving Anthony Jelonch on the bench as he was one of their most dangerous carriers once he entered the fray 7 Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints): When Pollock picked up the ball on the 29th minute mark he instantly transformed Sam Prendergast into Sam Pondergast effectively put paid to the glacial Leinster 10’s Lions chances Pollock may lack a tad of the physical in close quarter exchanges but the man is a joyous free spirit with ball in hand even if his post-match interview made Matt Damon’s performances in Invictus seem almost plausible 6 Guido Petti (Bordeaux-Begles): Petti might just be one of the most underrated players in rugby The veteran back five utility player was a crucial cog in the UBB wheel delivering a magnificent and super accurate performance of pressure and intelligence Josh Kemeny shone like a beacon for Saints and deserves a mention Bordeaux star ‘not surprised’ by ‘amazing’ Northampton and reveals crucial area of ‘dominance’ against Toulouse 5 Alex Coles (Northampton Saints): Coles has been utterly magnificent this year and might even be a Lions option on his current form Massive in every way and made a crucial try-saving intervention 4 Cyril Cazeaux (Bordeaux-Begles): A very industrious performance from the big man Thibaud Flament showed precisely why many consider him one of the best three locks in the world 3 Ben Tameifuna (Bordeaux-Begles): His huge frame rumbled on after 54 minutes and he then delivered a 26 minute shift to be proud of as he scored a crucial try but also offered scrummage solidity Saints’ Trevor Davison saw off the Leinster front-row in fine style in a high quality outing that might slip under the selectorial radar 2 Maxime Lamothe (Bordeaux-Begles): All of the starting hookers this weekend did their trade proud as Julien Marchand Dan Sheehan and Curtis Langdon all delivered action packed performances 1 Emmanuel Iyogun (Northampton Saints): The young England hopeful has found his feet in the elite level game over the past couple of years and Saturday’s performance shows just how far he’s come he tackled everything that moved and helped to secure a solid Northampton scrum and he just gets into our team ahead of the consistency of Jefferson Poirot READ MORE: Andy Farrell ‘simply can’t afford not to take’ Jack Willis as Toulouse star hails ‘amazing’ B&I Lions hopefuls Planet Rugby breaks down the possible options to start at number eight this summer with Caelan Doris a major injury doubt How Bordeaux-Begles' players rated in their Investec Champions Cup semi-final triumph over Toulouse at the Matmut Atlantique on Sunday Following a 35-18 victory for Bordeaux-Begles against Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final here's our five takeaways from Sunday's game Lawrence Dallaglio has named the British and Irish Lions squad he wants to see picked to tour Australia – and it includes the French-based Owen Farrell France star Louis Bielle-Biarrey struck twice as Bordeaux-Begles came through a monumental all-French semifinal to beat defending champions Toulouse 35-18 on Sunday and book their place in the Champions Cup final it's great to experience moments like this the show was top quality and I'm happy for rugby," said head coach Yannick Bru after Bordeaux-Begles reached their first final in the competition they will face English side Northampton who upset favourites Leinster on Saturday A first #InvestecChampionsCup Final ⭐️@UBBRugby will go for their first star in Cardiff after they beat the defending champions Stade Toulousain by 35 points to 18 👏Catch up with all the action as it happened with the rolling wrap ⬇️ Bielle-Biarrey, who scored eight tries during the Six Nations to help France to the championship, struck either side of halftime at the Stade Matmut. No 8 Pete Samu scored the opening try for Bordeaux with replacement lock Pierre Bochaton and prop Ben Tameifuna going over in the second half. Dimitri Delibes and Pierre-Louis Barassi crossed for Toulouse but they were always struggling to stay with the pace. "They're hyper-realistic," Toulouse fly half Romain Ntamack told France 2. "Every time they came into our half they scored tries or penalties. That's the difference today. They're far from being better than us today, but they were much more pragmatic than us." Bru agreed his team had maximised their opportunities. "We knew that everything would count," Bru said. "When you play Toulouse in the knockout rounds, everything counts: the forwards, the pack's performance, the breakaways." It was a highly-anticipated clash between the two leading sides in France's Top 14. Toulouse, the six-time champions, who beat Leinster in last year's final, went into the game underpowered with international quartet Antoine Dupont, Thomas Ramos, Peato Mauvaka and Blair Kinghorn all out injured. They were soon behind when Bordeaux fly-half Matthieu Jalibert launched a counter-attack from a turnover in the fifth minute. He flew 50 metres upfield before offloading for Samu to gallop through for the score. Jalibert converted and added a penalty before Argentinian full-back Juan Cruz Mallia put Toulouse on the board with a penalty. After 15 minutes, wing Delibes went over in the right corner to bring Toulouse within two points. Mallia missed the conversion but popped over a penalty to put Toulouse ahead for the first, and only time, in the match. It only lasted one minute before Bielle-Biarrey benefitted from some superb work by Romain Buros and Damian Penaud to skate through in the left-hand corner. France's record try-scorer Penaud later hobbled off with an injured left ankle. Scrum-half Maxime Lucu landed an outrageous 58-metre penalty to put Bordeaux 18-10 ahead at halftime and within moments of the restart, Bielle-Biarrey struck a second time to give the home side a firm grip on the game. Barassi gave Toulouse a foothold with a try in the 55th minute but late efforts from close range from forwards Bochaton and Tameifuna underlined Bordeaux's dominance and sealed their place in the final. "I'm proud of the lads," said Bru. "They didn't want to lose." While Bordeaux-Begles head to the final, Toulouse turn to defending their domestic title. With four regular-season Top 14 matches left, they lead the standings by 10 points and are heading for a first-round playoff bye. Bordeaux-Begles are also in position for a bye as they narrowly hold second place. "We're going to have to turn things around because the league isn't over yet," said Ntmack. "It's always frustrating to go out in the Champions Cup semifinals," he added. "But it's part of our sport. We can't win every year. We still have a goal to reach and defend. We're going to concentrate on that now." UBB 35-18 Toulouse: The superstar French wing scored twice to set up a meeting with Northampton as Toulouse’s title defence came to an end I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A sparkling showing from Louis Bielle-Biarrey helped Bordeaux-Begles end Toulouse’s defence of the Investec Champions Cup and set up a final meeting with Northampton Bielle-Biarrey, named Six Nations player of the tournament after a sublime campaign that helped France secure the title continued his excellent club season with a two-try performance conjuring a crucial score out of nothing at the start at the second half The 21-year-old phenom had already scored his first by that point tumbling in acrobatically after a Romain Buros break to extend the hosts’ lead before the break Toulouse rallied through a Pierre-Louis Barassi try and Bordeaux-Begles lost young back row Marko Gazzotti to a yellow card but late scores from Pierre Bochaton and Ben Tameifuna made certain of a 35-18 victory A fabulous atmosphere was created with plenty of supporters from both teams filling the cavernous Stade Matmut Atlantique on the outskirts of Bordeaux for a meeting of the top two sides in the Top 14 But then came two moments of magic from Bielle-Biarrey, causing havoc alongside club-and-country wing colleague Damian Penaud again The youngster has now scored 30 tries in just 26 games in a superlative season Toulouse threatened a trademark second-half surge but passed off a number of opportunities as Bordeaux fought fiercely at the breakdown with replacement lock Bochaton scoring 15 minutes from time before enormous tighthead Tameifuna bashed over to make certain of victory Bordeaux-Begles will take on Northampton, who stunned Leinster in the other Champions Cup semi-final on Saturday, in Cardiff on 24 May hoping to secure their first European title. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies French heavyweights Bordeaux-Bègles and Toulouse have named their matchday squads for a mouthwatering Investec Champions Cup semifinal showdown at the Matmut Atlantique on Sunday. With both clubs sitting atop the Top 14 — Toulouse in first and Bordeaux just behind — the stage is set for an explosive derby in front of a packed crowd in southwest France.  Bordeaux, which secured top seeding with a flawless pool-stage campaign, will hope home advantage swings momentum back in its favor after a shock 21-10 loss to La Rochelle last weekend. Head coach Yannick Bru has made five changes to that side, bringing in Nicolas Depoortere at outside center to join France international Yoram Moefana in midfield.  The electric back three remains unchanged, with Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey flanking Romain Buros. Fly-half Matthieu Jalibert partners with captain Maxime Lucu at scrum-half. Up front, former Wallaby Pete Samu starts at No. 8, with Argentina’s Guido Petti and Mahamadou Diaby manning the flanks.  Adam Coleman replaces Jonny Gray in the second row, joining Cyril Cazeaux. Maxime Lamothe is handed a start at hooker alongside props Jefferson Poirot and Sipili Falatea. Toulouse, fresh off a 52-6 demolition of Castres, also has shuffled its lineup.  Head coach Ugo Mola brings in Julien Marchand — who captains the side — at hooker, while Romain Ntamack replaces Thomas Ramos at fly-half. Juan-Cruz Mallia fills in at fullback for the injured Blair Kinghorn. Italy star Ange Capuozzo and Dimitri Delibes start on the wings, with Pierre-Louis Barassi and Pita Ahki in the midfield. Paul Graou gets the nod at scrum-half, as the reigning European champions adjust in the continued absence of talisman Antoine Dupont. Despite Toulouse’s dominance in France and the team's status as the defending champion, Bordeaux has beaten Toulouse twice this season — 16-12 away and 32-24 at home.  Both sides scored 33 tries in the pool stages, but Bordeaux’s Damian Penaud leads all scorers with 12 and, alongside Bielle-Biarrey, forms a lethal finishing duo. This semifinal promises fireworks between two of Europe’s most potent attacking sides.  While Toulouse brings pedigree, Bordeaux’s form against Toulouse, and home advantage, could tilt the scales in UBB's favor. Will Toulouse’s experience prevail, or can Bordeaux ride the wave to a historic final to face the Northampton Saints? Find out live on FloRugby. Union Bordeaux-Bègles banished the ghosts of past heartbreaks with a sensational 35-18 victory over defending champion Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup semifinal on Saturday, setting up a date with the Northampton Saints in the final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on May 24. The hosts delivered a high-octane performance from the opening whistle, led by their dynamic halfback pairing of Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert, whose game management and pinpoint kicking consistently kept Toulouse on the back foot.  A raucous Stade Chaban-Delmas crowd witnessed UBB defeat Toulouse for the third time this season — none more emphatic than this. Former Wallaby Pete Samu lit the fuse early, finishing a length-of-the-field move in the sixth minute to give Bordeaux the lead.  Jalibert’s boot added a penalty soon after, but Toulouse responded with grit. Juan Cruz Mallia slotted two penalties and converted a try by Dimitri Delibes to edge Toulouse ahead 11-10 midway through the first half. But Bordeaux struck back with flair and precision.  Rising star Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored his seventh try of the tournament in the 22nd minute, before Lucu landed a stunning 55-meter penalty to make it 18-11. Bordeaux entered halftime in control, and that dominance only grew in the second period. Bielle-Biarrey pounced again straight from the second-half restart, blazing through the Toulouse defense to extend the lead.  Jalibert’s conversion made it 25-11, but a yellow card to Bordeaux flanker Marko Gazzotti in the 52nd minute handed Toulouse a lifeline.  Pierre-Louis Barassi exploited the extra-man minutes later to cut the deficit to seven. The defining moment came in the 63rd minute, when Bordeaux’s pack forced a turnover deep in Toulouse territory.  Jalibert kicked for touch, and after a powerful maul and several phases, Pierre Bochaton crashed over to restore a two-score advantage.  Despite losing Damian Penaud to injury, Bordeaux’s forwards stood tall, and a late try by Ben Tameifuna sealed the win. Jalibert and Lucu controlled proceedings, while the Bordeaux pack outmuscled a depleted Toulouse lineup.  The result marks a cathartic moment for UBB after falling short in last year’s Top 14 final and the Champions Cup quarterfinals. With momentum on its side, Bordeaux-Bègles now sets its sights on European glory in Cardiff. What a performance by Bordeaux-Begles, banishing the demons of a record defeat at the hands of Toulouse in last season's Top 14 final and a dramatic quarterfinal loss to Harlequins in the Champions Cup.  That was a spectacular performance, and there can be no doubt UBB deserved the win. Signed, sealed and delivered! This is all over!  Bordeaux beats Toulouse for the third time this season and will face the Northampton Saints in the Investec Champions Cup final in Cardiff on May 24!  Joey Carbery just misses the conversion, but it doesn't matter, this one is done! UBB 35 - ST 18. This must be done! Three minutes left, and Bordeaux has a two-score lead! UBB is on attack and looking to finish with a flourish! Toulouse has been going through the gears, but Bordeaux is scrambling magnificently and has won a crucial turnover by big Ben Tameifuna! That feels like a match securing moment. The Bordeaux pack wins a superb turnover, and Matthieu Jalibert absolutely nails his touch finder to set Bordeaux up 5 meters out from the Toulouse line.  UBB launches a maul, which Toulouse sacks, but Bordeaux keeps possession, and three rucks later, they are over!  Jalibert misses the touchline conversion, but UBB is crucially two scores clear. UBB 30 ST 18. Record try-scorer Damian Penaud is forced to leave the pitch with what appears to be an ankle injury. This is a real shame for Bordeaux fans and neutrals alike. For his teammates, losing the best attacking player in this year's competition is a major blow. That is exactly where Gazzotti would've been, and Toulouse exposed the space perfectly! Game on!  Juan Cruz Mallia nails the conversion, and Toulouse is back within a score. UBB 25 - ST 18. Bordeaux's young backrow sensation is shown a yellow card! He went for a cynical turnover, which stopped a near-certain try.  The match officials take no time at all to come to their decision. Toulouse now is flexing its muscles. Can Toulouse score here to get back into the contest? Straight from the kickoff! That is exactly what UBB needed!  Bielle-Biarrey confirms that he is the fastest player in professional rugby! That could not have been a worse start for Toulouse!   Certain fans weren't even back in their seats when Bordeaux struck! Jalibert converts! UBB 25 - ST 11. We are locked in for what should be a pulsating second half. Can Bordeaux overcome its demons from last year's Top 14 final defeat? Can Toulouse win without so many of its star players? We will find out over the next 40 minutes. It has been a pulsating opening 40 minutes in Bordeaux, where Union Bordeaux-Bègles lead defending champion Toulouse 18-11 in this Investec Champions Cup clash. The hosts got off to a flying start, racing out of the blocks with a length-of-the-field move finished off by Pete Samu in the sixth minute.  Matthieu Jalibert added the extras, before slotting a penalty to push UBB out to a 10-0 lead.  Juan Cruz Mallia calmly nailed a penalty in the 11th minute, then winger Dimitri Delibes crossed out wide following a powerful buildup from the visitors. Mallia’s conversion slid wide, but another penalty from him in the 20th minute gave Toulouse a narrow 11-10 lead. Young star Louis Bielle-Biarrey continued his superb European campaign, diving over in the 22nd minute for his seventh try of the tournament. Jalibert couldn’t add the extras, but the home side was back in front.  Then came one of the moments of the match so far — a booming 55-meter penalty from Maxime Lucu in the 28th minute, stretching Bordeaux’s lead to seven points. Lucu and Jalibert have dictated proceedings with a masterful kicking display, pinning Toulouse deep and keeping them off balance. Hooker Maxime Lamothe has also impressed, earning a key turnover just before the break and getting the better of Julian Marchand at the breakdown. It has been physical, frantic and full of flair — a clash worthy of the occasion. With just one score separating the teams, everything remains to play for, as both sides head into the sheds. From a red hot start to somewhat of an arm wrestle, these two powerhouse sides each have had their moments.  So far, the halfback pairing of Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert has been the difference. Their exceptional kicking game has frustrated the champions and kept them out of Bordeaux's territory.  Yet for all of the dominance, Bordeaux only has a one-score lead with the red ticking over into the red for halftime.  Just as we write this, Bordeaux wins a brilliant turnover through hooker Maxime Lamothe, who is getting the better of Julian Marchand so far! This match has had everything so far, as the teams head to the tunnel for halftime. What a strike from the Bordeaux scrumhalf! That was the best part of 55 meters, and he never looked like missing! The home side is seven points clear! UBB 18 - ST 11. Who else but the superb Louis Bielle-Biarrey! The young winger can't stop scoring!  This is his seventh try in the Champions Cup this season, and UBB is back in front! Jalibert's conversion just slides off the left upright! UBB 15 - ST 11. Weathering the fast start by their rivals, the reigning champions have worked their way into the lead, as Bordeaux leaks penalty after penalty. ST 11 - UBB 10. Building immediately on their penalty, the champions go to work with their power game.  Sucking in the UBB defence, Toulouse then finds winger Dimitri Delibes unmarked on the right wing. He does the rest and dots down, but Mallia misses the touching conversion. UBB 10 - ST 8. The reigning champions have their first points of the match.  Without Thomas Ramos in the lineup, Los Pumas star Juan Cruz Mallia settles his nerves with a perfect strike. UBB 10 - ST 3. Jalibert stretches the Bordeaux lead with a perfectly struck penalty! That is a sparkling start for UBB, which goes from deep and shreds the Toulouse defense!  Dotting down for the try is former Wallaby Pete Samu! Matthieu Jalibert nails the conversion! UBB 7 - ST 0 Bordeaux get us underway in front a raucous crowd! In one of the most stunning upsets in recent memory, the Northampton Saints toppled tournament giant Leinster 37–34 in the first semifinal of the Investec Champions Cup.  Entering the clash as 21-point underdogs and missing key players, the Saints defied all expectations with a blistering start and clinical execution.  Tommy Freeman lit up the Aviva Stadium with a first-half hat trick, while 20-year-old sensation Henry Pollock delivered a statement performance in both attack and defense.  Halfbacks Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith expertly managed the tempo, tactically unpicking Leinster’s blitz defense and guiding Saints to their first final since 2011. Now, all eyes turn to today’s second semifinal between Union Bordeaux-Bègles and Stade Toulousain, with the winner set to face the Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on May 24. As Stade Toulousain gears up for a heavyweight Investec Champions Cup semifinal against Union Bordeaux-Bègles, fullback Blair Kinghorn insists his side is ready for the challenge — and not dwelling on past defeats. Fresh off a dramatic quarterfinal win over RC Toulon, sealed by an 81st-minute Thomas Ramos penalty, the reigning champions now face one of Europe’s most dangerous sides.  Bordeaux-Bègles, unbeaten in the pool stages and twice a winner over Toulouse in the Top 14 this season, present a stern test. “They’ve had the better of us this season,” Kinghorn admitted. “But that’s not going to be playing on our minds too much. It’s knockout rugby – anything can happen.” Since joining from Edinburgh last season, Kinghorn has made a seamless transition, helping Toulouse to both Champions Cup and Top 14 titles in his debut campaign. “The Champions Cup is something I grew up watching as a kid,” he said. “Playing in and winning the final was a dream come true.” Kinghorn credits the relentless drive within the club for their continued success. “The slate gets refreshed, and the coaches’ desire to win is crazy,” he said. As for Bordeaux’s threats, Kinghorn remains wary. “They’ve got some very fast wingers, a great No. 9… they can score from anywhere,” he said. But Toulouse has weapons of its own, including Investec Player of the Year nominees Ramos and Jack Willis. “[Willis] was unbelievable last season,” Kinghorn said. “He’s having a great season, and he can go on and win it for sure.” Fans can watch the match live on FloRugby, and for those unable to tune in, follow all the action through our live blog for minute-by-minute updates and expert analysis. “These are the games you want to be playing in,” Kinghorn added. “It gets the blood ticking.” The 2025 Investec Champions Cup final will take place Saturday, May 24 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.  Key points of the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup: FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:  FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.  Get the most important Rugby stories delivered straight to your inbox. ©2006 - Present FloSports, Inc. All rights reserved. Top two sides in French Top 14 meet at Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux for place in final against Northampton Saints Bordeaux score first-half tries through Samu and Bielle-Biarrey; Toulouse respond through Delibes Barassi gets second Toulouse try after break but Bielle-Biarrey Bochaton and Tameifuna deliver huge win for hosts So Bordeaux-Begles have ended Toulouse's reign as champions of Europe They will face Northampton Saints in this season's final on 24 May in Cardiff You can read our full report from the all-French semi-final here 152Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingMan-of-the-match - Matthieu Jalibertpublished at 16:59 British Summer Time 4 May16:59 BST 4 MayFT: Bordeaux-Begles 35-18 Toulouse Bordeaux's Matthieu Jalibert was awarded man-of-the-match for his display from the boot and with ball in hand 231Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:55 British Summer Time 4 May16:55 BST 4 MayFT: Bordeaux-Begles 35-18 Toulouse how badly did Toulouse miss the likes of Antoine Dupont They still had lots of quality on the field but you have to think having those three experienced Test stars would've only benefited them 334Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:49 British Summer Time 4 May16:49 BST 4 MayFT: Bordeaux-Begles 35-18 Toulouse Bordeaux-Begles have reached their debut Champions Cup final The one negative for the Top 14 side was the loss of Damian Penaud to injury in the second half The France wing hobbled off and looked teary at the full-time whistle 266Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFull-time - Bordeaux-Begles 35-18 Toulousepublished at 16:46 British Summer Time 4 May16:46 BST 4 MayFive-try Bordeaux-Begles have beaten Toulouse They will face Northampton Saints in this season's Champions Cup final 816Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTry - Bordeaux-Begles 35-18 Toulousepublished at 78 mins78 minsBen Tameifuna Man-mountain Ben Tameifuna smashes his way over the line with a couple of his teammates on his hip for good measure Toulouse's title defence is surely over now 7610Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 76 mins76 minsBordeaux-Begles 30-18 Toulouse Former Toulouse wing Arthur Retiere is the thorn in the side of the champions The diminutive back wins the turnover at the breakdown and that might be that 253Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 73 mins73 minsBordeaux-Begles 30-18 Toulouse The red shirts roll through the phases but Bordeaux stand firm before winning the penalty deep inside their own territory The clock is ticking on Toulouse's reign 3211Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 70 mins70 minsBordeaux-Begles 30-18 Toulouse and the last pass goes missing from Ange Capuozzo Toulouse flood forward and are nearly in down the left but Capuozzo throws the ball into touch 1815Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 67 mins67 minsBordeaux-Begles 30-18 Toulouse Toulouse are struggling for ideas now and they need an impetus from somewhere Bordeaux players and fans alike are enjoying themselves in the sunshine 2511Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTry - Bordeaux-Begles 30-18 Toulousepublished at 64 mins64 minsPierre Bochaton Matthieu Jalibert's monster kick hands Bordeaux the platform to launch a line-out routine and the forwards do the rest Pierre Bochaton powers over from close range to hand the hosts a 12-point lead 8115Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 62 mins62 minsBordeaux-Begles 25-18 Toulouse Parity is restored on the field as Marko Gazzotti returns from the naughty step 246Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 60 mins60 minsBordeaux-Begles 25-18 Toulouse There is only going to be one winner when Rodrigue Neti collides with Romain Buros The Bordeaux full-back manages to get his kick away before being thumped by the replacement prop but the referee is happy Neti used his arms and was already committed to the tackle 187Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 57 mins57 minsBordeaux-Begles 25-18 Toulouse Damian Penaud is hobbling off the field to a standing ovation It looks serious and it's a big blow to Bordeaux 2228Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingConverted Try - Bordeaux-Begles 25-18 Toulousepublished at 54 mins54 minsPierre-Louis Barassi (con Juan Cruz Mallia) It's a first-phase strike move from the scrum as Pierre-Louis Barassi cuts an excellent line through the heart of the Bordeaux defence 4011Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingSin-bin - Marko Gazzotti (Bordeaux-Begles)published at 52 mins52 minsBordeaux-Begles 25-11 Toulouse Bordeaux will play the next 10 minutes with 14 players Marko Gazzotti is in the bin for trying to disrupt Toulouse's attack at the breakdown The champions are pushing for a way back into this semi-final 159Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 50 mins50 minsBordeaux-Begles 25-11 Toulouse The television camera has just panned to Antoine Dupont and Thomas Ramos who are are watching the game together in the stands What Toulouse would give to be able to call on that pair now 250Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 48 mins48 minsBordeaux-Begles 25-11 Toulouse The next score feels like it will be crucial 213Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 44 mins44 minsBordeaux-Begles 25-11 Toulouse Most sides would be shell-shocked by that blistering start to the second half by Bordeaux But this is Toulouse and they are not the most successful side in the competition's history by chance 293Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingConverted Try - Bordeaux-Begles 25-11 Toulousepublished at 40 mins40 minsLouis Bielle-Biarrey (con Matthieu Jalibert) Bordeaux are in as Louis Bielle-Biarrey makes the break close to the touchline The wing feeds Pete Samu on the inside before getting back with a clever reverse pass for a run-in under the posts After an impressive 35-18 triumph over Toulouse in their Investec Champions Cup encounter at the Matmut Atlantique here’s how the Bordeaux-Begles squad performed on Sunday 15 Romain Buros: The 27-year-old was in the thick of the action from the outset as he gave his side good attacking momentum from the back and was brave under the high ball throughout 14 Damain Penaud: Although he did not cross the whitewash France’s leading Test try-scorer delivered a superb attacking performance and delivered a well-timed pass to Louis Bielle-Biarrey Penaud limped off with a leg injury in the 56th minute and was replaced by Arthur Retiere but made his mark with his brilliance on attack 13 Nicolas Depoortere: He came into Bordeaux’s starting line-up as a replacement for Pablo Uberti and gave a good account of himself as he asked some questions of Toulouse’s defence 12 Yoram Moefana: The Les Bleus star caught the eye with some deft offloads and excellent defensive reads during a fine all-round performance He also competed ferociously at the breakdowns 10 Matthieu Jalibert: Went head-to-head with Les Bleus rival Romain Ntamack and won that battle quite comfortably in the end Jalibert went to the line brilliantly and provided plenty of headaches to Toulouse’s defence He showed his class with a superb 30-metre run and a deft offload to Samu who crossed for a try and continued to unlock his opponents’ defence at will which saw him being named as the official man of the match 9 Maxime Lucu: The France star combined brilliantly with Jalibert and showed why he is so highly rated as he controlled the tempo of the game His decision making was superb throughout and put his outside backs on the front foot with his excellent service Leinster v Northampton: Five takeaways as ‘heroic’ Saints condemn ‘champions elect’ to ‘another year of hurt’ in Champions Cup classic 8 Pete Samu: The Wallabies star was one of Bordeaux’s star performers as he was brilliant on attack which saw him rewarded with a deserved try while he also caught the eye with an outrageous offload to Bielle-Biarrey 7 Guido Petti: The experienced Argentina utility forward got through plenty of work in the tight exchanges as he put his body on the line on defence and won his fare share of balls in the lineouts 6 Mahamadou Diaby: The veteran back-row delivered a solid performance as he emptied the tank on defence and attack during a 40-minute performance before being replaced by exciting youngster Marko Gazzotti 5 Cyril Cazeaux: The 30-year-old did what was expected of him in the lineouts was a willing ball carrier and caught the eye with some big defensive hits 4 Adam Coleman: The veteran second-row made little impact during a 28-minute stint on the field and was forced off after failing a HIA following a tackle on Julien Marchand 3 Sipili Falatea: Toulouse held the upper hand at the scrums for most this match and Falatea was on the back foot at the set-piece on several occasions Apart from that he impressed on defence before being replaced by Ben Tameifuna in the 54th minute 2 Maxime Lamothe: The 26-year-old did what was expected of him in the execution of his core duties but put plenty of pressure on the opposition at the breakdowns where he won two turnovers Also did well with ball in hand before being replaced by Connor Sa after 70 minutes 1 Jefferson Poirot: Like his fellow prop Falatea the France international had some shaky moments in the scrums but did well on defence especially at close quarters Was eventually yanked off in the 53rd minute with Matis Perchaud replacing him Replacements: UBB’s replacements gave a good account of themselves and maintained the high standards of the players who they replaced Burly front-row Tameifuna was the standout performer off the bench as he caught the eye with several strong carries and was rewarded with a try for his efforts while he also won two turnovers at the breakdowns Gazzotti also gave his all in the latter department but was yellow carded when he played the ball on the ground in the 52nd minute while Bochaton also crossed for a try Arthur Retiere was the best of the backline reserves as he made some fine line breaks READ MORE: Lyon v Racing 92: Five takeaways as rookie France bruiser shines against visitors who rue Owen Farrell’s early exit Following a breathtaking two days of semi-final action in Europe it's time for James While to select our Investec Champions Cup Team of the Week It's quarter-final time in the Champions Cup and huge games are set to take place on Friday Saturday and Sunday as teams battle to make the last four The Men's Six Nations Player of the Championship has been named Los Pumas flanker Guido Petti was full of praise for the brilliance of his own backline as Bordeaux claimed a spot in the Investec Champions Cup final Petti pointed to the way that Bordeaux had targeted the Toulouse breakdown dominance as key to his team’s historic win at Matmut  Atlantique The 87-cap Test veteran said Bordeaux were patently aware of the dominance that the Toulouse back-row need to strut their magic and that all of the talk in the lead-up was how UBB could react to that and turn it to an advantage “We knew the point of contact was really the key of the match. And yes, we knew they had players like Jack Willis, Julien Marchand and Francois Cros and that they wanted to steal every f***ing ball going in every breakdown and in the point of contact,” Petti explained “So this became a main focus for us and the key was our timing It was about the speed to own the space and to get into the carrier at the exact moment he received the ball “You saw that work early on against Emmanuel Meafou – his dropped ball that went into transition and then Matthieu Jalibert works his magic and we go seven up at the other end of the pitch – but the catalyst from that was the hit and the timing of the tackle on Emmanuel that turned the ball over initially “And we also wanted to be stronger with our back-rows and our centres also getting to fight for the goals in the point of contact we came out as the winner – which says a lot about the timing I spoke about And also we knew that we needed to have the ball to play and leave our superstars in the backline to enjoy and express themselves “I think when we get to dominate the point of contact rugby becomes a much easier job and that helps us greatly for sure.” Bordeaux-Begles v Toulouse: Five takeaways as ‘rugby genius’ Louis Bielle-Biarrey stars to end champions’ ‘magnificent reign’ Bordeaux-Begles v Toulouse winners and losers: Damian Penaud departure a ‘sad sight’ for viewers who enjoy ‘glorious’ Champions Cup weekend He added: “That came from that timing piece I referred to real precision hits precisely at the right moment and that got us proper front foot momentum.” Petti and his cronies now have a date with Northampton Saints in the final in Cardiff on May 24 Petti admits that the result surprised him and his UBB colleagues but he remains very circumspect as to the challenge the East Midlands outfit will pose We know Northampton is a great team and we’ve seen it yesterday,” he said “They dominated the Leinster breakdown and were really good with their defence You can see the amazing players that they have “I think it’s not a surprise – we saw them along all of the Champions Cup So we need to prepare the best match possible to get to play this final READ MORE: Bordeaux-Begles player ratings v Toulouse: Matthieu Jalibert and Louis Bielle-Biarrey lead the way while Wallabies star also shines here’s our five takeaways from Sunday’s game The king is dead as proud champions of Europe finally came to the end of their magnificent reign as Bordeaux defeated them in an epic encounter on the Atlantic Coast Five tries came from Pete Samu, Louis Bielle-Biarrey (2) Pierre Bochaton and Ben Tameifuna as Bordeaux overcame set-piece issues to deliver knockout blows in the backline from a glittering array of talent led by the brilliance of Matthieu Jalibert and the pragmatism of Maxime Lucu Toulouse stayed in the fight as long as they could grabbing two tries through Dmitri Delibes and Pierre Louis Barassi but there’s little doubt that their ever lengthening injury list took a toll on their depth and effectiveness in attack Bordeaux have booked themselves a final place against Northampton Saints on May 24 in Cardiff overturning the popular fan and pundit opinions that suggest this season would see a repeat of Leinster against Toulouse one that underlined the standard of both Top 14 and European and the 42,000 lucky enough to witness it will go home fully satisfied that both teams left nothing out there on the immaculate Matmut pitch There’s always been a question about the mental frailties of Bordeaux – a parallel theme with the emotionally driven precocity of their mercurial fly-half both myths were laid to rest as Jalibert delivered a brilliant display to steer his team home But with opponents of the calibre of Toulouse you won’t beat them many times unless your forwards front up and UBB did exactly that led by a storming performance from hooker Maxime Lamothe who grabbed three crucial turnovers in a fantastically mobile display around the park Guido Petti was a towering carrying presence there to straighten things up and clear messes when his team most needed it Cyril Cazeaux and Mahamadou Diaby also delivering some big moments whilst much will be talked about in terms of the brilliance of Jalibert this was a win that came from the work of the big men up front men that lost both set-piece battles but hung on for dear life around ruck and breakdowns to take their team home and to glory The 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup semi-final round provided an electric match in Dublin on Saturday and it seems that both UBB and Toulouse decided to continue exactly where Leinster and Saints left off in their epic tussle A packed Matmut Stadium reached a crescendo as once again France showed that no country does club rugby better than they do and the players responded to their fans fervour with a thrill a minute first half Bordeaux clearly had spent a lot of time focusing on two key themes; competing against the brilliance of Francois Cros Jack Willis and Julien Marchand at ruck time and working a way to stop the human planet that is Emmanuel Meafou The visitors are prone to use Meafou as their banker to drive out and exit under pressure but the big lock wasn’t at his best in terms of handling so the second -ow knocked forward in contact Nicolas Deportiere threw a magnificent 30m pass in transition and Jalibert simply ignited the afterburners to gas the entire scrambling Toulouse defence to set up on the five metre rugby played at the highest pace and with exquisite handling skills under pressure and a couple of moments later the visitors replied as a lineout maul gave Romain Ntamack the space to come around on the loop and fire a lovely pass for Delibes to cross on the right flank Bielle-Biarrey is in danger of emptying dictionaries in terms of available superlatives this year and once again he created a try that will feature on virtually every highlights reel of the season he gassed around the wide Toulouse defence before dummying and cutting back to go through one of the world’s finest and best organised systems as if it wasn’t there It was a moment where the whole stadium simply watching in amazement at a man who is fast becoming the best winger in the game – and given the competition around at this moment in time in the game The little maestro might not have Penaud’s ability to find work from nowhere but there’s a classical shape in the manner he plays – a perfect foil to finish the brilliance of the UBB midfield creativity as a scything run by Romain Buros through the middle of the visitors defence allowed UBB to camp on the line creating the pressure that saw the defence get narrow – and Bielle-Biarrey needed no second invitation to cartwheel over in the corner It was a sumptuous display by a world class exponent of his art – and whether you are a red and black or a claret and blue you could do nothing more than stand and applaud a true rugby genius at the top of his game Stade Toulousain have ruled rugby for a glorious period and if there’s one thing you wouldn’t accuse them of is lacking backline firepower with an injury list as long as the Channel Tunnel one that includes superstars of the game like Antoine Dupont the finesse and hallmark direct line attacking of the champions was simply not at the levels that they themselves set It was a bridge too far for them in rugby terms proud title holders that simply had nothing left in their legs to give as the pressure of a long season and the absence of so many world class performers left them short of the cutting edge needed to unlock the brilliant Bordeaux defensive effort the brilliant double act of Cros and Willis gave absolutely everything putting in shifts from the highest possible drawer but then a monumental impact performance from Anthony Jelonch did everything they could to keep their Champions Cup record intact – but despite the set-piece dominance the simple truth was the Bordeaux backs simply had too much variety and ambition for a generational Toulouse side that have been wonderful and worthy champions READ MORE: Investec Champions Cup 2024/25: Finalists decided, kick-off time, venue and date confirmed Bordeaux player ratings: Bordeaux-Begles stormed into their first-ever Investec Champions Cup final with a thumping 35-18 win over Toulouse putting the reigning champions to the sword at a jubilant Matmut Atlantique We rate the Bordeaux players: 15. Romain Buros – 8.5A constant threat on kick return and from set-piece launch. Broke the line to set up Bielle-Biarrey’s first try and remained composed under the high ball. The France rookie is one to watch 14. Damian Penaud – 8Busy from the outset Beat defenders with ease in the opening half and provided the assist for Bielle-Biarrey’s opener Limped off in the second half after a strong contribution 13. Nicolas Depoortere – 7Positionally sound throughout and made good reads defensively Supported well in attack as Bordeaux’s fifth highest carrier with 32 metres made 12. Yoram Moefana – 8Dominated the midfield battle Consistently got over the gainline and won collisions both sides of the ball 11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey – 9A constant threat out wide and delivered when it mattered Took both of his tries with pace and precision showing excellent support lines and composure 10. Matthieu Jalibert – 9Controlled the game superbly and overshadowed France 10 rival Romain Ntamack and orchestrated Bordeaux’s attack with poise and variety A near complete performance in a high-pressure match 9. Maxime Lucu – 8Bounced back well from early errors Provided excellent control in the second half defended with determination and helped manage the closing stages efficiently 1. Jefferson Poirot – 6.5Anchored the scrum well and worked hard in the carry 2. Maxime Lamothe – 8.5Outstanding display from the hooker One of Bordeaux’s most effective and consistent performers across the 80 minutes 3. Sipili Falatea – 5.5Struggled in the scrum against Cyril Baille and couldn’t quite impose himself physically 4. Adam Coleman – 7The giant Wallaby put in a big shot on Julian Marchand but left the field after just 27 minutes 5. Cyril Cazeaux – 8Tackled like a demented zombie but one of those fast ones from 28 Days Later One of Bordeaux’s most consistent performers on the day 6. Mahamadou Diaby – 6Worked hard in the tight exchanges and made his tackles but didn’t have much influence on the game before being replaced at half-time 7. Guido Petti – 6.5Some strong carries and a presence in the lineout but discipline let him down on a couple of occasions 8. Pete Samu – 8Powerful showing Scored the opening try and linked well with his backs Got through a big shift before being replaced on the hour 16. Connor Sa – N/ALate introduction 17. Matis Perchaud – 7Scrummaged well and kept things steady after replacing Poirot 18. Ben Tameifuna – 8Impactful off the bench Helped turn the screw at scrum time and finished with a late try to seal the result 19. Pierre Bochaton – 5.5Scored the final nail-in-the-coffin try from a well-taken pick-and-go but was inconsistent elsewhere 20. Marko Gazzotti – 5Yellow carded shortly after coming on but ill-discipline could have proved costly 21. Bastien Vergnes Taillefer – 6Brought energy and played his part in shutting down Toulouse’s late momentum 22. Arthur Retiere – 6Injected pace and width when Bordeaux needed it 23. Joey Carbery – N/AThe former Ireland fly-half came on with the result largely decided Toulouse player ratings: Toulouse's title reign came to an end on Sunday as Bordeaux-Begles booked their place in the Investec Champions Cup final for the first time with a 35-18 win Toulouse’s Champions Cup title defence entertainingly ended at the semi-final stage as Bordeaux the French rival they annihilated in last year’s Top 14 final produced a steeled hometown performance to fully merit their progress to the European decider against Northampton on May 24 Here is how we rated Ugo Mola’s dethroned side in their 18-35 defeat 15 Juan Cruz Mallia: Not to blame for his team’s loss as he was a safe enough pair of hands in stepping up to replace the injured Thomas Ramos Was three from four off the kicking tee for a 10-point contribution but couldn’t wield influence from deep in general play 14 Ange Capuozzo: Can’t fault his enthusiasm as he was regularly jigging and jiving and looking for space that proved too elusive to find Deserves kudos for the dextrous way he retained possession in the lead-up to the opening Toulouse try when manhandled like a rag doll on the floor but he was defensively loose as seen in the way he rashly bit in when unsuccessfully defending the 23rd-minute Louis Bielle-Biarrey try 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi: Had some nice moments, including a show of fancy footwork to leave Matthieu Jalibert as he danced his way to a 53rd-minute try. Was initially the first Toulouse player to test the Bordeaux defence in the opening minutes blasting through an early gap and offloading but what followed next typified his team’s overall effort as the ball was lost elsewhere and the resulting counter ended in a try 12 Pita Ahki: An afternoon to forget for the midfielder who didn’t stamp authority on the exchanges His lax defending for the opening Bordeaux try was especially questionable 11 Dimitri Delibes: The history books will show that he scored the first of his team’s two semi-final tries but that 15th-minute finish was a fleeting highlight in a mostly anonymous performance 10 Romain Ntamack: His injured-weakened team needed him to step up on some timid recent displays but he was far too easily eclipsed by the excellent Jalibert such as the smart shuffle-on in the creation of the first Toulouse try and some of his touch-finder kicking but he was well below par for a fixture of this magnitude Who will join Northampton Saints in the 2025 #InvestecChampionsCup Final Watch LIVE on @francetvsport, @beinsports_FR, @PremSportsTV, @FloRugby and @SuperSportTV 📺 pic.twitter.com/IAyh0SPFJh — Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) May 4, 2025 8 Alexandre Roumat: He simply didn’t feature where it most mattered There was one delicious sleight of hand pass to Ntamack to create space nearing the interval but he essentially brought a water pistol to this gunfight and got blown away 7 Jack Willis: It’s a good job that he has plenty of credit in the bank as regards British and Irish Lions squad selection as he was another of the Toulouse back-row eclipsed by a more enthusiastic Bordeaux combination His breakdown penalty concession allowed the opposition to stretch their early lead to 10 points and his opening half ended with a cheap knock-on at a scruffy lineout play 6 Francois Cros: Usually a standout player regardless of the situation but his card was well and truly marked by a Bordeaux pack who had their homework expertly done on limiting the impact of this glue Toulouse player to nothing more than couple of inconsequential lineout turnovers 5 Emmanuel Meafou: Similar to how RG Snyman stank out the Aviva Stadium with a very ineffective performance in Leinster’s semi-final loss on Saturday Toulouse’s enforcer was also bottled up and too easily contained Looked to have set the tone with a cracking tackle on Guido Petti He spilled the ball on the next play when hit by Sipili Falatea resulting in a Bordeaux try on the counterattack 4 Thibaud Flament: The Robin to the Batman reputation accorded to Meafou he stepped up and played way better than his more illustrious partner While his holding on resulted in penalty points for Lucu on 28 minutes he produced plenty of grunt and it was his cracking break that resulted in Marko Gazzotti’s yellow card on 53 minutes which presented Toulouse with a lifeline they couldn’t fully grasp 3 Dorian Aldegheri: Played his part in getting Toulouse back into the contest after a slack start; it was his carry that prompted the infringement that earned his team the points for their 11-10 lead on 21 minutes while the scrum wielded an edge nearing the break but he was only given nine second-half minutes 2 Julien Marchand: Initially looked on track for an excellent day The lineout was functioning in the way it didn’t in the quarter-final at Toulon while there was also a couple of penalty-winning poaches to stem the early Bordeaux surge the skipper’s influence gradually waned and it said much that he was taken off with them 12 points down and short on ideas with 15 minutes left 1 Cyril Baille: The scrum wasn’t the result-deciding factor he would have liked it to have been as happened three weeks earlier at Stade Mayol There was a penalty win at a 38th-minute set-piece but that was the height of a day cut short by his 49th-minute substitution Replacements: With Toulouse trailing 11-25 they went to their bench on 49 minutes with a triple change that sent props Rodrigue Neti and Joel Merkler into the action along with Anthony Jelonch They all made an immediate impact in cutting the gap to seven points although Neti appeared fortunate to escape punishment for one foul-looking tackle Santiago Chocobares arrived next on the hour mark but Neti soon erred in not going low enough to stop a try Clement Verge and Mathis Castro-Ferreira didn’t remedy the emergency READ MORE: Owen Farrell’s final British and Irish Lions audition lasts just 19 minutes after he started the game ‘really well’ Francois Cros backs Jack Willis for British and Irish Lions selection and reflects on the Champions Cup defeat to Bordeaux Jack Willis confirms what he will be doing during Andy Farrell's squad announcement after reviewing a 'gut punch' defeat Bordeaux-Begles and Toulouse have named strong matchdays squads for their Investec Champions Cup semi-final at the Matmut Atlantique on Sunday The Sharks’ defeat, though, capped a miserable weekend for the Premiership clubs and for the first time since 2019 there will be just one representative – Northampton – in the last eight. As far as England’s British & Irish Lions hopefuls are concerned, it has not been a great weekend either and Andy Farrell will anxiously await news of Tom Curry’s wrist injury even if Sale’s director of rugby, Alex Sanderson, is hopeful the flanker has avoided a fracture. Read moreThe incident with the paratrooper happened shortly before kick-off Two paratroopers had already landed successfully on the pitch when a third approaching from the north-east corner of the stadium He was supposed to be delivering the match ball but it soon became clear that he was stuck Supporters were evacuated from the area underneath before stewards began setting up a makeshift crash mat out of tackle bags carrying post protectors for further ballast and a bouncy castle was hoisted on to the empty seats to further act as a landing spot The arrival of a fire engine prompted huge cheers from the crowd and two firefighters made their way to the stricken paratrooper via the cherrypicker Trouillet was lifted to safety and brought down to earth barring an entirely understandable bit of shock and the organisers have offered him tickets for a future match ShowUlster head coach Richie Murphy was proud of his players as they slipped out of the Champions Cup losing 43-31 at Bordeaux-Bègles in the last 16. The visitors scored five tries at Stade Chaban-Delmas but saw their opponents run in six to book a quarter-final with fly-half Joey Carbery's former team Munster Murphy told Premier Sports: "It was an incredible game The ball was kept in play for long periods players on both sides looked very tired at times "They probably did better in the transitionary moments but I have to say I'm incredibly proud of our players and what they produced today I think we played some of our best rugby at times and one or two scores more and it could have been a very tight ending." but tries from forwards Tom O'Toole and Dave McCann dragged them back into it before the break and Nick Timoney and Zac Ward crossed in the second half to keep their side in it until the final whistle Murphy said of his side: "All I can say is their commitment all week to put the plan together nobody giving us a chance and what we've produced on the day – yes we're disappointed we didn't win but we've got something to build on here." Bordeaux attack coach Noel McNamara saw Damian Penaud Maxime Lamothe and Rohan Janse van Rensburg touch down but knows they will have to be better to get past Munster McNamara said: "The first thing you've got to do is give a lot of credit to Ulster A lot of teams at 21-0 down might have struggled a little bit they got a couple of tries at the end of that first half and again in the second half how much this competition means to Irish teams and how difficult they are to beat so I think that was very much in evidence today the most important thing is getting through to the next round "We've got a short turnaround – it's only six days – and realistically speaking we probably know that that won't be good enough but I felt that overall it's a positive and lots for us to work on." PA Media Thank you for your feedback.The chairman of European Professional Club Rugby said: “Following the incident at Le Stadium de Toulouse we would like to extend our sincere thanks to all involved at the stadium both clubs and the ­emergency services for safely ­returning the parachutist to the ground The safety of the individual and of spectators in stadium is of the utmost priority We will pick up with Stade Toulousain and the stadium in due course.” As soon as the fire engine got him down we had 15 minutes and then we can plan There’s no doubt there was a little bit of disruption.” The match kicked off 39 minutes later than planned and Toulouse had the opening try after two more following a dash down the left from Blair Kinghorn. The ­hulking second-row Emmanuel Meafou was stopped short of the line but Jack ­Willis finished off from close range. Free weekly newsletterThe latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed Sale responded with an excellent try, patiently going through the phases before Luke James slipped the leash to go over on the right and a George Ford penalty gave them the lead. Read moreMidway through the first half, Rabiot broke down the left and sent a cross to the back post, where Gabriel Suazo miskicked the ball for a clumsy own-goal. Marseille conceded a soft goal shortly after with the ball hitting the Toulouse striker Frank Magri’s shoulder as he attempted a header the ball sailing over goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli Mason Greenwood put the home side back in front with a dipping shot from the right edge of the penalty area in the 57th minute for his 16th league goal of the season. Rabiot swivelled neatly to make it 3-1 in the 64th, but poor defending gave Toulouse hope when the captain Vincent Sierro turned in a cross from the right The hosts managed to hold on and there was relief after the final whistle as De Zerbi was hugged by his staff Pablo Barrios scored deep in added time to give Atlético Madrid a much-needed 2-1 La Liga win at Sevilla that ended their month-long six-game winless run in all competitions Read moreDiego Simeone’s Atlético moved on to 60 points, three behind Real who slumped to a 2-1 home defeat by Valencia while Barça were held 1-1 by Real Betis and are comfortable at the top on 67 points with eight games left. Sevilla are 11th on 36 points The match had a promising start with the visiting striker Julián Alvarez’s spot kick in the 25th minute cancelling out Lucien Agoumé’s opener but it petered out into a dour clash until Barrios made a great run through the middle and unleashed a bullet from the edge of the box into the bottom corner Atalanta’s could be at risk of dropping out of the top four of Serie A after their 1-0 loss at home to Lazio for their third straight league defeat The result means Gian Piero Gasperini’s team fall 10 points behind the league leaders Inter and are left looking nervously over their shoulder Lazio, who came into the match without a victory in Serie A in more than a month The visitors appeared reinvigorated after the break and had two quick chances with the Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas making an extraordinary save to deny the league’s top scorer Mateo Retegui at point-blank range Lazio broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half through the half-time substitute Gustav Isaksen Fisayo Dele-Bashiru nodded a long ball over the top down to Isaksen Roma’s streak of seven straight league wins – with only one goal conceded – was ended by Juventus, in Igor Tudor’s second match in charge of the Bianconeri, in a 1-1 draw. Juventus took the lead shortly before half-time Khéphren Thuram’s cross was cleared by Zeki Celik but only to the edge of the area where Manuel Locatelli volleyed it into the ground to bounce into the bottom left corner It was the first goal Roma had conceded in Serie A since 2 March Claudio Ranieri’s half-time substitution had an immediate impact as Eldor Shomurodov levelled three minutes after coming on heading in the rebound from three yards after Michele Di Gregorio had parried Evan N’Dicka’s attempt reports and reaction from the 2024/25 Champions Cup as Northampton upset Leinster in Champions Cup to reach final England and Toulouse flanker Jack Willis was bitterly disappointed at how things unfolded on Sunday as holders Toulouse found themselves booted out of the Investec Champions Cup It was a brutal display from Bordeaux-Begles who ran out 35-18 victors over their fellow Top 14 club “Yeah, it was a bit of a gut punch,” Willis commented after the match but Bordeaux played really well and dominated us around the ruck area “They kicked brilliantly and put themselves in some great positions with clever field kicks and then applied pressure after that and we struggled to get a proper footing as a result one thing that didn’t help was the try directly after half-time and to retain focus – so to then concede directly at the beginning of the second half is certainly not ideal – although even by saying that we had ample opportunity to get ourselves back into a position British and Irish Lions ‘can’t afford’ to snub Jack Willis as France star hails ‘amazing’ Toulouse duo Bordeaux star ‘not a surprise’ by ‘amazing’ Northampton and reveals crucial area of ‘dominance’ against Toulouse Toulouse player ratings v Bordeaux: Enforcer ‘bottled up and too easily contained’ but he wasn’t alone in being ‘well below par’ Toulouse were without their inspirational skipper Antoine Dupont for the fixture with deadly accurate placekicker and full-back Thomas Ramos also sidelined The in-form Blair Kinghorn was also sidelined for the match but Willis says that while the injuries hurt the title holders It’s not this year and we had an opportunity today to go and put ourselves in the final So let’s have a look at what went wrong and see what we can do for the rest of the rest of season,” he continued “I know we were missing players but I don’t think we want to sit behind excuses we’ve had some pretty special players go down but we had a team today that could have come out of this match on the right side and we had confidence that we could “I don’t think it changes in terms of us wanting to go after the Top 14 We’re in a good position in the league at the moment You can sort of fold over and just trickle into the end of the season or you can rally together and go after one more competition that we’re still in and that’s definitely the mentality that we’ll be trying to apply.” With the 38 players for the 2025 British and Irish Lions named on Thursday much speculation still abounds about Willis and if he’ll be named in that party have both gone on record in terms of confirming availability but until it’s named Toulouse’s Champions Cup title defence entertainingly ended at the semi-final stage as Bordeaux produced a steeled hometown performance to fully merit their progress to the decider Jeremy Guscott weighs up Marcus Smith's chances and the prospects of the France-based players May 5: Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has arrived in Toulouse to begin a two-day official working visit to the country In a Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS) report Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Sarawak Minister for Transport Accompanying the Premier were Sarawak Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki; Sarawak Attorney General Dato Sri Saferi Ali; Deputy Sarawak Secretary (Economic Planning & Development) the Premier is expected to witness the signing ceremony of a joint venture agreement (JVA) between AIROD and Satys a world-leading turboprop aircraft manufacturer in France The delegation will then be taken to the ATR Final Assembly Line facility on Route de Bayonne and given a comprehensive briefing on the aircraft assembly process The visit will continue to the ATR Headquarters and ATR Customer Experience Studio to review the company’s latest innovations and customer experience approach the delegation will depart for the Airbus Campus in Blagnac and attend a lunch and professional networking session at the Airspace Customer Showroom – Agoahub hosted by the president of Airbus International The working visit will continue with a comprehensive tour of the Airbus customer showroom before the delegation moves to the final assembly plant of the A350 aircraft where the delegation will be given the opportunity to witness the final assembly process of one of the world’s most advanced commercial aircraft JOIN NOW The TimesWhat a weekend to be a giant of European club rugby now Toulouse are out on their ears at the Investec Champions Cup semi-final stage It was Northampton Saints who were Saturday’s Davids against the Irish goliath and on Sunday Bordeaux Bègles had a second swing There will be no seventh star to add to Toulouse’s constellation just as there will be no fifth for Leinster and more widely predicted than Northampton’s For Tommy Freeman — Saints’ hat-trick hero — read Louis Bielle-Biarrey For Fin Smith read Matthieu Jalibert: the French No10 was man of the match as he piloted Bordeaux to their first final ‘A clinically dead team’ Habib Beye lambasts Rennes players after Toulouse away lossGet French Football NewsMay 4 2025 at 9:33 AM UTC·1 min readRennes head coach Habib Beye did not hold back in the aftermath of the Bretons’ 2-1 away loss to Toulouse this Saturday Carles Martinez Novell’s team were winless in their last seven Ligue 1 games but they inflicted Rennes with a wake-up call Arnaud Kalimuendo cancelled out Yann Gboho’s opener for the hosts but Aron Donnum gave Toulouse the lead in the last ten minutes Rennes remain 11th in the Ligue 1 standings but Beye was particularly displeased by the behaviour of his players the former Newcastle United defender said in his press conference Beye did not shy away from his responsibilities as Rennes conceded another logical defeat, seven days after a chastening 4-1 away loss to Lyon is that this team doesn’t resemble what we would like it to be.” Beye also lamented his side’s first half when Rennes produced “nothing” regarding aggression or personality Beye said he was worried about Rennes’ end of the season as the team will host Nice and travel away to Marseille two teams gunning for Champions League spots we risk experiencing an end of season which will be difficult and which will surely ruin everything we have done until now to put the club back where it should be.” The Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux, France, will be the epicenter of French rugby this weekend, as two of the country's heavyweight contenders, UBB Rugby and Toulouse collide in the Investec Champions Cup semifinals.  Host Union Bordeaux-Begles is in uncharted territory having never reached this stage of Europe's premier club competition.  UBB will be buoyed by the opportunity to topple reigning champion Toulouse having steamrolled their way through the quarterfinals.  With a galaxy of international stars on both sides only one team can move on to the Investec Champions Cup final Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup semifinals: ET on May 4 at Stade Matmut-Atlantique in Bordeaux.  Bordeaux Begles vs. Toulouse in the Investec Cup Semifinals will be streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States and all of North America. The 2025 Investec Champions Cup final will take place Saturday Get the most important Rugby stories delivered straight to your inbox HALIFAX PANTHERS slipped to only their second league defeat of the season in emphatic fashion They were well beaten on the day by an enthusiastic Toulouse outfit who outplayed their West Yorkshire opponents in every department on a warm spring day in the south of France Panthers coach Kyle Eastmond summed it up well saying: “They are a very good side and deserved the win Conditions were perfect and it was the hosts who made the most of the early plays with Olly Ashall-Bott running on to a Thomas Lacans grubber under the posts in the sixth minute as the Halifax defenders looked on Five minutes later a tricky high ball on the last from Panthers’ Tom Inman was knocked-on by his own player which seemed to set the tone for the visitors for most of the game Toulouse picked up a cheap penalty in front of the posts on 14 minutes which was gratefully snapped up by Shorrocks Seventeen minutes on the clock and with total home domination Avignon-born Fax fullback Louis Jouffret fumbled a high Thomas Lacans kick with prop Maxime Stefani well placed to pick up and carry the ball over the line close to the posts Halifax were getting frustrated as they were unable to break down the French defence Jacob Fairbank was placed on report just before the end of the first quarter for a heavy tackle on Ashall-Bott Panthers’ Tom Whitehead gave away another cheap penalty with Shorrocks collecting two more points a superb 40/20 from Shorrocks gave Toulouse good field advantage with captain Anthony Marion combing well on the left side with quick hands from Ashall-Bott finding winger Paul Ulberg in space to score in the corner Fairbank was sin-binned just before the break for a late tackle as the league leaders went in 20-0 down And it was more of the same at the start of the second period as left centre Reubenn Rennie made sure of the game three minutes in after Stefani became supplier and Shorrocks continued his excellent kicking Halifax looked more lively as the game went on but lacked the all-important final pass Too many errors and indiscipline cost them dearly On 55 minutes Toulouse scored the last – and best – try of the game as Paul Marcon and Benjamin Laguerre produced quick interplay and Ashall-Bott picked up an inside reverse ball ten metres out with the Fax defence looking on Shorrocks completed the scoring for the afternoon as the final quarter became scrappy with the visitors happy to hear the final hooter Toulouse coach Sylvain Houles was a happy man: “We looked solid all over the park GAMESTAR: Fullback Olly Ashall-Bott caused problems all game GAMEBREAKER: Reubenn Rennie’s try at the start of the second half sealed the result Sin bin: Fairbank (33) – late tackle The Sunday TimesToulouse’s Investec Champions Cup semi-final away against Bordeaux Bègles on Sunday promises to be a titanic match Antoine Dupont will be watching from the stands too far from the action for even the world’s best player to influence proceedings Peato Mauvaka and Blair Kinghorn are also injured Bordeaux have home advantage; statistically that final point counts for a great deal in France The absent Ramos had a poor day with the boot in the 21-18 quarter-final win away against Toulon in which his team squeezed through with the final kick It was an average game in terms of quality The two best sides in France meet for a place in the European Champions Cup final at the end of the month Damian Penaud is one of the many stars of the French national team in action this weekend (CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP via Getty Images) Watch Bordeaux v Toulouse live streams as the two best sides in the Top 14 go head to head for a place in the tournament’s Cardiff final so you won’t want to miss the second of this year’s European Champions Cup semi-finals This guide will tell you everything you need to know to tune in – whether you’re planning on watching Bordeaux v Toulouse on TV or online – Bordeaux v Toulouse date: Sunday 4 May 2025 – Bordeaux v Toulouse kick-off time: 3.00pm BST / 4.00pm CET / 4.00pm SAST / 10.00am ET – Bordeaux v Toulouse free stream: France TV (France) – Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free Viewers in France can watch Bordeaux v Toulouse live streams for free via public broadcaster France Télévisions The game will be available to watch both on terrestrial channel France 2 and the France TV streaming platform but registration is required and geo-restrictions apply Coverage starts at 3.45pm CET on Sunday afternoon Subscription service beIN Sports is another viewing option as it has the rights to every Champions Cup game in France French residents can still access their France TV account from abroad by using a VPN – more on that below Going to be travelling on Sunday afternoon Even if you’re abroad there’s no need to worry about missing second of this weekend’s European Champions Cup semi-finals Although geo-blocking can get in the way of watching your usual streaming services when you’re away from home a handy little piece of software called a VPN is here to help a Virtual Private Network) can help you tune in as if you were sitting on your sofa back home It performs this neat little trick by changing your device’s IP address tablet or computer appear to be in a totally different country This allows you to watch geo-blocked internet streams and that’s not all because VPNs can also improve your security and privacy when you’re online View Deal As with every match of the 2024-25 European Champions Cup, a Bordeaux v Toulouse live stream is available via Premier Sports in the UK The build-up to the big game starts at 2.30pm BST on Sunday The clash is available on Premier Sports 1 and to stream online via Premier Sports’ website and app with subscriptions costing £15.99 per month or £11.99 per month if you sign up for a full year You can also get a year’s viewing at an even lower total price of £120 (which equates to just £10 per month) if you pay for all 12 months upfront Another option is to add Premier Sports to your existing Sky Even if you’re travelling outside the UK this weekend you can still get your usual Premier Sports access abroad by using a VPN, such as NordVPN SuperSport is the home of European Champions Cup games in South Africa Kick-off is at 4.00pm SAST on Sunday afternoon You can get Supersport on your TV via DStv, and you can also stream online. Check out the latest SuperSport packages. Fans in Ireland can watch Bordeaux v Toulouse through subscription service Premier Sports Ireland the platform is available to watch on TV or online FloRugby will show Bordeaux v Toulouse for fans in the United States Kick-off is 10.00am ET / 7.00am PT on Sunday morning A FloRugby subscription costs $29.99 a month or $150 on an annual basis Given their 100 per cent records in this year’s Champions Cup it was almost inevitable the two best sides in France would meet eventually – it was just a question of when With all due respect to Leinster and Northampton Saints Toulouse are the most successful team in the competition’s history while Bordeaux are looking to become the fifth French side to etch their name on the Champions Cup to name just three) to scare any team on the planet It certainly wouldn’t be a shock to rival Northampton Saints’ unexpected victory over Leinster in Dublin yesterday if Bordeaux make it through to the final If they can overcome their French rivals this afternoon they’ll be a match for anyone at the Cardiff final in three weeks time Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing so who better to front a new look than England’s man… The French team announced their promotion goals in this game with a strong offensive and defensive display Toulouse got out to a strong start as they ran through aggressive formations and moved the ball quickly The Halifax squad made blunders and lost control of the tackles which allowed Toulouse to establish a 20-0 lead before halftime.  Toulouse's forwards create the framework for innovative attacking plays from their backfield by controlling their field positions well Toulouse continued to score tries throughout the second half Halifax struggled from the beginning of the game because Toulouse was stronger and played faster; they were unable to launch attacking plays due to their handling issues and Toulouse's well-organized defense Toulouse extended their lead to 32 points in the second half with two successful tries and the opposition's dominant physicality and well-organized defense prevented Halifax from scoring at all when they attacked Toulouse's twenty-meter area at the end of the game Sylvain Houles praised Toulouse's team performance because they executed their plan flawlessly The coach said that the team needs to focus on disciplined play because of the upcoming tight fixtures Halifax head coach Liam Finn assessed the team's shortcomings by pointing to both low completion rates and insufficient physicality as major reasons for their defeat Toulouse has improved their Super League bid by moving up the table The result of this game served as a warning to Halifax to get organized as soon as possible before their next games Toulouse intends to continue their recent winning streak while Halifax looks to address internal issues and prolong their season The eyes of France will be on Matmut Atlantique, as Union Bordeaux-Begles hosts Toulouse with a trip to Cardiff, Wales, on the line Saturday in the Investec Champions Cup semifinals.  Defending Investec Champions Cup champion Toulouse has survived thus far in the playoffs without the best player in the world but now faces its biggest challenge: Damiam Penaud and rival UBB Rugby UBB Rugby is seeking its first trip to the Investec Champions Cup but in the way is the same club that demolished UBB in the 2024 Top 14 final last summer.  Toulouse and UBB Rugby's match is one of the most anticipated showdowns of the season The match is streaming live in North America on FloRugby and the FloSports app. Match replays, highlights and breaking news will be on both platforms. UBB and Toulouse Rugby will face off at 10 a.m Your semifinal line up 🤩Who are you backing to make it to Cardiff? 🏟️Register for early access to #InvestecChampionsCup SF tickets here ⬇️ Bordeaux-Begles came through in a 35-18 all-French semi-final after France star Louis Bielle-Biarrey struck twice who won against Leinster on Saturday in Cardiff on 24 May struck either side of halftime at the Stade Matmut 8 Pete Samu scored the opening try for Bordeaux with replacement lock Pierre Bochaton and prop Ben Tameifuna going over in the second half Despite being in the same Champions Cup pool the anticipated clash between the two leading sides in France's Top 14 did not play each other Dimitri Delibes and Pierre-Louis Barassi crossed for Toulouse but they were always struggling to keep up with the pace by virtue of the bonus point that Toulouse failed to register against the Sharks who beat Leinster in last year’s final Those who watched all four matches got something special Cardiff is going to be huge later this month,” said McKay in a press conference and it was a weekend in which two teams (Toulouse and Leinster) France and Toulouse star flanker Francois Cros has backed Jack Willis for British and Irish Lions selection and reflects on their Investec Champions Cup defeat to Bordeaux After a pulsating 80 minutes in the semi-final Toulouse’s run in the tournament was finally derailed in the heat of Bordeaux as the home team led by a brilliant performance from Matthieu Jalibert became the last men standing from the Top 14 as they face Northampton Saints in Cardiff on May 24 Speaking exclusively to Planet Rugby, flanker Cros believes that whilst the champions were without a lot of players through injury the failure wasn’t down to missing personnel “The 15 guys who started, and our replacements, of course, were good enough to win that match,” the Toulouse back-rower remarked “We can’t moan about what we don’t have; we have to look at how we played with what was on the pitch and from my personal perspective that starts with the breakdown and contact area and that’s bitterly disappointing and I take personal responsibility for that it means we can’t match our historic year of 2023/24 and that was a real motivation for us our focus is on getting back into our stride and making sure that the Top 14 We are always aware of the weight of expectation that’s on us when we represent Toulouse and I can assure you that we’ll be doing everything we can to retain the Brennus.” Jack Willis confirms B&I Lions squad announcement plans after ‘gut punch’ Champions Cup defeat The Toulouse flank combination of Cros and Jack Willis has been a feature of their game since Willis joined the French club after the insolvency of Wasps Whilst Toulouse will be focusing on their domestic campaign now, Cros is anxious to remind the British and Irish Lions selectors of the quality of both his fellow flanker and of course I have loved working with him and I believe we’ve got to a place where we fully understand each other’s games as a partnership That’s how we see it and we both know we have different but complementary skill sets,” he said “I know how much Lions selection means to Jack and if I were picking that team he’d be one of the first names I’d write down We call him ‘poison de ruck’ – which means ‘breakdown poison’ – he just kills opposition possession stone dead at source and I don’t believe there’s any better at that classical British seven role than Jack “Blair Kinghorn is out for a couple or three weeks with a mild knee injury the Lions would have a guy capable of playing wing and one with both the creativity and pace to thrive on hard Australian grounds “My message to the selectors is simple – you can’t afford not to take either of these two amazing players and great teammates.” READ MORE: Bordeaux-Begles v Toulouse: Five takeaways as ‘rugby genius’ Louis Bielle-Biarrey stars to end champions’ ‘magnificent reign’ Blair Kinghorn was forced off nine minutes into the clash against Castres Union Bordeaux-Bègles banished the ghosts of past heartbreaks with a sensational 35-18 victory over defending champion Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup semifinal on Saturday setting up a date with the Northampton Saints in the final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on May 24 The hosts delivered a high-octane performance from the opening whistle led by dynamic halfback pairing of Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert whose game management and pinpoint kicking consistently kept Toulouse on the back foot.  A raucous Stade Chaban-Delmas crowd witnessed UBB defeat Toulouse for the third time this season Former Wallaby Pete Samu lit the fuse early finishing a length-of-the-field move in the sixth minute to give Bordeaux the lead Jalibert’s boot added a penalty soon after Juan Cruz Mallia slotted two penalties and converted a try by Dimitri Delibes to edge Toulouse ahead 11-10 midway through the first half Rising star Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored his seventh try of the tournament in the 22nd minute before Lucu landed a stunning 55-meter penalty to make it 18-11 and that dominance only grew in the second period Bielle-Biarrey pounced again straight from the second-half restart blazing through the Toulouse defense to extend the lead but a yellow card to Bordeaux flanker Marko Gazzotti in the 52nd minute handed Toulouse a lifeline.  Pierre-Louis Barassi exploited the extra-man minutes later to cut the deficit to seven The defining moment came in the 63rd minute when Bordeaux’s pack forced a turnover deep in Toulouse territory and after a powerful maul and several phases Pierre Bochaton crashed over to restore a two-score advantage.  and a late try by Ben Tameifuna sealed the win while the Bordeaux pack outmuscled a depleted Toulouse lineup The result marks a cathartic moment for UBB after falling short in last year’s Top 14 final and the Champions Cup quarterfinals Bordeaux-Bègles now sets its sights on European glory in Cardiff Defending Investec Champions Cup champions Toulouse have suffered another injury setback ahead of Sunday’s all-French semi-final at Bordeaux Thomas Ramos becoming their latest star player to be ruled out Their list of casualties began with last Saturday’s knee injury to Blair Kinghorn Next came the midweek training ground setback for France international hooker Peato Mauvaka whose cruciate knee ligament rupture has prematurely ended his season This injury headache was then compounded by Thursday’s revelation that Ramos Media reports in France have outlined that a calf muscle issue will sideline the full-back from this weekend’s match and his absence could be the most hindering as it was Ramos’ penalty kicking that squeezed Toulouse narrowly past Toulon in the quarter-finals Argentinian Juan Cruz Mallia is said to be the likely replacement for Ramos at number 15 and it has also been suggested he will fill in as the team’s kicker as they look to reach the 2025 Champions Cup final that will be played in Cardiff on May 24 against either Leinster or Northampton READ MORE: Leinster legend warns Henry Pollock over putting ‘target on his own back’ as Northampton eye ‘greatest win’ in their history Here's how we rated every one of France's players in their successful Six Nations campaign Alex Spink reflects on a special performance from France's "Golden Generation" of players in their Six Nations triumph over Ireland at the Aviva Stadium Planet Rugby crunches the numbers to find the Six Nations stats leaders Bordeaux-Begles and Toulouse have announced their matchday squads for their Investec Champions Cup semi-final at the Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux on Sunday There is plenty of interest around this eagerly anticipated French derby and the sides come into this encounter with Toulouse sitting pretty at the top of the Top 14 standings After suffering a shock 21-10 defeat at home against La Rochelle last week Bordeaux head coach Yannick Bru has made five changes to his run-on side with Nicolas Depoortere replacing Pablo Uberti at outside centre as the only backline alteration Depoortere joins France star Yoram Moefana in the midfield while Romain Buros continues at full-back with Les Bleus speedsters Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey lining up on the wings to complete a potent back three Matthieu Jalibert and Maxime Lucu are the starting halfbacks ex-Wallabies back-rower Pete Samu starts at number eight while Argentina bruiser Guido Petti comes into the starting line-up as one of the flankers at the expense of Pierre Bochaton while Mahamadou Diaby replaces Marko Gazzotti on the other side of the scrum former Australian international Adam Coleman takes over from Scotland veteran Jonny Gray and he will pack down alongside Cyril Cazeaux The starting XV is completed by Sipili Falatea and Jefferson Poirot and Maxime Lamothe who comes in at hooker where he replaces Connor Sa Toulouse head coach Ugo Mola has rung the changes to his starting line-up after clinching an emphatic 52-6 victory over Castres last weekend Leinster v Northampton Saints teams: RG Snyman returns but Jordie Barrett benched as British and Irish Lions hopefuls collide in Champions Cup semi-final The defending champions have been forced to make some alterations due to injuries with Juan-Cruz Mallia replacing Blair Kinghorn at full-back while Julien Marchand and Romain Ntamack come in for Peato Mauvaka and Thomas Ramos at hooker and fly-half respectively with Marchand also appointed as captain Italy flyer Ange Capuozzo lines up on the right wing with Dimitri Delibes shifting to the left wing after wearing the number 14 jersey against Castres while Pierre-Louis Barassi and Pita Ahki are the starting centres with Paul Graou replacing Simon Daroque at scrum-half Alexandre Roumat retains his spot at number eight while Jack Willis and François Cros are the starting flankers with Emmanuel Meafou and Thibaud Flament lining up in the second-row Marchand will pack down at hooker alongside Dorian Aldegheri and Cyril Baille READ MORE: ‘I need to perform’ – Fin Smith raring for Leinster ‘Test match’ in final British and Irish Lions audition France fly-half Romain Ntamack has opened up on the prospect of facing the All Blacks in New Zealand later this year The full history of red cards in the Six Nations Toulouse and Toulon the stage is set for a titanic clash between two of French rugby's heavyweights as the reigning Investec Champions Cup champions Toulouse travel to face Toulon in the quarterfinals.  Both sides navigated their way through the Round of 16 with contrasting fortunes but now find themselves pitted against one another in a high-stakes encounter Toulouse were forced to overcome a spirited Sale Sharks outfit eventually prevailing 38-15 after a slow start.  Toulon produced a remarkable second-half comeback to overturn a halftime deficit against Saracens showcasing their ability to grind out a result when the chips are down Here’s everything you need to know about Toulon vs Toulon vs. Toulouse in the Investec Cup Quarterfinals will be streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States and all of North America. Toulon is ranked No. 6 in the world in FloRugby's power rankings. Toulouse is ranked No. 2 in the world in FloRugby's power rankings.  Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker A dramatic last-minute penalty from Thomas Ramos propelled defending champion Toulouse to a 21-18 victory over RC Toulon in a pulsating Investec Champions Cup quarterfinal at a packed Stade Mayol on Saturday. In a match full of twists, tension and thundering physicality, Ramos silenced a hostile crowd with the final act of the game - slotting a pressure-filled penalty in the 80th minute to snatch victory from the jaws of extra time.  After an error-strewn afternoon with the boot, where he missed half of his attempts, Ramos found redemption when it mattered most. The clash, billed as the match of the weekend, lived up to its billing.  Toulon, inspired by the boot of former Toulouse fullback Melvyn Jaminet and a ferocious pack led by Facundo Isa, led for much of the game. Jaminet kicked six penalties, including a monstrous effort from his own half, to keep the home side in control for large stretches. Toulouse, however, showed its championship mettle in the second half.  Trailing 12-6 at the break, Toulouse came out swinging.  England international Jack Willis powered over in the 43rd minute for the game’s opening try after a quick tap penalty, before Pita Ahki dotted down following a sweeping move launched by Ramos. Despite Ramos missing the conversion, and a crucial penalty soon after, Toulouse had swung the momentum.  Still, Toulon responded with Jaminet’s boot, leveling the scores at 18-18 heading into the final 20 minutes. What followed was a nerve-shredding final quarter.  Both sides exchanged blows in a fierce territorial battle, but neither could find a decisive edge - until Toulouse forced a breakdown penalty in the dying seconds.  Ramos, under immense pressure and having struggled from the tee, stepped up and drilled the kick to break Toulon hearts and send the visitors into yet another semifinal. The first half had been a story of Toulon dominance. Toulon's relentless breakdown pressure and line-out supremacy frustrated the five-time champions.  Toulouse was lucky to trail by just six at the break, after having a try from Paul Graou disallowed and struggling with discipline - Cyril Baille’s yellow card a particular turning point. Emmanuel Meafou was immense throughout for Toulouse, carrying with menace and leading the late rally. Yet it was Ramos who had the final say, his late-game nerves of steel ensuring Toulouse remains on course for a record-extending sixth European crown. Toulon — Pens: Jaminet (6)Toulouse — Tries: Willis (43), Ahki (50); Pens: Ramos (3); Cons: Ramos (1) RC Toulon and Stade Toulousain are no strangers to European glory, but Sunday’s Investec Champions Cup quarterfinal at Stade Mayol marks a new chapter in their storied rivalry - their first clash in the competition. The two French heavyweights share nine Champions Cup titles between them, but history will count for little when they meet on the Mediterranean coast.  Toulon returned home riding high after a 64-26 demolition of Saracens in the Round of 16, a match that saw 10 tries and standout performances from back Melvyn Jaminet and powerhouse No. 8 Facundo Isa. Both retain their spots in the Toulon XV, while Baptiste Serin starts at scrum-half following a strong showing off the bench last week. Up front, Dany Priso and Beka Gigashvili replace Jean-Baptiste Gros and Kyle Sinkler at prop. Toulouse, meanwhile, arrives battle-tested after a gritty 31-19 win over Sale Sharks. Coach Ugo Mola welcomes back France international Cyril Baille at loosehead, and Juan Cruz Mallia fills in for the injured Ange Capuozzo on the wing. Romain Ntamack and Paul Graou form a crucial halfback pairing for the reigning champions, who will look to dictate the pace in hostile territory. Captain Julien Marchand anchors a forward pack loaded with power, including Emmanuel Meafou and Jack Willis. With Toulon’s flair and Toulouse’s pedigree, Sunday’s showdown promises to be a blockbuster. For two sides steeped in tradition, it’s not just a battle for semifinal glory - it’s a meeting of eras, ambitions and enduring legacies. Just as we wrote about his issues today, Ramos nails the penalty, which wins this one for Toulouse! The champions march on to another semifinal! That was a huge clash and certainly the match of the weekend!  The pressure that would've been on Ramos's shoulders would have been the weight of a ton of concrete blocks! Bravo Toulouse! Its all over here, and it ends Toulouse 21, Toulon 18. This has been a truly uncharacteristic performance from arguably the best goal-kicker in the world. Ramos has missed 50% of his shots at goal, and this latest penalty was one he would normally knock over with ease.  If Toulouse does not go on to win this one, Ramos will be kicking himself. It is all on here! The score is locked at 18-18, and each team is enjoying moments of superiority. Who will blink first? This match continues to ebb and flow!  Now, it's the home team's turn to get back on top.  Jaminet sneaks in yet another long-range and challenging kick to bring the scores level! RCT 18 - ST 18. Toulon has started to find its groove, even if the team can't quite get over the line in the face of a well-organized and physical Toulouse defense.  Melvyn Jaminet nails a challenging conversion to bring his side back within three points with 20 minutes to play. ST 18, RCT 15 The visitors take their first lead since early in the first half, powering through their forwards, before the ball squirts out. Thomas Ramos flings the ball wide to Pita Ahki! Ramos converts, and now the champions are firmly on top! ST 18, RCT 12. Toulouse is firmly in the ascendancy here and rolling through waves of attack. This feel ominous for the home side... England international Jack Willis appears from behind the breakdown from a tap penalty! The backrow powers over Toulon defenders to get the first try of the match. Ramos misses the conversion, so the home side now holds a one-point lead! RCT 12 - ST 11. Julian Marchand's try is removed, but it looks like the Toulon scrum-half Baptiste Serin is heading to the sin bin for a high tackle. That is a big blow for the home side! What a different half of rugby we are seeing here. The champions score the first try of the clash!  The match officials are checking the grounding, but it looks promising. It could be a double blow for Toulon, as there is talk of foul play that will be checked. For now, we wait... Toulouse has come out swinging and goes straight down to the Toulon line! What a start to this half from the champions. Hold the scripts - Toulon is writing its own.  In a tense and bruising first half at Stade Mayol, RC Toulon leads defending champion Toulouse 12-6 in the Investec Champions Cup quarterfinals, thanks largely to the pinpoint boot of former Toulouse fullback Melvyn Jaminet and a suffocating defensive performance. Jaminet has punished Toulouse with four clinical penalties, including a monster strike from inside his own half in the 31st minute that brought the roaring home crowd to its feet. Toulon, ferocious at the breakdown and dominant in the line-out through Facundo Isa, has frustrated the visitors at every turn. Toulouse opened the scoring through Thomas Ramos in the 10th minute but has since been rattled by an uncharacteristically error-prone performance.  Cyril Baille’s yellow card for a crocodile roll at the breakdown gifted Jaminet his first penalty and marked a turning point in the momentum. The visitors thought they had crossed through Paul Graou, but the TMO denied him. Moments later, Jack Willis conceded a costly penalty at the other end, allowing Toulon to stretch its lead to 9-3. Emmanuel Meafou has been Toulouse’s standout, carrying powerfully and sparking a late rally. Just before the break, Gaban Villiere was penalized for going off his feet, and Ramos slotted a much-needed penalty to claw Toulouse within six points at the half. Toulon has executed its gameplan to perfection thus far, disrupting Toulouse’s rhythm and feeding off a thunderous Stade Mayol atmosphere. The champions have work to do. Toulouse has been dead and buried for the past 30 minutes, but Meafou breaks again, and Gaban Villiere is penalized for going off his feet at the breakdown!  Thomas Ramos nails the easy penalty, bringing the champions back within a score at halftime. RCT 12 - ST 6. Toulouse was building some great momentum with ball carriers in the form of Emmanuel Meafou, Jack Willis and Romain Ntamack, but it all comes to nothing, as Graou is penalized for crossing behind Meafou. Frustrating for the champions, but great for Toulon. The home side has found the sweet spot and is pilfering the ball at both the breakdown and line-out time.  Facundo Isa has been a menace at the front of the line-out and has gone toe-to-toe with the highly touted Toulouse backrow. Toulouse is under machine gun fire from the boot of Melvyn Jaminet, who drills another penalty! This time from inside his half! Toulon is stretching away and getting close to making a big time break. RCT 12 - ST 3. That was a dagger blow to Toulouse. Fresh off winning a scrum penalty through the returning Cyril Baille, the visitors cough up the ball. Toulon immediately capitalizes, going from deep, and wins a penalty, as Jack Willis goes off his feet. RCT 9 - ST 3. The home side has the lead for the first time today, and is starting to put the squeeze on Toulouse with its power game. Winning key penalties at the breakdown, getting on top at scrum time - it's all rolling Toulon's way. RCT 6 - ST 3. That was so close! Toulouse got over the line through scrum-half Paul Graou, who makes a superb 15-meter break, but the TMO ruled it out, and we remain locked at three points each. Former Toulouse player Melvyn Jaminet nails the penalty, following a crocodile role attempt by Cyril Baille, which has seen the big loosehead sent to the sin-bin. RCT 3 - ST 3. The visitors hit the front, as their pressure tells, and Toulon conceded another breakdown penalty. Ramos makes no mistakes this time! ST 3, RCT 0. The usually unflappable Thomas Ramos misses what normally would be a routine kick at goal. The home crowd was booing him relentlessly, and it appeared to unsettle him. Toulouse get us underway, and the home side goes through some phases, before Toulouse wins a quick turnover inside 30 seconds! RC Toulonnais's amazing pre-match war cry has the whole stadium hyped up! This should be an absolute cracker! The match is streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States and all of North America. The Investec Champions Cup Playoffs kick off with the Round of 16 on April 4, as the Northampton Saints take on Clermont Rugby. The remaining seven games of the round will be played April 5-6. The quarterfinals will follow from April 11-13, with a short break until the semifinals on May 2-4. The Champions Cup Final will take place at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on May 24. Ochre rooftops and blushing brick churches earned Toulouse the nickname ‘La Ville Rose’ (The Pink City) Its enchanting Vieux Quartier (Old Quarter) is a dreamy jumble of coral-coloured shopfronts and churches Toulouse sprawls into France’s fourth-largest metropolis but Toulouse – nestled between a bend in the Garonne River and the mighty Canal du Midi – is invigorated by its waterways Cité de l’Espace The fantastic space museum on the city's eastern outskirts brings Toulouse's illustrious aeronautical history to life through hands-on exhibits Couvent des Jacobins the Couvent des Jacobins is one of Toulouse’s oldest and most recognizable buildings Place du Capitole Toulouse’s grandiose main square is the focal point in the heart of France’s "Pink City" Aeroscopia This aviation museum was built on the very spot the A380 Airbus was first completed Here you can admire commercial and military aircraft and learn behind… Basilique St-Sernin This well-preserved Romanesque edifice is built from golden and rose-hued stonework up to the tip of the octogonal bell tower Musée St-Raymond Having trouble imagining Toulouse decorated with 4th-century nude Venuses and Corinthian columns This light-filled museum neatly aligns the city's modern… Capitole On the eastern side of place du Capitole (the main square) is the 128m-long façade of the Capitole Hôtel d'Assézat Toulouse boasts more than 50 hôtels particuliers – private mansions built for the city's nobles and aristocrats during the 16th and 17th centuries View more attractionsPlanning ToolsExpert guidance to help you plan your tripBest Things to Do This dynamic student city offers exciting art, hearty cuisine, boat trips and urban beaches – only a few of the best things to do in Toulouse. There’s always something fabulous to discover in this gem of Southwest France. Here’s when to plan your visit. Get to know France's Pink City, Toulouse, for free with these top experiences that won't cost you a thing. From walking in the Pyrenees to a day on the Mediterranean coast as well as cycling, winery and safari tours, Toulouse is a great base for a day trip. Plan with a localExperience the real France The southern French city of Toulouse boasts broader gastronomic flair than most French cities Read more articlesBuild a memorable collectionGet to the heart of Toulouse with one of our in-depth Visit in ShopPocket Paris $13.99 Visit in ShopParis $24.99 Go to checkout (0 items)in partnership with getyourguide No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission A dramatic last-minute penalty from Thomas Ramos propelled defending champion Toulouse to a 21-18 victory over RC Toulon in a pulsating Investec Champions Cup quarterfinal at a packed Stade Mayol on Saturday Ramos silenced a hostile crowd with the final act of the game - slotting a pressure-filled penalty in the 80th minute to snatch victory from the jaws of extra time.  After an error-strewn afternoon with the boot Ramos found redemption when it mattered most inspired by the boot of former Toulouse fullback Melvyn Jaminet and a ferocious pack led by Facundo Isa including a monstrous effort from his own half to keep the home side in control for large stretches showed its championship mettle in the second half.  England international Jack Willis powered over in the 43rd minute for the game’s opening try after a quick tap penalty before Pita Ahki dotted down following a sweeping move launched by Ramos leveling the scores at 18-18 heading into the final 20 minutes Both sides exchanged blows in a fierce territorial battle but neither could find a decisive edge - until Toulouse forced a breakdown penalty in the dying seconds.  under immense pressure and having struggled from the tee stepped up and drilled the kick to break Toulon hearts and send the visitors into yet another semifinal The first half had been a story of Toulon dominance Toulon's relentless breakdown pressure and line-out supremacy frustrated the five-time champions.  Toulouse was lucky to trail by just six at the break after having a try from Paul Graou disallowed and struggling with discipline - Cyril Baille’s yellow card a particular turning point Emmanuel Meafou was immense throughout for Toulouse carrying with menace and leading the late rally his late-game nerves of steel ensuring Toulouse remains on course for a record-extending sixth European crown Toulon — Pens: Jaminet (6)Toulouse — Tries: Willis (43) Ahki (50); Pens: Ramos (3); Cons: Ramos (1) RC Toulon and Stade Toulousain are no strangers to European glory but Sunday’s Investec Champions Cup quarterfinal at Stade Mayol marks a new chapter in their storied rivalry - their first clash in the competition The two French heavyweights share nine Champions Cup titles between them but history will count for little when they meet on the Mediterranean coast.  Toulon returned home riding high after a 64-26 demolition of Saracens in the Round of 16 a match that saw 10 tries and standout performances from back Melvyn Jaminet and powerhouse No while Baptiste Serin starts at scrum-half following a strong showing off the bench last week Dany Priso and Beka Gigashvili replace Jean-Baptiste Gros and Kyle Sinkler at prop arrives battle-tested after a gritty 31-19 win over Sale Sharks Coach Ugo Mola welcomes back France international Cyril Baille at loosehead and Juan Cruz Mallia fills in for the injured Ange Capuozzo on the wing Romain Ntamack and Paul Graou form a crucial halfback pairing for the reigning champions who will look to dictate the pace in hostile territory Captain Julien Marchand anchors a forward pack loaded with power With Toulon’s flair and Toulouse’s pedigree Sunday’s showdown promises to be a blockbuster it’s not just a battle for semifinal glory - it’s a meeting of eras The champions march on to another semifinal The pressure that would've been on Ramos's shoulders would have been the weight of a ton of concrete blocks This has been a truly uncharacteristic performance from arguably the best goal-kicker in the world and this latest penalty was one he would normally knock over with ease.  If Toulouse does not go on to win this one and each team is enjoying moments of superiority it's the home team's turn to get back on top.  Jaminet sneaks in yet another long-range and challenging kick to bring the scores level even if the team can't quite get over the line in the face of a well-organized and physical Toulouse defense.  Melvyn Jaminet nails a challenging conversion to bring his side back within three points with 20 minutes to play The visitors take their first lead since early in the first half Thomas Ramos flings the ball wide to Pita Ahki Toulouse is firmly in the ascendancy here and rolling through waves of attack England international Jack Willis appears from behind the breakdown from a tap penalty The backrow powers over Toulon defenders to get the first try of the match so the home side now holds a one-point lead but it looks like the Toulon scrum-half Baptiste Serin is heading to the sin bin for a high tackle What a different half of rugby we are seeing here The match officials are checking the grounding as there is talk of foul play that will be checked Toulouse has come out swinging and goes straight down to the Toulon line What a start to this half from the champions In a tense and bruising first half at Stade Mayol RC Toulon leads defending champion Toulouse 12-6 in the Investec Champions Cup quarterfinals thanks largely to the pinpoint boot of former Toulouse fullback Melvyn Jaminet and a suffocating defensive performance Jaminet has punished Toulouse with four clinical penalties including a monster strike from inside his own half in the 31st minute that brought the roaring home crowd to its feet ferocious at the breakdown and dominant in the line-out through Facundo Isa Cyril Baille’s yellow card for a crocodile roll at the breakdown gifted Jaminet his first penalty and marked a turning point in the momentum The visitors thought they had crossed through Paul Graou Jack Willis conceded a costly penalty at the other end allowing Toulon to stretch its lead to 9-3 Emmanuel Meafou has been Toulouse’s standout carrying powerfully and sparking a late rally Gaban Villiere was penalized for going off his feet and Ramos slotted a much-needed penalty to claw Toulouse within six points at the half Toulon has executed its gameplan to perfection thus far disrupting Toulouse’s rhythm and feeding off a thunderous Stade Mayol atmosphere Toulouse has been dead and buried for the past 30 minutes and Gaban Villiere is penalized for going off his feet at the breakdown!  bringing the champions back within a score at halftime Toulouse was building some great momentum with ball carriers in the form of Emmanuel Meafou as Graou is penalized for crossing behind Meafou Facundo Isa has been a menace at the front of the line-out and has gone toe-to-toe with the highly touted Toulouse backrow Toulouse is under machine gun fire from the boot of Melvyn Jaminet Toulon is stretching away and getting close to making a big time break Fresh off winning a scrum penalty through the returning Cyril Baille The home side has the lead for the first time today and is starting to put the squeeze on Toulouse with its power game getting on top at scrum time - it's all rolling Toulon's way Toulouse got over the line through scrum-half Paul Graou Former Toulouse player Melvyn Jaminet nails the penalty following a crocodile role attempt by Cyril Baille which has seen the big loosehead sent to the sin-bin and Toulon conceded another breakdown penalty The usually unflappable Thomas Ramos misses what normally would be a routine kick at goal The home crowd was booing him relentlessly and the home side goes through some phases before Toulouse wins a quick turnover inside 30 seconds RC Toulonnais's amazing pre-match war cry has the whole stadium hyped up The match is streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States and all of North America The Investec Champions Cup Playoffs kick off with the Round of 16 on April 4 as the Northampton Saints take on Clermont Rugby The remaining seven games of the round will be played April 5-6 The quarterfinals will follow from April 11-13 with a short break until the semifinals on May 2-4 The Champions Cup Final will take place at Principality Stadium in Cardiff Check out how to watch Bordeaux Begles v Toulouse in the Champions Cup semi-finals The reigning champions have reached the final four of the Champions Cup and will face Bordeaux Begles for a place in the final The pair are locked in a battle for the Top 14 crown and couldn't have been much closer during the pool stage of this competition Bordeaux clinched top seed in Pool 1 by virtue of collecting four try bonus points in four matches Both teams racked up more points than anyone else in the competition Toulouse toppled Sale Sharks before squeezing past Toulon avoiding a shock by a narrow three-point margin of victory Bordeaux comfortably drifted beyond Ulster and Munster to set up a blockbuster clash between two French heavyweights RadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch Bordeaux Begles v Toulouse on TV and online Bordeaux Begles v Toulouse will take place on Sunday 4th May 2025 Bordeaux Begles v Toulouse will kick off at 3pm Bordeaux Begles v Toulouse will be broadcast live on Premier Sports 1 Viewers can add Premier Sports to their Sky or Virgin Media TV packages or watch via the Amazon Prime Video add-on The service costs £15.99 on a monthly basis on a rolling 30-day subscription. You can save money by signing up for an annual subscription at £10.99 per month, or pay for a full year up front at £120 You can also watch matches on a range of mobile devices on Premier Sports Player Regular subscribers can also stream matches on a variety of devices including laptops What channel is Bordeaux Begles v Toulouse Champions Cup semi-final on live stream and kick-off timeCheck out how to watch Bordeaux Begles v Toulouse in the Champions Cup semi-finals and couldn't have been much closer during the pool stage of this competition RadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch Bordeaux Begles v Toulouse on TV and online Bordeaux Begles v Toulouse will be broadcast live on Premier Sports 1 The service costs £15.99 on a monthly basis on a rolling 30-day subscription. You can save money by signing up for an annual subscription at £10.99 per month, or pay for a full year up front at £120 You can also watch matches on a range of mobile devices on Premier Sports Player By entering your details you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Michael PottsSport EditorMichael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014 you are agreeing to site title privacy policy This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Subscribe to RT!Subscribe to Radio Times magazine and get £10 issues for £10! 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Holiday brochuresNeed inspiration of where to go next Request a free brochure and start your journey #spch.spch.s2tb-h .spchc {\n background: #fff;\n box-sizing: border-box;\n box-shadow: 0 2px 6px rgb(0 0 0 / 20%);\n height: auto;\n margin: 0;\n min-width: 100%;\n overflow: hidden;\n padding: 24px 115px;\n }\n#spch.spch.s2tb .spchc .inner-container #spch.spch.s2tb-h .spchc .inner-container {\n opacity: 1;\n transition: opacity 0.318s ease-in;\n }\n#spch.spch.s2tb .spchc .inner-container .text-container it's great to experience moments like this the show was top quality and I'm happy for rugby," said head coach Yannick Bru who scored eight tries during the Six Nations to help France to the championship struck either side of half-time at the Stade Matmut No.8 Pete Samu scored the opening try for Bordeaux with replacement lock Pierre Bochaton and prop Ben Tameifuna going over in the second half Dimitri Delibes and Pierre-Louis Barassi crossed for Toulouse but they were always struggling to stay with the pace "They're hyper-realistic," Toulouse fly half Romain Ntamack told France 2 "Every time they came into our half they scored tries or penalties They're far from being better than us today but they were much more pragmatic than us." Bru agreed his team had maximised their opportunities "We knew that everything would count," Bru said "When you play Toulouse in the knockout rounds It was a highly-anticipated clash between the two leading sides in France's Top 14 who beat Leinster in last year's final went into the game underpowered with international quartet Antoine Dupont Peato Mauvaka and Blair Kinghorn all out injured They were soon behind when Bordeaux fly-half Matthieu Jalibert launched a counter-attack from a turnover in the fifth minute He flew 50 metres upfield before offloading for Samu to gallop through for the score Jalibert converted and added a penalty before Argentinian full-back Juan Cruz Mallia put Toulouse on the board with a penalty wing Delibes went over in the right corner to bring Toulouse within two points Mallia missed the conversion but popped over a penalty to put Toulouse ahead for the first It only lasted one minute before Bielle-Biarrey benefitted from some superb work by Romain Buros and Damian Penaud to skate through in the left-hand corner France's record try-scorer Penaud later hobbled off with an injured left ankle Scrum-half Maxime Lucu landed an outrageous 58-metre penalty to put Bordeaux 18-10 ahead at half-time and within moments of the restart Bielle-Biarrey struck a second time to give the home side a firm grip on the game Barassi gave Toulouse a foothold with a try in the 55th minute but late efforts from close range from forwards Bochaton and Tameifuna underlined Bordeaux's dominance and sealed their place in the final "I'm proud of the lads," said Bru While Bordeaux-Begles head to the  final Toulouse turn to defending their domestic title With four regular-season Top 14 matches left they lead the standings by 10 points and are heading for a first-round playoff bye Bordeaux-Begles are also in position for a bye as they narrowly hold second place "We're going to have to turn things around because the league isn't over yet," said Ntmack "It's always frustrating to go out in the Champions Cup semi-finals," he added We're going to concentrate on that now." The top three favorites to win the NBA Finals each lost at home to open the second round Aaron Gordon hit a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds after the Thunder opted to quickly foul repeatedly with a lead down the stretch popped and splashed a mammoth triple with 2.8 seconds to go as Denver finished the game on a 19-6 run to blindside top-seeded Oklahoma City The Celtics shoot 15-of-60 from long range becoming the first team in postseason history to take 60 3s and setting a playoff record with 45 misses Tyler Callihan broke multiple bones in his left forearm and is now set to have surgery 1 seed in the East and the second-best record in franchise history with the same core that won 48 games the previous season plenty of other athletes showed out in tailored garb in honor of the event's theme 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.' Following San Diego's weekend sweep of the Pirates the hosts of "Baseball Bar-B-Cast" took a look at the Padres' strengths and weaknesses Max Scherzer will be eligible to return on May 29 Brock Purdy could hit free agency after the 2025 NFL Season Fred Zinkie examines this week's widely available two-start pitchers but warns it won't be easy to find help The Mets have lost their 34th game of the season for 16 consecutive years now Stephen Curry and Draymond Green leaned on their championship experience — and another battle-tested vet in Jimmy Butler — to take Game 7 and advance to face the Timberwolves The Warriors successfully avoided blowing another 3-1 series lead on Sunday night smart money has Rodgers and the Steelers getting something done just before the June full-squad minicamp.