Playing in the Top 14 in France is a bit like painting the Forth Bridge, once you get to the very end, it is time to start again at the beginning.
A tournament that started on 7 September 2024 finished its league stage last night will now proceed to a knock-out format until it reaches the final in Paris on 28 June.
All this weekend’s Round 26 matches kicked off at the same time, 9pm (CET) in the interests of transparency. There was still plenty to play for, with the only certainty before the mass kick off’s began being the fact that Toulouse had topped the table and were guaranteed a semi-final in Lyon on 20/21 June, whatever happened on Saturday night.
The other guaranteed semi finalist still had to be settled, with only two teams in the frame, Bordeaux and Toulon.
With Bordeaux defeating bottom of the table Vannes they achieved second place in the table and along with it that other prized semi-final berth in Lyon.
Clubs ending up in the table between fourth and sixth will now play off in the ‘Barrages’ with the winners earning the two remaining semi-final spots… still with me ?
Well the outcome of a very late night in the Republic saw Toulon, Bayonne, Clermont and Castres qualifying for the barrages.
Following an intense night of action, Vannes were relegated to Pro D2 They will be sadly missed next season, as will their unique Breton identity and the warm welcome given to all and sundry at the ‘Rabine’.
Their place in the Top 14 will be taken by Montauban, who beat Grenoble 24-19 in the Pro D2 final.
Grenoble will now face the Top 14’s 13th place side Perpignan, who beat Toulouse 42-35 last night, with the winner getting a coveted top division spot for the 2025/2026 season.
So the knock-out stages of the top tier begin.
On Friday Bayonne face Clermont in the Barrages with the winner of that match playing Toulouse in the first semi-final in Lyon on Friday 20 June.
Next Saturday’s Barrage sees Toulon entertain Castres at the Mayol with the victor facing Bordeaux in the second Lyon semi on Saturday 21 June.
The final Top 14 table makes interesting reading La Rochelle missed out on the knock-out stages by a single point.
There will no doubt be plenty of spills and thrills ahead before the Final in Paris on Saturday 28 June.
The season that never ends is only just getting started.
Scarlet Fever is a terrible affliction, I first contracted it in October 1972, but the outcome was not All Black and the 9/3 chance of survival went in my favour.
Back in the olden days when I was young, Llanelli were the knock-out kings. They won the Welsh cup, which alternated in title between Schweppes, SWALEC, Konica Minolta, and Principality on ten occasions between 1985 and 2010, including four in a row between 1973 and 2010. 1976.
The knock-out kings also reached two European Champions Cup semi-finals, losing both to Northampton and Leinster respectively.
Then in 2017 the knock-out glory days returned with a bang with the men in red winning the Pro12 and in the process defeating Leinster in a semi-final in Dublin followed by victory over Munster in the final. This remarkable Dublin double is now permanently etched in Scarlet folklore.
Yesterday, those from West Wales and the exiled global fever suffers were hoping that lightning would strike twice, albeit with an eight-year gap between the flash and the bang.
But 2025 proved to be absent of any cumulonimbus activity and the charged activity emanating from the blue wave eventually washed away any Scarlet hopes of a repeat of that epic result in 2017, but boy were they were made to work for it.
Two Leinster tries in the opening nine minutes looked ominous for Scarlets, and there were plenty sitting in the Dublin sunshine thinking this may be a rout. But a try from Tom Rogers in the nineteenth minute and a length of the field effort on minute forty from Blair Murray meant there was only one point between the teams at half-time.
An early second half try from Osborne extended Leinster’s lead to 22-14, and Hugo Keenan’s unconverted effort made it 27-14 on 59 minutes.
Prendergast added a 65th minute penalty pen, but Scarlets refused to lie down, and a wonderful move ended with Johnny Williams touching down near the post Costelow’s conversation made it 30-21 and with ten minutes remaining you felt the game with a bit of Carmarthenshire sorcery could still be there for the taking, but another Prendergast pen on 73m sealed it for Leinster
Scarlets can go back across the Irish Sea with their heads held high they have qualified for next season’s Investec Champions Cup and their performances towards the latter part of the season have given a swell of optimism for next season on the field.
Off the field off course is a different matter in the turbulent world of welsh rugby administration but for now the Scarlet faithful can take pride in their knocked out knock out kings and there are worse places to drown your sorrows than Dublin
“Ah, but life is like that! It does not permit you to arrange and order it as you will” Hercule Poirot.
A quote from Poirot, but on this occasion it was from the fictional Belgian detective Hercule and not his thirty-six times capped French namesake and Union Bordeaux Bègles prop Jefferson.
Bordeaux had arranged, ordered and even prayed for some silverware this season and yesterday in the Welsh capital they were finally rewarded for their efforts.
With an empty trophy cabinet gathering dust back at Stade Chaban Delmas Jefferson Poirot was hoping to be a prime suspect to lift the Investec Champions Cup under the roof in Cardiff.
And in the end, the case of the missing trophy was finally solved, a who dunnit where in the final chapter it was Bordeaux who did it. The only crime committed was their profligacy in failing to convert the amount of chances they spurned in the second half.
It’s fair to say that this final was a tale of the unexpected. All bets were on a Toulouse v Leinster repeat, but those two epic semi-finals at the beginning of the month turned the tournament on its head. In the process, it gave us the mouthwatering prospect of two exciting running attacking teams facing each other for the honour of being declared European Champions.
The match did not disappoint. Finals can often be nervous, tight, scrappy affairs, but we knew from the moment Saints kicked off that this game was going to be something special.
A frantic start saw Alex Cole’s first minute try negated by Damian Penaud’s effort in the fifth. In between those two scores, Northampton lost Ramm and Furbank to injury.
Two further Bordeaux tries from Adam Coleman and a second from Penaud gave the French a 20-13 lead before Coles got his second for Northampton in the final minute of the first half. Smith’s conversion made it 20-20 as the half-time whistle blew.
The second half was a different story as Bordeaux’s power began to tell. A Maxime Lucu penalty on 44 minutes and a Cyril Cazeaux try eleven minutes later gave Bordeaux a 28-20 lead, and the last twenty-five minutes of the match remained scoreless.
Jalibert and Lucu’s little grey cells were working overtime as they combined to keep Northampton pegged back in their own half with wave after wave of astute tactical kicking.
Despite their valiant efforts, Saints were unable to get decent field position as the match drew to a close.
The final whistle drew scenes of unadulterated joy from the UBB players, coaching staff and fans as their thirst for silverware had been finally sated.
Bordeaux must quickly turn their attention to the Top 14 another chapter for Poirot and another ghost to bury following last season’s thumping in the Final by Toulouse.
The contents of their trophy cabinet might well have doubled come the end of June, although such is the size and weight of the Bouclier de Brennus shield awarded to the Top 14 winners it will need to be housed in a storage unit rather than a trophy cabinet.
As Poirot said in ‘Death on the Nile’ “It is not the past that matters, but the future” but for now Union Bordeaux Bègles are well and truly living in the present and loving every minute of it.
A Canelé is a small pastry flavoured with rum and vanilla, having a soft and tender custard centre and a dark thick caramelised crust. It is a speciality of the Bordeaux region.
Legend has it that the local nuns of the 16th century Annonciade Couvent in Bordeaux used to collect the egg yolks from the wine makers who had used the egg whites to clarify the wine and before adding extra vanilla, rum and sugar shipped back from the Caribbean, together with flour and milk.
The pastry takes its name from the fluted copper mould in which it is still baked today.
Whether this Aquitaine speciality is as tasty and mouthwatering as the UBB backline is up for debate.
Rum and Vanillia or Bielle-Biarrey and Penaud ? All four Ingredients are guaranteed to satisfy the most discerning of pallets and leave you with a beautiful lingering aftertaste.
On the other hand, if you prefer something a bit more substantial, or dare I say stodgy, then a 140 kg portion of Tongan Ben Tameifuna will also be on the menu.
The club was founded in 2006 when two Bordeaux clubs merged, Stade Bordelais and Club Athlétique Bordeaux-Begles.
The club competed in the ProD2 until gaining promotion to the Top 14 in 2011.
They have not won a trophy under their current guise and having reached the Top 14 final last year whilst playing some wonderful rugby on the way, they were thumped 59-3 by Stade Toulousain in Marseille.
To say they are anxious to bury those ghosts would be an understatement, and Cardiff 2025 would be a perfect setting for them to do so.
They currently lie in second place in the Top 14 table behind Toulouse and are all but guaranteed a semi-final place, so their oefs are definitely not all in one basket.
Yesterday, UBB and Saints both decided against wrapping their players up in cotton and put out their strongest sides in their respective domestic league matches.
Whilst Bordeaux have a clean bill of health and the luxury of taking off Jalibert, Lucu, Poirot, Tatafu and Van Rensburg after 53 minutes, Northampton Saints have injury concerns over hooker Curtis Lang, full-back James Ramm, Temo Mayavanua, and Alex Coles was limping at the end of their last second 28-24 victory over Saracens. Plus, they are already without Furbank, Sleightholme, and Augustus.
But can Bordeaux do it against a Northampton Saints team will still have the roaring Lions that ran Leinster ragged in Dublin ? Well, the proof of the pudding as they say is in the eating.
Six days ago the Stade Toulousain squad trudged off the field at Matmut Atlantique stadium, their European dreams in tatters.
They were well and truly beaten by Bordeaux in a brutal Investec European Champions Cup semi-final.
Heads bowed and with in an injury list growing by the day, they were faced with a daunting short turnaround before meeting Toulon in Marseille, a massive challenge both physically and mentally.
The Orange Velodrome though is an inspiring place with the mountains peaking through the gaps in the stands it is a wonderful sporting arena.
This annual Top 14 encounter encompasses a rugby festival and the whole area is in rugby party mood along with the sold out 67,000 capacity crowd at the stadium for a post 9pm kick off.
Toulouse injury list resembles a box set of ‘Casualty’. Arnold, Kinghorn, Ramos, Mauvaka, Dupont, Laulala and Banos are all out of action for varying time spans, whilst Bituniyata, Neti, Jack Willis and Juan Cruz Malia were rested due to their recent exertions.
But last night normal service was resumed as their depleted outfit put fifty points on arch rivals Toulon.
Toulon held all the cards in the first half, unfortunately they were yellow and red ones which scuppered any hopes of a victory.
Esteban Abadie received the first carton Jaune after just 8 minutes, followed by Baptiste Serin a minute later after collapsing a maul which resulted in a penalty try for the away side.
Castro-Ferreira and Alainu’uese traded tries for Toulouse and Toulon respectively, whilst Paul Costes received a yellow card for a spear tackle on Baptiste Serin which could easily have been a red.
Serin was the centre of attention again in the 39th minute, when he received his second yellow for interfering with the ball at a ruck in the red zone. Two yellows become a red card, and the talisman scrum-half left his team a man short for the rest of the game.
A scrappy first half ended with a narrow lead for Toulouse (14-13) but the second half was a totally different story.
With an extra man and with the introduction of Meafou and Theo Ntamack, Toulouse scored 36 points to Toulon’s three. Tries rained in from Chocobares, Costes, Lebel, Barassi, and two from Grauo who came on as a replacement for Romain Ntamack after he failed a head injury assessment.
Toulouse are now guaranteed a semi-final berth, which will hopefully give them a bit of time to rest recover and heal their long list of casualties.
Yesterday in front of 2,000 excited onlookers at the 02 arena the 2025 British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia was announced.
Perhaps the worst kept secret was the identity of the Captain, Maro Itoje,which became common knowledge a long way before the official announcement was made.
Former Wales and Lions legend 2025 tour manager Ieuan Evans read out the names of the 38 players who head down under this summer.
Not too many shocks in selection but the fly half berth will be missing Owen Farrell and Sam Prendergast who were touted heavily for a tour place, and the man of the moment Northampton’s 20 year old Henry Pollock gains a Lions selection after setting the rugby world on fire this season.
Lions Head Coach Andy Farrell, said: “I want to congratulate Maro on being named captain of The British & Irish Lions.
“This is a great honour for Maro, his family and everyone who has supported him throughout his career from Saracens to England – and on to The Lions in 2017 and 2021.
“As a two-time tourist, Maro fully understands what The Lions is all about and also the role of the captain in helping the group achieve its goal of winning a Test Series this summer.”
Speaking about the squad, Farrell added: “Since we met as a coaching unit for the very first time six weeks ago we have been discussing more than 75 players of interest.
“But the key job is getting that squad balance right as we prepare for a long and demanding tour that finishes with a Three Test Series against the Wallabies.
“I am very excited about working with this group and believe they have the capacity to achieve something special and add to the Lions legacy.”
England captain Itoje, was the youngest player on the 2017 tour of New Zealand.
He has featured in all six of The Lions’ last Test matches and was voted as the Lions’ Player of the Series in South Africa, 2021.
The 2025 Lions Tour Captain Itoje said: “It feels amazing to be named Lions captain. I’m deeply honoured, humbled and I will do my best to do the role justice.
“I am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead, it’s going to be a great Tour. I know the appetite amongst the players is extremely high, everyone is hungry to be a Lion and I can’t wait to play my role.”
The Lions will face Argentina in the 1888 Cup in Dublin, Ireland on Friday, June 20 before heading down under.
The Tour includes fixtures against Western Force, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs, ACT Brumbies, ANZAC Invitational XV, First Nations & Pasifika XV and three Tests against Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies.
The British & Irish Lions Chair and Tour Manager Ieuan Evans, MBE said: “It was my great privilege and thrill to announce the players selected by Andy Farrell and his coaching group for the 2025 Australia Tour.
“I wish all the players and our new captain Maro Itoje the very best of luck. These are very special days and I am sure all the players will continue to show the qualities of a Lion for the final few weeks of the season before flying to Australia.
“There is no higher honour in our sport than being selected for a Lions tour and this fantastic group will come together to represent the very best of our four Unions and seek to achieve greatness with a series win over the Wallabies.”
Lions CEO Ben Calveley said: “To be able to share the excitement of our first ever squad announcement amongst more than 2,000 fans at The O2 illustrates why the Lions is so unique.
“The Sea of Red will now come together and get behind this young and impressive squad that Andy Farrell and his assistant coaches have selected.
“The live broadcast on Sky Sports ensured a large audience had the opportunity to watch as each player was announced.
“Whilst our digital channels drive engagement around the world as excitement continues to build ahead of the tour.”
The British & Irish Lions Squad
Forwards: (21) Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland) #838 Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England) Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #839 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks/England) #851 Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland) Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England) #853 Ben Earl (Saracens/England) Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) #848 Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #818 Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England) Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) #825 (C) Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales) Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England) Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) James Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England) Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Backs: (17) Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) #837 Elliot Daly (Saracens/England) #822 Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England) Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Mack Hansen (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland) James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England) Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland) #835 Fin Smith (Northampton Saints/England) Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England) #855 Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) #841 Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby/Wales)
Wales only have two representatives which brings home the stark reality of their position in world order, their lowest ever representation in a lions squad.
Ireland have the largest representation of players with 15, England have 13 and Scotland 8.
There is still a fair bit of rugby to be played before the lions face Argentina in Dublin and sadly there will no doubt be some casualties before the tour party leave these shores, but for now these are men with the one of rugby’s greatest honours bestowed upon them.
Those of us who hail from West Wales are well aware of the meteorological disadvantage we have to endure on a daily basis. So when there are blue skies and warm sunshine in Llanelli, you have a sneaking feeling that something good is about to happen.
This factor is true for the most of Wales. Those of us exiled in foreign parts are all too aware that the moment your vehicle sets foot on the Severn Bridge from the English end, its windscreen wipers leap into action, but not this weekend.
Welsh rugby has worn a frown for what seems like an eternity, but that oval-shaped furrowed brow turned into a cautious semi grin as good news cascaded from the clear blue heavens.
Friday night in the capital, a packed crowd at the Arms Park and a result that gladdened the heart gave us a feeling of how things could be and a moment of respite from the grave position Welsh rugby finds itself in.
Munster came to town and the blue and blacks not only stood up to the Munster men, they displayed a passion and a fervour that earned them a 26-21 victory, keeping them in contention for a play off place.
The sunshine had disappeared temporarily in the evening skies, but the 11,253 present sang and cheered like days of old.
One swallow doesn’t make a summer, and after twenty-four hours of glorious weather, the normal consequence in Wales is for at least thirty days of rain to follow.
But Saturday morning broke and as the nation reached for their umbrellas, the bewildering sight of continued blue skies and sunshine had the residents of Carmarthenshire rooting through their bathroom cabinets for the ‘Factor 50’.
However, there was a dark cloud on the horizon the visit of Leinster to Parc y Scarlets and fears of a heavy defeat wafted around Pemberton Retail Park as one of the best sides in Europe arrived in town.
They always used to say beware of playing France in Paris with the sun on their backs, well maybe we can now the same of the Scarlets in Llanelli, even if a full day’s sunshine only turns up as often as Halley’s Comet.
Scarlets put in a performance to match the weather earning a bonus point win against a Leinster side admittedly with many stars being rested for next week’s European semi final, but even so, the visitors had plenty of Irish internationals on show and their strength in depth is renowned envied world wide.
A four try 35-22 win for the men in red is not be undervalued and Taine Plumtree’s performance was mesmerising and heroic in equal measure. Smiles in the sunshine were a welcome change from tears on the terraces.
The glorious weather continues this Sunday morning but the long range rugby forecast in these parts is changeable with the probability of a depression sweeping in at various stages.
But for one weekend at least the sun shone on Welsh rugby, let’s hope we get a heatwave and a hosepipe ban soon.
The mouth watering Investec Champions Cup quarter-final between Toulon and Toulouse did not need a pre match dangling parachutist to warm up the crowd.
Fortunately this week there were no Ariel delays to kick off as the match ball arrived in a more traditional and less perilous manner.
As the traditional pilou pilou drifted up into the grey drizzle laden clouds, the rouge et noir were ready to do battle and turn the words of their fabulous anthem into action.
A sign above the player’s tunnel, the last thing they see before stepping on to the lush green grass carries the wording:
‘THIS IS THE MAYOL RESPECT THE LAND OF OUR ELDERS’
Ten years ago those rugby elders were sweeping all before them in the Champions Cup with a team of stars that lit up the clear cloudless Mediterranean skies. Halfpenny, Habana, Botha, Guirado, Hernandez and co lifted the Champions Cup at Twickenham in 2015 after defeating Clermont 24-18, the last time they won the title.
Toulouse of course have a much more recent winning pedigree, being reigning champions and six times holders of the cup.
Beauty as they say is in the eyes of the beholder and if you are beholden to tense error strewn physically brutal rugby then this was the game for you.
The immaculate boot of Melvyn Jaminet gave Toulon a 12-6 half-time lead as Toulon’s as Toulouse’ attempts to breach the opposition try line proved fruitless.
But the second half could not have started much better for the visitors.
A Ramos penalty and a Jack Willis try in the opening two minutes brought them to within a point of Toulon (12-11). Plus, a yellow card was awarded to Baptiste Serin.
Pita Ahki’s 50th minute try and Ramos’ subsequent conversion gave Toulouse an 18-12 lead.
Jaminet’s faultless boot added two penalties on 59 and 62 minutes to draw the sides level at 18-18.
It was evident that one single moment of genius or a simple error would decide the outcome of this titanic contest, and so it proved to be.
Gabin Villiere failed to gather a high kick in his own twenty-two and from the knock on Toulon were Penalised from a resulting infringement
With 80:13 on the clock Ramos slotted over the pressurised kick then as the final whistle blew he crouched over in tears as the enormity of the moment overwhelmed him, Toulouse had done it and Villiere’s contrasting emotions were equally emotionally intense and visible
So the cup kings head to a semi final in Bordeaux against their fierce Top 14 rivals, that could be quite some game.
Immediately following this game I collapsed and was rushed to hospital after many tests and 24 hours in hospital I have been allowed home hence the lateness of this article.
There were concerns about how slow my heart was beating apparently world class athletes have a similar heart rate but they don’t collapse in their own kitchens.
Despite March beginning its final countdown, the daffodils are still a beautiful site adorning the grounds of Cardiff Castle, reminding us that Spring has sprung as the lighter and longer days continue to extend.
But just across the road, it was a bunch of Red Roses that stole the rugby flower show yesterday as they bloomed under the roof of the Principality Stadium.
It came as no surprise that England extended their unbeaten run to twenty-two matches, and also to thirty Guinness Women’s Six Nations matches without a loss.
As we all put our clocks forward in the early hours of Sunday morning, Wales were no doubt wishing they could put theirs back eight hours in an attempt to achieve a different outcome to a match in which they were thoroughly beaten.
Transport for Wales may have reliability issues as train users in these parts will testify but the Keighley Express Ellie Kildunne can always be relied upon to reach the try line without disruption, Wales would have required a fleet of bus replacement services to derail the non-top touchdown service provided by her and the women in white.
On the plus side, the glorious sight of a record crowd for a women’s sporting event in Wales (21,186) gladdened the heart and proof if it were needed that women’s rugby continues to grow, not only in attendance terms but also in quality and excitement.
Eleven tries conceded and a 67-12 scoreline do not provide a barrel load of positives for the women in red, yet for the first ten minutes they dominated possession and took an early 7-0 lead
One thing Wales most definitely are not is slow starters, as they showed yesterday and also in their previous match against Scotland.
This is a new era for Wales Women and the gulf between them and the World number one side is brutally evident, but this team will improve the more time they have with the new coaching set up and perhaps the matches against Ireland and Italy will provide more of a level playing field to assess where Wales stand in the current world order.
The Médipôle Clinic on Rue de Girons in Toulouse was the centre of the rugby universe last Monday as Antoine Dupont finally underwent surgery on the right knee he so badly damaged in Dublin on Saturday, 8 March.
If there was a feeling of déjà vu, it was because five years ago he underwent the same surgery on the same knee on the same cruciate ligaments.
However, in 2018 it was solely the cruciate ligament that was damaged, this time the meniscus and the collateral ligaments were also affected.
Dupont decided to stay in the French camp following his injury suffered in the match against Ireland, and his severely swollen knee did not prevent him from lending his support to the squad.
With a protective boot, he collected his Six Nations Championship winner’s medal and helped lift the trophy after victory against Scotland at Stade de France.
Following the operation on Monday morning, he returned home the next day and sent a post on Instagram offering his thanks for the thousands of goodwill message he had received and also reassuring fans that the operation had gone well.
A long period of rehabilitation now awaits, with the recovery period calculated as between six and nine months.
The previous injury seven years ago kept him out of action between February and October. But you can be assured that Antoine and his medical team will be working hard on a daily basis to ensure the safest and speediest recovery possible.
The Rugby world will undoubtedly be all the poorer for his absence, particularly at this time, the business end of the season, with Toulouse gunning for European and Top 14 titles.
But hopefully there are plenty more miles in the tank for the man from Lannemezan.
Read Antoine Dupont’s story in my latest book Behind Enemy Nines available via the link for only £5.99 post free.
Mike Pearce Rugby 