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Union Bordeaux Bègles
UnionBordeauxBeglesLogo.svg
Full name Union Bordeaux Bègles
Nickname(s) L'UBB
L'Union
Les Girondins
Founded 2006; 19 years ago (2006)
Location Bordeaux, France
Ground(s) Stade Chaban-Delmas (Capacity: 32,215)
President Laurent Marti
Coach(es) Yannick Bru
Captain(s) Jefferson Poirot
League(s) Top 14
2023–24 3rd
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website

Union Bordeaux Bègles (often called UBB) is a professional rugby union team from France. They play in the Top 14, which is the highest level of rugby in France. They joined the Top 14 in 2011 after winning the promotion playoffs in the 2010–11 season from the second-level league, Pro D2. When they were promoted, they also got a spot in the European Challenge Cup, an important European competition.

The club was formed in 2006. This happened when two older rugby clubs from Bordeaux, Stade Bordelais and Club Athlétique Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde, joined together. Their team colors are claret (a deep red, like the famous Bordeaux wine) and white. The team is based in Bordeaux, a city in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. They play their home games at the Stade Chaban-Delmas. Before the merger, the two original clubs had won a total of nine French championship titles. Since 2006, UBB played in Pro D2 until their big win in 2011. In the 2014-2015 Top 14 season, about 23,689 fans came to watch their home games on average.

UBB achieved their biggest success by winning the 2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup in May 2025.

Team History: How UBB Was Formed

For many years, the city of Bordeaux did not have one strong rugby team. Instead, there were two big clubs, Stade Bordelais and Club Athlétique Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde (also known as CA Bègles). They were rivals.

The Stade Bordelais was a very successful team in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They won seven championships between 1899 and 1911. After that, they mostly played in amateur leagues.

The CA Bègles became strong later. They won two French Championships in 1969 and 1991. They also played in the first European Rugby Cup in 1995. However, the early 2000s were tough for them. They were moved down to the Pro D2 league in 2003, and then even further down to the Fédérale 1 division. At the same time, Stade Bordelais moved up to Pro D2.

Coming Together: The Merger Idea

In 2005, people started talking about joining the two clubs. Many fans from both sides were against it. But important former players, like Serge Simon and Bernard Laporte, strongly supported the idea. They believed that combining the clubs' strengths would create a much better team. One main reason for the merger was that local businesses found it hard to decide which club to support.

On March 10, 2006, a group called Bordeaux Rugby Metropolis was created. This group included many local companies that wanted to help form a big rugby club in Bordeaux.

In June 2006, Bordeaux Rugby Metropolis organized a big event called 'Bordeaux Rugby Quinconces'. About 25,000 people and 100 companies came together for three days. This event helped to ease the old rivalries between the two clubs. A new professional company was formed, with six members from both clubs working together.

Only the professional teams of the two clubs merged. The youth teams of each original club stayed separate.

UBB's Early Years and Success

The new team took the place of Stade Bordelais in the Pro D2 league. The training center in Bègles was very good and helped develop new players for the main team.

In their first seasons, the team had a budget of about €3.6 million. Frederic Martini was the first president for one year. Then, Laurent Marti took over in 2006. He helped decide that the team's main home ground would be the Stade André Moga in Bègles. He also changed the club's long name, "USBCABBG," to the simpler "Union Bordeaux Bègles" (UBB) in 2008. Laurent Marti greatly increased the club's budget, aiming for the team to become an elite club within a few years.

In the 2010–11 Pro D2 season, UBB finished fifth. This earned them a spot in the playoffs. They beat Grenoble 19-12 in the semi-finals. Then, they won the final against SC Albi 21-14 in Agen. This victory meant they were promoted to the Top 14 league!

In 2015, a company from Hong Kong called Gavekal bought 10% of the team.

In May 2025, UBB made history. They beat Stade Toulousain 35-18 to reach their first ever Champions Cup final. Then, they won the final by beating Northampton Saints 28-20. This was a huge achievement for the club.

Team Name: Why "Union Bordeaux Bègles"?

When the clubs merged, it was hard to pick a new name. Neither of the two original clubs wanted their name to disappear. The Bègles club didn't want a name that only mentioned Bordeaux. At that time, CA Bègles was the top rugby team in the area.

Philippe Moulia, a president from Stade Bordelais, explained that they wanted a name that showed both clubs were equally important. So, they chose "Union Stade bordelais-C.A.Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde." This name was very long!

In May 2008, the club finally changed its name to the shorter and easier-to-say 'Union Bordeaux Bègles'.

Home Stadiums

Stade Chaban-Delmas Rugby
Stade Chaban-Delmas, one of UBB's home stadiums.
Matmut Atlantique Wales vs Fiji
Matmut Atlantique, another stadium UBB plays at.

Another challenge after the merger was deciding where the team would play. For their first season, they played 7 matches at Stade Sainte-Germaine and 7 matches at Stade André-Moga. This was against the rules of the French National Rugby League, which said a Pro D2 club should only have one home ground. In the second season, it was decided that the main team would play in Bègles, and the lower-level teams would play in Bouscat.

When UBB moved up to the Top 14 in the 2011–12 season, they decided to share games between Stade André Moga (in Bègles) and Stade Chaban-Delmas (in Bordeaux). Since the 2012–13 season, Union Bordeaux Bègles has played most of their home matches at the larger Stade Chaban-Delmas. In the 2015–16 season, they also played three home matches at the even newer and bigger Matmut Atlantique stadium.

The UBB logo combines symbols from both original clubs. It shows the blue and white checker pattern of CA Bègles. It also has the yellow lion on a black background from Stade Bordelais. The crescent shapes in the logo represent the city of Bordeaux itself.

Team Achievements

Finals Played

European Rugby Champions Cup Final

Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
24 May 2025 France Union Bordeaux Bègles 28–20 England Northampton Saints Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 70,225

French Championship Finals

Key
dagger Match was won during extra time
Date Winners Score Runners-up Venue Spectators
28 June 2024 Stade Toulousain 59–3 Union Bordeaux Bègles Stade Vélodrome, Marseille 66,760
28 June 2025 Stade Toulousain 39–33 dagger Union Bordeaux Bègles Stade de France, Saint-Denis 78,534

Current Team Standings

2024–25 Top 14 season

Current Team Players

Here are the players for the Union Bordeaux Bègles team in the 2024–25 season:

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union
Maxime Lamothe Hooker France France
Romain Latterade Hooker France France
Connor Sa Hooker France France
Ugo Boniface Prop France France
Sipili Falatea Prop France France
Matis Perchaud Prop France France
Jefferson Poirot Prop France France
Carlü Sadie Prop South Africa South Africa
Ben Tameifuna Prop Tonga Tonga
Toma'akino Taufa Prop Tonga Tonga
Cyril Cazeaux Lock France France
Adam Coleman Lock Tonga Tonga
Jonny Gray Lock Scotland Scotland
Guido Petti Lock Argentina Argentina
Alexandre Ricard Lock France France
Pierre Bochaton Back row France France
Mahamadou Diaby Back row France France
Marko Gazzotti Back row France France
Temo Matiu Back row France France
Pete Samu Back row Australia Australia
Lachlan Swinton Back row Australia Australia
Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer Back row France France
Tevita Tatafu Back row Japan Japan
Player Position Union
Paul Abadie Scrum-half France France
Yann Lesgourgues Scrum-half France France
Maxime Lucu Scrum-half France France
Joey Carbery Fly-half Ireland Ireland
Mateo Garcia Fly-half France France
Matthieu Jalibert Fly-half France France
Nicolas Depoortère Centre France France
Rohan Janse van Rensburg Centre South Africa South Africa
Yoram Moefana Centre France France
Ben Tapuai Centre Australia Australia
Pablo Uberti Centre France France
Louis Bielle-Biarrey Wing France France
Damian Penaud Wing France France
Arthur Retière Wing France France
Enzo Reybier Wing France France
Romain Buros Fullback France France
Nans Ducuing Fullback France France

Espoirs Squad (Youth Team)

The Union Bordeaux Bègles Espoirs squad is their youth team, developing future rugby stars:

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union
Leo Chauvin Hooker France France
Christian Everitt Hooker South Africa South Africa
Morgan Mignot Hooker France France
Clement Sennelier Hooker France France
Pierre Tetani Hooker France France
Zaccharie Affane Prop France France
Lenny Alifanety Prop France France
Zinedane Aouad Prop France France
Florian Baquey Prop France France
Tom Noguiera Prop France France
Ruben Pargade Prop France France
Nathan Thibeau Prop France France
Gabriel Gauthier Lock France France
Levan Kepuladze Lock Georgia (country) Georgia
Jacques Nguimbous Lock France France
Noah Schmitt Lock France France
Adam Zapedowski Lock Poland Poland
Mathys Alifanety Back row France France
Bobby Bissu Back row France France
Romain Gardrat Back row France France
Elyjah Ibsaiene Back row France France
Tiaan Jacobs Back row South Africa South Africa
Mateo Lavasele Back row France France
Theo Roumegoux Back row France France
Andrea Sacco Back row France France
Player Position Union
Enzo Gourg Scrum-half France France
Louis Warrisse Scrum-half France France
Maxime Bechieau Fly-half France France
Luigi Escouteloup Fly-half France France
Joseph Laharrague Fly-half France France
Mateo Aragon Centre Spain Spain
Gabriel Bohn Centre France France
Adrien Drault Centre France France
Felix Duguay Centre France France
Ronan Favrau Centre France France
Giorgi Khaindrava Centre Georgia (country) Georgia
Raphaël Monge Centre France France
Tevita Sabola Centre Fiji Fiji
Pablo Valles Centre France France
Mathis Deram Wing France France
Corentin Gourg Wing France France
Johan Janiec Wing France France
Thomas Baronnet Fullback France France
Elliot Carriere Fullback France France
Jon Echegaray Fullback France France
Nathan Harel Fullback Mauritius Mauritius

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Union Bordeaux Bègles para niños

  • Stade Bordelais
  • Club Athlétique Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde
  • List of rugby union clubs in France
  • Rugby union in France
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