Union Bordeaux Bègles facts for kids
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| Full name | Union Bordeaux Bègles | ||
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| Nickname(s) | L'UBB L'Union Les Girondins |
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| Founded | 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 | ||
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| 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.
Contents
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
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.
Team Logo
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
- European Rugby Champions Cup
- Champions (1): 2025
- French Championship Top 14
- Runners-up (2): 2024, 2025
Finals Played
European Rugby Champions Cup Final
| Date | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Spectators |
| 24 May 2025 |  Union Bordeaux Bègles |
28–20 |  Northampton Saints |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff | 70,225 |
French Championship Finals
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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 |
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.
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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.
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See also
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
