Bordeaux crushed Leinster 41-19 in Bilbao to retain the Champions Cup, delivering a masterclass in attacking rugby that left the Irish side suffering their fifth final defeat in eight years. The French champions led 35-7 at half-time, with wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey scoring two of their six tries to take his season tally to 34 in 30 games, later being named player of the year.
Leinster, who had won the title in 2018 at the same stadium, were outclassed from the start. Tommy O'Brien gave them an early lead with an eighth-minute try, but Bordeaux responded emphatically. Scrum-half Maxime Lucu scored from a close-range ruck, and wing Pablo Uberti touched down after slick offloading. Fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and Lucu orchestrated the attack, with Bielle-Biarrey stepping inside two defenders to score before half-time.
Two more tries in the last six minutes of the first half sealed Leinster's fate. A deflected ball fell perfectly for Bielle-Biarrey to sprint clear for his second, and Yoram Moefana intercepted a Harry Byrne pass to race 50 metres for a fifth try. Leinster rallied after the break after Lucu was sin-binned for pulling Joe McCarthy's collar, scoring through McCarthy and Garry Ringrose, but a Lucu penalty settled any nerves.
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said: 'Unfortunately, the game got away from us in the first half. We weren't good enough today. But you've got to give credit to Bordeaux. They were so sharp.' The result extended French dominance of the Champions Cup to six consecutive years, with the Top 14's best sides in a 'sweet spot' according to observers.
