Latest news with #Bordeaux-Begles
The Herald Scotland
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Two Scots named in Toulouse vs Bordeaux Top 14 final squads
The full-back has been handed a starting role for Toulouse against Bordeaux-Begles on Saturday. Kinghorn had returned to action for his side in the semi-final triumph over Bayonne last week. Now, he will try and help his side to the Top 14 title. Les compositions de la #FinaleTOP14 sont OFFICIELLES 🔥 Qui du @StadeToulousain ou de @UBBrugby soulèvera le bouclier de Brennus demain soir ? 👀 — TOP 14 Rugby (@top14rugby) June 27, 2025 While Kinghorn will be the only Scotsman in the starting sides, there will be another Scottish player in the squad on the opposing side. Jonny Gray has been listed among the replacements for Bordeaux for the Top 14 final. Read more: Toulouse XV: Neti, Marchand, Aldegheri, Brennan, Flament, Cros, Jelonch, Willis, Graou, Ntamack, Kinghorn, Chocobares, Barassi, Mallia, Ramos. Replacements: Cramont, Baille, Meafou, Banos, Saito, Ahki, Lebel, Merkler. Bordeaux-Begles XV: Poirot, Lamothe, Tameifuna, Petti, Cazeaux, Gazzotti, Samu, Bochaton, Lucu, Jalibert, Bielle-Biarrey, Moefana, Depootere, Penaud, Buros. Replacements: Sa, Perchaud, Gray, Vergnes-Taillefer, Retiere, Carbery, Janse Van Rensberg, Falatea.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bielle-Biarrey to start Top 14 final after concussion recovery
Bordeaux-Begles head coach Yannick Bru said on Friday winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey will start this weekend's French Top 14 final against Toulouse after a "spectacular change" in his concussion symptoms. Frenchman Bielle-Biarrey has scored 33 tries this season for club and country, but has been sidelined since June 7. Advertisement After last weekend's semi-final win over Toulon, Bru ruled the 22-year-old out of Saturday's decider in Paris, but Bielle-Biarrey has been named in the line-up for the game at the Stade de France. "At the start of this week, he met a lot of specialists; he scored 10/10 in his neurological tests," Bru told reporters. "The central question after that was 'Louis do you want to play?' "He said 'It's out of the question that I don't play the final with my mates'. "It's that journey that showed us quite quickly that Louis would be present. There was a spectacular change." Advertisement Bielle-Biarrey crossed for the last of his 13 league tries earlier this month, making him the Top 14's leading scorer this season. He starts outside another 22-year-old, centre Nicolas Depoortere. "It's always tough to be out of the squad and miss games like that, a semi-final," Depoortere said. "He comes back in time for the final. Having the top scorer in the Top 14 by our side tomorrow is a plus." Bielle-Biarrey has failed to score in just two of his last 16 appearances and played a crucial part in France's Six Nations success earlier this year. "He's a player that walks on water," Toulouse head coach Ugo Mola told reporters. Advertisement "He's explosive, he is incredibly efficient. He's a player everyone would like to have in their team." - 'No revenge' - The final comes 12 months after Bordeaux-Begles suffered a record 59-3 hammering to Mola's Toulouse in the 2024 showpiece. Since then, Bru's side have beaten the record 23-time French champions on three straight occasions. "We understand fully that this match will be presented as a revenge, but we've never talked about revenge," Bru said. "That means stiffness, anger, things that blind you a little bit. "On the contrary, in a final what's crucial is to have your eyes wide open." Advertisement One of those victories came in the Champions Cup semi-finals. Three weeks later Bordeaux-Begles lifted the continental crown, beating English club Northampton in the final at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. "It will stand for nothing," former Toulouse hooker Bru said. "The Cardiff final is so far away, we were Champions Cup winners but it's behind us. "We don't wake up and say 'We have to do the double' when we are having a shave. "The double would be the consequence of something to show that we've evolved to be more consistent like Toulouse in a final." iwd/pb/nf/jc
France 24
a day ago
- Sport
- France 24
Bielle-Biarrey set for Top 14 final return after 'spectacular change'
Bielle-Biarrey has scored 33 tries this season for his club and for France but has been sidelined with a head injury since June 7. After last week's semi-final win over Toulon, Bru ruled the 22-year-old out of this Saturday's decider in Paris, but Bielle-Biarrey trained full with the team at the Stade de France on Friday. "At the start of this week, he met a lot of specialists; he scored 10/10 in his neurological tests," Bru told reporters. "The central question after that was 'Louis do you want to play?' "He said 'It's out of the question that I don't play the final with my mates'. "It's that journey that showed us quite quickly that Louis would be present. "There was a spectacular change," former France hooker Bru said. Bielle-Biarrey crossed for the last of his 13 league tries earlier this month, making him the Top 14's leading scorer this season. He is expected to start on the wing outside another 22-year-old, centre Nicolas Depoortere. "It's always tough to be out of the squad and miss games like that, a semi-final," Depoortere said. "He comes back in time for the final. "Having the top scorer in the Top 14 by our sides tomorrow is a plus," he added. 'No revenge' This weekend's game comes 12 months after Bordeaux-Begles suffered a record 59-3 hammering to Toulouse in last season's final. Since then, Bru's side have beaten the record 23-time French champions on three straight occasions. "We understand fully that this match will be presented as a revenge, but we've never talked about revenge," Bru said. "That means stiffness, anger, things that blind you a little bit. "On the contrary, in a final what's crucial is to have your eyes wide open," he added. One of the victories came in the Champions Cup last four. Three weeks later by Bordeaux-Begles lifted the continental crown, beating English club Northampton in the final athe Principality Stadium. "It will stand for nothing," former Toulouse hooker and assistant coach. "The Cardiff final is so far away, we were Champions Cup winners but it's behind us. "We don't wake up and say 'We have to do the double' when we are having a shave. "The double would be the consequence of something to show that we've evolved to be more consistent like Toulouse in a final," he added. © 2025 AFP
France 24
a day ago
- Sport
- France 24
Ex-All Black Kaino's Toulouse not expecting 'walkover' in Top 14 final
Kaino's side hammered Bordeaux-Begles 59-3 12 months ago but have lost three straight games to the newly-crowned Champions Cup winners. On the way to lifting the continental crown in May, Bordeaux-Begles beat Toulouse in the semi-finals leaving the record 23-time French champions with just the league to play for this season. "We never walk into a finals game thinking that it's going to be a walkover like that one, but if history repeats itself like the semi-final, it's going to be a tough one," Toulouse assistant coach Kaino told AFP. "Bordeaux-Begles have definitely been improving. "They're not the same team as the team that we played in the Top 14 final last year," the 42-year-old added. Kaino joined Toulouse in 2018, a year after winning the last of his 81 Test appearances, which included Rugby World Cup success in 2011 and four years later. He retired from playing in 2021 with a Top 14 and Champions Cup double before transitioning into coaching as a skills specialist with the aristocrats of French and European rugby. "Oh, it's been amazing," Kaino enthusiastically said of the change. "I wouldn't say easy because the coaches definitely put in a lot of work and it's definitely challenging coming from player to coach because when you're a player, you worry about yourself, what's needed for you to be at your best come Saturday or come the weekend. "But as a coach, you've got to worry about 50 to 60 other players for them to be at the best on the weekend and that juggling act is a bit of a challenge sometimes," he added. 'Gnarly' The stand-out name among the 60 or so squad members Kaino works with at Stade Ernest-Wallon is France poster boy Antoine Dupont. Scrum-half Dupont will miss this weekend's blockbuster in Paris however as he continues to recover from a serious knee injury suffered in March. Centre Peato Mauvaka and flying wing Ange Capuozzo are also out of action. Dupont's childhood friend Paul Graou will again stand-in for the 28-year-old, having scored three tries in his past five games including one in last Friday's semi-final win over Bayonne. "He's improving. He works really hard to be able to get out there," Kaino said. "How could you not get out there and work when you're replacing one of the best players ever to lace up rugby boots? "He's driving the team really well and he's been able to put us into another final," he added. Standing in the way of Toulouse and a third-straight title are Bordeaux-Begles' superstar backs, including international wings Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who was pronounced "fit" on Wednesday following time out with concussion, as well as their monstrous set of forwards, led by Tonga captain Ben Tameifuna in the front row. "Big Ben. King of Tonga. He's got a million nicknames," Kaino joked. "They've been building really nicely and obviously they've proven that with their Champions Cup title. "I could sit here all day and talk about their pack, but they've also got some gnarly backs as well which are able to counter-attack with the speed they have. "They've been on fire recently," he added. Fixture © 2025 AFP
France 24
3 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Bielle-Biarrey 'fit' for Top 14 final after suffering concussion
Bielle-Biarrey, who turned 22 last Thursday, has been out since suffering a head knock on June 7. The France speedster has been able to return to training this week in time for Saturday's showdown with record 23-time French champions Toulouse in Paris. Bielle-Biarrey has scored 33 tries in 29 games for club and country this season and played a big part in Bordeaux-Begles lifting the Champions Cup for the first time last month. Before last Saturday's semi-final victory over Toulon, Bielle-Biarrey said he hoped to be fit to face Toulouse despite not training fully in more than two weeks. "I'm tired, I'm taking a little longer than expected to recover from the concussion," he told French broadcaster Canal+. "But I feel OK," he added. Bielle-Biarrey has also been a key part of France's success this season, scoring eight tries in Les Bleus' march to the Six Nations title. He has played more than 2200 minutes of action this term and will be rested from France's three-Test tour of New Zealand next month. This weekend's decider at the Stade de France offers Bordeaux-Begles a chance at revenge for last season's Top 14 final loss, a record 59-3 defeat to Toulouse.
