About this episode

The episode discusses Bordeaux's back-to-back Champions Cup victory and the implications for Leinster and French rugby dominance.

We are podding from the San Mamés stadium in Bilbao after Bordeaux win a second successive Champions Cup crown. Chris and Paul Grayson chat to one of the key man behind Bordeaux’s success, their attack coach Noel McNamara. We also grab a word with Adam Coleman who vows to spend days partying in his match shirt. But where did it go wrong for Leinster? They’ve now lost five finals since their last triumph in 2018. Will there be big changes following this latest defeat? Billy Vunipola rolled back the years to help deliver Montpellier the Challenge Cup as the French claimed another title. With the last six Champions Cup winners all coming from France, why are their clubs in such a strong position and who is best placed to end the streak?

People in this episode

Hosts: Chris Grayson, Paul Grayson

Guests: Noel McNamara, Adam Coleman

Topics covered

• Champions Cup
• Bordeaux
• Leinster
• Montpellier
• rugby finals
• French rugby dominance

Keywords

• Bordeaux
• Leinster
• Champions Cup
• Challenge Cup
• rugby
• Noel McNamara
• Adam Coleman
• Billy Vunipola
• Montpellier

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bordeaux, Leinster, Montpellier

Places: San Mamés stadium, Bilbao

More episodes of Rugby Union Weekly

• Mark McCall: End of an era · June 3, 2026 · 47 min
• The Sandy Park showdown & Edwards to England? · June 1, 2026 · 58 min
• Bonus: Borthwick on Janse van Rensburg, RFU review & summer schedule · May 20, 2026 · 38 min
• Remembering Scott Hastings · May 18, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Was this England’s most impressive Grand Slam? · May 17, 2026 · 24 min
• Women's Six Nations: Super Sunday Preview · May 13, 2026 · 58 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Rugby Union Weekly podcast page.