Champions Cup final: Leinster 19 Bordeaux Bègles 4131 minutes agoHere is Gerry Thornley’s match report from Bilbao:[ Leinster blitzed by Bordeaux Bègles as they suffer deflating Champions Cup final defeatOpens in new window ]1 hour agoHere are Leinster’s player ratings on a disappointing day, by Nathan Johns check them out. A few fours for key players, but an eight in there too:[ Leinster ratings v Bordeaux: Joe McCarthy and Jamison Gibson-Park bring tempo in defeatOpens in new window ]Nathan has also written about how Leinster’s mistakes in the first half cost them dearly.[ Leinster abandoned by precision and fortune as Champions Cup hopes collapseOpens in new window ]1 hour agoCaelan Doris on Premier Sports: “You have to credit them, some of their attacks are scarily hard to deal with. They are capable of big moments out of nothing. We didn’t deal with the contact area well enough. Proud of our boys in the second half, but left ourselves too much to do. We didn’t take advantage of opportunities, we have a few players moving on, so it’s gutting not to do it for them.”Caelan Doris of Leinster reacts after defeat to Bordeaux. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty 1 hour agoFull-time: Leinster 19 Bordeaux Bègles 41Bordeaux Bègles are Champions Cup winners!Leinster can have no complaints. Well beaten on the day and made too many errors in the first half. Spirited second half, but far too much left to do. The talent of Bordeaux shone through in Bilbao. Another heartbreaking final defeat for Leinster, but in this one, they never really got close.1 hour ago78 mins: Great run by Deegan to break through and gain significant ground. Then Frawley carries well and offloads to O’Brien. Five metres out. But once more Bordeaux intercept and clear it.Frawley kicks and chases, he jostles and wins the ball to get within five again, but then Doris drops it.1 hour ago75 mins: Yellow card for Bordeaux. Boniface with a cheap shot at Ryan in the breakdown, could have been more but not really going to change the outcome of the match at this point.1 hour ago72 mins: Try for Leinster! Not giving up, but a consolation try. Nice short pass by Henshaw and Ringrose scores. Bordeaux had been penalised for an illegal lineout and from there it was penalty advantage for Leinster, where they converted for the try. Frawley adds the extras.Leinster 19 Bordeaux 411 hour ago71 mins: Leinster win a penalty and kick to touch. From the lineout, the ball goes to Frawley, who tries to find Ioane on the wing with the kick. But it’s way overhit and straight out of play. Sums up their day.2 hours ago65 mins: Penalty scored by Bordeaux! Lucu with an exceptional kick from the halfway line to extend the lead.Leinster 12 Bordeaux 412 hours ago62 mins: It’s slipping away for Leinster, as Ben Tameifuna turns over again. Not been a bad performance by them in the second half, but it’s just nowhere near enough so far to make up the first half deficit.2 hours ago60 mins: Leinster give away a few penalties, back for a high tackle by James Ryan on Jalibert. They opt for the points this time, with a big lead.Penalty scored by Bordeaux! Well taken by Lucu.Leinster 12 Bordeaux 382 hours ago54 mins: Big impact by Frawley off the bench so far as he makes a great carry to get Leinster within 10 metres, but it’s turned over as Lucu, back on after the yellow card, clears. Big Ben Tameifuna with the turnover for Bordeaux. Woki is off for them though through injury, which is a blow.2 hours ago52 mins: Another costly interception goes against Leinster, after some great play by the backs, O’Brien picked up a good line before his final pass to Ioane was intercepted, if he’d got it through, that would have been likely a try.2 hours ago50 mins: Had been some momentum with Leinster now as they turned the ball over and powered through the Bordeaux line but unfortunately after being tackled Van der Flier has dropped the ball. 2 hours ago47 mins: Try for Leinster! Joe McCarthy scores, jumping over the tackle to score. Leinster went for a maul from the lineout and they won a penalty advantage, making the man extra count. But Frawley misses the conversion, which they cannot afford to happen if they are to get back into this.Leinster 12 Bordeaux 352 hours ago45 mins: Penalty and then lineout for Leinster, where Conan knocked it down and it looked like Woki did a deliberate knock-on but the referee doesn’t give it.Then Rieko Ioane, who has been quiet so far, flies into action with a brilliant carry that can hopefully spark Leinster into action. In the end, it’s a penalty for Leinster, which Byrne kicks to touch. On comes Furlong and Frawley early in the second half. Byrne and Clarkson off.2 hours agoSecond half is under way.42 mins: Lucu pulls Joe McCarthy back, not clear if it’s the hair he pulls or his jersey. High either way.Yellow card for Lucu! So Leinster will have a man advantage for a while.2 hours ago40 mins: Try for Bordeaux! Oh no. One last attempt to score for Leinster in the half and after some good carries and passes, then Byrne’s pass is intercepted by Moefana who speeds to the line with nobody able to catch him. Lucu converts. Lethal.Half-time: Leinster 7 Bordeaux 35Leinster left with a mountain of work to do in the second half.2 hours ago40 mins: This final could be a bit of an anti-climax unless Leinster get their act together soon, although it’s tough in this heat. Like last night, the Irish province scored in the first few minutes, before being picked off at will by their French opponent.2 hours ago37 mins: Try for Bordeaux! Oh dear, Bordeaux work in the choas and they are unstoppable if they get sniff. Jalibert’s kick was blocked but then Penaud kicks on the ground and gets the bounce, with some contest that he had pushed Gibson-Park to the ground. From that, Penaud gives to Bielle-Biarrey and you know what happens from there. He wrongfoots the opposition and speeds to the line. Lucu converts.Leinster 7 Bordeaux 283 hours ago34 mins: Just a few slightly sloppy passes for Leinster aren’t helping things as Byrne goes for the 50:22 but the bounces doesn’t go for him and Bielle-Biarrey covers and clears.3 hours ago31 mins: Not much happening after 10 phases by Leinster and then they make a mistake as Conan drops the ball. Costly. That’s their fifth handling error, compared to just one for Bordeaux.3 hours ago29 mins: A strange moment after Leinster had won a penalty and kicked to touch from five metres out. Sheehan’s throw was just punched straight out the end line by Woki, which gives Leinster a scrum.3 hours ago25 mins: Try for Bordeaux! Stunning rugby by the defending champions. Relentless from UBB, then Jalibert with a good pass and Bielle-Biarrey shows why he is one of the best players in the world. Lets the ball bounce, jinks past Clarkson, leaves Gibson-Park on his arse and scores. “Like a ballerina” they say on commentary. Brilliant try. Lucu then converts.Leinster 7 Bordeaux 213 hours ago22 mins: Fine margins for Leinster, Keenan’s fingertip the difference from a chance for Leinster to conceding the try. Need to stay in it now for a while given Bordeaux’s attacking power. Great catch by Bielle-Biarrey and great footwork then by Jalibert. Then Rayasi finds a gap as Bordeaux power up the pitch. Van der Flier nearly stole the ball, but then knocked it on in doing so.3 hours ago18 mins: A mistake by Byrne from the kick-off as he kicks it straight out on the end line. Then Bielle-Biarrey does the same, kicks it out the end line. Or so it appeared, as Keenan got a slight touch on it. Harsh, but now it’s a five-metre scrum, some difference.Try for Bordeaux! So hard to stop. From the scrum, Jalibert with a nice pass to Rayasi, then to Uberti on the wing. Perfectly played passes at the right time. Lucu scores the conversion.Leinster 7 Bordeaux 143 hours ago15 mins: Try for Bordeaux! Lucu scores after the French side tapped and went from the penalty. Just too much pressure to stop and then the scrumhalf quickly accelerates and touches down under the posts. Easy conversion and we’re back level.Leinster 7 Bordeaux 7Union Bordeaux Begles’ Maxime Lucu celebrates with Temo Matiu after he scores his sides 1st try of the match. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho 3 hours ago13 mins: Still a chance for Bordeaux with a penalty advantage and Leinster under pressure as it’s a lineout and then back to five metres. Leinster penalised again for offside and they’re hanging on.3 hours ago12 mins: Bordeaux immediately respond, they get around Leinster’s rush defence and feed Bielle-Biarrey, who is barely stopped, then they pass to the other touchline where Woki is waiting to score on the wing. TMO check to see if he kept his feet out of touch. Looks like his hand may have hit the line.No try for Bordeaux! Exceptional tackle by Byrne to get him out, looked destined to score. Only a fraction of a second between his hand hitting and the ball hitting.Leinster 7 Bordeaux 03 hours ago9 mins: Try for Leinster! Patience reward for Leinster. Gibson-Park found a gap and gained five metres to the five-metre line. Ringrose was smashed and the attack was tight. But after many more phases, Harry Byrne hits a sharp pass to Tommy O’Brien on the wing who scores! Then Byrne hits a fine conversion from near the sideline.Leinster 7 Bordeaux 03 hours ago7 mins: From the lineout, Leinster manage to turn the ball over, aided by Clarkson. Leinster scrum within the 22. Scrum okay for Leinster and keep the ball for several phases, gradual ground being made. 3 hours ago5 mins: Serious sunshine and heat in Bilbao, with half the pitch under shadow in the second half. Jalibert kicks into touch and they have a defensive lineout from the sunny part. Good throw though by Dan Sheehan and solid exit, kicked far by Gibson-Park.3 hours ago2 mins: A first mistake of the day and not someone you’d expect it from, Hugo Keenan, although might be a bit rusty after injury. He drops the ball and it’s a scrum for Bordeaux but Leinster turn over the ball and then Gibson-Park clears.3 hours agoThe teams are ready to come on the pitch. Here are the starting teams again:LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Rieko Ioane; Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).BORDEAUX: Salesi Rayasi; Pablo Uberti, Damian Penaud, Yoram Moefana, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Matthieu Jalibert, Maxime Lucu (capt); Jefferson Poirot, Maxime Lamothe, Carlü Sadie; Boris Palu, Adam Coleman; Pierre Bochaton, Cameron Woki, Marko Gazzotti.3 hours agoAnd a final read before the game, where it will be won and lost, by Nathan Johns. Bordeaux’s attack, featuring the great Louis Bielle-Biarrey will need to be severely limited.“Bordeaux’s attack is good, we all know that. But just how good? They’ve average 6.4 tries per game in this year’s Champions Cup, 43.6 points, 537.4 metres, 34.3 defenders beaten, 17 clean breaks and 15 offloads. All of those numbers are a good bit better than Leinster’s equivalents.“They do this by playing largely without the ball, averaging 10 fewer carries and 30 fewer passes per game than Leinster in this year’s competition. Across their quarter- and semi-final victories over Toulouse and Bath combined, Bordeaux’s opponents made 85 more carries. When they have possession, UBB are mighty efficient.“How? In part thanks to their famed transition. When they get the ball back off a turnover or kick, they can strike quickly. Attack coach McNamara hunts the famed zero-ruck try.“This is largely why Matthieu Jalibert leads the Champions Cup for defenders beaten (34), why Louis Bielle-Biarrey is the top try-scorer (eight) and Salesi Rayasi isn’t far behind in third (seven). They average 15 offloads per game (compared to Leinster’s 6.9), avoiding rucks that give defenders a chance to slow down their ball. They’ve scored 16 tries in transition and five from restarts this year.”[ Where the Champions Cup final between Leinster and Bordeaux will be won and lostOpens in new window ]4 hours agoHere is Gerry Thornley’s preview of today’s game:“Forget any pining for an all-French affair. The Champions Cup has the final it deserves and, of course, the one it should have had last year. Leinster are back in a ninth final and seeking a fifth title by dethroning the holders. Whoever lifts the trophy will have earned it.“It will likely be a very intense, fluctuating and close encounter.”[ Leinster need to find Champions Cup performance for the ages to dethrone Bordeaux BèglesOpens in new window ]Leinster fans ahead of the match. Photograph: Nick Elliott/Inpho 4 hours agoSome fans photos as supporters head to the game:Leinster fan Phil Noble from Swords in Bilbao. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Bordeaux fans before the game against Leinster in Bilbao. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Leinster fans before the Investec Champions Cup final at the San Mames Stadium, Bilbao. Photograph: Ben Whitley/PA 4 hours agoGerry Thornley has an interview with Ian Madigan, the former Irish outhalf and it is a busy weekend for the player turned pundit, with his former clubs lining out in both European finals.[ Ian Madigan: ‘I’m not emotionally detached. Leinster is my boyhood club. I want them to win’Opens in new window ]5 hours agoConor Murray writes about Jacques Nienaber, the World Cup champion coach who has been the tactical brains behind Leinster in recent seasons. Murray played under him at Munster.“What immediately endeared Nienaber to the group was his quiet charisma. He’s funny, too. It’s some going to make 40 professional athletes laugh before flipping into deadly serious mode.“The lasting compliment I’d pay Nienaber is you wanted a pat on the back from him for making a dominant tackle within his system. Mainly because he empowered you to read the game and take big risks. It’s a similar environment to what Ireland have developed under Andy Farrell. You want to play for coaches like them."[ Conor Murray: Nienaber’s Springbok defence may not matter against all-out Bordeaux attackOpens in new window ]Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber. Photograph: Grace Halton/Inpho 5 hours agoAfter losing four finals since 2018, some better memories for Leinster come from 2018 in the same location in Bilbao, when they beat Racing 92. Nathan Johns remembers along with Devin Toner.[ Back in Bilbao - remembering Leinster’s last European triumph in 2018Opens in new window ]Leinster's Devin Toner, Jack McGrath and Scott Fardy celebrate with the European Rugby Champions Cup trophy. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho 6 hours agoHopefully things go better for Leinster than they did for Ulster last night. Ulster were thrashed 59-26 by Montpellier in the stifling heat in Bilbao. As Gerry Thornley writes:“As feared, the toll of losing too many big-game players at the end of a long season – coupled with the stifling heat in Bilbao and the greater potency of a fully-loaded Montpellier – was too much for a willing Ulster side.“Even at their best – and there were too many errors for that to be the case – Ulster would have struggled to cope with this Montpellier side, all the more so when the contrasting oomph of the latter’s bench came into effect.“In winning this trophy for a third time, the second-placed side in the Top 14 were also ruthless in their finishing, scoring nine tries from what seemed like no more than a dozen visits to the Ulster 22. On this evidence they’ll be a threat to Toulouse et al to add a Bouclier de Brennus.”[ Weakened Ulster burn out against ruthless Montpellier in Challenge Cup finalOpens in new window ]6 hours agoHello and welcome to live coverage of the Champions Cup final between Leinster and Bordeaux Bègles. Kick-off at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao is at 2.45pm. Leinster are going for their first Champions Cup star since 2018 after four defeats in finals since then. They will face a tough French side, who are defending champions and have a wealth for talent, in sweltering conditions as a heatwave has hit northern Spain. Here are the teams for the final, as Leo Cullen has opted for the tried and tested from the Toulon win.LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Rieko Ioane; Harry Byrne, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt). Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Paddy McCarthy, Tadhg Furlong, Diarmuid Mangan, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Ciarán Frawley, Jamie Osborne.BORDEAUX: Salesi Rayasi; Pablo Uberti, Damian Penaud, Yoram Moefana, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Matthieu Jalibert, Maxime Lucu (capt); Jefferson Poirot, Maxime Lamothe, Carlü Sadie; Boris Palu, Adam Coleman; Pierre Bochaton, Cameron Woki, Marko Gazzotti. Replacements: Gaetan Barlot, Ugo Boniface, Ben Tameifuna, Lachie Swinton, Temo Matiu, Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer, Arthur Retiere, Hugo Reus.