The battle for supremacy between the 9-10 partnerships for Bath and Bordeaux-Begles will be the hinge on which the outcome of the English Prem champions and French reigning European champions will swing in the 2026 Champions Cup semi-final today at the Stade Atlantique Metropole in Bordeaux.

The men in the spotlight are Bath’s scrum-half and captain, Ben Spencer, and fly-half Finn Russell, while for Bordeaux Begles it is the French international pairing of Maxime Lucu at scrum-half and Matthieu Jalibert outside him.
In terms of mileage at the top end of the game, Spencer, Lucu, and Russell,...