Champions Cup
This is where you will find all of The Rugby Paper’s Champions Cup news, interviews, reports, opinion and other content.
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Champions Cup
/ 12 hours agoGeoff Parling: Champions Cup should revert to the old system
Leicester Tigers boss Geoff Parling reckons European chiefs should turn back time to revive the Champions Cup and revert to their...
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Champions Cup
/ 12 hours agoClermont 14-35 Sale Sharks: Alex Sanderson’s side turn on the power to topple European giants
Alex Sanderson saw his Sale Sharks dismantle European giants Clermont in their own backyard and kick-start their latest European crusade in...
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Champions Cup
/ 12 hours agoGlasgow Warriors 28-21 Toulouse: Rampaging Warriors fight back to stun Antoine Dupont & co
A stunning second-half comeback from 21-0 down saw Glasgow Warriors topple six-time European champions Toulouse in a thunderous Champions Cup encounter...
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Champions Cup
/ 12 hours agoSharks 28-23 Saracens: Sarries looking good but fail to take chances
This was a game Saracens could and should have won despite travelling to Durban with a much-changed team after putting Clermont...
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Champions Cup
/ 12 hours agoToulon vs Bath: Billy Sela handed Will Stuart role as Johann van Graan’s side take on French flyers
Billy Sela has been tasked with locking out the Bath scrum against Toulon in the absence of the injured Will Stuart.
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Champions Cup
/ 12 hours agoMunster 31-3 Gloucester: The Red Army take their time to dispatch Cherry and Whites
A largely reserve Gloucester side frustrated Munster for 67 minutes before a yellow card broke their resistance and they conceded three...
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Champions Cup
/ 12 hours agoHarlequins vs Bayonne: Oscar Beard – I want to test myself against the best out there
Marcus Smith returns against Bayonne as Harlequins look to build on an impressive display against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.
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Champions Cup
/ 12 hours agoLeicester Tigers 15-23 Leinster: Adam Radwan told to force England to pick him
Geoff Parling had some straight advice for try-scoring Adam Radwan after the wing had raised hopes of a first Leicester Tigers...
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Champions Cup
/ 12 hours agoNorthampton Saints vs Pretoria Bulls: We’re ready for a battle, says George Hendy
Buoyed by their impressive win in Pau last Sunday, Northampton Saints boss Phil Dowson has made only two changes to the...
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Champions Cup
/ 12 hours agoBristol Bears vs Pau: Pat Lam says victory would be huge for his side
Bristol Bears director of rugby Pat Lam has named a strong team for today’s clash against French high-flyers Pau, saying a...
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Champions Cup
/ 12 hours agoPaul Rees: Lawrence Dallaglio’s reasons to cheer for Prem clubs in Europe
Paul Rees talks to England’s World Cup winner about the Champions Cup – and Steve Borthwick’s selection choices
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Champions Cup
/ 3 days agoLeo Cullen on why perfection isn’t realistic after Leinster’s seven-try Champions Cup win over Harlequins
For many in the Leinster camp, it feels like the start of the season with the return of the international players...
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Champions Cup
/ 1 week agoNorthampton Saints full-back George Furbank fighting fit on his new fish diet
George Furbank has put the frustrations of the last year behind him as he looks to regain his place in the...
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Champions Cup
/ 1 week agoGloucester aim to build momentum in Europe, says Ben Redshaw
Ben Redshaw wants Gloucester to use last weekend’s Prem victory over Harlequins as a springboard when they welcome Castres today in...
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Champions Cup
/ 1 week agoSaracens 47-10 Clermont Auvergne: Elliot Daly’s star of the show as Sarries open in style
Elliot Daly showed there is plenty of life in the old dog yet as Saracens opened their Champions Cup account with...
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Champions Cup
/ 1 week agoToulouse v Sharks: Visitors will fight hard to send John Plumtree off with a victory
Record six-time winners Toulouse launch their Champions Cup title pursuit today with several star players returning to a fixture that will...
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Champions Cup
/ 1 week agoSale Sharks 21-26 Glasgow Warriors: Sharks reeled in by rugged Warriors
Sale Sharks has proved a notoriously difficult venue for visiting teams, as evidenced by their outstanding home record in recent years.
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Champions Cup
/ 1 week agoBath 40-14 Munster: Johann van Graan’s side issue a warning to Europe elite
Bath issued a thunderous statement to Europe’s elite as they ruthlessly swept Munster aside at a rain-soaked Rec.
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Champions Cup
/ 1 week agoGloucester v Castres: George Skivington – Nine-week block key to season
Gloucester launch their Champions Cup campaign today aiming to build on their recent revival against Castres.
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Champions Cup
/ 1 week agoLeinster 45-28 Harlequins: Leo Cullen’s side find strong finish to quell plucky Quins
Despite falling short of a statement victory, Jason Gilmore’s Harlequins can hold their heads high after a commendable display against Leinster.
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Champions Cup
/ 1 week agoLa Rochelle 39-20 Leicester Tigers: Fearless Tiger cubs go down fighting
Leicester Tigers were more cubs than tigers with youth given its head, but they pushed the former champions La Rochelle hard...
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Champions Cup
/ 1 week agoPau v Northampton Saints: Phil Dowson’s side ready for rumble with French high-flyers
Last season’s finalists Northampton Saints begin their campaign with a daunting trip to high-flying Section Paloise today and Phil Dowson is...
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Champions Cup
/ 1 week agoScarlets 16-17 Bristol Bears: Pat Lam’s men hold firm for gritty opening win
Pat Lam’s Bristol Bears slugged out a narrow victory across the border against Scarlets to get their latest European campaign up...
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Champions Cup
/ 2 weeks agoBath scrum-half Ben Spencer gunning for European glory
Ben Spencer has seen the lot in the Champions Cup and insists his Bath side are primed to challenge Europe’s best...
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Autumn Internationals
/ 2 weeks agoPaul Rees: Springboks are setting the standard
Paul Rees reflects on the Autumn Tests and what the implications might be for the Champions Cup and beyond.
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoDamian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey: A pair of aces who fill our hearts with joy
If the level of mastery is unusually high, the depth of mystery is unfathomable.
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoPeter Jackson: Barmy to downgrade the Champions Cup
According to its promoters, the ‘wonderful’ Champions Cup stands on a pinnacle above everything else as ‘the greatest club competition in...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoJeff Probyn: Another battling show by Bordeaux
What a great game last weekend’s Champions Cup final turned out to be with both of the finalists, Northampton and Bordeaux...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoCharlie Elliott: The Best Moments of the 2024/25 Champions Cup
The Champions Cup has concluded, and European rugby‘s premier competition delivered some great moments. We saw plenty of drama in the pool stages, a lot of shocks...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoRugby’s Social Media Moments of the Week: Matthieu Jalibert gives it back to Henry Pollock
Rugby saw the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals take place this weekend, with Bordeaux-Begles beating Northampton Saints and Bath beating...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoChampions Cup Team of the Season: Bordeaux Begles dominate after earning their first star
The Champions Cup concluded with Bordeaux Begles winning the competition for the first time in their history, with a 28-20 win...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoBordeaux Begles accused of Henry Pollock vendetta
Fin Smith accused Bordeaux Begles of having a vendetta against Henry Pollock as Northampton Saints’ 28-20 Champions Cup final defeat ended...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoNorthampton Saints 20-28 Bordeaux Begles: Saints’ warriors battle to the very end
Fraser Dingwall’s Northampton Saints saw their European adventure end in acrimony and heroism in equal measure as they went out on...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoBrave Northampton Saints didn’t have enough in reserve
Injuries have cursed Northampton Saints’ season and there was no relief on their biggest day of the decade.
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Challenge Cup
/ 7 months agoCharlie Elliott: Best head-to-head matchups in the European Finals
The Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals will both take place this weekend in Cardiff, providing an opportunity to determine the European champions. Both will see Premiership...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoChampions Cup Final Preview: Can Northampton Saints pick up their second star?
“It’s not an individual sport, it’s a team sport, and we need everybody, and that includes support staff and everybody on...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoLawrence Dallaglio: Race for British and Irish Lions spots starts in European Finals
The race for British & Irish Lions Test places begins in Cardiff this weekend as Northampton Saints’ quartet of tourists get...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoNorthampton Saints in race to get stars fit for Champions Cup final
Northampton's last-minute victory over Saracens yesterday came at a cost, with four players left on the treatment table ahead of Saturday’s...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoBordeaux have a point to prove in Champions Cup final says Adam Coleman
Adam Coleman believes Saturday’s Champions Cup final in Cardiff between Bordeaux Begles and Northampton will be a meeting of like minds....
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoJeremy Guscott: Northampton Saints need team effort to stifle ‘electric’ Louis Bielle-Biarrey
Northampton and Bordeaux-Begles are great attacking sides, and that is what makes the European Cup final on Saturday at the Principality...
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Challenge Cup
/ 7 months agoEuropean Finals Preview: Northampton Saints and Bath shape up to face the French
Paul Rees sets the scene ahead of this weekend's grand finale to European competition in Cardiff As the Premiership hacks through...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 7 months agoBrendan Gallagher: European Cup’s given us some real pearlers
So this weekend in Cardiff will be the 30th European Cup Final, a pearl anniversary of sorts. Where did the time...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoChris Collyer: Leinster need to reset and restart from the ground up
By Chris Collyer For exclusive stories and all the detailed rugby news you need, subscribe to The Rugby Paper website, digital edition, or...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoSocial Media Moments of the Week: Henry Pollock divides opinion with try celebration
By Charlie Elliott As the weekend of rugby draws to a close, the discourse around the sport continues to bubble away. The...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoChampions Cup Team of the Week: Northampton Saints’ Lions hopefuls help deliver historic upset
By Charlie Elliott The Champions Cup played host to two of the best semi-finals we have seen in the competition, as the two favourites were...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoNorthampton Saints stun Leinster in Champions Cup semi and sweep into final
By Adam Hathaway in Dublin Northampton captain Fraser Dingwall hailed the spirit of his side as they pulled off one of...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoPhil Dowson: Henry Pollock is buzzing for every chance he gets
By Adam Hathaway Henry Pollock has been smashing it out of the ballpark this season, and that has led to calls...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoLeinster 34-37 Northampton Saints: Tommy Freeman hat-trick ignites stunning Saints
By Adam Hathaway Leinster ...........................34pts Tries: O’Brien 17, Van der Flier 25, 58; Doris 58, Lowe 69 Conversions: Prendergast 25, 47,...
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Brendan Gallagher
/ 7 months agoBrendan Gallagher: Northampton Saints win over Leinster is the best win on the road I’ve seen
I’ve been reporting on this Heineken Cup, European Cup, Investec Champions Cup – call it what you want – since the...
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Champions Cup
/ 7 months agoBordeaux vs Toulouse Preview: Injury problems put Toulouse on the back foot
By Ben Jaycock Bordeaux v Toulouse Today. Kick-off 3pm, Stade Velodrome, Marseille An injury-plagued Toulouse are up against it today when...












