Champions Cup finalists UBB secure the services of coaching quartet

Four key members of Yannick Bru’s coaching staff at Union Bordeaux-Begles have signed new deals in the wake of the French club’s 38-26 Champions Cup semi-final win over Bath. UBB will now look to defend their title against Leinster in the final of the 202/26 Champions Cup in Bilbao, on May 23rd.

Importantly, Noel McNamara, the architect of the best attack in European rugby, has pledged his future to the Top 14 outfit and current Champions Cup holders until the end of the 2028/29 season, along with fellow assistants Shaun Sowerby (forwards), Jean-Baptiste Poux (scrum) and Aurélien Cologni (skills).

Irishman McNamara, a former maths teacher and coach of Ireland U20s, moved to UBB from the Natal-based Sharks at the same as Bru, who he worked with in South Africa, in 2023.

One-cap Springbok Sowerby, a former flanker with Toulouse and Stade Francais, has been in charge of the UBB lineout since 2024 after stints at Montpellier, Biarritz, and with the Georgian national team.

France international Poux played for Bordeaux for six seasons before transitioning into coaching, while Cologni’s background is in rugby league.

At the start of the season, manager Bru’s contract was extended until 2029 by president Laurent Marti following the Champions Cup victory.

The contracts of Bru’s two other main assistants, Christophe Laussucq (defence) and Thibault Giroud (performance director), will be released once their contracts expire in 2027.  The latter has been tracked by Bayonne for several months.