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TOP 14

Ex-All Black sinks Top 14 playoff hopes of European champions Bordeaux

Ben Smith

Published: 6 June 2026 15:16 PDT

Clermont’s New Zealander fly half Harry Plummer kicks the ball during the French Top 14 rugby union match between Montpellier Herault Rugby and ASM Clermont Auvergne at the Septeo Stadium in Montpellier, southern France on November 1, 2025.

Former All Black and ex-Blues first five Harry Plummer has sunk the playoff hopes of European champions Bordeaux, who have missed the Top 14 playoffs after finishing eighth.

The Kiwi No.10 sunk a late drop goal to give Clermont a 34-31 lead in the 76th minute to cap off a heroic 19-point performance.

Plummer scored the opening try, kicked four conversions, one penalty and his match-winning drop goal to shock Bordeaux just weeks after they claimed European glory with a 45-19 win over Leinster.

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Despite the win, both Clermont and Bordeaux missed playoff qualification which for the European champions was a shock.

A slow start to the season with five losses in their first 11 games, followed by losing three of their last five proved to be fatal. They’ve lost the Top 14 final the last two seasons, finishing as runners up back-to-back.

“It’s very difficult to not see the club in the knockout matches, because we want to be a club that grows, especially when you see the images of the players with the Champions Cup trophy,” captain Maxime Lucu told Canal+.

“The league is so hard, we lost a lot points at the start of the season, later on and in the winter, which meant we had our backs to the wall.”

Star winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey said he felt “disgusted” for the fans after they failed to make the top six.

Pau will host Racing 92 before Stade Francias meets La Rochelle next weekend. The top two seeds, Montpellier and Toulouse, auto-qualified for the semi-finals.

Comments

29 Comments

SB 44 days ago

If only Clermont had performed in this way last week at home against Racing, they looked like a completely different team compared to this one. Nice summer rest for LBB, Woki, Palu and Penaud upcoming. They deserve it after a long season.

Top16 44 days ago

Encore des commentaires sur “Qui est le plus fort “, cela signifie bien un besoin permanent de se rassurer !!

UBB non qualifié dans le Top 6, alors qu'ils ont survolé la Champions cup, cela prouve que le Top 14 est très difficile. Contrairement au Super Rugby, où seules les équipes NZ se baladent pendant le championnat et ensuite se disputent le titre de Meilleure Équipe du Monde. Oups, je me suis emballé, Meilleure équipe de NZ. Le Top 14 est passionnant et suivi par des amoureux du Vrai Rugby :

Mêlées, touches, jeu au pied de pression, défenses agressives et jeu de passes rapide.

Bref, prenez un abonnement cela pourra vous ouvrir les yeux sur l'avenir plutôt que de ressasser le passé de façon sarcastique. Lol.

Wayneo 44 days ago

😂

Ah mais c'est bien connu, payer un abonnement pour voir de vraies mêlées et de la stratégie, c'est au-dessus de leurs moyens ! En Nouvelle-Zélande et en Australie, on économise chaque centime. Pourquoi s’abonner quand on peut revoir gratuitement des matchs de Super Rugby qui ressemblent à du rugby à 7 sans aucune défense ? L'avenir du rugby a un prix, mais apparemment, leur portefeuille est en crise permanente. Lol.

J Marc 44 days ago

Ceux qui ont regardé le multiplex hier par hasard pourraient avoir envie de s'abonner…

Soliloquin 45 days ago

Out of the 6 teams that qualified for the playoffs last year (Toulouse, UBB, Bayonne, Castres, Toulon and Clermont), only Toulouse got through this year.

Struggling teams last year got back on track like La Rochelle, Montpellier, Stade Français and Racing 92, while Pau had a great season.

Funnily enough, La Rochelle won their spot against Stade Français this weekend, and they will meet again next weekend, with Stade Français playing at home this time.

Soliloquin 45 days ago

It’s sad to see the first article about the Top 14 news being modeled around a NZ player who has, by no means, been exceptional this year. But using those egocentric tricks to make people click even for EPCR competitions trying to show boast that the French clubs are working only due to loads of cash and foreign English or NZ players is way too stretched and preventing people from discovering other players that are performing well.

Like at Montpellier: you could think it’s all thanks to Billy Vunipola or Hogg, but you’ll miss other incredible players like Bécognée or Verhaeghe.

The French version of RP is interesting, but it’s almost the same I get on l’Équipe or Rugbyrama, so no real added value.

I am here to discuss the matters with fellow fans from around the world, and while every writer here seems to agree with the fact that the Top 14 is currently the best domestic club rugby league in the world, there’s no will of putting it forward.

All that while doing a few articles about the Japanese league.

One summary of each weekend would suffice to be honest.

But maybe it’s not on RP’s agenda.

SB 44 days ago

Well said. It’s like when you listen to the English media about the French national team or the Kiwi media about the Springboks . All they talk about is Shaun Edwards and Tony Brown. I am sure I have heard their names more than Fabien Galthie or Rassie Erasmus. As if they would not be able to function if one of their own was not on the staff. It’s hilarious to listen to.

If you read this article, it’s as if Harry Plummer sunk UBB on his own. No mention of the young and extremely talented Tixeront or Jauneau. No mention of Delguy who has been outstanding and who All Black fans such as Ben Smith should know very well.

Wayneo 44 days ago

I would add that it’s also “THE” most important competiton to the global game of rugby. The T14 props up the French ecosystem allowing the ProD2, Nationale, and Nationale 2 to thrive.

Its the agenda of RugbyPass’s resident historian and part-time delusional optimist not RP.

EvilMockingJay 44 days ago

So true ! It’s clearly french people who are making this top14 the best league… but they are always writing about the foreigners in the french league. Which is good too, but only if you talk about french too. It’s like talking about French only (is there any of them ?) in Super Rugby. It’s not fait to do that.

And yes, Plummer wasn’t the best ASM player this year. Clearly not.

Eric Elwood 44 days ago

I told you, LaRoche would qualify!

TT 45 days ago

The unified global World Rugby Club Cup launching in June 2028 with

* 8 teams from the European Investec Champions Cup

* 7 teams from Super Rugby Pacific

*1 team from Japan Rugby League One

should settle (Mmmm? OK inform) any ‘greatest club & competition’ discussion/ debate…

that currently is so parochially puffy chested ie or wee little, as you say, ‘ego’.

JW 45 days ago

Time to make up for it in a few weeks boys!

cnw 44 days ago

Bring em on!

B 45 days ago

An ex SRPacific Blues #10 and part time AB's 1 cap injury cover Harry Plummer knocks the ERChampions Bordeaux out of the Top14 playoffs…

Maybe the result in some ways proves the article Ben wrote May 27… “Hurricanes vs Bordeaux Begles: European champs 10-point underdog against NZ's best”…that our comparatively minuscule competition has some merit thanks to our unwanted or retiree top tier rugby playing expats…

SB 43 days ago

The funny thing is, his own team didn’t make it either.

The result proves nothing in that regard. Only that there are some extremely good teams in the Top 14 and that UBB’s injuries caught up with them in the end. It’s pointless to compare the two teams, one plays 17 games while the other one plays double.

The 10 point favourites thing is the funniest part though. I’m assuming you’re an All Blacks fan. So you’ll know very well, when they play the first choice France side in this decade they have lost every time. 2021, 2023 and 2024. By a total margin of 30 points, across those 3 matches. So at least, Ben Smith is right with his mathematics…

TT 45 days ago

The unified global World Rugby Club Cup launching in June 2028 with

* 8 teams from the European Investec Champions Cup

* 7 teams from Super Rugby Pacific

*1 team from Japan Rugby League One

should settle (Mmmm? OK inform) any greatest club & competition discussion/ debate.

TT 45 days ago

Plummer a prime example of the NZ coaching & selection clown shows since 2018 with this 10 star’ing in Europe that he chose because he wasn't given oppurtunity in the AB team (even while in the AB squad) while AB’s coaches & selectors struggle, & still, with the 10 position.

Hope Rennie has a better clue or 2.

d 45 days ago

trouble is that he never did much to stand out in the Blues, let alone the ABs.

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