Two ineligible England stars make our Champions Cup team of tournament

Bordeaux-Begles produced arguably the greatest-ever Investec Champions Cup final performance on Saturday, sweeping Leinster aside 41-19 in Bilbao.

Beating the Top 14 champions, Toulouse, in the quarter-finals, the Gallagher PREM champions, Bath, in the semi-finals, and the United Rugby Championship winners, Leinster, in the final, is as hard as title defences come, but Yannick Bru’s side marched through all three on the way to reclaiming their title.

As a result, it is hard to look past Bordeaux players in a Champions Cup team of the tournament, and the entire XV could genuinely be filled with their players. There were, nevertheless, some standout performers from the opposing sides over the past six months.

From the opening round in December to the final in Bilbao, the competition once again showed why it remains the pinnacle of club rugby. So here is our Champions Cup team of the tournament:

15. Salesi Rayasi (Bordeaux-Begles)
Rayasi may have been overshadowed at times by Bordeaux’s embarrassment of riches out wide, but his campaign was exceptional. The Fiji full-back finished third in the competition for metres carried with 516 and fourth for defenders beaten with 28, while his seven tries included a hat-trick in the round of 16. Whether counter-attacking from deep or gliding through fractured defensive lines, he brought a level of unpredictability few teams could contain.

14. Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Bordeaux-Begles)
One of the first names on this team-sheet, and, as it stands, one of the first names on a World XV currently. Ten tries, a competition-leading 565 metres and 19 clean breaks only tell part of the story of Bielle-Biarrey’s campaign. Every time Bordeaux found space in transition, the France wing looked inevitable. His two tries in the final against Leinster perfectly summed up a tournament where defenders simply could not live with his pace. Even the defensive side of the game is rock solid. Crowned the Investec player of the year, which could be the 22-year-old’s first of many.

13. Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors)
Glasgow’s Champions Cup run may have ended in the quarter-finals, but McDowall was immense throughout. The Scotland centre consistently gave the Warriors momentum with his carrying and distribution, producing standout displays against ASM Clermont-Auvergne and Toulon. Whether with subtle passing, his kicking game or direct running, he repeatedly found ways to stress elite defences. One of the most complete centres in the competition this season.

12. Yoram Moefana (Bordeaux-Begles)
There may have been flashier centres in this year’s competition, but no midfielder was as consistently destructive as Moefana. The France international was the glue in Bordeaux’s backline, capable of punching holes through the middle or drifting wider to put his outside backs into space. His defensive pressure in the final was staggering, flying out of the line to force errors and then intercepting on the stroke of half time to all but end the contest. Brutal in contact all tournament long.

11. Gael Drean (Toulon)
Drean’s eight tries were second only to Louis Bielle-Biarrey this season, but it was not just his finishing that stood out. The Toulon wing beat 29 defenders across the campaign and repeatedly delivered in tight matches, none more so than his two-try display against Glasgow Warriors in the quarter-finals. Sharp footwork, acceleration and an eye for the try-line made him one of the competition’s standout finishers.

10. Matthieu Jalibert (Bordeaux-Begles)
There were some great fly-halves operating in the Champions Cup this season, but none came close to challenging Jalibert in this team. No player carried more, beat more defenders or matched his 19 clean breaks across the competition. Add 19 offloads and the Bordeaux fly-half’s influence becomes obvious. Defences simply could not contain him in broken play, with the final against Leinster the crowning moment of a sensational campaign.

9. Maxime Lucu (Bordeaux-Begles)
Bordeaux’s back line may be brimming with world-class talent, but they are reliant on Lucu kicking them into the right places and dictating when to play and when not to. The France scrum-half finished third in the competition for points with 71 while also producing some immense defensive shifts, including 17 tackles against Toulouse in the quarter-finals. Outplaying Antoine Dupont and then Jamison Gibson-Park in knockout matches cemented his place here.

1. Jefferson Poirot (Bordeaux-Begles)
The veteran loosehead rolled back the years throughout Bordeaux’s title defence. Poirot was destructive in the scrum, but his defensive work was perhaps even more impressive. The France international repeatedly posted huge tackle counts in short stints, while his breakdown work often stalled opposition momentum. A cornerstone of a Bordeaux pack that provided the platform for the competition’s most devastating attack.

2. Maxime Lamothe (Bordeaux-Begles)
Lamothe embodied Bordeaux’s confidence this season. One moment he would be nailing his lineout darts under pressure, the next he would be throwing behind-the-back passes in the middle of a knockout match. His fundamentals remained rock solid throughout the campaign, but it was his comfort playing in Bordeaux’s high-speed system that really stood out. The hooker was quietly effective in the final once again, helping ensure the set-piece functioned flawlessly. He even came close to getting an assist in the final, but Cameron Woki was just in touch when attempting to score in the corner after the hooker’s looping pass wide.

3. Thomas du Toit (Bath)
Bath fell one game short of the final, but Du Toit was monumental throughout the tournament. Whether starting or coming off the bench, the Springbok tighthead repeatedly changed matches through his scrummaging dominance. His second-half destruction of Saracens in the round of 16 completely shifted momentum at the Rec, while his carrying and work around the breakdown consistently gave Bath front-foot ball. One of the most influential forwards in the competition.

4. Adam Coleman (Bordeaux-Begles)
Coleman may not always produce the flashiest statistics, but Bordeaux’s pack would not function the same way without him. The Tonga international finished third in the competition for tackles with 85 and repeatedly led Bordeaux’s defensive effort in the knockout rounds. Tackles are one thing, but the ferocity of his tackles are noticeable every match. A machine-like tournament from the second-row.

5. David Ribbans (Toulon)
Toulon ultimately fell short in the semi-finals, but Ribbans was one of the standout forwards in the competition from start to finish. The former England lock repeatedly imposed himself physically on matches, whether through his 16 carries against Glasgow Warriors or a string of dominant defensive displays throughout the knockouts.

6. Cameron Woki (Bordeaux-Begles)
Aerial supremacy wins knockout rugby, and Woki delivered that in abundance for Bordeaux this season. The France international disrupted opposition lineouts throughout the campaign while ensuring Bordeaux’s own set-piece remained smooth. But there was far more to his game than lineout work alone. Woki repeatedly produced crucial interventions in open play, whether through turnovers, defensive reads or support lines in attack. A complete back-row display across the tournament.

7. Jack Willis (Toulouse)
Toulouse may have crashed out in the quarter-finals at the hands of Bordeaux, but Willis was extraordinary yet again in Europe. The Englishman topped the competition for turnovers won with 15 and repeatedly looked capable of dragging Toulouse through matches single-handedly. Even in defeat to Bordeaux in the quarter-finals, he was everywhere and maybe even the best player on the pitch.

8. Caelan Doris (Leinster)
Leinster’s captain led from the front all tournament long. Doris finished second overall for carries with 108 and fourth for tackles with 82, underlining how much responsibility he took on both sides of the ball. His semi-final display against Toulon was one of the performances of the season, while even in defeat in Bilbao, he never stopped fighting.