In Cardiff, where rugby’s ghosts whisper from the rafters and every blade of grass feels steeped in history, Bordeaux-Bègles wrote their names into the annals of greatness. On a night where the heavens may as well have roared "allez les Bleus," the French club hoisted the Investec Champions Cup for the very first time — a shimmering symbol of perseverance, passion, and poetry in motion.
But just as the final whistle marked a crowning moment for Bordeaux, it also signaled the birth of a seismic shift in global rugby. Because as the cheers echoed across Principality Stadium, EPCR chairman Dominic McKay dropped a bombshell with all the subtlety of a front-row charging out of a scrum: a Rugby World Club Cup, set to debut in 2028. A collision course of northern grit and southern flair. Sixteen elite clubs. One global battlefield.
For Bordeaux, it was a dream 28–20 triumph over a ferociously determined Northampton Saints side, who clung to their ambitions with the desperation of a flanker on a loose ball. The Saints surged late, but Bordeaux, led by the uncontainable Damien Penaud — a man who plays like a gazelle with the killer instinct of a lion — held their nerve.
This title represents a whole team effort for the last decade. UBB are heading in a really good direction
But just behind the glitter of Bordeaux’s golden night looms the shadow of a far larger challenge — and anew measure of rugby greatness. The Rugby World Club Cup will pit the top eight Champions Cup sides against eight of the finest from Super Rugby Pacific and Japan, bringing long-lost rivalries back from the dead like ghosts shaking off the dust of the old Super Rugby days.
If the competition had launched this year, South Africa’s teams would’ve been sipping from the sidelines. Their underwhelming Investec Champions Cup performances left them out of contention — a missed tackle in a game where every point counts. But you can bet the lure of global supremacy will hit like a late dump tackle — waking up ambition in even the most bruised franchises.
This is something we’ve spoken about at EPCR for the last two or three years. Everyone is unanimous about wanting to deliver a World Club Cup — through EPCR.
It’s a thunderclap of opportunity, and no one is more aware of the stakes than South African coaches. For them, the Club World Cup offers a chance to rekindle old fires — Crusaders vs Stormers, Bulls vs Hurricanes — and rewrite a narrative that has drifted since the hemispheres parted ways.
While South African clubs missed out, a South African coach made his presence felt in silver and steel. Johann van Graan, the methodical former Springbok and Bulls assistant, led Bath to a ruthless 37-12 demolition of Lyon in the EPCR Challenge Cup final. A second trophy in the cabinet, with a third — the Premiership title — still within reach. The man once tasked with strategizing the Bok breakdown now finds himself a conductor of a fearsome English symphony.
It was unbelievable to see the fight, the hunger. I couldn’t be prouder to lead this group tonight.
Van Graan’s revolution has transformed Bath from basement-dwellers into powerhouses, and his name is now whispered as a possible future Springbok head coach — especially with results that speak louder than any press conference ever could.
But amid the fireworks and finals, the looming global challenge will be the new North Star. No longer can a decent European campaign be enough. Clubs must think bigger, train harder, and play smarter — because one day soon, they’ll be squaring off against the world’s elite in a scrum that spans oceans.
So, as Bordeaux basks in its glory and Bath fans dare to dream, coaches and players across South Africa and Europe must begin their preseason with a new equation: trophies + consistency = global relevance.
And for fans? Get ready. The best rugby soap opera is about to go global.
Because come 2028, club rugby won't just be about winning your league or even conquering Europe. It will be about dominating the world.
And that is a game worth watching.
