As Champions Cup Opens on Mournful Note, Holders Bordeaux-Begles Draw
Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored two tries as Bordeaux-Bègles and Gloucester shared 10 tries in a season-opening European classic.
- On Friday, Gloucester Rugby and Union Bordeaux-Bègles played to a 36-36 draw at Kingsholm Stadium, kicking off the 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup with a high-octane contest.
- Before the match, four Bordeaux-Bègles players, including winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, were stranded at Bristol Airport due to invalid Electronic Travel Authorisation permits.
- Gloucester's Will Trenholm scored a brace and fly-half George Barton added 16 points, but Bielle-Biarrey recorded a double to salvage a share of the spoils for visiting Bordeaux.
- The tournament began on a sombre note Friday as teams observed a minute's silence for Hyron Andrews, a 31-year-old Johannesburg-based Lions forward found dead in his hotel room.
- Visiting fly-half Maxime Lucu said there was "a lot of frustration" following the draw, but he also expressed "a lot of pleasure also in playing this game tonight.
38 Articles
38 Articles
The Independent
The Independent (US)Gloucester earn thrilling draw against holders Bordeaux in Champions Cup opener
Gloucester 36-36 Bordeaux: Will Trenholm bagged a brace but it wasn’t enough for George Skivington’s team to down last season’s champions
As Champions Cup opens on mournful note, holders Bordeaux-Begles draw
Champions Cup holders Bordeaux-Begles kicked off the competition and were held to a 36-36 draw in a frenzied match at Gloucester. Andrews, a 31-year-old second-row forward for the Johannesburg-based Lions, was found in cardiac arrest and died on the eve of his team's match against La Rochelle, local authorities told AFP. The tragedy came 10 years to the day since the sudden death of former Munster coach Anthony Foley, who died in his sleep aged …
Four players from the Union Bordeaux-Bègles, including Louis Bielle-Biarrey, as well as a physical preparer almost never joined Gloucester, where the club plays this Friday night.
Twenty-four hours before the first match of Champions Cup of Bordeaux-Bègles, this Friday 16 October in Gloucester, four UBB players, including star winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, were blocked for several hours...
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
