Bordeaux-Bègles Crush Leicester to Secure Quarter-Final Spot

Bordeaux Bègles secured a place in the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals on April 5, 2026, following a 64-14 victory over the Leicester Tigers at the Stade Chaban-Delmas.

The defending champions dominated the match, producing a 20-minute period of high-quality rugby in the first half that effectively decided the outcome before the interval. Bordeaux scored five tries before half-time, including a notable effort from Louis Bielle-Biarrey.

Match Details and Scoring

Bordeaux scored a total of nine tries during the encounter. Full-back Salesi Rayasi was a standout performer, completing a hat-trick to finish the scoring. Other try scorers for the French side included Woki, Lucu, Bielle-Biarrey, Lamothe, Retiere, and replacement prop Ben Tameifuna, who scored a powerful try after the break.

The scoring was further bolstered by the boot of Lucu, who contributed five conversions, and Reus, who added three. Leicester Tigers managed two consolation tries in the second half. Izaia Perese scored after intercepting a loose pass to run in from a long distance, and Billy Searle also touched down. Searle added two conversions for the English side.

Path to the Quarter-Finals

Bordeaux Bègles entered the knockout stage as the highest-ranked qualifier, having won all four of their pool matches with bonus points.

In contrast, Leicester Tigers struggled during the pool stages, winning only one of their four matches to scrape into the last 16. This result marks the third consecutive season that Leicester has been eliminated from the Champions Cup at the last-16 stage, following previous exits against Glasgow and Leinster.

Upcoming Fixtures and Domestic Outlook

The victory sets up a quarter-final match next weekend against Toulouse. Toulouse, who are current leaders of the Top 14 and six-time winners of the competition, recently secured their own place in the quarter-finals by defeating Bristol 59-26, a match in which France centre Kalvin Gourgues scored two tries.

Leicester Tigers, currently third in the Premiership, will now shift their focus to domestic competitions for the remainder of the season. The club recently experienced success in the Prem Rugby Cup, where they defeated Exeter 66-14 in the final.

Personnel Updates

The defeat comes during a period of transition for the Leicester squad. South African back row player Hanro Liebenberg is scheduled to leave the club at the end of the season to return to the Bulls in Pretoria. Liebenberg, who has been with the Tigers since 2019 and served as club captain, cited the need to prioritize his young family as the reason for his departure.