{"id":323446,"date":"2025-12-02T20:16:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T20:16:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/323446\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T20:16:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T20:16:12","slug":"future-of-rugby-rugby-lives-here-investec-champions-cup-pool-4-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/323446\/","title":{"rendered":"Future Of Rugby Rugby Lives Here | Investec Champions Cup Pool 4 Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every Investec Champions Cup<\/a> pool is a massive challenge to win, and it becomes even more difficult when the defending champions and the runner-up land in the same pod.<\/p>\n

Pool 4 has that scenario, but also \u2014 of the six teams in the field \u2014 four enter with legit championship aspirations, a fifth with enough talent to make at least the quarterfinals, and the sixth team plays in one of the world\u2019s most passionate rugby countries.<\/p>\n

Months ago, FloRugby deemed Pool 4 of the Investec Champions Cup the \u201cPool of Death,\u201d and while that moniker could just as easily be applied to Pool 1, Pool 4 makes a strong case:<\/p>\n

Defending champions Union Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles.Runner-up Northampton Saints.No. 2 on the Top 14 table, Section Paloise (Pau).United Rugby Championship runner-up and South African club power Vodacom Bulls.Louis Rees-Zammit, Ellis Genge, and Eagles fly-half A.J. MacGinty powering the Bristol Bears.The only Welsh club in the competition, the Scarlets.<\/p>\n

This pool isn\u2019t deadly because it has multiple championship contenders. It\u2019s deadly because of the depth.<\/p>\n

Bordeaux\u2019s finals hangover included a devastating loss in the Top 14 Final in summer and an uneven start to the Top 14 season, where they stand at 6-0-5 and sixth on the table. But the club still has Damian Penaud (the No. 7-ranked player at FloRugby) and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, the No. 12-ranked player and one of the five best under-25 players in the world.<\/p>\n

Speaking of youth: Henry Pollock, 20, is the No. 100-ranked player and already a budding star for England. He\u2019s one of the Saints\u2019 top players.<\/p>\n

Louis Rees-Zammit is only 24 and one of the most globally recognized players because he tried his hand in the NFL for two seasons.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s Pau that really makes the pool deep.<\/p>\n

Argentina captain Juli\u00e1n Montoya joined the French side this offseason, but he\u2019s missed so many matches that the success of the club\u2019s season can\u2019t be pinned to that one move. Pau is 8-0-3 this season in the Top 14 \u2014 the same record as Toulouse and just two points back from the league leaders.<\/p>\n

Pau enters Champions Cup play winners of three straight, including a road win \u2014 hard to come by in the Top 14 \u2014 over UBB, 34-33, and a crushing demolition of La Rochelle in Round 11. Pau has also beaten Toulouse (30-26) and Bayonne (47-24) this year.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s quite the r\u00e9sum\u00e9. And yes, even Pau has young stars in Fabien Brau-Boirie (19), Th\u00e9o Attissogb\u00e9 (21), and Emilien Gailleton (22) powering the lineup.<\/p>\n

Even the Scarlets \u2014 the 1-0-5 side from the URC and the least likely of the bunch to reach the knockout stage \u2014 enter the Champions Cup with massive momentum after a 23-0 win at home over the Glasgow Warriors.<\/p>\n

A Glance at Each Investec Champions Cup Club in Pool 4Union Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles (6-0-5 in the Top 14, 6th)<\/p>\n

Louis Bielle-Biarrey is one of the brightest young stars in the game and was a finalist for World Rugby Player of the Year. Had France beaten South Africa, maybe the 22-year-old would have won it.<\/p>\n

Pau (8-0-3 in the Top 14, 2nd)<\/p>\n

Pau was promoted to the Top 14 in 2015 and has stuck in the top league ever since, but the club has yet to see true success in the Champions Cup. They haven\u2019t won the Top 14 since 1964 and haven\u2019t won a European competition since 2000, when they won the EPCR Challenge Cup. They finished second on the Top 14 table to qualify for the ICC this season.<\/p>\n

Northampton Saints (4-1-1 in Gallagher PREM, 2nd)<\/p>\n

The Saints are one of the favorites to win the PREM this season, which would be their second title in three seasons. And while last season\u2019s domestic campaign was disappointing, the Saints\u2019 ICC run made up for it. They pulled off one of the biggest upsets in rugby when they beat arguably the best club team to never win the Champions Cup \u2014 last season\u2019s Leinster side \u2014 in Dublin.<\/p>\n

Bristol Bears (4-0-2 in Gallagher PREM, 5th)<\/p>\n

The Bears are just outside the playoff picture and two points behind the Leicester Tigers for the fourth spot. They are led by a player who might actually be part bear \u2014 Ellis Genge, the 6-foot-1, 256-pound, 30-year-old prop who grew up in Bristol and returned to his hometown after helping the Tigers win the PREM.<\/p>\n

Vodacom Bulls (3-0-3 in the URC, 8th)<\/p>\n

Doubt the Bulls at your own peril. The Pretoria, South Africa, club is one of the most consistently good teams in the world. They won three Super Rugby titles and have reached three URC Finals since 2022, including 2025. The Bulls should be on the shortlist of Champions Cup favorites every year with the likes of Kurt-Lee Arendse, Cameron Hanekom and perhaps the game\u2019s best kicker, Handr\u00e9 Pollard. Their uneven URC slate is likely a byproduct of the Springboks\u2019 international schedule.<\/p>\n

Scarlets (1-0-5 in the URC, 16th)<\/p>\n

Not often does a team sitting at the bottom of its domestic league also play in the Champions Cup, but here we are. And while the Scarlets are the biggest underdogs \u2014 both by betting standards and by vibes \u2014 the Champions Cup is better with Welsh clubs involved.<\/p>\n

Despite the Final being in Cardiff last season, no Welsh club made the ICC field. But that changes this season. This pool has also gone full Welsh: not only are the Scarlets here, but Louis Rees-Zammit of the Bears is perhaps the best Welsh player in the world.<\/p>\n

Watch Every Investec Champions Cup Round 1 Match For Free<\/p>\n

FloRugby will stream every first round matchup free on FloRugby’s YouTube page on Dec. 5, 6 and 7th. Subscribe to the channel and don’t miss any of the streams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bath Rugby vs. Munster Rugby will stream on both FloRugby’s YouTube and Facebook for free. The entire competition will stream on FloRugby.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Investec Champions Cup\u00a0Pool 4Round 1\u00a0Saturday, Dec. 6 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Vodacom Bulls vs. Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles, Loftus VersfeldSaturday, Dec. 6 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Scarlets vs. Bristol Bears, Parc y ScarletsSunday, Dec. 7 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Pau vs. Northampton Saints, Stade du HameauRound 2Saturday, Dec. 13 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles vs. Scarlets, Stade Chaban-DelmasSunday, Dec. 14 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Northampton Saints vs. Vodacom Bulls, cinch Stadium @ Franklin\u2019s GardensSunday, Dec. 14 \u2013 12:30 p.m. ET: Bristol Bears vs. Pau, Ashton GateRound 3\u00a0Saturday, Jan. 10 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Vodacom Bulls vs. Bristol Bears, Loftus VersfeldSaturday, Jan. 10 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Scarlets vs. Pau, Parc y ScarletsSunday, Jan. 11 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles vs. Northampton Saints, Stade Chaban-DelmasRound 4Friday, Jan. 16 \u2013 3 p.m. ET: Pau vs. Vodacom Bulls, Stade du HameauSunday, Jan. 18 \u2013 8 a.m. ET: Bristol Bears vs. Bordeaux-B\u00e8gles, Ashton GateSunday, Jan. 18 \u2013 10:15 a.m. ET: Northampton Saints vs. Scarlets, cinch Stadium @ Franklin\u2019s GardensWatch Vodacom Bulls vs. Bordeaux Free Stream On FloRugby YouTube<\/p>\n

Watch Scarlets vs. Bristol Bears Free Stream On FloRugby YouTube<\/p>\n

Watch Pau vs. Northampton Saints Free Stream On FloRugby YouTube<\/p>\n

How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby<\/p>\n

The URC will stream all its matches on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:\u00a0<\/p>\n

FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Join The Rugby Conversation On FloRugby Social<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every Investec Champions Cup pool is a massive challenge to win, and it becomes even more difficult when…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":323447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-323446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-rugby","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}