{"id":640602,"date":"2026-04-30T13:16:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/640602\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T13:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:16:08","slug":"adam-coleman-escapes-from-rugby-purgatory-to-the-peaks-with-bordeaux-champions-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/640602\/","title":{"rendered":"Adam Coleman escapes from rugby purgatory to the peaks with Bordeaux | Champions Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are in truth few Bordeaux B\u00e8gles<\/a> players better qualified to explain just how it feels to be in the eye of the storm with European rugby\u2019s newest force quite like Adam Coleman. Three years ago their paths collided in almost perfect timing, with Bordeaux mid-table and Coleman unceremoniously dropped into rugby purgatory.<\/p>\n

Coleman\u2019s career looked to be over when London Irish went out of business<\/a> in the summer of 2023 before a move to France with Bordeaux. It has proven to be an inspired decision for both parties, with Coleman playing a pivotal role in UBB\u2019s rise to the top of the club game, culminating in their Champions Cup final triumph over Northampton<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n

As a dual-international with both the Wallabies and Tonga, as well as experiencing rugby in almost all corners of the sport\u2019s geographical footprint, Coleman is used to the unconventional. So being one of the few non-French speakers in the Bordeaux squad will hardly feel too challenging: and it is something the 34-year-old lock has taken in his stride to give his career fresh impetus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen London Irish went down I genuinely didn\u2019t know what was going to happen next for my career,\u201d he says. \u201cBut to come here, to meet the people and live in Bordeaux: it\u2019s an incredible place. You get this incredible lifestyle and the opportunity to play with some many great French internationals. There\u2019s all the benefits of playing overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is no end-of-career French sojourn bubbling away here, though. There is history aplenty to be made in Bordeaux, with the reigning champions now just two wins away from joining the elite list of clubs who have gone back-to-back in European rugby\u2019s premier competition. Bath<\/a> are the first obstacle in their way on Sunday.<\/p>\n

It promises to be an intriguing affair. Styles make fights and while Bath are perhaps more renowned for staying in the fight and hanging tough, Bordeaux thrive on a more unstructured and chaotic game. \u201cThey like to control the game, put a lot of structure into the game and we like to play a brand of more elusive rugby,\u201d Coleman says. \u201cIt\u2019ll be a good game of rugby.<\/p>\n

Adam Coleman makes ground for UBB, his career revived in France after London Irish went under in 2023. Photograph: Icon Sport\/Alamy<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first and most important thing was winning last year and being the first team ever from Bordeaux to put the star on the jersey and to be in a position to play this weekend and have a chance to do it again \u2026 we\u2019re very grateful for that. But we can\u2019t look too far ahead. The quality of player they\u2019ve got with guys like [Finn] Russell means it\u2019s going to be a real challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re taking nothing for granted but if you asked us at the start of the year where we\u2019d want to be, this is exactly where we\u2019d have said.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coleman\u2019s arrival at Bordeaux in 2023 came at the same time Yannick Bru joined as head coach and while a maiden Top 14 title is still not in the trophy cabinet, UBB\u2019s success in European rugby suggests more silverware is not too far away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t comment on the last coach because I wasn\u2019t here but maybe it was a fresh start that UBB needed,\u201d Coleman says. \u201cIt\u2019s really showed in the way we\u2019re playing and the professionalism of the team and really taking that step forward from where we were when I joined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Louis Bielle-Biarrey on the charge for Bordeaux in the Champions Cup quarter-final against Toulouse. Photograph: Lionel Hahn\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

With the likes of Louis Bielle-Biarrey in their ranks \u2013 who Coleman describes as a \u201conce-in-a-generation player\u201d \u2013 it is perhaps no surprise he has found such enjoyment in his rugby again in France. Coleman turns 35 in October but there is no sign of him slowing down. Nor, it seems, is there a chance of a return to his native Australia to finish his career in Super Rugby, with the French lifestyle and the journey Bordeaux are on having got under his skin.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the opportunity came to finish my career here I\u2019d love that,\u201d he smiles. \u201cWho knows what the future holds, but I\u2019d love to finish here. My family is really settled, my kids are in school and it\u2019s just been a great move for me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There are in truth few Bordeaux B\u00e8gles players better qualified to explain just how it feels to be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":640603,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-640602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640602","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=640602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/640602\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/640603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=640602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=640602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=640602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}