English champions Bath head into their Investec Champions Cup semi-final against Bordeaux Bègles carrying both momentum and menace.
And much of the fear factor for Bordeaux surrounds mercurial flyhalf Finn Russell.
Fresh off a statement quarter-final victory over Toulouse, Bordeaux know an even greater challenge may await when Bath arrive at Stade Atlantique on Sunday for what many in France are already calling a final before the final.
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Former Springbok N0 8 and Bordeaux assistant coach Shaun Sowerby admitted the French side are under no illusions about the size of the task ahead.
“First of all, they are the reigning English champions,” Sowerby said after Bordeaux’s 30-15 win over Toulouse.
“They beat Northampton in an incredible quarter-final. We know Northampton well because we played them in last season’s final.
“We’ll go deeper into the analysis, but what is certain is that this is a team with a lot of talent that is capable of winning titles.”
Bath’s rise has been building for some time. After winning the Challenge Cup last season to secure promotion into Europe’s elite competition, the English club have rapidly established themselves as genuine Champions Cup contenders.
Bordeaux captain Maxime Lucu believes Bath have long looked like a side built for the top table of European rugby.
“They’ve been one of the big teams in this competition for the last two years,” Lucu said.
“We said it last year. They won the Challenge Cup, but they deserved to be in the Champions Cup. They’ve also been dominating the English championship for the past few years.
“It’s a strong team that plays with a lot of intensity.”
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Yet it is Russell’s presence that appears to dominate much of the discussion inside the Bordeaux camp.
The Scotland flyhalf, who previously starred for Racing 92 between 2018 and 2023, remains one of the most dangerous attacking orchestrators in world rugby.
Bordeaux hooker Maxime Lamothe described Russell as the man capable of making Bath tick. “They have a metronome at No 10 who makes the team play extremely well,” Lamothe said.
“We know a world-class player is coming here.”
Lucu echoed those concerns, warning that Bath’s threats extend far beyond their star playmaker.
“Bath have an incredible game manager,” he said. “They also have powerful ball carriers and a strong back row, so it’s going to be another huge challenge.”
Photo: Dan Mullan/Getty Images
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