Champions Cup: 2025/26 Team of the Tournament

Maxime Lucu was the star of the San Mames, as the scrum half spear-headed his side to a breathless 41-19 triumph over the Dubliners. Bordeaux become only the six club in history to win back-to-back titles in European rugby's pinnacle competition, with Leinster's arduous search for a fifth European star now set to enter upon it's ninth season.

So, with the dust now settled upon the 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup, we're compiled our picks for the Team of the Tournament. You won't be suprised to see plenty of Bordeaux-Begles stars named in our XV, following their incredible title retention in the Basque Country.

We kick off this Team of the Tournament with Stade Toulousain fullback Thomas Ramos. The metronomic sharp-shooter was yet again the leading points provider for his side, as he brought 72 points to the table throughout the campaign - second to only that of Bath's flying Scotsman Finn Russell. Ramos and Russell drew level with 32 conversions each, as Toulouse were eliminated at the quarter-final stage. Ramos also made the fourth-most metres on the attacking foot (417m), and shipped 11 offloads to his teammates.

Taking the right wing in an all Top 14 back three, Gael Draen continues upon his meteoric rise to the top level with RC Toulon. Had it not been for a certain scrum-capped Frenchman (more on him shortly), Draen would have topped the try-scoring stats for the latest Champions Cup campaign. The Toulon wing ran in eight tries across the entire competition, and continues to make waves following his international break-out last Summer. Expect another hot-run in the French jersey for the Nations Championship.

We keep it all things Toulon for our next entry, following a scintillating run of form from Nacho Brex. The Argentine-born Italian international was in barn-storming form for the French side this season, and kicked off the knock-out stages with a Player of the Match performance in the win over the Stormers. A stunning try-scoring contribution then followed in the albeit unexpected win over Glasgow at Scotstoun, as the midfielder ran in the match winning score up in Scotland.

The inside centre spot took plenty of deliberating, with the likes of Bordeaux's Yoram Moefana and Glasgow Warriors man Stafford McDowall also throwing their names into contention. However, we have opted for Fraser Dingwall, who continues to play his way into contention for a return to the England team.

Whilst the England centres have since been given a South African shake-up in the form of Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Dingwall's heart-on-the-sleeve performances for Saints reminded England fans of his all-rounder abilities across both sides of the ball. The beating heart of the men in green, black and gold, a Premiership title could well propel Dingwall back into favour ahead of the Nations Championship.

At 22-years-old, Louis Bielle-Biarrey has already achieved more than what most players do throughout their entire careers. The pocket rocket of the Bordeaux-Begles back-line, Bielle-Biarrey once again topped the try-scoring charts for a top-flight tournament, with 10 tries following his brilliant brace in the final.

It has been another blistering season for Bielle-Biarrey, who is the undisputed king of finishing right now. Having set a new try-scoring record in the Men's Six Nations with nine tries in the 2026 Championship, and retaining his top-scorer accolade from the year before, Bielle-Biarrey is on top of the world. With back-to-back Champions Cup titles to boot, we could well be looking at a GOAT winger in the making.

We maintain the impressive Bordeaux-Begles influence upon our Champions Cup Team of the Season, with a wash of pink, purple and white across the halfback spots. We hand Matthieu Jalibert the spot at fly half, who ended the title-retaining campaign with the most carries across the competition with 115.

Jalibert also finished joint-first in the clean breaks category with 19, an accolade he shares with club mate Louis Bielle-Biarrey. The fly half ran his attacking line with definitive French flair, as he evaded 38 tacklers throughout the tournament to claim another top ranked spot, and also completed the most offloads (19).

Move over Antoine Dupont, there is a new star French scrum half in town. It was Maxime Lucu's time to shine this past weekend, as the Bordeaux-Begles nine collected the Player of the Match Award from the a superb performance in the final drubbing of the Dubliners. On hand to deliver quick-ball to his runners at break-neck pace, Lucu also crossed over for a try to cap off his commanding campaign as captain.

With a stunning boot to round off his abilities, Lucu struck six penalties and 19 conversions through the up-rights throughout the tournament, and made the third most overall points from any player - with 71. Lucu could well get the nod to start this Summer in the Nations Championship, with the sight of Antoine Dupont on the bench set to send shock-waves throughout both hemispheres.

We roll on to the forward pack now, with the opening spot in the front row handed to Jean-Baptiste Gros of RC Toulon. After much deliberation that also brought the likes of Andrew Porter and Jefferson Poirot to the table, we give the spot to the immovable Toulon man, who tore up trees throughout the campaign. Gros wrestled his way over the Scotstoun whitewash for a pivotal score against Glasgow, and laid the ground work for a memorable run to the semi-finals for his side.

The Leinster and Ireland man continues to prove week after week, why he is regarded in such high company towards the best hookers in the world. Rivaled by Malcolm Marx of the Springboks, the front rower has the line-out driving maul try down to a fine art, with a plethora of scores coming from this tried and tested set-piece move. Sheehan delievered in spades for Leinster throughout the Champions Cup, with his quarter-final score against Sale Sharks a stand-out moment from his silver-medal campaign.

There are few players around today that garner 'cult hero' status, but Big Ben is certainly one of them. The Tongan international tight-head is beloved the world over for his impossible work rate for a man of his size, as he shifts his near 150 kilo frame around the park for an abundance of line-breaks that take plenty of bruised shoulders to stop. Tameifuna was yet again a star of the title retaining Bordeaux-Begles pack, and at 34-years-old, the 2027 Rugby World Cup could well be the last hurrah for his Pacific Island icon.

The man with the mullet was as sharp as a bullet, as Joe McCarthy has been one of Leinster more consistent operators throughout the Champions Cup. Whilst it was yet again a dejecting way for the Irish province to end their European Cup pursuits, McCarthy continues to rise through the storm as one of Europe's leading locks. After running in a hat-trick to close out his URC regular season against Ospreys, McCarthy bagged a try in Bilbao, albeit his efforts proved consolatory at best for the in-form Irishman.

We keep our scope fixed on the San Mames Stadium, as we pair up Joe McCarthy with his opposite man from Bilbao for our engine room. We hand the number five jersey to Boris Palu of Bordeaux-Begles, with an honourable mention in store for his teammate, Wallabies man Adam Coleman and Toulon captain David Ribbans. However, Palu emptied the tank with a barn-storming defensive effort in the final, with the sense of occasion giving him an extra burst of energy to complete 15 tackles in the showpiece match.

We shift our attention onto the back-row now, with two men taking the spots upon the flanks despite not featuring in the Bilbao final. We hand Glasgow Warriors man Matt Fagerson the blind-side role, as the Scotland international made the most tackles out of any player throughout the tournament with 97 hits. Fagerson was peerless across the back-row, and will be eyeing up a second URC title at the end of this season, to make amends for his side's quarter-final elimination.

Jack Willis enters the fray upon the open-side flank, following a tremendous campaign once again for the Stade Toulousain man. The England ex-pat continues to etch out his legacy in the South of France, and topped the turnover charts this season with 15 steals in his latest Champions Cup campaign. Whilst Les Bleus do not permit international-switching, Willis could qualify for Ireland ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup through his Grandfather, in what would be a major acquisition for Andy Farrell.

We close out the Champions Cup Team of the Tournament with the Leinster captain, who once again led his side all the way to the final. Whilst that coveted fifth European title continues to avoid the Dubliners, Caelan Doris can take plenty of personal pride from his latest campaign.

Having led Ireland to the 2026 Six Nations Triple Crown, the stage looked set for Doris to finally win the big one at club level, as he led the effort with the second most carries across the tournament - 108. Doris also made 82 tackles overall, in what is the fourth most from any player across the campaign. Will next year be the charm for Leinster in the Champions Cup - only time will tell.