REPORT. "The atmosphere is fantastic": Bordeaux is passionate about UBB, ahead of the Champions Cup semi-final against Stade Toulousain

UBB will challenge Stade Toulousain for a place in the final of the competition, in a Matmut Atlantique that is once again sold out, on Sunday at 4 p.m.

The two best French clubs of the moment will meet on Sunday afternoon, May 4, in the Champions Cup semi-finals (4 p.m.). Union Bordeaux-Bègles (UBB) will face Toulouse, two teams undefeated so far in the competition, in the hope of reaching the final against the English team of Northampton. UBB will be able to count on its supporters, in a Matmut Atlantique once again sold out, with more than 42,000 spectators and Bordeaux residents increasingly keen on rugby.

You only had to look up in the streets of the Gironde city on Saturday to see the enthusiasm surrounding the rugby club. UBB caps were out and about, and for Michelle, it was the bandana around her neck. "I love it, and my favorite is (Maxime) Lucu. My son and daughter-in-law gave me a season ticket for my 50th birthday, it's a great present," she rejoices.

Like Michelle, more and more people from Bordeaux are getting behind their rugby club. The number of subscribers has grown from 8,000 to 17,000 in four years, with another 30% increase this year. The club's shop on Quai des Chartrons was always full on Saturday. "A cap, a t-shirt, and a sweater," the supporter lists. We have to love UBB, Virginie explains. "The atmosphere is great, we love the rugby atmosphere. We have a lot of players in the French national team, which is great and helps ensure the club has a great following this year, with all the matches sold out."

UBB even has the best attendance in the world for a professional rugby team, with an average of 32,000 spectators during the first part of the 2024-2025 season, according to figures from the National Rugby League (LNR) . And the setbacks of the Girondins footballers don't explain everything (currently in Nationale 2, the fourth division), according to Christophe Bonnet, lecturer in sports management at the University of Bordeaux. The change was also the merger in 2006 of Bègles and Bordeaux, and the arrival of the team at the Chaban-Delmas stadium. "They took over a historic stadium which has the advantage of being located in the heart of the city, benefiting from the entire urban network with trams and buses. This has made it the rallying point for people from the city, but also from the outskirts," analyzes the sociologist.

A club that over the years has also managed to create a strong identity for itself, with spectacular players. "Bordeaux has forged the image of a team that plays, this has contributed to the club's renewal. There was a desire to base itself on a more spectacular game, which is based more on the expectations of a new public, more fond of spectacle," believes Christophe Bonnet.

As for the show, all that's missing are the trophies, with one step to take on Sunday to reach its first Champions Cup final in its history.