Two of the best teams in the competition square off with the top knockout seed on the line. In short, it simply does not get bigger than the Bristol Bears vs. Union Bordeaux Begles in Round 4 of the Investec Champions Cup.
Undefeated through the opening three rounds, both sides have hit the road and won in South Africa this season, each downing the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria. On both occasions, the South African URC outfit was given a lesson in attacking rugby.
Now set to square off with everything on the line, the reigning champions travel to the West of England to face arguably the most exciting attacking outfit the Gallagher Premiership has to offer.
Shredding the presumed strongest English side in Round 3, UBB emphatically doubled down on its 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup final victory over the Northampton Saints. Putting 50 points on their new fiercest non-French rival, Damian Penaud and company were in irresistible form.
South of the equator, the Bears were in the midst of wrapping up a four-try bonus point inside 15 minutes.
Further dispelling the Bulls’ stadium sign at Loftus, which reads “Altitude 1350m, it matters,” Pat Lam’s outfit was in a league of its own during the wild 61-49 victory over the Springbok-laden Bulls.
Of all the exceptional clashes that will take place in Round 4, none pits two sides in better form than this clash.
2026 Bristol Bears vs Union Bordeaux Begles
Brimming with star power across the board, both sides will start this clash at 100mph, so fans can expect plenty of tries right from the off.
In the burgundy corner, UBB’s French international-heavy back line can, and has, punished opponents from every corner of the pitch this season.
In Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle Biarrey, the reigning champions have the best club wing pairing in the world, and it is not particularly close. Bringing an added layer of X-factor, Fijian star Salesi Rayasi arrives at Ashton Gate fresh off scoring a hat trick in Round 3.
In the midfield, Yoram Moefana and Nicolas Depoortere are the odds-on favorites to be the starting combination for Les Bleus in the Six Nations. Still both in their early 20s, the pair combine elite pace, skills and power to create a formidable midfield weapon on both sides of the ball.
Pulling the strings in the halfbacks, Maxime Lucu and Martin Page Relo both are international scrumhalves who boss their packs around the park.
Outside this pair, Mathieu Jalibert is in career-best form and should, by all accounts, be the starting fly-half for France when Fabian Galthie names his squad. Backing up Jalibert is the Leinster-bound Irish international fly-half Joey Carbery.
Where Bordeaux is deceptively among the elite in professional rugby, however, is in the pack. Laying a rock-solid platform for an all-world back line, the likes of Jefferson Poirot, Adam Coleman and Cameron Woki give UBB a hard edge.
Facing this juggernaut this weekend are Lam’s Bears, who have defied an early-season injury crisis to remain near the top of both the Prem and the Champions Cup.
Building steadily over the past eight seasons, the Bears are ready to be true title contenders, both domestically, and in the Champions Cup.
Led by England stalwart Ellis Genge, the Bears play an all-court game that mixes brutal physicality with flair. Backed up by Gabriel Oghre, George Kloska, Pedro Rubiolo and others, Genge’s pack has overcome some of club rugby’s fiercest packs this season.
Capitalizing on the power of their pack, the Bears backs are led by Kieran Marmion and Tom Jordan in the halfbacks. The Prem outfit is always seeking scoring opportunities, irrespective of field position.
Giving the halfbacks this confidence are some of professional rugby’s in form outside backs, namely Kalaveti Ravouvou, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Noah Heward and Louis Rees Zammit.
The matchup of Ravouvou and Rees Zammit against Bielle Biarrey and Penaud is worth braving the English winter for. Nowhere on the planet will you find four more explosive try-scoring machines.
Picking a winner between these two sides is anyone’s guess, but given they are reigning champions, the visitors will feel they once again can put the squeeze on English opposition.
Conversely, the Bears know that victory over the champions automatically propels them to the top seeding position, and with it, a favorable home draw all the way through to a potential semifinal.
Perhaps more importantly, it will be further clarification that the Bears 2.0 project is nearing a peak that should deliver silverware to the great city of Bristol.
Rugby fans do not want to miss this clash. For fans based in the United States, all of the action will be streamed live, and exclusively, on FloRugby.
How To Watch Investec Champions Cup In The USA
The Investec Champions Cup 2026 will be broadcast on FloRugby at the FloSports app.
Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Clermont Auvergne
Saturday, Jan. 17 at 8 a.m. ET
Hollywoodbets Sharks
- Pool 1: 5th (5 pts)
- Record: 1-2
- Point Diff: −48
Clermont Auvergne
- Pool 1: 6th (0 pts)
- Record: 0-3
- Point Diff: −70
Watch: FloRugby
Toulouse vs. Sale Sharks
Saturday, Jan. 17 at 12:30 p.m. ET
Toulouse
- Pool 1: 4th (7 pts)
- Record: 1-2
- Point Diff: +24
Sale Sharks
- Pool 1: 2nd (11 pts)
- Record: 2-1
- Point Diff: +32
Watch: FloRugby
Glasgow Warriors vs. Saracens
Sunday, Jan. 18 at 12:30 p.m. ET
Glasgow Warriors
- Pool 1: 1st (15 pts)
- Record: 3-0
- Point Diff: +24
Saracens
- Pool 1: 3rd (10 pts)
- Record: 2-1
- Point Diff: +38
Watch: FloRugby
Investec Champions Cup Round 4 Fixtures
Friday, Jan. 16
- 3 p.m. ET – Pau vs. Vodacom Bulls (Pool 4)
- 3 p.m. ET – Bath Rugby vs. Edinburgh Rugby (Pool 2)
Saturday, Jan. 17
- 8 a.m. ET – Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Clermont Auvergne (Pool 1)
- 10:15 a.m. ET – Bayonne vs. Leinster (Pool 3)
- 10:15 a.m. ET – Stormers vs. Leicester Tigers (Pool 3)
- 12:30 p.m. ET – Toulouse vs. Sale Sharks (Pool 1)
- 12:30 p.m. ET – Munster Rugby vs. Castres Olympique (Pool 2)
- 3 p.m. ET – Gloucester Rugby vs. Toulon (Pool 2)
Sunday, Jan. 18
- 8 a.m. ET – Bristol Bears vs. Bordeaux-Bègles (Pool 4)
- 10:15 a.m. ET – Northampton Saints vs. Scarlets (Pool 4)
- 10:15 a.m. ET – La Rochelle vs. Harlequins (Pool 3)
- 12:30 p.m. ET – Glasgow Warriors vs. Saracens (Pool 1)
Watch FloRugby’s Round 4 Podcast Preview
European Union Rugby Lives On FloSports And FloRugby
Rugby fans can stream every match from the Top 14, Gallagher Premiership and United Rugby Championship on FloRugby, along with the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, making the platform the U.S. home for the world’s biggest club competitions and the game’s top players.
How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby
Professional club rugby in Europe all streams on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:
FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.
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