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There are in truth few Bordeaux Bègles players better qualified to explain just how it feels to be in the eye of the storm with European rugby’s 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.
Coleman’s career looked to be over when London Irish went out of business 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’s rise to the top of the club game, culminating in their Champions Cup final triumph over Northampton last year.
As a dual-international with both the Wallabies and Tonga, as well as experiencing rugby in almost all corners of the sport’s 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.
“When London Irish went down I genuinely didn’t know what was going to happen next for my career,” he says. “But to come here, to meet the people and live in Bordeaux: it’s an incredible place. You get this incredible lifestyle and the opportunity to play with some many great French internationals. There’s all the benefits of playing overseas.”
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’s premier competition. Bath are the first obstacle in their way on Sunday.
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. “They like to control the game, put a lot of structure into the game and we like to play a brand of more elusive rugby,” Coleman says. “It’ll be a good game of rugby.
“The 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 … we’re very grateful for that. But we can’t look too far ahead. The quality of player they’ve got with guys like [Finn] Russell means it’s going to be a real challenge.
“We’re taking nothing for granted but if you asked us at the start of the year where we’d want to be, this is exactly where we’d have said.”
Coleman’s 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’s success in European rugby suggests more silverware is not too far away.
“I can’t comment on the last coach because I wasn’t here but maybe it was a fresh start that UBB needed,” Coleman says. “It’s really showed in the way we’re playing and the professionalism of the team and really taking that step forward from where we were when I joined.”
With the likes of Louis Bielle-Biarrey in their ranks – who Coleman describes as a “once-in-a-generation player” – 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.
“If the opportunity came to finish my career here I’d love that,” he smiles. “Who knows what the future holds, but I’d love to finish here. My family is really settled, my kids are in school and it’s just been a great move for me.”
