Stade Bordelais dethrone unbeaten Romagnat to seal Elite 1 four-peat

Stade Bordelais secured a fourth straight AXA Elite 1 championship on Sunday evening, defeating ASM Romagnat 22-10 at Biarritz’s Stade Aguilera to add the 2026 title to those won in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

The result was all the more striking given the weight of expectation sitting on the other side of the pitch. Romagnat had lost just once all season and had beaten the defending champions twice in the regular campaign. Stade Bordelais arrived as underdogs — yet produced the more composed performance when it mattered most.

The victory came less than 24 hours after Toulouse claimed a fourth consecutive Top 14 crown at Stade de France, meaning French rugby witnessed two separate four-in-a-row title runs within a single weekend. Not since Toulouse Fémina Sports — the forerunner to the current Stade Toulousain women’s side — won six straight titles between 1975 and 1980 has any club held such a grip on the women’s game in France.

The final was tighter in the opening exchanges than the scoreline ultimately suggested. Bordelais missed several clear chances before Axelle Berthoumieu opened the scoring in the 25th minute, touching down at the back of a well-constructed maul. Madassou Fall-Raclot had knocked on charging for the line in the 11th minute, another attack was held up over the line, and Nassira Konde was double-tackled into touch in the corner.

Bordelais captain Agathe Gérin, playing the final match of her career, also had three lineout throws stolen inside the opening 20 minutes, and humid conditions in south-west France made clean handling difficult for both sides.

The breakthrough came when ASM fly-half Elodie Fernandez’s clearance kick was charged down by second-row Hallie Taufo’ou. Taufo’ou won the foot-race to the ball and, though she was stopped short, the ball was recycled for Morgane Bourgeois to finish wide. Bordelais led 12-3 at the interval.

They extended that to 15-3 after 51 minutes, before Fernandez scored under the posts to pull Romagnat back to within a converted try. But Bordelais held their nerve and closed out the match, completing a comeback story that had already gathered momentum in the semi-final — where they overturned a deficit at Toulouse to reach the final.