After Perpignan and Vannes, UBB keep losing to the bottom sides: will Castres be next?

Unbeatable at Chaban-Delmas, UBB struggle away from Bordeaux, and this season against the strugglers.

Two defeats against the bottom of the table

After nine rounds, UBB have lost three times: at Toulouse (48-12) on 13 September, at Perpignan (38-25) on 26 September, then against Vannes (23-14) on Sunday in Nantes, where the promoted Breton side were at home. Perpignan are 12th, Vannes 14th and last. Without their internationals, UBB dropped to fourth on 27 points.

Eight straight wins against the bottom side

In our database, UBB had won all eight games against the side that finished bottom over the previous four seasons: Brive in 2022-23, Oyonnax in 2023-24, Vannes in 2024-25 and Montauban in 2025-26. Vannes lost to them twice that season, 29-37 at home and 28-59 in Bordeaux. Their last defeat to the eventual wooden-spooners was at Biarritz on 4 September 2021 (27-15).

Unbeatable at home, fragile on the road

This season UBB have won all four home games, scoring 174 points and conceding 57. Away from home they have won only two of five, at Clermont (23-22) and La Rochelle (25-19), and concede 30 points a game.

The imbalance is not new. In the regular season UBB won only 4, 6 and then 5 of their 13 away games over the last three seasons, against 11, 11 and 9 at home.

Castres, the next trap?

Castres, 13th on 14 points, host UBB at Pierre-Fabre on 26 December. All three of their wins this season have come at home. Before that trip, UBB host Montpellier on 28 November, go to Toulon on 5 December and host Pau on 19 December.

UBB won on their last two visits to Castres, 13-3 in December 2024 and 28-26 in November 2025. They had lost there 23-18 in January 2023 and 41-12 in February 2024.