The 25 Best Rugby Clubs In The World On April 9 | FloRugby Rankings
The 25 Best Rugby Clubs In The World On April 9 | FloRugby Rankings
Europe’s elite battled hard, Super Rugby sizzled and rankings shifted - see who tops FloRugby’s latest Pro Club Power Rankings after a thrilling weekend.
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Glittering in the sunshine of the European spring, rugby’s grandest club competition produced a wide array of performances for fans to sink their teeth into.
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Ranging from Leinster’s show of force in their tonking of Harlequins in front of 55,000 fans at Croke Park to the old school slugfest between two European heavyweights in Stade Rochelais and Munster Rugby, the contrast in clashes showed why this competition gets better the further it develops.
One rung below the top table, the EPCR Challenge Cup spiced up with four of the Champions Cup pool sides dropping down to face off with the top contenders.
South of the equator, Super Rugby Pacific continued to plough forward at a rate of knots. Stealing the focus was the top-of-the-table clash between the Chiefs and Reds in Hamilton, which certainly didn’t disappoint.
Away from the first-place shootout, Moana Pasifika’s second consecutive victory over a playoff-contending team in the Waratahs had every neutral dreaming about where Ardie Savea’s side could get to in the second half of the season.
Crunching the numbers and factoring in the strength of each competition, here is this week’s FloRugby Pro Club Power Rankings:
1. Leinster Rugby
Sneaking into the top spot for the first time this season, given the significant swing in points against the previously highly rated Harlequins.
Leinster now appears to be the strongest team in this year’s Investec Champions Cup.
Capable of fielding a full international-23, and with Antoine Dupont unavailable to Toulouse, both the URC and Champions Cip are Leinster’s to lose.
2. Toulouse
Delayed for 40 minutes courtesy of a skydiver getting caught atop the Stade de Toulouse, the clash between the reigning champions and Sale Sharks was a confrontational affair.
In the end, the hosts wore down their Premiership opponents, but chinks in the armor were visible for all to see for the first time this season.
3. Union Bordeaux-Begles
Rotating your squad for the last-16 always was going to be a risky business, and Ulster certainly put it up to Union Bordeaux-Begles.
In the end, UBB had too much firepower at the key junctures of the match, but we can't help feeling UBB is teetering when it should be surging…
4. Glasgow Warriors
Trouncing the Tigers in emphatic fashion, the Warriors recovered from an opening score by the visitors to then completely dominate the rest of the fixture.
Next up, is their biggest challenge to date, a trip to Dublin to face Leinster.
5. Chiefs
Staking their claim as the one true leader of Super Rugby Pacific 2025, the Chiefs won the key moments in their victory over the Reds.
While the final score perhaps flatters them a touch, the Hamilton-based side remains the class of the competition.
6. RC Toulon
At halftime at the Stade Mayol, Toulon was staring down a humiliating home exit at the hands of a second-string Saracens side.
Flipping the script in the second 40, the Top 14 side scored the best part of 60 points to glide home.
Playing fast and loose is fun, but when they face the big boys of the Champions Cup, they will need to tighten up defensively or risk being blasted off the park.
7. Bath Rugby
Continuing our frustrations of last week’s rankings, Bath blitzed Pau, further reminding us just how royally they stuffed up their Champions Cup campaigns.
8. Munster Rugby
This week’s biggest riser, Munster’s twisting and mythical love affair with the Champions Cup, added a new chapter in the Round of 16.
Facing off against one of their favorite sons in Ronan O’Gara, it would be Munster’s current fly-half kingpin who would send La Rochelle packing with a peach of a drop goal.
When Munster has everyone on deck and the pressure is on, the team creates magical moments.
9. Northampton Saints
Bounding away from their French visitors, the young-gun Saints were magnificent in the opening fixture of the last-16.
From Henry Pollock’s menacing prowess at the breakdown to Tommy Freeman’s hat trick of tries, this Saints team has the potential to be a powerhouse, both domestically and in the Champions Cup, for years to come.
10. Crusaders
Harnessing our inner Michael Scott, ‘everyone stay calm! Everyone stay f’ing calm!’
Recovering from the season’s biggest mistake when they slipped up at home to Moana Pasifika, the Crusaders were noticeably conservative against the Fijian Drua. The result? A clinical and stress-free victory.
11. Castres Olympique
Winning the battle of the unheralded sides in the last-16, Castres broke Benetton’s heart with a devastating 78th-minute try to continue its remarkable home record.
In truth, this fixture didn’t get the credit it deserved, largely due to Leinster tonking Harlequins at the same time.
There is something interesting about this Castres team, and for those counting them out against Northampton, don’t.
12. Vodacom Bulls
Head coach Jake White knows how crucial it is for his squad to win some silverware in 2025.
Currently third in the URC, the prospect of traveling north for a potential semifinal is not appealing, albeit they’ve done it and won before.
Thus, a push through the Challenge Cup like the Sharks did is a very real prospect.
13. Queensland Reds
Coming up short in the battle for the top spot will disappoint Les Kiss’ side, but in truth, the team was firmly in the fight for the bulk of the contest.
Currently third on the table, their sights will remain fixed on top spot.
Next up is a massive derby clash with the Brumbies, which will go a long way to ensuring they remain in the running.
14. Gloucester Rugby
Winning on the road in France rarely is easy, as George Skivington’s side learned.
Emerging with a seven-point victory over Montpellier was a big result for the Cherry and Whites, who are developing into a serious outfit. Can they make it back-to-back appearance in the Challenge Cup final?
15. Bayonne
Dropping down four spots on the back of a disappointing home loss to the Bulls, the Top 14’s surprise package now can focus its full attention on the league.
16. Lyon
Hovering ominously just outside the top 6 in the Top 14, the incentive for pushing hard in both the league and Challenge Cup is obvious.
Certainly, Lyon can make the top 6, given the team is tied in points with sixth-place Clermont. However, a Challenge Cup win would not only add silverware to the cupboard, it would guarantee a Champions Cup place, should they slip out of the top 8 in the league.
17. Sale Sharks
As far as gallant efforts go, you won’t see many better than Sale’s efforts in Toulouse.
Leading the defending champions at halftime, Alex Sanderson’s squad bettered its heavily tipped hosts in most areas.
To the fore, were the Curry brothers, who chopped down the monstrous Toulouse ball carriers with ease, as did Luke Cowan-Dickie, who bulldozed through shins all afternoon.
Unfortunately, they lacked the cavalry on the bench to go the full 80 minutes, but the backbone of the squad will ensure long-term success for the Manchester-based outfit.
18. Brumbies
On bye in Week 8, the Canberra side will get a shot at being the top Aussies when they face the Reds in the final clash of Week 9.
19. Bristol Bears
Not in action this weekend due to their really poor run in the Champions Cup. Pat Lam’s side will be resting and recovering in a bid to stay in the top 2 heading into the Premiership semifinals.
20. Western Force
Getting back in the win column with a strong defensive performance against the Highlanders, the men from Perth showed that they have more strings to their bow than simply hitting the attack button.
21. Leicester Tigers
Falling heavily on the road to the Glasgow Warriors was a disappointing way to end the time of several key members of the Tigers squad in the Champions Cup.
In truth, outside of striking first, the Tigers never looked like they were winning.
Similar to Bristol, they will lick their wounds ahead of a push toward the Premiership semifinals.
22. ASM Clermont
Coming unstuck away to Northampton is far from embarrassing, but Clermont will be counting the loss that saw a few key players depart with injuries.
The most gnarly of all was club legend Fritz Lee’s broken leg, which was horrible to see.
Currently holding onto the sixth position in the Top 14 by the slimmest of margins, it is all to play for as the league hits the backstretch of the season.
23. Ulster Rugby
Despite losing away to Bordeaux, the points worked out for Ulster to move up two spots courtesy of other teams moving around them.
Finally, locking in a hands down first choice fly-half in Jack Murphy, while welcoming back several key internationals.
Ulster gave Bordeaux a real fright in the Round of 16, and suddenly, things look a lot more positive for the Northern Irish side to stay in the URC’s top 8, despite a tough draw.
24. Benetton Rugby
Rising up the ranks, the Italian URC outfit was mightily unfortunate to see its Champions Cup campaign come to a grinding halt.
Realistically, it is likely a good thing in the long run, as they get a chance to have a down week before returning to URC action.
Currently seventh in the league with a brutally tough final four rounds to play, Benetton is in make-or-break territory.
25. Hollywoodbets Sharks
Tumbling down the rankings in recent weeks, the Sharks suffered a rather limp exit from their Challenge Cup title defense away to Lyon.
Of the sides many would’ve been surprised to see drop out of the playoff contention, the Sharks would’ve been near the bottom of the list. Instead, they now face two incredibly tough away fixtures to Edinburgh and Ulster, before welcoming a red hot Ospreys side to town in Round 17.
The final fixture of their league campaign is against the Scarlets, who they’ll fancy beating comfortably, but three losses in their final four rounds would be catastrophic.
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