Northampton Saints miss out on Champions Cup glory after defeat by Bordeaux in final

Northampton Saints missed out on the Champions Cup title after a 28-20 defeat by Bordeaux-Begles in the final.

At the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, a captivating first half had seen each side score multiple ties to be 20-20 at the break. But Bordeaux would show enough in the second half of proceedings to edge out the Saints, taking the trophy back to France.

The result meant Northampton missed out on the chance to win a second Champions Cup trophy to add to the one they won in 2000.

A frantic first half given hope to Saints fans. Alex Coles, who started despite fitness doubts, registered an early try with Fin Smith scoring the conversion.

Bordeaux scored a try, had another try disallowed, then scored a try again to take a 12-7 lead. A Smith penalty reduced the deficit, only for a penalty to make it 15-10 in Bordeaux’s favour.

The sending to the sin bin of Bordeaux’s Mahamadou Diaby had opened things up, with Smith scoring a penalty, only for Tommy Freeman to also get sent to the sin bin for his own misdemeanour.

A try by Bordeaux’s Damian Penaud had made it 20-13 in Bordeaux’s favour, but the Saints would come back into it, making it 20-20 when Coles scored a try and Smith followed up with a conversion.

Northampton thought they’d moved into the lead again shortly after the break, only for a try by Henry Pollock to be disallowed for a pull-back by Coles.

Ed Prowse would then get sent to the sin bin and while both he and Freeman were in the sin bin, Bordeaux grabbed a penalty to re-take the lead through Maxime Lucu.

Cyril Cazeaux then grabbed a try to make it 28-20 in Bordeaux’s favour, and despite plenty of effort from the Saints, a side who’d lost players to injury were unable to get any points back that would’ve made the game interesting.

That allowed Bordeaux to see the game out, as the French side won the Champions Cup for the first time.

An element of controversy did emerge in the aftermath of the match, with figures in the Saints’ camp accusing Bordeaux players of inciting a fight between the two teams after the game, with particular focus on a confrontation with the Saints’ Pollock. One Bordeaux player was accused of grabbing the 20-year-old by the throat during the scenes.