Bordeaux wins its first Champions Cup rugby title after subduing Northampton
CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Bordeaux-Begles won its first Champions Cup title after holding off Northampton 28-20 in the final at Principality Stadium on Saturday.
Bordeaux delivered a French champion for the fifth straight year after dominating the second half from 20-20 at halftime.
Two tries for wing Damian Penaud and one for lock Adam Coleman were countered by a pair from Northampton flanker Alex Coles in the most first-half points ever in a final.
Coles' tying second converted try just before the interval helped the Saints overcome losing backs George Furbank and James Ramm to injuries in the opening five minutes.
Ramm had to be helped off and England international Ollie Sleightholme replaced him for a first club appearance since December. Furbank took an accidental knee to his face from Bordeaux fullback Romain Buros, continuing a horrible run for him after playing just 57 minutes of rugby this year because of a broken arm and then aggravating that injury.
Northampton's Henry Pollock had a try disallowed within two minutes of the restart, and Saints briefly went down to 13 players when replacement lock Ed Prowse collected a yellow card. Bordeaux captain Maxime Lucu's 44th-minute penalty edged the French back in front.
Bordeaux's superior finishing and power game from close range saw lock Cyril Cazeaux go over in the 55th to open an eight-point gap that held to the end as Saints flagged under pressure.
'We have put in a lot of hard work to get to this point, so to get the reward is unreal,' Coleman told broadcaster Premier Sports.
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Toronto Sun
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- Toronto Sun
French Open: 361st-ranked Lois Boisson upsets No. 3 Jessica Pegula. Gauff, Djokovic and Sinner win
Published Jun 02, 2025 • 3 minute read Lois Boisson of France plays a backhand against Jessica Pegula of United States during the Women's Singles Fourth Round match on Day Nine of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros on June 2, 2025 in Paris. Photo by Julian Finney / Getty Images PARIS — Lois Boisson never had played at the French Open, let alone in the biggest arena at Roland-Garros. Nothing fazed the French wild-card entry and now she is in the quarterfinals. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Boisson, ranked just 361st, threw her head back and roared after beating No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in the fourth round Monday. She is by far the lowest-ranked woman to beat someone ranked in the top five at the French Open in 40 years. The lowest previously in that span was No. 179 Aniko Kapros, who eliminated No. 5 Justine Henin in the first round in 2002. Boisson also is the lowest-ranked woman to reach the quarterfinals at Roland-Garros since at least 1985. Quite a victory, considering Pegula was the U.S. Open runner-up last year. Understandably, Boisson was nervous as she served for the match and saved three break points. 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Winnipeg Free Press
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Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
CHL execs not panicking as players head to NCAA in changing junior hockey landscape
RIMOUSKI – London Knights GM Mark Hunter says it's concerning. Canadian Hockey League president Dan Mackenzie isn't panicking. Western Hockey League commissioner Dan Near, meanwhile, will be surprised if some players don't change their minds by Christmas. One thing is certain: winds of change are sweeping through Canadian junior hockey with some top CHL prospects flying south to the NCAA. Where it all lands is anyone's guess. 'It's a real new landscape here right now of what's going to happen to junior hockey,' Hunter said. 'The next two years are going to be some wild, wild west.' The WHL, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League have long produced the most — and many of the best — NHL players. But the talent pipeline could shift after the NCAA lifted a long-standing ban in November, allowing CHL players to compete at U.S. colleges starting next season. 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While the country's top junior teams congregated for the Memorial Cup, CHL executives met in Rimouski to discuss what some fans see as the beginning of an exodus. The league is monitoring closely, but plans to let the dust settle before making any reactive moves. 'We don't know who's going and how that's all going to work,' MacKenzie said. 'We also don't know if they're going to stay, if they're going to go into the portal, if they're going to come back, like who knows? 'A lot still has to play out, but by no means are we panicking or not confident that we can't develop great players.' MacKenzie noted that the CHL has more NHL draft picks than any other league. He and Near also highlighted that a record 170 CHL players landed on NHL Central Scouting's pre-draft rankings. 'We are the best development environment in the world,' Near said. 'Am I surprised that NCAA schools are interested in our players? I'm not.' So why are players leaving? The increasing departures have some puzzled. 'The reasons they're giving us are basically, it's not you, it's me,' QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini said in French. 'You didn't do anything wrong. The support is perfect. My coach is great. My billet family is amazing. 'Why this move gets made escapes me.' Near believes players might view the NCAA as a shiny new toy. He also credits recruiters from U.S. schools as persuasive salesmen. The WHL commissioner, however, suggested the grass may not be greener. More than 300 players, he said, entered the NCAA transfer portal, a sign that many aren't satisfied with their situations. 'Means they weren't happy with where they were,' he said. 'When they're recruiting, they don't talk to you about whether the scholarship is guaranteed for the time that you're there. 'I'd be shocked if some guys didn't come back at Christmas because they didn't think it was what they expected.' The NCAA is still a proven path to the NHL. Teams have drafted 63 first-round picks from the NCAA in the last 10 years, including Macklin Celebrini, last year's No. 1 overall selection. MONEY TALKS One reason players could be eyeing the NCAA? Money. In June 2021, the NCAA implemented a policy allowing players to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Near argued that NIL money would pale in comparison to future NHL earnings. He also raised questions about how much players could make under their foreign student visas. For example, Canadian basketball player Aaliyah Edwards couldn't actively participate in endorsements in the U.S. when she played for UConn. CHL teams, meanwhile, provide only a modest monthly stipend. Players are allowed to pursue sponsorship deals, but cannot be paid under the league's amateur student-athlete model. MacKenzie doesn't see that changing anytime soon. CHL VS. NCAA MacKenzie said the CHL and its schedule of 60-plus regular-season games — followed possibly by four playoff rounds and the Memorial Cup — is an ideal development path to the NHL. In contrast, NCAA teams play between 30 and 40 games in a given season. Cecchini highlighted that the average age of players in the NCAA also skews higher. 'Don't underestimate this, it's a man's league,' he said. There's also a bigger emphasis on school. While the QMJHL mandates players to study, the OHL and WHL have looser requirements. 'Some players may want to focus more on the hockey than on the school side,' MacKenzie said. 'Every player is different in terms of what their objectives are.' NEW RECRUITING METHODS The changing landscape, Hunter said, will force teams to ask more questions during their recruitment. 'Do you want to play in the CHL?' he said. 'You've got to be more specific about what their thoughts are. I totally agree with that. We have to be more thorough with what we're doing now.' Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. The rule change could also swing the other way, with more Americans joining the CHL, now that players won't burn their bridge to the NCAA. This year's OHL draft saw a rise in American selections, and Cecchini predicted the same would happen in the QMJHL. Ottawa Senators draft pick Blake Montgomery, who's headed to Wisconsin next season, also moved from the USHL to the OHL's London Knights this season. Medicine Hat general manager Willie Desjardins sees teams increasing recruiting efforts south of the border. 'We'll look. I think there'll be more players coming up,' he said. 'We're going to do what we can to hold players from going to NCAA, we want them to stay with us, and USHL is going to do what they can to keep their players, so it won't change, but there will be a different flow of players.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
