French flair seals Champions Cup title for Bordeaux Bègles over Northampton Saints

Irish Times

24-05-2025

Champions Cups final: Bordeaux Bègles 28 Northampton Saints 20
The
Champions Cup
has a new name on the trophy and a new major force in the European rugby. Strictly speaking, this well-run, superbly supported club have been the coming force for some years now and this spellbinding final merely confirmed the arrival of Bordeaux Bègles among the continent's elite.
The ferocity of the collisions was matched by the ambition of both sides, although a slightly disjointed second period didn't match the wildly fluctuating end-to-end pattern of the first-half.
As suspected might be the case, the competition's top seeds had a little too much physical power, as well as X factor, although Northampton didn't die wondering and their bravery against a superior force couldn't be faulted.
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The highlight reels were provided by Matthieu Jalibert and two of the world's best wingers Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud.
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The latter added two more to his try tally, bringing him to 14 for the campaign, and duly received the Anthony Foley Trophy as the player of the tournament in the week when Axel's mother Sheelagh sadly passed away.
The teams traded blow for blow in a first period which fulfilled the hype and the hopes to finish 20-20 before Bordeaux turned up their power game to full force.
Perhaps fittingly, the match-winning try was provided by one of their unheralded heroes, lock Cyril Cazeaux, while Yoram Moefana maintained his potent season with another big game.
Northampton Saints' Tommy Freeman and Bordeaux's Damian Penaud. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA
There were warriors aplenty in the Saints too, not least Alex Coles, who was immense in their semi-final win over Leinster and here demonstrated his wide-ranging abilities by moving to blindside and scoring both Northampton tries, as well as being awesome in the lineout.
The tournament is still not without its flaws, and will lack even more reach next season for the lack of interest from the main terrestrial TV companies in Ireland and the UK, but almost invariably the showpieces deliver.
The prematch fire show under the enclosed Principality Stadium roof was spectacular and the atmosphere and darkened upper tiers obscured the few empty seats. Among the crowd was a fair sprinkling of Leinster blue and in the montage of tries from each of the previous finals there were a fair few cheers, and boos, for Leinster's scorers.
But the loudest derision was for Saracens tries while, interestingly, the Bordeaux fans cheered triumphs by rival French sides.
The prospect of a tryless final always seemed remote between these two sides who had scored 89 tries en route to this decider. Sure enough, that possibility lasted all of one minute and 51 seconds. Setting the helter skelter tone from the off, Pete Samu called for Fin Smith's wonky kick-off but knocked on and Northampton immediately went into overdrive with the ferocity of their straight carries before going wide.
Northampton Saints' Fin Smith (left) and Henry Pollock after the game. Photograph: Andrew Matthews/PA
Although Alex Mitchell was thumped backwards from his quick tap, they were playing with another advantage when Alex Coles finished adroitly from close range despite three tackles, Smith converting.
As impressive was the Northampton defensive set after Jalibert's clever kick forced George Furbank to concede an attacking lineout. But, having already seen an injured James Ramm helped off, the Saints then lost Furbank as well inside the opening five minutes when the fullback was caught accidentally in the head by the knee of Romain Burros.
When Bordeaux went to the corner although their drive was repelled, Yoram Moefana's big carry put him on the front foot for Jalibert and Burros to give Damian Penaud a routine finish.
Bordeaux appeared to have struck again off a lovely strike play off a scrum, Jalibert pulling the strings, Louis Bielle-Biarrey came across from his wing and exchanged passes with Penaud to finish, but on review his initial pass was clearly forward.
Bielle-Biarrey soon engineered another attacking lineout with a well-weighted kick in behind after again roaming over to the right. Although Moefana dropped the ball when launched, he left it behind hi, m, and Jalibert a danced a jig back toward the touchline, taking out five players before popping the ball for Adam Coleman to finish.
Jalibert also landed the touchline conversion and then exchanged penalties with Smith before Mahamadou Diaby was binned for catching Temo Mayanavanua high. But although they initially probed after going up the line, Northampton ultimately had to settle for another three-pointer.
Bielle-Biarrey was applauded sardonically after miscuing out on the full but you can't keep a great winger down for long. Soon he brilliantly regathered his own high kick and then kicked ahead again, the ball bouncing for Penaud to gather when he was tackled in the air by Tommy Freeman, sending him to the bin.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey in action for Bordeaux. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho
Again Bordeaux went to their drive and power play before Jalibert regained his own deflected grubber and offloaded for Penaud to beat Mitchell and score in the corner for his record-extending 14tth try in one Champions Cup campaign.
However, after tighthead Trevor Davison won a key turnover penalty Northampton reprised one of their cleverly and accurately executed plays when sweeping back to the right where Tom Litchfield offloaded for Coles to score his second try.
Smith, inevitably, landed the touchline conversion to make it 20-20 with the last kick of the half. You didn't that kind of vision to envisage this being that kind of wild yet evenly balanced final.
On the resumption, Mitchell's kick gained the ground from which Henry Pollock appeared to have scored off a trick play at the front of a lineout but reviews showed Coles had tugged back Ben Tameifuna. Ed Prowse was then binned for a high hit on Moefana and Lucu elected for the three-pointer against 13 men.
Bordeaux then had a try overruled after replays showed Maxime Lamothe had knocked on over the line before the Saints then repelled another drive off a penalty to the corner. That seemed like it might be significant but Bordeaux's mix power and pace was unrelenting as the benches became a factor, one big counter-ruck on halfway leading to Jalibert and Nicolas Depoortere released thur Retiere, an early replacement for Burros. The attack continued through multiple phases before Cazeaux, having been part of the initial counter-ruck, went through Ollie Sleightholme's tackle to score.
Bordeaux Bègles captain Maxime Lucu. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho
Even so Lucu, having taken over the kicking duties, missed Bordeaux's third conversion and after Moefana's big carry through the middle and two more penalties to the corner, once again they were defied by the Northampton pack.
The Saints even launched a big attack on the Northampton line but a trailing leg disrupted Mitchell's pass from the base and after Jalibert, Bielle-Biarrey and Penaud led a footrush upfield, soon Bordeaux were looking to turn the screw again.
Their kicking game mercilessly exposed Mitchell in the back left corner but the Saints' lineout defence, in the air and on the ground, was outstanding.
But the clock kept ticking on their chances, and there was no doubting that, yet again, the Champions Cup was simply won by the best team in the competition.
Scoring sequence – 2 mins:
Coles try, Smith con 0-7;
6:
Penaud try 5-7;
20:
Coleman try, Jalibert con 12-7;
25:
Smith pen 12-10;
29:
Jalibert pen 15-10;
33:
Smith pen 15-13;
37:
Penaud try 20-13;
40:
Coles try, Smith con 20-20;
Half-time: 20-20
;
45:
Lucu pen 23-20;
56:
Cazeaux try 28-20.
BORDEAUX BÈGLES:
R Buros; D Penaud, N Depoortere, Y Moefana, L Bielle-Biarrey; M Jalibert, M Lucu (capt); J Poirot, M Lamothe, S Falatea; A Coleman, C Cazeaux; M Diaby, G Petti, P Samu.
Replacements:
A Retiere for Burros (12 mins), B Tameifuna for Falatea, M Gazzotti for Diaby (both h-t), P Bochaton for Coleman (50), U Boniface for Poirot (59), C Sa for Lamothe (63), R Janse van Rensburg for Moefana (73),
Yellow card:
Diaby (30-40 mins).
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS:
G Furbank; T Freeman, F Dingwall (capt), R Hutchinson, J Ramm; F Smith, A Mitchell; E Iyogun, C Langdon, T Davison; T Mayanavanua, T Lockett; A Coles, J Kemeny, H Pollock.
Replacements:
O Sleightholme for Ramm (3 mins), T Litchfield for Furbank (5), E Prowse for Mayanavanua (30), E Millar-Mills for Davison (60), C Wright for Langdon, A Scott-Young for Lockyer (both 61), Langdon for Wright (73), T James for Mitchell (78).
Yellow cards:
Freeman (37-47 mins), Prowse (44-54).
Referee:
N Amashukeli (Geo).