Saffa streak continues in Champions Cup final
Juarno Augustus and Rohan Janse van Rensburg are expected to extend the streak of South African representation in every Champions Cup final when Northampton Saints battle Bordeaux in Cardiff on Saturday for the premier European club rugby crown.
Augustus has enjoyed a standout season for Northampton Saints, the former Stormers No 8 scoring five tries in five Champions Cup appearances for the defending English Premiership champions this campaign.
Meanwhile, powerhouse centre Janse van Rensburg has scored four tries in his last six appearances for Bordeaux and will inevitably find himself running at Augustus in the Cardiff finale.
2015: Toulon
With Nigel Owens on the whistle, Bakkies Botha, Bryan Habana and Juan Smith were in tow as Leigh Halfpenny kicked 14 points and Drew Mitchell scored a decisive try to win Toulon's third consecutive European title in the inaugural Champions Cup final with a 24-18 win against Clermont at Twickenham.
2016: Saracens
Owen Farrell beat Johan Goosen in a goal-kicking duel by seven penalties to three as Saracens clinched their first Champions Cup trophy with a 21-9 victory of Racing 92 in the Lyon final. Goosen started at outside centre for the French contenders, supported by former WP lock Francois van der Merwe, while the English Premiership club was powered by Schalk Brits, Michael Rhodes and Petrus du Plessis.
2017: Saracens
Saracens made it two from two with Farrell kicking 13 points in a 28-17 win against Clermont in the Murrayfield final. Brits, Rhodes and Du Plessis were joined by compatriots Schalk Burger and Vincent Koch in hoisting the trophy.
2018: Leinster
The wet conditions in Bilbao forced Leinster and Racing 92 into a tactical battle. Former Bok Pat Lambie was forced off early after a serious knee injury, handing French international Remi Tales the keys to Racing's attack. Johnny Sexton and Teddy Iribaren exchanged three penalties each before Isa Nacewa took over kicking duties for Leinster. Iribaren slotted his fourth of the game before Nacewa sealed Leinster's fourth title by adding six points from the tee, securing a 15-12 win in Spain.
2019: Saracens
Defending champions Leinster were in the hunt for a record-breaking fifth Champions Cup win and faced off an imposing Saracens at St James' Park in Newcastle. Owen Farrell scored 10 points from the tee, aided by Springbok duo Schalk Burger and Vincent Koch to defeat Leinster 20-10 and earn a third Champions Cup win in four seasons.
2020: Exeter Chiefs
The 2020 Champions Cup was contested by first-time finalists Exeter Chiefs and two-time runners-up Racing 92. Exeter started strong, streaking to a 14-0 lead thanks to tries from Luke Cowan-Dickie and Sam Simmonds. Racing responded by closing the gap to a single point but a stoppage-time penalty from Joe Simmonds saw Exeter claim a 31-27 victory and their first Champions Cup crown. Jacques Vermeulen started at openside flank while Bulls forward Jannes Kirsten featured off the bench for Exeter.
2021: Toulouse
It was the battle of the flyhalves at Twickenham in 2021 as Romain Ntamack bested La Rochelle's Ihaia West by 16 points to 12 in Toulouse's 22-17 win for a record-breaking fifth Champions Cup triumph. Springbok speedster Cheslin Kolbe and Rynhardt Elstadt started for Toulouse, fending off former Stormers duo Dillyn Leyds and Raymond Rhule. Wiaan Liebenerg came off the bench for La Rochelle.
2022: La Rochelle
After suffering heartbreak at the hands of Toulouse in the 2021 decider, La Rochelle bounced back with a 24-21 win against four-time winners Leinster. Dillyn Leyds, Raymond Rhule and Wiaan Liebenbrg returned to weather Leinster's storm – including 18 points from Johnny Sexton – and claim La Rochelle's first ever Champions Cup trophy.
2023: La Rochelle
Leinster, playing in front of a packed home crowd, had the opportunity for revenge in a rematch of 2022's final against La Rochelle who were appearing in a third consecutive Champions Cup final. Ross Byrne's 11 points from the tee was matched by La Rochelle's Antoine Hestoy, who contributed 11. Backed up by speedsters Dillyn Leyds and Raymond Rhule, La Rochelle secured a nailbiting 27-26 win in Dublin to clinch a second-consecutive Champions Cup win.
2024: Toulouse
The two most decorated unions met in the 2023-24 Champions Cup final. Five-time champions Toulouse squared up against four-time winners Leinster at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. In a match that went to extra time after being deadlocked at 15-15, Scotland international Blair Kinghorn kicked four penalties, while replacement fullback Thomas Ramos scored 13 with the boot to outmatch Ross Byrne's 12-point contribution and steer Toulouse to a 31-22 victory and their sixth Champions Cup crown. Springbok lock Jason Jenkins ran out for Leinster in their fourth Champions Cup final defeat.
The post Saffa streak continues in Champions Cup final appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
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