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The Irish Sun
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Conor Murray makes surprise cameo appearance at Champions Cup final as fans hail ‘class touch'
CONOR Murray made a surprise appearance at the Champions Cup final to present Damian Penaud with the Anthony Foley Memorial Trophy. Penaud was an apt recipient after scoring two tries in Bordeaux-Begles' 28-20 victory over 2 Cian Tracey of the Irish Independent drew attention to the nice moment post-match Credit: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland 2 The French side were the superior side throughout though their opposition were remarkably resilient in defence Credit: Getty The award has been given out as an additional gong to the Champions Cup Player of the Year each year since 2017 when it was created by the EPCR in memory of the Munster legend who France hero Penaud's two took him to 14 in the competition, with Adam Coleman also crossing for the Top 14 side in a first half that ended 20 points apiece. The nice moment between Penaud and Murray was captured by INPHO photographer Billy Strickland and praised by rugby journalist Cian Tracey. He tweeted: "Conor Murray presented European player of the year Damian Penaud with the Anthony Foley Memorial Trophy. Nice touch." Read More On Irish Sport Among the replies, JJ Casey hailed it as a "class" moment of the community values rugby prides itself on. In saying that though, there was a bit of friction post-game as Henry Pollock was at the centre of a storm with rival players. The Lion bolter was clearly steaming at some of the French side's antics during a ding-dong decider and tempers spilled over after the final whistle. Bordeaux travelling reserve Tevita Tatafu was seen grabbing the Englishman by the throat and Saints skipper Fraser Dingwall accused them of acting against the spirit of the game. Most read in Rugby Union Pollock's England teammate Fin Smith confirmed: 'They were after him. I don't think they liked him. They all sort of charged at him and tried to get hold of him. 'I'm surprised if you have just won a European Cup and the first thing you want to do is start a fight with a 20-year-old. I felt that was interesting.' Ireland rugby legend Conor Murray and wife Joanna Cooper play VR Back row Pollock had a running battle with the French and Northampton are ready to take things further if officials do not take action. Boss Phil Dowson said: 'There was a fracas at the end, there was foul play involved and I have been assured the touch judge has seen it and will deal with it appropriately. 'Henry was particularly upset because it was uncalled for and out of order and so he reacted. The officials have told me they will deal with it.' Saints' George Furbank ended up on the deck early on after challenging Penaud in the air and then copped a knee on the jaw from Romain Beros as he was getting up. The English side lost him there and then and were then undone by the brilliance of Penaud and fly-half Matthieu Jalibert as the first half wore on. But a pair of tries from Alex Coles at either end of the half meant Saints were right in it and the 20-20 interval score was a points record for that stage of a Champions Cup final. Dowson's men were briefly down to 13 men with yellow cards for Leinster's semi-final tormentor Tommy Freeman and Ed Prowse. But they had two scores disallowed before Cazeaux got the only try of the second half to seal victory and keep the cup in France for a fifth straight year. Bordeaux's win meant a second Champions Cup medal for former Leinster and Munster star Joey Carbery, 29, though he was not involved in the matchday squad. SCORERS — Bordeaux: Tries: Penaud 2, Coleman, Cazeaux; Con: Jalibert; Pens: Jalibert, Lucu. Northampton: Tries: Coles 2; Cons: Smith 2; Pens: Smith 2.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bordeaux mix beauty and beast to shatter brave Saints
It wasn't just Damian Penaud celebrating astride a model zebra that gave a surreal air to the Champions Cup final aftermath. On the touchline, Henry Pollock was trying to get to grips with a strange new reality. "Sometimes it's not your day I guess," he told 5 Live Sport. "Sport can be cruel." Or so he has heard. So far, this season, the game has lavished only glory and garlands on the back row star. In this breakout campaign, Pollock had won 14 of the 17 games he had started before today. He began it on Saints bench and will finish it on a British and Irish Lions tour. On his last visit to this stadium, he scored two tries on his England debut. In the last round of this competition, he skinned Sam Prendergast for an astonishing try in a tremendous victory. He was manhandled by Saracens back row last weekend, but still emerged victorious. This time though his streak came to a full stop. "Every time Pollock was anywhere near the ball there was an acceleration in the Bordeaux players to get to him," said Paul Grayson, part of the last Northampton team to win Europe's premier competition, on BBC Radio 5 Live. "They all had eyes on him. "They singled him out as a difference-maker and he'll have to work out how to deal with that as his career goes forwards." Saints coach Phil Dowson later claimed that Bordeaux's players had targetted Pollock after the final whistle as well, describing an incident in which his player appeared to be grabbed around the throat as "uncalled for and out of order". Rugby Union Weekly: Champions Cup heartbreak for Northampton Bordeaux bulldoze Northampton to win Champions Cup 'It's going to hurt' - heartache for Northampton as Bordeaux win chaotic Champions Cup final Pollock didn't play badly. None of Northampton did. The 20-year-old made more metres than any other forward on the pitch. He turned over one ball in the shadow of his own posts and was a key part of a heroic rearguard. For much of the second half, Northampton defended their line like they had been backed up to a cliff edge. At the other end, Pollock twice streaked away for scores that had the Principality's rafters rattling and threatened to turn Saints' resistance into all-out rebellion. On both occasions though, the overworked television match official stepped in to rule them out. The score didn't stand. And by the final whistle, on the scene of their sucker-punch final defeat by Leinster in 2011, neither did Saints. Their route to victory was always a thin and perilous one. Captain Fraser Dingwall had explained earlier in the week that his side needed to keep the tempo high and ball moving to tire out Bordeaux's heavy brigade up front. He admitted though that doing so flirted with another danger. Because Bordeaux's backline, marshalled by the quicksilver Mathieu Jalibert and laced with the pace of Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, is the most dangerous in the competition off turnover ball and in broken field. No opposition had managed to strike that balance successfully against them so far. Bordeaux scored an average of 42 points a game in the knockout stages. They averaged more than eight tries a game in the pools. Seven games, seven resounding wins. No-one has even got close. Saints though did get close. After a helter-skelter first half, they were level at 20-20. A combination of a fast start, a couple of glitchy kicks from Jalibert, some doughty defence and a readiness to go toe-to-toe with Bordeaux for ambition bought them parity. When Pollock bolted through for a score that never was early in the second half, it felt like the underdogs might have their day. Bordeaux though had come prepared. Northampton's attempt to drain their batteries was foiled by the bench buzzing with power and six forwards. As they unloaded their replacements, Northampton were squeezed back into their own half. Saints' plan was also undermined by a lack of luck and discipline. Injuries to James Ramm and George Furbank in the first five minutes robbed them of two of their back three and some fluidity. Early in the second half a yellow card for replacement Ed Prowse, for going high on Yoram Moefana, put them on the back foot. Marius Jonker's South African tones regularly interrupted play as well as the TMO helped out with hairline calls, giving Bordeaux time to catch their breath. Northampton needed everything to fall their way. In the end, too few things did. Penaud may have been riding a zebra by the end, but a boa constrictor would have been more appropriate given the way his side throttled the life out of the game in the final quarter. The stadium public address system throbbed to Sash's 90s dance monster Encore En Fois after the final whistle and it was easy to imagine that, with their upwardly mobile set of stars, Bordeaux will indeed be repeat winners in the next few years. Dingwall was alongside Pollock as he gave his post-match interview. As he has done throughout a run that has been such a welcome break from Saints' dreary Premiership form, the skipper found the right words. "Tonight, I think we celebrate us and the run we have had," he said. "We didn't come out on the right side of the result, but there is still so much to be proud of. "We will stick together." After the losses of Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam and Alex Waller at the end of last season, and David Ribbans the previous summer, that might be enough. If they stay intact as a group, Pollock, Fin Smith, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Sleightholme, Alex Coles, Tom Pearson, Emmanuel Iyogun and George Hendy are a fine, young core to build on. Sport is cruel, but the future might be kinder on Saints.
24-05-2025
- Sport
Bordeaux wins its first Champions Cup rugby title after subduing Northampton
CARDIFF, Wales -- 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.
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Bordeaux mix beauty and beast to shatter brave Saints
It wasn't just Damian Penaud celebrating astride a model zebra that gave a surreal air to the Champions Cup final the touchline, Henry Pollock was trying to get to grips with a strange new reality."Sometimes it's not your day I guess," he told 5 Live Sport. "Sport can be cruel."Or so he has far, this season, the game has lavished only glory and garlands on the back row this breakout campaign, Pollock had won 14 of the 17 games he had started before began it on Saints bench and will finish it on a British and Irish Lions his last visit to this stadium, he scored two tries on his England the last round of this competition, he skinned Sam Prendergast for an astonishing try in a tremendous was manhandled by Saracens back row last weekend, but still emerged victorious. This time though his streak came to a full stop."Every time Pollock was anywhere near the ball there was an acceleration in the Bordeaux players to get to him," said Paul Grayson, part of the last Northampton team to win Europe's premier competition, on BBC Radio 5 Live."They all had eyes on him."They singled him out as a difference-maker and he'll have to work out how to deal with that as his career goes forwards."Saints coach Phil Dowson later claimed that Bordeaux's players had targetted Pollock after the final whistle as well, describing an incident in which his player appeared to be grabbed around the throat as "uncalled for and out of order". Pollock didn't play badly. None of Northampton 20-year-old made more metres than any other forward on the pitch. He turned over one ball in the shadow of his own posts and was a key part of a heroic rearguard. For much of the second half, Northampton defended their line like they had been backed up to a cliff the other end, Pollock twice streaked away for scores that had the Principality's rafters rattling and threatened to turn Saints' resistance into all-out both occasions though, the overworked television match official stepped in to rule them score didn't stand. And by the final whistle, on the scene of their sucker-punch final defeat by Leinster in 2011, neither did route to victory was always a thin and perilous Fraser Dingwall had explained earlier in the week that his side needed to keep the tempo high and ball moving to tire out Bordeaux's heavy brigade up admitted though that doing so flirted with another Bordeaux's backline, marshalled by the quicksilver Mathieu Jalibert and laced with the pace of Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, is the most dangerous in the competition off turnover ball and in broken opposition had managed to strike that balance successfully against them so scored an average of 42 points a game in the knockout stages. They averaged more than eight tries a game in the pools. Seven games, seven resounding has even got though did get a helter-skelter first half, they were level at 20-20. A combination of a fast start, a couple of glitchy kicks from Jalibert, some doughty defence and a readiness to go toe-to-toe with Bordeaux for ambition bought them Pollock bolted through for a score that never was early in the second half, it felt like the underdogs might have their though had come attempt to drain their batteries was foiled by the bench buzzing with power and six forwards. As they unloaded their replacements, Northampton were squeezed back into their own plan was also undermined by a lack of luck and to James Ramm and George Furbank in the first five minutes robbed them of two of their back three and some in the second half a yellow card for replacement Ed Prowse, for going high on Yoram Moefana, put them on the back Jonker's South African tones regularly interrupted play as well as the TMO helped out with hairline calls, giving Bordeaux time to catch their breath. Northampton needed everything to fall their way. In the end, too few things may have been riding a zebra by the end, but a boa constrictor would have been more appropriate given the way his side throttled the life out of the game in the final stadium public address system throbbed to Sash's 90s dance monster Encore En Fois after the final whistle and it was easy to imagine that, with their upwardly mobile set of stars, Bordeaux will indeed be repeat winners in the next few was alongside Pollock as he gave his post-match he has done throughout a run that has been such a welcome break from Saints' dreary Premiership form, the skipper found the right words."Tonight, I think we celebrate us and the run we have had," he said. "We didn't come out on the right side of the result, but there is still so much to be proud of."We will stick together."After the losses of Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam and Alex Waller at the end of last season, and David Ribbans the previous summer, that might be they stay intact as a group, Pollock, Fin Smith, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Sleightholme, Alex Coles, Tom Pearson, Emmanuel Iyogun and George Hendy are a fine, young core to build is cruel, but the future might be kinder on Saints.
NBC Sports
24-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Bordeaux wins its first Champions Cup rugby title after subduing Northampton
CARDIFF, Wales — 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.
