Latest news with #FinSmith
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Lions great Sam Warburton outlines Fin Smith task as "best winger" misses out
The battle for the British and Irish Lions 10 shirt could hot up before the Australia Test series as Fin Smith looks to usurp the current favourite, Finn Russell Sam Warburton believes some stunning form from Fin Smith in the British and Irish Lions ' warm-up games can see him usurp Finn Russell as the man to start at fly-half against Australia. The Bath No 10 is seen as the most likely man to start Down Under and could make the trip off the back of Premiership success. Russell has commanded Scotland's fly-half spot for a decade and is now involved in his second Tour after appearing back in 2021. Smith is tipped to provide the most competition having made himself the first choice 10 for England under Steve Borthwick. The young Northampton star has also guided the Saints to the European Cup final, falling narrowly short at the weekend. His control and composure has seen some call for him to start ahead of Russell, who himself has just won the Challenge Cup with the Premiership play-offs to come. Warburton insists Andy Farrell and co will have an idea of the Test team already, but outstanding performances in the weeks beforehand cannot be ignored. Two-time Lions skipper Warburton told Mirror Sport: "The coaches will have an idea what the Test team is now. So right now you might think Finn Russell starts at 10, but if Fin Smith is pulling up trees in those warm-ups he has to start. If Gibson-Park plays 8/10 and Williams plays 8/10 they'll go with Gibson-Park. "I think everyone should feel like they've got a chance to start a Test. The coaches will have their favourites right now, but the warm-ups will dictate who starts Test matches." One Englishman who won't be heading to Australia is Exeter winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, whose injury denied him a chance to stake his claim. The youngster has enjoyed a rapid rise and Warburton believed he was a "banker" to be part of the Lions squad. He will instead to be part of England's summer tour, but with injuries part of the game Feyi-Waboso could still receive a call with the Wales legend admitting he would've included him despite the winger only just regaining his fitness. "I would've picked Feyi-Waboso," said Warburton. "I just thought if he gets two games under his belt I think there'd be enough to have him in contention for a Test match. I would've had him in my squad, back in the autumn he was the best winger in the four islands. He's been unfortunate and if he'd stayed fit he was a banker to go on tour." One of Farrell's big tasks through the tour will be whether to stick with tried and tested or consider experimenting with combinations - Warburton advising on the latter. The four centres are split - two Scots in Sione Tuipilotu and Huw Jones and two Irish in Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose - with the international duos proving they can play effectively together. Whilst that cohesion is huge, Warburton insists trialing the new combinations could unearth the type of partnership that blossomed in 2009 when Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll proved to be a match made in heaven. "The partnership thing is big," said Warburton. "(Jonathan) Davies and Roberts. That's why it was so unusual in 2009 to see Roberts and O'Driscoll do so well. I think you've got to try the combinations. Going into the Test you know Sione and Huw Jones and play together. You know the Irish lads can play together. I'd love to see them experiment with those combos, but it wouldn't surprise me if we saw the international pairings come the Tests." One Irishman who isn't present is Caelan Doris - the Leinster No 8 who was tipped to be captain. Maro Itoje will fill in there, but it leaves a back spot open. Warburton confessed his admiration for Ben Earl, but aired concerns over a lack of height. Especially if, say, Tom Curry and Jac Morgan played on the flanks. It leaves Jack Conan potentially stepping up for his compatriot. The bolter Henry Pollock is capable of packing down at 8 and has enjoyed a meteoric rise. The Northampton ace was playing for the U20s only months ago. He's passed every challenge thus far, but Warburton insists the "litmus test" will come against the elite nations - but acknowledged that the 20-year-old " does things that you don't see 7s do" as he drew comparisons with World Player of the Year Ardie Savea. Sam Warburton was speaking at Canterbury of New Zealand's Train Like a Lion event. To purchase Canterbury's new Red Dahlia Boots, as worn by Canterbury ambassadors and Lions squad members, Mack Hansen and Andrew Porter, click HERE.
Glasgow Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Alex Mitchell confident English clubs can stop France's Champions Cup dominance
French teams continued their stranglehold on the competition, with Bordeaux-Begles' 28-20 victory over Northampton in Cardiff making it five successive years that a Top 14 side has won it. Across the past 10 seasons, France have provided twice as many finalists as any other country, while Saracens and Exeter are the only English clubs to win the tournament since 2007. Alex Mitchell could not lead Northampton to victory (Adam Davy/PA) Saints, though, led the way this term, beating Leinster, Bulls, Munster, Clermont Auvergne and Castres (twice) on route to the Principality Stadium. 'I think a lot of (Premiership) clubs can take a lot of confidence from it,' Northampton and England scrum-half Mitchell said. 'This competition has been tough for English clubs in the last few years in terms of budgets and what-not. It has been a struggle. 'But I think we've shown that, regardless of that, if you front-up playing against these best teams, these quality outfits, you can do a job. 'We showed that. We got to the final and we nearly won. It's tough to take, but we can take a lot of credit from it. 'We have got a decent side and a lot of confidence in ourselves. That is what happened against Leinster (in the semi-finals) – we genuinely backed ourselves and had confidence that we could get a result, which we did. 'Regardless of all that (budgets and squad size), you need good coaching, which we've got, and the boys fronted-up. 'If we (English sides) do that and we are competitive about wanting to win, we can do good things.' Not our time. So proud of our team; the fight, the spirit, the journey 😇 Felicitations, UBB. — Northampton Saints 😇 (@SaintsRugby) May 24, 2025 Despite losing backs George Furbank and James Ramm to injuries inside the first five minutes, Saints rallied and pushed this season's dominant Champions Cup team to the limit. They were level 20-20 at the interval in front of a 70,000 crowd, which was the largest Champions Cup final attendance for 13 years, before Bordeaux closed things out during a tense second period. Mitchell's Saints and England half-back partner Fin Smith added: 'We are just a little team from a small town in England with a bunch of mates playing together. 'Bordeaux are a giant of European rugby with some absolute rock stars in their team and some unbelievable firepower. Fin Smith's Northampton were edged out by Bordeaux-Begles in the Champions Cup final (Andrew Mathews/PA) 'So, to have gone toe-to-toe with them for 80 minutes – or a large part of that – particularly with some of the adversity we had to face with injuries and yellow cards, is something we can look back on with pride. 'The main thing is to stay together as a group, because it is easy to splinter when you have had a knock like this. I need to dust myself off and try to switch off from that result. 'Ultimately, until you play in another big final and get the result you want, it is always going to sting and sit there in the back of your mind. That is just the way it is.'
The Herald Scotland
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Alex Mitchell confident English clubs can stop France's Champions Cup dominance
Across the past 10 seasons, France have provided twice as many finalists as any other country, while Saracens and Exeter are the only English clubs to win the tournament since 2007. Alex Mitchell could not lead Northampton to victory (Adam Davy/PA) Saints, though, led the way this term, beating Leinster, Bulls, Munster, Clermont Auvergne and Castres (twice) on route to the Principality Stadium. 'I think a lot of (Premiership) clubs can take a lot of confidence from it,' Northampton and England scrum-half Mitchell said. 'This competition has been tough for English clubs in the last few years in terms of budgets and what-not. It has been a struggle. 'But I think we've shown that, regardless of that, if you front-up playing against these best teams, these quality outfits, you can do a job. 'We showed that. We got to the final and we nearly won. It's tough to take, but we can take a lot of credit from it. 'We have got a decent side and a lot of confidence in ourselves. That is what happened against Leinster (in the semi-finals) – we genuinely backed ourselves and had confidence that we could get a result, which we did. 'Regardless of all that (budgets and squad size), you need good coaching, which we've got, and the boys fronted-up. 'If we (English sides) do that and we are competitive about wanting to win, we can do good things.' Not our time. So proud of our team; the fight, the spirit, the journey 😇 Felicitations, UBB. — Northampton Saints 😇 (@SaintsRugby) May 24, 2025 Despite losing backs George Furbank and James Ramm to injuries inside the first five minutes, Saints rallied and pushed this season's dominant Champions Cup team to the limit. They were level 20-20 at the interval in front of a 70,000 crowd, which was the largest Champions Cup final attendance for 13 years, before Bordeaux closed things out during a tense second period. Mitchell's Saints and England half-back partner Fin Smith added: 'We are just a little team from a small town in England with a bunch of mates playing together. 'Bordeaux are a giant of European rugby with some absolute rock stars in their team and some unbelievable firepower. Fin Smith's Northampton were edged out by Bordeaux-Begles in the Champions Cup final (Andrew Mathews/PA) 'So, to have gone toe-to-toe with them for 80 minutes – or a large part of that – particularly with some of the adversity we had to face with injuries and yellow cards, is something we can look back on with pride. 'The main thing is to stay together as a group, because it is easy to splinter when you have had a knock like this. I need to dust myself off and try to switch off from that result. 'Ultimately, until you play in another big final and get the result you want, it is always going to sting and sit there in the back of your mind. That is just the way it is.'
The Independent
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Bordeaux-Begles break Northampton Saints hearts to claim historic Champions Cup win
Northampton Saints suffered Investec Champions Cup final heartache as Bordeaux-Begles claimed an epic 28-20 victory at the Principality Stadium. A pulsating Cardiff contest saw the French club record their first Champions Cup success but Saints gave it everything after losing backs George Furbank and James Ramm to injuries inside the opening five minutes. Seeking a first Champions Cup title for 25 years, Northampton went toe to toe with their opponents as flanker Alex Coles' try double underpinned an outstanding Saints display. Fly-half Fin Smith added two penalties and two conversions, but Bordeaux 's superior finishing power delivered two tries for wing Damian Penaud, while locks Adam Coleman and Cyril Cazeaux also touched down. Matthieu Jalibert booted a penalty and conversion, and captain Maxime Lucu also kicked a penalty as Bordeaux made it five years in a row for French clubs to win the tournament. But Northampton could not have done much more, going the distance and making their opponents work for everything. Saints made a lightning-quick start, going ahead after just 107 seconds as they kept possession from kick-off and Coles crashed over from close range, with Smith adding the extras. That score was tempered, though, by an immediate injury blow when wing Ramm had to be helped off as England international Ollie Sleightholme replaced him for a first club appearance since December. Furbank's exit followed shortly afterwards after he took an accidental knee to his face from Bordeaux full-back 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. Tom Litchfield took over from Furbank, and Bordeaux immediately scored an equalising try as Penaud crossed for his 13th try in this season's competition. Bordeaux should have gone ahead in the 15th minute, but Louis Bielle-Biarrey 's pass to Penaud was ruled forward and the disallowed score meant Saints enjoyed a huge let-off. But Bordeaux continued to press, and some magical footwork from Jalibert – which he followed with a superb floated pass – sent Coleman over in the corner, and the fly-half's conversion left Northampton five points behind. Smith quickly cut the gap with a long-range penalty, yet that was soon cancelled out by a Jalibert strike as Bordeaux led 15-10 midway through the second quarter. The French side had flanker Mahamadou Diaby yellow-carded following head on head contact with Saints lock Temo Mayanavanua, and Northampton looked to make their temporary one-man advantage count. A second Smith penalty kept his team firmly in contention, but Saints then saw wing Tommy Freeman receive a yellow card after an aerial challenge, and Penaud pounced for his second try, but Coles then claimed his own double. Smith's conversion made it 20-20 at the interval – a pulsating 40 minutes that produced the most first-half points scored in a Champions Cup final. 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, before Lucu's 44th-minute penalty edged Bordeaux back in front. Northampton continued to give it everything, but they could not halt Bordeaux's power game from close range, and Cazeaux went over to open up an eight-point gap. And that proved enough to thwart Northampton's brave bid, with Bordeaux closing out the contest and sparking wild scenes of celebration.
BreakingNews.ie
24-05-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Heartache for Northampton as Bordeaux-Begles secure Champions Cup glory
Northampton suffered Investec Champions Cup final heartache as Bordeaux-Begles claimed an epic 28-20 victory at the Principality Stadium. A pulsating contest saw the French club record their first Champions Cup success, but Saints gave it everything after losing backs George Furbank and James Ramm to injuries inside the opening five minutes. Advertisement Seeking a first Champions Cup title for 25 years, Northampton went toe to toe with their opponents as flanker Alex Coles' try double underpinned an outstanding Saints display. Fly-half Fin Smith added two penalties and two conversions, but Bordeaux's superior finishing power delivered two tries for wing Damian Penaud, while locks Adam Coleman and Cyril Cazeaux also touched down. Matthieu Jalibert booted a penalty and conversion, and captain Maxime Lucu also kicked a penalty as Bordeaux made it five years in a row for French clubs to win the tournament. But Northampton could not have done much more, going the distance and making their opponents work for everything. Advertisement Alex Coles scored the first try just 107 seconds into the game (Adam Davy/PA) Saints made a lightning-quick start, going ahead after just 107 seconds as they kept possession from kick-off and Coles crashed over from close range, with Smith adding the extras. That score was tempered, though, by an immediate injury blow when wing Ramm had to be helped off as England international Ollie Sleightholme replaced him for a first club appearance since December. Furbank's exit followed shortly afterwards after he took an accidental knee to his face from Bordeaux full-back 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. Tom Litchfield took over from Furbank, and Bordeaux immediately scored an equalising try as Penaud crossed for his 13th try in this season's competition. Advertisement Damian Penaud scored twice for Bordeaux (Andrew Matthews/PA) Bordeaux should have gone ahead in the 15th minute, but Louis Bielle-Biarrey's pass to Penaud was ruled forward and the disallowed score meant Saints enjoyed a huge let-off. But Bordeaux continued to press, and some magical footwork from Jalibert – which he followed with a superb floated pass – sent Coleman over in the corner, and the fly-half's conversion left Northampton five points behind. Smith quickly cut the gap with a long-range penalty, yet that was soon cancelled out by a Jalibert strike as Bordeaux led 15-10 midway through the second quarter. The French side had flanker Mahamadou Diaby yellow-carded following head on head contact with Saints lock Temo Mayanavanua, and Northampton looked to make their temporary one-man advantage count. Advertisement A second Smith penalty kept his team firmly in contention, but Saints then saw wing Tommy Freeman receive a yellow card after an aerial challenge, and Penaud pounced for his second try, but Coles then claimed his own double. Alex Coles runs in his second try (Adam Davy/PA) Smith's conversion made it 20-20 at the interval – a pulsating 40 minutes that produced the most first-half points scored in a Champions Cup final. 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, before Lucu's 44th-minute penalty edged Bordeaux back in front. Northampton continued to give it everything, but they could not halt Bordeaux's power game from close range, and Cazeaux went over to open up an eight-point gap. Advertisement And that proved enough to thwart Northampton's brave bid, with Bordeaux closing out the contest and sparking wild scenes of celebration.
