Latest news with #Furbank
Wales Online
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Champions Cup final halted after just minutes as horror collision sees England star given oxygen
Champions Cup final halted after just minutes as horror collision sees England star given oxygen Barely five minutes had been played when the incident occurred. George Furbank of Northampton Saints leaves the field on a medical stretcher after picking up a head injury (Image: 2025 Gaspafotos/MB Media ) England international George Furbank took a sickening blow to the head before being removed from the field by a medical cart. The incident occurred in the Champions Cup final between Northampton Saints and Bordeaux Begles at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon. Furbank had attempted to catch a cross-field kick from Maxime Lucu when he tumbled to the ground as the ball bounced away. A surging Romain Buros was haring after the ball when Furbank attempted to get up, causing Buros' knee to connect with Furbank in an horrific collision. Just four minutes had been played in the Welsh capital when Furbank went down, causing the match to be stopped for a number of minutes while medical professionals tended to the Saints back. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. Referee Nika Amashukeli decided it was simply a rugby incident and there was no penalty or card against Buros. Article continues below Once it was deemed safe to do so, Furbank was removed from the field on a medical cart wearing a brace and being administered what looked like oxygen, prompting sympathetic applause from both sets of fans. It was a surprise that Furbank was involved at all with Saints today, after suffering an injury against Castres in the quarter-final. The 28-year-old had no game-time between that game and the final today. "It's always a gamble", said Phil Dowson ahead of the match. "Whenever you bring someone back from an injury, there's always a risk. He hasn't been a mile away from coming back. He's fortunate that the timing has worked well, he's worked very hard." This final follows the EPCR Challenge Cup final between Bath and Lyon on Friday night, with the English Premiership side winning convincingly in a 37-12 score line. Article continues below That final had a controversy of their own, with Bath flanker Sam Underhill escaping a red card for a head-on-head collision with Davit Niniashvili. Despite appearing to be a straight red card on the replays, referee Hollie Davidson gave a yellow card, prompting a strong reaction on social media. Former England international Andy Goode simply suggested it was a red card "all day long", while La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara posted on X: "Players safety... (mind blown emojis)". Read more about that here.
South Wales Guardian
24-05-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Maxime Lucu warns Bordeaux must ‘neutralise' Henry Pollock threat
First-time finalists Bordeaux tackle Northampton in Saturday's Principality Stadium showdown, with Pollock and Saints targeting a tournament triumph the club last achieved five years before he was born. Northampton back-row forward Pollock has only played 32 minutes of Test rugby, but he scored two tries on his England debut against Wales in Cardiff this season and has proved a pivotal figure behind Saints' run to the Champions Cup final with seven touchdowns. Henry 🤝 Bill #Lions2025 #WeGoBeyond — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 18, 2025 Such outstanding form underpinned his British and Irish Lions selection for this summer's Australia tour, and 20-year-old Pollock's startling impact has not gone unnoticed in south-west France. 'He is a very classy player,' Lucu told reporters at Bordeaux's pre-match press conference. 'He has incredible qualities and he is a threat to us. 'When you talk about big players like that, it is important to neutralise them. He has got quality in attack and in defence. 'He runs a lot, he could play in the backs, and he has had a huge start to his career. We have to be wary of him.' Exeter were the last English club to be crowned Champions Cup winners in 2020 while Saints last reached the final nine years earlier, being beaten by Leinster in Cardiff. Pollock will line up at number eight in a Northampton matchday 23 boosted by the return from injury of England internationals George Furbank and Ollie Sleightholme. Furbank, who broke his arm earlier this term and then took another blow on it during Saints' quarter-final against Castres in mid-April, wears the number 15 shirt, with James Ramm switching to left wing. Sleightholme, meanwhile, has not made a Saints appearance for five months but features on the bench, with Ramm – plus forwards Curtis Langdon and Alex Coles – all recovering from knocks to start. Furbank has played only 52 minutes of rugby since December – all in the Castres game – but he is one of Saints' most influential performers. Asked if Furbank's selection was a gamble, Northampton rugby director Phil Dowson said: 'It's always a gamble. Whenever you bring someone back from injury, there is always a point where they have got to hit somebody, make a cover tackle, or go flat out. 'There is always a risk there. They were a good 52 minutes. We are confident he can drop back in from a skills and confidence perspective. 'George hasn't been a mile away. He has worked incredibly hard and the medics have clearly helped him through that. 'He brings leadership, quality, experience. We saw that when he came back in against Castres and had two assists and a try. 'Now, he is a fairly seasoned international and club captain. We all know what a consummate ball player he is, his talent is well-documented and hopefully we will see that. 'I think what was impressive (against Castres) was his ability to drop back into our game-plan and still see space and make good decisions. 'Nothing quite replicates a game, but his ability to do that straight off the bat was very impressive.'
Glasgow Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Maxime Lucu warns Bordeaux must ‘neutralise' Henry Pollock threat
First-time finalists Bordeaux tackle Northampton in Saturday's Principality Stadium showdown, with Pollock and Saints targeting a tournament triumph the club last achieved five years before he was born. Northampton back-row forward Pollock has only played 32 minutes of Test rugby, but he scored two tries on his England debut against Wales in Cardiff this season and has proved a pivotal figure behind Saints' run to the Champions Cup final with seven touchdowns. Such outstanding form underpinned his British and Irish Lions selection for this summer's Australia tour, and 20-year-old Pollock's startling impact has not gone unnoticed in south-west France. 'He is a very classy player,' Lucu told reporters at Bordeaux's pre-match press conference. 'He has incredible qualities and he is a threat to us. 'When you talk about big players like that, it is important to neutralise them. He has got quality in attack and in defence. 'He runs a lot, he could play in the backs, and he has had a huge start to his career. We have to be wary of him.' Exeter were the last English club to be crowned Champions Cup winners in 2020 while Saints last reached the final nine years earlier, being beaten by Leinster in Cardiff. Maxime Lucu and Bordeaux are ready to face Northampton (Steven Paston/PA) Pollock will line up at number eight in a Northampton matchday 23 boosted by the return from injury of England internationals George Furbank and Ollie Sleightholme. Furbank, who broke his arm earlier this term and then took another blow on it during Saints' quarter-final against Castres in mid-April, wears the number 15 shirt, with James Ramm switching to left wing. Sleightholme, meanwhile, has not made a Saints appearance for five months but features on the bench, with Ramm – plus forwards Curtis Langdon and Alex Coles – all recovering from knocks to start. Furbank has played only 52 minutes of rugby since December – all in the Castres game – but he is one of Saints' most influential performers. Asked if Furbank's selection was a gamble, Northampton rugby director Phil Dowson said: 'It's always a gamble. Whenever you bring someone back from injury, there is always a point where they have got to hit somebody, make a cover tackle, or go flat out. 'There is always a risk there. They were a good 52 minutes. We are confident he can drop back in from a skills and confidence perspective. George Furbank returns for Northampton (Robbie Stephenson/PA) 'George hasn't been a mile away. He has worked incredibly hard and the medics have clearly helped him through that. 'He brings leadership, quality, experience. We saw that when he came back in against Castres and had two assists and a try. 'Now, he is a fairly seasoned international and club captain. We all know what a consummate ball player he is, his talent is well-documented and hopefully we will see that. 'I think what was impressive (against Castres) was his ability to drop back into our game-plan and still see space and make good decisions. 'Nothing quite replicates a game, but his ability to do that straight off the bat was very impressive.'
Rhyl Journal
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Maxime Lucu warns Bordeaux must ‘neutralise' Henry Pollock threat
First-time finalists Bordeaux tackle Northampton in Saturday's Principality Stadium showdown, with Pollock and Saints targeting a tournament triumph the club last achieved five years before he was born. Northampton back-row forward Pollock has only played 32 minutes of Test rugby, but he scored two tries on his England debut against Wales in Cardiff this season and has proved a pivotal figure behind Saints' run to the Champions Cup final with seven touchdowns. Henry 🤝 Bill #Lions2025 #WeGoBeyond — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 18, 2025 Such outstanding form underpinned his British and Irish Lions selection for this summer's Australia tour, and 20-year-old Pollock's startling impact has not gone unnoticed in south-west France. 'He is a very classy player,' Lucu told reporters at Bordeaux's pre-match press conference. 'He has incredible qualities and he is a threat to us. 'When you talk about big players like that, it is important to neutralise them. He has got quality in attack and in defence. 'He runs a lot, he could play in the backs, and he has had a huge start to his career. We have to be wary of him.' Exeter were the last English club to be crowned Champions Cup winners in 2020 while Saints last reached the final nine years earlier, being beaten by Leinster in Cardiff. Pollock will line up at number eight in a Northampton matchday 23 boosted by the return from injury of England internationals George Furbank and Ollie Sleightholme. Furbank, who broke his arm earlier this term and then took another blow on it during Saints' quarter-final against Castres in mid-April, wears the number 15 shirt, with James Ramm switching to left wing. Sleightholme, meanwhile, has not made a Saints appearance for five months but features on the bench, with Ramm – plus forwards Curtis Langdon and Alex Coles – all recovering from knocks to start. Furbank has played only 52 minutes of rugby since December – all in the Castres game – but he is one of Saints' most influential performers. Asked if Furbank's selection was a gamble, Northampton rugby director Phil Dowson said: 'It's always a gamble. Whenever you bring someone back from injury, there is always a point where they have got to hit somebody, make a cover tackle, or go flat out. 'There is always a risk there. They were a good 52 minutes. We are confident he can drop back in from a skills and confidence perspective. 'George hasn't been a mile away. He has worked incredibly hard and the medics have clearly helped him through that. 'He brings leadership, quality, experience. We saw that when he came back in against Castres and had two assists and a try. 'Now, he is a fairly seasoned international and club captain. We all know what a consummate ball player he is, his talent is well-documented and hopefully we will see that. 'I think what was impressive (against Castres) was his ability to drop back into our game-plan and still see space and make good decisions. 'Nothing quite replicates a game, but his ability to do that straight off the bat was very impressive.'
North Wales Chronicle
24-05-2025
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Maxime Lucu warns Bordeaux must ‘neutralise' Henry Pollock threat
First-time finalists Bordeaux tackle Northampton in Saturday's Principality Stadium showdown, with Pollock and Saints targeting a tournament triumph the club last achieved five years before he was born. Northampton back-row forward Pollock has only played 32 minutes of Test rugby, but he scored two tries on his England debut against Wales in Cardiff this season and has proved a pivotal figure behind Saints' run to the Champions Cup final with seven touchdowns. Henry 🤝 Bill #Lions2025 #WeGoBeyond — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 18, 2025 Such outstanding form underpinned his British and Irish Lions selection for this summer's Australia tour, and 20-year-old Pollock's startling impact has not gone unnoticed in south-west France. 'He is a very classy player,' Lucu told reporters at Bordeaux's pre-match press conference. 'He has incredible qualities and he is a threat to us. 'When you talk about big players like that, it is important to neutralise them. He has got quality in attack and in defence. 'He runs a lot, he could play in the backs, and he has had a huge start to his career. We have to be wary of him.' Exeter were the last English club to be crowned Champions Cup winners in 2020 while Saints last reached the final nine years earlier, being beaten by Leinster in Cardiff. Pollock will line up at number eight in a Northampton matchday 23 boosted by the return from injury of England internationals George Furbank and Ollie Sleightholme. Furbank, who broke his arm earlier this term and then took another blow on it during Saints' quarter-final against Castres in mid-April, wears the number 15 shirt, with James Ramm switching to left wing. Sleightholme, meanwhile, has not made a Saints appearance for five months but features on the bench, with Ramm – plus forwards Curtis Langdon and Alex Coles – all recovering from knocks to start. Furbank has played only 52 minutes of rugby since December – all in the Castres game – but he is one of Saints' most influential performers. Asked if Furbank's selection was a gamble, Northampton rugby director Phil Dowson said: 'It's always a gamble. Whenever you bring someone back from injury, there is always a point where they have got to hit somebody, make a cover tackle, or go flat out. 'There is always a risk there. They were a good 52 minutes. We are confident he can drop back in from a skills and confidence perspective. 'George hasn't been a mile away. He has worked incredibly hard and the medics have clearly helped him through that. 'He brings leadership, quality, experience. We saw that when he came back in against Castres and had two assists and a try. 'Now, he is a fairly seasoned international and club captain. We all know what a consummate ball player he is, his talent is well-documented and hopefully we will see that. 'I think what was impressive (against Castres) was his ability to drop back into our game-plan and still see space and make good decisions. 'Nothing quite replicates a game, but his ability to do that straight off the bat was very impressive.'
