24-05-2025
Northampton Saints v Bordeaux Begles player ratings from Champions Cup final
Northampton Saints suffered 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 Northampton Saints give it everything after losing backs George Furbank and James Ramm to injuries inside the opening five minutes.
Who shone on the big stage and who went missing? Telegraph Sport rates the players' performance at the Principality Stadium.
Northampton Saints
15. George Furbank
Busy in the build-up to the first try, having bravely returned to action after a fractured arm, and then knocked out in a clash with Romain Buros. N/A
14. Tommy Freeman
Moved to full-back and reinforced his versatility, picking up a yellow card that was almost unavoidable after a wicked bounce. Threatened without continuing his scoring streak. 8/10
13. Fraser Dingwall
The centre leads this team with an iron will, punching above his weight. Ran down one blind alley before unlocking Bordeaux with an offload. 7/10
12. Rory Hutchinson
Important for his underrated kicking game and even mucked in around the breakdown. Saints, however, struggled for fluency as the game continued. 7/10
11. James Ramm
Limped out of the contest after a manic opening passage, which was an almighty shame for a gifted player. N/A
10. Fin Smith
Two excellent fly-halves contrasted in fascinating style. Smith was unfussy on a crowded gain-line and kicked his goals but Bordeaux controlled territory decisively. 7/10
9. Alex Mitchell
Critical to the relentless, zig-zagging attack that characterised Saints' brighter periods. Kept on for the entirety in a bid to unlock the defence but Northampton faded. 7/10
1. Emmanuel Iyogun
Quietly and consistently impressive, tackling himself into the ground. Collared for a scrum penalty and won one back, epitomising his perseverance. 8/10
2. Curtis Langdon
Unrelentingly tenacious, whether darting around rucks or in the middle of mauls – as he was to stop a Bordeaux pushover. Defied injury to start and back out there for the end. 7/10
3. Trevor Davison
Bustling and busy when called upon to carry and solid in the set piece. His jackal turnover foreshadowed Coles' second try. 8/10
4. Temo Mayanavanua
Whacked rucks, sacked mauls and leant his weight to the gain-line war before being taken out of the game by Mahamdou Diaby's high tackle. 7/10
5. Tom Lockett
His huge tackle on Penaud earned a turnover with Northampton under pressure and he did remarkably well to halt a drive that looked destined for the whitewash. 7/10
6. Alex Coles
Showed impressive power to finish his first try and intuitive support play for his second. Hurled himself around in defence was still disrupting line-outs late on. 8/10
First blood goes to @SaintsRugby 👊
Follow live on our site ➡️ #InvestecChampionsCup
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) May 24, 2025
7. Josh Kemeny
Immensely tough and industrious, Kemeny has proven to be a worthy successor to Courtney Lawes, which is high praise in itself. Ultimately, though, Bordeaux's dynamism was too much. 7/10
8. Henry Pollock
Two disallowed tries summed up an afternoon that did not fall his way despite plenty of graft among bigger bodies and a couple of turnovers. 6/10
Bordeaux-Bègles
15. Romain Buros: 6/10
14. Damian Penaud: 8/10
13. Nicolas Depoortère: 8/10
12. Yoram Moefana: 8/10
11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey: 8/10
10. Matthieu Jalibert: 8/10
9. Maxime Lucu: 9/10
1. Jefferson Poirot: 8/10
2. Maxime Lamothe: 7/10
3. Sipili Falatea: 7/10
4. Adam Coleman: 7/10
5. Cyril Cazeaux: 8/10
6. Mahamadou Diaby: 6/10
7. Guido Petti: 8/10
8. Pete Samu: 8/10
