Bordeaux-Begles will play their first-ever Champions Cup final against Northampton on Saturday at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. Northampton, full of young talent who are future British and Irish Lions players, are ready for the big challenge.
Bordeaux-Begles impressed everyone by defeating the defending champions, Toulouse, who have won the tournament six times. In the semi-finals, they showed strong teamwork and skill. On the other side, Northampton pulled off a big surprise by beating Irish giants Leinster. They last won the Champions Cup in 2000.
Four players from Phil Dowson’s Northampton squad – flanker Henry Pollock, fly-half Fin Smith, scrum-half Alex Mitchell, and winger Tommy Freeman – have been chosen for the Lions squad for this summer’s tour of Australia. This shows just how much talent the team has.
Also Read: Pollock Ready to Make Champions Cup His Next Big Win
Speaking to the BBC, coach Phil Dowson said, “We’ll go into the match with a lot of energy and heart. We’ll work really hard. If things go well, we’ll celebrate, and if things go wrong, we’ll support each other.”
He added, “We’ll keep doing this for the full 80 minutes and then check the scoreboard to see where we stand.”
Bordeaux-Begles have reached their first-ever Champions Cup final. The team was created in 2006 when Bordeaux and the nearby town of Begles joined together.
Their only previous appearance in a major final ended in a tough loss. They were beaten 59-3 by Toulouse in last season’s Top 14 final, even though they had star players like speedy wingers Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud, along with key fly-half Matthieu Jalibert.
Head coach Yannick Bru spoke to the media on Tuesday and said, “There are things we can do better than we did last year.”
He added, “We’re proud to reach another big match that means a lot for the club, and we’re ready with our full strength.” Bru is a former France international and played for Toulouse as a hooker.
Coach Dowson is dealing with several injuries in his team, with four key players possibly missing the game. These include Fijian lock Temo Mayanavanua and full-back James Ramm. South African No. 8 Juarno Augustus has already been ruled out due to an injury he got during training.
Dowson admitted, “When you look at how strong their team is and compare it to our injury problems, it’s fair to say we’re probably the underdogs.”
Fast and Fearless Players
Despite an ankle injury that kept him out since the semi-final, winger Damian Penaud is expected to play. The 28-year-old will likely be on the opposite wing from teammate Louis Bielle-Biarrey. Together, they have scored an impressive 52 tries in 49 games this season for their club and national teams.
Coach Bru praised the pair, saying, “I think they both want to give something back to the club, because they feel it has done a lot for them. They are talented players who are respected in the squad and always put the team first.”
