Bordeaux Begles triumph over Northampton Saints 28-20 in Champions Cup Final

Northampton Saints’ European dream came to a bitter end in Cardiff as French powerhouse Bordeaux-Bègles used second-half muscle to grind out a 28–20 victory and lift their first-ever European Rugby Champions Cup title.

A thrilling and chaotic first half saw the two sides locked at 20–20, but Bordeaux’s tactical switch to forward dominance after the break proved decisive.

Northampton struck early. Within two minutes, Alex Coles dived over after picking his way through a messy scramble near the try-line, giving Saints a perfect start.

But the euphoria was short-lived. Injuries to key backs began to unravel their backline. James Ramm exited limping, and minutes later, George Furbank was stretchered off after an unfortunate mid-air collision with Romain Buros.

The reshuffle forced England international Tommy Freeman to full-back, and while Northampton tried to stay composed, the loss of structure showed.

Bordeaux capitalised immediately. Damian Penaud crossed for his 13th try of the campaign with an effortless run off the wing. Louis Bielle-Biarrey thought he’d added another, only for a forward pass to rule it out.

Refereeing decisions began to frustrate the Saints, as marginal calls went against them, including a knock-on and an obstruction that allowed Bordeaux to breathe.

The French side’s second try was a stunner. Mathieu Jalibert sliced through five would-be tacklers and, mid-tumble, flung a looping offload to Adam Coleman, who barreled into the corner. The 12–7 lead quickly became 15–13 after Fin Smith slotted a pair of penalties to keep Saints in touch.

But Penaud wasn’t done. Though he spilled once near the line, he made amends moments later. Jalibert’s awkward grubber bounced loose, and Penaud pounced again for his second. Northampton, refusing to wilt, hit back at the death of the half.

Sleightholme powered through a tackle, the ball was recycled, and Coles claimed his second try. Smith’s conversion brought it level at 20–20 at the break.

With both sides battered and bloodied, the second half slowed but became more physical. Bordeaux turned to their bench—six forward replacements who began to grind Northampton into submission.

Cyril Cazeaux delivered the killer blow, rumbling over from short range after relentless phases inside the 22.

Saints tried to mount a reply, but the weight of possession and territory was firmly with Bordeaux. Jalibert and Lucu controlled the tempo, and the French defence shut down any wide threats. A penalty from Maxime Lucu stretched the lead to eight points at 28–20.

Though Northampton never gave up, they couldn’t break through again. With fading energy, disrupted cohesion from early injuries, and no field position to mount pressure, the final minutes ticked away with Bordeaux calmly closing out the match.