Northampton v Bordeaux preview: Spicy match-ups as ‘freak attacking ability’ primed to light up Champions Cup final
It’s finally here. On Saturday afternoon, the Principality Stadium will host a hotly anticipated Investec Champions Cup Final in Cardiff.
The pinnacle of European rugby, and perhaps not the final many expected, with Northampton Saints fighting it out with Bordeaux-Begles for continental glory.
For the English side and defending Premiership champions, it’s a chance at redemption following a sub-par domestic season where they sit well outside the semi-final places.
And for the southern France outfit, it’s been a more positive campaign in the Top 14 with the side in red hot form, second in the table – only behind the pole sitters who they beat in the Champions Cup semi-final.
Northampton Saints v Bordeaux Begles
When: Saturday, May 24 at 14:45 BST
Where: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Where to watch: Premier Sports (UK & IRE), BeIN Sports (France), EPCRTV (Worldwide),Free to air for all UK viewers on S4C YouTube and BBC iPlayer.
Form
Just a few months ago, the Saints were frankly struggling domestically as they were unable to rediscover the scintillating form that saw them clinch the Premiership title last season.
However, Northampton have found red-hot form at just the right time, and their young British & Irish Lions-laden side seems to be revelling in their underdog name tag.
The Saints have a squad that brings fireworks, and their young maturity seems to thrive under the utmost pressure, with Test match know-how rife in their teamsheet.
They were brutally written off ahead of their semi-final win against Leinster, but pulled out a season-defining performance at the Aviva Stadium and have recently picked up big Premiership wins against Saracens and Bristol Bears that months ago seemed unlikely.
If the final follows the same narrative as the previous round, then many will be saying Bordeaux’s semi-final win over Top 14 rivals and defending European Champions Cup winner Toulouse was their final.
But the French side’s combination of a racy backline, studded with two of the best wide men in the world, in tandem with their grunt and physicality up-front, will make them dangerous.
They’ve had a great year in the Top 14 with only Toulouse above them, though a surprise thrashing at the hands of Montpellier a fortnight ago wasn’t a result they needed.
Key match-ups
It’s absolutely a given that Northampton will need to up their levels again to compete with the heft of the French side’s forward pack up front.
But it’s in the backline where the matchups are at their spiciest!
Bordeaux have received a late boost with the first half of their world-class winger, Damian Penaud, being passed fit for the clash in Cardiff.
However, my eyes will be on the battle between Six Nations Player of the Tournament, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and recent Lion, Tommy Freeman.
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If the former is at his best, then the Saints will need to be wary of his presence out wide, which has brought 8 tries in the competition.
You can’t leave the young Frenchman an inch with his deadly chip and chases in behind something Northampton will no doubt be prepping for.
Freeman’s danger is in his willingness to pop up when you least expect him around the park.
He scores tries in abundance. With 9 so far, including a special hat-trick against Leinster, with his probing lines off runners in the midfield and devastating finishing when out wide.
The half-back matchup of Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith vs Maxime Lucu and Mathieu Jalibert will play a vital role, with the B&I Lions pairing needing to control the tempo with similar guile to France’s Six Nations stars.
Where the game could be won or lost?
Northampton Saints need to put in a big defensive shift to limit the freak attacking ability of Bordeaux, who have dominated the offensive stats in the competition.
40 more points and eight more tries than any other team – the Saints will need to stamp their foothold early and show the French side they won’t stand for the offensive onslaught that has been the demise of many a side earlier in the competition.
Penaud has scored 12 tries in the competition already as part of a combined 20 tries with Bielle-Biarrey; it’s clear to see that if the pair get the freedom to do their thing, it could be a long day in Cardiff for the Saints.
However, with another B&I Lion and Champions Cup Player of the Season nominee, in Henry Pollock in their ranks, Northampton will know his class on both sides of the ball, with 7 tries and countless turnovers, will be crucial.
The teams
Northampton Saints: 15 George Furbank, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Fraser Dingwall (c), 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 James Ramm, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Henry Pollock, 7 Josh Kemeny, 6 Alex Coles, 5 Tom Lockett, 4 Temo Mayanavanua, 3 Trevor Davison, 2 Curtis Langdon, 1 Emmanuel Iyogun
Replacements: 16 Craig Wright, 17 Tarek Haffar, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Ed Prowse, 20 Angus Scott-Young, 21 Tom James, 22 Tom Litchfield, 23 Ollie Sleightholme
Bordeaux: 15 Romain Buros, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Nicolas Depoortère, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu (c), 8 Peter Samu, 7 Guido Petti, 6 Mahamadou Diaby, 5 Cyril Cazeaux, 4 Adam Coleman, 3 Sipili Falatea, 2 Maxime Lamothe, 1 Jefferson Poirot
Replacements: 16 Connor Sa, 17 Ugo Boniface, 18 Ben Tameifuna, 19 Pierre Bochaton, 20 Bastien Vergnes, 21 Marko Gazzotti, 22 Arthur Retiere, 23 Rohan Janse van Rensburg
Date: Saturday, May 24
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 14:45 BST (13:45 GMT)
Referee: Nike Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
READ MORE: How to watch Northampton Saints vs Bordeaux in the Champions Cup final