I spent four amazing years at Northampton but couldn’t even win a raffle in my time there, let alone a trophy. Now I’ve left, things are different. I’m trying not to take it personally!
The Saints deserved to lift last year’s Premiership title, their first in a decade. And now they’re just one victory away from claiming European rugby’s biggest club competition too, with only Bordeaux standing between them and Champions Cup glory.
I say ‘only’ Bordeaux. I know from my time playing in France with Toulon how good they are and Saints do have their work cut out. But make no mistake, this is a game Northampton can win.
After their semi-final victory over Leinster, they’ll believe they can beat anyone. And rightly so.
In try-machine France wingers Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud as well as scrum-half Maxime Lucu, Bordeaux have wonderful and extremely dangerous players. Bielle-Biarrey has 31 tries in 27 games for club and country so far this season, which is just ridiculous! To win, Northampton will have to keep him quiet and bring their A game.
With the players they have, they can absolutely win the tournament. Here are four key things they’ll have to do well to do just that…
I spent four amazing years at Northampton but couldn’t even win a raffle in my time there, let alone a trophy
Louis Bielle-Biarrey has 31 tries in 27 games for club and country so far this season, which is just ridiculous!
Fellow France flyer Damian Penaud is just as unstoppable on the other wing
1. Kick accurately and to compete
Bordeaux are a team whose biggest strength is clearly in their back line, particularly their back three where Bielle-Biarrey and Penaud cause carnage.
Bordeaux’s backs are among the best in Europe. Northampton simply can’t feed them with kicks that give them time to bring the ball back.
Instead, when Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith put boot to ball, they have to ensure that Northampton’s chasers hit the likes of Penaud man and ball. Tommy Freeman will have to do a lot of work, not only in possession but out of it.
At the end of April, La Rochelle played Bordeaux away and did exactly that to seal a big win. They kept things tight, kicked high and chased hard, forcing Bordeaux into mistakes.
When the likes of Alex Mitchell choose to kick on Saturday, they have to ensure that Northampton’s chasers hit the likes of Penaud man and ball
La Rochelle showed the blueprint to beat Bordeaux in April with an excellent kick chase
Saints cannot allow Bielle-Biarrey any open field situations, where he thrives
Northampton don’t have a giant front five like La Rochelle, so they can’t totally copy their approach. But they can look at their kicking tactics and take inspiration.
In that game, La Rochelle limited Bielle-Biarrey and Penaud to next to no open field situations. That’s where those two thrive. You can’t give them the opportunity.
In the La Rochelle game, Bordeaux got so frustrated they had so few opportunities to run that they did so when it wasn’t on. The result was them being put under pressure, making mistakes and losing the game.
Mitchell and Smith have to be pin-point with their kicking. The fact George Furbank is fit enough to be involved is significant as that will also help as he’s another kicking option to take the pressure off the half-backs.
2. Limit transitions
Everyone thinks Northampton play all-out attack. And they do at times produce some scintillating stuff. But at the same time, the Saints are also very structured with how they do things and that applies to both sides of the ball. The last-four win in Dublin was a great example of that, and Northampton must do the same in the final.
Bordeaux are one of the best teams I’ve ever seen on transition attack, and if Northampton turn the ball over, it will be two phases and Bordeaux will be under the posts. You saw them do that in their incredible semi-final win over Toulouse. Some of their tries were just box office. They love going coast to coast.
Lions and England flanker Henry Pollock will be crucial in slowing down Bordeaux’s ruck ball
Bordeaux fly-half Matthieu Jalibert loves unstructured, open play. He plays totally off the cuff with little chips, grubbers and maverick passes
To stop that, Northampton must minimise their mistakes. You can never play the perfect game, so errors will happen. But if Saints do cough up the ball, ideally it will happen in the opposition half.
For Northampton, it’s all about structure. That’s the word Phil Dowson will have been ramming home this week. Play direct and with intent. The Leinster game is the blueprint.
Bordeaux are the opposite. They thrive on carnage. Their fly-half Matthieu Jalibert loves unstructured, open play. He plays totally off the cuff with little chips, grubbers and maverick passes. Bordeaux also don’t want Saints contesting the breakdown.
So, if guys like Henry Pollock can slow down their ball at the contact area, that will also help.
3. Set-piece parity
In the semi-final between Bordeaux and Toulouse, Toulouse were massively on top at scrum time. For all their wonderful strengths, Bordeaux aren’t a team who will scrum and maul you off the park.
Saints will be looking at that. Realistically, they probably can’t hope to dominate Bordeaux up front. But they have to make sure it’s an area where they have at least parity.
If Saints do well at the set-piece, it will help them keep the game structured. If you’re conceding penalties at the scrum, it allows your opposition to dominate field position.
Bordeaux also love to tap and go from penalties through Lucu. Northampton can’t afford for their set-piece to be in trouble. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a weapon for them, but it does at least have to hold its own.
For all their wonderful strengths, Bordeaux aren’t a team who will scrum and maul you off the park
Bordeaux also love to tap and go from penalties through scrum-half Maxime Lucu. Northampton can’t afford for their set-piece to be in trouble
4. Accept you will concede points!
Northampton had to score 37 points to beat Leinster. To do that in a semi-final away to a team as good as that takes some going.
Both teams will probably accept they’re not going to win this final 9-8 – as Saints did against Munster in 2000, their lone European title – because there is so much attacking talent on show and conditions will be good with the Principality Stadium roof shut.
Saints will have to score around 30 points again to win. But they also have to accept that Bordeaux will score. They can’t hit the panic button if they go the length of the field and score. They do that to everyone so there is no shame!
Their loose forward Pete Samu is just ridiculous. He’s had an unbelievable season, smoking players and getting his team on the front foot with huge carries.
Northampton had to score 37 points to beat Leinster. To do that in a semi-final away to a team as good as that takes some going
Bordeaux’s Australia loose forward Pete Samu is just ridiculous. He’s had an unbelievable season, smoking players and getting his team on the front foot with huge carries
Both teams will probably accept they’re not going to win this final 9-8 – as Saints did against Munster in 2000, their lone European title
What Saints have done well in Europe this season is hang on in games. They went behind against Clermont Auvergne early and came back. Against Leinster, it was back and forth. They need to do the same against Bordeaux and turn things into a tough and uncompromising battle.
In that La Rochelle game, Lucu and Jalibert were made to look pretty average. Lucu has really proven himself with his performances for France when Antoine Dupont has been absent or injured.
There is no doubt he and Jalibert are really good club players. But I’m not sure if they’re on the backfoot, they can control things as well because of the way they play. They want everything going their way so they can produce all the flicks and tricks they like.
If Northampton don’t give them that time, they can win.