Northampton Saints head to Champions Cup Final Showdown
The side are hopeful as they travel to Cardiff today to face Bordeaux
Last updated 24th May 2025
Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson has laid down the gauntlet to his squad, challenging them to deliver their best performance of the season when they face Bordeaux Bègles in the Investec Champions Cup final today (Saturday 24 May) at the Principality Stadium.
The Saints arrive in Cardiff riding the high of a dramatic 37–34 semi-final triumph over Leinster in Dublin — a match that saw Tommy Freeman bag a hat-trick and the team survive a late surge from the tournament favourites, despite being down to 14 men after Alex Coles was sin-binned.
But Dowson is urging his players not to let that semi-final thriller become the high point of their European campaign.
“We want to make sure — and I’m sure Bordeaux are saying exactly the same thing — that this game is our best performance and our most exciting one,” Dowson said. “We can’t be satisfied just to be here.”
Dowson speaks from experience. He was part of the Northampton side that led Leinster 22–6 at half-time in the 2011 Champions Cup final at the same venue, only to suffer a heartbreaking loss. This time, he’s determined the Saints remain focused and composed on the biggest stage.
“Finals are often nervy, tight games where the margins are small,” he said. “We’ve spoken about that. We understand that, and we need to make sure we don’t panic when those things happen.”
Bordeaux arrive in form, having swept aside reigning champions Toulouse 35–18 in the semi-finals. Like Northampton, they are aiming to cap an impressive European run with silverware.
Dowson is also managing injury concerns heading into the final, with Curtis Langdon and James Ramm facing fitness tests after picking up knocks in the Premiership win over Saracens.
He acknowledged the build-up to a final comes with distractions — from media obligations and travel to playing in a domed stadium — and stressed the importance of staying grounded.
“We don’t want to get too caught up in ‘it’s been 25 years’ and are we going to do something different,” he said, referencing Northampton’s sole Champions Cup triumph in 2000. “We’ve got to make sure it’s a great occasion — we’ve got the opportunity to do something special as a group.”
With history on the line and momentum behind them, Dowson and his Saints know the job is far from done. The challenge now: to finish the journey by reaching their peak when it matters most.