Tommy Freeman’s treble and a fine display by Henry Pollock shocked Leinster and booked Saints a final place Read moreWhat a game that was, by the way. Thanks for reading. Good night. “It’s a nice balance. Henry [Pollock] brings massive energy. People like Alex Coles, Fraser Dingwall and Fin Smith direct him in the right way. Curtis Langdon as well is someone who drives that energy through the group.” Fraser Dingwall, the Saints captain: “We enter every competition knowing, if we get stuff right, we’ll take on anyone in the world. As Fin was saying, before the game, a lot of people wrote us off. But we had full belief within our circle of what we were capable of. Hopefully people recognise that now.” Smith is asked: will that result affect Lions selection? “One hundred per cent. Wait and see. I don’t think we did ourselves any harm today. Look, I’m going to give you a boring answer but fingers crossed. We’ll be watching that telly, but we definitely didn’t do ourselves any harm.” Updated at 20.54 CEST2d ago20.39 CEST“This has blown a major hole in Farrell’s Lions selection,” emails Mark. “He was going to load it with Leinster/Irish players. Not sure he can now. “Never thought that Gibson-Park was best scrum half, Mitchell miles ahead of him now; and Prendergast is poor. (Crowley is better anyway) Itoje must be captain now, not Doris.” At one stage he is interrupted by Rory Hutchinson, the Saints centre, who barges in chanting “Lions, Lions” at his teammate. “This group’s been through so much this season,” Pollock continues. “To be able to do that away from home, after the last two performances these guys had, they nailed both teams. To come out here, no fear, just go 100% at everything we did. And I tell you what, why not us? We’ve been saying that all week. Why not us? “I tell you what, this is what sport’s about. This is why you play the game. You do it because you love it. You love the fans, the atmosphere, the sport. Going up against the best back row in the world. I couldn’t ask for much more. I’m so proud. The team were just amazing, 1 to 23. Bring on Cardiff!” For a flanker with the speed of a wing, Pollock does a nice line in post-match interviews, too. Updated at 22.59 CEST2d ago20.31 CEST“To be fair, the best team won,” says pundit Kearney. “Agony or ecstasy,” says Dallaglio. “The game took us right to the wire. We’ve witnessed one of the great matches there. Semi-finals aren’t meant to be like that. From the get-go, that was a superb game of rugby. I’m amazed by Northampton’s resilience and the way they’ve played today.” “Will their tight five stand up? That was the challenge,” says Pat Lam. “They were outstanding. The way they ran on to the ball, they got up every time, the defending was huge.” “We ran for each other, we showed love for each other, we showed heart. We did that for 80 minutes and we got the result.” 2d ago20.26 CESTThe Leinster players look shattered. Reminder: They’d won their previous two matches by an aggregate score of 114-0 in the Champions Cup. Updated at 20.27 CEST2d ago20.24 CESTFinal score: Leinster 34-37 NorthamptonThey’ve done it! Leinster are out! Northampton are in the final but then Northampton ate up the final few seconds and booted the ball out They will play Bordeaux or Toulouse in the final in Cardiff later this month Updated at 20.57 CEST2d ago20.19 CEST79 min: It’s touched down by Byrne! Pollock says it’s a knock on. TMO check … Referee says no try. But they want to check a few things on replay. Updated at 20.57 CEST2d ago20.18 CEST78 min: Phases, phases, phases for Leinster in the Northampton 22 … The Saints tackling is utterly heroic. But are Leinster going to get there? Updated at 20.12 CEST2d ago20.10 CEST72 min: Fin Smith puts a high kick up. Lowe calls for the mark. Northampton still hold a slender lead but this is going to be a seriously testing final eight. 2d ago20.09 CESTTry Leinster 34-37 Northampton (Lowe)Northampton are hopelessly stretched by a smart set play from the penalty Lowe swan dives in and Prendergast nails a very difficult conversion It’s a three-point game as we move into the final 10 2d ago20.06 CEST69 min: Scott-Young comes on Northampton, an immediate response to the yellow card. Henry Pollock’s conditioning and work-rate is absolutely another level. Updated at 20.05 CEST2d ago20.04 CEST68 min: Potential yellow card for a high and late hit by Northampton’s Kemeny on Slimani. The crowd roar at the replays but it looks like he might have hit his chest first … Updated at 20.02 CEST2d ago20.00 CEST65 min: Tom James for Mitchell at scrum-half. Tom Lockett, the lock, also on. Updated at 19.55 CEST2d ago19.52 CEST59 min: Now Leinster win what looks a key penalty for a high shot at a ruck. They kick for the corner. 2d ago19.51 CEST57 min: Prendergast pick a nice inside pass, popped inside for a rampaging McCarthy. Leinster knock on I fancy Northampton to engineer a classy counterattack score before too long … 2d ago19.50 CESTPenalty 56 min: Leinster 22-30 Northampton (Smith)A long-range penalty sneaks over from the England man We’re not far from the final quarter and this promises to be a scintillating finish But they’ll still fancy it with the ball in hand … Prendergast converts Updated at 19.39 CEST2d ago19.37 CEST44 min: A big shot from O’Brien on Langdon. BIG. Now Jack Conan is on for Leinster. Prendergast knocks on but in fairness to him it was an appalling pass by Gibson-Park. Pressure starting to tell? Updated at 19.35 CEST2d ago19.32 CESTSecond half kick off!Here we go. Can Northampton pull this off? Updated at 19.33 CEST2d ago19.24 CESTA touch of half-time reading: Leinster 15-27 NorthamptonThat was one of the best halves of rugby I’ve seen in a while Leinster have shown plenty of quality but the sheer verve of Northampton’s attack – with one stupendous finish by Pollock and a hat-trick for Freeman prompted by another brilliant display by Fin Smith – have rocked Leinster right back on their heels The problem Leinster face is that no matter how many they score after half time, it’s difficult to imagine Northampton failing to score a few more playing like this. Bring it on. 2d ago19.18 CEST40 min: Clock in the red, Leinster pushing for a try after a knock-on by Mitchell … arrowing to the left corner and over the try-line after a wonderful one-handed offload by Augustus Lowe and O’Brien are both desperately trying to keep Freeman out but he has too much power and pace 2d ago19.02 CESTTry! 28 min: Leinster 15-17 Northampton (Pollock)WOW! Northampton have it on the left wing Nothing really looks on but Mitchell feeds Pollock running a super-intelligent line through a gap he’s spotted The commentators reckon it was Snyman out of position around the ruck and it was a bit soft from Prendergast as the last line of defence Updated at 19.01 CEST2d ago18.59 CESTTry! 25 min: Leinster 15-10 Northampton (Van der Flier)Crushing pressure from Leinster and there is no way out for Northampton on this occasion Deegan is tackled close to the line but waits for support and it’s Josh van der Flier who powers over from close range 22 min: Leinster 8-10 Northampton (Smith)Saints capitalise on that superb counterattack and are back in the lead thanks to a kick off the tee from the England fly-half Following Northampton’s 37-34 win over Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final here are our five key takeaways from a classic at the Aviva Stadium Leinster absolutely dominated the first-half in last year’s tie but this year was the exact opposite as Northampton came out firing with four tries in the opening stanza now all-but bolted on to go on the Lions tour was on hand for three of their four tries with man of the moment Henry Pollock grabbing one Fin Smith also notched a penalty to go alongside two conversions They didn’t have it all their own way with a Sam Prendergast penalty and scores from Tommy O’Brien and Josh van der Flier making it 27-15 but it was advantage Saints going into the sheds that would probably be enough to dream of a final but this is Leinster we’re talking about Caelan Doris and James Lowe brought the Irish side right back into the mix but Saints struck back with a try from James Ramm as well These scores set up a truly remarkable finish and Saints reduced to 13 with Alex Coles and Josh Kemeny sat on the naughty step Leinster looked to secure a game-winning try Northampton held them at bay to clinch one of the greatest victories in Champions Cup history The allure of the Champions Cup has been fading for some time as the gap between the top teams and the rest of the pack widens but this was one of the greatest games in the competition’s modern history Describing it as Test match intensity would probably be doing it a disservice it was utterly breathless as both teams threw the kitchen sink Bordeaux-Begles v Toulouse teams: Romain Ntamack answers champions’ SOS for eagerly anticipated French derby It’s another year of hurt for Leinster as they crash out of the Champions Cup again Leo Cullen’s side waltzed through the pool stages breezed through the early knockout rounds and then reached the Aviva; for it all to come crashing down This one felt their time to finally do it too Questions loom over Toulouse due to their injuries at the minute La Rochelle were dumped out in the early stages and they were back at the ground which has hosted them so often this season as the RDS undergoes a facelift You think serious questions will now begin to be asked of the coaching group Leinster are almost better than an international side with the bulk of the Ireland side alongside a double World Cup-winning Springbok and an All Blacks great yet they just can’t seem to make the next step everyone expects them to this was one of the greatest wins in Northampton’s history but it was exactly what they deserved at the end of the day Leinster’s defence has been impenetrable thus far in the Champions Cup highlighted by their aggregate scoreline of 114-0 across their round-of-16 and quarter-final wins but the Saints managed to just work out how to get around it on a consistent basis Be it through intelligent kicking from Smith like in the build-up to Freeman’s opener or just firing it wide early to catch out the high Leinster defender as they did for Freeman’s second or just exposing space as they did for Pollock’s score; Northampton found every conceivable way to get around the former Springbok coaches’ system In total, the Saints made seven line breaks across the match Kemeny and Juarno Augustus all notching one apiece Whether it was in the midfield or out wide Northampton manipulated the defence into doing what they wanted the aggressiveness of a blitz defence works wonders when it works but it can often leave a player isolated if they aren’t on the exact same page as the player next to them They threw different lines at them in midfield with Litchfield being used right across the line despite him being named as a winger Ramm kept popping up in different holes as well and Smith Fraser Dingwall and Freeman managed to create a deadly axis Toulouse injury list goes from bad to worse as third star ruled out of Champions Cup semi-final Leinster’s kicking game limited Northampton’s chances in the second-half when they did finally get their hands on the ball Ramm and Augustus found pockets of space where an overly-aggressive defender darted out of the line and that led to the Australian full-back dotting down You’d think Jacques Nienaber’s head is on Mars after that What will please director of rugby Phil Dowson the most is that they backed up their flair with some serious steel Repeated kicks into backfield plunged the Saints structure into chaos but they showed no signs of cracking as they became a resolute defensive side Lee Radford’s ultra-connected swallow defence came to the fore as they stayed a complete unit and just consistently bashed Leinster back It was those big mister moments where they came into their own too Curtis Langdon just stepped up to the plate and came up with consistent efforts to halt the onslaught There were plenty of Lions contenders on the pitch today that would have caught Andy Farrell’s eye but around him Pollock yet again showed serious Lions quality with a terrific display Alex Mitchell was fantastic and Dingwall again gave his chances a big boost against the likes of Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw Van der Flier and Doris were both exceptional READ MORE: Leinster v Northampton, AS IT HAPPENED: Saints silence Dublin to book Champions Cup final spot British & Irish Lions head coach must ask himself if he can afford to leave Henry Pollock out of the squad on Thursday Just as the Saints fully deserve to be contesting this month’s final against French challengers Bordeaux-Beglès so the prospects of several of their players have been significantly enhanced. It is now less a question, for example, of whether Henry Pollock and Fin Smith could make the plane and more whether Farrell can afford to leave them behind. whose three first-half tries laid the foundations of Northampton’s stunning 37-34 victory in Dublin Pollock and Smith were instrumental in a remarkable team effort which once again wrecked Leinster’s title hopes One or two previously nailed-on Irish Lions also now face an anxious wait before Thursday’s squad unveiling By contrast Pollock and Smith could have done no more The former scored a spectacular 50-metre individual try when his side were down to 14 players and outshone many of Ireland’s first-choice forwards once again oozed class and assurance as Northampton scored five tries against opponents who had won their previous two knockout games by a combined score of 114-0 The fly-half was already firmly in Lions contention but the 20-year-old Pollock has catapulted himself into the picture with a serious of stellar performances Even Lawrence Dallaglio had to wait until he was 23 to represent his country and it is already obvious that England have unearthed a generational talent in the ‘can-do’ mould of an Ian Botham or Freddie Flintoff Pollock is a similarly larger-than-life character celebrating his try by placing a finger on his neck – “Just a feeling the pulse ice-in-the-veins type of thing’ – to show the home crowd he was not remotely overawed by the occasion “I kind of saw a massive gap in the defensive line changed my speed and Mitch gave me a good ball I was lucky enough to get the swerve on the outside of Sam Prendergast and finished in the middle One or two previously nailed-on Irish Lions also now face an anxious wait before Andy Farrell names the squad on Thursday Photograph: Bob Bradford/CameraSport/Getty ImagesFarrell will have taken due note and the English prodigy would love to join this summer’s Lions adventure down under But at the end of the day you can’t control it It would be an honour to go on that plane and represent the Lions but if it’s not this year I’m sure I’ll be able to bounce back and pick myself up “Reflecting back on the last year it has been pretty mad. Getting to the final of the Champions Cup and getting my first senior cap would probably have been a dream. But every opportunity I’ve had I feel like I’ve taken it.” Free weekly newsletterThe latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed Read morePollock also believes he can “bring an energy that probably others don’t” and Northampton’s director of rugby Phil Dowson reckons his upbeat attitude would add something to any squad I think he sees the game as a game and that enjoyment and fun is infectious the Saints management were also keen to stress the collective effort that enabled Northampton to become the first English side to reach the Champions Cup final since 2020 Juarno Augustus and James Ramm were all outstanding while Fraser Dingwall and Rory Hutchinson in midfield lost nothing in comparison with the seasoned pair of Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw Saints are a tight, largely homegrown squad as well and Dowson felt it would have been “cruel” had Leinster prevailed at the death when Ross Byrne’s 79th-minute ‘try’ was ruled out. “Of course the game is about skills and tactical awareness but it’s also about having some heart and working for each other,” said Dowson. “I think that’s probably the most pleasing thing.” No team has a divine right to win the Champions Cup, as Leinster know better than most Maybe winning their first four finals in 10 years set the bar too high in the aftermath of Saturday’s 37-34 semi-final exit to Northampton a return of one Champions Cup in 13 years seems poor for all the investment in the playing squad The final in Cardiff in three weeks on Saturday will be between Northampton and first-time finalists Bordeaux Bègles for whom Joey Carbery played the last 11 minutes in Sunday’s semi-final as his team dethroned the six-time winners Toulouse The final will be a hard watch for Leinster supporters Listen | 35:17“If you wind the clock a bit further back, if you asked us in 2009, in 16 years’ time you’ll have, what, four Champions Cups? In the previous 14 years we had doughnut. So, it depends again how far you go back with some of those questions. “We would have loved to have won more. If you ask every team in the competition, they would have loved to have won more but we know how bloody hard it is to do it. We understand the pain that we’re in at the moment. It’s a horrible feeling for everyone in there, I can assure you. But what do we do? Dust ourselves off and go again.” Cullen has often cited how the Leinster/Irish model operates in contrast to the French and English clubs, who are backed by wealthy benefactors, although Leinster cannot really play the poor mouth. The playing budgets of Northampton and the other Premiership clubs are capped at €7.2 million, while the salary cap in the Top 14 is, in theory, €10.7 million. As Leinster’s budget is swollen by 11 players under central IRFU contracts, their annual wage bill is unknown. Most likely it is around the €12-14 million mark, but in any event, Cullen disputed the latest claims in the French and English media that Leinster’s annual players’ budget is €17 million. “It is wild. That’s miles off,” maintained Cullen. “Unfortunately, people can write whatever they want. As we know, the system here is a little more complex than in other countries but we don’t have a published salary cap. I don’t think it’s a conversation for this moment in time. I’ve seen some of those figures and they’re just not accurate. How do you correct people who write things that aren’t true in the current media?” Coming up short again hurts all the more after investing in a dual World Cup-winning defensive coach, a renowned French scrummaging prop, a two-time World Cup winning lock and a world-class, 68-times capped All Black utility back. But as well as the debatable decision to leave Jordie Barrett on the bench for the first 50 minutes after his man-of-the-match display in the quarter-finals, a defence that had kept two attack-orientated sides scoreless in their previous two knock-out ties was clinically dissected. “There will be a bit of head scratching there in terms of some of our mentality around defence and were we really clued in enough for some of the threats Northampton have,” admitted Cullen. “We’ve seen them attack. The players have seen them, they know, but that’s a big score to concede in a play-off game.” Cullen and Jacques Nienaber are both under contract next season and for all the disgruntlement among Leinster supporters, both will assuredly be in situ next season. A little taken aback by being asked if he was the right man to one day take Leinster to that cherished fifth star, Cullen responded with increasing defiance. “Yeah, I think I am. Yeah. I believe that I am, yes. I think we’ve worked hard to try and improve the group year on year on year and I think the group is very strong right now. That’s not something that’s just created last week; it’s year on year. “We’ve lost three finals over the last three years, but I believe we’ve a stronger group now than we’ve had and that’s the way I will continue to approach the day-to-day in preparing the short term, medium term, long term. So, yes. And I’m very committed to that as well.” If there was any complacency in this semi-final after 62-0 and 52-0 wins in the previous rounds, it could only have been compounded by leaving Barrett on an all-international bench boasting 358 caps, as against Northampton’s seven. “I will look back on lots of different things, over the course of the next few weeks,” said Cullen. “And, yes, when you don’t win a game, particularly in a semi-final, everyone is going to second-guess everything. “Jordie brought huge impact, and that is what we wanted from him. Similar with Jack Conan, as well, and a lot of other players that were on the bench. You look at us at the end of the game, we looked like a strong team, attacking the game. There’s probably bits before where we weren’t quite accurate enough. But I don’t have regrets about that plan, specifically.” Gerry Thornley is Rugby Correspondent of The Irish Times Facebook pageTwitter feed© 2025 The Irish Times DAC Following a gripping Investec Champions Cup semi-final between Leinster and Northampton Saints we take a look at a pivotal officiating decision that played a huge role in the outcome of the match Northampton booked their place in the finale in Cardiff on May 24 courtesy of a 34-37 victory over the far more fancied Irish outfit it was far from plain sailing as the Premiership club and their fans held their breath in the final knockings of the match as French referee Pierre Brousset requested a review from his TMO Tual Trainini The incident in question is of course Ross Byrne’s disallowed try as the clock ticked into the final minute of the match At the time Leinster were trailing by three points and had turned down the opportunity to level the scores and went for the jugular Saints forwards Henry Pollock and Alex Coles pilfered over a turnover stopping Leinster’s attack dead in its tracks with Tom James’ clearance pushing the Irish province back to a lineout just beyond Northampton’s 10-metre line Leinster then launched a multi-phase attack which eventually led to Jamison Gibson-Park switching the attack to the short side with James Lowe setting Josh van der Flier charging down the touchline with Coles charging in and dislodging the ball from the Irish flanker’s grasp James attempts to avoid the ball as he runs back onside Byrne has stretched out to dot the ball down on the corner flag for what looks to be a try to put Leinster back in front in the dying minutes of the game Brousset now blasts his whistle with players from both teams already pleading their case to the referee amid the euphoria of the Aviva Stadium cheers What would follow was arguably the biggest decision of Brousset’s career to date as he decided whether Leinster had scored or not he went with the latter but issued a yellow card to Saints forward Coles for his actions Brousset’s on-field decision is no try meaning that clear and obvious evidence is needed to overturn the referee’s decision the referee wanted to check whether Coles had ripped the ball from Van der Flier on the ground “Then we will look if there is a grounding from blue or if the ball is in touch.” His suspicions about how the ball popped out of Van der Flier’s grasp proved to be correct as Coles clearly rips the ball while on the ground Law 14.5 states: “Tacklers must…”c Be on their feet before attempting to play the ball.” It’s the type of action that the referee may well ignore if it occurred in the middle of the pitch but considering the fact that Leinster are so close to the line and the events that unfold afterwards Brousset has no choice but to take into consideration – and understandably so So once the officiating team had decided that Coles had conceded a penalty it was a straightforward call that he should be yellow carded for the professional and cynical penalty so close to the try line But there it comes to whether Byrne had scored the try or not… He joins the mess and actually goes off his feet before reaching out and applying downward pressure on the ball that is touching the corner flag padding meaning that it would have been a penalty to Northampton Saints had Coles not dislodged the ball illegally Had the replacement fly-half been deemed to be on his feet then the try would have still been disallowed because of where he had dotted it down This is explained by Law 21.15: “If the ball or ball-carrier touches a corner flag or corner flag post without otherwise being in touch or touch-in-goal play continues unless the ball is grounded against the post.” There is also a case to be made that Byrne was also in front of the last man’s feet at the tackle One could claim that the ball came out and touched another player’s leg who wasn’t part of the tackle and therefore he is onside but that isn’t clear and obvious it is clear and obvious that he is off his feet the officials decided to penalise the cynical infringement from Coles with Brousset deeming that a penalty try was not warranted as Van der Flier was dragged down short and couldn’t reach out to score A penalty try is only awarded when foul play prevents a probable try from being scored but there was enough doubt about a possible try being scored to not sanction Saints in that manner he explains that the ball touched the base of the corner flag which can’t be used in the act of scoring as explained above The officiating team came to the correct decision and one has to commend them for doing so in such a pivotal moment of a decisive match There were several incidents that could be used to disallow the try but the one they pinpointed was certainly the easiest to explain and with Leinster getting a penalty anyway World Rugby also encourage TMO decisions to be discussed and decided in English to ensure clarity for the viewers but in this case it was positive that Brousset and Trainini defaulted to their mother tongue to ensure accuracy in the decision-making the referee then explained the decision in English to the two captains and the fans in attendance Planet Rugby reached out to a current elite professional match official to ensure that the technicalities and law interpretations expressed in this article were accurate and fair – which they did READ MORE: Caelan Doris’ British and Irish Lions involvement thrown in doubt after worrying Leinster update Owen Doyle has insisted that Leinster should have been awarded a game-winning penalty try in the final minute of their Champions Cup semi-final Northampton Saints came away 34-37 victors over Leinster in front of an almost packed out crowd at the Aviva Stadium The Champions and Challenge Cup semi-finals will both take place this weekend George Martin is out of the rest of England's Six Nations campaign Youth in the Northampton England Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently met a representative of the king of England and were able to show him some of the things they are doing to serve others — also how they have a fun together during weekly activities Read this article in Portuguese: The youth collected thousands of stamps for charity over a period of months. The stamps were donated to the charitable organization Oxfam and were sufficient for a well to be provided in Africa This effort earned a visit in March from the lord lieutenant of Northamptonshire Watson is the king’s representative in the county and consequently the office has the first and foremost duty to uphold the dignity of the Crown In a Northamptonshire online news article Watson said: “It was a delight to spend a very wonderful evening with youth groups from Kettering and Northampton at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Everyone was so engaged with all the activities from sorting stamps for Oxfam and the very active game of dodgeball.” Around 50 young men and young women from the stake seeks to promote a good atmosphere and a spirit of cooperation by the encouragement given to voluntary services and to benevolent organizations and by the interest taken in the industrial and social life of the county explained the stake communications director “We were delighted that the lord lieutenant and his wife were able to attend this evening and meet our wonderful youth who meet together to strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ and live by His teachings to help others around them.” The youth in the Kettering Ward previously collected stamps for Oxfam charity last Christmas and have continued to collect and donate since then After King Charles’ coronation in May 2023, youth and members of the Church throughout England served their communities through JustServe as part of the Big Help Out The youth of the Northampton stake have been serving in many other ways to bless their communities As part of the stake youth Christmas activity in December 2024, the youth all spent some time writing Christmas cards to residents of four care home across the stake (based in Northampton, Bedford, Kettering and Huntingdon), as part of Postcards of Kindness In October 2024, the young women of the Duston Ward took part in a service activity supporting Baby Basics in Northampton They put together a large basket full of all the practical essentials a new mother and baby might need over the first few weeks or months following birth The baskets were filled with items such as diapers as well as a couple of chocolate treats for mom During a young women camp in August 2024, 32 young women ages 11-13 and their leaders hiked from their camp site in Hatton over to Northleigh House School which specializes in helping young people with anxiety to realize and reach their potential tidied the grounds and cleaned out the chicken coops said helping with the chickens was the most popular choice had lots of fun and made a lasting impression on the staff there.” Youth throughout the stake collected creme eggs in April 2024 for the North Ukrainian Association in Northampton The stake youth committee decided on a target goal of 500 creme eggs in a month — and ended up with more than double that number The eggs were sent to Ukraine along with other items donated by members of the stake so that's an achievement that won't be missed by us but we know we've got three more games to keep building on that." Is the Queensland boss the right man to lead Australia forward And will Joe Schmidt be tempted to stick around for Rugby World Cup 2027 Leinster player ratings: An error-strewn Leinster will be left to lick their wounds after exiting Europe with a 37-34 defeat at the hands of a game Northampton Saints 1. Cian Healy – NAPinged for an early engage and was removed after just 20 minutes with an injury 2. Dan Sheehan – 5.5Carried hard in tight channels and stuck to his task defensively Lineout largely functioned well under pressure but there was none of his usual carnage in the carry 3. Tadhg Furlong – 6Scrummaged okay for the most part and even well on occasion Offered himself in attack to little effect 4. RG Snyman – 5A towering presence at the lineout for Leinster but Saints were ready for him in contact Worked hard on the ball but was forced into errors 5. Joe McCarthy – 4.5A worryingly slow first half from Big Joe Didn’t bring his usual edge in contact and struggled to play himself into the game 6. Max Deegan – 6.5Got through plenty of defensive work and remained disciplined at the breakdown and a crafty offload off the deck set Josh van der Flier Josh van der Flier – 8.5Exploded onto the ball to bag Leinster’s second try to calm things down at the Aviva and bagged another before the end Covered ground efficiently and maintained line speed when Saints looked to find space wide Never stopped fighting and came within a whisper of a hat-trick 8. Caelan Doris – 6A tale of two halves Quiet by his usual standards in the first 40 as Northampton closed down his space effectively Struggled to impose himself and was forced into a couple of uncharacteristic errors under pressure Burst into life for his try after half-time and even pulled off a splendid touchfinder 9. Jamison Gibson-Park – 7Didn’t force anything when others might have panicked His quick thinking and slick service kept Leinster in the fight not least his blindside break for Tommy O’Brien’s try 10. Sam Prendergast – 5Had a nightmare start. Got caught napping by Saints in the sixth minute, and two minutes later a poor kick led to Northampton’s opening try. Harried by the Saints back row, who gave him no time. Fought back bravely, putting Tommy O’Brien away with an inch-perfect pass but was far too easily rounded for Henry Pollock’s try which was possibly why Leinster went for the lineout instead of the penalty that would have drawn the sides at 37-37 had three minutes from time 11. James Lowe – 6.5Limited opportunities with ball in hand but chased kicks like a golden retriever but it just didn’t happen for him in the first half with a great touchfinder and a late try pulling Leinster right back into it 12. Robbie Henshaw – 5Offered a bit of direction in the tight phases but struggled to make a dent in Northampton’s snarling defensive wall 13. Garry Ringrose – 6Tackled like a South African back-rower and had plenty of work cleaning up other players’ messes Was part of a Leinster midfield that was too easily opened up by Saints Tommy O’Brien – 8A threat whenever he was on the ball Took Leinster’s opening try but a sloppy covering fetch gave Saints field position just two minutes later when he blundered into touch 15. Hugo Keenan – 5.5A refreshingly aggressive attacking performance from Keenan, but uncharacteristically, it was his defence that left a lot to be desired. A duffed high ball gifted Tommy Freeman his third try 16. Ronan Kelleher – 6Carried with intent and directness off the bench 17. Andrew Porter – 6Brought immediate impact at the set-piece and around the breakdown Gave the Saints little change at scrum time 18. Rabah Slimani – 5Solid at the set-piece but offers nothing in attack 19. Ryan Baird – 7.5Added energy late on and contested lineouts effectively Covered ground well in open play and made one particularly eye-catching steal An impressive performance off the pine in what has been a mediocre season for Baird 20. Jack Conan – 6Brought fresh legs and got stuck in the decision not to kick for the posts seemed to be his 21. Luke McGrath – NAUnused 22. Ross Byrne – NAOne or two composed touches but not on long enough to rate 23. Jordie Barrett – 7A huge cheer rang out when he came on and he brought bags of fight but couldn’t turn the tide Edinburgh player ratings: Edinburgh’s hopes of reaching a second European Challenge Cup final ultimately ended in dispiriting fashion as they succumbed to a 39-24 defeat against Bath at Hive Stadium Saints have nowhere near the talent at their disposal that Leinster have and they played the last ten minutes with 13 men and still Leinster couldn’t score The current Irish left wing let his opposing wing score three tries Yes it can happen once or maybe even twice but three times in one half Doubtful this group will win a Champions cup Many of the Leinster players are past their best I bet Australia are praying that Ireland make up the great majority of the run on BIL side Aimless kick after kick straight down the middle of the field with no chasers And this coming on the back of a humiliating home defeat last week Where was that humiliating “home defeat” last week Graham Stop being a troll and get a life if you have to resort to misspelling names you need more material Join free and tell us what you really think Is the Queensland boss the right man to lead Australia forward Northampton Saints found a way of beating the fabled Jacques Nienaber blitz and inflicting another 'horrific' Champions Cup loss on the Leinster giants Warren Gatland forged a sense of togetherness in his 2013 Lions but faced personal 'vitriol' after leaving out a legend Conan Porter and Barrett all start in their strongest XV for that game starting Baird over McCarthy would have been a better move too Also unlikely that Byrne or even Frawley are Prender-gassed on the outside by Pollock either Saints were long shots to make up 6 8 & 9 pt deficits on the three teams ahead for bottom spot in the play offs even before Saturday and if Dowson has any smarts particularly with the injuries they’re also carrying Pretty likely that Saints first XV atm has Threeman in the centre with back 3 of Furbs Great to see you recognise that Leinster were at full strength Yes I’d think they’d prefer a England/Saints type match up Really I must say it didn’t seem as though Snyman was really all though and I wondered why he wasn’t just bringing his enthusiasm in off the bench like normal I could imagine him feeling more comfortable in that role I cannot thank CyberPoint enough for their incredible assistance in recovering my stolen Bitcoin I felt utterly defeated and never thought I would see my funds again after reaching out to CyberPoint Recovery Company I was amazed at their professionalism and dedication They successfully helped me recover my stolen funds and I am forever grateful for their support I highly encourage you to contact CyberPoint Recovery Company E.m.a.i.l: support(@)cyberpointrecovery(.)com I cannot thank CyberPoint enough for their incredible assistance in recovering my stolen Bitcoin It was called ‘The Curse of the Great Bambino’ no doubt it was helped by the ridiculousness of giving away Babe fn Ruth “not for things good and right” would be the answer no doubt This will be a very similar question Leinster have to ask themselves It would be enough to kill the belief of a lesser club at a venue like Dublin I hope we have segued here to the Premiership lol They ran for 147 metres more than the hosts on 41 fewer carries That’s how New Zealand teams used to be able to play scoring tries from anywhere in their own half with very little ball often even less than the 40% Saints had this game None of which will bother Dowson and his charges Don’t they now have three must win games in the Premiership How are they going to balance those are a Champions Cup Final I’m not sure I agree with the referee bottling it and putting away his whistle at the end In Super rugby theyve been starting to play their hands a lot more and using the TMO It’s increased the accuracy of the contest but also brought back in the howlers like going back 10 phases to a knock on that wasn’t even a knock on I just don’t understand why they can’t get it right but that’s pretty much the same perspective placed on Cullen right Duck by name and duck by nature You really love ducking a question don’t you? When all the players competing for the back three positions are fit….who starts? Freeman on one wing and either Ramm or Hendy on the other with Seabrook or Sleightholme competing as well Therefore they had two of the three starting Nobody was calling Hendy a second rate B team player i know you are twisting the topic of conversation rather than acknowledge you were exaggerating on the original topic I agree England are the 2nd best team up North now…still a young team with a lot of growth yet The fact that Aussie have the belief after their victory at Twickenham bodes well be interesting to see the make up of the team by Farrell Alun Wyn Jones showed in the 3rd test what captaincy is all about The Wallabies were smashed up front and it didn’t matter who played at centre A most excellent comment. BOTNET CRYPTO RECOVERY is a global leader in cross-border crypto asset recovery With a vast network of partners—including major exchanges and cybersecurity firms across North America and Asia—they can quickly freeze stolen assets across multiple jurisdictions preventing fraudsters from moving funds internationally Their team has deep expertise in the legal and regulatory complexities of cryptocurrency recovery enabling swift action even in offshore and multi-country cases working closely with law enforcement and financial institutions to maximize recovery chances Whether dealing with fake investment schemes BOTNET CRYPTO RECOVERY provides effective solutions to reclaim lost assets When will the coaching staff realise that they need to do something different at this point Yes thats what I see from all the way over hear they’ve believed they haven’t had the players but even that is possible more adding to rather than changing He’s obviously changing things on the field though which is why we all pretty much didn’t expect results from them this year and definitely with the sort of encouraging results that make you believe you’re on the right track Would be a superb outfit if they put that all together with trying to find a better way to manage the unique challenge of having a national representee team as your make up I can only imagine what problems the old Auckland Blues team would have encountered but they might want to look at the Crusaders example While not the same scope the Crusaders star players were key All Blacks who often just meandered through the season and that affected results but were always able to turn it on at the back end when it counted Don't mean SA getting kicked out of Europe altogether I mean SA withdrawing from Europe to get out of a 12 month season when playing in URC seems to be having an impact on the Springboks Confronted with that its entirely possible SA would re-enter a restructured SR or create its own entirely domestic comp then seek international club play on a Champions Cup type basis with its domestic teams having 20 plus scheduled games a season it'll achieve all its financial/popularity/competitiveness goals without having to go for a 12 month season Not good if he can’t play well off the bench lol I have him down as my super sub We’re all just waiting for you to comment on something other than everything Canterbury You are boredom maximus and just can’t see it Hilarious richer countries have been announcing the death of NZ rugby since rugby first became an international sport and NZ started beating the crap out of the Northern hemisphere teams There is so much resentment and hatred and frustration that NZ rugby It'll be there for the next twenty years Biggest issue was the selection they got it totally wrong and the most likely reason for it was over confidence The same arrogance that saw them off the boil emotionally and lacking in the intensity required to combat Northampton’s ferocious start All of which led them to a point where they were unable to execute at the death and capitalise on the clear advantages held at that stage Leinster got exactly what they deserved from that match and it was very amusing to watch Kearney squirming post match I'll repeat what I said Hopefully you'll get the point this time Despite your claim I never mentioned financials I focused purely on the political consequences for SA rugby structures of the Springboks decline in RWC's My focus in relation to that was entirely on the issue of competitiveness has a much better structured domestic season now than it had in SR Domestic teams playing in a round robin comp they are in every year is a domestic comp for competitive/development/financial purposes SA's URC teams have to run significantly bigger squads again a function of having a proper full season for those teams That is something NZ will eventually emulate the URC's popularity/financials are greater in SA because its a full season and its teams are winning [again something I recognised] in the distinctly lower quality URC whereas it spent almost all its time in SR losing in much higher quality but shorter comp The story is radically different in the much higher quality European comps where the SA teams are getting crushed year after year what will be the political consequences in SA of the Springboks decline in RWC/WR standings Will the financial/popularity advantages of getting a proper domestic season be seen to be damaging the Springboks given the distinctly lower quality of the URC in comparison with SRP My bet is such a blame game is almost certain To give themselves a substantial domestic comp and keep the Springboks in TRC [They have no choice] SA are being forced to play 12 months a year have developed a habit of improvising solutions instead of building durable structures A 12 month season is just another improvisation And as for the fairy story that being in Europe is better prep for RWC/Test rugby than SR SA teams only play Ireland/Wales/Scotland/Italy in the URC And SA teams don't play in Europe long enough to benefit from playing against club teams from England and France And if you think that playing in Ireland/Wales/Scotland on a wet winters day is less challenging than playing in NZ then you're welcome to your short memory If you look at the last two knockout games Leinster have scored 114 points and conceded none Northampton are not playing as well as last year They were Premiership title winners last year and they're currently seventh I think three of them might make the Lions in Alex Mitchell at scrum-half Fin Smith at fly-half – he'll be up against Sam Prendergast and that's going to be interesting – and wing Tommy Freeman who scored a try for England in all five of the Six Nations games and is really a threat out wide It's up front where I think Leinster are so much stronger Leinster have been on fire and the rumour is that Jordie Barrett and Andrew Porter may well start the game from the bench When you look at the impact Barrett had in the last game out against Glasgow when Leinster scored eight tries and he was a shoo-in for player of the match after about half an hour despite not getting any and you can afford to leave riches like that on the bench if that happens it shows the strength Leinster have in depth They are a stronger combination than last year whereas Northampton aren't quite as strong so I expect Leinster to win – not as comprehensively as in the previous games Leinster controlled the ticket sales for the semi-final last year and attracted over 80,000 to Croke Park EPCR took over the running this year and apparently sales have been poor and there could be a crowd at Aviva of less than 30,000 Donal Lenihan was speaking on RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland We need your consent to load this YouTube contentWe use YouTube to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences on Saturday from 4.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 RTÉ.ie is the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann RTÉ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites History repeats itself in a defeat that will sting them more than previous losses and haunt Blues for long time James Lowe reacts to a decision by referee Pierre Brousset during the defeat to Northampton You can’t lead a team into a Champions Cup semi-final and not feel pressure Leinster’s Leo Cullen and the Northampton Saints’ Phil Dowson left their mark with both clubs as players but are now striving to bring more silverware as managers Both carry a heavy load given the history and expectation behind their teams With a Premiership in the bag at the end of last season and injuries along with the departure of club legends like Courtney Lawes and Lewis Ludlum there was way less pressure on Dowson than Cullen yesterday The reigning Premiership champions head to Dublin with a place in the Principality Stadium final at stake Northampton Saints haven’t won the European title since 2000 (David Rogers/Getty Images) Watch a Leinster v Northampton Saints live stream to find out if the Irish side can overcome the English Premiership champions to reach their sixth final in eight years This guide explains how to watch Leinster v Northampton Saints live streams online You’ll also find a match preview at the end of the article – Leinster v Northampton Saints date: Saturday 3 May 2025 – Leinster v Northampton Saints kick-off time: 5.30pm BST / 6.30pm CET / 6.30pm SAST / 12.30pm ET – Leinster v Northampton Saints free stream: RTÉ Player (Ireland) – Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free Irish rugby fans can watch Leinster v Northampton Saints for FREE on Saturday evening You can watch a Leinster v Northampton Saints live stream via the RTÉ Player website and app and you don’t even need to register to use the service Build-up to the big match gets underway at 4.45pm IST As with every other Champions Cup game this season, Leinster v Northampton Saints is also available on the Premier Sports Ireland subscription service You can still access your usual RTÉ Player service from abroad by using a VPN – more on that below Being overseas this weekend doesn’t mean you have to miss out on Leinster’s latest bid for a place in the Champions Cup final Thanks to a handy piece of tech called a VPN you can avoid geo-restrictions you might encounter on your usual streaming services A VPN (Virtual Personal Network) allows you to change your IP address smartphone or tablet can appear to be in a completely different country allowing you to log on to your streaming platform of choice as if you were back at home watching on your sofa VPNs also improve your internet security when you’re online View Deal Premier Sports is the UK rights holder for European Champions Cup matches They’re pulling out the stops for the last English side left in the competition with a whole hour of build-up before the kick-off Tune in from 4.30pm BST on Saturday afternoon Online subscriptions to Premier Sports cost £15.99 per month £11.99 per month if you commit to a full year You can then stream the game online via Premier Sports’ website and app and Amazon also offer Premier Sports on their platforms It usually costs £15.99 per month to add it to your TV package Not in the UK right now? You can still access your usual Premier Sports service from overseas by using a VPN, such as NordVPN SuperSport has been showing selected Champions Cup matches throughout the tournament and there was no way they were going to miss out on a game as big as this Leinster v Northampton Saints semi-final The match kicks off at 6.30pm SAST on Saturday You can get Supersport on your TV via DStv, and you can also stream online. Check out the latest SuperSport packages. FloRugby will live stream Leinster v Northampton Saints for fans in the United States Kick-off is 12.30pm ET / 9.30am PT on Saturday A FloRugby subscription costs $29.99 a month but drops to $12.50 per month if you sign up for a full year A Champions Cup semi-final against Leinster has to be one of the most daunting prospects in rugby The Irish side have turned reaching the final into an habit winning five of the last semis they’ve played The unfortunate flipside of that statistic is that Leinster haven’t lifted the trophy since 2018 a fact that’s sure to fire them up even more than usual in Dublin They’ve been one of the standout teams in tournament winning every game they’ve played – in fact they’re yet to concede a point in the knockout stages having annihilated Harlequins and Glasgow Warriors 62-0 and 52-0 can they raise their game enough to compete with one of Europe’s giants in their own backyard Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing so who better to front a new look than England’s man… Dan Sheehan to score a try2pts 10-11 BoyleSports Leinster were left hanging on for a 20-17 victory when they faced Northampton in last year's European Champions Cup semi-finals but the Irish side's devastating form in this season's knockout rounds has pushed the handicap all the way to 21 points as the teams prepare to meet at the same stage again Harlequins and URC champions Glasgow have already been despatched in Dublin with Quins going down 62-0 in the last 16 and the Warriors 52-0 in the quarter-final To pile up 16 tries in two matches of that magnitude is impressive but to do so without conceding a point is remarkable although it does just underline the hard work Leinster are putting in defensively under coach Jacques Nienaber Leinster had the meanest defence in the pool stage shipping just 54 points in four games despite facing potentially tough opponents in French duo La Rochelle and Clermont plus the Premiership's top scorers Bath A strong Bath line-up were beaten 47-21 in Dublin in January and that was the most points Leinster have conceded in a European match this term Northampton have reached the last four despite a disappointing defence of their Premiership title which has yielded just seven wins in 15 games they gained a high Champions Cup seeding thanks to an away win over the Bulls that in hindsight was not a huge shock given the South African outfit's fairly indifferent attitude to European rugby and home knockout clashes with Clermont and Castres were as straightforward as they could have been Not only are Saints facing a machine-like Leinster defence but they also look second best up front in terms of physicality and may struggle for possession and at the breakdown Leinster have felt confident enough to hold Ireland prop Andrew Porter and All Black centre Jordie Barrett back on the bench and the hosts can go through the gears as the game progresses tightening the screw in pursuit of a fourth consecutive final appearance Tries are often shared around the Irish side but one player to focus on is hooker Dan Sheehan who scored in the round of 16 and quarter-final wins and bagged five tries for Ireland in the Six Nations He is a go-to man for Leinster and is worth backing to get on the scoresheet again in a big home win Edinburgh vs Bath predictions: Russell and co ready to continue treble push  Super League Magic Weekend: Day One predictions, betting tips and odds from the Racing PostCommercial notice: This article contains affiliate links Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting Published on 2 May 2025inRugby Union tips Copyright © 2025 Spotlight Sports Group Limited or its licensors, all rights reserved Tom James of Northampton Saints steps over the ball on the try line in the last play of the game. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile my thoughts were immediately drawn to two men sitting below me in the Aviva Stadium For Leo Cullen the manner of this defeat will be even harder to rationalise than the consecutive final losses suffered over the last three seasons Given the vast resources invested in this squad and the addition this season of real star quality in Jordie Barrett handpicked specifically to close out tight encounters such as this this latest European collapse is even more painful than those previous nightmares This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Introductory offers for new customers. Annual billed once for first year. Renews at €120. Monthly initial discount (first 4 months) billed monthly, then €10 a month. Ts&Cs apply JOB DONE: Union Bordeaux-Bègles' Louis Bielle-Biarrey By clicking on 'Sign Up' you will be the first to know about our latest and best sporting content on this browser You have accepted push notifications for this content. If you would like to manage your push notification preferences, you can do so here Bordeaux had raced into a 10-0 lead with a try from Pete Samu and a Matthieu Jalibert penalty, but Toulouse edged 11-10 up with a pair of Juan Cruz Mallia penalties either side of Dimitri Delibes’s try. However, Bielle-Biarrey then lit up the Matmut Atlantique with a moment of brilliance, somersaulting his way over the line after Romain Buros had burst through the Toulouse defence. Read moreWhen the 21-year-old France wing scored a second just 19 seconds into the second half Jalibert converted for a 25-11 lead but Pierre-Louis Barassi capitalised on a visit to the sin-bin for Marko Gazzotti to pull one back for Toulouse and inject some nerves into the finale Pierre Bochaton powered over for a fourth Bordeaux try in the 64th minute and Ben Tameifuna added a late fifth to put Bordeaux into their first Champions Cup final, to be played in Cardiff on 24 May. “They had a 10-minute spell of domination and we did not crack. We’re so happy to qualify in front of our fans as we’ve been through very tough moments,” said Jalibert, referring to Toulouse’s 59-3 win against Bordeaux in the Top 14 final last season. In the Challenge Cup, Owen Farrell’s hopes of being selected for the British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia were dealt a blow after he suffered a head injury for Racing 92 in his side’s 29-15 semi-final defeat by Lyon. Farrell, selected at inside-centre for the first time this season instead of his usual fly-half position, was forced off after just 19 minutes with the score at 0-0. The 33-year-old England fly-half took a hit to the head from Mickaël Guillard’s hip as he attempted to tackle his opponent. Farrell is a three-time Lions tourist and was in contention for a place in father Andy’s squad for this summer even though his debut season at Racing 92 has been affected by a groin injury. A 37-man Lions squad will be named on Thursday. Following Farrell’s departure, Léo Berdeu kicked the first of five penalties to open the scoring for hosts Lyon before Vincent Rattez registered their first try. Diego Escobar and Kleo Labarbe both touched down for Racing either side of Beka Saghinadze crossing for Lyon’s second try, but it was Berdeu’s kicking which made the difference and set up a Challenge Cup final clash against Bath on 23 May. Dave Bowen and the Northampton Town squad for the 1965-66 First Division season It will never happen again that a club sharing a ground with a county cricket team will reach the top flight of English football And yet that was the reality for Northampton Town sealed promotion to the old First Division with a 4-1 away win at Bury It capped an outstanding managerial achievement by Dave Bowen who guided Northampton from the fourth tier to the first in just five seasons - a rise which took Luton Town nine years to emulate in the current century "We needed to win at Bury on Easter Saturday Don Martin scored early in the second half and we had a three-goal lead then and we could relax," Graham Carr told BBC Look East and was still finding his feet among seasoned professionals But such was the congested nature of the fixture list there was little time to enjoy their achievement - that came later at a special dinner hosted by the town's mayor We were sitting on the bus ready to go and we could hear Dave Bowen talking to Sports Report on the radio," said Carr a 16-seater to fly to Exeter to play Plymouth "Then we got the flight back to Luton and the following day we played Plymouth in the return game and won 3-1 We played three games in four days with the same players Wales and Northampton great Bowen honoured with bust Graham Carr returned to Northampton as an associate director in 2017 Northampton finished the season in second place with 56 points from their 42 games - only two for a win in those days - and were just a single point behind champions Newcastle United And promotion meant that in the following season the Cobblers would be mixing it with the likes of Liverpool Carr believes that much of the credit must go to Bowen who was first appointed in 1959 following two spells as a player with the club and also spent 10 years as manager of the Wales national team "Dave Bowen was a marvellous coach and he was out with us every day training He had a plan for everything," he said "There was good recruitment and we played the same system every game Those wingers were principally Harry Walden and Tommy Robson later to become a club legend for rivals Peterborough United with Robson reaching double figures for goals Northampton Town's pitch at the County Ground was used as a car park during the summer months But how much of an advantage was Northampton's unusual ground The club had shared the playing area with Northamptonshire CCC since 1905 and went through the entire campaign without losing a single game at home where they only conceded 16 goals in 21 fixtures I never heard any player want to leave," said Carr "We never did warm-ups like they do now we rubbed oil on (our legs in the changing room) and ran onto the pitch You didn't see the build-up of people coming into the ground "You couldn't help but think 'wow' I'm ready for it' with the people on the cricket side tight to you Other clubs would feel they were up against it The promotion season ended with a home game against Portsmouth an unforgettable occasion for those who were there the town was only half the size it is now so everyone knew everyone None of us could believe it was happening," supporter Roger Averill told BBC Look East I was in the middle of the hotel end which was packed I had to climb up the floodlights so I could see I don't think I appreciated the magnitude of it I thought we would do this all the time but I have found out that we don't!" Roger Averill has been a Northampton supporter since the early 1960s Northampton were handed a trip to Merseyside to take on Everton for their first match in the top flight although Bobby Brown's goal brought them level at 1-1 I remember driving in and I knew I was (going to be) on the bench," Carr recalls "The crowd outside Goodison Park was unbelievable." There was encouragement from their first two home games which ended in 1-1 draws with Arsenal and defending champions Manchester United Matt Busby's side helping attracting a crowd of 21,245 to the County Ground Things then took a downturn as the Cobblers failed to win any of the next 10 but back-to-back 2-1 home victories over West Ham and Aston Villa lifted the mood with Jim Hall scoring both goals in the latter Results were mixed thereafter but the Cobblers managed to stay just above the bottom two despite 6-2 defeats in the return game with Manchester United at Old Trafford and at Stoke City in February Newcastle United and Leeds United were both beaten at home and they completed a notable double over Villa when John Mackin and Graham Moore's goals gave them a 2-1 win The final three games were a rollercoaster as a 4-2 home loss to Fulham dropped them into the relegation places a 2-1 home win over Sunderland lifted them out only for a 3-0 defeat at Blackpool to see them finish 21st and they were relegated along with Blackburn Rovers They had certainly not disgraced themselves but defensive frailty ultimately cost them dear Their 92 goals conceded was four worse than any other team "We had great lads who were physically strong who would work hard and dig in – and frighten people – but in the First Division then you did need a little more than that," said Carr we didn't have the money to do it - we did our best but our best wasn't good enough." Carr left Northampton in 1968 to join York City but returned as manager in the mid-1980s and and guided them to the Fourth Division title in 1987 He went on to become chief scout for both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United before deciding to return to Northampton as an associate director eight years ago how does he feel looking back to that glorious season which culminated in promotion 60 years ago and the players with whom he shared a dressing room I don't think it will ever happen again because finances have changed this game," an emotional Carr added "We all lived in Northampton so we had a drink together we went to the cafes together after training Trailblazer Zhao set to take snooker to 'another level' in China Alexander-Arnold leaves as modern Liverpool great - but fans will feel hurt Alpine poised to replace Doohan with Colapinto The final series of Man Like Mobeen has arrived John Simm stars in the provocative 90s drama Warm-hearted comedy with Ben Miller and Sally Phillips Follow two ambitious river restoration projects Who has made Troy's Premier League team of the week Zhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights VideoZhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights 'Scheffler and DeChambeau wins further raise US PGA excitement levels' Match-fixing scandal to Crucible champion - fall and rise of Zhao 'We need to take a look at ourselves' - Arsenal stalling at wrong time Palmer's brilliance could be key moment in Chelsea's Champions League quest Europa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney VideoEuropa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney Ask Me Anything the new BBC Sport service designed to serve you Bayern's 'James Bond' - how Kane clinched his first trophy Nine bolters with a shot of making the Lions squad How 'absolutely outstanding' Palmer 'destroyed' Liverpool VideoHow 'absolutely outstanding' Palmer 'destroyed' Liverpool Still number one & 'sparring' with Draper - return of Sinner Saints 'punch' favourites Leinster in game for the ages VideoVardy the best £1m ever spent - Shearer Poppy's tears Elton John & Happy Gilmore - McIlroy on Jimmy Fallon show Two opposing views on football's transgender ban Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Tom Youngs made 246 league appearances in his career and scored 51 goals Northampton Town and Bury forward Tom Youngs has died at the age of 45 Youngs started his career with the U's after joining the club aged 10 and made 180 appearances between 1997 and 2003 He won promotion to the third tier with Cambridge in 1998-99 After 30 appearances in an injury-hit three seasons with Northampton Youngs had a short spell at Leyton Orient before joining Bury in June 2005 He played 49 league games for the Shakers and scored seven goals in two seasons before a hip injury ended his playing career with non-league Mildenhall Town in 2011 Youngs was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2014 after moving back to Bury St Edmunds to work as an accountant Having studied sports journalism at Staffordshire University What Dreams are (Not Quite) Made of: No Fame In their obituary, Cambridge wrote, external: "Tom will be remembered as a gifted player who intelligent positioning and poise in front of goal graced the Abbey Stadium between 1997 and 2003." Northampton added, external: "Tom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a life-changing event that he faced with the same resilience and honesty that marked his entire career "He later wrote a moving and insightful book reflecting on both his footballing days and his experience with the disease offering comfort and inspiration to many." Read moreThe Irish province, beaten in the final in the last three consecutive seasons, looked stunned at the final whistle. But the Saints had led 27-15 at half-time and, even after Leinster had charged back to within three points the visitors came knocking again via a 63rd-minute score from James Ramm settled in contentious fashion after an aghast Leinster had a possible 79th-minute score disallowed It was a seesawing thriller to compare with the classic Munster v Wasps semi-final back in 2004 previously first among equals in this exhilarating category As well as being a memorable contest in its own right it was also a heavy-duty final trial for assorted contenders on both sides with Thursday’s British & Irish Lions squad announcement looming If not here was some compelling additional 11th-hour evidence not least from a couple of Englishmen who played central roles in the throbbing drama ShowScotland talisman Finn Russell enjoyed a fruitful return to his homeland as Bath eventually wore down spirited Edinburgh to reach their first European final in 11 years with a 39-24 Challenge Cup semi-final victory.  The runaway Premiership leaders – undermined by losing players to untimely yellow cards in each half – trailed 17-12 in the third quarter at The Hive with all six of their tries scored by forwards as they set up a showdown with the winner of Sunday's semi-final between the Top 14 sides Lyon and Racing 92 in the final at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on 23 May Thank you for your feedback.There was certainly no ignoring – not for the first or last time – the precociously talented England flanker Henry Pollock who contributed a spectacular solo first-half try and a stunning late turnover and again looked wholly unfazed by the lofty company he is keeping The back row is already awash with candidates but Pollock could not have done much more whose duel with Sam Prendergast was an enthralling one for connoisseurs and casual watchers alike Smith did not have everything his own way but exudes the calm assurance of a veteran No10 Prendergast is also clearly a talent but will Farrell pick both of them with his son Owen Finn Russell and George Ford also in the fly-half frame Northampton close ranks on Joe McCarthy to frustrate Leinster with a courageous defensive display Photograph: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile/Getty ImagesWhoever goes this was a proper ding-dong even without the significant subtext Preparing to face a full-metal Leinster at the moment is psychologically akin to being strapped to the railway track with a steaming locomotive just round the bend The pressure is just as screeching when Leinster are defending the blue line erected by Jacques Nienaber so steely that neither of their previous knockout opponents It was all the more encouraging for the Saints when they opened the scoring with a daring early score Smith cutting a sharp line from Ramm’s pass to split the cover and then rolling a perfect chip into the path of his good mate Freeman who Leinster, though, are a mighty hard side to subdue for long and the understanding between Jamison Gibson-Park and Prendergast is sharp enough to take advantage of the smallest opportunity. With Northampton still digesting the award of a free-kick to the home side Gibson-Park took the swiftest of taps and Prendergast’s long ball put the lurking Tommy O’Brien over Even with his side down to 14 players after Curtis Langdon was sent to the sin-bin he is not the type to shut up shop even 50 metres from the opposing line he left Prendergast grasping at thin air on the touchline and raced clear for a striking score at the glass-windowed end of the stadium Free weekly newsletterThe latest rugby union news and analysis Little did anyone guess it would be the first of three rat-a-tat Saints tries inside nine minutes Pollock and Smith were both part of a slick backline attack that gave Freeman another chance to show his pace on the right before the winger secured his third after a box kick fell nicely for the stampeding Juarno Augustus The 12-point half-time gap was reminiscent of the famous Cardiff final in 2011 when Leinster overcame a 16-point interval deficit against the same opponents were always going to mount some kind of fightback and duly did so through third-quarter tries by Caelan Doris and Josh van der Flier Labour and Tories feared 'disastrous' results as the night wore on, with Reform UK predicting a surge in votes Scroll down to read results and reactions from the two counts in Kettering and Northampton We're wrapping up our coverage of the elections across Northamptonshire now It's proved to be a huge night for Reform UK seizing control of both North Northamptonshire Council and West Northamptonshire Council who had led the county's political landscape for two decades Our reporting doesn't stop here though - with full analysis and reaction to follow on the BBC Northamptonshire website That should be live via this link soon once our reporters on the ground have had the chance to come up for air Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingHow does West Northamptonshire Council look now?published at 21:49 British Summer Time 2 May21:49 BST 2 MayHere's how it looks at West Northamptonshire Council after a momentous day for Reform UK Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWest Northants capped off with wins for Reform and Lib Demspublished at 21:47 British Summer Time 2 May21:47 BST 2 MayBreakingImage source Oliver Conopo/BBCWe've now got the final results of the night coming from the Towcester ward in West Northants The Lib Dems' Steward Tolley and David Tarbun win two seats with a third taken by Reform UK's Adrian Little Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Bitter blows' suffered by the Tories and Labourpublished at 21:41 British Summer Time 2 May21:41 BST 2 MayLaura CoffeyPolitical reporter reporting from the North Northamptonshire count It's a historic night for Reform UK and a bitter blow for Labour and the Conservatives on both councils After 20 years of Tory control in Northamptonshire both unitary authorities will be led by Reform The Tories had controlled the former county council since 2005 and led both unitaries following their creation in 2021 Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform and Tories are among the final winners of the nightpublished at 21:40 British Summer Time 2 May21:40 BST 2 MayBreakingWe've now got the penultimate result of the night coming in the West Northants ward of Hunsbury It has been won by Glenn Butcher and Ronald Firman This means the last result of the night will come from Towcester Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingMarried couple 'really chuffed' to be electedpublished at 21:34 British Summer Time 2 May21:34 BST 2 MayImage source Martin Heath/BBCWe've just caught up with Dave and Sue Gaskell who have been elected for Reform UK in West Northants really chuffed for both of us - I've got a tear in my eye but I just didn't think it would happen; there's a lot of good competition about." Mrs Gaskell adds: "We've worked so hard We want to put the people of Northampton first and we've got to make this work." Mr Gaskell says they have only argued once in their 29-year marriage Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingHow does North Northamptonshire Council look now?published at 21:27 British Summer Time 2 May21:27 BST 2 MayHere's how we look in North Northamptonshire in what proved to be an historic night for Reform UK Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform caps off the night in style by winning three seatspublished at 21:26 British Summer Time 2 May21:26 BST 2 MayBreakingThe final results for North Northamptonshire Council are in It's Reform UK who cap off their huge night in style Elections for Higham Ferrers ward will be carried out before 23 June. They had to be postponed after the death of Lib Dem candidate John Ratcliffe Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform take control of West Northamptonshire Councilpublished at 21:15 British Summer Time 2 May21:15 BST 2 MayBreakingImage source West Northamptonshire CouncilIt's a momentous night for Reform UK as they prepare to take control of West Northamptonshire Council from the Conservatives They've got over the line by winning three seats in Headlands Adrian Cartwright and Cameron Emery pumping the air on stage It's a historic moment for Northamptonshire as both its unitary authorities are no longer Conservative-run and are instead now led by Reform Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingNewly-engaged councillor celebrates winning seatpublished at 21:08 British Summer Time 2 May21:08 BST 2 MayBack in North Northants now where the results for Rushden South have been declared Reform UK candidate Steve Clark takes one seat with Conservative Barbara Jenney taking the other In Oundle ward, the Conservatives win two seats through Jon Humberstone and Helen Harrison, who announced her engagement to ex-Wellingborough MP Peter Bone earlier Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingCouncillors make 'important' decisions, chief executive sayspublished at 21:07 British Summer Time 2 May21:07 BST 2 MayImage source, Nadia Lincoln/LDRSNadia Lincoln, from the Local Democracy Reporting Service the chief executive of West Northamptonshire Council She says the turnout of 32.16% was about the norm for local elections "These are the councillors that are going to make decisions every single day about our roads "[These are] lots of really important decisions and I’d have liked residents to have a say." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform on the brink of controlling West Northantspublished at 21:06 British Summer Time 2 May21:06 BST 2 MayBreakingImage source Martin Heath/BBCThree more wins for Reform UK in West Northants leave them needing just another trio of seats to control the council Trefor Hughes and Craig Morris who are elected for the party Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingHusband of jailed councillor loses his seatpublished at 21:05 British Summer Time 2 May21:05 BST 2 MayBreakingImage source Sam Read/BBCThe latest news coming in is that Conservative councillor Ray Connolly has lost his Far Cotton Delapre and Briar Hill seat in West Northants He faced calls to resign last year after his wife, Lucy Connolly, was jailed for 31 months after calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire Reform UK's Anthony Owen and James Petter have won two of the available seats with Independent Julie Davenport taking the third has declined to speak to our reporters at the count Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingGreens and Labour among the latest winnerspublished at 21:04 British Summer Time 2 May21:04 BST 2 MayBreakingImage source Laura Coffey/BBCDeclarations are continuing at the North Northants count where Reform UK are set to take over the council winning Victoria ward with Kelly Duddridge and David Baker The Green Party's Steve Geary then takes St Peter ward before fellow Greens Emily Fedorowycz and Dez Dell win Kettering North Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform and Labour take more seats in West Northantspublished at 21:01 British Summer Time 2 May21:01 BST 2 MayWe've just had two more Labour wins in West Northants with Robert Purser and Zoe Smith taking the Abington and Phippsville ward Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWest Northants facing the country's latest wait for resultspublished at 21:00 British Summer Time 2 May21:00 BST 2 MayLewis AdamsLive reporter West Northamptonshire Council is the only count in the country where we still don't know who will have overall control every other region with elections knows which party has ultimate power Now we're hearing rumours of a possible recount too It's not quite hit the point of energy drinks being cracked open but we've certainly seen quieter days Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRegrets anger and euphoria at country's latest countpublished at 20:54 British Summer Time 2 May20:54 BST 2 MayMartin HeathReporting from the West Northamptonshire count More than seven hours into the country's latest count many of the candidates and agents have wandered off into the night The football crowd-style cheers have largely been replaced by more refined solitary murmurs of approval - even though we still do not know how the council will look when all of this is over Labour's staff have been working hard to make sure their candidates do not speak to the media an unusual move at an election count where it is impossible to influence the vote one way or the other Some of the wannabe councillors who never expected to have a chance of getting in have been allowing themselves a small smile when their tally of votes goes into three figures Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWins for three parties in West Northantspublished at 20:46 British Summer Time 2 May20:46 BST 2 MayBreakingTurning back to West Northants now where the results are coming in thick and fast Fiona Cole has taken Hackleton and Roade ward for the Conservatives Then Labour's Farzana Aldridge and Reform's Nicholas Humphreys share the spoils in Kingsley and Semilong ward Reform win two seats with Richard Butler and Andrew Last two for the Conservatives and one for Labour Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingReform seize control of North Northamptonshire Councilpublished at 20:23 British Summer Time 2 May20:23 BST 2 MayBreakingA huge moment for Reform UK as they win two seats in Pemberton and one in Finedon Chris McGiffen and Andy Sims' victories across those wards take the party's total number of councillors to 35 It means Reform now have overall control of North Northamptonshire Council Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFormer Labour MP makes political comeback with winpublished at 20:19 British Summer Time 2 May20:19 BST 2 MayBreakingImage source Martin Heath/BBCThe former Northampton North MP Sally Keeble has just made her political comeback by winning for Labour in the Dallington Spencer ward where Keeble is joined by fellow Labour winner Rufia Ashraf and Reform UK's John East the results in Hackleton and Roade come in with Fiona Cole winning for the Conservatives and Adam Smith for Reform UK So this quick flurry sees Labour and Reform win two seats A monumental weekend in Europe saw holders Toulouse given a breakdown lesson by Bordeaux on the Atlantic Coast found themselves at the wrong end of arguably Northampton’s finest ever performance 15 Romain Buros (Bordeaux-Begles): A really classy outing that demonstrated why France are so keen to have him around their squad Pivotal in setting up the first try for Pete Samu with a magnificent miss pass to Matthieu Jalibert he takes the shirt from Saints’ James Ramm and Toulouse’s Juan Cruz Mallia one of the few ST players that did themselves justice in the Bordeaux humidity 14 Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints): The big man just keeps delivering What a season he’s had and continues to have Sometimes his size belies just how quick he is whilst UBB will wait anxiously on the fitness of Damian Penaud who limped off early 13 Nicolas Depoortiere (Bordeaux-Begles): The big centre had another thrilling outing as his breakdown and defensive work was a feature of the way UBB closed down Toulouse A word for his opponent – Pierre Louis Barassi has been in great shape for Toulouse all season and once again kept fighting to the end 12 Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints): There’s a good chance that Dingers may be winging it Down Under with the Lions Once again the mortar in the Saints bricks although Yoram Moefana once again shone for UBB Note to ed: why on earth did Jordie Barrett not start for Leinser 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Bordeaux-Begles): Wow The little magician is the form player of the world right now – so much so that we’re not even naming a runner-up since no one can get anywhere near him right now Jack Willis confirms British & Irish Lions squad announcement plans after ‘gut punch’ Champions Cup defeat 10 Fin Smith (Northampton Saints): Our toughest call of the weekend given Matthieu Jalibert‘s genius at the Matmut Atlantique for Smith to steer a team of underdogs to win on the road against the tournament favourites underlines just how brilliant he was Jalibert is a close runner-up and needs singling out for his brilliance in that first movement try for Bordeaux 9 Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints): Another blistering performance of spike and control from the brilliant Saintsman Mitchell has booked his place on the Lions tour there was little to choose between Mitch and the brilliant Maxime Lucu for Bordeaux 8 Juarno Augustus (Northampton Saints): A thundering performance that completely eclipsed Caelan Doris’ effort in defeat Augustus has looked fitter than ever this season and Saints benefit from his sharpness Toulouse may be ruing leaving Anthony Jelonch on the bench as he was one of their most dangerous carriers once he entered the fray 7 Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints): When Pollock picked up the ball on the 29th minute mark he instantly transformed Sam Prendergast into Sam Pondergast effectively put paid to the glacial Leinster 10’s Lions chances Pollock may lack a tad of the physical in close quarter exchanges but the man is a joyous free spirit with ball in hand even if his post-match interview made Matt Damon’s performances in Invictus seem almost plausible 6 Guido Petti (Bordeaux-Begles): Petti might just be one of the most underrated players in rugby The veteran back five utility player was a crucial cog in the UBB wheel delivering a magnificent and super accurate performance of pressure and intelligence Josh Kemeny shone like a beacon for Saints and deserves a mention Bordeaux star ‘not surprised’ by ‘amazing’ Northampton and reveals crucial area of ‘dominance’ against Toulouse 5 Alex Coles (Northampton Saints): Coles has been utterly magnificent this year and might even be a Lions option on his current form Massive in every way and made a crucial try-saving intervention 4 Cyril Cazeaux (Bordeaux-Begles): A very industrious performance from the big man Thibaud Flament showed precisely why many consider him one of the best three locks in the world 3 Ben Tameifuna (Bordeaux-Begles): His huge frame rumbled on after 54 minutes and he then delivered a 26 minute shift to be proud of as he scored a crucial try but also offered scrummage solidity Saints’ Trevor Davison saw off the Leinster front-row in fine style in a high quality outing that might slip under the selectorial radar 2 Maxime Lamothe (Bordeaux-Begles): All of the starting hookers this weekend did their trade proud as Julien Marchand Dan Sheehan and Curtis Langdon all delivered action packed performances 1 Emmanuel Iyogun (Northampton Saints): The young England hopeful has found his feet in the elite level game over the past couple of years and Saturday’s performance shows just how far he’s come he tackled everything that moved and helped to secure a solid Northampton scrum and he just gets into our team ahead of the consistency of Jefferson Poirot READ MORE: Andy Farrell ‘simply can’t afford not to take’ Jack Willis as Toulouse star hails ‘amazing’ B&I Lions hopefuls How Bordeaux-Begles' players rated in their Investec Champions Cup semi-final triumph over Toulouse at the Matmut Atlantique on Sunday. Following a 35-18 victory for Bordeaux-Begles against Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final, here's our five takeaways from Sunday's game. Lawrence Dallaglio has named the British and Irish Lions squad he wants to see picked to tour Australia – and it includes the French-based Owen Farrell. Northampton Saints came away 34-37 victors over Leinster in front of an almost packed out crowd at the Aviva Stadium. Here's their player ratings. Read Jonathan Bradley's match report The Premiership side reach their first Champions Cup final since 2011 while Leinster fail to make the final for the first time in four years First half: Freeman hat-trick and Pollock scores for Saints; O'Brien and Van der Flier respond for Leinster Sheehan and Lowe tries for Leinster; Ramm hits back for Saints Controversial last-minute refereeing decision as Leinster denied try So Northampton have ended Leinster's pursuit of a fifth Champions Cup title The Premiership side have reached their first final in the competition since 2011 You can read our full report from Aviva Stadium here 703Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'We punched them in the face'published at 19:59 British Summer Time 3 May19:59 BST 3 MayFT: Leinster 34-37 Northampton Northampton scrum-half Alex Mitchell said: "A couple of pundits were saying they're going to win by 20/30 points "We showed up today and were a bit more fearless this time around we were waiting to see what Leinster were going to do "We showed up today and first 20 minutes we punched them in the face We needed our one-on-one tackles and our two-man shots to put them on the backfoot 849Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'A massive disappointment'published at 19:55 British Summer Time 3 May19:55 BST 3 MayFT: Leinster 34-37 Northampton 4414Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingStat checkpublished at 19:51 British Summer Time 3 May19:51 BST 3 MayFT: Leinster 34-37 Northampton 874Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'We will all be watching the tele'published at 19:45 British Summer Time 3 May19:45 BST 3 MayFT: Leinster 34-37 Northampton Northampton fly-half Fin Smith said: "All week we were reading stuff - 'Leinster by 30 1618Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'I was just feeling the pulse'published at 19:40 British Summer Time 3 May19:40 BST 3 MayFT: Leinster 34-37 Northampton 27820Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'We ran for each other for 80 minutes'published at 19:34 British Summer Time 3 May19:34 BST 3 MayFT: Leinster 34-37 Northampton Northampton's hat-trick hero Tommy Freeman said: "We probably came in as the underdogs but the fight we showed and the squad we have we know we can produce this performance and take anyone on "When we put our game on the pitch we stress defences We ran for each other for 80 minutes and got the result." 38116Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 19:29 British Summer Time 3 May19:29 BST 3 MayFT: Leinster 34-37 Northampton That was a thrilling game of European rugby Leinster players and fans alike look shell-shocked The pursuit of that elusive fifth star on the jersey goes on.. 66432Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFull-time - Leinster 34-37 Northamptonpublished at 19:24 British Summer Time 3 May19:24 BST 3 MayNorthampton Saints have landed a huge upset They have beaten the four-time winners on their own patch Leinster fail to make the final for the first time in four years 2998158Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 79 mins79 minsLeinster 34-37 Northampton It's no try as the ball hits the corner flag at the base but Alex Coles is sent to the bin 59191Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 79 mins79 minsLeinster 34-37 Northampton Josh van der Flier is hauled down just short of the line He loses control of the ball behind him and it almost trickles out but somehow remains in play by hitting the corner flag Ross Byrne spots the loose ball and tries to apply the pressure for the try 194198Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 78 mins78 minsLeinster 34-37 Northampton Wave after wave of Leinster attack is being repelled for now 434145Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 76 mins76 minsLeinster 34-37 Northampton Henry Pollock drags him down from his shirt and manages to disrupt the ball at the breakdown 66879Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 73 mins73 minsLeinster 34-37 Northampton Leinster have not been at their fluent best but remain in the contest Saints have proved everyone wrong and are deservedly in front 39342Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingConverted Try - Leinster 34-37 Northamptonpublished at 70 mins70 minsJames Lowe (con Sam Prendergast) Henry Pollock is penalised for not releasing before competing for the ball and Leinster have the penalty They line up one way but throw the ball the other as James Lowe scores in the corner 250605Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingSin-bin - Josh Kemeny (Northampton)published at 67 mins67 minsLeinster 27-37 Northampton Northampton back row Josh Kemeny will spend the next 10 minutes in the bin for a high shot on Rabah Slimani The referee says the initial contact is on the chest before riding up to the head so it doesn't meet the red card threshold 121399Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 65 mins65 minsLeinster 27-37 Northampton Northampton have been ruthless when they have had the opportunity to fire a shot have not and that is reflected in the score line 31553Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingConverted Try - Leinster 27-37 Northamptonpublished at 62 mins62 minsJames Ramm (con Fin Smith) The Premiership side have been largely starved of the ball in this second half but they are able to move the Leinster defence one way and then the other Quick ball out the back then negates the Leinster blitz and James Ramm cruises over the line 1068148Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTry - Leinster 27-30 Northamptonpublished at 59 mins59 minsJosh van der Flier The Leinster rolling maul finally gets over It hasn't been as effective as usual today but it works perfectly there as Josh van der Flier carries over Sam Prendergast misses the conversion but it's now a three-point game 193380Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPenalty - Leinster 22-30 Northamptonpublished at 55 mins55 minsFin Smith England's Fin Smith lands a huge kick to nudge his side further ahead Champions Cup semi-final: Leinster 34 Northampton 37Another one that got away This will be the one remembered for leaving a high-profile world-class centre on an overly-stacked bench and also for the manner a previously watertight defence leaked like a sieve Le ster did play some wonderful rugby The margins were tiny and Leinster were within a whisker of a try 71-point feast in which Leinster only led for four minutes generated more atmosphere than many a full house hereabout but ultimately they scored five tries and 34 points This would generally be enough to win a semi-final and was their fourth highest tally in 16 semi-finals [ Leinster 34 Northampton 37: How the Leinster players ratedOpens in new window ] But they conceded five tries and 37 points, which makes it darned difficult to win a semi-final. It eclipsed the previous highest total of 30 points conceded at this stage, when beaten by Munster 20 years ago, since when they’d won six semi-finals in succession at home. Whether or not Leinster were even a fraction complacent, despite the many game-breakers in Northampton’s ranks, is a moot point, but perhaps keeping Harlequins and Glasgow scoreless lulled them into a false sense of security, even slightly? The signs that Leinster were not bringing the same defensive energy and urgency were ominous from Northampton’s first try in the eighth minute which exploited the home side’s disconnected, lazy kick-chase. When James Ramm gathered Sam Prendergast’s kick up the touchline outside his 22 and veered infield past the Leinster outhalf, it took Dan Sheehan (whose left leg was strapped and didn’t look himself), Robbie Henshaw and Josh van der Flier out of the game before Fin Smith steamed on to the fullback’s pass. Henshaw and Van der Flier were drawn too far toward Ramm, with Cian Healy the next defender on the outside a further five metres adrift. Smith easily went through that gap and past a flailing Joe McCarthy, another isolated figure five metres further back, before the Saints’ outhalf converted a two-on-two into a try with a perfectly weighted grubber for the first of Tommy Freeman’s hat-trick. A 75-metre try with just one pass and one kick. Far too easy. Leinster appeared to have recovered their equilibrium through tries by Van der Flier and Tommy O’Brien after a couple of trademark, long, left-to-right passes by Prendergast, before the electric Henry Pollock exploded into life to expose more fault lines in Leinster’s defensive focus. When Ramm ran back a Jamison Gibson-Park box kick and Northampton recycled, RG Snyman was slow to realign outside Andrew Porter and couldn’t plug the gap through which Pollock accelerated on to Alex Mitchell’s pass before rounding Prendergast with ease. Cullen admitted that in “some of the speed to set [defensively], we’re just that little step behind Northampton.” Northampton put three phases together off a lineout for their next try. That was enough to manipulate eight Leinster defenders on to the openside when facing just three attackers as the Saints loaded the narrow side with seven attackers against just four defenders. One pass out the back, one decoy runner and one pass worked a three-on-one on the edge for Freeman to score again. Almost from the restart, Freeman chased a Mitchell box kick which Hugo Keenan couldn’t gather, and Juarno Augustus was quickest on to the loose ball before his basketball-type pass gave Freeman another unhindered run to the line. “They did us on a few different things during the course of the first half,” admitted Cullen. “The kick-chase? I’m not sure that’s a mental thing. Clocking off for a second, they exploit something and are through. Don’t deal with a high ball; don’t win the scraps; another try. They do us on a good starter play at a lineout; Tommy Freeman scores as well.” Leinster’s defence was improved after half-time, conceding only 10 points, albeit they were again outmuscled and outwitted for Ramm’s key 63rd-minute try. Having worked their way back to a three-point deficit, the decision to bring on Ross Byrne in the 77th minute would have been more understandable had Leinster elected to take a shot at goal with their last penalty. It would have made even more sense for Prendergast, who had nailed a touchline conversion five minutes previously, to shoot for goal in the 76th minute and level scores, as the option of 20 minutes of extra-time with that impactful bench at home was worth trying to secure. The then captain Jack Conan stared toward the coaches’ box, held his hands to his ears and implored: “What do you want?”. Conan, Barrett and Prendergast then seemed to agree on going to the corner. Asked if any message to this effect been relayed to the players from the coaches’ box, Cullen maintained: “No, I was happy for them to go for the corner. That’s what they were feeling and I was like: ‘Yeah, let’s go for it’.” By not doing so, Leinster thus had to score a try. Their policy of kicking toward the corner had led, once directly and indirectly twice more, to three of their tries, but their maul had struggled for traction all evening. Then, under the nose of referee Pierre Brousset and under the posts, Pollock didn’t release after tackling McCarthy, and planted a hand on the ground, when Leinster would surely have taken the three points and extra-time. Leinster had engineered two tries off well-executed trick plays but with their roll of the dice they couldn’t do so a third time. But the bottom line is that Leinster left a world-class centre in the stands for 50 minutes and, unless he makes an unlikely and unscheduled return one day, they will never have Barrett’s services to call upon in the Champions Cup again. SCORING SEQUENCE − 8 mins: Freeman try, Smith con 0-7; 14: Prendergast pen 3-7; 18: O’Brien try 8-7; 23: Smith pen 8-10; 25: Van der Flier try, Prendergast con 15-10; 29: Pollock try, Smith con 15-17; 36: Freeman try 15-22; 38: Freeman try 15-27; (half-time 15-27); 48: Doris try, Prendergast con 22-27; 56: Smith pen 22-30; 59: Van der Flier try 27-30; 63: Ramm try, Smith con 27-37; 70: Lowe try, Prendergast con 34-37. LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Cian Healy, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, RG Snyman; Max Deegan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris. Replacements: Andrew Porter for Healy (20 mins); Jack Conan for Deegan (44); Jordie Barrett for Henshaw (50); Rabah Slimani for Furlong (53); Ryan Baird for Doris (57); Rónan Kelleher for Sheehan (64); Ross Byrne for Prendergast (77). NORTHAMPTON: James Ramm; Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall (capt), Rory Hutchinson, Tom Litchfield; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Emmanuel Iyogun, Curtis Langdon, Trevor Davison; Temo Mayanavanua, Alex Coles; Josh Kemeny, Henry Pollock, Juarno Augustus. Replacements: Henry Walker for Litchfield (31-35 mins); Elliot Millar-Mills for Davison (48); Tom West for Iyogun (61); Tom James for Mitchell (64); Tom Lockett for Mayanavanua (65); Angus Scott-Young for Litchfield (68). Sinbinned: Langdon (26-36 mins), Kemeny (68), Coles (79). “Are they human or are they Leinster?” asked Jacqui Hurley when she welcomed us to the Aviva Stadium on Saturday quoting that quirky little tune that’s being doing the rounds As part of a research project into the Leinster faithful‘s confidence levels ahead of their Champions Cup semi-final this couch checked the availability and pricing of early morning flights from Dublin to Cardiff on May 24th They were either sold out or cost roughly about the price of a two-bed duplex with an A BER rating in south Dublin Our RTÉ panel attempted to be more cautious none of them dismissing Northampton’s chances of springing a surprise but when Jacqui suggested that “it would feel catastrophic if Leinster didn’t win today” Jamie Heaslip and Donal Lenihan all nodded violently Luke McGrath and Ross Byrne could beat the Northampton starting XV all by themselves ran his eye over Leinster’s list of replacements all he could conclude was that “it’s just silly” reckoning that Barrett must have been “the superest sub this competition has ever seen” none of our pundits on either channel – Lawrence Dallaglio Rob Kearney and Pat Lam making up the Premier Sports crew – forecasting anything but a home win “one of the most incredible games I’ve ever seen” Tommy Freeman and Henry Pollock among their chief tormentors the pair helping put Northampton 27-15 up at half-time “It has not gone quite as you might have expected,” said Jacqui Jamie and Donal all shaking their heads violently when he tiptoed his way past Sam Prendergast [ Tommy Freeman overcomes adversity to become a standout Northampton Saints playerOpens in new window ] The second half? Ah here. The gas from Northampton was ridiculous. Until that last moment when Ross Byrne scored the winning try for Leinster. Except he didn’t The wait for officialdom to rule on the moment “One of the most bizarre finishes you’d ever see,” said Bernard Jackman Please send your explanations to mystifiedbytherulesofrugby@irishtimes.com The price of the last remaining Dublin to Cardiff flights were tumbling those trying to flog ones already purchased discovering that the name-change fee would buy a three-bed duplex with an A++ BER rating in south Dublin “Leinster didn’t turn up like a team that wanted to win the match and get to the final,” said Rob Jacqui’s description of Northampton’s display as “a performance for the ages” probably closer to the mark “What’s he like?” Jamie asked Northampton’s Alex Mitchell when he joined the panel pitchside for a chat [ Leinster continue to find new ways to lose big gamesOpens in new window ] “How many times can you say I’m disappointed, I’m gutted, I’m in pain,” said Premier Sports’ Martin Bayfield, although, in fairness, Leinster captains should be well practised in the art at this stage. Northampton v Bordeaux it is then in the final, a contest that will warm the hearts of Leinster-loving, Cardiff-flight-owning folk much like a home with a G BER rating will toast your toes. They’ve discovered, once more, that their team is only human. With the clock nearing the 79-minute mark, James Lowe passed to Josh van der Flier on Leinster’s left wing and the openside was tackled short of the line by Tommy Freeman. When Van der Flier twisted around and attempted to reach out and score, he was tackled and had the ball ripped, illegally, from his hands by Northampton lock Alex Coles. The ball squirmed loose on to the Northampton try line where Ross Byrne reached out to touch the ball down. As Byrne was off his feet, he was not allowed to play the ball, although the officials did not appear to consider that. Listen | 35:17After several reviews in their dialogue, Trainini seems to have asked Brousset if Coles had illegally prevented Van der Flier from grounding the ball. “No, because he was short and he cannot move forward,” said Brousset. “For me, it will be just a penalty. So it will be a yellow card against five [Coles]. Then we’ve got a knock-on and the ball touches the base [of the corner flag] so no try. Happy? I’ve got a decision.” Asked about his view of the incident afterwards, Slimani replied: “I don’t understand the decision because if it’s a penalty and a yellow card, I don’t know why it’s not a try. But that’s the ref’s decision, he has his opinion but it’s hard.” Slimani has had issues with Brousset’s scrummaging interpretations in the past and declined to comment about his compatriot and the scrums. Another fault line in the Leinster performance was that their power game did not yield the same reward as in their previous 62-0 and 52-0 wins over Harlequins and Glasgow. Although their lineout maul did lead directly to one of Van der Flier’s two tries, it struggled for traction from the off. “Yeah, they stacked the front quite well,” admitted Leinster lock Joe McCarthy. “They’re good maul defenders in front and they were just effective getting through seams, and they were right on the edge. “See that they gave away a few penalties but it was probably smart by them, they didn’t concede points and were happy to give away penalties 5m out. It was good by them. “I was sort of in the second line, punching behind, and it was hard to get a good set-up. Like, usually it’s clean going forward and we’re firing on, but they were hitting us back.” McCarthy echoed the view of Slimani that it was one of the most disappointing defeats of his career and also that winning a first trophy in four seasons via the URC was now vital. “I think it’s hugely important. To win a bit of silverware would probably give a bit of confidence to the group, a bit of feel-good, because I think if you go again with no silverware there’s a bit more pressure on, I don’t know, maybe you doubt yourself a bit. We don’t need outside pressure, there’s a lot of pressure on ourselves to try to win a trophy, so we’ll be gunning now for the URC 100 per cent.” The majority of the 42,207 Aviva crowd were given their first viewing of the new shooting star of English rugby in 20-year-old Henry Pollock. Aside from one stunning 50m try when he sliced through the Leinster fringe defence and took Sam Prendergast on the outside, he had a big hand in two other tries, won two turnovers and had the game’s highest tackle count with 22. As free-spirited off the pitch as he is on it, Pollock said: “These are the games you want to play in, these are the games that as a little kid, you look at and watch. Van der Flier and Doris are the best backrowers in the world at the minute and I was just excited and couldn’t wait to get out there. I was buzzing in the changing rooms beforehand, buzzing all week. It is an honour to be able to share a pitch with them. “I would say before the game, you probably look at the team sheet and go, ‘wow, Jordie Barrett is playing’ and it is pretty cool. On the pitch, you don’t really think about it, it is muscle memory and it is your next action is the biggest one and it doesn’t really matter who you are up against. “At the end of the day, it is just the connection between the man inside and out of you and anything you can do for the team to make that positive ... I was just excited to go up against some of the best players in the world.” Sam Prendergast’s performance for Leinster was a mixed bag To play or not to play – that was the question or choose Leinster’s way with their abundance of resources We got our answer as the team more active in the build-up deservedly won Saturday’s epic encounter Henry Pollock and Fin Smith, along with hat-trick try-scorer Tommy Freeman, could not have made a better impression on a high-pressure stage and Dowson believes Pollock’s exuberance is beneficial to any team. “It’s infectious and spreads throughout the team,” said Dowson. “Leinster are one of the best sides in Europe and the world. For our players to perform on that stage and execute under that pressure speaks volumes for them.” who won his first senior England cap in March “I tell you what … that was a battle,” said Pollock I’ve never played in a game that hard in my life As a boy I grew up watching this competition it’s getting a bit emotional talking about it Going up against the best back row in the world Smith said he and his team had been motivated by the general expectation that Leinster would brush them aside “All week we were reading stuff: Leinster by 35 We looked at that and thought: ‘Bring it on.’ The fact we are so close makes it all the sweeter Fin Smith carries the fight to Leinster Photograph: David Rogers/Getty ImagesHe also hopes the result will now influence this week’s Lions’s selection I don’t think we did ourselves any harm today I’m going to give you a boring answer but fingers crossed We’ll be watching that telly but we definitely didn’t do ourselves any harm.” Freeman will definitely be on the plane next month but is currently more focused on ensuring Northampton press on and win the Champions Cup We did that for 80 minutes and we got the result.” described the outcome as “a pretty horrific feeling” but paid tribute to the opposition [But] often when we fall behind we get a little bit jittery It’s a pretty sombre place in the dressing room It’s one of those games you’d like to have another opportunity at straight away.” WITH JUST UNDER five minutes of the Champions Cup semi-final remaining Leinster are awarded a penalty in the Northampton 22 The Saints are down to 14 players following a yellow card for back row Josh Kemeny The penalty is on the right-hand-side 15-metre line so it’s not a gimme three points but it’s kickable Prendergast has successfully kicked four from six attempts in the game Replacement back row Jack Conan has taken over as Leinster captain after a head injury for starting skipper Caelan Doris and he initially looks to the sideline for instruction “What do we want?” asks Conan as he cups his ears signalling for a call from the coaching box throwing his hands out in apparent confusion which suggests there is no call from the touchline replacement hooker Rónan Kelleher has a quick chat with lineout caller RG Snyman and sub lock Ryan Baird the other two key figures in the set-piece They’re preparing for the lineout and maul if the call is to go to the corner with Prendergast and replacement centre Jordie Barrett clearly prominent in the discussion It’s unclear who but we can hear someone saying “Corner,” and there seems to be collective agreement a directive comes from the coaching box in these instances That explains Conan’s apparent confusion at the lack of a message in this case Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said post-match that he and the rest of the coaching staff were happy to leave this one to the players the players have a feel on the field and they’re all-in there,” said Cullen “They backed their bravery to go and win the game Leinster had scored a maul try 15 minutes earlier in the same right corner and that must have played into their decision Saints had generally defended the maul very well in this game We’ll never know what would have happened next if Leinster had gone for the post and Prendergast had successfully made it 37-37 There might have been last-gasp drama in the closing four minutes or we could have had 20 minutes of extra time Leinster’s maul effort was rejected by Saints It’s worth noting that with Kemeny in the sin bin the Saints coaches decided to sacrifice a back by bringing back row Angus Scott-Young on for wing Tom Litchfield meaning they had eight forwards to deal with the maul attack That obviously left them short in the backline but was very helpful here allowing Snyman to win the ball uncontested Staying down allows Saints to prioritise their maul defence and they do an excellent job The four players in the middle of their lineout – Tom Lockett and Angus Scott-Young – are pre-bound like a four-man front row ready to drive into Leinster as soon as Snyman lands We can see that defensive receiver Juarno Augustus [highlighted with the spotlight above] has moved up to lend his power behind that quartet The two players at either end of the lineout – Henry Pollock and Elliot Millar-Mills – are initially tasked with standing off and containing any maul break plays to either side Saints have already won the battle as they time their drive to split-second perfection surging into Leinster just as Snyman lands hooker Curtis Langdown nudges Millar-Mills forward into the maul taking his slot on the edge of the maul in the shortside but the damage has been done by the initial quintet who meet Leinster on landing get no chance to brace strongly at the front of Leinster’s maul and the home side end up being very upright Scott-Young does bind onto McCarthy’s leg and appears to very briefly lift it but it’s done subtly enough and doesn’t catch referee Pierre Brousset’s attention Northampton would have won this battle anyway given the quality of their defensive set-up It’s a thunderous effort in maul defence from Northampton Jordie Barrett carries well before McCarthy powers around the corner to get on the ball McCarthy beats two tackle attempts and Leinster are suddenly back into a promising scenario as Pollock drags him to ground But Northampton get a turnover at this breakdown Pollock stays on his feet after the tackle and immediately looks to jackal for a turnover Pollock goes straight off his feet as he jackals But he bounces up in the next split seconds as he scoops the ball back towards his team-mates That leaves the ball exposed for lock Coles to jackal and make the poach Referee Brousset is close to the breakdown but he doesn’t feel that Pollock has illegally played the ball after initially going off his feet Northampton get the benefit of the decision and clear the ball into touch It would have been interesting to see what Leinster would have done had they been awarded the penalty here Pollock might even have been sin binned if it was deemed a penalty Leinster send on Ross Byrne in place of Prendergast and with just over three minutes they launch from a lineout on the Northampton 10-metre line A slick catch-pass from Barrett off James Lowe’s pass sends Ryan Baird surging up the left on fourth phase There’s a brief window for Baird to pass or offload back inside to Jamison Gibson-Park Gibson-Park’s pace would undoubtedly take him clear to score But Baird doesn’t glance infield until it’s too late and the window is shut Another shortside sortie brings further gains for Leinster on the left as Barrett and Baird send Lowe into space The Leinster forwards take over with a series of carries off Gibson-Park There is one chance for Leinster to flash the ball wide when the 14-man Saints look short on numbers Highlighted in red above are Conan and right wing Tommy O’Brien holding width It’s difficult to tell from this shot but O’Brien has his hand up signalling for the ball to be moved out to the edge Leinster do play out the back as Baird sweeps the ball to Byrne But with Saints working hard to limit Leinster’s time on the ball fullback James Ramm is the last defender on the edge for Saints Tommy Freeman is covering across in the backfield out of shot but Leinster obviously have Conan and O’Brien both wide on the right There would be risk in throwing a flat pass here while a floated bridge pass would give Saints more time to recover and chase out Barrett decides to hold onto the ball and the window closes again Leinster go back to their direct ball-carrying for another six phases until a Snyman offload suddenly de-structures the game Gibson-Park takes the offload and swings back to his left to find Lowe who does superb work to tie in both Langdon and Tom James who he even manages to trip as the Northampton man turns back out when Lowe passes That leaves van der Flier with a one-on-one against Freeman Freeman does well to cling onto van der Flier’s right arm after being bumped off by the Leinster back row That probably prevents van der Flier from finishing It also buys time for second row Coles to get across with a big effort after 79 minutes of exhausting action Coles slides in and initially denies van der Flier a chance to reach out and finish with that lung-busting effort Coles’ second action in ripping he ball away from van der Flier is illegal and he ends up being sin-binned for that The ball is now loose and comes forward off Coles’ hand and off his left knee before bouncing back the other way off Leinster out-half Byrne’s right knee There’s a final touch off the right boot of the retreating James and the ball ends up as close to the left corner as is possible Byrne reaches out and looks to ground it on the tryline Brousset goes to a formal review with TMO Tual Trainini and says but we want to check if there is a player on the ground ripping the ball.” we will look if there is a grounding by blue or the ball is in touch.” Brousset confirms the illegal play by Coles: “The green player is assist tackler He then assesses the possible grounding by Byrne we have an image of the ball in touch against the base of the post.” The TMO feels that this rules out a Leinster try due to Law 21.15: “If the ball or ball-carrier touches a corner flag or corner flag post without otherwise being in touch or touch-in-goal play continues unless the ball is grounded against the post.” Brousset decides he has seen enough and begins to run through his decision “Is that in the act of scoring and prevents a potential try?” “because he [van der Flier] was short and he cannot move forward it would be just cynical so I will give a yellow card against five “Then we’ve got a knock-on [by Coles] and the ball touches the base “Number five is involved as assist tackler Then there is a knock-on and the ball touches the base of the post Conan nods as Leinster initially accept the decision Coles is binned and there is a pause as Kemeny returns from the sin bin while Leinster replace the injured O’Brien with Prendergast Leinster have already decided to tap the penalty which is out on the left-hand side five-metre line Byrne is an excellent place-kicker with a record of nailing difficult shots under pressure but taking on the shot comes with the obvious risk of missing and the game being over Leinster back themselves to score a winning try Leinster seem to be simply discussing exactly which five-metre tap play they will use Conan approaches Brousset and asks about the Coles incident again it’s not in the act of scoring because he is short and can’t move forward again,” replies Brousset Van der Flier is very close to the tryline when Coles strips the ball away illegally certainly close enough to reach out and dot the ball down Ball carriers are entitled to do that as long as they don’t propel themselves forward along the ground having already been tackled But Brousset clearly believes that van der Flier would have had to thrust himself forward in order to get the ball under or beyond Coles to finish Conan moves away but calls his forwards in one last time The play they opt for is the same one Leinster used for Doris’ try earlier in the second half Just watch how the Leinster deception catches Augustus [in the black scrum cap] off guard He bites in towards the dummy pod of forwards off van der Flier and can’t react as the Leinster openside then skips a pass wider to Doris who blasts through Pollock with a double latch to score The second attempt from Leinster is different because it’s so close to the left touchline Leinster have two backs to the left of the ball in Robbie Henshaw and Lowe while Jamison Gibson-Park also darts there That all holds two of the Saints forwards on that side there’s not as much space to the left of the ball and only Lowe is on that side Saints wing Freeman can mark Lowe as the Saints forwards worry solely about the Leinster forwards are slightly wider on the right-hand side of the ball this time around is running into a more solid defensive line He is met by prop Millar-Mills and back row Scott-Young Brousset has a good view and is happy that the strip was completed before Conan gets a knee to ground repeating those words as Leinster appeal for a penalty Augustus presents the ball back on Saints’ side and though there is a messy ruck as bodies pile in desperately Saints carry short twice more through Pollock and West before out-half Fin Smith launches the ball into the stand Five minutes after this gesture by Leinster skipper Conan his counterpart Fraser Dingwall does the same Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user Create an email alert based on the current article A year ago he was with the fans: now he’s an England player before Saints’ Champions Cup semi against Leinster His restless energy is not confined to the pitch but soon he sits down for a chat, ostensibly to preview Northampton’s Champions Cup semi-final against Leinster on Saturday, but essentially to discuss Pollock-mania. How and why it has taken hold and whether at any stage in the 20-year-old’s fledgling career he has experienced a shred of self-doubt. Read morePollock gives the impression of someone constantly trying to suppress a giggle and there are plenty of occasions when he fails When he says the last time he felt overawed was tackling his older brother in the back garden or when it is put to him his love for UFC might have made for a different career path it is just Pollock does not seem sure what all the fuss is about all the while determined to enjoy himself regardless He has caused a stir not just for his prodigious gifts but because he has such obvious fun showcasing them Kids at Northampton have been wearing black tape on their heads and pleading for the back-rower’s boots after matches; his basketball celebration is being copied in junior matches far and wide Adult supporters may reflect on their own angst-ridden youth and cannot help but be charmed by his self-confidence “I am just trying to play well at the weekend and if they are stupid enough to copy what I do on the pitch then so be it,” he says I want to make the distance between the players and fans as close as possible because we are trying to play well for the fans and get them behind us To demonstrate the speed at which Pollock has risen this time last year he was in the thick of it with the fans In the same round of last season’s competition and Pollock and a group of academy housemates undertook quite the itinerary in support “We got a flight at 5am on the Saturday morning which was a tough start to the trip,” says Pollock Fin Smith (left) celebrates with Henry Pollock (right) after scoring Northampton’s first try against Clermont Auvergne last month Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA“We flew to Dublin and we were at Temple Bar at 9am We were there all day and then went to watch the game and into the changing rooms afterwards with the squad I think we left the club at three or four to get the taxi to the airport Sunday was pretty much a write-off and back in here Monday There’s a couple of stories I wouldn’t tell you But there were about 10 of us who went and did that Could he then have pictured himself 12 months later making the same trip as a Champions Cup player of the year nominee talked about as a potential British & Irish Lions bolter “I probably was too busy [thinking] about where the next pint was going to be The last 12 months have come really fast and I am very grateful for all the opportunities I was probably just thinking about what time we were getting the cab to the airport.” Pollock has already been labelled as cocky even arrogant – the only pastime more popular than building up a young English sporting talent is knocking them down – but teammates and coaches stress the difference between the bravado and the person “I’ve obviously been delighted with the way he’s playing delighted with the impact he has on the squad,” says Northampton’s director of rugby “Sometimes Alex Coles has to tell him to shut up but other than that he’s been very positive He puts out this persona on the pitch but he’s actually very mature and very thoughtful and bright off it You’ve got to be very careful judging people on what they’re doing under pressure.” When Pollock reveals what he considers to be the biggest setback he demonstrates a single-mindedness to go with the swagger His addition to the England squad shortly before the start of the Six Nations was slightly earlier than expected and he was soon released back to the Under-20s only to fight his way back into Steve Borthwick’s thinking and make his debut against Wales For others in his position simply sampling a taste of life in the squad might have been enough “Once you get a taste of that level you don’t want to go back to the Under-20s,” says Pollock “That conversation I had with Steve was probably the toughest one I have had with him about my development and what’s best for me.” Henry Pollock scored twice on his England debut in Cardiff during the Six Nations when Steve Borthwick’s side thrashed Wales 68-14 Photograph: Kieran McManus/ShutterstockThere may have been a time when Dowson also sought to hold Pollock on a tighter leash – perhaps deemed him not ready for the challenge posed by Leinster away – but he says “he doesn’t need protecting 19-year-olds who might be overawed whereas he actually feeds off that and that’s just because he’s a slightly different character.” Dowson compares him to Courtney Lawes in that regard and reveals that watching a documentary on the 2004 Boston Red Sox who made history with their comeback victory over the New York Yankees on the way to winning the World Series has convinced him Pollock is primed for the semi-final very chilled and calm but then on the pitch he wasn’t particularly chilled or calm Whereas Henry is just buzzing for every opportunity he gets We watched something on the 2004 Red Sox and it said: ‘No occasion is too big for them.’ That’s what I feel about Henry Pollock.” The Aviva Stadium truly was the perfect venue for what was a scintillating game of European rugby today Northampton Saints came away 34-37 eventual victors over their hosts Leinster in front of an almost packed out crowd Here’s how we rated the Northampton players 15 James Ramm: For a man that’s supposed to stand at the back of the field He saw plenty of action from the first minute to the last providing an attacking flair that more than made up for the missing George Furbank but worked well to quash most of the Leinster attack alongside his wing partners 14 Tommy Freeman: With over a try in every two games it’s easy to see why Freeman has become such a valued winger for both club and country A hat-trick today against the great Leinster – something truly special about this boy Andy Farrell may well look his way on Wednesday 13 Fraser Dingwall: Worked hard in defence against a Leinster side that often threatened to break the line But alongside centre partner Rory Hutchinson the two defused most of the attacks through the middle 12 Rory Hutchinson: Tackled hard and topped the charts for turnovers won for his side He led the Northampton defensive effort with an unmatched intensity 11 Tom Litchfield: Difficult to rate such a quiet performance perhaps he should have forced his way into the game 10 Fin Smith: The rising star in English rugby displayed yet another complete fly-half performance He controlled the game throughout as he created plenty of space for the fast men outside 9 Alex Mitchell: The England first choice nine will be hoping to make the cut on Thursday when Farrell announces his 2025 British and Irish Lions squad while not one of the best he’s ever played will have done nothing to have hurt his chances the rest of his performance was classy as he efficiently played heads up rugby against one of the most organised clubs in world rugby Leinster v Northampton: 5 takeaways as Saints reach Champions Cup final 8 Juarno Augustus: In last year’s semi-final match between these two mammoth sides causing plenty of errors within the Leinster attack 7 Henry Pollock: The future international star and possible Lions bolter had another storming game today Dominating the mighty Leinster in all aspects scoring a try and topping the tackle count 6 Josh Kemeny: Not one of the busier players with ball in hand but Kemeny still held his own in the breakdown where he would proved to be a menace all afternoon long 5 Alex Coles: Guilty of conceding a couple of turnovers and a received a yellow card at the death hitting double figures in his overall tackle count 4 Temo Mayanavanua: He went about and did his business but will nevertheless be satisfied with his performance 3 Trevor Davison: A couple of huge hits in the first half signalled a big game for the former Falcon but sadly his impact dwindled as time went on The aging prop was replaced early into the second half 2 Curtis Langdon: Besides a couple of lineout mishaps and a yellow card for Northampton’s persistent fouling the 27-year-old cut a very solid figure out on the Aviva Stadium turf proving to be a defensive menace with 14 tackles 1 Emmanuel Iyogun: The young England hopeful has found his feet in the elite level game over the past couple of years and today’s performance shows just how far he’s come he tackled everything that moved and helped to secure a solid Northampton scrum His youth came in handy as he remained on the field until the end Replacements: Northampton were well in control before the replacements entered the field and it almost felt that because the intensity was so high READ MORE: Finn Russell ‘desperate’ to clinch British & Irish Lions spot in final audition A review of Ross Byrne's disallowed try in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final Following a breathtaking two days of semi-final action in Europe it's time for James While to select our Investec Champions Cup Team of the Week Alex Mitchell hailed Northampton Saints' players as being "fearless" after they clinched a 37-34 win over Leinster in Saturday's Champions Cup semi-final Los Pumas flanker Guido Petti was full of praise for the brilliance of his own backline as Bordeaux claimed a spot in the Investec Champions Cup final Petti pointed to the way that Bordeaux had targeted the Toulouse breakdown dominance as key to his team’s historic win at Matmut  Atlantique The 87-cap Test veteran said Bordeaux were patently aware of the dominance that the Toulouse back-row need to strut their magic and that all of the talk in the lead-up was how UBB could react to that and turn it to an advantage “We knew the point of contact was really the key of the match. And yes, we knew they had players like Jack Willis, Julien Marchand and Francois Cros and that they wanted to steal every f***ing ball going in every breakdown and in the point of contact,” Petti explained “So this became a main focus for us and the key was our timing It was about the speed to own the space and to get into the carrier at the exact moment he received the ball “You saw that work early on against Emmanuel Meafou – his dropped ball that went into transition and then Matthieu Jalibert works his magic and we go seven up at the other end of the pitch – but the catalyst from that was the hit and the timing of the tackle on Emmanuel that turned the ball over initially “And we also wanted to be stronger with our back-rows and our centres also getting to fight for the goals in the point of contact we came out as the winner – which says a lot about the timing I spoke about And also we knew that we needed to have the ball to play and leave our superstars in the backline to enjoy and express themselves “I think when we get to dominate the point of contact rugby becomes a much easier job and that helps us greatly for sure.” Bordeaux-Begles v Toulouse: Five takeaways as ‘rugby genius’ Louis Bielle-Biarrey stars to end champions’ ‘magnificent reign’ Bordeaux-Begles v Toulouse winners and losers: Damian Penaud departure a ‘sad sight’ for viewers who enjoy ‘glorious’ Champions Cup weekend He added: “That came from that timing piece I referred to real precision hits precisely at the right moment and that got us proper front foot momentum.” Petti and his cronies now have a date with Northampton Saints in the final in Cardiff on May 24 Petti admits that the result surprised him and his UBB colleagues but he remains very circumspect as to the challenge the East Midlands outfit will pose We know Northampton is a great team and we’ve seen it yesterday,” he said “They dominated the Leinster breakdown and were really good with their defence You can see the amazing players that they have “I think it’s not a surprise – we saw them along all of the Champions Cup So we need to prepare the best match possible to get to play this final READ MORE: Bordeaux-Begles player ratings v Toulouse: Matthieu Jalibert and Louis Bielle-Biarrey lead the way while Wallabies star also shines Irish Rugby CorrespondentSaturday May 03 2025 The Sunday TimesA match in the best traditions of this glorious tournament was played out in Dublin on Saturday and after nine tries countless momentum swings and endless drama we had one of the biggest surprises in its history as Northampton Saints upset all the expectations with a performance of grit they earned themselves a place in the final at the Principality Stadium in three weeks’ time Whoever they face — Toulouse or Bordeaux — will have to be at their best to overcome these remarkably cussed and skilful opponents The numbers are remarkable in themselves: five tries against a side who hadn’t conceded a single point in the previous two rounds including a hat-trick by the irrepressible Tommy Freeman Bordeaux-Begles star Joey Carbery is dreaming fondly of adding another Champions Cup trophy to his collection later this month after a thoroughly entertaining semi-final victory over Toulouse on Sunday who won the European prize in 2018 with Leinster entered the field of play with 10 minutes remaining as Matthieu Jalibert took his well deserved rest It was a comprehensive victory for Bordeaux as they downed their fellow countrymen 35-18 Carbery said: “It’s pretty incredible it just shows that all our hard work is paying off It’s great for us and it’s great to get one over Toulouse as well.” Taking place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff Bordeaux will face a confident Northampton Saints side that on Saturday dumped out the mighty Leinster on home turf “It was a crazy game really in the end I think they played the perfect game,” reflected the former Munster star Guido Petti: ‘Not surprised’ by ‘amazing’ Saints and ‘dominance’ v Toulouse “It was great for them to get one over Leinster I think they’re going to be a huge challenge but I think they’re very similar to us they’ve got threats all over the park so it’s going to be a good final.” Praising the 16th man for always being so vocal and loud the out-of-favour Irish international reflected on the fans’ impact on their form: “We play for ourselves So it feels like there’s a lot more than just this team and the 15 that are on the pitch And I think how far it’s come in the last maybe 20 years as well but it’s still so special to be part of and you can feel like there’s a proper meaning behind it all It’s an incredible team to play for.” With the sheer star-power in the Bordeaux line-up it’s difficult to pick out one particular player that stands out above the rest Louis Bielle-Biarrey is doing a good an extremely good job of getting himself noticed including one almost length of the field effort saw the flying winger pick up all the plaudits once again – but what do his teammates think about him “He’s incredible,” said Carbery “For a 10 to be able to know that him and Damian [Penaud] are on the wings And then he’s got blistering and incredible finishing on the back of it So he’s a pretty special player.” he’s not too shabby from the boot either: “Even yesterday in the captain’s run “I think they’re very similar to us,” Carbery noted “And I think that’s as big of a compliment as I can give “I even saw a stat yesterday that all their tries came from unstructured play We know they’re dangerous from anywhere I’ve played against them a couple of times throughout the years and they’re a really difficult team.” READ MORE: Lewis Moody Team of My Life: Springboks ‘artist’ and Richie McCaw Life in the south of France is treating the Irishman well by all accounts, telling reporters after the game that “It’s not the worst place to live. And the weather’s a little bit better than Ireland. The city’s beautiful.” He admitted that getting to grips with the language was a little difficult, but noted that he couldn’t have asked for a better first year in the city. Discussing his relationship with fellow fly half, Matthieu Jalibert, Carbery said: “We have a bit of competition there as well, but I’ve played a few times with him at 15. When I’ve been at 15, he’s been at 10. So, it’s a good relationship there. He was very good today – he’s got it all.” Bordeaux will face Northampton Saints at in the Investec Champions Cup final at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Saturday 24 May 2025. Munster defence coach Denis Leamy has opened up on Bordeaux-Begles fly-half Joey Carbery's inside knowledge of his team ahead of their Champions Cup quarter-final on Saturday. Following Bordeaux-Begles' 43-31 victory over Ulster in the Investec Champions Cup, here are our winners and losers from the Stade Chaban-Delmas. Hugo Keenan: Involved from the beginning. Tackle early on Freeman important. Worked hard in the air and in support on a day when Leinster generally were off key Tommy O’Brien: First touch was a super kick and chase [ Leinster 34 Northampton 27: Gerry Thornley's match reportOpens in new window ] Garry Ringrose: Big tackles in first half and huge pressure on Northampton for O’Brien kick. Carried well into a ferocious Northampton defence, high energy input. Rating: 7 Robbie Henshaw: Took and made some heavy tackles early on and as always was a willing defensive bulwark. Didn’t get a chance to get decent forward ball. Rating: 6 James Lowe: First touch was to take the ball in midfield. Took his try in the second half well and was always involved in the play. Like others, occasionally inaccurate. Rating: 6 Sam Prendergast: A mixed bag in the first 40 minutes. A few tackles missed again but some good kicking and passing. Excellent pressure conversion for Lowe’s try at end. Rating: 6 Jamison Gibson-Park: As ever quick with the tap penalty to find Prendergast for O’Brien try. Kept tempo high but couldn’t dictate the match as he usually does. Rating: 6 Cian Healy: Put in a good 20-minute shift until Porter came in. Ticked the boxes with a high work rate of tackling and hard yards in what was a furious start. Rating: 6 Dan Sheehan: Got down and dirty without finding any space for attacking runs. Likes to get hands on the ball but Leinster were just off on accuracy on the day. Rating: 6 Tadhg Furlong: A busy day in the scrum and in the breakdown. Didn’t pop up all that often to punch forward like he often can, but didn’t shirk the hard yards. Rating: 6 Joe McCarthy: Began to show towards the end of the first half but stayed quiet enough until then. Late in the game he began to find space and made important gains. Rating: 6 RG Snyman: Like others he struggled to make an impact in the first half. Wasn’t getting the famed offloads away and was essentially stopped at source too often. Rating: 6 Max Deegan: Dynamic in the first half and nice pass off the deck for the van der Flier try. Was strong in the lineout with Leinster on backfoot too often. Rating: 6 Josh van der Flier: One of the players who shone in the first half doing the tackling, running and support. Rewarded with a try in both halves. Strong input. Rating: 7 Caelan Doris: Began to profile only at the end of the first half, peeling off the scrum. Came into it some more but not the presence he normally is despite the try. Rating: 6 Coach − Leo Cullen: Leinster had to reset after the Scarlets defeat but the evidence was they did not do that sufficiently. In the end it was the bounce of the ball but few were saying Northampton didn’t deserve to win the match. Rating: 6 Replacements: Ryan Baird brought some much needed energy and the replacements brought them back into the match. But like the starters, there was too much inaccuracy. Rating: 6 Leinster made it to the last three finals of the competition, but lost out in all three games to La Rochelle (twice) and Toulouse. “Yeah, I think I am. Yeah. I believe that I am, yes,” said Cullen. “I think we’ve worked hard to try and improve the group year-on-year and I think the group is very strong right now. As I said, that’s not something that’s just created last week, it’s year-on-year - and I think we’ve a stronger group now. “We’ve lost three finals over the last three years, yeah, but I believe we’ve a stronger group now than we’ve had and that’s the way I will continue to approach the day-to-day in terms of preparing the short term, medium term, long term. So, yes. And I’m very committed to that as well.” Cullen summed up the Leinster dressing room as a “sombre place” and the feelings of the Leinster players in the Aviva Stadium as “pretty horrific.” Hot favourites to make their passage safely through to the final in Cardiff later this month, Leinster’s inaccuracy and poor showing in the first half of the match led to their demise. “In the dressing room it’s a pretty sombre place as you can imagine,” said Cullen. “You set off at the start of the season and you know the final is in Cardiff. Everything is building towards that. Everyone is imagining themselves, every team, I’m sure, is imagining themselves there in the final. “There is so, so much work that goes into a team getting to a semi-final…when you lose it is pretty horrific and that is the feeling we are experiencing at the moment, because I think it was one of those games. You’d love to have another crack at it straight away. But unfortunately, you don’t get that opportunity and that’s sport.” Cullen pointed to Northampton’s scoring ability and the hattrick scored by their strike runner, right wing Tommy Freeman, in the first half. Even when Leinster threw everything at them in the dying stages, Northampton held strong. “Northampton were excellent I thought. We sat here yesterday talking about how strong Northampton are, in terms of some of their attacking threats and what they are capable of doing,” said Cullen. “I think we saw that in lots of different parts of the game. I think we did plenty of good things. I think we were maybe inaccurate in stages in the first half. “I thought Northampton were very good in terms of some of their counterattack and they hit us on the counter a couple of times with some suckerpunch tries. Tommy Freeman ... I thought he was excellent in terms of his speed, the finish. He scores his hat-trick in the first half. Quite often when you fall behind we get a little bit jittery, don’t we, and we’re not quite accurate enough in some of the things we do, and we compound errors.” Cullen added that he had no regrets about keeping All Black Jordie Barrett on the bench until the second half of the match. “Well, listen, I will look back on lots of different things, over the course of the next few weeks,” said Cullen. “And, yes, when you don’t win a game, particularly in a semi-final, everyone is going to second-guess everything. “Listen, Jordie brought huge impact, and that is what we wanted from him. Similar with Jack Conan, as well, and a lot of other players that were on the bench. You look at us at the end of the game - we looked like a strong team, attacking the game. There’s probably bits before where we weren’t quite accurate enough. But I don’t have regrets about that plan, specifically.” Johnny Watterson is a sports writer with The Irish Times Leinster stand 80 minutes away from a place in the Investec Champions Cup final As usual for this stage of the competition Leo Cullen's side are at home for their semi-final and it's a repeat of last year's final-four showdown as they welcome Northampton Saints to Aviva Stadium Last year, the sides played out a thriller, with Leinster running out to a fast lead before being reeled in by the Saints, and it took a dramatic final defensive stand for Leinster to hold out for a 20-17 win Here's everything you need to know ahead of Saturday's contest Leinster v Northampton Saints is live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player and the other semi-final between Bordeaux-Begles and Toulouse on Sunday match report and reaction from from the Aviva on Saturday Listen to live commentary of Leinster v Northampton Saints on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport although temperatures could drop to around 11C by kick-off Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts Leinster moved up a few gears in the round of 16 and quarter-finals last month with two dominant wins against Harlequins and Glasgow Warriors scoring a combined 114 points across those games That form has put them in as clear favourites for the title despite defending champions Toulouse being on the opposite side of the draw who are bidding to reach the final for the fourth year in a row While this competition has given them a lot of heartbreak in recent seasons This will be their eighth semi-final appearance since 2017 with their only two defeats coming away from home to French opposition (Clermont 2017 and La Rochelle 2021) You'd have to go back as far as 2006 for the last time the province were beaten on home soil in the last four of this competition The most recent of their semi-finals was against this weekend's opposition Phil Dowson's side almost pulled off a miracle comeback to defeat Leinster that evening they would be celebrating a Premiership title the following month They've struggled to repeat that domestic form in 2024/25 and are set to miss out on the Premiership semi-finals this season currently seventh in the table with three games left to play they've returned to the Champions Cup semi-finals Their only defeat so far has been a 45-35 loss away to Stade Francais but that came after a brilliant 30-21 win away from home against the Bulls in Pretoria They edged past Munster 34-32 in a classic to finish the pool stage giving them home games against Clermont Auvergne and Castres both of which they won easily to return to the semi-finals the Saints aren't the same as they were last year with Lewis Ludlam and Courtney Lawes no longer involved Ollie Sleightholme and George Hendy are all out injured The ace in the pack this year is Henry Pollock The 20-year-old flanker has taken thee rugby world by storm in recent months a big performance this week could cement his place in Andy Farrell's British and Irish Lions squad Leinster: Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O'Brien Northampton Saints: James Ramm; Tommy Freeman The weekend's second Champions Cup semi-final takes place on Sunday as Bordeaux-Begles host Toulouse in a repeat of last year's Top14 final Kick-off at the Matmut Atlantique is at 3pm Irish time Edinburgh host Bath at the Hive at 3pm on Saturday afternoon while it's Lyon v Racing 92 on Sunday afternoon at 12.30 Leinster were 20\u002D17 winners when the sides met in last year\u0027s semi\u002Dfinal \u003Cp\u003EHenry Pollock has scored six tries for Northampton in the Champions Cup this season\u003C/p\u003E Northampton and Bordeaux-Begles will contest the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup final at the Principality Stadium after the pair beat Leinster and Toulouse the Saints produced an almighty shock as they edged Leinster 37-34 in a match for the ages It was a real underdog story at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium Henry Pollock and James Ramm were added to by three conversions and two penalty goals from impressive English fly-half Fin Smith Tommy O’Brien, Josh van der Flier (2), Caelan Doris and James Lowe crossed for Leinster but they came up short as the Saints withstood a late onslaught on their line In truth Northampton were fully deserving of their win and were driven by being written off in many quarters before the fixture with injuries and form both being against them Alex Mitchell hails ‘fearless’ Northampton players after Leinster ‘punched in the face’ Phil Dowson’s charges will now have one eye very much on the European final May 24 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff who overcame reigning champions Toulouse 35-18 on Sunday afternoon in a statement showing from Yannick Bru’s classy charges Pierre Bochaton and Ben Tameifuna helped to secure a deserved victory in front of their home fans at Matmut Atlantique Dmitri Delibes and Pierre Louis Barassi scored for a beaten Toulouse Blair Kinghorn and Peato Mauvaka due to injury The Champions Cup final takes place at 14:45 BST on that Saturday with the match officials to be confirmed by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) at a later date Toulouse won last year’s Champions Cup after defeating Leinster 31-22 in the final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but their crown is set to be handed over later this month Northampton Saints v Bordeaux Begles on Saturday READ MORE: Leinster v Northampton: Five takeaways as ‘heroic’ Saints condemn ‘champions elect’ to ‘another year of hurt’ in Champions Cup classic