The waiting is almost over as the Investec Champions Cup 2025 reaches its climax at Cardiff's Principality Stadium this Saturday.
Pitting Northampton Saints against Union Bordeaux-Bègles, the Final promises the very best club rugby has to offer.
While Saints are aiming for their second title in what will be their third final, it's UBB's first shot at Champions Cup silverware. Will it be a Saturday to remember for Saints or a first-final fever for UBB?
While the two finalise their preparations for club rugby's greatest showdown, we take a look back at recent form and the results that got them to the Principality Stadium.
What better way to prepare for a major final than a last-gasp comeback win in front of your home fans?
That's exactly how things went on Saturday for Northampton Saints when they hosted three-time Champions Cup winners Saracens.
Even with Investec Champions Cup stars such as Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell, Tommy Freeman and Investec Player of the Year nominee Henry Pollock littering the line-up, the Saints struggled to get going after their opening cross in minute seven.
Led by a 'Sarries' side hunting down the final play-off spot, the Saints saw themselves down 7-19 at half-time. But inspired by a third Champions Cup Final on the horizon, a flurry of substitutes seemed to kick-start the hosts in action.
It was in the final 10 minutes of the tie that Saints really showed that explosive form to which we’ve grown accustomed in this season’s Investec Champions Cup. A Tarek Haffar double, including one at the death, was enough to push Northampton into a 28-24 lead come full-time – the perfect send-off before heading to Cardiff this week.
Northampton Saints’ pool stage was certainly one for the history books. They got off to the perfect start in Round 1 when TOP 14’s Castres Olympique visited the cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens – a 38-8 win over the French thanks to a six-try thriller.
Buoyed by their Castres win, next up for Saints was a trip to sunny South Africa to take on Vodacom Bulls. An impressively clinical performance, the Saints’ trademark counterattacks proved decisive as a late Tommy Freeman double saw off the Bulls 21-30.
Northampton were back on the road in the New Year for Round 3 as a trip to Stade Français Paris was on the cards. It wasn’t a trip to the French capital to remember for the English side as the TOP 14 side held firm to fend off late Saints surges and take it 45-35.
But this defeat only spurred them on, with their final pool stage game against Munster Rugby promising to be a cracker, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Pitting two Champions Cup heavyweights together, a Tom Seabrook brace for the home side ultimately gifted the four points to Saints despite a spirited Munster finish (34-32).
Qualified from Pool 3 in the top spot, the Saints had secured themselves the home advantage route for the knockouts, the only English side to do so.
The Round of 16 brought with it a return to cinch Stadium @ Franklin’s Gardens and another spectacular Saints performance. France’s ASM Clermont Auvergne were the latest victims to a Freeman double, a Fin Smith score plus five converted kicks as well as a late Pollock cross as Northampton’s youngsters were purring into their prime just at the right time.
Nearing 50 against the ‘Clermontois’ (46-24), the half-century was on offer in the quarters. Castres Olympique were the visitors for the second time in this season's competition as Northampton made light work of the infamously solid pack to see them off 51-16.
If his double against Castres in the quarters went some way in proving some Pollock doubters wrong, the hype was well and truly confirmed in the English side’s historic semi-final.
None other than four-time champions Leinster Rugby were the ones lying in wait in Dublin, with many betting against Saints’ credentials. But the underdog grit had clearly dug itself deep into Northampton’s skin, and an inspired Freeman and Pollock shared five scores for what will forever go down as a Dublin masterclass.
Keen to right the wrongs of TOP 14 matchday 23, Union Bordeaux-Bègles (UBB) brought the calvary back out on Saturday as Yannick Bru’s men tasted victory once more.
Welcoming Castres Olympique to Stade Chaban-Delmas, UBB’s backs featuring Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert were too much for Castres to handle.
While the first two both crossed for the hosts, it was arguably Jalibert’s try, assist and four first-half converted kicks that set the Bordeaux side on their way to a statement 34 points.
With experience and youthful pace all over, Saints will know to be wary of the threats UBB offer heading into Saturday.
If Northampton Saints’ pool stage win was impressive, UBB reached new heights in their group, as they became the only side to seal five bonus-point wins for an unmatched 20 points.
First up for the French side was a home tie against Leicester Tigers to get the gears into motion. Scoring from the sixth minute right up to the 72nd, UBB proved their untiring prowess throughout as they secured a 42-28 opening-day win.
A trip to Ulster Rugby in Round 2 proved challenging, but a spirited first half from the hosts was soon wiped away by a superior Bordeaux in the second 40.
Round 3 was another trip north for Bru’s band as Exeter Chiefs hosted the now Finalists. Already with two statement wins in the first two games, UBB were just getting going. They were perilously close to the 70 mark with their 17-69 win as the pacy duo of Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud were flying down the Devonshire wings.
And it was the latter that claimed yet more history for UBB in Round 4. Back at Chaban for the final pool outing against Hollywoodbets Sharks, Penaud went over six times in total – a record for a single match in the Champions Cup – in yet another unmatched performance (66-12).
IKeen to continue their pool stage rampage into the Round of 16, UBB were back up against an Irish side who had caused them trouble in the group, Ulster. Despite conceding five, UBB’s attacking prowess made sure to see the French side through to the quarters as the stakes hotted up.
Another Irish outfit was set to visit the Chaban fortress as Munster made the trip down the coast following an inspiring Stade Rochelais win the week before. Not letting that get to them, a new record for Penaud (12 tries scored in one edition) put out any sniff of a comeback.
Qualified for the semis and a date with yet more history was on the cards. Having lost to Stade Toulousain in last season’s TOP 14 final, UBB were pitted against their rivals for a shot at their maiden Champions Cup Final.
It was too good an opportunity to miss too, as a star performance from every one of the ‘Bordelais’ put their record straight with the reigning champions as Bru’s men came out 35-18 victors.
Teams:
Northampton Saints: 15 George Furbank, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Fraser Dingwall (C), 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 James Ramm, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell; 1 Emmanuel Iyogun, 2 Curtis Langdon, 3 Trevor Davison, 4 Temo Mayanavanus, 5 Tom Lockett, 6 Alex Coles, 7 Josh Kemeney, 8 Henry Pollock. Replacements: 16 Craig Wright, 17 Tarek Haffar, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Ed Prowse, 20 Angus Scott-Young, 21 Tom James, 22 Tom Litchfield, 23 Ollie Sleightholme.
Union Bordeaux-Bègles: 15 Romain Buros, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Nicols Depoortère, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu (C); 1. Jefferson Poirot, 2 Maxime Lamothe, 3 Sipili Falatea, 4 Adam Coleman, 5 Cyril Cazeaux, 6 Mahamadou Diaby, 7 Guido Petti, 8 Peter Samu. Replacements: 16 Connor Sa, 17 Ugo Boniface, 18 Ben Tameifuna, 19 Pierre Bochaton, 20 Bastien Vergnes, 21 Marko Gazzotti, 22 Arthur Retiere.