CHALLENGE CUP FINAL:Northampton 15 Bourgoin 3
THIS WAS a brutal, ill-tempered final and it was all the more entertaining for it. Bruised and battered as they may be, Northampton will not care now. They have ended their first year back in the English Premiership by winning a trophy and, more importantly, they have secured a place in next season’s Heineken Cup. Ultimately, Bourgoin’s over-the-top aggression cost them, Steve Myler kicking five penalties.
Not that the Saints were entirely blameless. The mass brawl which broke out at the end of the first half was sparked by a scrap between the hooker Dylan Hartley and his opposite number, Jean-Phillipe Genevois. The referee, George Clancy, sent Bourgoin’s France scrumhalf, Morgan Parra, and Northampton’s Ireland flanker, Neil Best, the latter sporting a shiny new black eye, to the sin-bin.
Those two were far from the only men in the thick of the violence and the citing commissioner, Ray Wilson, may have work to do.
Five minutes from full-time, yet another punch-up broke out. This time it cost Bourgoin a red card, as the replacement lock Thomas Genevois was dismissed for landing a haymaker on Courtney Lawes’s chin. Saints’ Lions prop, Euan Murray, was also involved.
The fight stemmed from mutual frustration. The two sides played some excellent rugby but both were unable to make the pass or break that would lead to a decisive try. Bourgoin’s rampant props did not just ensure dominance in the scrum, but also caused havoc in open play. Arnaud Tchougong set up a half-chance but the Jean-Francois Coux could not capitalise.
Northampton came closer to a try, Paul Diggin just failing to win a race to the line after hacking through following a fine pass from Jon Clarke. It was Myler, though, who shone. He missed two drop-goals, but otherwise his kicking was impeccable.
NORTHAMPTON:Foden; Diggin, Clarke (Ansbro, 68), Downey, Reihana; Myler (Everitt, 79), Dickson (Dickens, 65); Tongauiha (Smith, 72), Hartley (Sharman, 77), Murray, Fernandez-Lobbe (Lawes, 40), Kruger (Day, 68), Best (35-45), Gray, Easter. Pens: Myler 5. Sin-bin: Best 36.
BOURGOIN:Forest; Coetzee, Viazzo, David, Coux (Denos, 54); Boyet, Parra (Forest, 73); Tchougong, Genevois (Vigneaux, 57), Wihongi (Carindali, 67), Levast (Nicholas, 51), Basson, Frier, Jooste, Labrit (Genevois, 62). Sin-bin: Parra 36. Sent off: Genevois 76.
Referee:G Clancy (Ireland).
GuardianService
