Beneath the roof of Welsh rugby’s noisiest cathedral here was a game to raise anybody’s blood pressure. There have been some extraordinary finals in this tournament but none as breathless or frenetic for such long periods. This was rugby on fast forward, a blink-and-you-miss-it thriller that finally ended with Bordeaux winning the first Champions Cup title in their history.
They just about deserved their special vintage but what a contest. Northampton, reduced to 13 players at one stage with two men in the sin-bin, were heroically brave and insanely committed. Every single Saint refused to bend the knee despite a worsening casualty list and collectively played a full part in a final that rocked and rolled from start to finish.
