{"id":131495,"date":"2025-05-25T20:14:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T20:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/131495\/"},"modified":"2025-05-25T20:14:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T20:14:13","slug":"alex-mitchell-confident-english-clubs-can-stop-frances-champions-cup-dominance-the-irish-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/131495\/","title":{"rendered":"Alex Mitchell confident English clubs can stop France\u2019s Champions Cup dominance \u2013 The Irish News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alex Mitchell believes Northampton have shown it is possible for English clubs to compete in the Champions Cup following their run to this season\u2019s final.<\/p>\n

French teams continued their stranglehold on the competition, with Bordeaux-Begles\u2019 28-20 victory over Northampton in Cardiff making it five successive years that a Top 14 side has won it.<\/p>\n

Across the past 10 seasons, France have provided twice as many finalists as any other country, while Saracens and Exeter are the only English clubs to win the tournament since 2007.<\/p>\n

\"AlexAlex Mitchell could not lead Northampton to victory (Adam Davy\/PA) <\/p>\n

Saints, though, led the way this term, beating Leinster, Bulls, Munster, Clermont Auvergne and Castres (twice) on route to the Principality Stadium.<\/p>\n

\"Ange<\/a>\"Lionel<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of (Premiership) clubs can take a lot of confidence from it,\u201d Northampton and England scrum-half Mitchell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis competition has been tough for English clubs in the last few years in terms of budgets and what-not. It has been a struggle.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think we\u2019ve shown that, regardless of that, if you front-up playing against these best teams, these quality outfits, you can do a job.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe showed that. We got to the final and we nearly won. It\u2019s tough to take, but we can take a lot of credit from it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have got a decent side and a lot of confidence in ourselves. That is what happened against Leinster (in the semi-finals) \u2013 we genuinely backed ourselves and had confidence that we could get a result, which we did.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of all that (budgets and squad size), you need good coaching, which we\u2019ve got, and the boys fronted-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we (English sides) do that and we are competitive about wanting to win, we can do good things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Not our time.<\/p>\n

So proud of our team; the fight, the spirit, the journey \ud83d\ude07<\/p>\n

Felicitations, UBB. pic.twitter.com\/dkuBvxY5hx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Northampton Saints \ud83d\ude07 (@SaintsRugby) May 24, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Despite losing backs George Furbank and James Ramm to injuries inside the first five minutes, Saints rallied and pushed this season\u2019s dominant Champions Cup team to the limit.<\/p>\n

They were level 20-20 at the interval in front of a 70,000 crowd, which was the largest Champions Cup final attendance for 13 years, before Bordeaux closed things out during a tense second period.<\/p>\n

Mitchell\u2019s Saints and England half-back partner Fin Smith added: \u201cWe are just a little team from a small town in England with a bunch of mates playing together.<\/p>\n

\u201cBordeaux are a giant of European rugby with some absolute rock stars in their team and some unbelievable firepower.<\/p>\n

\"FinFin Smith\u2019s Northampton were edged out by Bordeaux-Begles in the Champions Cup final (Andrew Matthews\/PA) <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, to have gone toe-to-toe with them for 80 minutes \u2013 or a large part of that \u2013 particularly with some of the adversity we had to face with injuries and yellow cards, is something we can look back on with pride.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main thing is to stay together as a group, because it is easy to splinter when you have had a knock like this. I need to dust myself off and try to switch off from that result.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, until you play in another big final and get the result you want, it is always going to sting and sit there in the back of your mind. That is just the way it is.\u201d<\/p>\n