Northampton Saints 20 Union Bordeaux-Bègles 28: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

First came the heartwarming moment as they made their way in front of the sizeable collection of black, green and gold shirts behind the posts to the left of the press box.

They were serenaded, receiving the rightful acclaim of the travelling 'Shoe Army' who were so proud of the efforts of their side, not just on this afternoon but during the entire European campaign.

And then came the heartbreaking moment as, halfway through their walk, the Saints players, many of whom had already removed their runners-up medals from around their neck, watched on as their French opponents lifted the cup in the Cardiff darkness, fireworks illuminating the moment.

Seeing James Ramm, on crutches, standing there witnessing that really hit home as to how cruel sport can be.

This was a man whose dad had flown from Australia to see his son play in the greatest game in European rugby.

But Ramm was forced off before the game really began.

George Furbank followed soon after as he suffered an even harsher blow, a knee to the head that left him grounded for a long period with concern growing.

He was eventually stretchered off with an oxygen mask on his face as the stadium stood to applaud a player who could have given so much to this final.

And after just five minutes, the size of Saints' task looked enormous.

They needed a fit and firing team in the final, but, as has been the case throughout this season, injuries cost them dear.

They also lost Temo Mayanavanua before the break as he failed a head injury assessment after being hit by the shoulder of Mahamadou Diaby.

The referee deemed that incident to only be worthy of a yellow card, claiming Diaby was 'passive' in the collision, but many reds have been dished out for similar incidents.

It was one of so many questionable calls, for both sides, on a day when the officiating was far from the standard you would expect in a showpiece.

At times, you felt like man in the middle Nika Amashukeli may as well have been sat next to TMO Marius Jonker because this was a match basically refereed on review.

Had there been no big screen, the amount of things that would have been missed would have been even more startling on a day when you felt the referee struggled for any sort of real-time feel.

Both teams were victims of it, but Saints were hit harder here as had Diaby seen red, it could have given the black, green and gold the extra life they needed to turn the tables on Bordeaux and ensure they were the ones gasping for second-half air.

But it wasn't to be and, just like in 2011, Saints were on the wrong end of another punishing affair in Cardiff's main stadium.

There were similarities between those two finals, too, mainly how the black, green and gold tank ran dry as they were powerless to refuel.

In the second half here and back in 2011, Saints were held scoreless by powerful opponents who eventually suffocated them.

Fourteen years ago, the problems started the week before as Jim Mallinder's men were put through the mill in a Premiership semi-final at Leicester.

They rallied to fly into a 22-6 half-time lead but had nothing left as they simply didn't have the necessary quality on the bench to give them the shot in the arm they needed to keep Leinster under the pump.

Here, Saints, who had taken big knocks in the previous week’s win against Saracens, had some talented backs on the bench, but having to use two of them inside the opening five minutes ruined a game plan that had worked so well against Castres and Clermont in previous rounds.

Saints could have tried to tire out the big men of Bordeaux and then unleash Tom Litchfield and Ollie Sleightholme during the second half.

But both of those players had to go to the well and play close to a full 80 minutes.

It also meant Tom James had to be kept back to ensure Saints wouldn't leave themselves in total trouble without a back to bring on.

And with two yellow cards, for Tommy Freeman and Ed Prowse, also taking their toll, Saints really couldn't get up the field for much of the second half against a fired-up, strong Bordeaux side.

Still, the black, green and gold delivered a gargantuan defensive effort to restrict their free-scoring opponents to just eight points during the second period and to keep hopes alive until the final 10 minutes.

The 28 points Bordeaux scored was the fewest they have produced in a game in Europe this season, showing how impressive they have been as they finished the pool stages as top seeds and then flew through the knockout rounds.

But Saints were right there with them for so much of this match, and we'll never know what might have happened had Ramm and Furbank been able to stay on the field for as long as would have been planned.

That is the pain defeats in finals bring.

What ifs don't just linger for days, they linger for years.

But this Saints team has the quality to ensure the future isn’t spent looking back.

This Saints team has the ability to keep writing a new history, just as they did last year when they won the Premiership for the first time in 10 years.

On that occasion, they probably didn't play as well as this, but some George Hendy magic off the bench helped them get over the line against a really determined and strong Bath side.

What Saints would have given for another Hendy moment here, but he, as well as the likes of Juarno Augustus and Burger Odendaal, wasn't available.

It has been the story of a season that has still delivered so many special memories despite the difficulties in the league title defence.

And the only sadness is that it didn't produce one more special memory, the ultimate special memory, in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon.

How they rated…

GEORGE FURBANK - just has no luck with injuries. He battled a broken arm and a calf issue to make this final and then ended up being stretchered off after taking a knee to the head.

TOMMY FREEEMAN - may have been hit with a yellow card, which came after such a bad bounce of the ball, but for the other 70 minutes of this match, he was gargantuan... 8.5

FRASER DINGWALL - a typically big display from the skipper who powered on in attack and defence, while keeping his composure amid the utter chaos of this final... 8

RORY HUTCHINSON - made some more big hits and showed his skill here and there but Saints were under a lot of pressure and couldn't get him quite enough ball to create... 7

JAMES RAMM - his game was pretty much over before it began as he was helped from the field after Alex Coles had opened the scoring in the opening couple of minutes.

FIN SMITH - kept carrying hard for his team, trying to catch Bordeaux out with some strong support play... 7.5

ALEX MITCHELL - understandably tired towards the end, but was so sharp for so long as he kept Bordeaux on their toes... 8

MANNY IYOGUN - has shown he is at home in big occasions and he showed up in the set piece and around the field here, topping Saints' tackle count... 8

CURTIS LANGDON - shrugged off the shoulder injury he picked up against Saracens to produce another action-packed performance here... 8

TREVOR DAVISON - the Saints front row gave as good as they got, and this man even popped up with a turnover at the breakdown... 7.5

TEMO MAYANAVANUA - forced off due to the shoulder to the head contact during the first half, and he was a big loss... 7

TOM LOCKETT - made a couple of hugely important defensive interventions that stopped Bordeaux from scoring... 7.5

ALEX COLES - CHRON STAR MAN - two tries and an incredible performance from this man who has been so, so impressive in recent months... 8.5

JOSH KEMENY - heavily involved in the lineout action and this was another hard-working performance from a man who has proved to be a top signing... 7.5

HENRY POLLOCK - it wasn't his day as he saw two tries ruled out. Bordeaux tried to target him but he didn't let it get to him in the game and he still had some good moments... 8

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

OLLIE SLEIGHTHOLME (for Ramm 3) - to perform like this in a final after so long out was incredible really. He kept going and going, even flying forward in the final seconds... 8

TOM LITCHFIELD (for Furbank) - did so well in the semi-final win in Dublin and was a good man to have on the bench as he came on and scrambled well at times... 7.5

ED PROWSE (for Mayanavanua 30) - came on and carried really well from the off, with one of his charges, but he was hit with a yellow card at a key time in the second half... 6.5