Win or lose, Northampton’s players will be roaming the cobbled streets of Bordeaux on Sunday night, expanding their palates. Their resident Frenchman, Anthony Belleau, has already made a list of the best watering holes to sample the region’s famous red wine.
They say rugby was introduced to the area by British wine merchants who set up local rivalries through trade links. The vineyards of Medoc, Graves, Saint-Emilion, and Pomerol are within shooting distance of the Stade Chaban-Delmas that will be catering for a mass arrival from Northamptonshire.
The fixture is a rematch of last season’s Champions Cup final, which ended with Bordeaux-Begles’ victorious players mimicking Henry Pollock’s pulse celebration at the end of one of the spikiest matches of the year.
Alex Coles, the Northampton second row, knows his team will be stepping into a bearpit. A creaking arena of French hostility, where the team from the East Midlands are hoping to land an upset that would be on par with their semi-final victory at Leinster last season.
‘It will be pretty loud and pretty hostile,’ Coles told Daily Mail Sport. ‘After last season’s final, they might be especially vocal but this is a combat sport and you relish the chance to play in those rugby colosseums.
‘Buying into the whole occasion is what helps us put performances on the pitch. Playing in new cities is all part of the experience. Our trip to Pretoria (to play the Bulls last season) was cool. We did a game drive over there and saw the wildlife. Munster away was a really good one, we had a few drinks in a classic Irish pub with live music.
Alex Coles, the Northampton second row, knows his team will be stepping into a bearpit on Sunday
The fixture is a rematch of last season’s Champions Cup final, which ended with Bordeaux-Begles’ victorious players mimicking Henry Pollock’s pulse celebration
The Cardiff showpiece was one of the spikiest matches of the year, and Saints came up just short of winning their second European crown in a 28-20 defeat
‘Belleau will be giving us the lowdown on the wines this weekend. Ollie Sleightholme rates himself as a bit of a wine expert, too. It’s another chance to turn up as a team and try and go at it in another stadium. If we get a result then hopefully we can get a few tasters.’
It will be one of the few heavyweight meetings in the Champions Cup pool stages. The bloated format has led to teams fielding weakened teams, and blow-out scorelines. It had resulted in a push for the format to be restructured, removing the South African sides and reducing the number of teams. Northampton, however, are relishing their time on the road.
‘It’s always going to be tricky when squads are stretched financially and you’re asking them to perform in their domestic league and in Europe,’ said Coles. ’Situations arise where teams have to prioritise and that’s obviously a shame for the viewers.
‘Selfishly, the chance to go to places like South Africa and play rugby there – aside from the difficulty of the travel – is something I enjoy. That individual aspect isn’t necessarily what’s important in the bigger picture. I can see why there are a few question marks but I’m not sure what the solutions would be. At Northampton, we love this competition.’
Pollock will no doubt be the focal point of French hostility. The 20-year-old is rugby’s arch-wind-up merchant who rattled the likes of Matthieu Jalibert and Jefferson Poirot in his breakthrough campaign. Coles will be by Pollock’s side when things get heated, feeding off his team-mate’s energy.
‘I know for a fact that Pollock is buzzing for this weekend,’ said Coles. ‘He’s a confident kid who will run into any challenge head-first. As always, he’s driving the energy this week. He’s been charging around.
‘He gets in your grill, even when you don’t want him to. It’ll be 8.10am and you’re doing your warm-up set for your first gym session. You’re trying to slowly get into your day, maybe still a little bit sleepy, and he’s in your ear shouting, jumping around, dancing, telling you he’s stronger than you and he’s going to lift more weights than you.
‘You’re just like “Pollock, relax”, but in a week like this you really lean on that energy.’
‘I know for a fact that Pollock (left) is buzzing for this weekend,’ said Coles (right)
‘Selfishly, the chance to go to places like South Africa and play rugby there is something I enjoy’
There will be a raucous atmosphere at Bordeaux’s Stade Chaban-Delmas, with a 34,000-strong crowd roaring on the likes of superstar French wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey
Coles brings a calmer presence to the pitch. The 6ft 7in lock has established himself as one of England’s sharpest lineout technicians. He researches the opposition set-piece in detail and has become central to launching Northampton’s strike plays.
‘Colesy’s lineout nuance, his ability to call and pick apart defences, is based upon a huge amount of work throughout the week,’ said Saints coach Phil Dowson.
‘He’s a massive dork. We have an online system called Hudl where you can watch things. There’s a lot of lineouts on there and Colesey will be on there looking at patterns, looking at individuals, looking at systems. You can see all the comments he leaves on that, “Manny (prop Emmanuel Iyogun), can you be a bit tighter here”. He’s very studious.’
‘He was outstanding in our Champions Cup run, playing some of the best rugby of his career, and he’s been exemplary all season. English rugby is blessed with a lot of locks but he brings something very different and makes line breaks that aren’t typical of second rows. He scores tries because of the way he chases space and his rugby IQ.’
Coles picks out Franco Mostert, Ruan Nortje and Saints icon Courtney Lawes as the locks he tries to emulate. Dynamic forwards who have frequent involvements around the pitch.
His England Test career has been a slow burn since making his debut under Eddie Jones in 2022 but last year he finally become a regular feature in the matchday 23.
Coles started in the autumn victory over the All Blacks and is now pushing Ollie Chessum to start at second row alongside Maro Itoje.
‘Who wouldn’t want to cement their place?’ said Coles. ‘Last season my goal was to get a chance to play a bit more regularly, show the coaches what I can do and earn some trust. I feel like I did a fairly decent job of that. From there we just see where selection goes.
The 6ft 7in lock (rising to catch a throw last weekend) has established himself as one of England’s sharpest lineout technicians
Coles started in the autumn victory over the All Blacks and is now pushing Ollie Chessum to start at second row alongside Maro Itoje (left)
‘When I was younger I focused on “What do the England coaches think?” but that’s an extra layer of baggage on the pitch. You’ve got to try to park that’
‘There are so many different players who can all be something different. I’m confident in my ability to make an impact but there’s lots of competition.
‘When I was younger I focused on “What do the England coaches think?” but that’s an extra layer of baggage on the pitch. You’ve got to try to park that.’
This weekend, rest assured, Coles’ focus will extend no further than France’s famous Cite du Vin. If Northampton pull off one of their greatest victories against the defending champions, then the wine will taste even sweeter.
