Saints call for sea of support at European final

Northampton Saints have called on their supporters to bring "a sea of black, gold and green" to their European Champions Cup final, after tickets went on general sale.

Saints stunned Irish side Leinster - who were heavy favourites to progress - to win a thrilling semi-final in Dublin on Saturday, and set-up a final against French club Bordeaux Begles in Cardiff later this month.

It will be only the third appearance for Saints in the showpiece fixture following matches in 2000, when Northampton won the competition, and 2011 when they were runners-up.

Saints fan Colin Wells, who attended the semi-final, said it was "right up there" as one of his favourite days supporting the club.

Mr Wells said: "Every one of those guys on that pitch... they gave their heart, they gave their bodies and they gave their souls.

"They brought their game and absolutely smashed it. It [the game] had everything."

Four-times Champions Cup winners Leinster, who boast a squad full of Irish internationals, had beaten Saints in last year's semi-final and had reached the final in each of the last three seasons before Saturday's upset.

"I knew we were capable of beating Leinster," said Mr Wells. "When we bring our A-game and give 100%, there's no stopping us."

Fellow fan Robert Brown, who also attended the match in Dublin, said: "Hand on heart, I didn't expect us to win on Saturday beforehand.

"But we started fast, which was what we needed. Freemo's [Tommy Freeman] try in the first minutes set the tone and we were on a par with them [Leinster] from that point forward.

"The last moments [of the match] were agonising... but we did it. Fantastic."

The final, which will be played at the 74,500-capacity Principality Stadium on 24 May (14:45 BST kick-off), will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Northampton and the BBC Sounds app.

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