Bordeaux-Begles skipper and scrum-half Maxime Lucu has identified Northampton Saints star Henry Pollock as the player they will have to “neutralise” in this weekend’s Investec Champions Cup final.
Pollock has had a meteoric rise to the top, and after several outstanding performances for Northampton in the Premiership and Champions Cup, he made his senior England in their 68-14 thrashing of Wales in the Six Nations earlier this year and scored a brace of tries in the process.
The 20-year-old continued with his fine form by crossing for a well-taken try in Saints’ 37-34 triumph over Leinster in their Champions Cup semi-final, and his superb form was rewarded with a call-up to the British and Irish Lions squad for their upcoming tour to Australia.
‘He has incredible qualities’
“He’s a very classy player. He has incredible qualities,” Lucu told AFP in the build-up to Saturday’s eagerly anticipated clash with Saints in Cardiff.
“When you talk about big players like that it’s important to neutralise them.
“He’s a threat to us.”
France international Lucu also revealed that he sent photographs of Pollock to his Bordeaux-Begles back-row team-mates, including the likes of his club’s own 20-year-old Marko Gazotti, to remind them what lies in wait against Northampton.
“They’re little jokes we’ve shared this week,” he said.
“They were mainly for Marko Gazzotti, because they (Pollock) are part of the same generation.
“They’ll have a battle.”
The Saints are aiming to win the Champions Cup for the second time, after last lifting the title in 2000, while it’s the first time in Bordeaux-Begles’ history that they will be competing in the prestigious tournament’s final.
Few Bordeaux-Begles fans to attend the final
Up to 15,000 Northampton spectators are expected to be in attendance, but just over 3,000 Bordeaux-Begles supporters are expected to travel from south-west France.
The paltry number of UBB fans is due to a lack of travel connections and a meagre number of hotel rooms in Cardiff, inflating prices on match weekends.
Despite that, thousands of loyal supporters are expected on the streets of Bordeaux to watch the final on big screens.
“We know it’s not easy to come here to Cardiff, because it’s costly too,” added Lucu.
“We’re proud to have between 3,000-5,000 people from Bordeaux in Cardiff to support us because it’s a historic moment for the club, a first European final.
“We have to give something back to them and also the supporters who have stayed in Bordeaux to watch the match.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/maxime-lucu-reveals-the-northampton-player-who-bordeaux-begles-want-to-neutralise-in-champions-cup-final
