Northampton Saints ‘European Cup baby’ hopes for glory repeat


Annabel Amos & Kris Holland

BBC News, Northamptonshire

Supplied Chris Sansome and Matthew Sansome stand side by side with their arms over each other's shoulders. Both are wearing Northampton Saints jerseys.Supplied

Chris Sansome (left) had to make a quick escape from Northampton Saints’ 2000 Heineken Cup final to make it to the birth of his son, Matthew (right)

A man who was dubbed the “European Cup baby” after he was born within hours of an unforgettable sporting victory is hoping to watch history repeat itself.

Northampton Saints won the Heineken Cup – now known as the European Champions Cup – on 27 May 2000.

Saints fan Chris Sansome made a quick escape from the celebrations in order to attend the birth of his son Matthew hours after the final whistle.

Twenty five years later, Matthew will be among thousands of fans travelling to Cardiff to watch Saints take on Bordeaux Begles.

He was dubbed the “European Cup baby” after his father posted a picture of his son on a Northampton Saints message board.

The rugby union team had defeated Munster 9-8 in the final at Twickenham.

The family has lived in New Zealand for the last 22 years, with Matthew only recently returning to the UK and now living in Cambridge.

Reflecting on the day his son was born, Chris Sansome said: “I used the excuse of parking next to the gate [at Twickenham] because my wife was pregnant and luckily the security guard bought it.

“If I hadn’t made it I think there would have been some severe repercussions!”

Supplied Matthew Sansome as an infant. He is on a bed and has a black, green and gold Northampton Saints jersey draped over him, with his head and one hand peeping out of the collar. Supplied

Matthew Sansome was dubbed the “European Cup baby” on a Saints message board in 2000

Saturday’s match will be Northampton’s third appearance in the Champions Cup final – having lost their previous appearance in 2011.

They achieved their date with French club Bordeaux by shocking tournament favourites Leinster 37-34 in Dublin earlier this month.

Matthew said the timing of his birth meant he had no choice but to support the team, although confessed he was “fairly happy to be a fifth generation Saints fan”.

He admitted the timing of his return to the UK had also been convenient, having watched Saints win at the English Premiership final last year.



#Northampton #Saints #European #Cup #baby #hopes #glory #repeat

Related Posts

Wimbledon semifinal preview: Can Anisimova upset No. 1 Sabalenka?

WIMBLEDON, England — Amanda Anisimova collapsed to the ground on her knees. Her body slumped over, with her face directly on the grass of No. 1 Court. She stayed there…

Notre Dame’s tight end corps has question marks heading into new year

ESPN cites Notre Dame’s tight end corps as a question mark heading into new season. Notre Dame has a strong history of producing high-quality tight ends, many of whom go…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *