Northampton beat Bourgoin 15-3 in Challenge Cup final

By Neil Maidment

LONDON (Reuters) - Northampton worked their way to a deserved 15-3 victory over an undisciplined Bourgoin side in the European Challenge Cup final at the Twickenham Stoop on Friday.

Victory gives Northampton England's final Heineken Cup qualification spot at the expense of Wasps, who finished higher than them in the Premiership this season.

An intense first half, which included sin bins for fighting for Northampton flanker Neil Best and Bourgoin scrumhalf Morgan Parra, was edged by the Saints who led 9-3 at halftime after three penalties from flyhalf Steve Myler, with Parra in reply for the French side.

Stout Bourgoin defending was undone by indiscipline in the ruck and after the break Myler added another two penalties following consistent pressure.

Bourgoin, who beat top seeds London Irish in the quarter-finals, were guilty of causing several fights and substitute Thomas Genevois saw red with three minutes left after throwing a series of punches.

Northampton's former Scotland prop and British & Irish Lion, Tom Smith, came on in the dying minutes for his last appearance before retirement.

(Editing by Rex Gowar.