Emmanuel Iyogun is relishing the chance to ‘make his mark on history’ as Northampton Saints head into the Investec Champions Cup Final this weekend.
The loosehead prop was born five months after the men in Black, Green and Gold’s last triumph in the competition back in 2000, but is set to play a prominent role at the Principality Stadium against Union Bordeaux Bègles on Saturday (kick-off: 2.45pm).
“It’s monumental, to be honest,” he said. “To be involved in a week like this and to get the opportunity to go and make your mark in history is pretty amazing. I can’t wait. I’m mega excited.
“I’ve never played in Cardiff, I’ve never been to the Principality, so the lads who have been there have told me about what the stadium’s like in terms of it being a closed-roof stadium, being in an almost colosseum, so it’s an exciting prospect for me and I can’t wait to experience that.”
The 24-year-old’s sixth season in the senior Saints squad has been his most prolific in terms of starts to date, with his 18 more than doubling his previous best of eight (2021/22).
His very first came as a 19-year-old against Exeter Chiefs way back in 2020, when he was thrust into the number one shirt amidst an injury crisis.
“That game feels like yesterday, in a way,” Iyogun said.
“It’s been quite the journey and one that I’ve relished. I’ve built some memories along the way as well.”
Emmanuel Iyogun
“It’s been amazing. I’ve taken loads from those memories and they’ve not all been good occasions. I’ve had some pretty tough games, some pretty amazing games and it’s part of the journey that you get a breadth of experiences to go and put you in better stead to perform in big games. It’s been pretty good.”
Iyogun’s 75th outing in Black, Green and Gold is set to come in the Club’s first Final in this competition since 2011, but the 114kg forward isn’t about to change his preparation methods on account of the occasion.
He said: “I’m very much a big believer in compounding interests, and that doing the same thing again and again will produce the same results.
“The biggest thing we take is that you don’t want to change massively.
“You want to stay consistent week to week and in big games you want to be doing the same thing you'd be doing for a normal game to produce the same performance.”
