Ollie Sleightholme: England wing marks injury return in heart-breaking Champions Cup Final

However, Sleightholme defied the doctors and wrestled his way back to match fitness in time for the green, gold and black's European finale, with high hopes that he will make the England squad for the Summer tour of Argentina and the USA. Unfortunately for the Saints, Bordeaux proved too strong of a side on the night, with the 28-20 score-line securing a first ever Champions Cup title for the French club.

Sleightholme was named on the bench for the trip to Cardiff, yet was flung into the fray after just two minutes of action at the Principality Stadium as James Ramm went down with a leg injury. The early injury gave Sleightholme no time to overthink the match, as he was launched into the fold for an impressive showing against the Top 14 titans. Reflecting on the battle in the Cardiff capital, Sleightholme was glad to get involved nice and early, yet he would have preferred it to not come at the detriment of a teammate.

"I think frustration is probably the key thing. We know we could be better than that. We know we probably should have given ourselves a chance to win. But at the moment just frustration."

"I think you always show up for games and you're just happy to be on the pitch, but it's not in the situation that you want. You don't want your mates to go down, but you're in that sort of mental state that you're ready to go whenever that whistle goes."

The 25-year-old then shared a thought for his two teammates that went off injured in the final. Just three minutes after Ramm was withdrawn, the hotly anticipated return of George Furbank was over before it even begun. The England fullback had fought back from a broken arm to get his run-out in the Champions Cup Final, but a freak accident saw Nicolas Depoortere's knee clock Furbank in the head, which immediately knocked out the Northampton man.

"Furbs (George Furbank) is up and about." Sleightholme said, after the Champions Cup Final in Cardiff. "He doesn't remember much, but he's walking around and stuff, and he's talking to us. Then Rammy (James Ramm), he's in a boot on crutches, but he's not in too much pain."

It was a physically tough afternoon for every man in green, gold and black, with Sleightholme expressing how his body is getting used to the physicality of match action. Whilst the England tour has not been on the wing's mind, England fans would certainly welcome the electric flyer back into the fold for the incoming clashes with Los Pumas and the USA Eagles.

"Yeah, the body feels good. Which is the main thing. I'm not sure how I'll feel tomorrow. But that'll be a different story."

"I think all my time recently, I've just been focused on getting back, so I haven't really given a thought to it (England tour) at the moment."