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Racing Metro 92 may arrive at Franklin's Gardens boasting the only remaining unbeaten record in the inaugural Champions Cup Pool stages
Racing Metro 92 may arrive at Franklin’s Gardens boasting the only remaining unbeaten record in the inaugural Champions Cup Pool stages, but they couldn’t have picked a tougher place to go to try to clinch their first trip to a European quarter-final.
You have to go back to 2001 – 14 games ago – for the last time Northampton Saints lost to a French team on English soil in either the Champions Cup or Challenge Cup. Against that kind of background, Dylan Hartley’s men will certainly carry no fear into the vital fixture in Pool 5.
The fact Saints have recovered from losing in Paris in the opening round, when they failed to pick up a losing bonus point in a crazy closing few moments, looked as though it could have done them real harm.
But even though Racing have maintained their unbeaten record throughout their Pool campaign, drawing with the Ospreys in Swansea, they haven’t been able to shake off Saints, who have the same number of match points (19) in second place – behind the Frenchman only on the fact they were beaten at Stade Yves du Manoir .
Now they the two teams effectively get into knock-out style rugby a round early in a winner-takes-all clash that is guaranteed to fill Franklin’s Gardens to overflowing.
“It’s a huge occasion for us at home this week, an exciting game and one you want to play in for sure. You kind of expected it to come down to one of these games,” Calum Clark told Saints TV.
“Being at home is definitely an advantage for sure, but they’re full of great players and they caused us a few problems at their place, so we’ll have to prepare properly and play flat out.”
Saints will be without England full back Ben Foden, who was ruled out for the rest of the season due to the knee injury he picked up against the Ospreys last weekend, but full of confidence after making it four wins in a row in Europe over the top team in the Guinness PRO12.
But Clark admits that despite winning the Challenge Cup last season, Saints have their eyes firmly fixed on picking up European club rugby’s top prize for the first time since 2000.
“We got to the Heineken Cup final in 2011 and were disappointed with that. We haven’t really kicked-on for the past three years and that’s a frustration,” Clark added.
“It is nice to be where we are in our Pool, having a chance of going through and, hopefully, getting the home quarter-final. But we know it’s going to be a big job on Saturday.”
Racing ran in nine tries in their 53-7 demolition of Benetton Treviso at home last weekend and saw skipper Dimitri Szarzewski claim the club’s first European hat-trick. Racing’s Welsh contingent, Mike Phillips, Jamie Roberts and Luke Charteris will know the Saints’ players well, as will former Northampton players Juandre Kruger and Brian Mujati.
“It’s the biggest game of the season for us. Saints have the best lineout in England, but we are not bad either in that sector,” said Charteris.
“Nobody rated us at the beginning of the competition and if we could win it would change a lot of things – it would he historic for the club.”
Match Facts
- Despite losing to Racing earlier this season, Northampton have won their last five home games against French opposition in this competition.
- These two sides have won more competition points (each 19) than any other side in the Champions Cup heading into round six.
- After crossing the whitewash in Round 5, George North has now scored six tries in the Champions Cup this season – a tournament-high.
- Ken Pisi has the highest average gain per carry (20+ carries) of any player in the tournament (8.9m).
- Racing Metro 92’s Juan Imhoff has made 10 clean breaks in the competition, more than any other player in the Champions Cup this season; Imhoff also beat eight defenders last weekend – the most of any player in Round 5.
Premier club français à réserver sa place en quart
Racing Metro 92 are through to the knock-out stages for the first time at the fifth attempt – and they did it in real bonus point style.
The French giants blew Saints away at Franklin’s Gardens to claim priceless home advantage in the quarter-finals as the No 1 seeds.
The only unbeaten club in this year’s elite European tournament did the damage with three tries in five whirlwind minutes each side of the break with powerhouse Wales centre Jamie Roberts banking the bonus point with a barnstorming try that ended with him walking off with the Heineken Man-of-the-Match award.
Saints – the 2000 champions – are still through to the quarters but after winning their last five home games against French opposition in this competition this was a real shock for home fans.
Not even a seventh try in this season’s competition for George North could ease the Saints pain, Steven Myler off target with a golden penalty goal chance of opening the scoring when Racing took a scrum down with less than five minutes.
Another set piece ended in a Saints penalty – and words with Welsh referee Nigel Owens cost Racing an additional 10 metres as he marched them back – but the home side failed to capitalise at the line-out and let the Top 14 side off the hook again.
And worse came when Saints captain Dylan Hartley was sent to the sin bin for attempting a tackle while flat out on the ground, scrum half Maxime Machenaud punishing them on the scoreboard with the first points.
He repeated the dose to double their advantage before Myler found the target with his second penalty goal chance.
But home fans were left disappointed when Luther Burrell knocked on when trying to collect a clever George North kick ahead with the line beckoning, the chance lost and Racing coming strong at the other end with Saints forced into some desperate scrambling defence – and a mighty scrum effort.
But patience paid off for Racing as a superb build-up and keeping the ball alive produced a great try for Puma star Juan Imhoff.
Although there were no conversion points from Machenaud to rub salt into wounds that was still a real hammer blow for Saints on the stroke of half-time as Racing went eight points clear in the battle for group honours.
Ken Pisi had the Saints fans on their feet early in the second half with some mesmerising running – but they were let stunned when Racing hacked on a loose ball and Imhoff won the foot race with Myler for his second try in just a couple of minutes of action.
This time Machenaud converted and Saints were looking at a mountain to climb – and that rapidly became an Everest as full back Benjamin Lapeyre stripped Burrell of possession for their third try.
Machenaud again added the extras as suddenly there was a 22-points gulf before a line-out and powerful maul opened up the way for scrum half Lee Dickson to send Wales wing wizard North hurtling over for his ninth tournament try.
That cut the deficit to 17 points and Saints would not have been disappointed to see wrecker-in-chief Imhoff depart clutching his right shoulder.
And Lapeyre soon joined him – although in his case just for 10 minutes out of the action – after being yellow carded for a deliberate knock-on as Saints stormed forward.
Magnificent work on the run by Welsh centre Roberts had the alarm bells ringing – and Roberts wrapped up the try bonus point with just over an hour gone as he forced his way over with a clutch of Saints defenders hanging on but unable to deny him, Roberts ending up as Heineken Man-of-the-Match.
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