Latest
Overview
Season so far
Tournament record
Scarlets prop Rob Evans wants the Welsh region to build on their impressive start to the Guinness Pro 12 season when they face Northampton in their European Rugby Champions Cup opener. - 10/11/2015 12:22
Scarlets prop Rob Evans wants the Welsh region to build on their impressive start to the Guinness Pro 12 season when they face Northampton in their European Rugby Champions Cup opener.
Wayne Pivac’s men have won six of their first seven games to put themselves firmly in the play-off mix, but their Champions Cup Pool 3 assignment is brutally tough.
The draw sees the region face former wing George North at Franklin’s Gardens, as well as serving up testing examinations against big-spending Racing Metro and reigning Pro 12 champions Glasgow. But Evans hopes the three-time semi-finalists can carry their domestic form onto the continental stage.
“I think we have made a statement about our ambitions as a team with the way we have started the season,” said the Wales loosehead.
“I want us to be a top four team in the Pro 12 and a competitive side in Europe and I want people to respect us as well, in the way we respect other teams.
“We know what we can do, we need to bring it because this is a huge competition for us. We need to carry on from our good start, we cannot let standards slip, we take it one challenge at a time and go from there.”
Evans, 23, was part of Warren Gatland’s pre-World Cup training squad, and took part in the punishing summer training camps in Switzerland and Qatar.
While the front-rower from Haverfordwest, who won his first cap against Ireland in the Six Nations earlier this year, was disappointed not to make the final cut, he admits he feels in the best shape of his life and is keen to reap the benefits of his hard graft.
“I wouldn’t say I enjoyed those camps, because they were absolutely savage,” he said. “Every day out there was very, very hard. “But I am feeling very fit. Once I got my match fitness during the first couple of games I have felt great, it was a worthwhile experience.
“I’ve been getting my hands on the ball and getting involved in the loose which I have enjoyed. We had a good start, beating several of the Irish sides, now we have to step it up again.”
Match facts
- Northampton Saints are aiming to begin with a win after losing their last two matches of the 2014/15 season by a combined margin of 56 points.
- Three of the last four clashes between these teams have gone the way of Northampton (W3, L1).
- Scarlets have the best record of any Welsh team against Northampton (W3, L4); in fact they are the only Welsh side to have won more than once against the Saints.
- Northampton have won their last five matches against Welsh opposition, each by margins of more than 10 points.
- Scarlets have failed to win an away fixture in two of their last three Champions Cup campaigns.
Northampton a remporté son match d'ouverture en Champions Cup face aux Scarlets (15-11). Les Gallois ne sont pas passés loin d'un exploit au Franklin's Garden et se contentent d'un point de bonus défensif. - 14/11/2015 21:56
Tries from Ken Pisi and Alex Waller saw Northampton come out on top 15-11 in a tough and absorbing European Rugby Champions Cup Pool 3 opener against the Scarlets at Franklin’s Gardens.
Wing Pisi opened the scoring early on, with prop Waller burrowing over after the break for the Saints. Fly-half JJ Hanrahan, on his first start for his new club, added a conversion and a penalty as the hosts put their tough start to the domestic season behind them.
The Scarlets kept themselves in contention with a try from in-form scrum-half Gareth Davies and two penalties from fly-half Steven Shingler as they collected a losing bonus point which may yet prove valuable.
The Scarlets have been among the early-season pacesetters in the Guinness Pro 12 but they endured an uncomfortable start as the Saints pack took it to them. One rolling maul rumbled the visitors back 20 metres, while the Welsh side’s scrum creaked worryingly.
Northampton made full use of the ascendancy by crafting the opening try. Hanrahan ran a lovely loop play in midfield and Pisi raced onto his pass to skate over, with the Irishman adding the extras.
The Scarlets slowly began to find their feet, with DTH van der Merwe making a break to force a penalty, which was kicked by Shingler.
Northampton thought they had scored their second try at the end of the first quarter when Luther Burrell finished a superb counter-attack off turnover ball, with Pisi, Ben Foden and George North involved.
However, the try was ruled out after North struck Michael Tagicakibau with his foot in the build-up and was sent to the sin bin against his former team.
The visitors failed to make the most of the numerical advantage and they could have come off worse during the 10 minutes had Hanrahan not failed with two long-range penalties.
Instead Shingler made amends for an earlier miss by adding his second penalty just before half-time to trim the deficit to a single point.
The fly-half was wide and short with a long-range attempt early in the second half, before his loose pass ended a promising Scarlets attack.
But the Welsh outfit were growing in confidence and they seized the lead through arch-poacher Davies. Hadleigh Parkes and Aled Thomas linked well in midfield and the crum-half burst through to dot down.
Shingler hit the easy conversion against the upright and the visitors’ lead did not last long as Northampton went straight up the other end and rolled their way over from a driving line-out with Waller the man to ground the ball.
Hanrahan failed to draw round the testing touchline conversion and Northampton’s cause was not helped when flanker Jamie Gibson became their second man in the bin after not rolling away at the tackle area.
Hanrahan extended their lead with his first successful penalty after another dominant Northampton scrum, and it proved enough to secure the four points.
LIVE - TEST - Commentary