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Jackson Wray is predicting a ferocious physical battle as old foes Saracens and Northampton fight it out for a place in the semi-finals of the European Rugby Champions Cup. - 06/04/2016 11:01
Jackson Wray is predicting a ferocious physical battle as old foes Saracens and Northampton fight it out for a place in the semi-finals of the European Rugby Champions Cup.
The Aviva Premiership rivals will clash at Allianz Park on Saturday looking to move a step closer to a place in the May final in Lyon.
Saracens are looking to secure the first Champions Cup in their history having been beaten finalists in 2014 and being knocked out at the semi-final stage last season.
Mark McCall’s men were highly impressive in topping Pool 1 and advancing as top seeds with six wins from six in a section also including previous tournament winners Toulouse and Ulster.
Northampton, the 2000 winners, came through as runners-up in their tightly-contested pool, in which they faced Racing 92, Glasgow and the Scarlets.
There is a strong English flavour to the last eight with five Premiership teams having made it through to the knockout stage, and back-rower Wray believes an extra edge will be added to domestic rivalries as European competition resumes at the business end of the season.
“It is going to be a huge physical challenge, it always is when you play against Northampton,” he said.
“Any time we play them we know it is going to come down to winning that physical battle and the occasions we have beaten them have been occasions where we have done that and taken that platform away from it.
“It will be an interesting game. In Europe you would maybe expect to be playing a side you do not know quite so much about, but obviously we have played Northampton plenty of times so we know about them and they know plenty about us.
“I am sure it is going to be a great occasion at Allianz Park, it will be a passionate contest and it will be who can deliver in the heat of battle who will come out on top.”
Given their status as two of the Premiership’s big-hitters, Sarries and Saints have met in some crunch fixtures in recent years. The two clubs have clashed in dramatic Premiership finals and semi-finals, but Wray is sure previous results will count for nothing this weekend.
“We have had some great battles with them in recent years. I remember us winning a Premiership semi-final and there was the Premiership final at Twickenham where they snuck it at the end of extra-time,” said Wray.
“But this is a completely different game and no-one is going to be thinking too much about previous games going into this one. We lost to them in the league a few weeks ago but that was a completely different situation as both sides had players away in the Six Nations.
“We played well that day and we were unlucky to lose but, like I say, what has gone before does not really come into it. It is about the 80 minutes on the day.”
Notes
- This will be the first time the clubs have met in the Champions Cup, however, they met once in the knockout stage of the Challenge Cup in 2008/09 with Saints winning the semi-final meeting on home soil.
- Saracens were the only side to go undefeated through the pool stage; it was the first time they achieved such a feat in the competition.
- However, no club has won six out of six pool games and gone on to win the competition in the same season.
- Saracens have won four of their five quarter-final appearances in the Champions Cup, although their one defeat came on home soil (v ASM Clermont Auvergne).
- This will be Northampton Saints' eighth quarter-final appearance in the Champions Cup and their sixth away from home; they have progressed from just one of their five away quarter finals.
- Saints have won six of their last nine away matches in the Champions Cup (L3), though one of those losses came in last season's quarter final against Clermont.
- Come kick-off, it will have been 904 days since Saracens last lost a home match in the competition.
- Saracens scored 17 second half tries in the pool stage, the most of any team in the competition.
- Saracens made an average 10.5 clean breaks per game in the pool stage, the second most of any side and one of only three teams to average more than 10 (along with Ulster and Stade Francais).
- Saints gained fewer metres than any other team in the pool stage averaging 288 per game.
Saracens produced a late fightback against Northampton Saints to set-up a European Champions Cup semi-final against English rivals Wasps. - 09/04/2016 19:40
Saracens produced a late fightback against Northampton Saints to set-up a European Champions Cup semi-final against English rivals Wasps.
The top seeds were second best for much of the contest but showed their class in the final quarter to make it seven wins from seven matches in this season’s competition.
England international Chris Ashton scored the decisive try just over 10 minutes left on the clock after outside-half Owen Farrell had kept the English Premiership leaders in touch with a faultless display with the boot.
A first-half score from Ken Pisi had given the Saints a deserved but slender 10-6 lead at the break but they were left to rue a couple of missed penalties from Stephen Myler and a failed touchdown from Jamie Elliot that would have given them a commanding half-time advantage.
The errors came back to haunt the visitors late in the second period as the opportunity of another semi-final appearance slipped through their fingers.
Chris Wyles went over for a second try for Saracens in the final few minutes before Courtney Lawes crossed for a consolation try for the Saints with the last play of the game.
Saracens started well with Farrell giving them an early lead with a long-range penalty but opposite number Stephen Myler was no such luck with the boot, as he missed two penalties.
The second penalty came after Saracens flanker Will Fraser saw yellow for a late hit on Saints full-back Ben Foden as he cleared the ball down field.
Saints should have taken advantage straight away but first flanker Ben Nutley failed to find Kahn Fotuali’I on his shoulder when a simple pass would have put the scrum-half under the posts.
But Saints managed to keep the ball and shift it wide, only for Elliot to lose the ball as he attempted to touch down in the corner.
They finally made their advantage count thanks to a superb break down the right by number eight Teimana Harrison, who found Pisi out wide to race over for the game’s first try.
Myler kicked the conversion and a further penalty before the interval but a second penalty from Farrell kept the home side just four points behind at the break.
Saracens thought they’d taken the lead shortly after half-time when Duncan Taylor was sent over in the corner but Fraser was adjudged to have blocked Luther Burrell in the build-up and the try was disallowed.
Farrell’s third penalty brought the home side back to within one point but another indiscretion from Fraser, this time killing ball with Saints in the Saracens 22, allowed Myler to restore their four-point lead with little over a quarter of the game left.
The home side were relying on the boot of Farrell to keep them in touch and he slotted his fourth penalty with 18 minutes to go to set-up a grandstand finish.
The deciding moment came when captain Brad Barritt went on a charge up the field with 12 minutes to play, the ball was swept out wide and Ashton produced his familiar swan dive to go over.
Fellow wing Wyles then put some gloss on the victory when he crossed three minutes from time after Saracens had turned the ball over in midfield before Lawes' late score for the visitors.
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