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A sample of the video evidence used in the discipline hearing following the citing of Stade Francais's Juan Cruz Guillemain - 17/01/2013 11:39
Biarritz need one point – or deny Saints a winning try bonus point – to top the Pool.
Northampton Saints are currently best placed runner-up in the six Pools.
But should the Saints – Heineken Cup winners in 2000 – gain a winning bonus point, they will leapfrog their French opponents and win the Pool.
Northampton have gone about their business quietly this year, and have positioned themselves well thanks to doubles over Overmach Rugby Parma and Border Reivers.
Biarritz – last year’s beaten finalists have shown the world they mean business this season, and should they earn a winning bonus point this weekend, they will be the first side to complete the Pool stages with a 100 per cent win bonus record.
- 26/09/1998 14:30
Biarritz earned bragging rights ahead of a Heineken Cup quarter-final between the two sides with a hard-fought victory at Franklin’s Gardens.
Northampton needed a bonus-point victory to go ahead of last season’s Cup runners-up in Pool 6, but that was never on the cards in a low-scoring affair. Biarritz finish the Pool stages with a tournament-record 29 points, beating Leinster’s record of 26.
The first half was ruined by poor handling in the showery weather, with the Saints unable to take advantage of Biarritz losing prop Petru Balan and lethal winger Sireli Bobo to the sin-bin at the end of the half. In fact, Biarritz scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili dropped a late goal as the sides went into the break locked at 3-all.
Biarritz picked their game up in the second half, with Italian centre Andrea Masi scoring from close range to give the visitors the lead. The Saints ground their way back into enemy territory, but lacked the cutting edge needed to add to their score.
The French club have no such problems, though, and winger Bobo ripped through the Saints’ midfield defence to run in a 40-metre try and put the result beyond doubt.
Replacement Saints prop Soane Tonga’uiha scored a consolation try for the Saints.
The two teams meet again in the Cup quarter-finals in the first weekend in April, with the match to be played at either the French club’s home ground of Parc des Sports Aguilera or the San Sebastian stadium in Spain.
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