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Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder says his side are in good shape to march on in the Heineken Cup
Northampton Saints will be looking to build on their shock win over Pool leaders Ulster Rugby in their last game when they host French side Castres Olympique at Franklins’ Gardens.
Jim Mallinder’s Premiership side and the Top 14 outfit both know they have to win to keep in touch with the Irish province to stand any chance of making the knock-out stages of the tournament.
Castres are only three points behind Ulster but are only two points ahead of Ulster in the Pool. A win for the French side over Saints would pile the pressure on the Pro12 leaders ahead of the final round of the Pool stage.
Ulster would have to travel to France for the final Pool game knowing they needed a victory in Castres to secure their own quarter-final place. Saints know if they win this game, they are still in the hunt for a place in the knockout stages.
The English side, who have won three of the previous four meetings with the French side, would then have to travel to Glasgow needing a victory to qualify for the last eight of the tournament.
Ulster, Castres and Northampton have it all to play for in this round of games but the England versus France clash in the midlands could see one of those clubs European campaign come to an end.
Match Facts
The English side have won three of the five meetings between these teams in the Heineken Cup but were on the wrong end of a 21-16 scoreline in the reverse meeting between the two earlier this season.
The aggregate score in the history of this Heineken Cup fixture is 124-88 in favour of the Saints, with almost half of Castres’ points coming in a 41-22 victory last season.
Castres’ success rate at the scrum is superior to any other side in the tournament (97%).
Should Northampton secure victory against Castres, it would move their all-time record against French opponents to P26 W13 L13.
Castres have won just four of 27 matches on the road in the Heineken Cup, with just one of these coming against an English side (2001 v Harlequins).
South African scrum half Rory Kockott hauled Castres Olympique back into possible contention for quarter-final slot with a last gasp penalty to clinch a losing bonus-point at Franklin's Gardens. - 11/01/2013 21:56
South African scrum half Rory Kockott hauled Castres Olympique back into possible contention for quarter-final slot with a last gasp penalty to clinch a losing bonus-point at Franklin’s Gardens.
Kockott’s late strike made it 18-12 just moments after Ryan Lamb had struck his third kick of the night to seemingly take away the French side’s chance of leaving Northampton with something.
It was 6-6 at the break and the Saints fans were hoping for a repeat performance in the second half to last year, when they stretched a narrow, three point lead to a bonus point 45-0 triumph.
But 12 months on there was no chance of Castres capitulating a second time and even though Northampton were able to overtake them to move into second place, Castres will end their pool 4 campaign with a home clash with table-topping Ulster.
Last season’s beaten finalists, Ulster became the first team to qualify for the last eight with their home win over Glasgow Warriors. Round 6 will now determine whether or not Saints, who travel to Glasgow, or Castres can get enough points to challenge for one of the two best runners-up spots to reach the quarter-finals.
All the points on a misty night at Franklin’s Gardens came from the boot. Kockott claimed all the points for Castres, while Steve Myler and his replacement, Lamb, landed three apiece for the home side.
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