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Can Northampton Saints march back into the reckoning for a Heineken Cup or Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final place? Their revenge win over Leinster in Dublin showed they have the stomach for the fight
Can Northampton Saints march back into the reckoning for a Heineken Cup or Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final place? Their revenge win over Leinster in Dublin showed they have the stomach for the fight, as well as the talent on the field, and two more wins could see them remain in the hunt for another European title.
Pool 1 was described as the ‘Pool of Death’ at the outset and over the final two round of fixtures there will be teams capable of knocking other sides out of the quarter-final equation as much as pushing their own credentials. The Ospreys are very much in that category.
They have only won one game to date, but remain a tough nut to crack at the Liberty Stadium. Back-to-back derby wins over the Scarlets will have done their confidence the power of good, but this game is more about revenge after the way they slipped to defeat at Franklin’s Gardens.
If the Welsh region can beat the Saints then that will probably put an end to Northampton’s knock-out aspirations. Then they have to travel to Dublin to face Leinster in round six for another vital game.
The home side will know all about the threat of Saints new strike weapon, George North, who scored his first Heineken Cup try in the famous win over Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in the last round.
“We all know the huge threat that George poses and it was interesting seeing him playing in the centre against Leinster,” said Ospreys Welsh international midfield star Ashley Beck.
“If he wants to try to pop up in the midfield at the Liberty then we will be ready for him. Our defence has been good for most of this season and we will be ready for him.”
The Ospreys have had a surprising amount of trouble in the front row department this season and head coach Steve Tandy has recognised the need for improvement in that area. Even so, he has left Adam Jones on the bench.
Saints will have Samoan scrum half Kahn Fotuali’i in their starting line-up and he will bring a lot of local knowledge after his time at the Ospreys. The only other change for the side that beat Harlequins last weekend is Tom Wood switching to the No 7 shirt in place of Phil Dowson.
The battle at the breakdown between Justin Tipuric and Wood will be one of the features of the game.
Match Facts
- Northampton triumphed 27-16 against Ospreys in Round 2 – the only previous meeting between the sides in the competition.
- Ospreys are yet to miss a kick at goal this season with Dan Biggar landing all 17 of his attempts.
- Northampton have won more lineouts per game (15.3) than any other side after four rounds.
- Biggar is the joint-top point-scorer in the tournament so far with 55 (Paddy Jackson of Ulster also has 55).
Highlights: Ospreys V Northampton Saints - Round 5 - 12/01/2014 10:00
Northampton Saints kept up the pressure on Pool 1 leaders Leinster with a hard-fought win over the Ospreys.
Three second half tries, including a superb individual effort from Wales wing George North, maintains the Saints in second place in the group after Leinster’s win in Castre.
The Ospreys' defeat means they stay bottom of the pool with just a solitary victory going into the final round of matches.
Northampton outside half Stephen Myler kicked kicked four penalties in a scrappy first half with Dan Biggar slotting one for the home side.
The Ospreys were struggling to cope with the Saints’ power in the scrum and prop Ryan Bevington saw yellow on 31 minutes after repeated infringements.
A stop-start contest was lit up within 60 seconds of the second half thanks to North’s stunning solo try. Northampton turned the ball over at a ruck inside their own half and when North was released out wide he beat Tom Isaacs and Jeff Hassler before sprinting 70 metres to score.
The visitors looked far more threatening after that try, with North making another blistering run moments later, but that soon fizzled out.
With just over a quarter of the match remaining, the Ospreys started to put Saints under pressure and this time it was the visitors’ turn to lose a man as lock Christian Day was shown yellow for failing to roll away from a ruck.
The Ospreys made the most of their one man advantage and, moments after full back Richard Fussell had been held up over the line, scrum half Rhys Webb dived over from close range.
In a frantic finish, centre George Pisi looked to have made the game safe for the Saints with a try nine minutes from time but Alun Wyn Jones crossed for the Ospreys four minutes later.
But any hopes of a comeback were extinguished almost immediately when Saints went straight up the other end of the field and replacement Glenn Dickson side-stepped his way over.
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