Northampton Saints England’s best hope in Investec Champions Cup
It wasn’t in the 66 points that came before full-time, nor in the sledging match in the stands that decided an all-time epic between Northampton Saints and Munster in round four of the Investec Champions Cup.
Instead it was the colossal mitts of one Henry Pollock, the East Mids star quickly forming a rugby reputation that is matching the early hype bestowed upon the 20-year-old, that won it for the English team.
Between renditions of “Oh When the Saints” from the home side and “Fields of Athenry” from the visitors, nine tries were shared as Northampton came out 34-32 winners against Munster to earn a home round of 16 tie against French giants Clermont Auvergne.
Phil Dowson’s black, green, and gold army marched past Munster to lead the English challenge for the Champions Cup.
Northampton and co
Alongside them in the knockouts are Saracens, Sale Sharks, Harlequins and Leicester Tigers – but these four sides will be away from home, having been beaten to home qualification in the pool stages.
Saracens and Sale could battle it out in the quarter-finals should they win their respective round of 16 ties against RC Toulon and Toulouse.
Harlequins will meet Leicester in the last eight if they win away against Leinster and the Tigers topple Glasgow.
But for Northampton, ranked third out of the 16 remaining teams, home ties against Clermont and then one of Castres or Benetton should see them reach the final four – where a tie against Leinster at Croke Park looks likely.
Last season Dowson’s team met the same fate in making the semi-finals but lost to the Dubliners in a tight match – a game where they deserted their usual showboating style tin favour of a restrictive game that cost them a spot in the final.
Against Munster at the weekend, though, they embraced the style of play that saw them win the English Premiership last season; backing themselves until the cows came home.
Touch an go
It was touch and go at times, fans looked nervous, but it played out with a spectacular win in front of a raucous Franklin’s Gardens faithful not used to reaching such levels on a decibel meter.
Saints have learned to play again, and you can bet that they will not revert to their introverted selves should they meet Leinster once more.
They’ve set the standard for the Premiership clubs in Europe this season and have earned their easier route through to the final four.
But if Castres’ demolition of Saracens is a foretelling, no club can take advantageous situations for granted because they’ll be punished.
Northampton Saints are the dominant European force for England and will lead an army of five teams into the round of 16.
There hasn’t been a finalist from these shores since Exeter won the title in 2019-20 but an English team did feature last time the final was in Cardiff – Saracens’ 23-6 loss to Toulon.
Northampton, too, have lost in the Welsh national stadium while Leicester – who lost there in 1997 – are the only English team to win the title in Cardiff – a 15-9 victory over Munster in 2002.
The odds aren’t in England’s favour, but in Northampton at least they have a hope.