Butter-fingered hosts Northampton held off ill-disciplined visitors Castres to win 49-41 on Friday night to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup.
The French side collected two yellow cards in three minutes in the first half and another with 10 minutes left but they were also undone by their poor tackling and covering in defence and by three missed conversions from six tries. When Northampton did not drop the ball, or pass to their opponents, they threatened a try with every attack. They scored seven times, one a penalty try, and their French fly-half Anthony Belleau kicked the other six conversions.
Christian Ambadiang dominated the early stages. After seven minutes the Castres wing raced on to a kick from his scrum-half Jérémy Fernandez to touch down in the corner. Four minutes later, Ambadiang leapt to intercept a pass setting off a counterattack that ended with Théo Chabouni touching down.
Ambadiang was again the hero three minutes later, dragging James Ramm’s toe over the touchline just before the diving wing could touch the ball against the goalline. A minute later, as Archie McParland headed for a score, Ambadiang yanked him by his collar to earn a yellow card and concede a penalty try.
A man short, Castres attacked. They were poised for a strike from a ruck near the line, when the second-row Guillaume Ducat hurled himself into Saints flanker Henry Pollock, who had already upset the visitors with his antics. Ducat received a yellow card but even with two extra men, Saints struggled to escape, dropping the ball time and again and conceding a penalty which Fernandez converted. When Northampton did keep the ball, they punished the under-strength defence with the prop Danilo Fischetti smashing through after a lineout.
Three minutes into the second half, Northampton cut open Castres and Josh Kemeny plunged over. Nine minutes later they did it again and Tommy Freeman scored.
Castres hit back with help from the hosts when McParland tried a pass from the base of a ruck near his line and Tyler Ardron intercepted to score. Then Saints lost the ball in the opposing half and McParland failed to field a Castres clearing kick. Northampton were saved when Santiago Arata, in turn, dropped the ball as he was about to cross the line for Castres. From the scrum Enzo Hervé went over.
The hosts immediately threw another interception to Vuate Karawalevu who raced away to touch down only for the try to be chalked off for an earlier knock-on. Northampton steadied and found two more huge holes through which George Furbank and McParland scored.
Vilimoni Botitu responded for Castres but after Veresa Ramototabua received a yellow for a high tackle on McParland, Fraser Dingwall squirmed through three unenthusiastic defenders to score. Ambadiang ended the game as he started with a try, but by then Saints, last year’s losing finalists, already knew they were through to face either Bath or Saracens in the quarter-finals.
