Northampton, unlucky finalist of the last edition, dominated a tenacious Castres team (49-41) in the Champions Cup round of 16 on Friday and advanced to the Top 8 for the third consecutive year.
Castres’ journey ended once again on Northampton’s turf, where they were defeated last year, as the Saints will face another English club in the quarterfinals. They will meet the winner between Bath and Saracens on Saturday at 4 pm.
The Saints struggled to overcome CO, who were undisciplined and at times lacked clarity, but they stayed in the game for a long time and managed to pull ahead in the messy second half.
CO had a strong start to the game, scoring two quick tries to lead 12-0, but lost composure after confrontations with English player Henry Pollock, receiving two yellow cards in succession. This allowed the English team to narrow the gap to 15-14.
The English team found the breakthrough after halftime, taking advantage of well-executed passes to breach the Castres’ defense. They scored through Freeman (52nd minute) and Furbank (59th minute), along with Kemeny (43rd minute) and McParland (64th minute). The lead was extended by the flawless kicking of the Saints’ French fly-half, Anthony Belleau, who converted all six kicks.
Despite their current struggles in the league, Castres responded well to English pressure with opportune plays and the collective talent led by an outstanding Vuate Karawalevu, who scored a try before being forced off due to injury.
Just like in last season’s quarterfinal, Castres received a third yellow card, this time to Veresa Ramototabua (70th minute), ending their hopes as Fraser Dingwall punished the indiscretion (49-34, 71st minute).
Northampton’s journey continues, with the possibility of facing other French teams in the semifinals, including Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bègles, who defeated them in the last final.
