HEINEKEN CUP Northampton 23 Perpignan 7:AT TIMES this season the prospect of an English club reaching the Heineken Cup final has felt like a distant dream. That made Northampton's convincing semi-final victory all the sweeter, a result to savour for all those beginning to wonder if money counts for more in European rugby than heart and soul.
This was a Saints’ day to remember, particularly if you were a tight forward wearing green, yellow and black.
Perpignan will not forget their first trip to Milton Keynes. The Catalans had arrived with a pack of formidable reputation but they left bruised and battered.
In their nightmares they will see the faces of Soane Tonga’uiha, Dylan Hartley and Brian Mujati, with Phil Dowson and Courtney Lawes riding shotgun.
To say Perpignan were smashed would be nothing more than the truth.
Perpignan’s afternoon was encapsulated by their diminutive winger, Julien Candelon, an international who was guilty of two schoolboy errors. The first came when, under no pressure, he fumbled a rolling ball in his 22. It had started life as a Stephen Myler penalty attempt but it had been badly mishit.
Instantly, psychologically, the tables were turned, and within a minute Jon Clarke had strolled through an almost comically wide midfield gap to score his side’s second try.
Up went the restart and there was Candelon again, clattering Lee Dickson in mid-air to earn the stupidest of yellow cards.
Had Saints taken all their chances it would have been an annihilation. They made the perfect start, James Downey freeing Dowson for a long break down the middle and Paul Diggin recycling the ball right, where Ben Foden had acres of space to score.
It was something of a surprise when a Perpignan lineout drive just before the interval yielded a try for Guilhem Guirado, to trim the half-time deficit to 20-7.
“More of the same” was the message from the Saints coaches, though, and Hartley and co obliged, with Tonga’uiha running amok at times.
It is permissible to wonder whether Northampton will be able to withstand the blue Leinster machine, but they have the scrummaging power to cause problems. If they can keep their heavy hitters in one piece, anything is possible.
Guardian Service
NORTHAMPTON: Foden; Ashton, Clarke, Downey, Diggin; Myler, Dickson; Tonga'uiha, Hartley (capt), Mujati; Lawes, Day; Clark, Dowson, Wilson. Replacements: Sorensson for Day (74 mins), Mercey for Mujati, Ansbro for Clarke (both 78 mins), Commins for Dickson, Waller for Tonqa'uiha, Sharman for Hartley, Easter for Clark (all 79 mins).
PERPIGNAN: Porical; Plante, Marty, Hume, Candelon; N Laharrague, Mele; Freshwater, Guirado, Mas (capt); Alvarez Kairelis, Tchale Watchou; Le Corvec, Guiry, Chouly. Replacements: Tuilagi for Le Corvec (49 mins), Schuster for Freshwater (60 mins), Vilaceca for Kairelis (68 mins), Edmonds for Laharrague, Bolougne for Mele (both 72 mins), Geli for Guirado, Pulu for Mas (both 74 mins).
Referee: G Clancy(Ireland).
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)