Northampton, unlucky finalist in the last edition, dominated Castres (49-41) in the Champions Cup round of 16 on Friday and advances to the Top 8 for the third consecutive year.
The journey for the team from Tarn comes to an end once again on Northampton’s turf, where they were defeated last year, while the Saints will face another English club in the quarterfinals, meeting the winner of the Bath vs. Saracens match scheduled for Saturday (4 pm).
The Saints struggled but eventually overcame CO, who were undisciplined and lacking clarity at times, but remained competitive and turned things around in the second half.
CO had a strong start, as hoped by coach Xavier Sadourny, taking an early lead with two quick tries by Christian Ambadiang and Théo Chabouni (12-0, 12th minute). However, Castrais lost focus and received two consecutive yellow cards, allowing the English team to narrow the gap (15-14, 24th minute).
The English team found opportunities to breach the defensive line with precise passes, as shown by tries from Freeman, Furbank, Kemeny, and McParland. Their dominance was evident on the scoreboard, aided by the flawless kicking of the Saints’ French fly-half, Anthony Belleau, who converted all six attempts.
Despite their current struggles in the league, Castres put up a strong fight, responding to English attacks with opportunistic plays and collective talent, exemplified by the outstanding Vuate Karawalevu who scored a try before being substituted due to injury.
Similar to last season’s quarterfinal, Castres received a third yellow card, this time to Veresa Ramototabua (70th minute) for a high tackle, effectively ending their comeback hopes, sealed by Fraser Dingwall’s penalty kick (49-34, 71st minute).
Northampton continues their journey and could potentially face other French teams in the semifinals, sharing the same side of the bracket as Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bègles, who defeated them in the last final.
