European Rugby Champions Cup: Racing Metro Paris clinch Pool 5 with 32-8 win in Northampton
Last Updated: 25/01/15 10:09pm
Racing Metro Paris booked a home quarter-final in the European Rugby Champions Cup with a resounding 32-8 win over Northampton Saints at Franklin's Gardens.
Three tries in the space of four minutes - two from Argentine winger Juan Imhoff and one from full-back Benjamin Lapeyre - broke the back of a Northampton Saints side that showed so much resilience in the first half.
Despite hooker Dylan Hartley being sin-binned in front of England forwards coach Graham Rowntree, raising further concerns about his indiscipline ahead of the Six Nations, Aviva Premiership champions Saints weathered a barrage of Racing attacks before the Top 14 heavyweights roared through the gears to clinch the Pool 5 decider.
Victory means Racing Metro are assured a place in the last eight of Europe's elite competition for the first time in their history, but Jim Mallinder's Northampton must now wait on results elsewhere to see where they will play having missed the chance to seal a home tie.
Despite being roared on by a partisan crowd in the Midlands, Northampton endured a slow start as Hartley, who has dominated headlines throughout the week with anger management revelations, was shown a yellow card by Nigel Owens, the Welsh referee.
France scrum-half Maxime Machenaud made Saints pay as he slotted the penalty and the half-back doubled Racing's tally three minutes later.
Stephen Myler halved Northampton's arrears moments later, before the Saints had to turn all their attention to defence as Racing launched an almighty onslaught.
Winger Teddy Thomas, who broke onto the interntaional stage with a hat-trick for France against Fiji earlier in the year, burst down the left flank twice and bounced off defenders before being brought to a halt by a fine tackle from opposite number George North.
Resilience broken
Northampton spent the majority of the second quarter entrenched in their own 22, where rising England star Calum Clark and recent Aviva Premiership player of the month Samu Manoa excelled in defence.
For all their organisation and stoic defence, Northampton were broken on the cusp of half-time as Imhoff roared home to score the first try of the match and Machenaud's conversion gave the visitors a healthy 15-point lead after the break.
Laurent Labit's men returned from the dressing room with even more gusto and Imhoff doubled his try tally within a minute of the restart, leaving Northampton in disarray.
Two minutes later Lapeyre raced home after an excellent grubber kick, which bounced beautifully in his favour, and at that point Saints were getting every impression this would not be their afternoon.
Machenaud maintained his perfect record from the tee to extend Racing's lead to 22 points, but Northampton were not about to throw in the towel.
Wales wing North stormed down the right channel to claim another fine try - taking his European tally to seven in five appearances this season, but it proved little more than consolation for Northampton.
North's compatriot, Racing Metro centre Jamie Roberts then offered a masterclass of his own, stooping low to collect a poor pass before fending off six defenders to touch down a bonus-point try.
Northampton's obliteration does not stop them from qualifying for the knockout stages, but they look set to face reigning champions Toulon at the Stade Mayol.
