Saints Snatch Late Win at Pau in Champions Cup Thriller

Northampton Saints snatch a dramatic late victory at Pau in the Champions Cup opener, with George Hendy finishing a clever move in the closing minutes to seal a five-point win.

Investec Champions Cup

Match action

Northampton Saints produced a dramatic late surge to beat Pau in the opening round of the Champions Cup. The fixture swung on momentum shifts and a red card that reshaped the final period.

Pau opened the scoring through Isa, and Saints replied with two tries just before half-time as Ramm and Dingwall crossed. Pau finished the first half with Arfeuil’s well-taken try to nudge in front at the break.

Second half turning points

After the restart, Saints struck again through Ramm for a second time to move ahead, but 47 minutes brought a red card as Ramm pulled down the Pau jumper Jolmes in the air, leaving Northampton with 14 men.

Pau immediately capitalised through a Robson-Arfeuil combination. Northampton levelled through Mitchell, securing a bonus-point try, and the pendulum kept swinging as Smith and Desperes traded penalties.

With four minutes left, Smith’s quick-thinking created space for Hendy to sprint in for the decisive score.

Pau pressed for a late reply, but Smith added a final penalty to give Saints a five-point winning margin as the crowd reacted to the dramatic finish.

Pool implications

Saints do not move to the top of Pool Four after Bordeaux Begles beat the Bulls 46-33 away from home, keeping the section highly contested early in the campaign.

Line-ups

Pau

Luc; Arfeuil, Maddocks, Decron, Laporte; Desperes, Robson; Etchebehere, Montoya, Zabala Arrieta, Jolmes, Picquette, Zegueur, Credoz, Isa.

Replacements: Rey, Seneca, Papidze, Capelli, Kpoku, Hewat, Souverbie, Valentino.

Northampton

Furbank; Ramm, Hutchinson, Dingwall, Hendy; Smith, Mitchell; Fischetti, Wright, Davison, Coles, Van der Mescht, Kemeny, Pearson, Chick.

Replacements: Smith, Iyogun, Kundiona, Prowse, Pollock, Graham, James, Thame.

Red card: Ramm (47)

Match officials

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)

Assistant referees: Clara Munarini (Italy), Alberto Favaro (Italy)

TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)

Expert comment

A rugby analyst noted Northampton showed composure under pressure and found the decisive moment late in the match. The red card shifted momentum, while Pau created several scoring chances but could not convert enough of them.

Summary

Northampton’s European campaign began with a dramatic win, overcoming a late Pau push and sealing the result in the final moments. Pau impressed with attacking flair but left empty-handed from the opener. The result keeps Pool Four highly competitive as the season unfolds.