Heineken Champions Cup: Friday’s big kick-off

The 2021/22 Heineken Champions Cup gets under way on Friday night as former European champions Northampton Saints take on three-time runners-up Racing 92 at Franklin’s Gardens, and we take a look at what to expect in this Pool A clash…

Meet the teams

It is 21 years since Northampton claimed their one and, so far, only success in Europe’s premiere club competition and they are back in the Champions Cup after spending the 2020/21 season in the second-tier Challenge Cup.

The closest the Saints have come to lifting the title since 2000 was the defeat to a Johnny Sexton-inspired Leinster side in the 2011 final in Cardiff, having failed to progress beyond the quarter-final stage in any of their top-level European campaigns since then.

However, the East Midlands outfit come into this year’s opening Champions Cup clash sitting third in the Gallagher Premiership and with back-to-back wins over Bristol Bears and strugglers Bath in the bag.

Racing, meanwhile, head into Europe having suffered three straight defeats in the French Top 14 league which leaves them sixth in the table. Those losses were, however, preceded by a 27-18 victory over Champions Cup holders Toulouse.

The Parisians have reached the final of this competition three times but have been beaten on each occasion – most recently in the delayed 2020 final when they went down 31-27 to Exeter Chiefs behind closed doors at Bristol’s Ashton Gate.

Last season saw them bow out at the quarter-final stage, though, as Matthieu Jalibert’s penalty on the final play of the game snatched a 24-21 victory for fellow French side Bordeaux-Begles.

Who to keep an eye on

There are plenty of eye-catching individual battles across the park, but one of the most enthralling is the battle of the two British & Irish Lions fly-halves.

Northampton and Wales No 10 Dan Biggar will be up against Scotland star Finn Russell, who is now into his fourth season in a Racing shirt, in what is sure to be a compelling showdown.

Saints rugby director Chris Boyd is well aware of the danger posed by the unpredictable Russell, although he also knows how much influence both fly-halves have will be dictated to a large part by how their respective packs front up.

“For a quarterback or a 10, often the ride that they get from the guys from one to eight makes a significant difference,” Boyd said.

“Front-foot ball and the speed of the ball in territories, there are a whole load of factors in that. But Russell is obviously a bit of a magician, and when he is on his game, he can cast a pretty wicked spell.”

What they’re saying

Racing captain Henry Chavancy knows all too well just how agonising it has been for Racing in European campaigns during the past five years.

The former France international centre played in the Champions Cup final defeats to Saracens, Leinster and Exeter, with the most recent two seeing them beaten by just three and four points respectively.

With just four matches being played in the pool stages of this season’s tournament – Racing face Northampton and Ospreys home and away – the 33-year-old is all too aware of how they need to get off to a flying start at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday.

“We know what we have to do to hopefully win the trophy,” Chavancy said. “It’s up to us now to put all the ingredients together and to do what’s necessary to return to the final and to lift the trophy.

“The smallest of defeats can be crippling. We’re starting with a very difficult match against Northampton, away from home, so we’ll be in the deep end straightaway.

“We know we’ll need a win if we hope to do something in this competition. It’s exciting and stressful at the same time.”

At the other end of the scale is Saints skipper Lewis Ludlam, the 26-year-old England international who is among a clutch of homegrown players making their mark at Northampton and eager to do so in Europe as well.

“It’s practically knockout rugby every week and that’s something that we’ll talk about, something that we need to understand – that you don’t get many chances of playing in European competitions and having chances to win European trophies as well,” Ludlam said.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been able to properly see where we’re at in Europe, and it’s a great opportunity for us younger lads to be able to step up and show we are real contenders in the European competitions.”

Named teams

Northampton Saints: 15 George Furbank; 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Matt Proctor, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Courtnall Skosan; 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Alex Mitchell; 1 Nick Auterac, 2 Sam Matavesi, 3 Ehren Painter, 4 David Ribbans, 5 Api Ratuniyarawa, 6 Karl Wilkins, 7 Lewis Ludlam (c), 8 Juarno Augustus.

Replacements: 16 James Fish, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Conor Carey, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Tom Wood, 21 Frank Lomani, 22 Rory Hutchinson, 23 Ollie Sleightholme.

Racing 92: 15 Kurtley Beale; 14 Teddy Thomas, 13 Viremi Vakatawa, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Juan Imhoff; Finn Russell, 9 M Machenaud; 1 Guram Gogichashvili, 2 Teddy Baubigny, 3 Ali Oz, 4 Luke Jones, 5 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Ibrahim Diallo, 7 Wenceslas Lauret, 8 Yoan Tanga.

Replacements: 16 Camile Chat, 17 Eddy Ben Arous, 18 Cedate Gomes Sa, 19 Anton Bresler, 20 Baptiste Chouzenoux, 21 Antoine Gibert, 22 Henry Chavancy, 23 Donovan Taofifenua.