Harrison keeps Saints on a roll

Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder is aiming to keep the momentum building after a hard-fought Champions Cup victory over Castres.

Teimana Harrison scored two tries and there was one apiece for Tom Wood and Stephen Myler, who also slotted all four conversions, as Northampton claimed their fourth straight win in all competitions.

Castres trailed 21-8 at one stage but they rallied strongly to draw level before Wood’s late effort saw Saints home with a bonus point.

Alexandre Bias and Julien Dumora scored tries for Castres with captain Rory Kockott adding three penalties and a conversion.

Mallinder said: “Rugby is all about momentum and it’s fantastic that we’ve won our last four games. We want to keep that momentum going.

“It was a good performance as we attacked with good intent to dominate the first half but we weren’t clinical enough in taking chances.

“Castres were too strong for us down there [in France] and they brought a quality side here to put our scrum under a lot of pressure.”

Despite the bonus-point win, Northampton remain bottom of Pool Four with no chance of further progress in the competition and only have pride to play for in the final fixture at Montpellier next Friday.

“I always enjoy trips to France and it will be a good experience for us to play in a hostile environment,” Mallinder added. Two-try hero Harrison was similarly upbeat, saying: “We are slowly getting back to the Saints of old. Hopefully we can finish with a bang in Montpellier.”