Tom Wood was shaking his head long after the end of the game, not just wondering how Northampton had failed to secure a bonus point but how they had been beaten by a side whose gamesmanship lost them two players to the sin-bin in the second-half.
For all their spending, big names and high profile, Racing have yet to make any impression on the European stage and after taking an early lead with a soft try when Northampton bungled their own lineout close to their line, the hosts did not live up to their name. In fact, they were far more tortoise than hare.
“It is very frustrating,” said Wood, the England flanker. “They did everything they could to slow the game down – bodies on the wrong side, hanging off the back of mauls and putting your legs above your head at the breakdown – and when we tried to police it, we conceded costly penalties.
“I would not say it was a step up from the Premiership, but it was different. We started too slowly, not as sharp at the breakdown as we normally are, and instead of making them chase the game, which was our plan, we were the ones coming from behind. We have given ourselves a mountain to climb in the group, especially not getting a bonus point, but we are not going to lie down. Being passive at the start here cost us and it will not happen again.”
Northampton also suffered misfortune. When they were 10-6 down 15 minutes into the second half and the home prop Julien Brugnaut was in the sin-bin, George Pisi was 10 metres from the Racing line with no one to beat when his left hamstring went and the pain forced him to throw the ball to the ground.
“It would have been a try to change the game,” said Jim Mallinder, the Northampton director of rugby. “George was clean through and his hamstring went. We were putting them under pressure and I am sure that if the try had been scored we would have won. They were blowing and to leave without even a bonus point is hard to take. Our fans turned up in numbers and we have to make it up to them against Ospreys on Saturday.”
Racing opened and finished the scoring with Marc Andreu charging down Ben Foden’s kick in the final seconds three minutes after Phil Dowson’s try had given Northampton the chance of a draw only for Stephen Myler’s conversion from wide on the right to drift wide.
“It was a big win for us,” said Racing’s Wales and Lions centre, Jamie Roberts. “There was a noticeable determination in the squad in the build-up to the game and there was a lot of emotion during it. Northampton are the English champions and we knew we had to turn up.
“It was not the prettiest of games but we got stuck in and made sure that their dangerous back three did not have the chance to run back at us. I spoke in the dressing room before the game about the need to keep George North quiet, and we did that. Jonathan Sexton is one of the best tactical kickers around and he was outstanding. Our task now is to build on this and that means winning in Treviso at the weekend. This victory has to be a start for us.”
Racing Métro Dulin; Imhoff, Dumoulin (Audrin, 68), Roberts, Andreu; Sexton (Goosen, 74), Machenaud (Phillips, 60); Brugnaut (Ben Arous, 64), Lacombe (Marouard, 59), Ducalcon (Mujati, 60), Kruger, Van der Merwe (Charteris, 42), Lauret, Le Roux, Claassen.
Tries Dumoulin, Andreu. Cons Sexton, Goosen. Pens Sexton 2.
Sin-bin Brugnaut 54, Ben Arous 73.
Northampton Foden; K Pisi, G Pisi (Elliott, 55), Burrell, North; Myler, Fotuali’i (L Dickson, 54); A Waller (E Waller, 63), Hartley (Haywood, 63), Ma’afu (Denman, 59), Lawes (Dowson, 69), Day (Craig, 69), Clark, Wood, Manoa.
Try Dowson. Pens Myler 2.
Referee G Clancy (Ire). Attendance 9,189
