Myler, Harrison stars as Northampton ends Castres hopes

Northampton Saints 28-21 Castres, Franklin's Garden
Scorecard

Teimana Harrison scored two tries in the first half while fly-half Stephen Myler contributed with 13 points as Northampton Saints ended Castres hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals with a 28-21 triumph in their European Champions Cup encounter at Franklin's Garden on Saturday.

It took Harrison just two minutes to score the first try in the game and Myler's conversion gave the home team a seven-point lead.

Castres bounced back with a penalty from scrum-half Rory Kockott but their momentum came to a halt when their hooker Jody Jenneker was sin-binned eight minutes later.

After successfully defending with one-man down temporarily, flanker Alexandre Bias got Castres into the lead when he rumbled past the line in the 29th minute but it was Northampton, who ended the first half strong with Myler scoring a converted try and Harrison touching down for the second time in the game. They ended the first half with a 21-8 lead.

Castres came with a spirited performance in the second half after Julien Dumora scored their second try of the game in the 48th minute while Kockott added eight more points through a conversion and two penalties.

The scores were levelled 21-21 heading into the final quarter but it was Northampton, who held their nerve after flanker Tom Wood scored the decisive try in the 65th minute and Myler's conversion ensured a tight seven-point win for the home side.

Northampton Saints were already knocked out of the tournament but Castres headed into the game needing two wins from their remaining two matches.