Northampton Saints capitalised on Duncan Taylor’s red card as they defeated Saracens 38-29 to move up to fourth in the Premiership table.

Centre Taylor was given his marching orders in the eighth minute as Saracens suffered just their fourth defeat of the domestic campaign on Saturday.

Alex Moon, Lewis Ludlam, Tommy Freeman, Rory Hutchinson, Fin Smith and Fraser Dingwall scored for Saints on a warm day at Franklin’s Gardens.

Rotimi Segun (2), Manu Vunipola and Theo Dan responded for Saracens as they impressed in claiming a bonus-point despite being one man down.

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Saracens may have been missing a host of big names at the outset, but they still opened the scoring in the fourth minute with an excellent try.

From a line-out near halfway, young centre Olly Hartley made the initial break before feeding Alex Lewington. The wing then launched a well-judged cross-field kick for Segun to perform heroics by collecting before cartwheeling into the corner.

Within three minutes, Saints should have been level but lock David Ribbans inexplicably lost possession in the act of diving over, so a period of sustained pressure went unrewarded.

The explosive start to the game continued when Taylor was sent off by referee Wayne Barnes but Saracens temporarily overcame that setback to extend their lead with a straightforward penalty from Vunipola.

After 19 minutes, Saints got onto the scoreboard when a succession of bursts from their powerful back-row put the visitors’ defence on the back foot for Alex Mitchell to send Moon over.

The home side soon scored another. James Ramm raced away down the right flank to chip ahead and win a position in the opposition 22. From there, the ball was swiftly recycled for skipper Ludlam to crash over with Smith’s conversion putting his side in front for the first time.

Saints continued to entertain the crowd with some exhilarating passages of play, but too often, they failed to capitalise by carelessly dropping passes when seeming likely to score.

However, their enterprise was eventually rewarded when Freeman was given the opportunity to leave Ruben de Haas standing to score Northampton’s third and leave them with a 19-10 half-time advantage.

😇 Superb finish from Tommy Freeman. #GallagherPrem #NORvSARpic.twitter.com/OlFENllM9w

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) April 15, 2023

Within three minutes of the restart, Saracens were blown away by another breathtaking score.

From a scrum near their own 22, Saints created acres of space for Ramm to hare into the opposition’s 22, with Hutchinson benefitting from the visitors’ lack of numbers to score the bonus-point try.

Ramm was injured in the move and departed clutching his shoulder, but nothing could stop rampant Saints as Smith strolled over for their fifth try.

Resilient Saracens showed some spirit to respond with a converted try from Vunipola, but Segun picked up a yellow card for a dangerous challenge on George Furbank.

In the wing’s absence, Dingwall added another try, but remarkably, despite playing with 13, Saracens managed a third score through Dan.

Segun also returned in time to see his side dominate the final 10 minutes, with the wing scoring his second in the dying seconds to earn Saracens a bonus point of their own.

Harlequins claim key win over Newcastle

Elsewhere, Harlequins picked up a crucial 48-20 bonus-point win over Newcastle Falcons to keep their hopes of making the play-offs very much alive.

Louis Lynagh made a successful comeback from knee surgery to celebrate his maiden appearance of the season with a try.

The England prospect, son of Australia great Michael, had been sidelined for the entire 2022/23 season to date after undergoing two operations, but he impressed for the 54 minutes he was on the field at Twickenham Stoop.

Quins were forced to battle hard for a bonus-point victory that lifted them to sixth in the Premiership after Freddie Lockwood’s 66th-minute try, made possible by the genius of Mateo Carreras, which threatened an upset.

But nerves were steadied when Alex Dombrandt went over for his second try in front of England boss Steve Borthwick, who can only have been pleased by his number eight’s all-action display.

Joe Marchant made his final appearance at The Stoop before joining Stade Francais next season, scoring a popular touchdown but also missing the final conversion from in front of the posts.

For all their dominance of the opening quarter, Quins were unable to register a point, although there were minor wins across the pitch.

Dombrandt and Andre Esterhuizen made telling runs before a scrum penalty ignited a spell of relentless pressure on the home line that saw a Danny Care try ruled out for obstruction by the prone Wilco Louw.

It was the end of Louw’s afternoon, and given that he had to be helped from the pitch with what appeared to be a significant injury, he is likely to have played his last game for Quins ahead of his return to South Africa at the end of the season.

The hosts continued to press, but The Stoop was stunned into silence when Newcastle scrambled free from their own line, wings Carreras and Adam Radwan combining for the Argentina international to score under the posts.

Brett Connon’s conversion and penalty gave the Falcons a 10-0 lead, but Quins’ attack began to align with Esterhuizen capitalising on a big hole in defence to touch down.

Sensing blood, the two-time Premiership champions renewed the attack in first-half overtime and exploited the blindside, with Lynagh scoring with ease in the right corner.

The lead changed hands once more through Connon’s pinpoint kicking, but gaps were now appearing in the visiting defence with greater frequency, allowing Marcus Smith to come to the fore.

Quins’ third try was all too easy as extra numbers enabled Josh Bassett to stroll over, and once Esterhuizen had bumped off two tackles, the bonus point was secure.

🃏 There's no stopping Andre Esterhuizen from that range. #HARvNEWpic.twitter.com/Zc2CZS0f3y

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— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) April 15, 2023

Newcastle were not helped by having Callum Chick sin-binned for collapsing a maul, but with their openside back on the field, they found a renewed sense of purpose and camped themselves in enemy territory.

When their try came, it started deep in their own half, Carreras’ slaloming run leaving tacklers chasing shadows and while he was stopped just short, Lockwood was on hand to finish.

But the uprising ended immediately when Dombrandt showed strength to cross for a second time with late tries from Dino Lamb, Marchant and Fin Baxter distorting the final scoreline.

Injuries have forced Eddie Jones to make changes to his first Wallabies squad that is set to go on camp on the Gold Coast this week.

There are several casualties with Dave Porecki, Blake Schoupp, Darcy Swain, Ned Hanigan and Len Ikitau all out with concussions.

Meanwhile, Pete Samu and Langi Gleeson also miss out with ankle and calf injuries respectively.

First-time call-ups

The changes mean there are first-time call-ups for several stars including Rhys van Nek, Rory Scott, Matt Faessler and Ryan Smith.

Izaia Perese and Lachlan Swinton return to the Wallabies set-up with the tireless Harry Wilson named as a back-row replacement in the squad that is set to meet up this week.

Opportunity

Jones understands it is disappointing for some but also sees it as an opportunity for others ahead of the shortened Test season before the Rugby World Cup.

“While we feel for the players who have been ruled out, it provides an opportunity for those who will now come into camp,” Jones said.

“This camp will set the tone ahead of the Test season and we know we’re going to need a fast start.”

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The Wallabies’ first Test since their veteran coach returned to the helm is on July 8 against the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

Updated squad

Allan Alaalatoa, Ben Donaldson, Pone Fa’amausili, Matt Faessler, Josh Flook, Lalakai Foketi, Nick Frost, Carter Gordon, Reece Hodge, Michael Hooper, Jed Holloway, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Lachlan Lonergan, Ryan Lonergan, Fraser McReight, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Cadeyrn Neville, Izaia Perese, Jordan Petaia, Tom Robertson, Rory Scott, James Slipper, Ryan Smith, Lachlan Swinton, Jordan Uelese, Rob Valetini, Rhys van Nek, Suliasi Vunivalu, Nic White, Brad Wilkin, Harry Wilson, Tom Wright

Football League side Brentford has confirmed the signing of St. Etienne forward Neal Maupay for an undisclosed fee believed to be worth €2m, subject to international clearance.

The 20-year-old joins on a four-year-deal and will join up with the Championship squad soon to continue pre season training. Maupay came up through the youth ranks at Nice before making his way to Les Verts in 2015, where would score three goals in his first season with the club.

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Maupay has just finished the past season on loan at Ligue 2 club Brest, where he would score 16 goals and help build his reputation as a pure goal scorer.

Co-Director of Football at Brentford Phil Giles said, “There were many clubs both in England and overseas that were interested in signing Neal this summer. I am very proud of the team effort from everyone at Brentford who contribute to selling our club and our ambition to Neal. He is a good player and a good man.”

Dean Smith, Head Coach of Brentford, added “As Phil said, Neal is a player that we have been tracking for a while, He fits all the profiles we set when we look for a player, He has really good personality and character to go with his skill level. We are very lucky to have got him and I look forward to working with him.”

T.S.

Ligue 1 newcomers Strasbourg have opened negotiations with Montpellier over the possible signing of striker Kévin Bérigaud, according to L’Équipe.

The 29-year-old spent last season on loan at Angers where he flopped, and currently has another year’s contract with MHSC. The latter side have no intention of keeping Berigaud and the player is very interested in joining Strasbourg.

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Sam Costelow converted Ryan Conbeer’s late try as the Scarlets secured a place in the Challenge Cup semi-finals with a superb 32-30 triumph over 14-man Clermont Auvergne.

The Welsh region got off to an outstanding start, going 15-3 in front through Leigh Halfpenny and Costelow tries before Irae Simone got the visitors back into the contest.

Simone would soon go from hero to zero, however, when he was red carded for connecting with the head of Halfpenny.

To Clermont’s credit, they battled back and levelled matters through Alivereti Raka’s try before Anthony Belleau’s penalty took them in front.

And although Johnny Williams’ effort moved the Scarlets back ahead at the break, Auvergne controlled much of the second period and looked to have won the game as Raka and Giorgi Beria touched down.

Costelow’s three-pointer set up an exciting final 10 minutes, though, and they would claim their place in the last-four of the Challenge Cup thanks to Conbeer’s score, which was converted from out wide by their fly-half.

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Belleau and Halfpenny exchanged early penalties before Scarlets thrilled the home crowd by scoring a wonderful try.

On halfway, the hosts nicked an opposition line-out before swift handling gave Steff Evans the opportunity to show his pace down the right flank. The wing burst away before kicking ahead for Halfpenny to win the race for the touchdown.

Scarlets soon had another try. An under-pressure Baptiste Jauneau threw out a poor pass which resulted in both Costelow and Steff Evans hacking the ball forward before Costelow collected a favourable bounce to score.

Halfpenny converted to give his side a handy 15-3 lead at the end of an entertaining first quarter but Clermont showed their mettle with Damian Penaud chipping over Halfpenny’s head and when the ball bounced loose, Simone picked up to score.

Two minutes later, Simone turned villain as his head-high challenge on Halfpenny saw the Scarlets’ full-back receive lengthy medical attention before leaving the field with the New Zealand centre ordered off.

Costelow took over the goal-kicking but missed with the resulting penalty from 40 metres and his side suffered another setback when lock Vaea Fifita was sin-binned for dragging down a maul.

Clermont capitalised to take the lead for the first time. Their powerful forwards built up a head of steam before a well-judged cross-field kick from Belleau saw Raka gather with Belleau converting before adding a penalty.

Scarlets immediately struck back by taking advantage of another French error when Williams picked off a telegraphed pass from Alex Newsome to run 30 metres with Costelow’s conversion leaving the home side 22-18 ahead at the interval.

By the tips of his fingers 😳@LeighHalfpenny1 gets the opener for @scarlets_rugby 👏#ChallengeCupRugby pic.twitter.com/IZZnDYSNMc

— EPCR Challenge Cup (@ChallengeCup_) April 7, 2023

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Within four minutes of the restart, Gareth Davies was sin-binned for a trip and Clermont were immediately back in front when Raka bounced off two defenders to score his second try.

Kieran Hardy came on in place of Davies as Scarlets returned to 15 but the third quarter was dominated by the French visitors, who penned their opponents in their own half.

The hosts suffered a major blow when number eight Sione Kalamafoni was helped off with a leg injury before Clermont scored their fourth try when Beria drove over from close range.

Scarlets looked beaten but Costelow kicked a penalty before Conbeer squeezed over in the corner for Costelow to deliver the final blow and set up a home semi-final against Glasgow Warriors or Lions.

Northampton Saints will look to boost their Premiership play-off prospects when they face struggling Newcastle Falcons on Friday.

In team news for the Falcons, Alex Tait is set to make one last appearance at Kingston Park Stadium as Newcastle play their final home game of the season.

Tait is named among the replacements, with the full-back poised to add to his 269 appearances before retiring at the end of the campaign.

Newcastle make three changes to the side which started at Harlequins last weekend – fit-again Argentina international Matias Orlando starting in the centres with Ben Stevenson ruled out by a head knock.

Logovi’i Mulipola packs down at loosehead prop, with Freddie Lockwood added to the back-row after scoring from the bench last time out. Philip van der Walt and Tom Penny are both on the bench after recovering from hand and ankle injuries respectively.

The Falcons were on the wrong end of a 32-31 thriller when they faced Northampton in league action earlier in the season, with another full-blooded encounter expected.

Two changes from Northampton

Meanwhile, Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson has made two changes to his side which will travel to the Falcons.

The men in Black, Green and Gold will be desperate for a second straight victory after last weekend’s win over Saracens, to keep themselves ahead of London Irish in the race for the Premiership play-offs.

Saints have won just once on the road in the league this term, but have lost only one of their last five fixtures against the Falcons in the Premiership, and beat Newcastle by a single point (32-31) earlier this term on home soil.

Tom Collins comes in to start on the wing for Northampton for the 12th time this season, replacing the injured James Ramm in the back three. George Furbank continues at full-back with Tommy Freeman – who has scored in four of his past five Premiership appearances – selected on the other wing.

Dowson opts for an unchanged midfield pairing for Northampton, with Fraser Dingwall (winner of the Club’s Supporters’ Player of the Season Award on Wednesday evening) and Rory Hutchinson named in the centres, while Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell keep their places in the half-back berths.

There’s just one change in the pack as Paul Hill starts at tighthead prop after coming off the bench last weekend, with hooker Sam Matavesi and loosehead Alex Waller rounding off the front-row.

To the North East ↗️

Here are your Saints to play Newcastle.

🎟️ https://t.co/Ah10HhrMLl pic.twitter.com/tFQ8EL6oA7

— Northampton Saints 😇 (@SaintsRugby) April 20, 2023

The engine room pairing of David Ribbans and Alex Moon continue for the third straight match, and Courtney Lawes and captain Lewis Ludlam join number eight Juarno Augustus in the back-row.

Northampton opt for a 6-2 split amongst the replacements, with the likes of Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Angus Scott-Young, and Sam Graham set to bring some ballast off the bench.

Form: Newcastle Falcons’ only victory in their last six Premiership Rugby matches was 17-12 at home to Gloucester on 24 March. The Falcons’ only defeat at Kingston Park in their last five Premiership matches was 19-34 to London Irish in Round 19. Northampton Saints’ last six encounters in the Premiership have all been won by the home side on the day. The Saints have won just once on the road in the league since Round 5, 19-18 at Leicester on 28 January. Northampton have lost only one of their last five fixtures against Newcastle in Premiership Rugby: 10-18 at Kingston Park in May 2021.

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The teams:

Newcastle: 15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Matias Orlando, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Michael Young (c), 8 Callum Chick, 7 Freddie Lockwood, 6 Pedro Rubiolo, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 4 Greg Peterson, 3 Mark Tampin, 2 Jamie Blamire, 1 Logovi’i Mulipola
Replacements: 16 Conrad Cade, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Conor Kenny, 19 Philip van der Walt, 20 Carl Fearns, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Tom Penny, 23 Alex Tait

Northampton: 15 George Furbank, 14 Tom Collins, 13 Fraser Dingwall, 12 Rory Hutchinson, 11 Tommy Freeman, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Lewis Ludlam (c), 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Alex Moon, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Sam Matavesi, 1 Alex Waller
Replacements: 16 Tom Cruse, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Alfie Petch, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Angus Scott-Young, 21 Sam Graham, 22 Tom James, 23 Tom Litchfield

Date: Friday, April 21
Venue: Kingston Park
Kick-off: 19:45 BST (18:45 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant referees: Luke Pearce, Adam Leal
TMO: Stuart Terheege

Troyes have confirmed the signing of Marseille midfielder Saif-Eddine Khaoui on a season long loan.

The French-born Tunisian, who is more of a left midfielder and winger, joined OM in July of 2016 from Tours for just under €1m, but didn’t make the greatest of impressions last season under Rudi Garcia.

The 22-year-old failed to register a single goal or assist in his nine appearances in Ligue 1 for Marseille, operating as a winger on both the left and the right. However, this loan move to Troyes will be the best chance for him get some game time and rediscover the form that saw him join Marseille in the first place.

For Tours, Khaoui scored four and assisted four goals in 45 appearances, adding to his potential as a top winger, but now back in Ligue 1 with Troyes, this could be a very good move for the player.

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T.S.

Arsenal attacker Alexis Sanchez and his agentFernando Felicevich spent yesterday afternoon with PSG Sporting Director Antero Henrique at theRoyal Monceau in the 8th arrondissement in Paris, according toLe Parisien andThe Guardian.

An agreement concerning personal terms can now be described as a matter of when, not if. As reported yesterday, the two principal areas of disagreement between PSG and Sanchez’s camp at the beginning of the week appear to have been resolved.

PSG wanted to sign the player to a long-term contract, Sanchez’s camp only wanted a 3-year deal with Les Parisiens. A 4-year-deal will likely be the compromise that is reached.

Sanchez’s salary demands, €16m net a year, are also very elevated in PSG’s view, but the capital club are still willing to make Alexis one of the club’s current top three earners. The two main sticking points at the beginning of the week have almost entirely been resolved – a contract agreement between PSG & Sanchez in principle appears agreed, the resolution of the final details appears to be imminent.

Les Parisiens’ first offer, either formal or verbal, to Arsenal for Alexis will almost certainly be made next week.Le Parisien report that PSG will open with a bid worth €40m.

The possible signing of Sanchez by PSG will also aid the club in their pursuit of Neymar. The two players have remained good friends since they crossed each other’s paths briefly at Barcelona.

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Rebels and Australia utility back Reece Hodge has sung the praises of up-and-coming fly-half Carter Gordon and believes the 22-year-old can do a job at Test level.

On Sunday, Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones named a 33-man squad for a three-day camp later this month on the Gold Coast.

In fine form

Gordon was one of several uncapped players included in that squad and his selection was a deserved one as he has been arguably the best Australian fly-half in action during the early part of this year’s Super Rugby Pacific campaign.

Hodge said he is delighted to see his Rebels team-mate being rewarded with his Wallabies call up after his fine start to the season.

“I’m really proud of Carter,” Hodge told reporters. “He’s been at the club for a couple years now and to see the strides that he’s made his own game, he’s one of the hardest workers.

“He’s a student of the game and has a really good understanding of the game of where to attack whilst putting his body on the line in defence.

“I think just the intent he has played with both sides of the ball has meant he’s deserved his spot in the squad.

“It’s up to him to continue those performances, keep the consistency up and give them no excuse come Rugby Championship and World Cup time.”

And Hodge is confident the young playmaker can replicate his club form at Test level if given the chance to do so.

“For sure, his performances this year have been awesome,” Hodge said when asked if Gordon can handle a Test call-up.

“He controls the game really well and his option-taking and overall game has been up there with the best playmakers in the competition.

Can make step up to Test level

“If he keeps up that standard of play, the guys around him at the Rebels have massive confidence in the way he’s playing at the moment and there’s no reason why he can’t step to the next level and do the same thing.

“I know he’ll be narrowing his focus to Super Rugby at the moment and will go from there once the next squad is picked.”

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Former England and Newcastle Falcons centre Luther Burrell says he has a “sense of closure” after an independent investigation found he was the victim of racial abuse.

Burrell, who is of Jamaican descent, told the Mail on Sunday last year that he was subjected to comments about slavery, bananas and fried chicken, adding that “racial banter” had become “normalised” among teammates.

The RFU has ruled out taking disciplinary action on those who racially abused Burrell.

‘A tough eight to 10 months’

93 staff members at Newcastle Falcons were interviewed, including players and coaches, after Burrell’s claims.

“Does it provide me with a sense of closure? I believe so, yes,” Burrell told BBC Sport following the conclusion of the investigation.

“It’s been a tough eight to 10 months. I was disappointed initially by the lack of support shown from some of my peers.

“It was as if my comments were being dismissed. It was almost like people needed proof, and now this has come out, people will understand that what I was saying has been deemed to be the truth. 

“And we can all hopefully move on and generate change. I’m proud of what I’ve done, and I’m proud of the support that I’ve had.

“To call anybody a slave is not funny, so it was abhorrent behaviour. It was something that affects my dignity as a player; it affects me as a human and as a father.”

Allegations made are true

Burrell spent two seasons at Newcastle Falcons between 2020 and 2022; shortly afterwards, he made the abuse he faced public.

The investigation concluded that “on the balance of probability, the allegations made in the article are true, but there is insufficient evidence to say whether all the allegations occurred at the club, apart from the WhatsApp message which contained a racist comment”.

In addition, Burrell was subject to a “further two specific incidents of racial abuse – one directed at the player and one witnessed by the player. Therefore, the player was subject to racial abuse verbally and in the WhatsApp group”.

At least two other employees of Newcastle gave evidence in support of Burrell’s allegations.

No disciplinary investigation

While it was recommended that the RFU should consider conducting a disciplinary investigation, it was also acknowledged that this might not help achieve the RFU’s aim of diversifying the game.

All testimonies provided were also all on a confidential basis.

“Individuals who came forward with evidence did so without giving the names of individuals involved, and Luther has been consistent throughout that his aim is not to seek punishment for individuals but rather to bring about change,” an RFU statement read.

“The club, which has co-operated throughout, has made and will continue to implement changes to its policies and procedures based on the recommendations.

“The RFU will also address the wider elements of the inclusion and diversity elite game action plan, all with an aim to drive an inclusive culture and ensure racism has no place in our clubs or our sport.

“Taking all these factors into account, the RFU believes the investigation has fulfilled its objectives and does not intend to pursue a further disciplinary investigation and instead will continue to work with the club to ensure that these processes remain embedded.”

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