Pool A: Northampton 14-45 Racing 92Scot orchestrates French side’s Champions Cup victoryA penny for Warren Gatland’s thoughts. Afforded the freedom of Franklin’s Gardens, Finn Russell delved into his box of magic tricks and produced a masterful performance to steer Racing 92 to an emphatic victory over Northampton. It may not be an entirely fair comparison given Dan Biggar was feeding off scraps but when Russell is in this mood you cannot but wonder what might have been had he worn the
British &
Irish Lions’ No 10 jersey against
South Africa last summer.
He produced the telling pass for four of Racing’s five tries and carved Northampton open with his cunning and craft. It helps to be the lynchpin of a side that boasts so much star power – the outstanding flanker Wenceslas Lauret finished with a hat-trick and on this evidence Racing 92, the three-times Champions Cup runners-up, are going to take some stopping this season. One walloping does not make a winter but the English challenge in Europe is off to an inauspicious start. To compound matters for Northampton, Biggar limped off in considerable pain early in the second half and is a doubt for next Friday’s match at Ulster.