Saints earn late win in absorbing Champions Cup contest against Pau.
George Hendy's try four minutes from time sealed a dramatic win for Northampton Saints in an enthralling Champions Cup contest against Pau, Argentina number eight Facundo Isa put the French side ahead before the game burst into life after half-an-hour when James Ramm and Fraser Dingwall crossed for Saints either side of Gregoire Arfeuil's tremendous finish.
The hosts led by two points at half-time but Ramm's second gave Saints the lead after 43 minutes before the winger was sent off for dangerously pulling down Thomas Jolmes as the Pau lock caught the ball in the air. Arfeuil added his second before a reply from Alex Mitchell, making his 150th Saints appearance.
The game remained level until the 76th minute when Fin Smith shaped for a drop-goal before spinning a pass wide to Hendy to race into the corner and secure a hard-fought victory. Smith kicked a last-minute penalty to ensure last year's losing finalists took five points and left Pau - making their first Champions Cup appearance for 25 years - with nothing from a game to which they contributed hugely.
Saints started brightly and went close as a flowing move got captain George Furbank over the tryline but the England full-back lost the ball as he reached out to dot down. Pau took a little while to settle but began putting pressure on Saints - and after winning a line-out, they went through the phases and Isa powered over.
Saints' inventive attacking play was let down by several early handling errors but they clicked just after the half-hour mark. JJ van der Mescht made the hard yards for Mitchell to spin a pass wide to Ramm to cross the whitewash. Pau were unfazed and hit straight back with ex-Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson kicking in behind for wing Arfeuil who finished magnificently, collecting the bouncing ball and grounding with millimetres to spare.
The try-scoring flurry continued as Saints replied immediately through Dingwall but Pau took a narrow lead into half-time. Saints went ahead for the first time soon after the restart as Furbank found Ramm on the wing and he dived in acrobatically to finish a fine move one-handed.
But Ramm turned villain in the 47th minute with his pull on the airborne lock Jolmes, who landed awkwardly on his head. Ramm was given a red card, leaving his side 20 minutes to negotiate with 14 men. Pau took immediate advantage as the Robson-Arfeuil combination worked again.
The visitors sealed the win with four minutes remaining when Smith's quick-thinking created the space for Hendy to sprint away into the corner as Saints got their European campaign under way in style.
George Hendy's try four minutes from time sealed a dramatic win for Northampton Saints in an enthralling Champions Cup contest against Pau, Argentina number eight Facundo Isa put the French side ahead before the game burst into life after half-an-hour when James Ramm and Fraser Dingwall crossed for Saints either side of Gregoire Arfeuil's tremendous finish.
The hosts led by two points at half-time but Ramm's second gave Saints the lead after 43 minutes before the winger was sent off for dangerously pulling down Thomas Jolmes as the Pau lock caught the ball in the air. Arfeuil added his second before a reply from Alex Mitchell, making his 150th Saints appearance.
The game remained level until the 76th minute when Fin Smith shaped for a drop-goal before spinning a pass wide to Hendy to race into the corner and secure a hard-fought victory. Smith kicked a last-minute penalty to ensure last year's losing finalists took five points and left Pau - making their first Champions Cup appearance for 25 years - with nothing from a game to which they contributed hugely.
Saints started brightly and went close as a flowing move got captain George Furbank over the tryline but the England full-back lost the ball as he reached out to dot down. Pau took a little while to settle but began putting pressure on Saints - and after winning a line-out, they went through the phases and Isa powered over.
Saints' inventive attacking play was let down by several early handling errors but they clicked just after the half-hour mark. JJ van der Mescht made the hard yards for Mitchell to spin a pass wide to Ramm to cross the whitewash. Pau were unfazed and hit straight back with ex-Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson kicking in behind for wing Arfeuil who finished magnificently, collecting the bouncing ball and grounding with millimetres to spare.
The try-scoring flurry continued as Saints replied immediately through Dingwall but Pau took a narrow lead into half-time. Saints went ahead for the first time soon after the restart as Furbank found Ramm on the wing and he dived in acrobatically to finish a fine move one-handed.
But Ramm turned villain in the 47th minute with his pull on the airborne lock Jolmes, who landed awkwardly on his head. Ramm was given a red card, leaving his side 20 minutes to negotiate with 14 men. Pau took immediate advantage as the Robson-Arfeuil combination worked again.
The visitors sealed the win with four minutes remaining when Smith's quick-thinking created the space for Hendy to sprint away into the corner as Saints got their European campaign under way in style.
I'm so hyped for my old school rugby team Northampton Saints! They played Pau all right, but that last try by George Hendy was just insane 
! Four minutes from time and he just runs like the wind to score it. What a way to start the Champions Cup campaign 
! I remember watching Saints play in person back in '05 and we were always so up for it, cheering on our team with all the passion 
. They really deserved that win after being 2 points down at half-time 
. And what's up with Pau? They've been around for 25 years and this is their first time making it to the Champions Cup 
! Saints are back in business now, let's see how they do against other teams 
.
But, ugh, that red card for Ramm? What was he thinking?! 
Facundo Isa did put the French side ahead, but Saints' squad just refused to give up.
And, of course, George Hendy's try four minutes from time was the perfect seal for Saint's win. They really deserved it after fighting back like that.
like how Pau finally gets a Champions Cup win after 25 years, but their fans must've had a heart attack with Ramm's red card 
. love the underdog story of Fin Smith kicking that last-minute penalty 
! anyway, saints getting that win over pau is huge for their european campaign 
. i mean, george hendy's try 4 minutes from time was the icing on the cake 
! and pau should be super proud of themselves for making their first champions cup appearance in 25 YEARS 
, but saints showed incredible heart to come back and win 
️
who would've thought that ramm's red card would be the turning point? 
anyway, that was an insane game with so many twists and turns... i'm glad we got to see saint's come out on top though 
they really deserved it after all the hard work they put in. and wow, george hendy is a beast! how did he manage to spin around those defenders like that? 
! Fin Smith's last-minute penalty was just the icing on the cake 
. And can we talk about James Ramm for a second... his try was AMAZING, but come on, dude, you gotta keep your cool 
. Pau put up an awesome fight though, they definitely deserve some credit 
!