Ashton stars as Saracens seal European semi-final

Chris Ashton scored a try against his former club as Saracens came from behind to beat English rivals Northampton 29-20 in a European Champions Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
Premiership leaders Saracens, looking to be crowned champions of Europe for the first time after losing the 2014 final to Toulon, were unusually subdued for much of the match at their Allianz Park ground in north London.

But Ashton in his second game back from suspension, helped take them into a decisive lead with a 68th-minute try in a match where England fly-half Owen Farrell kicked 19 points for Saracens.

"We were off the pace and at this level it makes such a big difference," said Ashton.

"We always knew we had it in us to come back.

Northampton, whose 20-15 win over Saracens in March was just the Premiership leaders' second home defeat of the season, were missing five injured players with more than 200 Test caps between them, including England Grand Slam-winning captain Dylan Hartley.

The hooker was still recovering from concussion, while Kieran Brookes, Lee Dickson, Tom Wood and Wales wing George North were also sidelined.

Saracens, by contrast, had six members of England's victorious Six Nations squad -- Alex Goode, Farrell, Billy Vunipola, George Kruis, Maro Itoje and Mako Vunipola -- in their starting line-up.

"For 60 minutes we did pretty well," said Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder.

"Maybe if we had our international players today it would have been different."

Saracens were a man down early on after Farrell opened the scoring with a 40-metre penalty when flanker Will Fraser was yellow-carded for a late tackle on Northampton full-back Ben Foden.

Either side of the sin-binning, Northampton fly-half Stephen Myler missed his first two penalty attempts.

Northampton wing Jamie Elliott then blew a chance of a try when he lost possession in the act of touching down.

Saints, who were to pay dearly for squandering those 11 points, made their advantage count when impressive No 8 Teimana Harrison surged down the right and sent in wing Ken Pisi in the 16th minute for a converted try.

Farrell and opposing stand-off Myler exchanged penalties with Saints leading 10-6 at half-time.

Saracens upped the tempo after the break, with No 8 Vunipola and lock Itoje prominent.

Their pressure eventually told when Ashton went in at the corner.

Farrell converted and his subsequent penalty put the match beyond Northampton, European champions in 2000, at 22-13.

United States wing Chris Wyles extended Saracens' lead with another try and Courtney Lawes's converted score came too late for Northampton.

- Gopperth's last-ditch winner -

Saracens will now play Wasps in an April 23 semi-final at Reading's Madejski Stadium after Jimmy Gopperth's last-ditch conversion completed a stunning comeback as they beat Exeter 25-24 in the first of Saturday's two all-English quarter-finals.

Two-time European champions Wasps were 24-11 behind early in the second half but staged a dramatic rally, with Kiwi full-back Charles Piatau scoring two tries.

The second of those left Gopperth with a touchline conversion to win the match with the last kick of the game and Piatau's fellow Kiwi made no mistake with the difficult kick.

"As a goalkicker they are the moments you practice night and day," the 32-year-old Gopperth told BBC Radio Five Live.

"The win was a great team effort from that position and we showed a lot of character."

Gopperth kicked Wasps into a 6-0 lead in Coventry but Exeter turned round 14-6 in front after two converted tries from former England No 8 Thomas Waldrom.

Wasps responded when Piatau raced on to Dan Robson's grubber kick for a well-taken try.

Exeter prop Harry Williams was driven over for their third try in the 48th minute.

Gareth Steenson's penalty though nudged Exeter further ahead.

But the final 15 minutes belonged to Wasps, with Frank Halai's converted try starting their surge.

Sunday could yield a third English semi-finalist when Leicester face Stade Francais.

But whatever happens at Welford Road, France will be guaranteed at least one representative in the last four when defending champions Toulon, bidding for an unprecedented fourth straight European crown, face Racing 92 on Sunday in a match that will pit New Zealand World Cup-winners Ma'a Nonu and Dan Carter against one another.
Source: AFP