Saints thrash Castres to set up Leinster rematch

George Furbank scored Northampton's fourth try on his return from injury

Investec Champions Cup quarter-final

Northampton Saints: (20) 51

Tries: Freeman, Langdon, Coles, Furbank, Pollock 2, Pearson Con: Smith 5 Pen: Smith 2

Castres: (13) 16

Try: Fernandez Con: Fernandez Pen: Fernandez 3

George Furbank marked his return from injury with two assists and a try as Northampton Saints powered past Castres to set up a semi-final rematch with Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup.

Club captain Furbank was named among the replacements for the first time since fracturing his arm in December and entered the fray sooner than anticipated after George Hendy dislocated his shoulder in the fourth minute.

The England full-back made an immediate impact with a clever offload for Tommy Freeman's opening try before delivering a deft grubber kick for Curtis Langdon to nudge further forward for their second.

Alex Coles dived over for Saints' third try to conclude a dominant first half before Furbank powered over from close range after the interval.

After missing England's entire Six Nations campaign the 28-year-old could have been targeting a late charge for British and Irish Lions consideration, but worryingly for the player and Saints' European ambitions, his return lasted less than an hour as he looked in discomfort before being replaced by Rory Hutchinson.

It would not dampen the partisan atmosphere inside Franklin's Gardens, though, as young starlet Henry Pollock continued his meteoric rise with a quickfire double to quell any suggestion of a Castres fightback, before Tom Pearson added the gloss late on.

The visitors showed glimpses but lacked the cutting edge of their hosts and were limited to a 16-point haul by scrum-half Jeremy Fernandez.

Saints will be looking to avenge their defeat by four-time winners Leinster in last year's semi-final when they meet the Irish side in Dublin next month.

Saints march on but familiar foe awaits

Northampton were guilty of starting slowly before cruising past Clermont Auvergne in the last 16 but there was no sign of any early ring rust as Castres rolled into town for the second time this season.

Furbank's name was met by the loudest cheer as the teams were read out by the stadium announcer and it did not take long for the Saints faithful to see their hero return in green and black.

A flowing team move saw Freeman make the break out wide before feeding Furbank on the inside. The full-back was hauled down just short of the line but managed to throw the timely offload for Freeman to score his fourth try in two games.

If that was the hands, next came the boot as Furbank produced a kick through with the outside of the foot, which Northampton Town football fans up the road at Sixfields would have admired, and Langdon did the rest.

Castres, who lost 38-8 in their Pool 3 opener at the Gardens, had barely landed a shot before scoring their opening try with their first sustained period of possession as Fernandez sniped over from close range, but Saints immediately hit back through Coles with a line-out move straight off the training paddock.

Despite their dominance, a couple of Fernandez penalties either side of the break reduced the deficit to four points, but Furbank's burst after a clever running line close to the posts stretched the Premiership side's lead.

Man-of-the-moment Pollock typified Saints' energy as he initially wrestled the ball off Abraham Papalii – who was trudging backwards in concession of a penalty - before later bursting onto a flat Alex Mitchell pass to round the final defender with a goose step and point to the fans after grounding the ball.

He doubled his tally moments later with another commanding finish but greater tests lie in wait for Pollock and his team-mates as Leinster stand in their way of a first final appearance since 2011, when they were also beaten by the Irish province.

'He has ice on it and we'll talk to the physio' - what they said

Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson said: "We have pre-season for a reason, to build into games, and George [Furbank] has just been dropped straight in and it's tough to do.

"In an ideal world, it wouldn't be after three and a half minutes, it's a shame for George Hendy but Furbs showed the class he has with two assists and a try.

"He has had one full training week and when the temperature is turned up in a quarter-final like that against some big fellas, it's going to take a bang at some point. Hopefully he will be all right. He has some ice on it and we will talk to the physio and see how he is."

Line-ups

Northampton: Ramm; Freeman, Odendaal, Dingwall (capt), Hendy; Smith, Mitchell; Iyogun, Langdon, Davison, Mayanavanua, Coles, Kemeny, Pollock, Augustus.

Replacements: Walker, West, Millar Mills, Lockett, Pearson, James, Hutchinson, Furbank.

Castres: Chabouni; Palis, Botitu, Goodhue, Baget; Le Brun, Fernandez; Walcker, Barlot, Collier, Maravat, Nakarawa, Babillot (capt), Delaporte, Papalii.

Replacements: Zarantonello, Guerois-Galisson, Azar, Meka, Macurdy, Cope, Perrone, Dumora.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)