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Ospreys 17 Northampton 29 match report: George North scores 70 yard try in Heineken Cup

George North marked his return to Wales in Northampton colours by scoring a brilliant breakaway try, but Saints' Heineken Cup quarter-final hopes were still dealt a major blow.

The juggernaut Wales international wing pounced two minutes after half-time, sprinting 70 metres to score when Saints snaffled turnover ball, and there was no way back for an Ospreys side outgunned up front.

Stephen Myler celebrated his call-up to England's RBS 6 Nations squad by kicking four penalties, while centre George Pisi and substitute Glenn Dickson claimed late touchdowns in the 29-17 success, but Pool One rivals Leinster's victory over Castres in France means they are set to top the group.

Northampton are still clinging to last-eight hopes, but realisticallly they will require a bonus-point triumph at home against Castres next Friday night and then have to rely on other results.

Saints' Liberty Stadium triumph - the eliminated Ospreys replied with Rhys Webb and Alun-Wyn Jones tries, plus a Dan Biggar penalty and two conversions - owed everything to their set-piece dominance.

But a crushing home loss to Leinster last month is set to prove the pivotal result in terms of Northampton's quarter-final ambitions.

Saints go into the final round of group fixtures four points behind Leinster, and with the Irish heavyweights having home advantage against the Ospreys it would be a major surprise if Brian O'Driscoll and company let things slip now.

The Ospreys made a late change, with their Wales international centre Ashley Beck sidelined by a calf muscle injury. Jonathan Spratt replaced him, and Ben John moved on to the bench.

Saints drew first blood through a second-minute Myler penalty, and he soon doubled that advantage as Ospreys struggled to impose themselves on a contest they needed to win or face guaranteed elimination one week inside the distance.

Biggar then booted a 16th-minute penalty that got the home side up and running, and there was plenty of needle up front as Saints skipper Dylan Hartley was warned for foul play before rivals props Aaron Jarvis and Alex Waller tangled after a scrum broke up.

The Ospreys enjoyed plenty of possession, but they found the Saints defence in brick-wall mode, and when Northampton's forwards surged upfield they gained another penalty that Myler duly landed.

It was effective, rather than spectacular, rugby by the visitors, yet it had the desired effect, with French referee Pascal Gauzere finally running out of patience and sin-binning Ospreys prop Ryan Bevington for a technical infringement.

Ospreys flanker Justin Tipuric infringed almost immediately through a late challenge on Saints full-back Tom Collins, and Myler maintained his 100 per cent record with a long-range strike that put Northampton 12-3 ahead.

The Ospreys needed some inspiration to get themselves back in the contest, and it almost arrived on the stroke of half-time when Tipuric sent wing Jeff Hassler over, but the try was disallowed after Gauzere consulted with television match official Gilles Cogne.

And it meant that Northampton were halfway to mission accomplished in west Wales, trooping off nine points clear, which accurately reflected their set-piece dominance.

Northampton turned the screw within two minutes of the restart, stealing Ospreys possession just outside their own 22 before Saints' former Ospreys scrum-half Kahn Fotuali'i found North and he finished in deadly fashion.

North was at it again just five minutes later, smashing a hole in Ospreys' midfield defence, but the home team managed to thwart any further danger.

The Ospreys finally breached Saints' defence through a close-range Webb try, converted by Biggar, yet Northampton remained in charge despite seeing lock Christian Day sin-binned for pulling down a maul.

Pisi's try - Ospreys wing Aisea Natoga was yellow-carded for high tackle during trhe build-up - put Northampton further ahead, and even though Jones gained a consolation score, Saints were not finished.

They stormed back upfield, and with the Ospreys defence at sixes and sevens, Dickson touched down for a try that he also converted, completing a flurry of late scoring.

PA

Castres 22 Leinster 29 match report: Leinster overcome formidable home record to record Heineken Cup victory

Leinster reasserted their control of Heineken Cup Pool One by ending Castres' proud 18-match home record at Stade Pierre-Antoine.

Castres' most recent home defeat was against Ulster last January and they fell to another Irish province here despite establishing a 14-0 lead and dominating the scrum.

The under-strength Castres team ended the first quarter in full control as full-back Brice Dulin touched down to add to Scotland and Lions lock Richie Gray's opening try.

Jimmy Gopperth scored two tries in response, the second coming in first-half injury time, as Leinster closed the gap to 17-12 at the interval.

It was a real war of attrition in the concluding 40 minutes and Matt O'Connor's men gained vital momentum on the hour mark, courtesy of three Gopperth penalties and a drop goal from Rob Kearney on his 50th Heineken Cup appearance.

Flanker Jordi Murphy then claimed his first European try to put the result beyond doubt, while Castres capitalised on Sean Cronin's sin-binning to score an injury-time consolation try through Remi Lamerat.

Having lost at home to Northampton in the previous round, Leinster needed to bounce back in order to keep hold of top spot and remain on course for the quarter-finals.

Castres were missing some notable names through injury - top-scoring scrum-half Rory Kockott and back-rowers Pedrie Wannenburg and Antonie Claassen chief among them - but their shadow side got off to a very strong start.

Flanker Ibrahim Diarra got his hands free to send centre Lamerat weaving through some lacklustre Leinster challenges. He was brought down in sight of the posts, before Seremaia Bai's long pass put the waiting Gray over in the left corner.

Television match official Derek Bevan confirmed the score which Cedric Garcia crisply converted.

The excellent Diarra then forced another turnover near halfway from which the French side sprung winger Remi Grosso into space on the left and with Rob Kearney drawn in, he passed inside for Dulin to finish off their second try.

Garcia's conversion left Leinster 14-0 adrift and with considerable ground to make up. Their forwards took up the baton, with Jordi Murphy held up short from a line-out maul.

From the resulting scrum, the Castres defence was caught off guard as Eoin Reddan passed for his half-back partner Gopperth to score by the posts, with the New Zealander also converting.

Goal-kicking scrum-half Garcia was on target in the 39th minute but the visitors - aided by a fine Fitzgerald run - got a timely boost when Gopperth shrugged off two tackles and stretched over under pressure from Gray to claim his second try.

Leinster won a central penalty for some needless stamping by Garcia when play resumed and the successful kick from Gopperth made it a two-point game.

Reddan soon sniped through on a break which led to a long-range drop goal from full-back Kearney, moving Leinster ahead for the first time, and Castres coughed up another penalty which Gopperth nudged home.

Leinster were suddenly 24-17 ahead when a 63rd-minute carry from replacement prop Cian Healy - a late inclusion on the bench after an incredibly quick recovery from ankle surgery - set up Gopperth's third penalty goal.

The Castres pack battered away in the Leinster 22 but the visitors, following a spell of desperate defending, countered for a brilliant third try.

Healy cut inside two tackles near the Castres 22 and passed for Murphy to dive over in the right corner in the 77th minute.

PA