Juarno Augustus powers Northampton to win over Castres with brace of tries

There was never much doubt over the outcome, whatever the chaos in the air, whatever the vagaries of the home team’s form. English champions at home to a side renowned, even by the standards of the French, for their travel sickness is a fixture that should not require a shaman to divine.

So it turned out. Northampton emerge from the floodlit, swirling rainstorm with the full complement of points, six tries and the successful reintegration of Alex Mitchell into their starting lineup. It would be misleading to describe this as a return to their champion form of last season, just as it would be unfair to describe Castres as waving them through obligingly, but this was virtually the definition of a job done with the minimum of fuss.

Mitchell grew into the match after a couple of early errors, which might have been rust or possibly the horizontal rain in his face, and there were authoritative performances from those in his vicinity at the heart of the team. Juarno Augustus, off to Ulster at the end of this season, was a huge presence in the back row alongside young Henry Pollock, similarly rambunctious and not going anywhere any time soon if Northampton have anything to do with it. Meanwhile, Fin Smith played with assurance in the challenging conditions.

Not that anyone will be getting carried away. Castres have not won on the road this season, even though they are unbeaten at home. The number of changes they made did not bode well. Injuries were cited as the reason, which may or may not be fair enough. Such is Castres’ history for focusing on their domestic campaign that no one was expecting much in the way of existential desperation.

They did not quite roll over, but Saints notched up two tries in the first 10 minutes, despite a gale against them. Fraser Dingwall picked a simple line for the first, after Smith’s cross-kick had Castres in all sorts of trouble. That was in the fourth minute. Castres did respond after Mitchell spilled the restart, Louis Le Brun kicking a penalty.

Smith caught Castres unaware with a quick restart after that, before Temo Mayanavanua chose a more outrageous line to saunter through the Castres fringe defence. And so the scoring concluded for the half. Pollock thought he had scored two minutes later again, sliding and gathering over the line, but he just lost control as he went over. Meanwhile, Josaia Raisuqe missed a simpler opportunity for Castres he had himself created, when he crossed the line but failed to take the ball with him.

Northampton had the elements in their favour for the second half. Two further tries accrued, again in the first 10 minutes. Smith’s chip and follow-up had Castres offending, before Augustus called for the ball out wide. Tommy Freeman tapped the penalty and found the No 8 for the first of his brace. Five minutes later, Pollock and Augustus scattered various bodies, and Mitchell managed to put Curtis Langdon over via Lois Guérois-Galisson’s flailing hand.

Bonus point and match sewn up. Nobody could blame the ever-emptying crowd after that, such was the storm whipped into their faces.

Augustus was held up just after the hour, but he scored anyway from the next play to clinch the match award. Pierre Colonna, the replacement hooker, charged through in uncomplicated style for the visitors’ sole try, before Pollock, who might have earned the match award himself, gallivanted through half the Castres midfield for a try of his own.

Job done. Next up, the very different proposition, in more ways than one, of the Bulls in Pretoria.