Champions Cup: Northampton Saints snatch thrilling late victory over 13-man Toulon, Glasgow Warriors edge Bayonne

A late Tom Lockett try earned Northampton Saints a thrilling 22-19 victory over Toulon in a pulsating Investec Champions Cup clash at Franklin’s Gardens.

The visitors looked on-course to complete a brilliant comeback victory until Matteo Le Corvec and Jeremy Sinzelle saw yellow to set up a dramatic finale, and Saints made their numerical advantage count.

Phase after phase eventually told as Lockett scored in the corner before Fin Smith added the finishing touches with a sublime conversion.

"We're delighted," Phil Dowson, Saints director of rugby, told TNT Sports. "After last week we knew what a big challenge it was going to be and to squeak through at the end there was a relief."

An Enzo Herve penalty from distance put Toulon ahead in the fifth minute, but Saints hit back immediately and went on to dominate the first 40 minutes.

It started with a lineout drive before the backs showed what they’re capable of. Lightning ball through the hands beat Toulon’s rush defence and allowed winger Tom Seabrook to touch down for the simplest of scores.

The hosts then extended their advantage in the 29th minute when Smith delayed his pass to perfection to set George Furbank crashing over the line.

Furbank broke clear three minutes later but Melvyn Jaminet recovered in time to save a certain try and keep the visitors within a score at 10-3 at half-time.

Jaminet made his impact felt at both ends of the pitch and finished off a move he started in the 55th minute before Tommy Freeman gathered his own chip to tee up Furbank for his second of the night and a 15-8 Northampton lead.

With the visitors on top, David Ribbans powered over the line to give them a lead and Jaminet landed a monster drop goal to put them within sight of victory.

But a double yellow card – first for Le Corvec for a high tackle and second for Sinzelle for a deliberate knock-on – allowed Northampton to deny Toulon at the death for the second week running when Lockett dived over the line from close range.

The result boosted Northampton’s lead at the top of Pool 3 and left Toulon still without a win and rooted to the bottom of the table.

In the other Pool 3 fixture of the evening between Bayonne and Glasgow Warriors, it was the Scottish side who came from behind to win 12-11.

Both teams came into the contest searching for their first victory and rung the changes. Bayonne drew with Munster on matchday one, while Glasgow were well beaten by Northampton.

Glasgow’s Ollie Smith thought he had opened the scoring in the third minute when he gathered a Ross Thompson cross-field kick to touch down but the TMO replay showed the full-back’s boot was a millimetre in touch.

Ten minutes later, it was the hosts’ turn to have a try chalked off when the referee adjudged that Rodrigo Bruni had illegally moved twice to burrow over the line.

A frantic end to the first half then saw Camille Lopez land a penalty to give Bayonne the lead before Facundo Bosch touched down to make it 8-0.

But Glasgow responded emphatically to get within a point. Warriors passed the ball out wide where Ally Miller was waiting, and the number eight turned on the afterburners to charge past Bayonne winger Nadir Megdoud and score from nothing.

A Josh McKay try was the visitors’ just rewards for a period of dominance and put Glasgow 12-11 ahead after a Lopez penalty, and Franco Smith's men hung on for the win to leapfrog their opponents into third in the table.

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