The 2025 Investec Champions Cup has a lone rematch in the quarterfinals, as the Northampton Saints host Castres Olympique four months after the French side last took to Franklin’s Gardens.

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Wiping the floor with their guests that day with a comprehensive 38-8 win, the Saints set their stall out for what proved to be a pool-topping run.

Shocking the rest of the competition, Castres recovered in remarkable fashion to finish second in the group, courtesy of three wins, but losing to the Saints, courtesy of bonus points.

This run saw Castres secure a home quarterfinal for the first time since the 2001-2002 season, during which, the squad made it to the semifinals.

Given the hot run of form the French side is on currently, the Saints can expect a significantly stiffer challenge this time around.

Team News

Saints head coach, Phil Dowson, has named an unchanged starting XV for the quarterfinal match.

Fresh off a dominant 46-24 over Clermont in the Round of 16, the Saints will look to repeat their pool-stage success against Castres, which they defeated 38-8 in December. However, Dowson has warned of a tougher test this time around.

Fraser Dingwall continues to captain Northampton from inside center, with Burger Odendaal again partnering him in midfield. Hat-trick hero Tommy Freeman remains on the wing alongside George Hendy, while James Ramm starts at fullback.

England internationals Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith lead the halfback pairing, with the same forward pack that powered last weekend’s win set to go again.

Club captain George Furbank returns from injury on a strong Saints bench.

Castres has made eight changes to the lineup that defeated Benetton in the quarterfinal, starting in the back line, where Geoffrey Palis starts on the right wing in place of Christian Mabadiang. In the centers, there is a new combination with Jack Goodhue and Vilmoni Botitu replacing Andrea Cocagi and Adrien Seguret.

At scrumhalf, quarterfinal hero Jeremy Fernandez starts, having scored the match-winning try in the 78th minute last time out.

In the pack, Gauthier Maravat and Leone Nakarawa replace Paul Jedrasiak and Florent Vanverberghe as the starting locks, while Baptiste Delaporte starts at openside.

Key Matchup

Played in a near hurricane during December, the previous meeting between these two sides was characterized by the Saints domination up front.

Scoring five of their six tries through the forwards, the Saints laid down a physical marker they backed up later in the competition against the Vodacom Bulls, Munster and ASM Clermont.

On that occasion, Castres opted to send a weakened side to Franklin’s Gardens with a first-choice front row of Quentin Walcker, Gaetan Barlot and Will Collier all absent.

Returning for this clash, the trio will prove to be a far tougher proposition for the Saints front row, in particular, young loosehead Emmanuel Iyogun.

The 24-year-old’s clash with 33-year-old former England international Will Collier will be pivotal in deciding the quality of ball that the Saints' lethal backrow and backline play off.

Should Collier manage to get on top early, this fixture could take on a vastly different complexion to what many believe will happen.

Conceding six penalties thus far to Collier's one, the immensely talented loosehead has the opportunity to lay down a marker if he can keep his discipline dialed in.

Prediction

Widely tipped as strong favorites, the Saints are in pole position to secure back-to-back semifinal appearances against Leinster in Dublin.

This young squad will need to be cautious about underestimating a battle-hardened Top 14 side that is firmly interested in progressing as far as possible in this competition.

There are two distinct scripts to this contest. 

Firstly, the Saints will want to avoid an arm wrestle, which the longer it progresses, the more it suits their visitors. Starting fast is non-negotiable, and the Saints will look to move their larger opponents around the park and find mismatches with their intricate attacking game.

Castres, on the other hand, will likely look to slow the tempo and make this a set-piece-dominated encounter. The team's route to victory is getting its key players involved in tight, before releasing the direct and powerful back line. The more scrums and mauls that take place, the better for the French side.

Picking this fixture is significantly more challenging than initially suspected. At home, and with their Premiership title all but relinquished, their season ultimately rests on this clash. We are backing the Saints with the thought that they eventually will run away with this in dry and fast conditions. Saints by 10.

Northamptain Saints

15 James Ramm, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Burger Odendaal, 12 Fraser Dingwall (c), 11 George Hendy, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Henry Pollock, 6 Josh Kemeny, 5 Alex Coles, 4 Temo Mayanavanua, 3 Trevor Davison, 2 Curtis Langdon, 1 Emmanuel Iyogun

Replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Tom West, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Tom Lockett, 20 Tom Pearson, 21 Tom James, 22 Rory Hutchinson, 23 George Furbank

Castres Olympique

15 Theo Chabouni, 14 Geoffrey Palis, 13 Vilimoni Botitu, 12 Jack Goodhue, 11 Rémy Baget, 10 Louis le Brun, 9 Jeremy Fernandez, 8 Abraham Papalii, 7 Baptiste Delaporte, 6 Mathieu Babillot (c),  5 Leone Nakarawa, 4 Gauthier Maravat, 3 Will Collier, 2 Gaetan Barlot, 1 Quentin Walcker

Replacements: 16 Loris Zarantonello, 17 Lois Guerois-Galisson, 18 Aurelien Azar, 19 Simon Meka, 20 Romain Macurdy, 21 Baptiste Cope, 22 Santiago Arata Perrone, 23 Julien Dumora.

Investec Champions Cup Quarterfinals Fixtures

Friday, April 11

• 3 p.m. ET - Leinster Rugby vs. Glasgow Warriors - Aviva Stadium

Saturday, April 12

• 10 a.m. ET - Union Bordeaux-Begles vs. Munster Rugby - Stade Chaban-Delmas
• 12:30 p.m. ET - Northampton Saints vs. Castres Olympique - cinch Stadium @ Franklin's Gardens

Sunday, April 13

• 10 a.m. ET - Toulon vs. Toulouse - Stade Felix Mayol

When Is The Investec Champions Cup Final?

The 2025 Investec Champions Cup final will take place Saturday, May 24 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. 

Investec Champions Cup Format 

Key points of the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup:

• A multi-pool format, as launched in the 2023-2024 season
• 24 elite clubs - eight each from the Gallagher Premiership, URC and TOP 14 - in four pools of six
• Sporting jeopardy, with each club playing against four different opponents, home or away, in the pool stage
• Four highest-ranked clubs in each pool qualify for the Round of 16
• The Investec Champions Cup will be played over eight weekends, with four pool rounds and four knockout rounds culminating in the 2025 final, which will be staged at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday, May 24.

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