Saracens' Parker Pen Challenge Cup quarter-final tie is delicately poised
after Montferrand posted a solid victory in the first leg on home soil.
The French club deserved the victory but may come to rue several missed shots
at goal as they travel to Vicarage Road next weekend with only a 16-point buffer
under their belt.
After a tense series of early exchanges, Saracens fly-half Thomas Castaignede
opened the scoring with a penalty in the 17th minute. He missed a long-range
attempt moments later and the French heavyweights muscled their way back into
the match.
Centre Raphael Chanal evaded the Saracens defence to score under the posts and
Gerald Merceron's conversion and a penalty gave the home side a 10-3 lead after
half an hour.
Merceron and Castaignede traded penalty attempts but went both wide and
Montferrand took a deserved seven-point lead into the changing rooms at
half-time.
Merceron extended the lead with his second penalty early in the second spell,
but some good work from outside backs Darragh O'Mahony and Paul Bailey put big
Fijian lock Simon Raiwalui over for Saracens' first try in the corner.
Castaignede added a tricky conversion to keep the visitors in touch.
Saracens lost prop Steven Sparks to the sin-bin in the 55th minute, and paid
the price immediately when little Montferrand scrum-half Pierre Mignoni darted
over for a try from a close-range lineout.
Replacement goalkicker Jerome Gendre slotted a penalty on the hour and added a
second on the stroke of full-time to extend his side's advantage to a healthy 16
points.