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.