Coach Mallinder confident Saints will see off Racing Metro

PLOTTING A BIG VICTORY - Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder

The clubs are currently locked on 19 points in Champions Cup Pool 5, with Racing occupying top spot courtesy of their win against Saints in the meeting in Paris back in October.

Mallinder’s men are desperate to claim revenge for that 20-11 defeat, in which they were robbed of a losing bonus point late on.

And with theirs and Racing’s points tally better than any of the other sides in the competition, a home quarter-final is definitely up for grabs.

“It’s going to be a great game,” said Mallinder.

“We went there and came close, but came away with nothing.

“We were disappointed to come away with no points, we thought we could be up against it, but we’ve recovered and given ourselves a chance - and that’s all you can do.

“It’s a home game against a French side, one of the best teams in Europe, but we know we can beat them.

“If we do, we’ve got that massive bonus of a home quarter-final and that’s a massive incentive.”