Northampton Saints 38 Castres 8: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

Intensity, energy, awareness, defensive desire and attacking ability - all of the qualities Saints showed last season were evident against Castres on Saturday afternoon.

Rather than get off to a sluggish start as they have on a few occasions this season, the black, green and gold were in the fight from minute one at the Gardens.

There was no repeat of what happened seven days earlier when they allowed Gloucester to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.

This time it was Saints dictating proceedings, despite playing into a swirling wind during a difficult first half.

They struck two blows early on, thanks to tries from Fraser Dingwall and Temo Mayanavanua, as it appeared their French opponents were prepared to offer little defensive resistance.

A third try would have followed soon after had it not been for a controversial call to rule Henry Pollock’s effort out.

And Saints gave Castres just three points during a first 40 minutes in which the Top 14 team really struggled to make the most of having the wind at their backs.

Saints made no such mistake after the break, coming out firing again and taking advantage of the fact their opponents really struggled to spring into life against quick tap penalties.

Tommy Freeman fired a fantastic pass out to Juarno Augustus for the first of the No.8’s two second-half scores, while the likes of Pollock and James Ramm continued to produce whirlwind performances in the driving rain.

Saints were on the front foot for the majority of the match, rebuilding their Gardens fortress brick by brick, minute by minute.

And in the end, it proved to be the perfect tonic for that hugely disappointing defeat to Gloucester.

Saints were superb in Europe last season and they have made a statement that they intend to be again.

They know tougher challenges will lie in wait, starting with a trip to South Africa this week as they face a Vodacom Bulls side who will be much stronger than when they travelled to the Gardens for the quarter-final last season.

Munster and Stade Francais are also on the black, green and gold fixture list as Saints tackle them in January.

But you have to start somewhere, and this really was the perfect beginning for Saints.

How they would love the momentum to continue this week as they experience Pretoria for the first time ahead of a return to Premiership action against Saracens three days before Christmas.

It is a tricky schedule but Saints showed on Saturday that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

And they must continue with that mantra as they look to scale the mountain at home while keeping on top of things abroad.

How they rated…

JAMES RAMM - CHRON STAR MAN - a tough day to be a full-back but this man made it look easy. He was key in gaining ground from deep, made a try-saving tackle and put pressure on Castres at every opportunity… 9

TOMMY FREEMAN - a typical touch of class from the winger to set up a try for Juarno Augustus and he was a lively presence, showing the benefit of his week off… 8

TOM LITCHFIELD - got his hands on the ball on so many occasions, making metres every time he did as he displayed his immense physicality… 9

FRASER DINGWALL - skippered Saints on the day and started the party with a try that showed his determination to drive his team forward… 8

OLLIE SLEIGHTHOLME - did what he had to well and was unfortunate to be forced off during the second half as he had to have a head injury assessment… 7

FIN SMITH - controlled the game nicely for Saints and really fronted up on a few occasions in defence as Castres tried to take him on but failed… 8.5

ALEX MITCHELL - shone on his return against Gloucester and was a key presence again here as he kept Saints playing in the right areas of the field… 8

MANNY IYOGUN - topped Saints’ tackle count with a massive 20 and played a key role in making a try-saving tackle over his own line… 8.5

CURTIS LANGDON - so often Saints’ tone-setter, he was at it again here. Seemed to be everywhere during the first half as he produced a typically all-action performance… 8.5

ELLIOT MILLAR MILLS - made 17 tackles on the day and really used his power to gain Saints ground in attack… 8.5

TEMO MAYANAVANUA - ran a lovely line to score for Saints and really made his presence felt in this match… 8.5

TOM LOCKETT - thundered around the pitch looking hungry for work as he savoured his third appearance of the season following a pectoral injury… 8

ANGUS SCOTT-YOUNG - a man who always seems to thrive in the worst weather as he just loves hard work, getting stuck in time and again for his team… 7.5

HENRY POLLOCK - another incredible all-round performance from the young man who pinballed his way to the try line in the second period… 9

JUARNO AUGUSTUS - the No.8 notched two tries and used his physicality really well as he helped Saints to push Castres back on numerous occasions… 9

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

ALEX COLES (for Scott Young 50) - made some big hits as he showed his desire to get involved, racking up a massive 13 tackles in just 30 minutes… 7.5

CHUNYA MUNGA (for Mayanavanua 58) - tried to get involved where he could and helped to keep Saints solid... 6.5

CRAIG WRIGHT (for Langdon 58) - tried to use his footwork to take advantage of a Castres team who looked fatigued for long periods… 6.5