British & Irish Lions scrum-half Alex Mitchell was proud of Northampton Saints’ ‘massive’ 27-35 victory away to Section Paloise in the opening round of the Investec Champions Cup.
Mitchell proved influential in Northampton’s win in Round 1, scoring one of Saints’ five tries at Stade Municipal de Hameau before a crucial final score from George Hendy sealed a dramatic, first-ever victory in Pau.
The scrum-half’s performance earned him the Player of the Match trophy on his 150th Club appearance and, despite a nervy end to Saints’ European opener in France, it was an occasion that Mitchell enjoyed.
“We managed to pull away at the end, it was a tough match,” Mitchell explained.
“We dug in, got a couple of tries in the second half, to come away from home and get five points here is pretty good.
“It was very frustrating early on, but we said at half-time it was a huge positive that we were creating chances, we just weren't finishing them off.
“We knew it would come in that second half; a few opportunities did come, and we did take them. It’s obviously a massive result.
“It’s a tough wherever you go in the Champions Cup, and we expected that intensity. It came, and they were very physical, so we had to deal with that.
“I love coming to new places. I haven’t been here before. It’s an awesome little town and coming to an awesome stadium, it was an awesome atmosphere.”
Saints return to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens this Sunday (kick-off: 3:15pm) for Round 2 of the Investec Champions Cup, looking for their second victory over Vodacom Bulls in as many years as their South African guests make the trip to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
“We thrive in this competition,” Mitchell continued. “We love the Gallagher PREM, but we also want to give it our all in this competition.
“We got to the semi-final two years ago, and we obviously made the final last year and that was frustrating in the end. This time we want to go one better and win it.
“Hopefully, we can have a big week and push forward in the competition. Bulls are a quality side, and everyone always talks about them being the most physical team in the world.
“We can’t wait for that match-up. Obviously, being back home is special for us – I’ve not played there for a little while now, so I can’t wait to be back there.”