Furbank Back On Bench As Saints Name Unchanged Xv

Investec Champions Cup quarter-final: Northampton Saints v Castres

Venue: Franklin's Gardens Date: Saturday, 12 April Kick-off: 17:30 BST

Coverage: Live audio commentary connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra; travel unrecorded matter commentary connected BBC Sport website and app

England full-back George Furbank returns to nan chair arsenic Northampton Saints sanction an unchanged starting XV for their Investec Champions Cup quarter-final pinch Castres.

Club skipper Furbank is included successful nan matchday squad for nan first clip since December aft recovering from a fractured limb which ruled him retired of this year's Six Nations, while location is besides room among nan replacements for Scotland prop Elliot Millar Mills.

The hosts, who won their only Champions Cup title successful 2000, person opted for a five-three divided connected nan chair arsenic prop Luke Green and backmost statement Angus Scott-Young miss retired from nan squad which beat Clermont Auvergne successful nan past 16.

Castres, who shocked Saracens connected their past sojourn to England, make six changes successful unit and 1 positional alteration from nan broadside which edged past Benetton successful nan erstwhile round.

Geoffrey Palis is named connected nan helping and Jeremy Fernandez starts astatine scrum-half, while extracurricular centre Vilimoni Botitu partners Jack Goodhue successful midfield.

Baptiste Delaporte comes into nan backmost statement arsenic Gauthier Maravat moves from flanker to subordinate Leone Nakarawa successful a new-look 2nd row.

Former Harlequins and England prop Will Collier retains his spot successful an unchanged beforehand row.

Saints cruised past Castres 38-8 successful their opening crippled of this season's title successful December but fly-half Fin Smith says nan hosts are expecting a "proper" European necktie against a Top 14 broadside who person won 7 of their past 10 games and mislaid conscionable erstwhile successful 2025.

"Castres are a due squad and it will beryllium a due European quarter-final," Smith told BBC Radio Northampton.

"It will person immoderate separator pinch ups and downs and we are looking guardant to it but we will really person to beryllium connected our crippled to get complete nan line.

"The crippled astatine location against Munster past twelvemonth was nan closest I person been to a due European knockout crippled astatine location pinch Saints.

"It will consciousness for illustration that pinch a existent separator to it and immoderate hostility successful nan crushed but those are nan occasions you relish nan astir and retrieve astir fondly."

Northampton are seeking to go nan Premiership's first Champions Cup winners since Exeter successful 2020 and could set-up a 2nd consecutive semi-final pinch Leinster, who big Glasgow Warriors successful their quarter-final connected Friday.

Northampton: Ramm; Freeman, Odendaal, Dingwall (capt), Hendy; Smith, Mitchell; Iyogun, Langdon, Davison, Mayanavanua, Coles, Kemeny, Pollock, Augustus.

Replacements: Walker, West, Millar Mills, Lockett, Pearson, James, Hutchinson, Furbank.

Castres: Chabouni; Palis, Botitu, Goodhue, Baget; Le Brun, Fernandez; Walcker, Barlot, Collier, Maravat, Nakarawa, Babillot (capt), Delaporte, Papalii.

Replacements: Zarantonello, Guerois-Galisson, Azar, Meka, Macurdy, Cope, Perrone, Dumora.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)