Stuart Barnes previews Northampton's trip to face Perpignan at the Stade Aime Giral in The Times.
"Pathetic would be a gross overestimation of Perpignan’s effort against Treviso. There is complacency and then there is Perpignan. Terrific as the result is for Treviso and Italian rugby in the short term, it leaves one of the teams which should be amongst the leading contenders for the Heineken Cup on the brink of European obliteration.
"Munster away and a visit to Franklin’s Gardens promise little but pain. Somehow they have to find their self belief – not to mention their form – and undo the Italian job by winning at least one of these fixtures. Before that however, comes the small matter of maintaining their awesome home record. God, I hate that lazy Americanisation "awesome" but with 15 straight home wins and 26 victories from 28 home ties it's as good a term as any.
"Northampton, if they are going to emerge from this pool, are being forced to do it the hard way through absolutely no fault of their own. A week prior to the Munster match the European giants were humiliated by Leinster but such was the quality of the Saints performance that they deservedly rode the Irish side's inevitable backlash to win the match.
"This week, Perpignan will have been flogging themselves after the humiliation that occurred north of Venice. Whether they have already thrown the Heineken towel in or not, they will be desperate to respond in style after last Saturday. Northampton will have to beat the champions of France on Friday night, not some set of imitations."
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