Northampton flew into Perpignan today armed to the teeth with everything worth knowing about the French champions. The Saints may never have faced the Catalans before tomorrow evening's meeting, but their research this week has bordered on the exhaustive.
The lock Ignacio Fernández Lobbe has had tons to tell, whether it was from his experiences at Bordeaux and Castres or more up-to-date stuff gleaned from phone calls to his brother Juan, currently playing alongside Jonny Wilkinson with Toulon.
Phil Dowson has had plenty to say about the bear-pit atmosphere of the Stade Aimé Giral, where teams used to run out through a metal tunnel lest any stray bottle come their way. He played there alongside Wilkinson the season after the fly-half's heroics in the 2003 World Cup, when half of Perpignan seemed to run over the England outside-half, damaging his knee ligaments and continuing the run of injuries which has blighted his career.
And then there is the Jones file; a report compiled by the schoolmaster Gwyn Jones and a copy of which Jim Mallinder would not be without when he takes a team to France. Jones and Northampton's director of rugby once taught together and used to talk rugby before Mallinder took over at Sale. "He used to come home from school to old-fashioned video recordings of matches and produce his report. The equipment might not have been very advanced but the content was analytical and very informed.
"We used Gwyn at Sale, but when I left I guess it dropped off and in the three years I've been at Northampton, Gwyn has confined himself to French rugby. But the stuff he gives me is encyclopaedic – he knows everything there is to know about their players and their styles of play."
However, there is one thing all Northampton's sources have agreed on; the current French champions, who topped the table at the end of the league season and then went on to beat Clermont Auvergne in the final, will never repeat the performance which saw them lose 9-8 to Treviso last Saturday. Just before Northampton out-Munstered the champions of 2006 and 2008 at Franklin's Garden, the Catalans had a nightmare afternoon against the side ranked 28th in Europe. "We looked through the tape once and then at the bits which will be important for us on Friday, and all the luck went Treviso's way," said Lobbe.
"Treviso had the rub of the green right through," Dowson said. "The Perpignan guy who scored the try could and should have run behind the posts and made the kick easier."
The form book almost guarantees Northampton a rougher ride. In 28 Heineken Cup matches at home Perpignan have lost only twice – in 2001 to Leicester and 2003 to Wasps, and both English sides went on to win the tournament. And last season the Catalans were so focused on the competition that they hired arguably the best player in the world, Dan Carter, at close to €50,000 a game (around £45,000).
However, after Saturday's performance Mallinder believes he is closer to producing the "team for Europe" he had in mind when he moved to Northampton three seasons ago. After promotion the first year and toughening up at home last season, he is beginning to wax lyrical, particularly about the pack he, Dorian West and Paul Grayson have put together.
"I've never seen a Northampton eight play with such intensity. At least not for the full 80 minutes," Mallinder said of the performance against Munster, which drew remarks of admiration not least from the Lions captain, Paul O'Connell, who singled out Courtney Lawes as one for England's future. Mallinder agrees Lawes is a considerable prospect – particularly if England pair him with a Simon Shaw or even a Danny Grewcock – but also points to the industry of his Tongan prop Soane Tonga'uiha, very much a slimmer model of the player Mallinder inherited, and the balance of a back row which got to Munster.
Munster reckon it is the mix in their back row which allows such players as Ronan O'Gara to dictate the tactics. Mallinder has done much the same, buying in a couple of Ulstermen, Neil Best and Roger Wilson, and then signing Dowson in the summer to give Shane Geraghty the ammunition he needs to hurt sides – particularly those such as Perpignan, who don't like to take a step backwards.
