European Cup/Quarter-final preview/Toulouse v Northampton: Paul Grayson last night insisted Northampton intend doing far more than merely making up the numbers in their daunting Heineken European Cup mission against French aristocrats Toulouse.
Saints have been written off ahead of this evening's quarter-final clash at the 36,500-capacity Le Stadium in Toulouse. And while a Northampton victory would represent one of the tournament's biggest upsets, Grayson is upbeat about Saints's ability to give their hosts a thorough examination.
"I am totally confident we will defend with a lot of heart and desire, and that we will challenge them all the way," he said. "At this stage of such a tough tournament, if we pulled off something on Friday night, then that would be an enormous result."
Northampton beat Toulouse in a pool encounter at Franklin's Gardens earlier this season, before losing the return fixture, but even without an injured Gareth Thomas and a suspended Benoit Baby, Fabien Pelous's team will take some stopping.
"If Toulouse were competing in the Six Nations, they would not come last - that is how good they are," added Grayson, Saints's technical coach, who will be on outhalf replacement duty this evening.
"When we played them in Toulouse in December, it is fair to say that they looked pretty much like the full French side. They are a team simply stacked from top to bottom with quality players."
Saints have received a boost with Ben Cohen beginning his comeback after a month on the sidelines in this tie. England wing Cohen hasn't played since suffering a fractured cheekbone during the IRB Tsunami Aid game at Twickenham, but now returns instead of Andy Vilk to forge a centre partnership alongside Marc Stcherbina.
England hooker Steve Thompson and Scotland prop Tom Smith also return to the Northampton pack, with flanker Darren Fox replacing Mark Soden and South African lock Selborne Boome featuring among the replacements after recovering from back trouble.
Thomas, Baby, Isitolo Maka, Nicolas Jeanjean, Xavier Garbajosa and Dragos Dima are all missing from the Toulouse line-up, but it is likely to be unchanged following last Saturday's 71-3 hammering of Brive in the French championship.
TOULOUSE (squad): Backs - Pointrenaud, Clerc, Jauzion, Fritz, Heymans, Michalak, Elissalde, Dubois, Médard. Forwards - Poux, Hasan, Human, Bru, Servat, Pelous (capt), Millo-Chlusky, Gérard, Bouilhou, Maka, Brennan, Labit, Lamboley
NORTHAMPTON: Reihana; Rudd, Cohen, Stcherbina, Tucker; Drahm, Howard; Smith, Thompson (capt), Morris; Lord, Browne; Fox, Krige, Blowers. Replacements: Richmond, Emms, Boome, Soden, Jones, Grayson, Vilk.
- Le Stadium, 7.30pm On TV: Sky Sports 1
