Live text – Northampton v Perpignan

20 min: Foden looking sharp as a tack at the moment – quick take, beats a couple of men before persuading the cutest of grubbers off the outside of his boot. Alas, Ashton cannot quite take it.

18 min: Foden, on the counter, swerves his way past several Perpignan defenders before slashing inside and feeding Ashton. It’s slightly behind him but Northampton keep coming. Massive hit on Myler and eventually the French side win a penalty. After a nervy start, Northampton have suddenly taken the visitors by the lapels.

13 min: Perpignan off their feet at the ruck and here comes Ashton with mitts on the ball for the first time. Lawes with a cute offload, Plante off-side, Myler’s got a tough one from the left touch-line. Hooked it, the Saints fly-half badly needs a settler.

10 min: Finally we have a completed scrum. Myler has had a nervy old start, this time he has a scrubby kick charged down, but it comes to nil. Lost line-out for Saints and they need Myler to put his foot on the ball and calm things down, if you’ll excuse the football parlance. Speculative drop-goal attempt from Laharrague, from inside his own half, and funnily enough he misses.

7 min: This time Perpignan win a penalty at the scrum, think that was Mujati dropping the scrum. Mele kicks for territory but Northampton burgle the line-out. Poor clearance from Myler and Chouly comes back at the hosts like an escaped barrel. Full-back Porical with a naughty tackle on opposite number Ben Foden, Saints penalty.

3 min: Dickson in a spot of bother at the back of a line-out inside his own 22 but Saints eventually mop things up. The first scrum of the game, and this could be a screamer… Saints win the free-kick and Roger Wilson goes on the rampage. Myler with a sliced up and under and he knocks on. Scrappy start.

1 min: As expected, it’s buzzing in Milton Keynes, and here come the teams. The referee is Ireland’s George Clancy, taking charge of his first Heineken Cup semi-final, and Perpignan get us under way.

1457: Northampton, of course, were champions in 2000, while Perpignan have never won it before. Perpignan are only ninth in the French Top 14, but their form in Europe has been more than solid. Meanwhile, all the talk in the Saints camp has been about erasing the memory of last season’s quarter-final defeat by Munster. Northampton played Perpignan twice last year, winning the home tie and losing at Stade Aime Giral.

1450: Afternoon, or whatever portion of the day it is wherever you are. Big old match-up today in the Heineken Cup semis, Northampton Saints of England against Catalan giants Perpignan. If it’s half as good as Leinster-Toulouse, we’ll all go home happy…