Ashton stars as Saracens seal European semi-final

Chris Ashton scored a try against his former club as Saracens came from behind to beat English rivals Northampton 29-20 in a European Champions Cup quarter-final on Saturday.

Premiership leaders Saracens, looking to be crowned champions of Europe for the first time after losing the 2014 final to Toulon, were unusually subdued for much of the match at their Allianz Park ground.

But Ashton in his second game back from suspension, helped take them into a decisive lead with a 68th-minute try in a match where England fly-half Owen Farrell kicked 19 points for Saracens.

Northampton, whose 20-15 win over Saracens in March was just the Premiership leaders' second home defeat of the season, were missing five injured players with more than 200 Test caps between them, including England Grand Slam-winning captain Dylan Hartley.

The hooker was still recovering from concussion, while Kieran Brookes, Lee Dickson, Tom Wood and Wales wing George North were also sidelined.

Saracens, by contrast, had six members of England's victorious Six Nations squad -- Alex Goode, Farrell, Billy Vunipola, George Kruis, Maro Itoje and Mako Vunipola -- in their starting line-up.

The London club, who won all six of their European pool matches, were a man down early on after Farrell opened the scoring with a 40-metre penalty when flanker Will Fraser was yellow-carded for a late tackle on Northampton full-back Ben Foden.

Either side of the sin-binning, Northampton fly-half Stephen Myler missed his first two penalty attempts.

Northampton wing Jamie Elliott then blew a chance of a try when he lost possession in the act of touching down.

Saints, who were to pay dearly for squandering those 11 points, made their advantage count when No 8 Teimana Harrison surged down the right and sent in wing Ken Pisi in the 16th minute for a converted try.

Farrell and opposing stand-off Myler exchanged penalties with Saints leading 10-6 at half-time.

Saracens upped the tempo after the break, with Farrell and Myler again exchanging penalties.

Sarries' pressure eventually told when former Northampton wing Ashton went in at the corner.

Farrell converted and his subsequent penalty put the match beyond the reach of Northampton, European champions in 2000, at 22-13 before United States wing Chris Wyles extended Saracens' lead with another try.

Courtney Lawes's converted score was too little too late for Northampton.

- Gopperth's last-ditch winner -

Saracens will now play Wasps in an April 23 semi-final at Reading's Madejski Stadium after Jimmy Gopperth's last-ditch conversion completed a stunning comeback as they beat Exeter 25-24 in the first of Saturday's two all-English quarter-finals.

Two-time European champions Wasps were 24-11 behind early in the second half but staged a dramatic rally, with Kiwi full-back Charles Piatau scoring two tries.

The second of those left Gopperth with a touchline conversion to win the match with the last kick of the game and Piatau's fellow Kiwi made no mistake with the difficult kick.

"As a goalkicker they are the moments you practice night and day," 32-year-old Gopperth told BBC Radio Five Live.

"I had to treat it as my first kick of the match," the New Zealander added. "As soon as I struck it, I knew it was good.

"The win was a great team effort from that position and we showed a lot of character."

Gopperth kicked Wasps into a 6-0 lead in Coventry but Exeter turned round 14-6 in front after two converted tries by Thomas Waldrom took the former England No 8's tally for the season to 19 in all competitions.

Wasps responded with a try at the start of the second half when, at a rain-sodden Ricoh Arena, Piatau raced on to a well-weighted grubber kick from Dan Robson.

Exeter's forwards were still proving a powerful force and prop Harry Williams was driven over for their third try in the 48th minute.

Former England lock Geoff Parling almost had another try for Exeter but his effort was ruled out for a forward pass.

Gareth Steenson though nudged Exeter further in front with a penalty.

But the final 15 minutes belonged to Wasps, with Frank Halai's converted try starting their late surge.