Northampton battle back to clinch crucial bonus-point win over Lyon in race for Champions Cup quarter-finals

• 'I don't feel like I have to be the fun police anymore': Why Tom Wood is enjoying his rugby more than ever at Northampton Saints

2:54PM

Signing off

Thanks for joining us for a cracking a second half. Dan Schofield's match report from Lyon will be up shortly.

2:53PM

As it stands

*Bold = qualified, italics = played six games

1 Leinster 28 points

2 Racing 22

3 Exeter 22

4 Toulouse 22

5 Clermont 20

--------------------------------

6 Northampton 19

7 Ulster 17

8 Saracens 14

Chasing: Gloucester 14, Glasgow Warriors 12

2:46PM

FULL-TIME: Lyon 24-36 Northampton

Final seconds, Lyon with a scrum in Northampton's half. Penalty for the hosts, tapped, Buttin kicks through but it goes into touch - and that will be that!

Northampton with a hugely impressive bonus-point win in France, moving them up to 19 points and piling the pressure on the other side chasing a best runners-up spot.

2:42PM

TRY FISH! Lyon 24-36 Northampton

Another Saints break as Hutchinson cuts through. Northampton make a mess of the overlap but recycle and Fish crashes over! An excellent win for Saints on the road. Lyon have completely wilted. Converted by Biggar.

2:40PM

76 mins - Lyon 24-29 Northampton

Remember, Saints have lost their last nine games in France in the Champions Cup. But they have a scrum, which they have dominated all day, and get a penalty!

Biggar lines it up from halfway... wide! Lyon to drop out, three minutes left.

2:36PM

TRY FURBANK! Lyon 24-29 Northampton

What a score by the England prospect! Gets the outside break and motors away to finish, getting Northampton a crucial bonus-point try. Biggar sinks the conversion. Saints must hang on for the final six minutes.

2:34PM

71 mins - Lyon 24-22 Northampton

Cracking kick to the corner by Wisniewski, putting Saints under pressure. But Northampton get a penalty for Yameogo coming in at the side of the maul.

Saints with the lineout just inside Lyon's half.

2:31PM

69 mins - Lyon 24-22 Northampton

Breathless few minutes there. Northampton, need I remind you, have to win. One more try would also give them a bonus point, which would certainly be useful.

2:29PM

TRY NGATAI! Lyon 24-22 Northampton

Lyon hit back straight away! Nakaitaci makes amends with a miracle offload, Lyon on the charge through Arnold. Ngatai steps inside two Saints defenders and drives his legs to get over, class finish by the one-cap All Black. Converted by Wisniewski.

2:27PM

TRY REINACH! Lyon 17-22 Northampton

Disaster for Lyon, brilliant for Northampton! Spill from the Lyon prop, kicked ahead by Biggar and Reinach speeds past Nakaitaci, giving him a little nudge on the way, to recover and score! Northampton's third try and they take the lead. Converted quickly by Biggar.

2:24PM

PENALTY BIGGAR! Lyon 17-15 Northampton

Three points for Biggar off the tee to cut the gap to two points. Saints have a chance here.

2:23PM

61 mins - Lyon 17-12 Northampton

Saints racking up phases in Lyon's 22, well over 10, before the kick goes wide to Harrison... but he spills it! A low grubber by Biggar, but the No 8 can't pick it up cleanly. Back for the Northampton penalty.

2:20PM

56 mins - Lyon 17-12 Northampton

Lyon on the attack from that lineout, until the hosts are pinged for a neck roll. Biggar clears... but misses touch! Back comes Nakaitaci on the charge, but the ball is lost. Reinach fires up a box kick, won back by Lyon, but that's a Northampton penalty after Lyon come in at the side! Lyon will kick to touch.

2:16PM

53 mins - Lyon 17-12 Northampton

Cleared by Saints, battling hard here, but then they're harshly penalised for a shove off the ball by Ludlam on Wisniewski. Surprisingly, that's a penalty. Lyon kick to touch in Saints' 22.

2:09PM

49 mins - Lyon 17-12 Northampton

Magic from Lyon, first Arnold goes through a gap, followed by a thundering carry by Tuisova. And now Tuisova's off! Grimacing as he makes way. Lyon penalty at the ruck and they kick to touch.

2:06PM

TRY HARRISON! Lyon 17-12 Northampton

Saints hit back, Harrison at the bottom of a pile to score. No maul this time, Lyon making Northampton work before they find a way over. Biggar converts, Saints back within a score.

2:03PM

45 mins - Lyon 17-5 Northampton

Monster scrum by Northampton, getting Lyon's pack wheeling backwards. Biggar puts it back in the corner.

2:03PM

43 mins - Lyon 17-5 Northampton

Knock-on at the lineout by Saints! Lyon get the scrum backed up near their own line. Chance gone there for the visitors.

2:01PM

Second half underway

Northampton on the attack early inside Lyon's half. Penalty for Saints, Lyon not rolling away. Biggar puts it in the corner.

1:58PM

Yikes

1:46PM

HALF-TIME: Lyon 17-5 Northampton

Easy money that for Wisniewski and Lyon, who have won just one of their pool matches this season in Europe, hold a healthy 12-point lead heading into half-time.

Lots for Northampton to do, with their quarter-final hopes hanging by a thread.

1:43PM

38 mins - Lyon 14-5 Northampton

Knock-on from Lawes, but we come back for a Saints lineout inside Lyon's half. Reinach is scragged though at the ruck and Lyon counter... hacked on and Furbank does well to get back and recover the ball, but Saints have lost 60 metres. Penalty Lyon! They'll close out the first half with three points from right in front.

1:38PM

TRY GILL! Lyon 14-5 Northampton

A second for the hosts. Gill drives his way over, converted by Wisniewski, and Northampton are now in a bit of a hole.

Worth remembering that Saints have lost their last nine away games against French opposition in the Champions Cup.

1:33PM

Update: 30 minutes in

Apologies everyone for the delayed start, a few technical difficulties here but normal coverage will now resume.

We're half an hour in at Lyon with the hosts ahead 7-5. Mike Haywood opened the scoring from a Northampton maul, before the hosts hit back through Felix Lambey, Jonathan Wisniewski's conversion putting them ahead.

12:34PM

In pursuit of last eight spot

Afternoon all, Northampton are chasing progression to the Champions Cup quarter-finals by finishing as one of the three best runners-up - but they must prevail at Lyon on Saturday to achieve this.

Director of rugby Chris Boyd has restored Tom Wood, Alex Waller and Dan Biggar to his starting XV among 10 changes as he reverts to the best possible side that will help Saints' hope of advancing.

However, Boyd knows events in other games will also shape the quarter-final line-up.

"We can't control what will happen elsewhere but at the end of the day we've got to do one better than Gloucester do at Toulouse," he said.

"It might be that a bonus point will get us there, it might be that four points does it or even five points might not get us there.

"What we can control is our outcome and performance, and we go there with the best team for what we think is the right way to play against Lyon at home."

Lyon are third in Pool One and cannot qualify for the quarter-finals.

Lyon: Arnold; Mignot, Tuisova, Ngatai (c), Nakaitaci; Wisniewski, Hidalgo-Clyne; Chiocci, Alkhazashvili, Kodela, Bruni, Roodt, Cretin, Sobela, Gill.

Replacements: Maurouard, Devisme, Yameogo, Oosthuizen, Lambey, Pelissie, Dumortier, Buttin.

Northampton Saints: Furbank; Tuala, Dingwall, Symons, Sleightholme; Biggar, Reinach; Waller (c), Haywood, Franks, Moon, Lawes, Wood, Ludlam, Harrison (c).

Replacements: Fish, Van Wyk, Painter, Ratuniyarawa, Coles, Taylor, Hutchinson, Mallinder.

Ben Coles will be here from 12.50 to bring you the latest.