JJ Hanrahan’s first start for Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup did not go to plan.
The English side were rocked early and often by Racing 92 in their European fixture at Stade Yves-Du-Manoir.
Dan Carter looked up to speed for the Top 14 outfit as they racked up the bonus point fourth try after 50 minutes.
Brice Dulin did most of the tryscoring damage for the Parisiens while Carter knocked over three conversions.
It was a disappointing afternoon for Hanrahan, who moved from Munster in the summer, in the Saints No.10 jersey. He made a nice offload in the first half and kicked well behind the Racing lines but he was restricted to a solitary penalty.
Frustrations boiled over in the final quarter and the Irish outhalf opted to get physical with giant Kiwi back-row Chris Masoe… and lived to tell the tale.
JJ Hanrahan getting into with Chris Masoe #ChampsCup #stones pic.twitter.com/Pj4skWBNVL
— Patrick McCarry (@patmccarry) December 12, 2015
