'Grenoble away was the most violent game I have ever played in'

Former Scotland prop Mattie Stewart has named a November 1999 Heineken Cup defeat with Northampton away to Grenoble as the most violent rugby match he ever played. Away trips to France during the early years of the European Cup often became notorious for the foul play action that took place both on and off the pitch during an era where it was common for the visiting team to make a weekend of their trip and enjoy a night out following their match.

Northampton were no different when they visited the Alpine city of Grenoble for a round two game 23 years ago, a wild pitstop that has now been remembered on Rugby Stories, the BT Sport podcast charting the colourful histories of the current Gallagher Premiership clubs.

Episode six in the 13-part series heard about how Northampton ended their 120-year wait for a major trophy, the Saints winning the 1999/2000 Heineken Cup by defeating Munster in the Twickenham final. However, their path to that decider was littered with multiple incidents – including a painful pool defeat in Grenoble.

Scotland tighthead Stewart joined Northampton in 1997 and the club’s first-ever season in the Heineken Cup two years later was not for the faint-hearted. The Saints opened their campaign with a home win over Neath before things got rather hairy in France.

“Grenoble away was the most violent game I have ever played in,” reckoned the now-49-year-old Stewart, who earned 34 Scotland caps and spent six years in the Northampton front row. “They weren’t too happy with what we were doing in the game and we weren’t happy with what they were doing.

How about this for a premonition? ✨

This week on #RugbyStories, we hear how @SaintsRugby ended their 120-year wait for a major trophy.

Paul Grayson talks being dropped for the @ChampionsCup semi-final, before starring in the showpiece match.

Listen 📲 https://t.co/xMkvnN12Kz pic.twitter.com/tmYIN6detu

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 20, 2022

“They were blood spilt, shirts ripped and patience tested. As rugby experiences go, those early days of French rugby away would live up to brutal. Backs, forwards, the referee was just letting everything go and we were second best. From my memory, we lost it at the end. We had a bit of a battle with their No8 and I do remember meeting him at the nightclub that evening and all I can say is we were all running out of that nightclub at the end of the night with the bouncers chasing us with baseball bats.”

It was November 27 in 1999 when Northampton lost out 20-18 away to Grenoble, but they were more than a match for the French side when the rematch took place 43 days later with a January 9 round five fixture at Franklin’s Gardens, a bruiser the Saints won 27-16 to help them top their pool en route to winning the trophy.

“We learned from the away game that we could compete with these guys at home,” continued Stewart. “We were very, very confident leading into the home game against Grenoble. If they weren’t up for it in that first scrum then we knew we got them.

“The first scrum went down on their ball and we literally pushed them off it, won the ball back, crowd went crazy and, to be fair, they weren’t in the game after that. The dominance up front against a French side, they won’t like that.”

• For the full Northampton Saints story on their 1999/2000 Heineken Cup triumph, check out BT Sport’s podcast series, Rugby Stories, part of the BT Sport Pods lineup of podcasts. Every Monday, Rugby Stories, presented by Craig Doyle, will spotlight and celebrate English club rugby history. Btsport.com/pods