Northampton’s Russian wing Artemyev on revenge mission

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS winger Vasily Artemyev admits he still has sleepless nights about Ronan O’Gara’s stunning drop-goal at Thomond Park two months ago and has vowed to take revenge on Munster this weekend.

The Saints appeared to have earned a stunning victory in their Heineken Cup opener but were denied when O’Gara showed nerves of steel to win the match after a 41-phase move.

That set the tone for both sides’ European campaigns, with Munster having advanced into the last eight with a perfect record while Saints, who lost to Leinster in last season’s final, are scrambling to secure an Amlin Challenge Cup spot. To do so they will have to beat Tony McGahan’s men in Milton Keynes on Saturday — and Artemyev, a Russian winger who attended Blackrock College in Dublin and played for Ireland Schools, admits his side are still reeling from O’Gara’s moment of magic.