Written by Matt Brown.
Northampton Saints tightened their grip on the top spot in the Gallagher Premiership with a dominant 94-33 win over Bristol Bears on Friday night.
George Hendy scored an incredible four tries in a game where defense was seemingly optional. The winger opened his account for the night after just three minutes before Harry Thacker leveled the score two minutes later.
Rory Hutchinson and Curtis Langdon added another two scores for Saints to put them 19-7 up. Louis Rees-Zammit soon found himself on the scoresheet for the Bears, hitting back with a try all before a quarter of an hour had been played.
The game began to shift even further when Bears' Kalaveti Ravouvou was sent to the sin bin following what referee Luke Pearce deemed a deliberate knock-on. Northampton had already exploited Bristol’s defense, but they managed to do considerably more damage against 14 men, racking up another three tries. Alex Coles scored the bonus-point try after 21 minutes, before Tommy Freeman made an excellent break out wide to set up scrum-half Archie McParland for an easy score. Hendy was involved again shortly after, sending the ball to George Furbank for the Saints' sixth try.
Amazingly, Saints weren’t done there; they added another three tries before the break. Hutchinson and Hendy both bagged their second scores of the night, while Josh Kemeny also added his name to an ever-growing scoresheet. To make matters worse for the visitors, Joe Batley was sent to the bin for Bristol following a late tackle in the buildup to Hendy’s second try. The Bears' defense in the first half had been abysmal—persistently narrow, leaving holes that Saints consistently and ruthlessly exploited.
No Letup after the Interval
The second half started much like the first had ended, with Saints adding yet another try. This time it was Henry Pollock crossing the whitewash just 90 seconds after the restart, following some brilliant work from McParland. Harry Randall managed to hit back with Bristol’s third try of the game after some excellent work from Joe Owen out wide.
Amidst the onslaught, there was a moment of light relief when Bristol prop Max Lahiff lost a tooth on the pitch. He quickly called off the search, however, when he humorously informed Luke Pearce that he’d found the missing tooth inside his own gumshield.
Normal service resumed immediately after the restart. The Bears failed to catch the kickoff, allowing McParland to run straight through, gather the ball, and coast in for yet another easy score. Saints hit the 80-point mark when they sliced through the lacklustre Bears defense yet again, allowing Hendy to secure his hat-trick.
Card Trouble for the Hosts
A yellow card for the hosts somewhat allowed Pat Lam’s side back into the game. The big Luka Ivanishvili crashed over from close range to secure a scoring bonus point, restoring a spot of pride for the visitors. Bears then got another late try thanks to Noah Howard, bringing Bristol to 33 points—a total it’s probably fair to say they didn’t entirely deserve based on their defensive display.
When they are firing, Northampton are a side that is simply impossible to stop. They picked up another two tries before the final whistle: Sam Graham added his name to the list of scorers before Hendy scored his fourth of the night to cap off an incredible performance from the hosts.
The Playoff Picture
With this win, Saints have secured their place in the playoffs but are yet to mathematically guarantee a home semi-final. Meanwhile, for Bristol, the defeat raises questions regarding the future of Director of Rugby Pat Lam, who still has around two years left on his seven-year deal. The Bears also look set to miss out on the playoffs entirely, sitting four points behind Exeter, who face Harlequins in The Big Summer Kick-Off at Allianz Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
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