Northampton Saints showed why they are top of the Gallagher Premiership table, producing a special performance to beat champions Saracens 41-30.
Phil Dowson’s men bounced back in brilliant style from their defeat at Bristol Bears, scoring five tries in a sensational showing on Good Friday.
The Saints flew into a 17-0 lead thanks to early scores from Alex Coles and James Ramm before Saracens threatened a comeback, cutting the gap to seven points at the break after Theo McFarland got them on the board.
However, Northampton turned on the style in the second period as Ramm, Tommy Freeman and Ollie Sleightholme all scored to put the game beyond Saracens despite Ben Earl’s try.
The away side did manage to leave with a point as two late scores from Alex Lewington gave them four tries on the night. But the game belonged to Northampton, who extended their lead at the top of the Premiership in fine style.
Saints came racing out of the blocks as they piled the pressure on Saracens, eventually going ahead when Fin Smith released Coles for an early score.
Smith converted, and he was doing so again soon after as the Saints added a second score, with Sleightholme’s stunning run eventually leading to a try for Ramm.
Northampton were calling the tune, even at the scrum, winning a penalty, which Smith slotted from in front of the posts.
But Saracens hit the Saints with a sucker punch when Tom James saw an attempted clearance charged down, allowing McFarland to gather and score.
Owen Farrell converted and soon added a penalty as Northampton saw their lead reduced to seven points in the blink of an eye.
The gap was down to four early in the second period as Farrell slotted a penalty but the Saints came storming back and after a quick tap penalty from James caused real panic, Saracens were opened up as Ramm cruised over for his second try of the night.
Earl’s try again cut the deficit to six points, but Saracens lost Lewington to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on and Northampton took immediate advantage, producing a flowing move that was finished by Freeman before Sleightholme touched down under the posts to make the game safe.
Leicester beat Newcastle after late drama
Jack van Poortvliet scored on his return to the starting XV as Leicester Tigers beat Newcastle Falcons 19-13 after remarkable late drama at Kingston Park.
Jack van Poortvliet scored on his return to the starting XV as Leicester Tigers beat Newcastle Falcons
The scrum-half dotted down after Brett Connon had given the hosts an early lead from the tee before Ben Redshaw and Julian Montoya traded tries for each side.
Another Connon penalty restored the Falcons’ narrow lead, but Ollie Hassell-Collins flew down the left wing to hand the Tigers their fourth win in five Premiership games – but not before they had to see out 15 minutes of added time with players in the sin bin.
Newcastle are still winless in the league this season, despite taking the lead twice during the course of the night.
Tom Penny made his 100th appearance for the hosts, who made six changes from their 25-16 defeat at Exeter last week.
Likewise, their opponents came into the game having been on the receiving end of a late try from Gloucester, going down 27-25 at Mattioli Woods Welford Road for their first defeat in four.
A lightning-quick start meant the scoreboard read 7-3 to the Tigers after just five minutes – Connon nailed a 45-metre penalty from just left of centre to open the scoring, only for Van Poortvliet to mark his first start in the Premiership this season with a driving run through the middle of the home defence for the first try of the evening.
Redshaw put the Falcons back in front on 17 minutes with an excellent run, breaking through with 25 metres to the post before Connon added the extras.
The see-saw scoring continued as the men in green and white went over against the run of play – Montoya dotting down after a maul.
Handre Pollard could not convert a tricky kick from out wide, however, leaving their lead at a slender two points going into the interval.
The opening to the second period could not have been more different from the first, with both sides struggling to craft clear-cut scoring chances. On 63 minutes, Connon slotted through from five metres out to give Newcastle the lead once again.
But it did not last long as Hassell-Collins found space on the wing and scored, with Pollard this time finding his range from wide to extend the lead to six points with 14 minutes left to play.
Late yellow cards for the visitors’ Charlie Clare, Freddie Steward, and James Whitcombe left them with 13 men for much of the added time and briefly down to 12, and extended the game long enough for Steward – sin-binned in the 84th minute – to return for the final moments.
The Tyneside club, though, could not find a way back despite a succession of scrum penalties inside the Tigers’ 22.
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