🔗 Share this article George Hendy Scores Three as Eight-Try Saints Rout Pretoria Bulls Saints winger George Hendy also scored a try in the previous win against Pau. Investec Champions Cup Pool Four Northampton Saints (14) 50 Tries: Sleightholme 2, Hendy 3, Pollock, Coles, Kemeny Cons: Smith 5 Pretoria Bulls (5) 5 Tries: Jacobs The young winger bagged a triple as the Saints secured a perfect ten points from their first two Investec Champions Cup games with an eight-try thrashing of the Bulls. Ollie Sleightholme crossed twice and Henry Pollock scored the fourth try before the hour mark as a commanding Northampton side ran riot in the latter period. The Bulls were still in the game with the score 14-5 at the break but a sin-binning to forward Tshakweni in the 53rd minute for a needless trip proved decisive and they failed to register a point in the final forty minutes. England fly-half Fin Smith contributed 10 points from the tee as Northampton moved to the summit of their pool on superior points difference from holders Bordeaux-Bègles with the two teams on 10 points. Fin Smith kicked 10 points in a star performance. The nature of this victory, coming after a 35-27 victory on the road at Pau previously, means last season's runners-up Northampton could not have hoped for a better start as they aim to go one better in this campaign. Bulls fly-half Kade Wolhuter missed an early penalty before Saints opened the scoring when Pollock made a break before feeding Sleightholme who demonstrated his speed to race clear to the line. But an mistake from the winger allowed the Bulls back into the game as the ball was knocked on in the tackle, allowing Pretoria winger Stravino Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show electric speed of his own to score after 22 minutes. Shortly after, Saints had their second try as quick hands from Alex Mitchell at the ruck base and then Smith put Hendy over in the corner to make it 14-5 at the break. Saints were dominant in both ball and field position and were being given a helping hand from the opposition fly-half Wolhuter who twice missed touch with penalty kicks to bring the pressure back on the away side. That told after 48 minutes when Smith was again the architect, darting inside to deceive the onrushing defense before delivering a perfectly weighted left-footed kick over the line for George Hendy to collect his second try and Northampton's third score. Bulls prop Alulutho Tshakweni was then sin-binned for a trip on Emmanuel Iyogun. Tshakweni was adamant he had been responding to a trip momentarily before by the Saints player but the contact from the Saints replacement prop was ruled accidental when reviewed by the match officials. Saints capitalized of having the extra man to secure the try bonus point through Pollock before Coles and Sleightholme crossed as the hosts notched three tries in five minutes. Hendy completed his hat-trick with twelve minutes left on the clock and Josh Kemeny strolled in for the eighth and final try of an excellent afternoon for Northampton in the dying moments. Rerun of Last Season's Final Next for Saints The leading pair in the pool will face off in a rematch of last year's final when the tournament resumes in January as Saints travel to Bordeaux-Bègles. The Saints then conclude the group phase with a home game against Scarlets on January 18th. The Pretoria Bulls, who have one point from two matches, host Bristol Bears in their next outing before traveling to face Pau. Line-ups Northampton: Furbank; Sleightholme, Hutchinson, Dingwall, Hendy; F Smith, Mitchell; Fischetti, Wright, Davison, Coles, Van der Mescht, Kemeny, Pearson, Pollock Replacements: R Smith, Iyogun, Kundiona, Munga, Prowse, Graham, James, Thame Bulls: Williams; Petersen, Gans, Vorster, Jacobs; Wolhuter, Burger; Tshakweni, Van der Merwe, Smith, Wiese, Van Heerden, Coetzee, Ludwig, Louw Replacements: Else, Sithole, Mchunu, Gumede, Carr, Papier, Johannes, Van Niekerk Yellow card: Tshakweni (53) Match Officials Referee: Hollie Davidson (Sco) Assistant referees: Rob McDowell (Sco) and Dave Sutherland (Sco) TMO: Mike Adamson (Sco)
Saints winger George Hendy also scored a try in the previous win against Pau. Investec Champions Cup Pool Four Northampton Saints (14) 50 Tries: Sleightholme 2, Hendy 3, Pollock, Coles, Kemeny Cons: Smith 5 Pretoria Bulls (5) 5 Tries: Jacobs The young winger bagged a triple as the Saints secured a perfect ten points from their first two Investec Champions Cup games with an eight-try thrashing of the Bulls. Ollie Sleightholme crossed twice and Henry Pollock scored the fourth try before the hour mark as a commanding Northampton side ran riot in the latter period. The Bulls were still in the game with the score 14-5 at the break but a sin-binning to forward Tshakweni in the 53rd minute for a needless trip proved decisive and they failed to register a point in the final forty minutes. England fly-half Fin Smith contributed 10 points from the tee as Northampton moved to the summit of their pool on superior points difference from holders Bordeaux-Bègles with the two teams on 10 points. Fin Smith kicked 10 points in a star performance. The nature of this victory, coming after a 35-27 victory on the road at Pau previously, means last season's runners-up Northampton could not have hoped for a better start as they aim to go one better in this campaign. Bulls fly-half Kade Wolhuter missed an early penalty before Saints opened the scoring when Pollock made a break before feeding Sleightholme who demonstrated his speed to race clear to the line. But an mistake from the winger allowed the Bulls back into the game as the ball was knocked on in the tackle, allowing Pretoria winger Stravino Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show electric speed of his own to score after 22 minutes. Shortly after, Saints had their second try as quick hands from Alex Mitchell at the ruck base and then Smith put Hendy over in the corner to make it 14-5 at the break. Saints were dominant in both ball and field position and were being given a helping hand from the opposition fly-half Wolhuter who twice missed touch with penalty kicks to bring the pressure back on the away side. That told after 48 minutes when Smith was again the architect, darting inside to deceive the onrushing defense before delivering a perfectly weighted left-footed kick over the line for George Hendy to collect his second try and Northampton's third score. Bulls prop Alulutho Tshakweni was then sin-binned for a trip on Emmanuel Iyogun. Tshakweni was adamant he had been responding to a trip momentarily before by the Saints player but the contact from the Saints replacement prop was ruled accidental when reviewed by the match officials. Saints capitalized of having the extra man to secure the try bonus point through Pollock before Coles and Sleightholme crossed as the hosts notched three tries in five minutes. Hendy completed his hat-trick with twelve minutes left on the clock and Josh Kemeny strolled in for the eighth and final try of an excellent afternoon for Northampton in the dying moments. Rerun of Last Season's Final Next for Saints The leading pair in the pool will face off in a rematch of last year's final when the tournament resumes in January as Saints travel to Bordeaux-Bègles. The Saints then conclude the group phase with a home game against Scarlets on January 18th. The Pretoria Bulls, who have one point from two matches, host Bristol Bears in their next outing before traveling to face Pau. Line-ups Northampton: Furbank; Sleightholme, Hutchinson, Dingwall, Hendy; F Smith, Mitchell; Fischetti, Wright, Davison, Coles, Van der Mescht, Kemeny, Pearson, Pollock Replacements: R Smith, Iyogun, Kundiona, Munga, Prowse, Graham, James, Thame Bulls: Williams; Petersen, Gans, Vorster, Jacobs; Wolhuter, Burger; Tshakweni, Van der Merwe, Smith, Wiese, Van Heerden, Coetzee, Ludwig, Louw Replacements: Else, Sithole, Mchunu, Gumede, Carr, Papier, Johannes, Van Niekerk Yellow card: Tshakweni (53) Match Officials Referee: Hollie Davidson (Sco) Assistant referees: Rob McDowell (Sco) and Dave Sutherland (Sco) TMO: Mike Adamson (Sco)