By the end of the opening quarter the Saints, egged on by their vocal group of supporters, had a nine-point cushion. However the five tries that would eventually come in the half looked a long way off as Saints struggled to get into their stride.
Indeed, the Tigers took a ninth-minute lead with a Phil Jones penalty. Spurred by this success Park looked for a try and Matt Riley’s break had Reihana scrambling back in defence.
And the Tigers were pressing once more when Saints got onto the score board. A turnover on Saints 22 became great attacking ball thanks to Reihana and Chris Ashton and Stephen Myler was in support to give Darren Fox the scoring pass.
The second try also came from a turnover. Chris Hall beat Robbie Kydd to Jones’s cross kick and with the support a home try could easily have been forthcoming. Instead the ball squirted out of the ruck, Ashton scooped it up and raced 90 metres to score between the sticks; Myler adding the extras.
Myler collected a further seven points four minutes later when he finished off an attack begun from another Jones bomb. The visitors were fortunate when Ashton’s attempted trap bounced into Reihana’s arms to start the scoring move.
Fox’s straightforward second try, set up by Spencer and converted by Myler, won the bonus point just before the half-hour. Paul Shields’s debut Saints try – on his first start as well – and a fourth conversion for Myler wrapped up the half with Saints leading 33-3.
This was extended by a further seven points four minutes into the half by Tom Smith, who finished a rolling maul to mark his first start of the season, and Myler. The next 10 minutes were scoreless however, thanks largely to the Tigers’ refusal to throw in the towel.
Home winger Chris Briers also provided the highlight with a well executed chip and chase that had Saints scrambling to cover. Briers would repeat this again later in the half but not before Saints had extended their lead by another 12 points thanks to Spencer – another to score his first try of the season – and Ashton.
Myler’s conversion took Saints past the 50-point mark but the next score belonged to Jon Skurr, who rewarded the never-say-die attitude by powering over in the corner with six minutes to go.
The final score went to the visitors on the stroke of full-time when a final clearance kick was charged down by Neil Starling. Ashton recovered the ball and raced over in the corner. Myler converted to send Saints into next weekend’s top-of-the-table clash with Doncaster still leading National League One.
Teams:
Sedgley Park – Riley (Van De Venter 53mins); Hall, Craig (Nutt 72mins), Payne, Briers; Jones, Albinson (Wilkinson 72mins); Gazzola (Du Plessis 46mins), Roddam (Keys 58mins), Halsall (Birchall 72mins), Fourie (capt)(Norris 46mins), Townson, Crous, Newton, Skurr.
Northampton Saints – Spencer (Diggin 60mins); Ashton, Kydd, Downey (Starling 50mins), Reihana (capt); Myler, Vass (Brake 60mins); Smith, Shields (Ward 60mins), Stewart (Sigley 60mins), Browne, Lord, Rudzki, Fox (Lewitt 69mins), Hopley (Tupai 28mins).
Scorers:
Sedgley Park – Try: Skurr; Pen: Jones.
Northampton Saints – Tries: Fox (2), Ashton (3), Myler, Shields, Smith, Spencer; Cons: Myler (7).
TIMELINE:
9mins TIGERS Pen Jones 3-0
14mins SAINTS Try Fox 3-5
19mins SAINTS Try Ashton Con Myler 3-12
23mins SAINTS Try Myler Con Myler 3-19
26mins SAINTS Try Fox Con Myler 3-26
40mins SAINTS Try Shields Con Myler 3-33
HALF-TIME TIGERS 3 SAINTS 33
44mins SAINTS Try Smith Con Myler 3-40
59mins SAINTS Try Spencer 3-45
62mins SAINTS Try Ashton Con Myler 3-52
74mins TIGERS Try Skurr 8-52
80mins SAINTS Try Ashton Con Myler 8-59
FULL-TIME TIGERS 8 SAINTS 59
