Northampton Saints ran out 42-59 victors in their historic clash with the Asia Pacific Lions, scoring nine tries at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo.
It was Northampton that began the scoring in the blistering Sri Lanka heat, sending Toby Thame and Ollie Sleightholme over early doors. A brace for their hosts closed the deficit and the scoring became a back and forth between the two sides, with each scoring twice more before the break.
Saints shot ahead after half-time, scoring through Thomas Rowe, Jonny Weimann and JJ Van Der Mescht before their hosts could respond. Two Lions scores sandwiched a second for winger Rowe before James Martin closed out Saints’ scoring in Sri Lanka.
First half
It was a stellar start for Saints in Colombo, with a stunning solo-effort from Thame seeing the centre dummy his way out of Saints’ 22 before sprinting in some 60 metres to dot down.
A second followed for the men in Black, Green and Gold not long after, when Sleightholme chased down Hugh Shields’ clearing kick and beat his opposite man to the ball.
Shields converted both scores to put Northampton 14-0 up after 10 minutes. Lions thought they were on for their first score when Teti Tela set Waisea Nayacalevu free but for a superb try-saving tackle from Henry Walker stopped the Fijian wingers’ progress.
The hosts’ opener did eventually come though, with Lions getting off the mark when an attacking scrum gave them the opportunity to send former Saint Taqele Naiyaravoro forwards before the ball came wide to put the skipper Jamie Henry in on the right.
Jack Lewis crashed over for Saints’ third at the end of the first quarter, getting himself onto a deft tip on from Sleightholme; but Lions hit straight back when Matty Wallis popped an offload out to Nayacalevu on the left and sent the former Fijian skipper over out wide.
Will Genia’s conversion made it 14-19 but Saints’ stretched their lead again after half an hour, with Aiden Ainsworth-Cave getting on the end of Amena Caqusau’s offload and charging in from the halfway line to score.
Lions had the final word of the first half, with brilliant crash ball putting Apisai Naqaliva over for their third to send the teams into the break with the scoreline 21-26 in Saints’ favour.
Second half
Saints started the second half in earnest and opened the scoring with a stunner, as replacement scrum-half Weimann’s looping pass put Rowe over on the right.
And Weimann soon got his own name on the scoresheet – a perfectly timed dummy off the base of a scrum giving the England Under-20 the chance to sprint free over the whitewash.
And a third Saints try of the second half soon followed. Their driving maul put Saints’ on the front foot, and with an advantage coming Van Der Mescht broke free to go alone. The South African didn’t need the advantage, however, muscling his way over to score Northampton’s seventh.
Belleau’s conversion had made it 21-47 but Lions did hit back. After patiently pushing their way close, the ball came back inside and it was Naqaliva who cut a deft line through to claim his second.
After cooling themselves in the sweltering Sri Lanka heat with the second water break, Saints were quickly on the scoresheet again. Weimann was once again at the heart of the score, this time feeding Belleau whose grubber kick set winger Rowe up for his second of the game.
A hat-trick score came for Naqaliva with 10 minutes left on the clock, as the Lions centre shot through a gap in Saints’ defence and over the tryline for the hosts’ fifth try.
The scoreline sat at 35-54 but the men in Black, Green and Gold soon added another to their tally. Weimann was once again the catalyst, tearing forwards off the back of a scrum before looping a swift pass out to Martin on the right.
Oliver Scola’s brilliant break put Saints straight back on the front foot, but his offload found Riley Harrison’s hands instead and the Lions replacement pinned his ears back and sprinted his way up to the tryline.
And that was the be the game’s final act, with the referee’s full-time whistle closing the historic outing at 42-59 in Saints’ favour.
Line-ups
APL: 15 Jamie Henry (c), 14 Francis Morrison, 13 Apisai Naqaliva, 12 Jale Vatubua, 11 Waisea Nayacalevu, 10 Teti Tela, 9 Will Genia; 1 Emosi Tuqiri, 2 Shin Ouchi, 3 Matty Wallis, 4 Marika Vunibaka, 5 Tomasi Vunibola, 6 Meli Derenalagi, 7 Edwards Quirk, 8 Taqele Naiayavoro.
Replacements: 16 A-One Lolofie, 17 Tora Tuisasake, 18 Collin Moala, 19 Patrick Tate Parker, 20 Ananaia Rabonu, 21 Kimura Takahiro, 22 Riley Harrison ,23 Apisalome Bogidrau, 24 Joseph Domoni.
Saints: 15 James Martin, 14 Ollie Sleightholme, 13 Will Catley, 12 Toby Thame, 11 Amena Caqusau, 10 Hugh Shields, 9 Sonny Goode; 1 Leftheri Zigiriadis, 2 Henry Walker, 3 Ion Neculai, 4 James Bennett, 5 Chunya Munga (c), 6 Archie Benson, 7 Jack Lewis, 8 Charlie Ulcoq.
Replacements: Ben Alexander, Oliver Scola, Aiden Reid, Noah Buxton, Sonnt Tonga’uiha, JJ Van Der Mescht, George Tonga’uiha, Tom Lockett, Aiden Ainsworth-Cave, Archie McParland, Jonny Weimann, Anthony Belleau, Thomas Rowe, Fraser Dingwall, Tom Litchfield, James Pater.