Jump to Main ContentJump to Primary Navigation
SaintsConference & EventsFoundationStore
Match

London Irish vs Northampton Saints

Match Details

HT ScoreHalf Time Score

Irish 3-3 Saints

FT ScoreFull Time Score

Irish 3-27 Saints

Attendance

Not available

Referee

Ian Tempest

London Irish
London Irish
3

Summary

Full Time

Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
27
London Irish
P
KOHTFT
Northampton Saints
P
T
T
T
T

FULL TIME

That's the last action of the game as Grayson's kick goes across the face of the posts. Job done in the second half for Saints!

TRY TUALA!

What a finish from the Samoan in the corner and Saints have their bonus point!!

78

Two minutes to go and Irish are down on their own 22, and are then penalised for crossing. Saints take the scrum and look for the all-important fourth try.

76

Hobbs-Awoyemi makes a great burst through the line but an ambitious offload hits Grayson and a knock-on is awarded.

74

Tui Uru and Reuben Bird-Tulloch come on for Hutchinson and Gibson. Two Premiership debuts for the young duo.

73

Saints are in the mood now and Furbank trucks it up well before Hutchinson and Proctor combine again to release Ludlam! The skipper has had an excellent game and is eventually stopped inside the 10m line, but James' box-kick just drifts into touch so we come back for the lineout. Northampton clearly want that bonus-point score.

Reece Marshall replaces Mikey Haywood, and Tom James comes on for his debut in Black, Green and Gold! He takes Alex Mitchell's position at scrum-half, just as Kepu comes back on to take Irish back up to 14 men.

PENALTY TRY SAINTS

Finally the pack is rewarded for their dominance and Saints extend their lead!!

Painter is really getting stuck into Goodrick-Clarke and wins three straight scrum penalties. Huge work from the young tighthead! A yellow is shown and surely we're close to another penalty try now...

67

Saints are enraged as Tempest blows the whistle for a scrum penalty just as they drive over the line to score! A great shove by the pack, but they will have to start again.

Adendorff comes off after an excellent debut, with Lewis Bean entering the action.

65

Saints so close to a third try as they are held up over the line! The visitors are playing some nice rugby now and attack the space out wide with Proctor and Hutchinson making ground. Painter latches onto Haywood well but the duo are held up.

64

Penalty in front of the posts for Saints as Hobbs-Awoyemi is tackled before he gets the ball, but with a man advantage Ludlam tells Grayson to send the ball into the corner – although the lineout misfires and Irish clear. Unlucky.

Ludlam makes a great break up the left but cannot find Mitchell, although Saints' defence then forces a knock-on and the visitors have a scrum. Painter replaces Hill in the front row.

PENALTY TRY

Mikey Haywood comes up with it and Ian Tempest awards a penalty try while showing a yellow card to Kepu! Irish tackled that maul a metre out and paid the price.

61

TMO

Saints look to have scored but we're going back to the TMO...

60

Scrum penalty to Saints! And another chance beckons from the lineout, and it's rumbling forward nicely this time. Referee playing advantage but Hutchinson's pass is intercepted and we come back for another lineout.

Ryan Olowofela makes way for Ahsee Tuala.

58

The ball is held in the maul as Haywood cannot release it, and the chance goes begging as Irish are awarded the scrum.

57

NO TRY

Unlucky as Ludlam is in touch, but Saints have a penalty anyway as Irish were offside. Grayson kicks to the corner.

56

TMO...

Might be another try here for Saints after Mitchell gasses his way through a gap and finds Furbank. The ball reaches Ludlam who dived into the corner but was tackled...over to the referees.

51

Grayson's tricky conversion from out on the left just drifts wide.

TRY COLLINS!!

Brilliant try from Saints!! They put the ball through the hands and after Grayson's pass opens the space for Proctor, a superb offload finds Collins. The winger still had plenty to do though and collected his own chip over the last man to score!

On comes Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi, replacing Francois van Wyk.

47

Haywood is hard done by as he is not held but penalised anyway. Irish build a few phases with Proctor making a huge hit and the ball slows right down, before Irish knock on.

45

Great hands from Saints and Olowofela is through a gap! Nice phases from the visitors and Grayson goes crossfield to force Jackson to field the ball and clear into touch on halfway.

44

Great box kick under pressure from Mitchell to force a knock-on and Saints have the put in to the scrum on halfway. Northampton put the ball through the hands but Furbank's final pass to Collins is just behind the winger and the ball goes into touch.

41

KICK-OFF

Grayson gets us back underway for the second half. Saints will be looking for some more fluidity the next 40 minutes.

HALF-TIME

There ends the first half then. Saints looked good with the ball in hand all the way up to the 22, but then haven't found their finishing touch as yet. Chris Boyd has ten minutes now to make his mark in the sheds.

Penalty Irish

Huge hit from Isiekwe on Loader stops the winger in his tracks but Ian Tempest blows for a penalty in front of the posts just a few phases later. Jackson makes no mistake and the scores are level as the clock ticks down to zero.

38

Irish again go for the corner as the energetic Ludlam comes in at the side. Saints hold a slim lead but won't want to concede just before half-time...

37

Saints look to run a move but Grayson's pullback pass falls between two attackers and Jackson hacks into touch. Closing in on the interval here...

35

Brilliant grubber from Hutchinson puts the pressure right on Irish with a lineout on their own 5m line. A great carry from Proctor just before to break the first tackle, but no-one was on the All Black's shoulder as he looked to offload.

31

Furbank gets called up for sealing off and Irish again get the ball back. Chris Boyd and his coaching team will be frustrated with the number of entries into the 22 without success!

30

The Exiles are penalised for a high tackle and Grayson finds touch on the 22. Irish then get the numbers wrong and Saints have a scrum in a great position.

29

Saints lineout goes awry at the crucial time and Irish compound the error by winning a penalty to clear their lines. Good chance gone for the visitors.

26

Brilliant work from Van Wyk on halfway to win yet another penalty on halfway for Saints, who are winning the breakdown battle so far! Superb kick from Grayson to find touch on the 5m line.

25

Irish with the game's first real opening but Saints are let off as Hassell-Collins butchers the final pass! Huge let off, and Northampton back it up with another penalty at the breakdown to allow Grayson to clear.

22

Mitchell is hit high and Grayson pings a penalty down to 10 metres out, but Haywood's throw is a little high and goes over the top. Meehan's clearance misses touch and Saints are back in possession with Hill crashing it up.

20

Saints with an extended period of possession putting the ball quickly through the hands. Grayson's attempted grubber hits a defender and Irish hack into touch – the hosts looking a little tired after that exchange!

18

Isiekwe pinches an Irish lineout and Grayson goes down the middle with the kick – before we get some kicking tennis and Homer finally puts it into touch on halfway.

17

Drinks break

There's a good time for the now-compulsory mid-half water break. An interesting contest so far, with both sides showing plenty of ambition to put the ball through the hands when they get it. Saints looking slick in attack and No.8 Adendorff really impressing in defence, with a couple of crucial interventions to his name.

PENALTY GRAYSON

Jimmy notches the first points of the match with a crisp kick from 35m as Irish go off their feet at the breakdown. 

15

Grayson gathers a high ball brilliantly but after Saints put the ball through the hands, Furbank is wrestled to the ground. Gibson looks to charge down the left but is hit hard and penalised for holding on. Jackson slices his kick horribly but important finds touch. Back and forth stuff.

10

Irish win a scrum penalty on the 10m line and Jackson again opts to kick for touch and the hosts are now 5m out with the lineout. Another penalty goes against Saints with Gibson in at the side, and Irish will have another go with a lineout. Dell hits his man and the hosts are edging towards the line...but it's Adendorff again who forces a turnover!

8

Irish turn over the ball but the first man is hit hard by Moon and Isieke which kills the momentum. Jackson finds touch just inside Northampton's half.

6

Saints moving the ball nicely through the hands after Isiekwe gathers the lineout, and after the ball goes loose, Grayson kicks deep into Irish territory.

4

Collins makes a break down the left but Mitchell's grubber is well gathered by Homer and Irish clear their lines into touch. Bright start from Saints.

3

Great work from Shaun Adendorff to get over the ball and win a penalty with Saints under their own posts. A superb first contribution in a Black, Green and Gold jersey!

2

Saints make a mess of an early Irish lineout but the hosts recover the ball and attack Northampton's 10m line. Firm defence keeps them at bay but Ian Tempest awards a penalty at the breakdown and Jackson finds touch.

0

Kick-off!

Paddy Jackson hoists the ball into the clear blue sky for London Irish and we're underway at the Stoop.

COME ON YOU SAINTS!!

-3

Teams out

Here they come then! Saints exit their makeshift changing room on the far side of the pitch and will be playing from right to left as we look first half.

-17

Team news

Lewis Ludlam leads out the men in Black, Green and Gold this afternoon for only the second time in his career so far, while Boyd hands debuts to Nick Isiekwe and Shaun Adendorff in the pack. Ryan Olowofela also makes his first Gallagher Premiership start for Saints, and Tom James could be the afternoon’s third debutant if he enters the fray from the bench later on.

-18

Saints side to play London Irish

Furbank, Olowofela, Proctor, Hutchinson, Collins, Grayson, Mitchell; Van Wyk, Haywood, Hill, Moon, Isiekwe, Gibson, Ludlam (c), Adendorff

Replacements: Marshall, Hobbs-Awoyemi, Painter, Bean, Uru, James, Bird-Tulloch, Tuala

-19

Team news

A reminder of Saints’ squad for today’s game, with Director of Rugby making ten changes in total to the starting XV from the side that went down to Wasps last Sunday.

-20

20 minutes to kick-off!

We’ve arrived at a balmy but breezy Twickenham Stoop for today’s Gallagher Premiership clash against London Irish! It looks like a superb deck for some running rugby, even if once again the stadium feels eerily quiet without the usual fanfare of match day…

Starting LineupNorthampton Saints

14

Ryan Olowofela

13

Matt Proctor

11

Tom Collins

10

James Grayson

1

Francois van Wyk

2

Mike Haywood

5

Nick Isiekwe

6

Jamie Gibson

8

Shaun Adendorff

SubsNorthampton Saints

16

Reece Marshall

17

Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi

18

Ehren Painter

19

Lewis Bean

20

Tui Uru

22

Reuben Bird-Tulloch

23

Ahsee Tuala

Opposition LineupLondon Irish

15
Tom Homer
14
Ben Loader
13
Matt Williams
12
Theo Brophy-Clews
11
Ollie Hassell-Collins
10
Paddy Jackson
9
Ben Meehan
1
Allan Dell
2
Matt Cornish
3
Ollie Hoskins
4
George Nott
5
Sebastian De Chaves
6
Jack Cooke
7
Blair Cowan
8
Albert Tuisue

SubsLondon Irish

16
Motu Matu'u
17
Will Goodrick-Clarke
18
Sekope Kepu
19
Ben Donnell
20
TJ Ioane
21
Nick Phipps
22
Jacob Atkins
23
Ross Neal
posteamteam namepldwdlfadifftftatblbpts
8
Northampton Saints
Northampton SaintsNOR228014438547-10952695542
10
London Irish
London IrishLIR226115386633-24750886234
Form Guide

Form

WWLWL

Last match

Lost to Bristol 21-52

Past meeting

Lost 22-37
Full Time
London Irish
London Irish
3
Northampton Saints
Northampton Saints
27
Visit the Saints Store
Visit the Saints Store
Match tickets on sale now!
Match tickets on sale now!
23/24 Rugby Camps
23/24 Rugby Camps