Alex Coles’ late score sealed a third consecutive victory for Northampton Saints, as the men in Black, Green and Gold secured a 19-36 win over Newcastle Red Bulls to remain undefeated in the Gallagher PREM after four rounds.
Saints flew out to an early 14-0 lead as JJ Van Der Mescht and Alex Mitchell went over for early scores, and while Red Bulls hit back to score two of their own, a try for Tommy Freeman on the half-time whistle sent Northampton into the break with a nine-point lead.
Northampton were forced down to 14 men in the second half after Van Der Mescht received his second yellow card of the match; and while Newcastle crossed to reduce the deficit, the men in Black, Green and Gold more than survived the 20-minute period with one less man – sending Edoardo Todaro over for the bonus point before Player of the Match Coles sealed the win with his galloping score.
FIRST-HALF:
Saints flew out of the blocks at Kingston Park to score after just two minutes, with Mitchell sniping close before a rampaging Van Der Mescht went over from close range.
Mitchell’s trade-mark snipe proved to be the ending of Northampton’s second after Freeman slipped free of Newcastle’s defence and went on a winding run into the Red Bulls’ 22, eventually popping the ball up to Saints’ scrum-half for the score.
Smith added his second conversion of the night to make it 14-0 but a period of pressure from the hosts eventually paid off, with a string of penalties putting Red Bulls inside Saints’ 22 before Brett Connon’s crossfield kick found Oli Spencer for Newcastle’s first score.
Penalties began to rack up against Saints as they scrambled in defence and referee Ian Tempest eventually deemed the number of offences to be too many in the game’s 25th minute.
And when second row Van Der Mescht was shown a yellow card for his part in the repeated infringements, Newcastle wasted no time in using their extra man in the pack to send their driving maul over with Amanaki Mafi at the base.
But Northampton had the last word of the second half, when fly-half Smith timed his pass perfectly to Freeman on his shoulder – with the British & Irish Lions winger rounding the last man for the score.
Smith added his third conversion of the evening to send Saints into the interval with a 21-12 lead.
SECOND HALF:
Saints held off a series of Red Bulls attacks in the second half’s opening minutes but a second yellow card for Van Der Mescht – this time for a high hit – meant the lock left the field for a 20-minute red card and put the men in Black, Green and Gold down to 14 men in the 50th minute.
Newcastle instantly made the most of their extra man once again, as Stefan Coetzee rounded the corner of a scrum and dived over in the gap left out wide by Saints’ missing man.
Connon’s conversion brought the game back within two, but after an all-important Coles turnover penalty put Saints back on the front foot, it was eventually 19-year-old Todaro who dove over on the left when swift hands put the winger in space for the bonus-point score.
The hosts thought they had levelled things when fast hands of their own saw Spencer put fullback Boeta Chamberlain over, but the TMO intervened to call play back for a dangerous clear out on Ed Prowse and the try was chalked off.
Three points from Smith’s boot calmed Saints’ nerves as the game entered the final five minutes but the men in Black, Green and Gold weren’t finished yet.
A superb Emmanuel Iyogun turnover set up a thrilling end to the match, with fly-half Smith tipping the ball onto Coles; from there the lock galloped in, stepping his way round Newcastle fullback Chamberlain to reach over the tryline and seal both his Player of the Match performance and Saints’ third consecutive win.
Northampton return home to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens next week for the arrival of Saracens on Friday 24 October (kick-off: 7.45pm) in Round 5 of the Gallagher PREM.
LINE-UPS:
Newcastle: 15 Chamberlain, 14 Spencer, 13 Hearle, 12 Clark, 11 Williams, 10 Connon, 9 Benítez Cruz; 1 Brocklebank, 2 McGuigain (c), 3 Palframan, 4 Hodgson, 5 Clarke, 6 Lee-Warner, 7 Gordon, 8 Mafi.
Replacements: 16 Fletcher, 17 McCallum, 18 de Bruin, 19 Usher, 20 Lockwood, 21 Elliott, 22 Beeckmans, 23 Coetzee.
Saints: 15 Freeman, 14 Todaro, 13 Hutchinson, 12 Dingwall, 11 Litchfield, 10 F Smith, 9 Mitchell; 1 Fischetti, 2 R Smith, 3 Davison, 4 Coles, 5 Van Der Mescht, 6 Kemeny, 7 Graham, 8 Chick (c).
Replacements: 16 Wright, 17 Iyogun, 18 Green, 19 Lockett, 20 Prowse, 21 Pollock, 22 McParland, 23 Belleau.