Northampton Saints failed to build on a strong first-half display as Newcastle Red Bulls rallied after the break to inflict a first defeat of the 2025/26 campaign on the men in Black, Green and Gold.
Entering the PREM Rugby Cup Round 4 encounter with two bonus point wins in the competition under their belts, Saints went in at the interval ahead courtesy of tries from Ollie Sleightholme and Amena Caqusau, cancelling out Stewart Moore’s opening score for Newcastle.
However, the momentum drained out of the home side in the second period as Moore landed a brace to complete his hat-trick in addition to efforts from Cameron Hutchinson and Freddie Lockwood as Newcastle left cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens with a five-point haul.
FIRST HALF
Energy was high and springs were in steps as supporters arrived to their seats in buoyant mood having watched Fraser Dingwall, Alex Coles, Alex Mitchell and Henry Pollock all play integral roles in England’s wonderful victory over New Zealand.
Two players who could so easily have been lining up with them at Allianz Stadium; George Furbank and Sleightholme, were instead playing their first minutes of the 2025/26 season in Saints’ eighth competitive game of the campaign.
The visiting Red Bulls were the aggressors in the first quarter with the experienced Brett Connon and his half-back partner Sam Stuart kicking intelligently to maintain strong field position. On two occasions they had promising attacking positions stifled by Saints captain Chunya Munga’s lineout steals when just a handful of metres from his own line.
Not long after Furbank had claimed a strong high ball and delivered a perfect cross-field touch finder, Newcastle struck the first points of the game as the visitors continued to build momentum going around the corner before Moore scrambled over close to the right corner flag.
Eight minutes before the break, Northampton landed their first points of the game Anthony Belleau punched a huge penalty deep into touch and Newcastle transgressed at the lineout. Tom West bravely tapped a close-range penalty before Furbank pivoted intelligently to put Sleightholme over in the right corner for his 49th Saints try in just his 89th appearance.
After that wonderful assist, Furbank made way before half-time in a planned substitution, as Caqusau arrived onto the field – and was soon celebrating his first Saints try when Sleightholme delivered a neat grubber giving the replacement plenty to do but his incredible footwork left the defence bedazzled with a memorable finish.
Belleau landed another sublime touchline conversion but soon afterwards hobbled off the field for a premature end to his evening and was replaced by Tom Litchfield.
Newcastle had one final probe in the first 40 minutes only for Alex Hearle to be slammed into touch by one of Saints’ first-half defensive aggressors, Toby Thame, as the hosts went in at the break nine points to the good.
SECOND HALF
Sleightholme was among the many Saints replaced at the break along with Tom West, Henry Walker and Ed Prowse as Tom James, Oliver Scola, Aiden Ainsworth-Cave and Marco Manfredi ran out for the second period.
A disjointed passage followed as Saints worked themselves into strong field positions, only for moments of inaccuracy preventing them from pulling further ahead.
That was compounded when Moore read a pass to intercept and canter home for his second try, and just a few minutes after Connon’s successful conversion, Newcastle struck again as Hutchinson powered over to put his side three points ahead entering the final third.
Red Bulls pulled clear in the final 20 minutes as No.8 Lockwood strode in to finish from 40 metres out before Moore completed his hat-trick with another speedy finish from distance.
Saints’ attentions now turn to the final game of the Cup block when they make the short trip to face Leicester Tigers on Friday 21 November (kick-off: 7.30pm).
LINE-UPS
SAINTS: 15 Furbank, 14 Sleightholme, 13 Lumley, 12 Thame, 11 Pater, 10 Belleau 9 Weimann; 1 West, 2 Walker, 3 Tonga’uiha, 4 Prowse, 5 Bennett, 6 Munga, 7 Benson, 8 Brown.
Replacements: 16 Manfredi, 17 Scola, 18 Green, 19 Ainsworth-Cave, 20 Graham, 21 James, 22 Litchfield, 23 Cagusau.
RED BULLS: 15 Grayson, 14 Obatoyinbo, 13 Moore, 12 Hutchison, 11 Hearle, 10 Connon, 9 Stuart; 1 McCallum, 2 McGuigan (captain), 3 Palframan, 4 Usher, 5 Hodgson, 6 Neild, 7 Leatherbarrow, 8 Lockwood.
Replacements: 16 Faiva, 17 Brocklebank, 18 de Bruin, 19 Scott, 20 Gordon, 21 Elliott, 22 Clark, 23 Waugh.