Saints got their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign off to a perfect start last weekend as they scored seven tries against a strong Bristol Bears side.
In a dominant performance from a side laced with youth, James Grayson's early score and Francois van Wyk's brace opened Saints' account before the men in Black, Green and Gold scored five more to secure an opening bonus point victory at Franklin's Gardens.
Leading 30-5 at the break, with Grayson and van Wyk's efforts their first crossings for the Club, Reece Marshall, George Furbank and Andrew Kellaway added further tries as Saints streaked away in the second half to end the game 51-24 up.
And social media was quick to congratulate the young Saints' efforts, with players and supporters alike taking to the internet to express their delight at the result - here are a few of our highlights.
A pleasing scoreline to scroll past on your feed as Saints' youngsters laid down the marker for this season's Premiership Rugby Cup!
👼🏼 Youth comes up trumps as young Saints secure maximum points to open their @premrugby Cup account! pic.twitter.com/KqqM2QeOpg
— Northampton Saints 😇 (@SaintsRugby) October 27, 2018
And, helped by a side that contained 12 Saints Academy graduates, the skipper for the night was pretty happy with the scoreline too!
Really enjoyed today’s game. Great to see the young lads and debutants stepping up against a pretty experienced Bristol outfit. Thanks for all the support as always #COYS
— Tom Wood (@tomwood678) October 27, 2018
👼🏼 The kids done alright!
— Northampton Saints 😇 (@SaintsRugby) October 29, 2018
A dozen @SaintsRugbyAcad graduates featured in the Cup win over Bristol - who impressed you most?#MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/Gg5U58NRtd
With not one, not two but seven Saints making their first appearances in Black, Green and Gold, there were plenty of new numbers to be added to the list!
Congratulations to the @SaintsRugby debutants today @FraserStrachan @olliesleights Jack Higgins @charliedavies_9 @1_willd @karlgarside #redhatontour pic.twitter.com/JZWiSTMOuL
— Claire Jones (@redhatphoto) October 27, 2018
Loved making my debut yesterday for @SaintsRugby! Great to be out there with the boys! pic.twitter.com/UJA5uzmAjm
— Charlie Davies (@charliedavies_9) October 28, 2018
Great experience making my professional debut for @SaintsRugby yesterday at the gardens #saint1999 😇🏉 @ Franklin's Gardens https://t.co/yAq3jkrLlJ
— Karl Garside (@karlgarside) October 28, 2018
Even though there may have been a bit of disappointment as Will Davis just pipped Charlie Davies to Saint #2000...
Exremely proud to make my @SaintsRugby debut today! Made even better by a great win. Thank you to all the supporters that braved the weather, it means a lot! #saint2000 #COYS😇
— Will Davis (@1_willd) October 27, 2018
Beat me to it #2001
— Charlie Davies (@charliedavies_9) October 27, 2018
And it was fair to say that the Saints supporters were pretty pleased with the side's efforts too - even though they had to brave the cold and rain to do see it!
Great to see the boys play and what a game! What a result @slak_vanwyk @SaintsRugby @tomwood678
— Iain (@iainwinton) October 27, 2018
Well that was a pleasure watching the @SaintsRugby youth! Class, good quality rugby and a joy to watch! 👏🏼
— Carl O'Dell (@ODellBoy) October 27, 2018
This has easily been the most entertaining @SaintsRugby match of the season. Some of these players should be straight into the senior 23. Ollie Sleightholme in particular has been fantastic. A great performance so far.
— Jess Kebbell (@JessKebbell) October 27, 2018
Tickets for Saints' next home outing as the Gallagher Premiership returns with a visit from Wasps on Saturday 17 November (kick-off 1pm) are still available from £36 adults and £16 juniors, CLICK HERE to book.
