Hendy Hat-Trick as Eight-Try Northampton Hammer Bulls

The young winger scored a hat-trick as Northampton made it maximum points from their first two Investec Champions Cup games with an eight-try hammering of the Bulls.

Sleightholme scored two tries and Henry Pollock scored the bonus point try inside an hour as a commanding Saints team ran riot in the latter period.

The Bulls were within touching distance with the score 14-5 at the break but a yellow card to prop Tshakweni in the 53rd minute for a needless trip proved very costly and they failed to register a point in the final forty minutes.

International Smith contributed 10 points from the tee as Saints moved to the summit of their pool on superior points difference from holders Bordeaux-Bègles with the two teams on 10 points.

The nature of this win, following a 35-27 victory on the road at Pau previously, means last year's losing finalists Northampton could not have hoped for a more ideal beginning as they aim to go one better this season.

Bulls fly-half Kade Wolhuter missed an early penalty before Saints opened the scoring when Henry Pollock broke before feeding Sleightholme who showed his pace to sprint away to the line.

But an error from Sleightholme allowed the Bulls back into the game as the ball slipped from his grasp in contact, allowing Bulls wing Stravino Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show electric speed of his own to score after 22 minutes.

Ten minutes later, Saints had their second try as quick hands from Mitchell at the base of a ruck and then Smith sent George Hendy over to make it fourteen to five at the half-time whistle.

Northampton were dominant in both ball and field position and were being given a helping hand from the opposition fly-half Kade Wolhuter who failed to find touch with clearing penalties to bring the pressure back on the away side.

That told after 48 minutes when Smith was again the architect, stepping inside to deceive the onrushing defense before delivering a perfectly weighted grubber kick over the line for Hendy to grab his second try and Saints' third.

Pretoria forward Alulutho Tshakweni was then sin-binned for a tripping offense on Iyogun. The prop was insistent he had been responding to a trip just prior by Iyogun but the incident from the Northampton substitute was ruled unintentional when looked at by the officials.

Northampton seized the opportunity of having the extra man to clinch the bonus point through Henry Pollock before Coles and Sleightholme scored as the hosts notched three tries in five minutes.

George Hendy completed his hat-trick with 12 minutes remaining and Kemeny walked over for the eighth try of an excellent afternoon for Saints in the dying moments.

Rematch of Last Year's Final Next for Saints

The leading pair in the pool meet in a rematch of the previous season's final when the Investec Champions Cup returns in January as Northampton head to Bordeaux. Northampton then round off the group phase with a fixture at home against Scarlets on January 18th.

The Bulls, who have one point from their opening two games, welcome Bristol in their next outing before an away trip face Pau.

Line-ups

Northampton: Furbank; Sleightholme, Hutchinson, Dingwall, Hendy; F Smith, Mitchell; Fischetti, Wright, Davison, Coles, Van der Mescht, Kemeny, Pearson, Pollock

Replacements: R Smith, Iyogun, Kundiona, Munga, Prowse, Graham, James, Thame

Bulls: Williams; Petersen, Gans, Vorster, Jacobs; Wolhuter, Burger; Tshakweni, Van der Merwe, Smith, Wiese, Van Heerden, Coetzee, Ludwig, Louw

Replacements: Else, Sithole, Mchunu, Gumede, Carr, Papier, Johannes, Van Niekerk

Yellow card: Tshakweni (53)

Match Officials

Referee: Hollie Davidson (Sco)

Assistant referees: Rob McDowell (Sco) and Dave Sutherland (Sco)

TMO: Mike Adamson (Sco)