Northampton Saints 61-14 Bayonne: Saints score nine tries in statement win to progress in Investec Champions Cup
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Updated 13/01/2024 at 11:32 GMT
Northampton Saints sealed their place in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup with an emphatic 61-14 win over Bayonne. The Gallagher Premiership Rugby side were far too strong for the visitors, with Tommy Freeman, Tom Pearson and Alex Waller grabbing two tries each. Courtney Lawes, Curtis Langdon and Tom James also touched down on a memorable night at Franklin’s Gardens.
Highlights: Northampton run riot against Bayonne in Champions Cup
Northampton Saints became the first side to be sure of making it out of the pool stage of the Investec Champions Cup with a 61-14 rout of Bayonne at Franklin’s Gardens.
The in-form side were at their rampant best against Top 14 opponents who had no answer to the speed of the Saints’ game, with six converted tries run in by half-time without reply.
Bayonne were slightly improved after the interval and crossed twice late on after Northampton had made a string of changes, but it was far too little too late for the French visitors, who looked shellshocked at times in the face of Northampton’s brilliant display.
The outstanding Tommy Freeman opened the scoring with just over a minute on the clock to signal Saints’ intent, and was involved in a number of the tries that followed, earning him the Player of the Match award.
Flanker Tom Pearson bagged a hat-trick, prop Alex Waller burrowed over twice, and there were also tries for Courtney Lawes, Curtis Langdon and Tom James on a night to remember for the Northampton faithful.
Talking Point – A statement win for Saints
It doesn’t get much more dominant than the first half in which Northampton racked up 42 points without reply. Yes, Bayonne never looked at the races, but this is a side that held Munster at home, so it’s no mean feat to rip them apart in the manner that Northampton did.
The speed of the Saints at the breakdown gave them extremely quick ball, and it was the pace of the play and the sophistication of the running game from the backs that really caught the eye. This is not a side to be taken lightly, and it’ll be interesting to see how they fare in the business end of the season.
Player of the Match – Tommy Freeman
Northampton’s winger showed his class right in the opening moments of the match to cross for a superb opening try.
And he made break after break throughout the remainder of the match, carrying brilliantly for his team and showing just why he’s likely to be firmly in the mix for an England call-up for the Six Nations.
Player Ratings
Northampton Saints: 15 George Furbank (captain) 9, 14 Ollie Sleightholme 8, 13 Tommy Freeman 10, 12 Fraser Dingwall 8, 11 George Hendy 8 , 10 Fin Smith 9, 9 Alex Mitchell 8, 8 Sam Graham 8, 7 Angus Scott-Young , 6 Courtney Lawes 9, 5 Alex Moon 8, 4 Tom Lockett 8, 3 Paul Hill 8, 2 Curtis Langdon 9, 1 Alex Waller 9.
Bayonne: 15 Cheikh Tiberghien 5, 14 Bastien Pourailly 5, 13 Peyo Muscarditz 6, 12 Riko Buliruarua 6, 11 Rémy Baget 5, 10 Thomas Dolhagaray 5, 9 Maxime Machenaud 6, 8 Rodrigo Bruni 5, 7 Baptiste Heguy 5, 6 Pierre Huguet 6, 5 Kote Mikautadze 6, 4 Denis Marchois 6, 3 Tevita Tatafu 4, 2 Facundo Bosch 6, 1 Matis Perchaud 5.
Match Highlights
2’ – TRY! NORTHAMPTON 7-0 BAYONNE: Wow, what a start. Saint spread it wide, work a four on two, and Hutchinson’s clever chipped kick inside is collected by Freeman to touch down for a score right at the start of this game. The conversion from a tight angle is good too. That’s a dream start.
14’ – TRY! NORTHAMPTON 14-0 BAYONNE: There’s no ruling this one out. Bayonne make a right mess of their own lineout and overthrow. Coles does superbly to get a hand to it and tip it back, and Pearson crosses for a try. The conversion is good and Bayonne are in danger of getting thumped here.
21’ – TRY! NORTHAMPTON 21-0 BAYONNE: It’s a rout. Freeman makes the line break deep into Bayonne territory, and the defence is all over the place as Northampton recycle and Pearson crosses for his second try of the night. The conversion from Smith is good. This is brutal and relentless rugby from Northampton.
28’ – TRY! NORTHAMPTON 28-0 BAYONNE: Bayonne are back up to XV after that sinbin, but it makes no difference as Saints keep on getting quick ball, tipping off the top of the lineout and racing through the phases before Bayonne can get set. Lawes finds himself in space, five yards from the line, and that only means one thing. It’s try number four, the bonus point in the bag inside half an hour, and Smith slots the conversion for good measure.
32’ – TRY! NORTHAMPTON 35-0 BAYONNE: And another! The TNT pundits believe Saints should have a penalty try as their rolling maul is hauled down illegally just yards from the line, but they reset and go again, doing brilliantly to stay in-field as Langdon comes out from beneath the bundle of bodies with the ball in his muddy mitts. The conversion, from right on the touchline, is an absolute peach too. This is remarkable. Five tries.
40’ – TRY! NORTHAMPTON 42-0 BAYONNE: It’s a magnificent sixth for Saints. Waller picks and goes with the line in his sights, and bursts through a double tackle to burrow over for a try. The quality of the defending suggests that heads really have dropped in the visiting ranks, and it could get even messier after the break. Another conversion goes over, a sixth from six attempts for Smith, and that’s the end of a remarkable half.
45’ – TRY! NORTHAMPTON 47-0 BAYONNE: It’s a hat-trick for Pearson, who picks up a dinked kick through from Smith and goes for the one-two with Freeman on his outside, staying in support for the return pass and crossing unchallenged. Smith’s conversion falls short for a first missed effort of the night.
49’ – TRY! NORTHAMPTON 54-0 BAYONNE: Waller dives over from close range as the scores keep on coming. This sort of result could be the difference for Northampton if they need points difference in the final equation. The conversion is good once again.
65’ – TRY! NORTHAMPTON 54-7 BAYONNE: The visitors avoid the ignominy of the bagel, with Spring put into space and crossing for a consolation score.
71’ – TRY! NORTHAMPTON 61-7 BAYONNE: Now that is a peach. It’s a ninth try for Northampton, with James crossing for the score. That was all about Furbank though, who ran the ball back and picked his gap, gliding through it and finding the right pass to find the support.
77’ – TRY! NORTHAMPTON 61-14 BAYONNE: That’s beautiful from Bayonne. They have the advantage and Labarbe produces a beautiful dink over the top that Callandret claims and touches down. The conversion is good.
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