🔗 Share this article Hendy Scores Three as Eight-Try Northampton Rout Bulls Northampton's George Hendy previously scored a try in the previous win against Pau. Investec Champions Cup Pool Four Northampton Saints (14) 50 Tries: Sleightholme 2, Hendy 3, Pollock, Coles, Kemeny Cons: Smith 5 Pretoria Bulls (5) 5 Tries: Jacobs The young winger bagged a triple as the Saints secured maximum points from their first two Investec Champions Cup games with an eight-try thrashing of the Bulls. Sleightholme crossed twice and Henry Pollock secured the bonus point try inside an hour as a dominant Saints team cut loose in the latter period. The Bulls were still in the game with the score fourteen-five at the break but a sin-binning to prop Tshakweni in the 53rd minute for a needless trip proved very costly and they failed to register a point in the second half. International Fin Smith added 10 points with the boot as Northampton went top of their pool on points difference from defending champions Bordeaux with both sides on 10 points. Fin Smith kicked 10 points in a man-of-the-match performance. The manner of this victory, coming after a 35-27 victory on the road at Section Paloise last week, means last season's runners-up Northampton could not have hoped for a better start as they aim to go one better this season. Pretoria's number ten Kade Wolhuter missed an early shot at goal before Saints took the lead when Pollock made a break before feeding Sleightholme who showed his pace to sprint away to the try line. But an mistake from the winger let the Bulls back in as the ball slipped from his grasp in contact, allowing Bulls wing Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show electric speed of his own to score after 22 minutes. Ten minutes later, Northampton had their second as quick hands from Mitchell at the base of a ruck and then Smith put George Hendy over to make it 14-5 at the break. Saints were dominant in both ball and field position and were being given a helping hand from Bulls fly-half Kade Wolhuter who failed to find touch with penalty kicks to reinvite pressure onto the visitors. That told after 48 minutes when Fin Smith was again the creator, darting inside to wrong-foot the advancing defence before delivering a sweet left-footed kick over the line for George Hendy to grab his second and Saints' third score. Pretoria forward Tshakweni was then sin-binned for a tripping offense on Iyogun. The prop was adamant he had been responding to a trip momentarily before by the Saints player but the contact from the Northampton substitute was ruled accidental when reviewed by the match officials. Saints seized the opportunity of having the extra man to secure the try bonus point through Henry Pollock before Alex Coles and Ollie Sleightholme crossed as the hosts notched three scores in five minutes. Hendy completed his hat-trick with twelve minutes left on the clock and Kemeny strolled in for the eighth try of an excellent afternoon for Saints in the final minute. Rerun of Last Year's Final Next for Saints The leading pair in the group meet in a rerun of the previous season's final when the tournament returns in the new year as Saints travel to Bordeaux-Bègles. Northampton then conclude the group phase with a home game against the Scarlets on 18 January. The Pretoria Bulls, who have a single point from two matches, host Bristol next before traveling to 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)
Northampton's George Hendy previously scored a try in the previous win against Pau. Investec Champions Cup Pool Four Northampton Saints (14) 50 Tries: Sleightholme 2, Hendy 3, Pollock, Coles, Kemeny Cons: Smith 5 Pretoria Bulls (5) 5 Tries: Jacobs The young winger bagged a triple as the Saints secured maximum points from their first two Investec Champions Cup games with an eight-try thrashing of the Bulls. Sleightholme crossed twice and Henry Pollock secured the bonus point try inside an hour as a dominant Saints team cut loose in the latter period. The Bulls were still in the game with the score fourteen-five at the break but a sin-binning to prop Tshakweni in the 53rd minute for a needless trip proved very costly and they failed to register a point in the second half. International Fin Smith added 10 points with the boot as Northampton went top of their pool on points difference from defending champions Bordeaux with both sides on 10 points. Fin Smith kicked 10 points in a man-of-the-match performance. The manner of this victory, coming after a 35-27 victory on the road at Section Paloise last week, means last season's runners-up Northampton could not have hoped for a better start as they aim to go one better this season. Pretoria's number ten Kade Wolhuter missed an early shot at goal before Saints took the lead when Pollock made a break before feeding Sleightholme who showed his pace to sprint away to the try line. But an mistake from the winger let the Bulls back in as the ball slipped from his grasp in contact, allowing Bulls wing Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show electric speed of his own to score after 22 minutes. Ten minutes later, Northampton had their second as quick hands from Mitchell at the base of a ruck and then Smith put George Hendy over to make it 14-5 at the break. Saints were dominant in both ball and field position and were being given a helping hand from Bulls fly-half Kade Wolhuter who failed to find touch with penalty kicks to reinvite pressure onto the visitors. That told after 48 minutes when Fin Smith was again the creator, darting inside to wrong-foot the advancing defence before delivering a sweet left-footed kick over the line for George Hendy to grab his second and Saints' third score. Pretoria forward Tshakweni was then sin-binned for a tripping offense on Iyogun. The prop was adamant he had been responding to a trip momentarily before by the Saints player but the contact from the Northampton substitute was ruled accidental when reviewed by the match officials. Saints seized the opportunity of having the extra man to secure the try bonus point through Henry Pollock before Alex Coles and Ollie Sleightholme crossed as the hosts notched three scores in five minutes. Hendy completed his hat-trick with twelve minutes left on the clock and Kemeny strolled in for the eighth try of an excellent afternoon for Saints in the final minute. Rerun of Last Year's Final Next for Saints The leading pair in the group meet in a rerun of the previous season's final when the tournament returns in the new year as Saints travel to Bordeaux-Bègles. Northampton then conclude the group phase with a home game against the Scarlets on 18 January. The Pretoria Bulls, who have a single point from two matches, host Bristol next before traveling to 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)