🔗 Share this article Hendy Scores Three as Eight-Try Saints Demolish Bulls Northampton's 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 a perfect ten points from their opening two Investec Champions Cup games with an eight-try thrashing of Pretoria. Sleightholme crossed twice and Pollock scored the fourth try before the hour mark as a dominant Saints team ran riot in the latter period. The Bulls were within touching distance with the score fourteen-five at the break but a sin-binning to forward Alulutho Tshakweni in the 53rd minute for a unnecessary trip proved decisive and they failed to register a point in the second half. International Fin Smith contributed 10 points with the boot as Saints went top of Pool Four on points difference from defending champions Bordeaux-Bègles with both sides on 10 points. Fin Smith contributed 10 points in a man-of-the-match performance. The nature of this victory, following a 35-27 victory on the road at Pau previously, means last year's losing finalists Northampton could not have asked for a more ideal beginning as they look to go one better this season. Pretoria's number ten Wolhuter missed an early penalty before the hosts opened the scoring when Pollock made a break before feeding Sleightholme who demonstrated his speed to race clear to the try line. But an error from the winger let the Bulls back in as the ball slipped from his grasp in the tackle, allowing Bulls wing Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show blistering pace of his own to score after 22 minutes. Shortly after, Saints had their second as fast passing from Mitchell at the base of a ruck and then Fin Smith sent George Hendy over in the corner to make it 14-5 at the break. Northampton were on top in possession and territory and were being aided from the opposition fly-half Kade Wolhuter who twice missed touch with penalty kicks to reinvite pressure onto the visitors. That proved decisive after 48 minutes when Fin Smith was again the architect, stepping inside to wrong-foot the advancing defence before sending a perfectly weighted grubber kick over the line for Hendy to grab his second try and Northampton's third. Pretoria forward Tshakweni was then shown a yellow card for a tripping offense on Iyogun. Tshakweni was insistent he had been reacting to a trip just prior by Iyogun but the contact from the Northampton substitute was ruled accidental when looked at by the officials. Northampton capitalized of having the extra man to clinch the bonus point through Pollock before Alex Coles and Sleightholme crossed as the hosts registered three tries in five minutes. George Hendy completed his hat-trick with 12 minutes remaining and Josh Kemeny walked over for the eighth and final try of an excellent afternoon for Northampton in the final minute. Rerun of Last Season's Final Awaits Saints The leading pair in the pool meet in a rerun of the previous season's final when the tournament returns in January as Northampton head to Bordeaux-Bègles. The Saints then conclude the group phase with a fixture at home against the Scarlets on 18 January. The Bulls, who have a single point from their opening two games, welcome Bristol next before traveling to 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)
Northampton's 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 a perfect ten points from their opening two Investec Champions Cup games with an eight-try thrashing of Pretoria. Sleightholme crossed twice and Pollock scored the fourth try before the hour mark as a dominant Saints team ran riot in the latter period. The Bulls were within touching distance with the score fourteen-five at the break but a sin-binning to forward Alulutho Tshakweni in the 53rd minute for a unnecessary trip proved decisive and they failed to register a point in the second half. International Fin Smith contributed 10 points with the boot as Saints went top of Pool Four on points difference from defending champions Bordeaux-Bègles with both sides on 10 points. Fin Smith contributed 10 points in a man-of-the-match performance. The nature of this victory, following a 35-27 victory on the road at Pau previously, means last year's losing finalists Northampton could not have asked for a more ideal beginning as they look to go one better this season. Pretoria's number ten Wolhuter missed an early penalty before the hosts opened the scoring when Pollock made a break before feeding Sleightholme who demonstrated his speed to race clear to the try line. But an error from the winger let the Bulls back in as the ball slipped from his grasp in the tackle, allowing Bulls wing Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show blistering pace of his own to score after 22 minutes. Shortly after, Saints had their second as fast passing from Mitchell at the base of a ruck and then Fin Smith sent George Hendy over in the corner to make it 14-5 at the break. Northampton were on top in possession and territory and were being aided from the opposition fly-half Kade Wolhuter who twice missed touch with penalty kicks to reinvite pressure onto the visitors. That proved decisive after 48 minutes when Fin Smith was again the architect, stepping inside to wrong-foot the advancing defence before sending a perfectly weighted grubber kick over the line for Hendy to grab his second try and Northampton's third. Pretoria forward Tshakweni was then shown a yellow card for a tripping offense on Iyogun. Tshakweni was insistent he had been reacting to a trip just prior by Iyogun but the contact from the Northampton substitute was ruled accidental when looked at by the officials. Northampton capitalized of having the extra man to clinch the bonus point through Pollock before Alex Coles and Sleightholme crossed as the hosts registered three tries in five minutes. George Hendy completed his hat-trick with 12 minutes remaining and Josh Kemeny walked over for the eighth and final try of an excellent afternoon for Northampton in the final minute. Rerun of Last Season's Final Awaits Saints The leading pair in the pool meet in a rerun of the previous season's final when the tournament returns in January as Northampton head to Bordeaux-Bègles. The Saints then conclude the group phase with a fixture at home against the Scarlets on 18 January. The Bulls, who have a single point from their opening two games, welcome Bristol next before traveling to 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)