Northampton Saints 39-3 London Wasps
A resurgent Northampton Saints side turned in a dominant display against London Wasps on Sunday at Franklin's Gardens to move back into fourth place. The home side scored five tries on their way to a 39-3 victory and puts them firmly back on track to gain a play-off place.
The pre-match talk was all about the return of the Saints international players; Ashton, Hartley, Foden, Wood and Lawes and how they would affect their out-of-form side. For Wasps, Josh Lewsey came out of retirement after two years to take his place on the bench and provide the visitors with some much needed strength in their fifteen.
Both teams were after a bright start to put to bed their bad form and it was Northampton who drew first blood. Wasps were caught offside after good work from the Saints pack and Stephen Myler was left with a simple chance in front of the posts. Northampton 3-0 Wasps. Wasps fought straight back though and good work from Dave Walder left Steve Kefu with the line at his mercy. Paul Diggin had other ideas and made a try-saving tackle. He couldn't keep the Saints in front for long though as Walder clipped over a simple penalty to level the scores. Northampton 3-3 Wasps
The Saints looked in a lot better shape with their international players back and it was the home captain who set up the first try of the afternoon. The ball came loose from a rolling maul and Dylan Hartley picked up and found prop Brian Mujati who went over in the corner. Myler produced a good conversion from the touchline to give the Saints a seven point lead. Northampton 10-3 Wasps. Confidence was flowing through the home side and they put Wasps under a continued spell of pressure inside visiting territory. A series of scrums put the visitors under the cosh and when they finally caved in, referee Dean Richards awarded a penalty try. Myler again converted and the Saints were well in control by the half-hour. Northampton 17-3 Wasps
As half-time approached, Northampton seemed content to take their fourteen point lead into the break but a piece of brilliance from their two England stars was to further extend the gap. Chris Ashton raced down the touchline and with Ben Foden speeding up behind him, he put through a grubber kick. Foden managed to beat two Wasps men to the ball as it bounced over the line and the TMO confirmed he had grounded the ball for a try. Myler's conversion hit the post and went wide but the first half had been a dream for the Saints. Northampton 22-3 Wasps
Northampton were not taking their foot off the accelerator in the second half and they quickly had another penalty. Wasps didn't release in the tackle and Myler stepped up to put over a simple penalty. Northampton 25-3 Wasps. The bonus point finally arrived on 66 minutes through top try-scorer Ashton. Hartley again provided a smart pass to send the England winger over in the corner to the delight of Franklin's Gardens. Shane Geraghty, who had replaced Myler, added the extras and sealed the game. Northampton 32-3 Wasps
A glossy finish was added to the home team's performance just before the end of the game. The Saints drove Wasps off their own scrum and the ball spilled to Stuart Commins who went over for his first ever Premiership try. Geraghty again slotted over the conversion and Northampton completed their demolition job of the London outfit for the second time this season. Northampton 39-3 Wasps
Thoughts: This performance proved just how important the England players are to Northampton Saints and underlined why they have been so poor in recent weeks. This trouncing of Wasps has put them firmly back on track and with a home game against Sale Sharks next weekend, they will be hopefully that they can make it three straight wins and grab some much-needed momentum going into the final part of the season. London Wasps will be hugely disappointed that they were second-best in all areas of the field and that this result virtually ends any faint play-off hopes they had. They will need a lot more strength, even with Josh Lewsey, if they are to challenge anybody towards the back end of this campaign.
Northampton:
Tries: Mujati, penalty, Foden, Ashton, Commins
Conversions: Myler (2), Geraghty (2)
Penalties: Myler (2)
Drop-goals: None
Wasps:
Tries: None
Conversions: None
Penalties: Walder
Drop-goals: None
