Northampton Saints thrash Bristol Bears 94-33
George Furbank was one of the try scorer for Northampton
©Steve Haag
Northampton Saints 94-33 Bristol Bears, cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens
Northampton Saints sealed their place in the Gallagher PREM play-offs with a record-breaking 94-33 victory over Bristol Bears at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
In a remarkable attacking display, Saints scored 14 tries and produced their highest-ever points total in a league match.
George Hendy was the standout finisher with four tries, while Rory Hutchinson and Archie McParland both crossed twice as Northampton overwhelmed Bristol from the opening minutes.
Saints Run Riot In First Half
Northampton started at full speed and struck inside three minutes when Henry Pollock created space for Hendy to score the opening try.
Bristol responded quickly through Harry Thacker, but Saints immediately regained control. Hutchinson crossed after Northampton won possession close to the Bears line, before Callum Chick finished another sharp attacking move.
Bristol hit back through Louis Rees-Zammit, but their discipline then hurt them badly. Kalaveti Ravouvou was shown a yellow card, and Saints capitalised through Alex Coles and McParland.
The hosts kept scoring at pace, with George Furbank, Hutchinson, Josh Kemeny and Hendy adding further tries before halftime. Northampton went into the break with a massive 61-14 lead, setting a Premiership record for most first-half points.
Bristol Score But Saints Keep Control
Northampton continued the second half in the same attacking mood. Pollock crossed early after more sharp work from McParland and Tommy Freeman.
Harry Randall scored for Bristol, but McParland replied almost immediately after a missed restart catch gifted Saints field position.
Hendy then completed his hat-trick after Chick broke down the blindside and released him to finish.
Hendy Completes Four-Try Haul
Bristol added second-half tries through Luka Ivanishvili and Noah Heward, but Northampton remained ruthless. Sam Graham powered over late after Tom Pearson created the opening.
Hendy then scored his fourth try in the closing stages, completing a stunning individual performance and taking Saints to a record 94 points.
