🔗 Share this article Hendy Scores Three as Eight-Try Saints Rout Pretoria Bulls Saints winger Hendy also scored a try in last week's 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 scored a hat-trick as Northampton made it a perfect ten points from their opening two European games with an eight-try hammering of the Bulls. Ollie Sleightholme scored two tries and Henry Pollock secured the fourth try inside an hour as a dominant Northampton side cut loose in the latter period. The visitors were still in the game with the score 14-5 at the interval but a sin-binning to prop Alulutho Tshakweni in the 53rd minute for a needless trip proved decisive and they did not score a point in the final forty minutes. International Fin Smith added 10 points from the tee as Northampton moved to the summit of Pool Four on points difference from defending champions Bordeaux with the two teams on 10 points. Fin Smith kicked 10 points in a man-of-the-match performance. The manner of this win, coming after a 35-27 away win at Section Paloise previously, means last year's losing finalists Northampton could not have asked for a better start as they aim to improve on that in this campaign. Pretoria's number ten Wolhuter failed with an early shot at goal before Saints took the lead when Henry Pollock broke before feeding Sleightholme who showed his pace to race clear to the line. But an mistake from the winger allowed the Bulls back into the game as the ball slipped from his grasp in the tackle, allowing Pretoria winger Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show electric speed of his own to score after 22 minutes. Shortly after, Saints had their second as fast passing from Mitchell at the ruck base and then Fin Smith put George Hendy over to make it fourteen to five at the half-time whistle. Saints were dominant in possession and territory and were being given a helping hand from the opposition fly-half Kade Wolhuter who twice missed touch with penalty kicks to bring the pressure back on the visitors. That proved decisive after 48 minutes when Smith was again the architect, stepping inside to wrong-foot the advancing defence before delivering a perfectly weighted left-footed kick over the line for George Hendy to grab his second and Saints' third score. Bulls prop Tshakweni was then sin-binned for a trip on Iyogun. The prop was adamant he had been responding to a trip momentarily before by Iyogun but the incident from the Northampton substitute was ruled accidental when looked at by the match officials. Saints seized the opportunity of having the numerical advantage to secure the try bonus point through Pollock before Coles and Sleightholme crossed as the home team registered three scores in five frantic minutes. Hendy wrapped up his triple with 12 minutes remaining and Josh Kemeny walked over for the eighth and final try of an excellent day for Saints in the dying moments. Rerun of Last Year's Final Awaits Saints The leading pair in the pool will face off in a rematch of the previous season's final when the tournament resumes in January as Saints travel to Bordeaux. The Saints then conclude the pool stage with a fixture at home against Scarlets on January 18th. The Pretoria Bulls, who have one point from two matches, welcome Bristol Bears in their next outing before an away trip 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)
Saints winger Hendy also scored a try in last week's 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 scored a hat-trick as Northampton made it a perfect ten points from their opening two European games with an eight-try hammering of the Bulls. Ollie Sleightholme scored two tries and Henry Pollock secured the fourth try inside an hour as a dominant Northampton side cut loose in the latter period. The visitors were still in the game with the score 14-5 at the interval but a sin-binning to prop Alulutho Tshakweni in the 53rd minute for a needless trip proved decisive and they did not score a point in the final forty minutes. International Fin Smith added 10 points from the tee as Northampton moved to the summit of Pool Four on points difference from defending champions Bordeaux with the two teams on 10 points. Fin Smith kicked 10 points in a man-of-the-match performance. The manner of this win, coming after a 35-27 away win at Section Paloise previously, means last year's losing finalists Northampton could not have asked for a better start as they aim to improve on that in this campaign. Pretoria's number ten Wolhuter failed with an early shot at goal before Saints took the lead when Henry Pollock broke before feeding Sleightholme who showed his pace to race clear to the line. But an mistake from the winger allowed the Bulls back into the game as the ball slipped from his grasp in the tackle, allowing Pretoria winger Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show electric speed of his own to score after 22 minutes. Shortly after, Saints had their second as fast passing from Mitchell at the ruck base and then Fin Smith put George Hendy over to make it fourteen to five at the half-time whistle. Saints were dominant in possession and territory and were being given a helping hand from the opposition fly-half Kade Wolhuter who twice missed touch with penalty kicks to bring the pressure back on the visitors. That proved decisive after 48 minutes when Smith was again the architect, stepping inside to wrong-foot the advancing defence before delivering a perfectly weighted left-footed kick over the line for George Hendy to grab his second and Saints' third score. Bulls prop Tshakweni was then sin-binned for a trip on Iyogun. The prop was adamant he had been responding to a trip momentarily before by Iyogun but the incident from the Northampton substitute was ruled accidental when looked at by the match officials. Saints seized the opportunity of having the numerical advantage to secure the try bonus point through Pollock before Coles and Sleightholme crossed as the home team registered three scores in five frantic minutes. Hendy wrapped up his triple with 12 minutes remaining and Josh Kemeny walked over for the eighth and final try of an excellent day for Saints in the dying moments. Rerun of Last Year's Final Awaits Saints The leading pair in the pool will face off in a rematch of the previous season's final when the tournament resumes in January as Saints travel to Bordeaux. The Saints then conclude the pool stage with a fixture at home against Scarlets on January 18th. The Pretoria Bulls, who have one point from two matches, welcome Bristol Bears in their next outing before an away trip 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)