Saints dominate Bath
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Northampton Saints rounded out 2025 in style as they defeated the reigning Gallagher PREM champions to replace them at the top of the table with a 21-41 away victory – their first at the Recreation Ground since 2022.
Saints struck first in Round 8, sending man-of-the-match Tommy Freeman over after just three minutes and stayed level with their hosts on the half-time whistle when Archie McParland sniped over.
And despite going 21-14 down when Bath scored a neat close-ranger after the break, Northampton turned the screw and scored 27 unanswered points as Freeman grabbed his second and Henry Pollock followed suit with a pair of his own, before Anthony Belleau landed a penalty and Freeman completed his hat-trick.
FIRST HALF:
A much-changed Saints side started strongly at the Rec, with Robbie Smith tipping clean lineout ball onto a charging Freeman from five metres out. The centre scythed through Bath’s defence and dotted down just left of the posts, with Belleau adding the extras.
Saints thought they’d scored a second just moments later when Rory Hutchinson scooped up a loose ball and fed speedster Edoardo Todaro on the left. The Italy winger was clear and under the posts, but play was called back for a Saints knock-on at the restart.
A heavy period of pressure from the hosts followed and eventually Saints’ defence gave way to Thomas du Toit from close range.
Finn Russell added the conversion to level the scores after nine minutes played, and Saints found themselves down to 14 men just after when Ed Prowse was sent to the sin bin when he made contact with the head of Miles Reid in a tackle.
The hosts made the most of their extra firepower in the forwards quickly, sending a rolling maul close before Tom Dunn broke away and muscled his way over – with Russell’s conversions making it 14-7.
It was another moment of magic from Saints that levelled the scores again on the 20-minute mark. Chunya Munga had secured Northampton the ball at the lineout and fed scrum-half McParland off the top, the scrum-half was tackled but managed to get the ball away to Todaro and popped back up to take the offload from the winger before cutting a neat line through Bath’s defence to score.
Belleau’s second conversion brought the score to 14-14 and Saints thought they had taken the lead when George Hendy broke free on put Freeman close before the captain Chick stretched over. But that score was chalked off after a trip to the TMO as it was deemed Beno Obano was prevented from getting back into the defensive line in the build up.
And Saints would have the chance grab another try on the half-time whistle, when Belleau freed his arms to put Freeman through Bath’s line but the centre’s pass to a waiting Sam Graham out on the left found touch instead of the flanker’s hands.
SECOND HALF:
With the teams re-entering the action at level pegging, it was the home side that struck first – tapping a penalty they earned at the maul and sending du Toit over from close range for his second under the posts.
Russell’s simple conversion made it 21-14 but Saints were denied another score to level things on 49 minutes, when Hutchinson’s stretch was deemed short of the tryline by the TMO.
Saints did eventually get their score though and it was centre Freeman who sliced through Bath’s line as he had in the first half to score just left of the sticks – with Belleau’s conversion levelling the scores once again.
A breakaway score would put Saints’ ahead just moments later, when a perfect cover tackle from Chick allowed George Hendy to scoop up loose ball and race clear, before he popped the ball inside to Pollock to finish the job.
Another neat conversion from Belleau made it 21-28 and Saints were soon a man to the good when Bath’s Dan Frost was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on as Northampton got close to the whitewash.
And Pollock wasted no time extending Saints’ lead further, getting himself onto the back of a driving maul before breaking away and scoring his second and Northampton’s fifth, which Belleau duly converted.
The fly-half added another three to Saints’ tally from the tee when Bath were found off their feet at the breakdown, sending the scores to 21-36 in Saints’ favour.
Northampton would have the final word as well, with Freeman rounding off his hat-trick in sublime fashion as Saints whipped the ball wide and the centre stepped back inside to seal a sixth score with four minutes to play.
And Saints rode out a final Bath attack, turning the ball over sweetly before replacement scrum-half James sent the ball into the stands and seal the five point win.
The men in Black, Green and Gold return home in the New Year, welcoming Harlequins to a sold-out cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday 3 January (kick-off: 5.30pm).
LINE-UPS:
Bath: 15 de Glanville, 14 Cokanasiga, 13 Lawrence,12 Ojomoh, 11 Arundell, 10 Russell, 9 Spencer; 1 Obano, 2 Dunn, 3 du Toit, 4 Roux, 5 Molony, 6 Bayliss, 7 Underhill, 8 Reid.
Replacements: 16 Frost, 17 van Wyk, 18 Griffin, 19 Hill, 20 Pepper, 21 Carr-Smith, 22 Carreras, 23 Harris.
Saints: 15 Hendy, 14 Todaro, 13 Freeman, 12 Hutchinson, 11 Ramm, 10 Belleau, 9 McParland; 1 Iyogun, 2 R Smith, 3 Davison, 4 Prowse, 5 Munga, 6 Chick (c), 7 Graham, 8 Pollock.
Replacements: 16 Walker, 17 Scola, 18 Millar Mills, 19 Benson, 20 Brown, 21 James, 22 Lumley, 23 Sleightholme.
