🔗 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 scored a hat-trick as Northampton made it maximum points from their opening two European games with an eight-try thrashing of Pretoria. Ollie Sleightholme crossed twice and Pollock secured the fourth try inside an hour as a commanding Saints team ran riot in the second half. 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 needless trip proved very costly and they failed to register a point in the final forty minutes. England fly-half Fin Smith contributed 10 points with the boot as Northampton moved to the summit of their pool on superior points difference from holders Bordeaux-Bègles with the two teams on 10 points. Smith kicked 10 points in a man-of-the-match performance. The nature of this win, following a 35-27 victory on the road at Pau previously, means last year's losing finalists Saints could not have hoped for a better start as they aim to go one better in this campaign. Pretoria's number ten Kade Wolhuter failed with an early shot at goal before Saints opened the scoring when Henry Pollock broke before passing to 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 Stravino Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show blistering pace of his own to reply after 22 minutes. Shortly after, Saints had their second as quick hands from Alex Mitchell at the ruck base and then Smith put Hendy over to make it 14-5 at the half-time whistle. Northampton were dominant in both ball and field position and were being aided from the opposition fly-half Kade Wolhuter who twice missed touch with penalty kicks to bring the pressure back on the away side. That told after 48 minutes when Smith was again the architect, darting inside to deceive the advancing defence before sending a sweet grubber kick over the line for Hendy to grab his second try and Saints' third. Pretoria forward Tshakweni was then shown a yellow card for a trip on Emmanuel Iyogun. The prop was insistent he had been responding to a trip just prior by Iyogun but the contact from the Northampton substitute was ruled accidental when reviewed by the match officials. Northampton capitalized of having the numerical advantage to secure the try bonus point through Pollock before Coles and Ollie Sleightholme scored as the home team notched three tries in five frantic minutes. George Hendy wrapped up his triple with twelve minutes left on the clock and Josh Kemeny walked over for the eighth and final try of an outstanding day for Saints in the dying moments. Rematch of Last Season's Final Next for Saints The top two teams in the group will face off in a rerun of the previous season's final when the Investec Champions Cup returns in January as Saints travel to Bordeaux. Northampton then conclude the group phase 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 traveling to 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 scored a hat-trick as Northampton made it maximum points from their opening two European games with an eight-try thrashing of Pretoria. Ollie Sleightholme crossed twice and Pollock secured the fourth try inside an hour as a commanding Saints team ran riot in the second half. 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 needless trip proved very costly and they failed to register a point in the final forty minutes. England fly-half Fin Smith contributed 10 points with the boot as Northampton moved to the summit of their pool on superior points difference from holders Bordeaux-Bègles with the two teams on 10 points. Smith kicked 10 points in a man-of-the-match performance. The nature of this win, following a 35-27 victory on the road at Pau previously, means last year's losing finalists Saints could not have hoped for a better start as they aim to go one better in this campaign. Pretoria's number ten Kade Wolhuter failed with an early shot at goal before Saints opened the scoring when Henry Pollock broke before passing to 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 Stravino Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show blistering pace of his own to reply after 22 minutes. Shortly after, Saints had their second as quick hands from Alex Mitchell at the ruck base and then Smith put Hendy over to make it 14-5 at the half-time whistle. Northampton were dominant in both ball and field position and were being aided from the opposition fly-half Kade Wolhuter who twice missed touch with penalty kicks to bring the pressure back on the away side. That told after 48 minutes when Smith was again the architect, darting inside to deceive the advancing defence before sending a sweet grubber kick over the line for Hendy to grab his second try and Saints' third. Pretoria forward Tshakweni was then shown a yellow card for a trip on Emmanuel Iyogun. The prop was insistent he had been responding to a trip just prior by Iyogun but the contact from the Northampton substitute was ruled accidental when reviewed by the match officials. Northampton capitalized of having the numerical advantage to secure the try bonus point through Pollock before Coles and Ollie Sleightholme scored as the home team notched three tries in five frantic minutes. George Hendy wrapped up his triple with twelve minutes left on the clock and Josh Kemeny walked over for the eighth and final try of an outstanding day for Saints in the dying moments. Rematch of Last Season's Final Next for Saints The top two teams in the group will face off in a rerun of the previous season's final when the Investec Champions Cup returns in January as Saints travel to Bordeaux. Northampton then conclude the group phase 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 traveling to 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)