George Hendy Scores Three as Eight-Try Northampton Demolish Pretoria Bulls

The young winger scored a hat-trick as the Saints secured a perfect ten points from their first two European games with an eight-try hammering of Pretoria.

Ollie Sleightholme crossed twice and Pollock secured the bonus point try inside an hour as a dominant Saints team ran riot in the latter period.

The Bulls were within touching distance with the score 14-5 at the break but a sin-binning to forward 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 Smith added 10 points with the boot as Saints moved to the summit of their pool on superior points difference from holders Bordeaux with the two teams on 10 points.

The manner of this win, coming after a 35-27 victory on the road at Pau last week, means last season's runners-up Saints could not have hoped for a better start as they look to improve on that this season.

Bulls fly-half Wolhuter failed with an early shot at goal before the hosts took the lead when Pollock made a break before feeding Sleightholme who demonstrated his speed to sprint away to the line.

But an error from Sleightholme allowed the Bulls back into the game as the ball slipped from his grasp in contact, allowing Bulls wing Jacobs to kick on and show electric speed of his own to score after 22 minutes.

Ten minutes later, Saints had their second as fast passing from Mitchell at the base of a ruck and then Smith put Hendy over in the corner to make it 14-5 at the break.

Northampton were dominant in both ball and field position and were being given a helping hand from the opposition fly-half Kade Wolhuter who failed to find touch with penalty kicks to reinvite pressure onto the visitors.

That proved decisive after 48 minutes when Smith was again the architect, darting inside to wrong-foot the advancing defence before sending a sweet grubber kick over the line for Hendy to grab his second and Northampton's third score.

Pretoria forward Tshakweni was then shown a yellow card for a trip on Emmanuel Iyogun. Tshakweni was insistent he had been reacting to a trip just prior by the Saints player but the incident from the Saints replacement prop was ruled unintentional when reviewed by the officials.

Northampton capitalized of having the extra man to secure the bonus point through Pollock before Coles and Sleightholme crossed as the hosts registered three scores in five frantic minutes.

George Hendy completed his triple with 12 minutes remaining and Kemeny strolled in for the eighth try of an outstanding day for Saints in the final minute.

Rematch of Last Year's Final Next for Saints

The leading pair in the group will face off in a rerun of last year's final when the tournament resumes in January as Saints head to Bordeaux. The Saints then round off the pool stage with a home game against the Scarlets on 18 January.

The Pretoria Bulls, who have a single point from two matches, host Bristol Bears next before traveling to 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)