Following a 48-31 win for Northampton Saints over Bristol Bears in the Premiership on Saturday, here’s our five takeaways from cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
The top line
Northampton Saints warmed up for their Investec Champions Cup clash with Leinster next weekend in fine style, as an Alex Mitchell inspired performance put the brakes on Bristol’s Premiership ambitions despite a helter-skelter last 10 minutes from the visitors which saw them grab three late tries to keep that play-off flame flickering.
It was a game of attacking ambition and explosive skills, with Saints grabbing a full bonus point win courtesy of tries from Mitchell, Curtis Langdon, Tommy Freeman, Emmanuel Iyogun, Juarno Augustus and Henry Pollock as they crossed the Bristol line seven times.
For Bristol, shorn of any form of forward dominance, the industry of their wings, Deago Bailey and Gabriel Ibitoye was a real positive to take forward with them to try and get over that last hurdle of play-off qualification. Ibitoye, in particular, was in outstanding form and it was his run down the left hand touchline to cross for an absolutely crucial bonus point that might just have kept the Bristol train on track to those play-offs.
The visitors finished on a tally of five, from Bailey, Ibitoye (2) and James Williams (2), grabbing their last couple in the closing two minutes as the visitors mounted a spirited comeback to take what they could from a disappointing performance.
Platform for success
Much is often made of the brilliance of Northampton Saints with ball in hand, but at their best, it’s the solidity of their forward platform that allows the piano players to profit from the efforts of the piano pushers. This season, that’s been something of a challenge for Northampton, after losing forwards of the calibre (and size) of David Ribbans, Courtney Lawes and Alex Moon over the last year or so.
However, this was a match where that platform stood solid. Led by a massive display from England’s towering hybrid lock-cum-flank Alex Coles, who took 10 lineouts and one steal, made 17 tackles and carried brilliantly in traffic, and the human bowling ball Augustus, who was outstanding in carry, Saints beat Bristol at every aspect of the set-piece, taking away any form of continuity that the visitors needed to load their powerful backline ammunition.
With aerial opportunities created by Mitchell and Fin Smith, the catch area and drop zone were dominated by James Ramm, Tom Litchfield and Freeman as Saints achieved a full 100% recovery rate on the box kick battle, in addition to helping themselves to six of the 11 hoisted by Bristol.
It might be the running of Freeman, Pollock and Mitchell that dominates the headlines, but this was a win that owed a lot to the structure the forwards gave Saints, showing that the East Midlands club are very much on the up, desperate to get to the play-offs to defend their title.
Mitchell masterclass
It’s hard to think of a more important player to English rugby at both Test and domestic level as Saints scrum-half Mitchell.
When England were without him in the Autumn Nations Series, they looked a shadow of the side that achieved bronze at the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the simple truth is that the drop off between the Saints half-back and the rest of England’s options is absolutely massive.
Mitchell was at his spiky best in this match, his dummying, jinking solo effort lighting up the Gardens faithful as he screamed home for a brilliant individual effort. A few moments later, a lazy swing of his footballer’s boot saw him kick 22 to 22 to grab a magnificent 50/22 in the Bristol half.
It didn’t stop there as the Saint put in yet another memorable performance of fast and aggressive ball supply from the base. Right now there’s little doubt he’ll be part of Andy Farrell’s squad when it’s announced on May 8 and the only question still remaining unanswered is when he features in the Tests rather than if he features. Simply outstanding, and the cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens sell-out crowd rightly gave their most valuable asset a standing ovation as he left the field with 20 minutes left.
Bristol basics
Bristol at their best are a side that simply love unstructured and intuitive rugby and at their best, they fuse surety of basics with some real ambition. However, their turnover of ball in this match and lack of a really dominant set-piece platform cost them the chances to further their play-off chances.
Whilst the structure was there in parts, simple possessional lapses and handling errors littered their game, and with a number of big carriers missing, they really struggled to win the collisions that feed the speed of their wonderful backs.
Other than Steven Luatua who offered real surety on his own ball on his 150th Premiership appearance, Bristol lost four of their own throws due to the pressure of the brilliant Coles and the short throwing of Harry Randall.
Bristol have, in the past, timed their run into form perfectly to challenge for honours, but this season, their form is falling away just when they need it most.
Test watch
Again, it’s that time of year when test selections, and especially Lions tour picks, top the debate of any rugby pundits to-do list, and this match threw up as many topics of discussion as any.
With Player of the Match Mitchell almost sure to be heading to Australia, all eyes were on his half-back cohort Smith, a man who had an armchair ride and once more, delivered control and vision aplenty.
One Lions dark horse is the other member of those Saints playmakers, Fraser Dingwall. The centre has come on leaps and bounds this season – a calm and sensible head that consistently makes great decisions. He’s done everything he can to wear the red of the Home Unions and has moved forward from a fringe choice to a very real prospect.
With Freeman embedded in virtually everyone’s Lions squad, Pollock once again delivered some eye-catching work in attack, but possibly once again, his work on the other side of the ball was perhaps not at the level of an elite Test player. However, when Saints are achieving such great breakdown numbers with Pollock working mainly as a support attacker, you might claim he’s simply doing what the team needs and that it’s churlish to criticise such an outstanding talent.
Bristol’s Fitz Harding may yet still see an England Test call-up to the Americas, and it’s virtually certain that his team-mate Randall, together with Saintsmen Langdon and the absolutely outstanding Coles will also be travelling across the Atlantic.