Fin Smith’s last-gasp try handed Northampton Saints a dramatic 35-28 win over Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park on Saturday.
The encounter, a repeat of an opening-day 33-33 draw, looked destined for another tie when replacement Paul Brown-Bampoe charged down a kick and touched down in the 78th minute, Henry Slade adding the conversion. But Smith produced a clever dummy and slipped over in the closing moments to break Exeter hearts and secure victory for the Premiership leaders.
Northampton director of rugby Paul Dowson praised his side’s persistence: “It’s fine margins, but I like the way we carried on playing, carrying that pressure and having that belief we could get over. We’ve got a lot of trust in our attacking system and we have that intent to go and try and score.”
Exeter had started explosively, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso finishing after 82 seconds following a two-on-one created by Campbell Ridl. Will Rigg added a second try from a tap-penalty move five minutes later, with Slade converting both. Northampton fought back through a well-worked score for Alex Mitchell, created by George Hendy and Tom Litchfield, and Ollie Sleightholme crossed just before half-time to make it 14-14.
The second half was cagey until Ridl put Exeter back ahead just before the hour, Slade slotting a superb touchline conversion. Brown-Bampoe’s late effort looked to have earned the Chiefs a draw, but Smith’s match-winner ensured all three points for Saints.
Bath run riot against Harlequins
Bath put eight tries on the board in a 48-15 rout of Harlequins at The Recreation Ground, with Santi Carreras scoring twice. The Argentina international, who started at full-back and finished at fly-half, also added a conversion as Bath strengthened their hold on second spot in the table.
Bath’s win was secured despite a late change when captain Ben Spencer withdrew with a sore shoulder and Tom Carr-Smith was forced on. Harlequins fought on despite injury problems but remain ninth after the defeat. Bath’s bonus-point victory moves Johann van Graan’s men to within a point of leaders Northampton ahead of next Saturday’s meeting between the two title contenders.
Hamer-Webb five-try haul as Leicester romp
Gabriel Hamer-Webb ran in five tries as Leicester thumped Newcastle 62-3 at Welford Road, the Tigers marking their 5,000th match with a 10-try demolition. Team-mates also grabbed multiple scores, contributing to a crushing bonus-point win that ramps up Leicester’s push for a play-off place.
Hamer-Webb, denied a potential sixth try by a late foot-in-touch decision, reflected on a special night: “My previous best was a hat-trick, so this is special. All I had to do was get on the end of everything… Being around the likes of Ollie Chessum, JVP and Freddie Steward too, who set such high standards.” He joked that the narrowly-missed sixth try — disallowed at the death — would cost him £100.
The emphatic victory keeps Leicester firmly in the hunt while Newcastle were left to regroup after a heavy defeat.