Leinster give Saints record Euro thumping

TRIPLE champions Leinster handed Northampton a record European Cup defeat in a nine-try, 60-13 rout on Saturday as Connacht and Leicester kept their quarterfinal hopes alive with dramatic last-minute kicks.

A week ago, Leinster beat the Saints 37-10 in their first Pool 4 meeting – a game marked by Northampton’s England skipper Dyan Hartley being red carded after just six minutes.

On Saturday, the English side, already struggling in fourth from bottom spot in the Premiership, were stunned again despite briefly leading in Dublin when Ken Pisi scored an 80-metre breakaway try to go 13-5 up.

But the 2009, 2011 and 2012 champions were 29-13 ahead by the interval thanks to Adam Byrne’s second try and further scores from Luke McGrath and Sean O’Brien.

After the break, Tadhg Fur- long, Sean Cronin, skipper Isa Nacewa (two) and Rory O’Loughlin added further tries as Northampton were humiliated. Nacewa added 15 points with the boot.

The win moved Leinster to 16 points at the top of Pool 4, six ahead of Montpellier. Northampton remain bottom with just four points.

Connacht avenged last week’s 32-17 loss to Wasps when backrow forward Naulia Dawai barrelled over for the try with 81 minutes on the clock. That made it 18-18 with fly-half Jack Carty holding his nerve to kick the winning conversion for 20-18 from tight on the line.

Wasps took a losing bonus point and still head Pool 2. But they are locked on 13 points along with fourtime champions Toulouse and Connacht with only the group winners guaranteed a quarterfinal spot.

Leicester needed a last- minute, long-distance penalty to defeat Munster 18-16 as the Tigers avenged last weekend’s 38-0 mauling by Munster at Thomond Park.

The win allowed the Tigers to close the gap on Munster to three points in Pool 1 with Glasgow, who defeated French champions Racing 23-7 on Friday, leading the way on 13 points.

Glasgow are two ahead of Munster, who at least got a losing bonus point.