Leinster in nine-try record defeat of Saints

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 80m 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 Furlong, Sean Cronin, skipper Isa Nacewa (two) and Rory O’Loughlin added further tries. Nacewa added 15 points with the boot.

The win moved Leinster to 16 points at the top of Pool 4. 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 in Galway.

That made it 18-18, with fly-half Jack Carty holding his nerve to kick the winning conversion for 20-18.

Wasps took a losing bonus point and still head Pool 2.

But they are locked on 13 points along with Toulouse and Connacht, with only the group winners guaranteed a quarterfinal spot.

Toulouse ran in eight tries in a 54-15 rout of Italian whipping boys Zebre.

Leicester needed a lastminute, long-distance penalty to defeat Munster 18-16.

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

Glasgow are two ahead of Munster.