Saints are sunk by Burns and Banahan

One moment of carelessness cost Northampton victory and, in all probability, any lingering hopes they had of qualifying for next season’s European Champions Cup.

With Northampton three points down and the countdown clock at zero at the end of the first half, all they needed to do was hoof the ball off the pitch and regroup.

Instead, Northampton turned around 10 points adrift after their gamble on trying to run the ball from halfway backfired spectacularly. A poor pass from Tom Stephenson was fumbled by Piers Francis, Ben Tapuai got a boot to the ball and Matt Banahan followed up to score the try that transformed the game and gave a Bath a lead that was unimaginable for most of the first half.

Northampton dominated the first quarter, winning seven successive penalties but all they had to show for their pressure was two penalties from Francis.

Freddie Burns lifted the siege with an audacious chip out of defence – it would have been considered reckless had it found a Northampton player – and then kicked five penalties in a 17-points haul as Northampton infringed under increasing pressure. With a full team of frontline players either on international duty or injured, Bath were reduced to a bare bones squad, but centre Will Hurrell took his opportunity to impress with a barnstorming performance.

Hurrell, brought in from Championship leaders Bristol on a loan deal to shore up Bath’s midfield, slotted in neatly alongside Tapuai and proved a constant menace to Northampton’s overworked defence. Northampton managed to deny their former full-back James Wilson a try against the club who released him last season, but they could not prevent Nick Auterac, who set up by Burns, and Ross Batty from nipping in from close range to complete an emphatic victory. Match details: Sport P12-13