Confident Cobus sparks Boyd’s new-look Saints
THE SPEEDY opportunism of Cobus Reinach is putting the self-belief back into Northampton as Premiership high-riders Exeter discovered.
For the second match running, a try from an interception by the South African proved crucial to help give Chris Boyd his best win so far as Northampton’s director of rugby.
This victory and the success last week at Worcester has given Northampton a terrific lift and made Reinach a firm favourite of Saints supporters who packed out Franklin’s Gardens to its 15,000 capacity.
“We are getting better,” Boyd agreed after a top-quality match which brought four tries for each team.
Boyd added: “It’s taking time and we are not there yet, but we are going ‘north.’ The one thing I can’t fault this group is that they work hard. We have lacked selfbelief but that is starting to come.”
The speed of Reinach was one big factor in Northampton’s fifth Premiership win of the season.
Another factor was the second-half introductions of forwards Tom Wood, Heinrich Brussow and Ben Franks which brought much-needed fresh impetus.
Reinach’s try in the 57th minute, the scrum-half swooping on a pass from an Exeter line-out near halfway, was a pivotal moment and gave Northampton a lead of 28-21.
The score broke Exeter’s forward stranglehold which looked certain to bring victory after Saints had led 14-0 through early tries by centre Piers Francis and Dan Biggar, who also converted all four tries and a 62ndminute penalty.
Francis, who was helped off four minutes later after dislocating a shoulder, surged clear in the second minute after the pace of wing Tom Collins caught out Exeter in midfield.
Northampton seized on Exeter’s slow start to create a second try for Biggar in the eighth minute but after that Exeter’s greater scrum power dominated. It brought a penalty try in the first half and enabled wing Santiago Cordero to scramble over in the corner.
Those tries levelled affairs at 14-14 only for Northampton’s tenacity to wrestle possession away in the Exeter 22 allowing substitute centre Fraser Dingwall to dart through.
Besides Reinach’s secondhalf dash, another crucial period came just before halftime when Northampton, a player down after prop Alex Waller had been sin-binned for scrum collapses, kept Exeter at bay.
Devoto looked to have scored but referee Ian Tempest ruled the centre had been held up. Exeter turned round 21-14 down and quickly levelled after half-time when Ben Moon crossed.
Steenson added the conversion and they looked set to power their way to victory only for Northampton to regroup through their replacements and Reinach’s speedy swoop.
Exeter lost some of their composure, highlighted when replacement hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie was sinbinned for a tip tackle of Courtney Lawes.
Exeter did score a fourth try, No.8 Matt Kvesic finishing off a forward drive. However, the final whistle came immediately after Steenson’s conversion and Northampton rightly celebrated a notable win.