Premiership: Wasps 17-22 Northampton - Saints survive hosts' late revival

Weakened Wasps suffered a second home defeat in seven days as Northampton followed Harlequins' lead

Northampton Saints hung on for a third straight Premiership win as they beat Wasps 22-17 at the Ricoh Arena.

The visitors looked on course for a comfortable victory when they cashed in on two Wasps yellow cards in a minute to lead 22-0 at the break.

Shaun Adendorff, Sam Matavesi and Taqele Naiyaravoro all scored tries.

Saints also then had two men sin-binned and Rob Miller and Tommy Taylor both crossed to give Wasps hope, but all they got was a losing bonus point.

Chris Boyd's Saints, who returned to Premiership action by winning at Gloucester last Saturday, held on to hand Wasps a second home defeat in seven days and move above them in the table.

Again without all their key international players, Wasps at least showed second-half spirit in lessening the margin of defeat after another poor first-half show in the wake of last Sunday's 49-17 defeat by Harlequins.

That had followed a run of six straight league and cup wins - but that sort of form from Lee Blackett's side looked a world away in a first half of poor decision making and ill discipline.

After Saints had started well, going ahead with a 13th-minute James Grayson penalty, Wasps then three times turned the opportunity of kickable penalties of their own in the vain hope of scoring a try.

Saints made them pay when a touchline run from Ollie Sleightholme put the Wasps defence on the back foot, allowing the supporting number eight Adendorff to force his way over for his third try in two games.

Grayson missed the conversion but, after having first prop Kieran Brookes and lock James Gaskell both sent to the bin for illegal shoulder challenges, Saints then really cashed in.

Hooker Matavesi and winger Naiyaravoro both forced their way over from close range, Grayson improving both to open up that 22-point match-winning cushion.

Within three minutes of the restart, full-back Miller gave Wasps hope when he went in out wide, Jimmy Gopperth converting.

Naiyaravoro's yellow card for a high tackle went unpunished by Wasps, who suffered a further blow when when luckless replacement prop Simon McIntyre went off with a leg injury just a minute after coming onto the field.

Wasps then got further back in contention with a penalty from Jacob Umaga - and they got even closer after Saints centre Piers Francis was yellow-carded for a deliberate offside.

But all Wasps could manage was a try for replacement hooker Taylor to earn that losing bonus point.

Umaga landed the goal to reduce the gap to five points and offer hope that Wasps might snatch it in the final 11 minutes, most of which were with a man advantage, but Saints kept their cool to hold firm.

Wasps director of rugby Lee Blackett:

"We were miles better than last week. We had greater speed and intent but our execution wasn't very good.

"We easily had enough opportunities to score but didn't take them and in the end our ill discipline proved costly.

"It's frustrating as the 14 points we conceded when we were down to 13 men had a big effect."

Northampton director of rugby Chris Boyd:

"In the first 30 minutes we were reasonably good, the second 50 we were rotten. We were pretty decent in taking advantage of them going down to 13 men but after that we were incredibly poor.

"Our decision-making went to pieces and individuals went off score. Wwe took a backward step after last week's good win at Gloucester.

"It was a classic game of two halves as we had the rub of the green and the penalties in our favour in the first half but after the interval it was role reversal. We could have easily lost in the final moments."

Wasps: Miller; Kibirige, Fekitoa, Gopperth, Minozzi; Atkinson, Wolstenholme; Harris, Cruse, Brookes, Cardall, Gaskell, Shields (capt), Oghre, T Willis.

Replacements: Taylor, McIntyre, Toomaga-Allen, Vukasinovic, Morris, Vellacott, Umaga, Le Bourgeois.

Sin-bin: Brookes (25), Gaskell (26)

Northampton: Freeman; Sleightholme, Hutchinson, Francis, Naiyaravoro; Grayson, Mitchell; Waller (co-capt), S Matavesi, Hill, Ribbans, Moon, Isiekwe, Ludlam (co-capt), Adendorff.

Replacements: Haywood, Van Wyk, O Franks, Coles, Wood, James, Collins, Tuala.

Sin-bin: Naiyaravoro (47), Francis (67).

Referee: Adam Leal (RFU).

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