Northampton 45-31 Bristol: Saints impress against Bristol in 10-try thriller

Matt Proctor scored his first try of the season for Northampton

Northampton moved up to fifth in the Premiership as they beat Bristol 45-31 at Franklin's Gardens.

Saints superbly secured a bonus point after 32 minutes having seen Harry Thacker give the Bears an early lead.

Alex Mitchell hit back with two tries along with one each from Ollie Sleightholme and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto.

Matt Proctor got a fifth, Magnus Bradbury, Callum Sheedy and Thacker went over for Bristol before James Grayson and AJ MacGinty swapped tries.

The win counted as Northampton's third in the league this season after their victory over Wasps earlier this month was expunged following the Coventry side's financial issues.

Bristol remain eighth in the Premiership after two wins from six games.

Thacker was mauled over after five minutes, but that was as good as it got for Bristol as Saints scored four impressive tries.

England Under-20 fly-half Fin Smith impressed as he kicked 18 points on his debut after being made redundant by financially-troubled Worcester

Mitchell spotted a gap to race over after 14 minutes before the scrum-half doubled his tally eight minutes later thanks to a good break from Rory Hutchinson.

George Hendy's excellent break and laser-like pass to Sleightholme allowed the winger to cross for the third inside half an hour before a wonderful passing move was capped off when Salakaia-Loto went in under the posts for the bonus point.

It looked like more of the same when Proctor raced in for Saints' fifth soon after the restart, but Bristol deserved a lot of credit for getting themselves back into the game as they scored three tries in 15 minutes.

Sheedy ran in a 50-metre interception try before Bradbury scores in the corner after replays showed he had not stepped into touch and Thacker got a second try from a rolling maul.

Aaron Hinkley's outrageous pass released Grayson for the hosts' sixth try before MacGinty got his first try for the Bears since his summer move from Sale in the final minute.

Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson:

"We showed a resilience, and to get to 31-7 at half-time showed how well we played. There was some great finishing.

"Alex (Mitchell) was brilliant. He is playing so well, he is so dangerous, he gets the game moving quickly and he will always sniff out a gap.

"He is improving all the time. It was a very mature performance. He has got to keep banging on the (England) door, and I am sure at some stage he will get an opportunity."

Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam told BBC Radio Bristol:

"It was a very good start, we controlled possession and were very tight and everything was going very well, but then the first turnover of the day.

"It was pretty much a gift and then defensive mistakes by players, we pay the price, and then knock on, knock on, knock on, and they're a good side and well done to them.

"But ultimately it's who controls the possession and we were losing ball and giving them easy ins to the game.

"But fair play to the boys, they worked their way in and with about 25 minutes to go we had a lot of opportunities that we blew and when we got the bonus point we had time.

"We were chasing the whole game but, ultimately, a lot of it was us gifting Saints opportunities and we paid the price for that."

Northampton: Hendy; Proctor, Dingwall (capt), Hutchinson, Sleightholme; Smith, Mitchell; Iyogun, Haywood, Hill, Salakaia-Loto, Moon, Graham, Hinkley, Augustus

Replacements: Matavesi, Waller, Petch, Nansen, Scott-Young, James, Grayson, Collins

Bristol: Piutau; Morahan, O'Conor, Bedlow, Purdy; Sheedy, Uren; Woolmore, Thacker, Lahiff, Batley, Joyce (capt),Bradbury, Lewis, Harding

Replacements: Capon, Thomas, Tyack, Vui, Heenan, Porter, MacGinty, Bates.

Referee: Hamish Smales

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