Northampton 61-14 Bayonne: Saints thrash Bayonne to reach Champions Cup knockouts
- Published
Tommy Freeman, who was last capped by England in 2022, put in an impressive performance
Investec Champions Cup Pool 3 |
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Northampton: (42) 61 |
Tries: Freeman, Pearson 3, Lawes, Langdon, Waller 2, James Cons: Smith 8 |
Bayonne: (0) 14 |
Tries: Spring, Callandret Cons: Dolhagaray 2 |
Northampton Saints qualified for the Investec Champions Cup knockout stages after hammering Bayonne.
Flanker Tom Pearson scored a hat-trick and prop Alex Waller grabbed a brace as the Saints ran in nine tries.
The Saints led 42-0 at half-time with Tommy Freeman, Courtney Lawes and Curtis Langdon all crossing in the opening half.
Tom Spring glided through to ensure Bayonne scored a try of their own in a much quieter second period.
Full-back George Furbank made sure Northampton had another score after he broke clear and set up replacement Tom James.
Aurelien Callandret scored the final try of game to end a miserable night for the French side.
The result means Phil Dowson's side are the first team to qualify for the knockouts, having failed to reach this stage since 2020.
Northampton's final game of Pool 3 is away to Munster on 20 January where they could secure top spot in the pool and a home knockout tie.
Bayonne host Exeter next weekend, when they will hope a win is enough to sneak into the knockout stages.
Freeman & Smith press for Six Nations spots
The Saints came into the game top of the Premiership and their Champions Cup pool, with 10 wins from their past 11 matches.
That winning confidence was clear right from the first minute when Rory Hutchinson's chip landed in the hands of Freeman who ran in for the first try.
The 22-year-old now has 11 tries in all competitions and although positioned on the wing, he was given a free role to cause havoc through his smart running lines and powerful ball carrying.
His aerial game was a point of difference in the second period to show England head coach Steve Borthwick he has developed a well-rounded game since his last cap against Australia in 2022.
Fly-half Fin Smith, who is yet to be capped at international level, was in Borthwick's Six Nations squad last season learning off Owen Farrell, George Ford and Marcus Smith.
Like Freeman, he displayed the role of apprentice may be behind him with an immaculate display from the boot, missing only one conversion.
The 21-year-old's kicking out of hand also helped gain field-position for the forwards to power over for tries.
With George Ford's latest injury setback and Owen Farrell's decision to make himself unavailable for the Six Nations to prioritise his and his family's mental wellbeing, Smith continued to press forward his case for another call-up before Borthwick's squad announcement for the Six Nations on Wednesday.
Player of the match Freeman told TNT Sports:"We have shown patches of a real good 30-40 minutes but we tried to show a good 80-minute performance.
"We say it every week that if we come out of the blocks flying and be physical and don't force those silly offloads, then I think we can do that to a lot of teams.
"Any time you are part of a team when you are winning, it is that extra bit special. We are putting it in week in and week out and luckily getting the results."
Line-ups
Northampton Saints: Furbank (capt); Freeman, Dingwall, Hutchinson, Sleightholme; Smith, Mitchell; Waller, Langdon, Davison, Mayanavanua, Coles, Lawes, Pearson, Graham.
Replacements: Matavesi, Iyogun, Millar-Mills, Moon, Augustus, Scott-Young, James, Litchfield.
Bayonne: Callandret; Megdoud, Tiberghien, Buliruarua, Baget; Dolhagaray, Machenaud; Cormenier, Bosch, Tatafu, Marchois (capt), Leindekar, Bourdeau, Heguy, Bruni.
Replacements: Giudicelli, Perchaud, Cotet, Paulos, Cassiem, Labarbe, Spring, Lestrade.
Referee: Mike Adamson (Sco)
Sin-bin: Tevita Tatafu (16)