Harlequins beat Saints with late Cleaves winner

Cassius Cleaves [left] and Will Joseph both got on the scoresheet as Harlequins beat Northampton at The Stoop

Gallagher Premiership

Harlequins (10) 22

Tries: Cleaves 2, Lawday, Joseph Con: J Evans

Northampton (14) 19

Tries: Pearson, Haffar, Seabrook Cons: Makepeace-Cubitt 2

Cassius Cleaves' late try secured a dramatic bonus-point win for Harlequins over reigning Premiership champions Northampton Saints.

With Saints heading towards a narrow two-point victory, the 21-year-old burst through to score the game-sealing try with four minutes left.

George Makepeace-Cubitt converted tries from Tom Pearson and Tarek Haffar to give the visitors a four-point lead at the break, with Jarrod Evans missing both kicks after Cleaves and Tom Lawday had scored for the hosts.

Tom Seabrook extended Northampton's lead soon after the interval before Will Joseph hit back immediately to narrow the gap to two points.

The game became a contest of who might blink first as both sides began to tire, with Cleaves eventually dotting down his second try of the night to give the hosts the lead for the first time.

It was enough for Harlequins to secure a vital five points in their pursuit of a play-off place.

They move up to fifth in the table, while Northampton's fall from table-toppers last season continues.

They will go into the international break down in eighth and with a mountain to climb to have any chance of retaining their title.

Harlequins are one point off the top four following Friday's win, although they have now played a game more than all of the teams around them

Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson called this his side's biggest league game of the season in his pre-match press conference.

Both teams were without their England players, who are now training with their national team ahead of the Six Nations.

And the home side missed Marcus Smith's kicking as Evans missed three of his four conversion attempts to make the score closer than it could have been.

Cleaves was excellent for the home side, with his flying speed causing the Saints' backline problems down the left wing.

He could have given his side the lead - and ultimately claimed a stunning hat-trick - had he dived over the line early on but, having chosen to carry on running, Saints full-back James Ramm was able to get across and make the tackle into touch, with the lack of deemed contact with the head or neck avoiding the penalty try.

Harlequins suffered a major injury blow when James Chisholm had to go off midway through the first half after twisting his leg awkwardly in the turf, with Lawday sent on in his place.

Speaking after the game, Wilson confirmed it was a suspected Achilles injury and it "didn't look good".

Northampton will rue the concession of that final try, having led for the majority of the game, and can take positives from the performances of some of their young players, with prop Haffar catching the eye.

Saints are seven points behind Leicester, who face Gloucester on Saturday, in the Premiership's final play-off spot.

What did Danny Wilson and Phil Dowson say?

Phil Dowson said he was proud of his Northampton players after Friday's defeat at Harlequins

Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson told BBC Radio London:

"Getting five points was massive in the race for making the top four and I think if we'd lost we'd have been in a really difficult [position] and hoping results go our way.

"In the first half we felt we were a little off. We've got some boys who've played lots of rugby - with six-day turnaround after six-day turnaround, that catches up with them - and some boys who haven't played enough rugby.

"We talked at half-time that we needed to go up a little bit and then there were some great performances."

On Cassius Cleaves: "He's out and out gas is what he is. He's still got a lot to learn but what he's got is finishing ability."

Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson told BBC Radio Northampton:

"With regards to effort and how they applied themselves, I couldn't have been more proud of that group. I was delighted with how hard we worked.

"There's obviously some elements we can do better and to concede it [Cleaves' second try] so late feels really cruel but we need to be better defensively, there's things we can do better in attack and in the midfield.

"Heartbreaking experiences like this will stand us in good stead in the long run.

"There were definitely times in the first half where we could have turned the screw a little bit more. They're desperate to climb the table as well."

On Saints' season as a whole: "I don't think there's anything negative other than our league position.

"Some of our effort and performances have been very good, some of it hasn't and that's what we'll be working on as well as our core game."

Harlequins: Green; David, Joseph, Waghorn, Cleaves; J Evans, Care; Jones, Walker, Kerrod, Launchbury, Lewies, Kenningham, W Evans, Chisholm.

Replacements: Riley, Els, Lewis, Herbst, Lawday, Porter, Benson, Halfpenny.

Northampton: Ramm; Litchfield, Savala, Hutchinson, Seabrook; Makepeace-Cubitt, McParland; Haffar, Walker, Davison, Mayavanua, Lockett, Kemeny, Pearson, Augustus.

Replacements: Wright, West, Green, Prowse, Hunter-Hill, Scott-Young, James, Glister.

Referee: Luke Pearce.