Match Report: Nottingham Rugby 33-66 Northampton Saints

A ten-try haul sealed Northampton Saints’ place in the Premiership Rugby Cup quarter-finals, as a 66-33 victory over Nottingham Rugby rounded off the pool stages of the competition at Lady Bay Stadium.

While Nottingham drew first blood, Saints sealed their spot in the next round of the competition with a first-half try bonus point – sending Iakopo Mapu, George Hendy and Tom James over while Charlie Savala grabbed a brace in Northampton’s centres.

And while Nottingham crossed four times in the clash and added a penalty try to their tally too, Saints would send Tom Litchfield, Rafe Witheat, Tom Seabrook and Archie Benson over – while Savala completed his hat-trick as Northampton sealed the win. 

FIRST-HALF:

It was the hosts who drew first blood, creating pressure in Saints’ 22 before Sam Green stretched over from close range. Matthew Arden’s conversion made it 7-0 but the scores were soon level. 

Saints’ built the phases in Nottingham’s 22, creeping closer to the tryline before Savala was able to reach over, and George Makepeace-Cubitt’s conversion brought Northampton level. 

The home side stretched ahead again just after when Ryan Olowofela’s two chips over the top landed first for himself and then for Harry Graham to dot down. 

Again, Northampton hit straight back – pushing into Nottingham’s 22 through a string of penalties before the maul got Saints closer. From there, the men in Black, Green and Gold pushed from close range and it was Mapu who claimed his first Saints try on his maiden start. 

Saints got close again on the half-hour mark when Makepeace-Cubitt pinged a well-weighted pass over to Witheat out on the left, the winger found Coles inside him but the England lock was held up over the whitewash. 

Saints did claim their third just after though when Hendy got onto the end of James’ grubber in behind Nottingham’s line. And the scrum-half would get a score of his own moments later, sniping over from close range for the bonus-point score after Saints worked close to the tryline again. 

Nottingham lost Jack Stapley to the sin bin for killing the ball and Savala would grab his second before the break, while Saints were a man to the good; the ball was pulled back for Makepeace-Cubitt to send a crossfield kick over to a waiting Benson on the right, before the ball came back inside and Savala scrambled over in the midfield. 

SECOND HALF: 

The teams emerged from the break with the score 31-14 in Saints’ favour and the away side stretched their lead quickly when Litchfield sliced through Nottingham’s last line of defence after Saints got close through the lineout. 

Witheat claimed his first in Saints colours just two minutes later, sending a grubber through and sprinting onto it himself to score Saints’ seventh.

And while a penalty try awarded to Nottingham when their maul was brought down short of the tryline illegally, and Mapu sent to the sin bin for his actions, Savala scored his hat-trick in the 50th minute, slicing through Nottingham’s line after Saints got themselves close once more.

Nottingham did get one back when Witheat’s clearing kick was charged down, with Xavier Valentine dotting down the bouncing ball and Tom Threlfall’s conversion making it 28-52.

A raft of changes re-energised both sides but unforced errors from both Saints and Nottingham kept the score at a stalemate until the home side eventually sent replacement fly-half Threlfall over. 

But Northampton were to have the last word with two more tries of their own, first shipping the ball wide at pace to Seabrook – who deftly chipped through and re-gathered to score the ninth try for Saints – before another Makepeace-Cubitt crossfield kick found Benson on the right. 

The win secured Saints’ place in the Premiership Rugby Cup’s quarter-finals, though the men in Black, Green and Gold will have to wait for the other results this weekend to find out who their opposition is in the next round. 

LINE-UPS:

Nottingham: 15 Olowofela, 14 Williams (c), 13 Stapley, 12 Pohe, 11 Graham, 10 Arden, 9 Will Yarnell; 1 Owen, 2 Clayton, 3 Richardson, 4 Shine, 5 Ferreira, 6 Green, 7 Tweedy (vc), 8 Cherry.
Replacements: 16 Harris, 17 Sio, 18 Valentine, 19 Ecclesfield, 20 Vereti, 21 Venner, 22 Threlfall, 23 Mercer.

Saints: 15 Hendy, 14 Witheat, 13 Litchfield, 12 Savala, 11 Seabrook, 10 Makepeace-Cubitt, 9 James; 1 Iyogun, 2 Wright, 3 Millar Mills, 4 Prowse, 5 Coles, 6 Benson, 7 Scott-Young (c), 8 Mapu.
Replacements: 16 Walker, 17 West, 18 Nonleh, 19 Pearson, 20 Brown, 21 Weimann, 22 Pasco, 23 Glister.