Hendy Hat-Trick as Eight-Try Northampton Rout Pretoria Bulls
Investec Champions Cup Pool Four
Northampton Saints (14) 50
Tries: Sleightholme 2, Hendy 3, Pollock, Coles, Kemeny Cons: Smith 5
Pretoria Bulls (5) 5
Tries: Jacobs
The young winger scored a hat-trick as the Saints secured maximum points from their first two Investec Champions Cup games with an eight-try hammering of the Bulls.
Ollie Sleightholme scored two tries and Henry Pollock scored the bonus point try inside an hour as a dominant Northampton side cut loose in the second half.
The Bulls were still in the game with the score fourteen-five at the break but a sin-binning to forward Alulutho Tshakweni in the 53rd minute for a needless trip proved decisive and they did not score a point in the second half.
International Fin Smith added 10 points from the tee as Northampton moved to the summit of their pool on superior points difference from holders Bordeaux-Bègles with both sides on 10 points.
The manner of this win, coming after a 35-27 victory on the road at Pau last week, means last season's runners-up Saints could not have hoped for a better start as they look to improve on that in this campaign.
Bulls fly-half Kade Wolhuter missed an early shot at goal before the hosts took the lead when Pollock made a break before feeding Sleightholme who showed his pace to race clear to the try line.
But an mistake from the winger allowed the Bulls back into the game as the ball was knocked on in contact, allowing Bulls wing Jacobs to hack the ball forward and show blistering pace of his own to reply after 22 minutes.
Shortly after, Saints had their second as fast passing from Alex Mitchell at the ruck base and then Fin Smith sent George Hendy over in the corner to make it fourteen to five at the half-time whistle.
Northampton were dominant in possession and territory and were being aided from the opposition fly-half Kade Wolhuter who twice missed touch with clearing penalties to reinvite pressure onto the away side.
That told after 48 minutes when Fin Smith was again the architect, stepping inside to deceive the advancing defence before delivering a perfectly weighted left-footed kick over the line for Hendy to grab his second and Northampton's third.
Pretoria forward Tshakweni was then sin-binned for a tripping offense on Emmanuel Iyogun. The prop was adamant he had been responding to a trip momentarily before by the Saints player but the incident from the Northampton substitute was ruled accidental when looked at by the officials.
Saints capitalized of having the extra man to clinch the bonus point through Pollock before Coles and Sleightholme crossed as the home team registered three scores in five frantic minutes.
George Hendy wrapped up his hat-trick with 12 minutes remaining and Josh Kemeny strolled in for the eighth try of an excellent afternoon for Saints in the dying moments.
Rerun of Last Year's Final Awaits Saints
The top two teams in the pool will face off in a rematch of last year's final when the Investec Champions Cup returns in the new year as Northampton travel to Bordeaux-Bègles. Northampton then conclude the pool stage with a home game against the Scarlets on January 18th.
The Pretoria Bulls, who have one point from their opening two games, welcome Bristol Bears next before traveling to Pau.
Line-ups
Northampton: Furbank; Sleightholme, Hutchinson, Dingwall, Hendy; F Smith, Mitchell; Fischetti, Wright, Davison, Coles, Van der Mescht, Kemeny, Pearson, Pollock
Replacements: R Smith, Iyogun, Kundiona, Munga, Prowse, Graham, James, Thame
Bulls: Williams; Petersen, Gans, Vorster, Jacobs; Wolhuter, Burger; Tshakweni, Van der Merwe, Smith, Wiese, Van Heerden, Coetzee, Ludwig, Louw
Replacements: Else, Sithole, Mchunu, Gumede, Carr, Papier, Johannes, Van Niekerk
Yellow card: Tshakweni (53)
Match Officials
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Sco)
Assistant referees: Rob McDowell (Sco) and Dave Sutherland (Sco)
TMO: Mike Adamson (Sco)
