"Northampton have gone all Euro and on Saturday the dividends rolled in. Not for the first time this season, it should be noted, Anthony Belleau and Edoardo Todaro, French and Italian, had the run of the place, scoring two and one tries respectively, as Northampton went to the top of the table for the time being, dispatching their nearest and dearest in the process."
"Lower-leg injuries were the order of the first half. Luke Pearce, the referee, in his first domestic match of the season, was off within 10 minutes with a calf problem. George Hendy was off 15 minutes later, having landed awkwardly under a high ball, which stretched Northampton's resources out wide. That meant Tommy Freeman, in his first match of the season, his 100th for Northampton, moving across from wing to full-back,"
"Saints have absolutely blitzed opponents in the first half of their opening two matches, only to be hauled in by dramatic comebacks in the second. This time they were more circumspect in the opening exchanges. Theirs was the first try, two more returning Lions, Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith, combining, the former's chip ahead bouncing wickedly into his hands to set up the latter for a run to the posts."
Northampton defeated Leicester to go top of the table, with Anthony Belleau scoring two tries and Edoardo Todaro one, securing a bonus-point win. The team recovered from earlier-season collapses by timing second-half surges and controlled the decisive period after the hour. The match featured multiple lower-leg and calf injuries that disrupted personnel, including referee Luke Pearce and players George Hendy and Tommy Freeman. Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith combined for Northampton's opening try, while Leicester led for long stretches and opened the scoring through a Billy Searle penalty. The contest included seesawing tries and late physical confrontations.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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