Hendy Scores Three as Eight-Try Northampton Rout 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 bagged a triple as the Saints made it a perfect ten points from their first two European games with an eight-try thrashing of the Bulls.
Ollie Sleightholme crossed twice and Henry Pollock scored the fourth try inside an hour as a commanding Saints team ran riot in the latter period.
The visitors were within touching distance with the score 14-5 at the break but a yellow card to prop Alulutho Tshakweni in the 53rd minute for a needless trip proved very costly and they did not score a point in the second half.
England fly-half Smith added 10 points with the boot as Saints went top of Pool Four on superior points difference from defending champions Bordeaux-Bègles with the two teams on 10 points.
The manner of this win, coming after a 35-27 victory on the road at Pau last week, means last year's losing finalists Saints could not have hoped for a better start as they aim to improve on that this season.
Pretoria's number ten Wolhuter failed with an early shot at goal before Saints opened the scoring when Henry Pollock made a break before passing to Ollie Sleightholme who showed his pace to race clear to the line.
But an error from the winger let the Bulls back in as the ball was knocked on in contact, allowing Bulls wing Jacobs to kick on and show blistering pace of his own to score after 22 minutes.
Ten minutes later, Saints had their second try as fast passing from Mitchell at the ruck base and then Fin Smith put Hendy over to make it fourteen to five at the half-time whistle.
Northampton were on top in possession and territory and were being aided from the opposition fly-half Wolhuter who failed to find touch with penalty kicks to reinvite pressure onto the visitors.
That proved decisive after 48 minutes when Smith was again the creator, stepping inside to wrong-foot the advancing defence before delivering a perfectly weighted grubber kick over the line for George Hendy to collect his second try and Northampton's third.
Bulls prop Tshakweni was then sin-binned for a trip on Emmanuel Iyogun. Tshakweni was adamant he had been reacting to a trip just prior by the Saints player but the contact from the Saints replacement prop was ruled accidental when reviewed by the match officials.
Saints seized the opportunity of having the extra man to clinch the bonus point through Pollock before Alex Coles and Ollie Sleightholme crossed as the home team notched three scores in five minutes.
Hendy wrapped up his triple with twelve minutes left on the clock and Kemeny walked over for the eighth try of an outstanding afternoon for Northampton in the dying moments.
Rerun of Last Season's Final Next for Saints
The top two teams in the pool will face off in a rematch of last year's final when the Investec Champions Cup resumes in the new year as Saints head to Bordeaux. The Saints then round off the group phase with a home game against the Scarlets on 18 January.
The Pretoria Bulls, who have a single point from two matches, welcome Bristol in their next outing before an away trip face 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)
