Ten-try Northampton demolish Quins to go top

The Prem.

Northampton (33) 66

F Smith Cons: F Smith 8; Coles 3, Mitchell, Freeman, Freeman, Coles 3, Mitchell, Freeman, Todaro 2, Tries:

Harlequins (14) 21

Northampton Saints produced a stupendous 10-try effort to demolish Harlequins and reclaim the Prem table with Alex Coles’ hat-trick.

Danilo Fischetti, Coles, Alex Mitchell, and Tommy Freeman all had their names on the scoresheet as Saints almost immediately broke through the Quins’ defense in the opening half.

Quins won another breathless Saints game thanks to two scores from Cassius Cleaves and Alex Dombrandt in the second half, as well as one from Fin Smith.

The visitors benefited from a quick ball and sprinted into the Saints 22, but Marcus Smith was eventually able to find Cleaves on a perfect line to split the defense before going down.

After George Turner’s first league start, a try was squandered by both teams, before Saints leveled the score at one point.

The Quins’ line was immediately broken by the vicious Fischetti after a spectacular break down George Hendy and James Ramm’s wing.

With Quins unable to deal with the rapid pace of the attack, Phil Dowson’s men soon received a third, and scrum-half Mitchell was unaffected by the quick offloading from Fischetti and Coles, who had no trouble getting to the line.

Fischetti then scored his second from Mitchell’s offload to earn the bonus point before the break, inflicting further pain on Quins.

The Harlequins scored their second goal from a flawless set-piece move in the 22, but Dombrandt quickly recycled the ball, who dipped overuntouched in the corner, through Chandler Cunningham-South.

Unsurprisingly, the second half did not proceed at the same fiery pace, but Saints did not want to increase their lead.

Before Coles, who was only one of the many players who blasted at the Quins line from point blank range, delivered the ball, Craig Wright was only one of them.

The Italy winger was then sprinted away and sprang over unaided, Todaro being the victim of more wizardry from Hendy.

Smith was pleased to receive a pass from Anthony Belleau that fell off the head of JJ van der Mescht, but Northampton’s eighth try was more fateful than well-crafted.

However, Dombrandt added his second as a consolation after Rodrigo Isgro took a break from Rodrigo Isgro and Todaro powered his way through four Quins tacklers to secure his brace.

With the game’s final score, Saints were still undefeated, with Coles scoring his hat-trick to put them back in the lead, two points clear of Bath.

Sam Vesty, the head coach for Northampton, told BBC Radio Northampton: “

“We scored some incredible tries there, got the game moving very quickly, and we’re dangerous when we’re like that.”

In the first half, we were slightly depressed in our defense. In that regard, I thought the second half was much better.

“Alex Coles has excelled. He’s the best celebrator in the team because he’s always next to the try-getter, but it’s frequently him who’s on the end of it.

Wright, Scola, Kundiona, Prowse, Graham, McParland, Belleau, and Hutchinson are the replacements.

Harlequins: David, Isgro, Northmore, Evans, Cleaves, M. Smith, Friday, Hobson, Turner, H. Williams, Pagadizábal, Treadwell, Cunningham-South, Kenningham, Dombrandt (capt.).

Riley, Kerrod, Delgado, E Williams, Launchbury, Carr, Porter, and Bradley are the replacements.