Northampton’s upturn continues, this win lifting them to fifth in the table, but if they had deprived Bristol of a bonus point, which they threatened to in the final minutes, it would have been a travesty. It was a compelling encounter, the teams level until the 73rd minute, but it was the visitors who looked the better side for long periods – quite possibly the majority.
“We’ve got belief,” said Mark Tainton, Bristol’s acting head coach, “and with belief comes confidence. When you’ve got confidence you can achieve anything. And we nearly achieved something special this evening.”
They are unrecognisable from the side who gave up bonus-point victories to the opposition as a matter of course earlier in the season. This was another of those but can be put down to the power of Louis Picamoles and a momentary lapse of concentration from Will Cliff, who yielded Northampton’s bonus-point try to a JJ Hanrahan chargedown, just after Bristol had retaken the lead.
Four tries for Northampton but, bar Tom Wood’s just after half-time, they were scrappy affairs. Bristol’s pair were wonderful exhibitions of precision and confidence. On the back of it Jason Woodward, who looks one of the signings of the season, gathered 21 points. Bristol will say that they have always been confident, just inconsistent, but they play with authority now when they have the ball and not as if by the seat of their pants.
It is their defence, though, that has improved most. Not that Northampton are particularly the side, in this form, to expose any lingering fallibility. Their two first-half tries were typical of a side haunted by the heights they are not hitting. True, the first was triggered by a rare foray from George North, who ran back a loose kick with pace and power, but the finish required the subsequent attacking scrum, which twisted to allow Picamoles to burst off the base for the line.
Their second came from a series of lineout drives. The Saints insisted on keeping the ball tight, which eventually came off when Mikey Haywood was driven over for their second, but the sterility of it smacked of a side constricted by fear.
In between, Bristol scored their only try of the first half, which was much more like it. Jack Wallace was released down the right and cut inside North with ease, setting up a couple of charges by Nick Fenton-Wells. After the second of those he off-loaded to Mitch Eadie, who charged through the challenge of Tom Wood to the line.
It was a fitting score, featuring as it did contributions from two of Bristol’s excellent back row, the third of whom is Olly Robinson, captain for now and son of the recently dismissed director of rugby, Andy. The influence of Andy lives on, because Olly looks, plays and exhorts like his old man. Who is to say he won’t become as great a player?
Meanwhile, if the dog is biting as always, the new twist of class is best embodied by Woodward, the former Hurricane. He put Wallace away for that crucial gallop and kicked two penalties, which kept Bristol just the one point behind at the break.
Bristol’s resolve – and that consistency – was tested when another Picamoles charge from the base of a scrum, this one through four defenders, set up Wood for Saints’ third to stretch their lead to eight.
Bristol responded with 10 points in three minutes, all from Woodward who registered a penalty followed by the try of the match. He chipped out of his 22, Tom Varndell won the race to the ball and turned it inside for the full-back to race away.
So Bristol had the lead again, with just over 20 minutes to go, but they ceded it straight from the restart when Hanrahan charged down Cliff’s clearance for the bonus point. Woodward’s fourth penalty drew Bristol level, but they would not threaten again.
It was Northampton who finished the stronger. Myler’s penalty edged them ahead with just over five minutes to go, and Harry Mallinder landed a drop goal for that six-point deficit.
Bristol held on for the bonus point, which pulls them to just the one behind Worcester at the bottom of the table. It no longer seems an impossible escape.
NORTHAMPTON Foden; Elliott (Estelles 12), Burrell, Hanrahan (Mallinder 67), North; Myler, Groom (Dickson 70); A Waller (E Waller 68), Haywood, Brookes (Hill 62), Lawes, Day (Craig 68), Wood (capt), Harrison, Picamoles (Gibson 67) Tries Picamoles, Haywood, Wood, Hanrahan Cons Myler 3 Pen Myler Drop goal Mallinder
BRISTOL Woodward (Thalamo 78); Wallace, Palamo (Arscott 70), Hurrell, Varndell; Jarvis (Searle 62), Cliff (Williams 62); Traynor (Bevington 62), Hawkins (Crumpton 53), Ford-Robinson (Cortes 62), Tuohy, Glynn (Sorenson 60), Fenton-Wells (Lam 67), Robinson (capt), Eadie Tries Eadie, Woodward Cons Woodward 2 Pens Woodward 4
Attendance 14,872
Game rating 7 Referee Andrew Jackson
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