Northampton Saints Thrash Bristol Bears 94-33 In Record-Breaking Premiership Match

Northampton Saints thrashed Bristol Bears 94-33 at Franklin's Gardens, scoring 14 tries to confirm their place in the play-offs in a record-breaking Premiership match.

“The Prem, Franklin's Gardens Northampton (61) 94 Tries: Hendy (4), Hutchinson (2), Chick, Coles, McParland (2), Furbank, Kemeny, Pollock, Graham Cons: Smith (11), Hutchinson Bristol (14) 33 Tries: Thacker, Rees-Zammit, Randall, Ivanishvili, Heward Cons: Jordan, Williams (3) Northampton Saints scored 14 tries to humiliate Bristol Bears 94-33 at Franklin's Gardens and confirm their semi-final place in a record-breaking game of Prem Rugby”

BBC

The BBC said George Hendy led the rout with four tries, crossing the whitewash in the third minute and again in the last, while Northampton built a 61-14 lead at the break with nine first-half tries.

BBC

Bristol’s replies included tries from Harry Thacker and Louis Rees-Zammit, but the match swung further when Kalaveti Ravouvou was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on and Saints scored three more tries.

The Times described the result as the biggest battering in Bristol Bears’ history, with Northampton’s 14th try from George Hendy on the buzzer sealing 94 points and Fin Smith’s 11th conversion.

BBC match details also showed Northampton’s 94 points came with 11 conversions from Fin Smith and Hutchinson, while Bristol scored five tries and took a bonus point despite the defeat.

After the 94-33 defeat, Bristol’s semi-final hopes were left with a four-point gap behind fourth-placed Exeter ahead of their match against Harlequins on Saturday, according to the BBC.

Bears director of rugby Pat Lam told BBC Radio Bristol, "We were embarrassed and we apologise to all our fans" after saying Saints were "lethal and on fire".

Bristol Bears Rugby

Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson said, "We were very disappointed last week" following their record defeat at Leicester, and added that preparation helped them get "momentum and confidence back into a group."

The BBC also reported that Northampton now need six more points from their final two games to secure a home semi-final, after bouncing back from their own "dark day" in a record defeat at Leicester.

Fijivillage’s match report said indiscipline cost the Bears as Ravouvou and Matias Moroni were shown yellow cards, while Saints scored 14 of the 19 tries and recorded the most first-half points scored by any team in Prem history (61).

The BBC said the 127-point total was the highest scoring game in the history of English top-flight rugby union, beating the previous record of 118 in Richmond's 106-12 win over Bedford in 1999.

“FIJI Water Flying Fijians winger Kalaveti Ravouvou's Bristol Bears side were thrashed 94-33 this morning by Gallagher PREM leaders Northampton Saints”

Fijivillage

Northampton’s scoring sequence included a hat-trick try for Hendy after a turnover, and the closing minutes brought further pain for Bristol when Matias Moroni was sin-binned for holding Pollock.

Fijivillage reported that Saints scored 14 of the 19 tries and that their 61 first-half points were the most first-half points scored by any team in PREM history, with the rout beginning just over three minutes in.

The Times noted that Bristol took a bonus point for scoring five tries, and it also referenced the previous worst defeat as the 81-13 Championship defeat to Worcester Warriors in April 2011.

Looking ahead, Planet Rugby’s round 16 preview listed Exeter Chiefs vs Harlequins on Saturday and framed Bristol’s situation as a play-off chase that now faces a tougher path after the record defeat.