At altitude, it was Northampton who flew highest. The Saints arrived in Pretoria, at fortress Loftus Versfeld, facing the most daunting of tasks in the South African summer heat but by the end it was the Bulls who were strewn on the turf, dead on their feet, deservedly defeated by devastating attacking verve. It was Tommy Freeman’s try late on – the second of two for the wing – which sealed the statement victory and secured the bonus point for Northampton, sending the Saints marching up to the top of pool three with a maximum 10 points from two matches.
Freeman’s score was the icing on the cake for Northampton but the killer blow for the Bulls came minutes earlier. After a punchy second-half South African resurgence – spearheaded by two tries from the colossal No 8, Cameron Hanekom – three points from the boot of Fin Smith settled English nerves and steadied the ship. Smith, alongside Alex Mitchell, were impressive as a marshalling half-back duo despite the staccato nature of the match and Saints’ midfield duo, Rory Hutchinson and Fraser Dingwall, were immense against the renowned David Kriel and Canan Moodie, as Northampton condemned their hosts to their first ever Loftus Versfeld loss in the Champions Cup.
Jake White’s Bulls, third in the United Rugby Championship standings, now sit dead last in pool three, pushing up the daisies after two consecutive Champions Cup losses, leaving their qualification hopes in tatters. The hosts only have themselves to blame,.