| Northampton: (10) 26 |
| Tries: Freeman 2 Cons: Smith 2 Pens: Smith 4 |
| Exeter: (7) 19 |
| Tries: Van Heerden, Simmonds 2 Cons: Simmonds 2 |
Northampton moved up to the fourth spot in the Premiership after beating Exeter 26-19 at Franklin’s Gardens.
Exeter had an early lead of 10-7 when Ruben van Hisden scored. A Fin Smith penalty and Tommy Freeman’s 30th-minute goal cancelled that score.
Two Smith penalties extended the lead. Joe Simmonds then took advantage of an Aaron Hinkley Yellow Card to score two tries quickly.
Northampton won with a Smith penalty, and Freeman’s second attempt.
After George Furbank’s late penalty missed, Exeter received a losing bonus point. However, the Chiefs are now sixth in the table with a third consecutive defeat.
Exeter had won the previous three Franklin’s Gardens visits. Van Heerden’s initial attempt after 15 phases Chiefs pressure put on the Saints line, showed they were determined to win four consecutively.
Smith countered with a penalty. Northampton’s Fraser Dingwall had a 19-minute try disallowed due to a knock on in the buildup. Freeman, however, took a quick-tap penalty a few metres out to give him an extra 11 minutes.
Smith kicked two penalties within the first 10 minutes to make Saints nine-point clear. Hinkley was then sin-binned after a head-on collision with Chiefs scrumhalf Jack Maunder.
Soon after, Exeter won the ball from a Saints-lineout. Simmonds scored in Simmonds’ corner eight phases later. Fraser Dingwall’s kick was taken down by Exeter fly-half five minutes later. He sprinted in from the half-way line.
However, Exeter’s indifference cost them. They conceded 15 penalties and Smith kicked another to make it 19-19 with 13 minutes remaining.
After some patient play and a close-range maul, Freeman sprinted into the left corner. Phil Dowson’s team won the match for the fourth consecutive time.
Northampton: Freeman, Dingwall (capt), Hutchinson and Sleightholme; Smith James; Iyogun; Haywood, Painter; Salakaia Loto, Moon Scott-Young Hinkley, Graham
Replacements: Smith, Waller, Hill, Nansen, Sylvester, Mitchell, Furbank, Proctor
Exeter: Hodge; John, O’Loughlin, Whitten, Woodburn; J Simmonds, J Maunder; Sio, Yeandle (capt, Williams, Dunne, van Heerden, Ewers, Pearson, Vermeulen
Replacements: Hepburn and Innard.
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys