Picture special: Saints suffer another away defeat
Gloucester 33 Northampton Saints 10
Northampton Saints' search for a Premiership away win continues as they fell to their fifth defeat in a row on their league travels at Kingsholm.
A clinical and incisive display from Gloucester saw them run in four tries, though Saints probably shaded it on territory and possession over the 80 minutes.
Saints' only try came from Scott Gray, while Iain Balshaw, Luke Narraway, Olly Barkley and Lesley Vainikolo scored tries for Gloucester to send them top of the Premiership, at least for 24 hours.
It was an ominous start for Saints as they were bulldozed off their own scrum five metres outside their 22 and Scott Gray was penalised at the resulting ruck for Ryan Lamb to make it 3-0 after eight minutes.
Three minutes later and a lineout move 30m from Saints' line saw Mike Tindall waltz through a big hole in the midfield. He passed to Vainikolo and his inside ball saw Balshaw score without Saints getting a hand on a Cherry & White shirt in the whole move.
Lamb missed the conversion to make it 8-0.
With 20 minutes gone Barkley fired a pass to Alasdair Strokosch just before he was smashed by a charging Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe and the Scot handed off a Saint for No. 8 Narraway to score in the corner. Lamb converted to make it 15-0.
Myler kicked a penalty back for Saints, but Gloucester looked so more incisive in attack and right on half-time Matthew Watkins got within a metre and the ball was moved to the opposite wing where Barkley squirmed through a Saint to touch down. Lamb's conversion hit the post but it was 20-3 at half-time.
Saints started the second half a lot better, and by stealing a lineout Paul Diggin offloaded to Bruce Reihana, who was held just short, but Gray arrived to burrow over. Myler landed the touchline conversion to make it 20-10 after 52 minutes.
Saints were looking good for a come back, but disaster struck as Diggin tried a fancy chip over the red line. He was knocked down, but no penalty came and Gloucester swept up for Barkley to chip through for Vainikolo to hack on and score. Lamb landed the conversion to make it 27-10 with 20 minutes left.
A wayward lineout on their 22 put Saints under more pressure, but they held out to concede a penalty for Lamb to make it 30-10. With five minutes to go Lamb knocked over another penalty to make it 33-10
Gloucester
Balshaw; Watkins, Tindall (capt), Allen Vainikolo; Lamb, Lewis; Wood, Azam, Nieto, James, Bortolami, Buxton, Strokosch, Narraway.
Replacements: S Lawson, Dickinson, Eustace, Satala, R Lawson, Walker, Barkley.
Northampton Saints
Myler; Ashton, Reihana (capt), Downey, Diggin; Spencer, Foden; Smith, J Gray, Murray, Fernandez Lobbe, Day, Easter, S Gray, Wilson.
Replacements: Shields, Stewart, Tonga'uiha, Rae, Hopley, Dickson, Mordt.
Att: 13,495
TABLE
................P W D L F A BP PTS
Gloucester....8 6 0 2 198 144 3 27
Bath Rugb.....7 5 1 1 187 148 3 25
Sale Sharks...8 6 0 2 119 109 0 24
London Irish..7 5 0 2 171 113 3 23
Leicester.....8 5 0 3 172 160 1 21
Harlequins....7 4 0 3 178 146 4 20
Saracens......7 3 0 4 164 136 4 16
Worcester.....7 3 0 4 126 137 2 14
London Wasps..8 2 0 6 140 169 4 12
Northampton...8 2 1 5 149 195 1 11
Newcastle.....8 2 0 6 131 195 2 10
Bristol.......7 1 0 6 82 165 2 6
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Friday 10 February 2012
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