Northampton Saints 35 Bath 34: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings
They say the league table doesn't lie, but, as Saints showed on Sunday, it sometimes doesn't tell the full truth.
Not because it was a case of top of the league, you're having a laugh when it came to Bath.
More because it was a case of eighth in the league, you're having a laugh when it comes to Saints.
That's not to say they have been hard done by in the defeats they've suffered this season.
But context has to be applied as to why they started Sunday's game 19 points behind their table-topping opponents.
As Saints showed during the 80 minutes that followed, they are not only right up there with Bath on their day, but they are capable of beating them.
It's just that their day hasn't been frequent enough during the current campaign.
Saints lost five of their first eight league matches, but four of those defeats were away from home against the league’s current top four.
And six and a half of those matches were played without key man Alex Mitchell.
Fin Smith was forced off four minutes into the home defeat against Gloucester and didn't play in the loss at Bristol Bears, in which youngster George Makepeace-Cubitt made his Premiership debut from the start.
And on Sunday, the value of having Mitchell and Smith in tandem again was there for all to see as they both produced stellar individual showings to steer Saints to the most dramatic of wins.
Where would Saints be in the standings if both England men had been available for the full 10 games so far?
We'll never know.
But it shows just how much of an impact squad availability has on runs of form.
Look at Bristol, who started the season like a house on fire but who have since lost influential fly-half AJ MacGinty to a long-term injury.
The previously all-conquering Bears have been beaten by Sale Sharks and Saracens in recent weeks.
In the biggest games against the biggest names, you need your key men in key positions available.
And Saints simply didn't have that luxury in matches against the likes of Leicester Tigers, where they started talented youngster Archie McParland at scrum-half, and Bristol, where they were without all of their England stars.
They will continue to have to deal with absences in the weeks and months to come, with their next Premiership game coming when the England players are at another hugely inconvenient training camp in Girona.
But at least Saints can go into that Quins game with the Premiership flame still burning after the enthralling events of Sunday afternoon.
The Bath battle was much more like it for Phil Dowson's men, who made a habit of securing dramatic wins on their way to the title last season.
They looked to be tiring in the second period as they lost Temo Mayanavanua and Alex Coles to concussion during the same passage of play, and Bath's forward power ground them down somewhat, but Saints never stop fighting.
And as the black, green and gold have done so often in their storied history, they got the job done with 14 men.
With Mitchell in the sin bin and the score at 34-32 to Bath, Saints mounted one final attack.
They refused to believe the game that they had in their grasp for so long was gone.
And after staying patient, they eventually squeezed a penalty out of the resilient Bath rearguard.
What a moment it was, and what a roar it was that followed.
But the kick still had to be landed, and Smith, so good throughout the 80 minutes, fittingly put the icing on the cake.
It was a noise that the Gardens is famed for producing.
A feeling that the fans have craved.
And how they savoured this special moment as new life was breathed into their club's play-off bid in the first game of 2025.
There is still much ground to be made up, but Saints have taken the first steps with back-to-back bonus-point wins in the past two weeks.
That gap to Bath, who you fancy will stay at the top until the end, is now 16 points.
But Saints have showed that should they find a way to make it into the top-four this season, they still have the ability to beat anyone they may face.
How they rated…
GEORGE HENDY – such a shame to see him forced off with a shoulder injury after yet another superb showing, which included a fine finish for the bonus-point try… 9
TOMMY FREEMAN – unfortunate to see a clearance kick land in Bath hands before one of the away tries, but he was always hungry for work, coming in off his wing and causing problems… 8
FRASER DINGWALL – another huge showing from the centre, who really is the glue in this Saints side as he defends and attacks with such intensity… 9
RORY HUTCHINSON – Bath’s defence saw one of his kicks charged down, leading to a Joe Cokanasiga try, but he was always looking to make things happen and showed some lovely touches with ball in hand… 8
JAMES RAMM – scored a superb try that started inside his own half as he cut Bath apart with a scything run. Looked lively throughout… 8.5
FIN SMITH - CHRON STAR MAN – there’s not much more that can said about this young man. He is top, top class, in attack and defence. And it was only right that he had the final say here… 9.5
ALEX MITCHELL – ended up in the sin bin with a few minutes to go, but prior to that he produced another epic performance that once again underlined his importance to Saints’ chances of success… 9
TOM WEST – was a doubt for the game but produced a strong first-half performance before being withdrawn at half-time… 7.5
CURTIS LANGDON – another all-action display from the hooker, who seemed to be everywhere all at once. He raced back to stop a Bath try in the first half and his physicality was huge throughout… 9
TREVOR DAVISON – the prop got through a big 60 minutes as he kept working for his team, helping them to combat some of Bath’s power play… 8
TEMO MAYANAVANUA – was unfortunately forced off due to concussion but up to that point, he had produced another strong showing… 7.5
ALEX COLES – the lock caused problems at Bath lineouts and showed his mobility around the field in what was a frantic first half… 8
JOSH KEMENY – started the scoring for Saints with a lovely finish and he showed just how important he can be to this team going forward as he shone in his second game back since injury… 9
TOM PEARSON – a real power player in attack and defence, the flanker looked to push Bath back time and again with real aggression and desire… 8.5
JUARNO AUGUSTUS – got through so much work in this match, carrying hard when he got the chance and remaining resolute in defence… 8.5
Replacements (who played more than 40 minutes)
TOM SEABROOK (for Hendy 39) – will have relished the chance to get some game time after not featuring much this season, and he did everything he had to here… 7.5
TAREK HAFFAR (for West 40) – always a good man to be able to bring off the bench as he adds plenty of energy every time he plays… 7.5
TOM LOCKETT (for Mayanavanua 45) – made some big carries for his team and ensured his physical presence was felt… 7.5
ANGUS SCOTT-YOUNG (for Coles 45) – thundered into collisions and put everything he had into helping Saints get over the line… 7.5
HENRY POLLOCK (for Pearson 54) – such an important introduction as he gave Saints a shot in the arm at a time when Bath were starting to get on top… 8