Northampton Saints 38 London Irish 22: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

It was one that promised so much as two backlines saturated with talent took to the field.

But for long periods, nothing much happened as those men struggled to get going.

Alex Mitchell was the only one really able to stand out during a first half that seemed like it would never end.

There were scrums, injuries, TMO reviews and sin-binnings galore, mostly working against London Irish.

The away side were hit by three yellow cards in as many minutes as the first half ticked past the hour mark.

It seemed set up for Saints to come out all guns blazing at the start of the second period.

It seemed certain that they would have too much for the 12 men.

But it was quite the opposite - and it was actually difficult to notice that Irish were missing three players.

They put their bodies on the line, ate up time when they could and profited from some profligacy from Saints, who looked to be doing a bad Harlem Globetrotters impression.

Keeping it simple was what was needed, but Saints did the opposite, trying Hollywood passes that wouldn't go to hand.

Irish appeared to have got off the hook when their three players returned with the team just trailing by seven points.

But after a lot of nothing for Saints during the sin-bin periods, then came the all.

Saints finally found their feet, taking advantage of Irish's mental and physical fatigue as the tries eventually flowed.

Phil Dowson's side rounded things off with a bonus-point effort from George Furbank to bring a sizeable roar from what seemed an unusually small crowd at the Gardens.

And the relief could be felt all around as Saints pocketed the five points they surely had to given what had unfolded earlier in the game.

Dowson's side have now taken six points from their first two games, two more than from the same fixtures - Sale (a) and London Irish (h) - last season.

It is a good start, even if things have definitely not clicked for long periods as yet.

But Saints will know they will have to put it all together on Saturday otherwise they will take nothing from their derby-day encounter with Leicester Tigers.

How they rated...

GEORGE FURBANK - skippered Saints for the first time after Dan Biggar was forced to withdraw, and capped his display with a try thanks to fine work from Alex Coles... 7

OLLIE SLEIGHTHOLME - etched his name on the scoresheet after latching onto a nice pass from James Grayson, but had struggled to get things going prior to that... 6.5

MATT PROCTOR - always poses a threat to the opposition and tried to get things going with a couple of bursts... 6.5

RORY HUTCHINSON - was back in the team and looked eager to make things happen, but Irish actually defended well against him for the most part... 6.5

TOM COLLINS - was always looking to create an opening, but wasn't able to get the ball in areas where he could really hurt Irish... 6.5

JAMES GRAYSON - came into the team at late notice following Dan Biggar's withdrawal and produced a mixed performance as he made things happen but also tried to do a little too much on a couple of occasions. Was yellow carded near the end of the game... 6

ALEX MITCHELL - CHRON STAR MAN - the scrum-half provided the spark that his side needed, spotting openings and making the most of them when it mattered... 8

ALEX WALLER - had to come off towards the end of the first half after going for a head injury assessment. Had given away a couple of penalties prior to that... 5.5

SAM MATAVESI - was another Saints front row forward who was punished by referee Luke Pearce on more than one occasion, but did some decent stuff in open play... 6

PAUL HILL - Irish certainly gave as good as they got at the scrum and this man couldn't quite have the impact he would have wanted, but he made his tackles when required... 5.5

LUKHAN SALAKAIA-LOTO - continues to impress as his physicality helps Saints to make metres and he is a strong presence around the field... 7.5

ALEX MOON - showed what he's made of with a powerful performance that saw him looking hungry to get involved in the action, pushing Irish back as much as he could... 7

ALEX COLES - continues to get better and better and he played a key role in this performance, capping his display with a superb try assist for George Furbank... 8

AARON HINKLEY - hasn't hit the heights of his performances last season as yet, but the more he plays, the better he will get... 6

JUARNO AUGUSTUS - a big performance from the big No.8 as he started the scoring for his side with a forceful finish... 8

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

MANNY IYOGUN (for Waller 38) - certainly added to the Saints display as he drove forward in the middle of the field, putting Irish under pressure... 7

ALFIE PETCH (for Hill 51) - a hugely impressive cameo from the prop, who carried with real power on a few occasions, opening doors for Saints... 7.5

ANGUS SCOTT-YOUNG (for Hinkley 53) - has looked like a very handy addition to the squad, and he was able to help Saints find their feet in the second half... 6