Saints claim victory in entertaining pre-season clash with Lions in Colombo

The black, green and gold got their first game action ahead of the new campaign, which kicks off with a PREM Rugby Cup match at Saracens on September 5.

And Saints were out of the blocks quickly in Sri Lanka, where they have been since arriving last Sunday, as Toby Thame and Ollie Sleightholme went over early on.

Two tries for their hosts closed the deficit, and the scoring became a back and forth between the two sides, with each dotting down twice more before the break.

Saints shot ahead after half-time, scoring through Thomas Rowe, Jonny Weimann and JJ van der Mescht before their hosts could respond.

Two Lions scores sandwiched a second for winger Rowe before James Martin closed out Saints’ scoring in Sri Lanka.

It was a good warm-up for the black, green and gold as they took on a Lions team that included former Northampton wing Taqele Naiyaravoro, who started at No.8.

Saints had made their intentions clear early on in Colombo as a stunning solo-effort from Thame started the scoring.

Thame dummied his way out of his own 22 before sprinting 60 metres to dot down.

A second score soon followed for the black, green and gold as Sleightholme chased down Hugh Shields’ clearance and got to the ball first.

Shields converted both scores to put Saints 14-0 up after 10 minutes.

Lions thought they were on for their first score when Teti Tela set Waisea Nayacalevu free, but a superb try-saving tackle from hooker Henry Walker stopped the Fijian winger's progress.

The hosts’ opener did eventually come though, with the Lions getting off the mark when an attacking scrum gave them the opportunity to send Naiyaravoro forwards before the ball came wide to put skipper Jamie Henry in on the right.

Jack Lewis crashed over for Saints’ third try at the end of the first quarter, getting himself onto a deft tip on from Sleightholme.

But Lions hit straight back as Matty Wallis popped an offload out to Nayacalevu on the left, and the former Fijian skipper went over out wide.

Will Genia’s conversion cut the gap further but Saints’ stretched their lead again after half an hour, with Aiden Ainsworth-Cave getting on the end of Amena Caqusau’s offload and charging in from the halfway line to score.

Lions had the final word of the first half, with brilliant crash ball putting Apisai Naqaliva over for their third to send the teams into the break with the scoreline 26-21 in Saints’ favour.

Saints started the second half by scoring an eye-catching try, as replacement scrum-half Weimann’s looping pass put Rowe over on the right.

And Weimann soon got his own name on the scoresheet – a perfectly timed dummy off the base of a scrum giving the England Under-20s ace the chance to sprint free over the whitewash.

A third Saints try of the second half soon followed as their driving maul put them on the front foot, and with an advantage coming, van der Mescht broke free to go alone. The South African muscled his way over to score his side's seventh try of the match.

Anthony Belleau’s conversion had made it 47-21 but Lions hit back after patiently pushing on, with Naqaliva cutting a deft line through to claim his second.

After cooling themselves in the sweltering Sri Lanka heat with the second water break, Saints were quickly on the scoresheet again.

Weimann was once again at the heart of the score, this time feeding Belleau whose grubber kick set winger Rowe up for his second of the game.

A hat-trick score came for Naqaliva with 10 minutes left on the clock, as the Lions centre shot through a gap in Saints’ defence and over the try-line for the hosts’ fifth try.

The scoreline sat at 54-35 but the black, green and gold soon added another to their tally.

Weimann was once again the catalyst, tearing forwards off the back of a scrum before looping a swift pass out to Martin on the right.

Oliver Scola’s brilliant break put Saints straight back on the front foot, but his offload found Riley Harrison’s hands instead, and the Lions replacement pinned his ears back and sprinted his way up to the try-line.

That was to be the game’s final act, with the referee’s full-time whistle closing the historic outing in Saints’ favour.

Asia Pacific Lions: 15 Jamie Henry (c); 14 Francis Morrison, 13 Apisai Naqaliva, 12 Jale Vatubua, 11 Waisea Nayacalevu; 10 Teti Tela, 9 Will Genia; 1 Emosi Tuqiri, 2 Shin Ouchi, 3 Matty Wallis; 4 Marika Vunibaka, 5 Tomasi Vunibola; 6 Meli Derenalagi, 7 Edwards Quirk, 8 Taqele Naiayavoro.

Replacements: 16 A-One Lolofie, 17 Tora Tuisasake, 18 Collin Moala, 19 Patrick Tate Parker, 20 Ananaia Rabonu, 21 Kimura Takahiro, 22 Riley Harrison ,23 Apisalome Bogidrau, 24 Joseph Domoni.

Saints: 15 James Martin; 14 Ollie Sleightholme, 13 Will Catley, 12 Toby Thame, 11 Amena Caqusau; 10 Hugh Shields, 9 Sonny Goode; 1 Leftheri Zigiriadis, 2 Henry Walker, 3 Ion Neculai; 4 James Bennett, 5 Chunya Munga (c); 6 Archie Benson, 7 Jack Lewis, 8 Charlie Ulcoq.

Replacements: Ben Alexander, Oliver Scola, Aiden Reid, Noah Buxton, Sonnt Tonga’uiha, JJ Van Der Mescht, George Tonga’uiha, Tom Lockett, Aiden Ainsworth-Cave, Archie McParland, Jonny Weimann, Anthony Belleau, Thomas Rowe, Fraser Dingwall, Tom Litchfield, James Pater.