Leinster became the first team to qualify for the knockout stage with two rounds to go after overwhelming Northampton for the second time in a week, again scoring seven tries. Despite the reverses, the Saints should finish second in the pool after Lyon’s defeat at Treviso, offering them back-door entry to the quarter-finals.
This season in the Champions Cup is unusual because apart from Racing 92, one team in each pool remains unbeaten with a 100% record. It makes the battle for the three best runners-up slots the focus of the final two weekends and Northampton, despite conceding 93 points to a Leinster side that has not lost since last May’s Champions Cup final against Saracens home and away, have every chance of going through.
Northampton are the Premiership leaders but they were again a clear second to Leinster, outclassed but not outfought. They conceded two tries in the opening five minutes, both scored by Garry Ringrose, who completed his hat-trick early in the second half having set up the bonus-point try for Dave Kearney just before the interval, and there were times when they were stretched to breaking point.
Saints were 31-7 down after 36 minutes and had their captain, Tom Wood, in the sin-bin as he paid the price for his side’s serial indiscipline: he spent the first couple of minutes there with full-back Ahsee Tuala, who had been given 10 minutes off for tugging back James Lowe off the ball as Jordan Larmour looked to set up a try for the wing. It threatened to get messy, but a much-changed team just about kept it together.
Basic mistakes under pressure cost Saints. They struggled to slow the ball down at the breakdown and they lacked the carrying force of their hosts, but they looked to play with tempo and unpicked a defence renowned for its meanness. Dan Biggar scored their first try after 18 minutes, taking a penalty quickly and receiving a pass off the floor from Andy Symons, and Ollie Sleightholme ended the scoring in the opening half after Tuala had committed tacklers.
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Tuala got their third close to the hour, taking advantage of an unguarded ruck, but the bonus point they craved proved elusive and the Leinster No 8, Caelan Doris, as impressive as he had been in the first game, completed the scoring 14 minutes from time to take his side to the half-century mark.
Leinster had made five changes from Franklin’s Gardens. They were forced to replace their Ireland outside-half Johnny Sexton, who suffered knee ligament damage, and his replacement Ross Byrne, who set up his side’s fifth try in the opening minute of the second half with a neatly weighted chip for James Lowe to chase, went off after 47 minutes with an ankle strain.
Ciarán Frawley, yet another product of Leinster’s academy, came on to make his European debut and played like a veteran, gliding in behind the defence and keeping the ball alive. With Larmour again a running threat unlike any other from full-back with his ability to spin out of tackles and evade contact, the Pro14 champions had a bewildering array of attacking options.
Ringrose’s first try came after James Tracy broke through two tackles near his 22 and sparked a counterattack taken on by Lowe and Ringrose. Northampton recovered the ball near their own line after a knock-on but Andy Symons’s clearance kick was charged down by Ringrose who picked up and scored. The advantage time for the Saints was minimal and they felt Ringrose’s third try should not have been allowed because the ball had been spilled forward.
But there was no doubting his second. A lineout move saw Lowe come into the midfield to take an inside pass from Robbie Henshaw and free Ringrose on his outside. Leinster’s third try came after another throw, although it was more prosaic, with Tadhg Furlong finishing off a driving maul. Their fourth, scored by Dave Kearney, followed Ringrose again tormenting the defence before timing his pass.
“We did not have much luck but, when you bring a side with a lot of inexperience against a team full of internationals, there will be a gulf,” said the Northampton director of rugby, Chris Boyd. “We never thought the result would have an influence on our position in the tournament but it was disappointing not to get the bonus point which we were really chasing.”