Northampton ran in 11 tries to beat Bath 71-48 at home in an 18-try thriller, the second highest scoring game in English top-flight history. The two sides had passed 100 points with 15 minutes still to play, with attacking flair on display as the match went end-to-end.
Northampton eventually pulled clear in the second half. Ollie Sleightholme scored a hat-trick and Tommy Freeman scored twice as the Saints bounced back from defeat by Bristol a week earlier. Frank Smith kicked eight conversions. Bath's loss is their first of the season, and they made 12 changes for the match. Arthur Green scored two of their seven tries, and Charlie Griffin also scored on his Prem debut.
The 119 points scored fall short of the English top-flight record of 127 points, shared in Saints' 94-33 win over Bristol in May. Northampton head coach Sam Vesty said both teams had taken their chances quickly, but he was not happy with conceding 48 points. He praised his side's clinical execution and breakdown work, while calling for a more ruthless approach from his team.
Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan admitted it was disappointing to score 48 points away from home and still lose. He said his side lost control between minutes 50 and 60, and conceded a yellow card late in both halves against a team like Saints. He still pointed to fantastic rugby as a positive.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing