Premiership: Northampton Saints 66-10 Worcester - Hapless visitors destroyed with 10 tries

3 years ago 120

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South Africa winger Courtnall Skosan scored tries number four, six and eight on his Northampton Saints debut

Northampton Saints (33) 66
Tries: Skosan 3, Mitchell 2, Hutchinson 2, Biggar, Ratuniyarawa, Freeman Cons: Biggar 7, Francis
Worcester (10) 10
Try: Chudley Con: Smith Pen: Smith

Weakened Worcester Warriors suffered a third straight walloping as Northampton Saints ran in 10 tries to coast to victory at Franklin's Gardens.

After Ollie Lawrence and Willi Heinz both failed fitness tests and Duhan van der Merwe was yellow carded, Warriors were hit by five home first-half tries.

Saints then added five more after the break as South Africa winger Courtnall Skosan completed a debut hat-trick.

Alex Mitchell and Rory Hutchinson each bagged a brace of tries.

Wales and Lions stand-off Dan Biggar, who kicked seven conversions for an individual 19-point haul, lock Api Ratuniyarawa and full-back Tommy Freeman crossed for the Saints' other three scores.

Worcester managed just one charge-down first-half try from Will Chudley, improved by England Under-20 outside-half Fin Smith, who added a penalty on his first start of the season.

But dispirited Worcester were comprehensively outplayed by Saints, who even had a late breakaway try by lock Alex Coles chalked off. That would have added up to a club record defeat for the Warriors.

As it was, their 56-point losing margin was just a point better than their club record 62-5 defeat by Saracens in January 2020.

They have now shipped 35 tries in six matches this season - 23 of them in the past three games, without suspended club captain Ted Hill, after losing 42-5 at Exeter and 48-3 last week at home to Leicester.

Northampton, who came into the game fresh after a week off, climb to second in the Premiership, within four points of leaders Leicester.

Northampton: Freeman; Sleightholme, Dingwall, Hutchinson, Skosan; Biggar, Mitchell; Waller, Matavesi, Hill, Ribbans, Ratuniyarawa, Lawes, Ludlam (capt), Harrison.

Replacements: Haywood, Iyogun, Painter, Wood, Augustus, Lomani, Francis, Coles.

Worcester: Shillcock; Doel, O Morris, Venter, Van der Merwe; Smith, Chudley; Sutherland, Annett, Judge, A Kitchener, G Kitchener, Hatherell, Lewis, Kvesic.

Replacements: Baldwin, Waller, Owlett, Batley, Vailanu, Chudley, Morris, Heward.

Sin-bin: Van der Merwe (7).

Referee: Ian Tempest (RFU).