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England hopeful inspires Northampton as Exeter's 13-month hunt for away win continues
By PA
Northampton leapfrogged visitors Exeter with a 34-19 victory at Franklin’s Gardens to move back into the top four of the Gallagher Premiership.
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Fly-half Fin Smith – just as he did in the corresponding fixture last season – inspired Phil Dowson’s side to victory, their third league win of the campaign, with a man-of-the-match performance.
The young fly-half landed 14 points with the boot, including conversions to all of the Saints’ tries, which came courtesy of Tommy Freeman, Curtis Langdon, Alex Mitchell and Fraser Dingwall.
For the Chiefs, though, their search for a much-needed away win now stretches back to October 2022.
They countered with tries from Jacques Vermeulen, Scott Sio and Ethan Roots, two of which were converted by Henry Slade, but it was never enough on an afternoon when they were distinctly second best.
Buoyed by the return of England duo Courtney Lawes and Mitchell, it did not take the Saints long to get into their attacking stride, breaking the deadlock inside three minutes through Freeman.
Having seen an initial raid down the left through Tom Seabrook halted by a great cover tackle from Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, the hosts worked the ball back across the pitch to Smith, whose clever grubber kick in behind found the unmarked Freeman to dot down.
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Smith plundered the testing touchline conversion before adding a penalty not long after as the Saints made the most of what was an energetic start.
The Chiefs were doing their best to stay in the contest, but the concession of a number of needless penalties hampered their every move. Indeed, it was from one of those very awards that the midlanders were able to strike for a second time.
Smith’s kick to the corner positioned his forwards in prime position, the fruits of which allowed hooker Langdon to latch onto the back of the driving maul and cross in the left corner for the converted score.
Up against it, the Chiefs needed to summon a rapid response and this they did, cutting the deficit just before the break when, following some sustained pressure deep inside the Saints 22, Vermeulen was able to power over from close range.
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It was the lifeline the visitors needed to get back into the contest but, after a turgid opening to the second half, it was the hosts who clicked back into gear with Smith at the heart of things.
The Northampton playmaker landed a lengthy penalty from wide on the right flank, before he was able to add the extras to a stunning third try from Mitchell. The home scrum-half cantered clear of the cover after Alex Coles, Sam Matavesi and Freeman had all combined to release him at pace.
The Saints were continuing to dominate proceedings and they thought they had claimed the all-important bonus point just before the hour through Freeman, but home cheers were dampened when the score was chalked off for a neck roll in the build-up.
The Chiefs made the most of the let-off, hitting back at the other end as strong carries from Slade and Rus Tuima created the platform for Australia international Sio to drive under the posts for the try.
But Exeter’s attempts to haul themselves further back into contention were all but ended when replacement Niall Armstrong was dismissed for catching Smith in the face with a karate-like kick as he attempted to field a high ball.
Northampton took just a few minutes to make their numerical advantage tell, the Saints using a close-range scrum to create the foundation for Dingwall to pick his spot and glide over for the converted bonus-point score.
To their credit, the Chiefs kept pushing to the end, their efforts rewarded with a late consolation score for Roots. It was, though, all a little too late for the visitors.
