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Trevor Davison bags brace as Northampton thump former club Newcastle
By PA
Trevor Davison scored two tries against his former club as Northampton returned to form in the Gallagher Premiership with a 61-0 thumping at home to Newcastle.
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The Saints had lost their last three league games, leaving them eighth in the table and desperately needing to start picking wins in order to make up ground on the teams above them.
And this was just the response the champions required as they look to retain the title they won back in June, with nine tries at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens in what was their final match of a memorable 2024.
There were two late changes to Newcastle’s line-up as Louis Brown came in for Ben Redshaw at full-back, while Ollie Fletcher replaced Jamie Blamire at hooker.
Northampton were rampant in the early stages and opened the scoring after five minutes when George Hendy broke through down the left before his ball inside gave Alex Coles an easy run in.
A bulldozing run by Henry Pollock then led to Saints scoring their second try with Coles being stopped just short under the posts before Davison was able to plunge over from close range.
Two minutes later, the tighthead prop – who had not scored in the Premiership for Northampton before this game – celebrated his second as he forced his way over the line after a tapped penalty for the hosts, five metres out.
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The bonus point was in the bag for Northampton as early as the 15th minute when Alex Mitchell caught the Falcons fast asleep by tapping a quick penalty and sauntering over untouched.
A fifth try arrived just before the half-hour mark when Fin Smith sent Tommy Freeman through a gap before his ball outside gave Josh Kemeny an easy finish down the right.
Smith was then sin-binned for playing the ball on the floor inside his own 22, but Saints were still too hot to handle with 14 men as Freeman barged his way over to score their sixth, three minutes before half-time.
Mitchell’s conversion hit a post from bang in front of them as the score was 40-0 at the break following an outstanding try-saving tackle by Hendy on Newcastle winger Ben Stevenson.
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Northampton continued to dominate in the second half and almost struck again when Coles was unfortunate to knock on after charging down Sam Stuart’s clearance.
They soon brought up the half-century, however, as Tom Pearson went over for two tries in the space of three minutes, the first after a rampaging run off the back of a scrum by replacement Iakopo Mapu.
A comfortable afternoon for the hosts was rounded off in the final play as Rory Hutchinson picked up a loose ball around his 10-metre line before sprinting clear.
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