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Saints edge title-rivals Bath in 12-try thrillerImage source, GettyImage caption, Fin Smith scored a try and was instrumental in managing Northampton’s attacking play ByBen MarvellBBC Sport EnglandPublished25 April 2026, 19:40 BST169 Comments
The Prem
Northampton (26) 41
Tries: F Smith, Freeman 3, Sleightholme 2 Cons: F Smith 4 Pens: Smith
Bath (14) 38
Tries: Hennessey, Green, Carr-Smith, De Glanville, Griffin, Tuipulotu Cons: Donoghue 4
Northampton Saints confirmed their status as the Prem team to beat with a last-minute penalty from Fin Smith securing a breathless 41-38 victory over title-rivals Bath at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
League-leaders Saints edged a highly competitive first half against the team in second, scoring tries through Smith, Ollie Sleightholme and a double for Tommy Freeman, with Bath responding through Louie Hennessey and Arthur Green.
The seesaw nature of the contest continued in the second half, with Tom Carr-Smith and Sleightholme exchanging tries, before Tom de Glanville and Archie Griffin levelled the scores.
With time running down, Freeman secured his hat-trick before Kepu Tuipulotu restored parity, but there was still time for Smith to keep his cool and slot the winning points.
Saints got off to a fast start in front of an expectant home crowd, with Fraser Dingwall making a nuisance of himself in midfield before feeding Smith to exploit a gap to run in and score.
But they were pegged back soon after.
With Tom Litchfield in the sin-bin for not rolling away following Bernard van der Linde’s midfield break, the ball eventually found its way to Hennessey on the wing and he crossed to score.
With Bath reduced to 14 men following a deliberate knock-on from Will Muir, the Saints restored their lead with Alex Mitchell finding Tommy Freeman to go over in the corner.
Saints soon added a third through Sleightholme, who powered down the wing untouched following quick interplay between Freeman and George Hendy in midfield.
But Bath were not to be held off for long. Off the back of a scrum, Hennessey did well to draw multiple defenders before freeing his arms to feed Will Butt, who offloaded to Green to go over for a well-worked second.
With Bath knocking on the door again, the Saints snaffled the ball in their own 22 with Sleightholme leading a breathless counter-attack into the visitors’ half.
Having been tackled by Josh Bayliss, the ball was recycled and eventually ended up in the hands of Freeman, who went over for the Saints’ bonus-point score.
Image source, GettyTommy Freeman’s hat-trick proved vital as the Saints edged past second-placed Bath
The pace of the game was unrelenting – barely had referee Luke Pearce blown the whistle to start the second half and Bath were back in contention.
Ciaran Donoghue, in his first appearance of the season after recovering from a knee injury, threw the perfect miss pass in the Saints 22, releasing Hennessey down the wing, who fed back inside for Carr-Smith to score.
Sleightholme then restored Saints’ lead from close range before De Glanville dotted down after Frost and was halted metres short of the Saints line.
Bath’s power game came to the fore as Griffin forced his way over following a period of sustained pressure in the Saints’ 22 to level things up before the match swung again.
Finding open space down the wing, Litchfield fed Freeman for his hat-trick before Tuipulotu went over from close range to set up a tense finish.
But with Bath penalised for a high-tackle on Henry Pollock with the clock in the red, it fell to Smith to deliver the final blow in yet another high-scoring match between the two teams and a carbon copy of the Saints’ nail-biting win in January 2025.
Northampton Saints head coach Sam Vesty told BBC Radio Northampton:
“It was a good game, great for the neutral, but frustrating from our point of view. I don’t think we played very well there. Great to come away with five points, but lots for us to work on.
“None of it was really a Saints performance. We weren’t sharp to move, we weren’t connected, we weren’t working together. It felt like a third gear performance from us, which is massively disappointing.”
[On defensive lapses] “It’s too easy to get into our 22, and when they get in there, we’re not good enough at holding out”
Bath head coach Johann van Graan told BBC Radio Bristol:
“I’m gutted to lose like that but, equally, what a game of rugby once again between two amazing clubs. I’m so proud of this group to deliver that comeback once again.
“We know who we are, we are tough to beat, we don’t know how to give up.
“We take it week by week. We pitched up physically, but we came up against a very good side – it’s not great to lose it that way.”
[On Ciaran Donoghue’s return from injury] “It’s amazing, after nine months out, to come and play 80 minutes. But it’s not about individuals. Our club is about the team, and respect, and the values of the game, and I think we showed that today.”
Northampton: Hendy; Freeman, Litchfield, Dingwall (capt), Sleightholme; F Smith, Mitchell; Iyogun, Wright, Green; Lockett, Prowse, Kemeny, Graham, Pollock
Replacements: R Smith, Fischetti, Kundiona, Van der Mescht, Munga, Chick, McParland, Hutchinson
Sin-bin: Litchfield (7)
Bath: De Glanville; Hennessey, Harris, Butt, Muir; Donoghue, Van der Linde; Kirk, Frost, Verden; Richards, Molony, Bayliss, Reid (capt), Green
Replacements: Tuipulotu, Van Wyk, Griffin, Opoku-Gyamfu, Hill, Carr-Smith, Winters, Underhill
Sin-bin: Muir (13)
Referee: Luke Pearce
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