Northampton Saints cruised into the quarter-finals of the Premiership Rugby Cup by thrashing Nottingham 66-33 in a 10-try win at Girl Bay.
Saints wanted a bonus level to safe qualification as pool winners, and achieved it inside the primary half with 5 tries, regardless of The Archers taking the lead twice within the early phases.
Phil Dowson’s facet punished the hosts after a Jack Stapley yellow card, with Charlie Savala scoring a hat-trick as certainly one of seven strive scorers.
Regardless of a spirited effort from Nottingham, Northampton took full management within the second half with 5 extra tries.
Saints got here into the sport as heavy favourites, having received 4 of their 5 pool matches, with Nottingham winless.
Dowson picked a powerful facet to safe a spot within the final eight, but it surely was the Championship facet who made the early working.
Sam Inexperienced and Ryan Olowofela’s early tries, both facet of Savala’s opening rating, gave The Archers an early lead.
However after Stapley’s sin-binning, Northampton took management with tries from Iakopo Mapu, George Hendy, Tom James and one other from Savala to present them a snug lead on the break.
They sealed victory early within the second interval, with Tom Litchfield and Rafe Witheat’s scores, earlier than dropping off within the latter phases.
A penalty strive for the hosts, a February 14 strive for Xavier Valentine, and Tom Threlfall’s late rating gave them a deserved bonus level, earlier than Tom Seabrook and Archie Benson scored late for Northampton to present them a snug ten-try win.
Victory took them to 25 factors of their pool, giving them a good probability of a house quarter-final in a fortnight.
