The Northampton reaction after 'an old-fashioned hiding' at Bristol

Northampton boss Phil Dowson admitted that his team took “an old-fashioned hiding” after the Gallagher Premiership leaders were crushed 52-21 by Bristol. Saints saw their six-game unbeaten Premiership run come to a grinding halt as Bristol ran in seven tries at Ashton Gate.

Northampton still top the table, yet a return to league action after an eight-week break while the Guinness Six Nations played out went badly wrong.

“We took an old-fashioned hiding and we have got to make sure we look at that in forensic detail, both as a playing group and coaching group, and make sure we are better next week,” said rugby director Dowson.

“Credit to Bristol, they played well. All the things we said about them being a dangerous side proved to be right. They were a very good side on the evening – way better than we were – and we have got to make sure we deal with that in the most honest way possible and move forward.

“It is easy to be full of it when you are flying high, but sometimes you take a hiding and it brings you back to earth. You have to take that medicine and move on. We will make sure we do that.

“We are not going to scream and shout, we are going to go to work and make sure we fix the issues from a preparation point of view and performance point of view to make sure we are better next time when we play Saracens at home.

“As you can imagine, the lads are very, very down because the vibe in the last few weeks has been very, very strong and we were excited about coming down here to challenge ourselves. You can imagine what the mood is like (in the dressing room). I don’t need to describe it.”

Bristol stormed clear through tries from lock Joe Batley and scrum-half Harry Randall during an early points burst. Fly-half AJ MacGinty added two conversions and a penalty before second-half scores from prop Kyle Sinckler, Batley’s second-row partner James Dun and wing Gabriel Ibitoye, plus replacements Max Malins and Fred Davies, with MacGinty landing four more conversions and James Williams one, secured Bristol a bonus-point triumph.

Bristol’s victory kept them in with a fighting chance of reaching the play-offs, but it was a night to forget for Northampton, whose points came via two Ollie Sleightholme tries, a Jake Garside touchdown and three Fin Smith conversions.

Bristol rugby director Pat Lam said: “We have fine-tuned all areas of our game. It [the Premiership break] was a real opportunity to build on the things that we really wanted to, and our only focus was on this game.

“We knew the challenge – the number one team, the quality they have – so I am glad the players got their due reward for the work they put in. Getting the five points was really important.

“I said at half-time that they are an 80-minute team and they will always come back at you, so it was not about going into our shells. We kept playing.

“The only focus we have is recovery and getting ready for a huge game at Kingsholm (next Saturday). The only thing we can control is our preparation for Gloucester.”