Northampton won a pulsating Powergen Cup quarter-final at the Recreation
Ground after breaking Bath hearts in an incident-packed clash.
Referee Steve Lander sin-binned three players, including Bath captain Danny
Grewcock and Northampton number eight Mark Connors after they freely traded
blows, as the game crackled and bristled throughout.
But Saints, beaten finalists last season, had the last laugh when their
Australian centre Peter Jorgensen dived over for a match-winning try two minutes
from time which fly-half Paul Grayson converted.
Bath were agonisingly denied a first domestic cup semi-final appearance since
1996.
Scrum-half Gareth Cooper and prop David Barnes scored their tries, and 19
points from Olly Barkley's prodigious left boot looked to be enough, until
Jorgensen struck.
The unflappable Barkley kicked seven out of seven shots - five penalties and
two conversions - to put Bath in charge, yet Saints dug deep when it really
mattered and clinched a thrilling victory.
England wing Ben Cohen bagged Northampton's opening two touchdowns, while
Grayson landed six kicks from seven attempts.
It was a memorable encounter - worthy of the final itself - but it is Saints
who march on, following up a Heineken Cup quarter-final appearance with another
domestic last-four visit.
The game began in feisty fashion with a flare-up among the forwards after just
two minutes.
Several players threw punches, but Lander singled out Saints hooker Dan
Richmond for a lecture, and Barkley struck the resulting penalty from 50 metres
to put Bath 3-0 ahead.
Although Grayson quickly levelled with a 35-metre penalty strike, Bath
continued to set the agenda, and they opened up an imposing 13-3 lead inside 15
minutes.
Barkley, playing on the wing with Mike Catt restored to fly-half for his first
start since late November after hamstring problems, booted a second penalty
before Bath struck again.
Cohen fumbled a steepling Catt kick, giving Bath an attacking lineout, and
flanker Adam Vander broke clear before finding the supporting Cooper, who
enjoyed a simple run-in.
Barkley's conversion was followed by another penalty when Saints flanker
Andrew Blowers late-tackled Bath centre Mike Tindall, and the home side were in
danger of disappearing over the horizon.
Northampton, beaten cup finalists last term, knew they had to score next, such
was the alarming nature of their deficit.
And Cohen duly obliged, popping up on Jorgensen's shoulder after he scythed
through Bath's midfield defence. Grayson converted as Northampton moved back in
contention at 16-10 adrift.
A stunning Tindall tackle on Saints' ex-All Blacks wing Bruce Reihana denied
Northampton another try, but Bath could not hold out when they were undone by an
old chestnut of a move.
Grayson tapped and ran a kickable penalty, preferring instead to boot the ball
out wide, and Cohen caught it for a sucker-punch score which the fly-half
improved, edging Saints 17-16 ahead.
But a rollercoaster first-half saw Bath regain the ascendancy four minutes
before the break.
The livewire Cooper sprinted clear into space, catching Northampton's defence
unguarded, and the Bath forwards appeared in numbers, with Barnes stretching to
touch down.
Another Barkley conversion made it 23-17 to Bath, yet Saints ended an exciting
period enjoying a temporary one-man advantage after Lander sin-binned Bath
flanker Andy Beattie for a technical infringement.
And tempers continued to simmer on the stroke of half-time, with Lander
warning Barnes and his front-row colleague Jonathan Humphreys following an
incident involving Dawson.
Grayson's second successful penalty opened the second-half scoring, reducing
Saints' arrears before Beattie returned, and England hooker Steve Thompson
appeared as a 47th-minute substitute for Richmond as Northampton looked to step
up a gear.
Dawson's blindside snipe almost sent Reihana clear, then Northampton stretched
Bath's defence in the other direction, but Cohen lost control of the ball as he
attempted to touch down, infuriating Saints' fans who thought he had scored.
Lander had his hands full again on 55 minutes when Saints number eight
Connors, who almost joined Bath last year before his prospective employers
pulled the plug on a deal, and Grewcock traded blows.
Their toe-to-toe scrap set off mayhem around them, and when things eventually
died down, Lander yellow-carded both players.
It was nip and tuck throughout the closing stages, but Jorgensen came up
trumps, claiming another decisive try just a fortnight after he achieved an
identical feat against Heineken Cup opponents Biarritz, the reigning French
champions.
Teams:
Bath: Perry, Danielli, Maggs,
Tindall, Barkley, Catt, Cooper,
Barnes, Humphries, Mallett, Borthwick, Grewcock, Beattie,
Vander, N. Thomas.
Replacements: A. Williams, Mears, Galasso, Voyce, G. Thomas,
Scaysbrook, Emms.
Tries: Cooper, Barnes.
Cons: Barkley 2.
Pens: Barkley 5.
Northampton: Beal, Reihana, Jorgensen, Leslie, Cohen, Grayson,
Dawson, Smith, Richmond, Stewart, Hunter, Lord, Blowers,
Pountney, Connors.
Replacements: Thompson, Budgen, Williams, Seely, Vass, Brooks,
Sleightholme.
Tries: Cohen 2, Jorgensen.
Cons: Grayson 3.
Pens: Grayson 3.
Att: 7,430
Ref: Steve Lander (RFU).
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