Northampton gave their Zurich Premiership play-off hopes a huge lift by
sinking league leaders Bath at rainswept Franklin's Gardens.
Saints' hard-earned victory - secured through wing John Clarke's breakaway try
- condemned Bath to only their third defeat of the Premiership campaign.
And it keeps Northampton in third place with just two games of the regular
league season remaining.
Bath, meanwhile, could still be overhauled by Heineken Cup challengers Wasps
for top spot, raising the prospect of their meeting Northampton again in next
month's play-off semi-final.
That game though would be on home soil at the Recreation Ground, handing Bath
every chance of avenging Sunday's loss.
The conditions made constructive rugby impossible, and it was always going to
be a low-scoring encounter.
Saints though, struck gold with Clarke's effort, and there was no way back for
Bath as England fly-half Paul Grayson kicked three penalties and a conversion on
his first appearance since this season's RBS Six Nations Championship.
Northampton, whose squad had been hit by a stomach bug last week, fielded an
unlikely all-England centre partnership of Matt Dawson and Ben Cohen.
Scrum-half Dawson and wing Cohen teamed up for the first time in Saints'
midfield, with John Leslie and Mark Tucker among several Northampton players
sidelined through injury,
Flu victim Tom Smith was replaced in the front-row by Chris Budgen, while Bath
welcomed back South African centre Robbie Fleck, almost five months after he
suffered a broken leg on just his second Premiership outing against Gloucester
at Kingsholm.
The heavens opened as Bath skipper Jon Humphreys led his team out, and
conditions quickly made life difficult, with handling errors dominating initial
flurries.
Malone and Grayson exchanged penalties during a tense opening quarter that
Bath shaded territorially, while a second Malone penalty 10 minutes before
half-time ensured an interval advantage for the visitors.
It was not pretty, but in such dire weather, both sides knew they had to adopt
safety-first tactics.
Grayson varied his kicking expertly, and almost unhinged the Bath defence on
two occasions, but Dawson knocked on trying to gather possession before wing
Nick Beal was herded into touch by Bath defenders when he caught Grayson's up
and under.
Bath created little in the way of clear-cut try chances, yet they looked
comfortable on the ball, and former England full-back Matt Perry proved an
immaculate defensive operator, underlining that his prolonged injury troubles
have been put behind him.
Grayson tied the game with a 47th-minute penalty after Bath offended at a
line-out, and Northampton then rocked their opponents through an outstanding
score.
Flanker Andrew Blowers won turnover ball on the floor, allowing Saints to
launch what seemed an optimistic counter-attack from 80metres out.
But Cohen worked Clarke into space with a well-timed pass, and the England
Under-21 international skipped across the soaking turf for a try that Grayson
converted.
Northampton's lead took on sizeable proportions, given the appalling
conditions, and Bath just could not make headway in their attempts to retrieve
the situation.
Saints lost injured scrum-half Mark Robinson 10 minutes from time, Dawson
moving into the number nine position before he subsequently limped off.
Not even the second-half appearances of England pair Danny Grewcock and Olly
Barkley could inspire Bath, and Grayson had the final say with an injury-time
penalty that denied the frustrated visitors a losing bonus point.
Teams:
Northampton: Reihana, Clarke, Cohen, Dawson, Beal, Grayson,
Robinson, Budgen, Thompson, Taumepeau, Lord, Connors, Blowers,
Fox, Seely.
Not Used: Richmond, Morris, Phillips, Soden, Howard, Vilk,
Drahm.
Tries: Clarke.
Cons: Grayson.
Pens: Grayson 3.
Bath: Perry, Crockett, Fleck, Maggs, Human, Malone, Wood,
Flatman, Humphreys, Bell, Borthwick, Fidler, Beattie, Lipman,
Fea'unati.
Not Used: Martens, Mears, Stevens, Barkley, Catt, Scaysbrook,
Grewcock.
Pens: Malone 2.
Att: 120,059
Ref: Chris White (RFU).
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