Northampton winger George Hendry scored a hat-trick and last season’s runners-up ran in eight tries as they demolished an understrength Vodacom Bulls side 50-5 at Franklin Gardens on Sunday night.
The result - the second in a row in the Investec Champions Cup - means the Bulls only have a slim chance of qualifying for the playoffs, and if they do, are likely to face one of the big guns away from home.
To say that the European campaign may have ended prematurely is an understatement, and may not be technically true at this point, but it is hard to see the Bulls surviving what lies ahead to make it to the playoffs, and then going further than that.
On Sunday night it was indiscipline again that cost them dearly, not that they put up much of a fight and never were in the lead at any point in the game.
To say they surrendered would be cruel, but it wasn’t a performance that any Pretoria side would be proud of, as they were outclassed from the first minute to the last and the scoreline could have been a lot worse for them.
BULLS NEVER STOOD A CHANCE
Missing almost all of their Springboks and playing with a virtual second side, the Bulls were never going to stand a chance.
Northampton went toe to toe last season with eventual winners Bordeaux, and just missed out.
The Bulls conceded eight tries on the night, and it easily could have been more. While they will point to the understrength nature of their squad, their defensive record is extremely troubling.
Fourty-three tries in eight games - conceding 5.5 tries a game is nowhere near what any aspirational team should be doing.
The Bulls hardly saw much ball during the game in any case, and were on the defensive throughout.
The initial stats show Northampton making 639 running metres, almost three times what the Bulls had in the game.
Eight tries to one tells a story. So does 17 clean breaks to five, or 19 defenders beaten to eight.
In every statistic, in every facet and in every metre in the park there was only one side.
That was Northampton, who took all the points on offer and if there were any more available would have taken that as well.
While nobody faults the Bulls for resting their Boks or travelling with an understrength side - they certainly aren’t the only ones in the competition who send understrength teams abroad - the cruelty of the draw exposed them.
To have both finalists from last season in your first two games is tough, and to have Springboks who have returned home from eight weeks abroad (five with Boks, three with Bulls before the Bok tour) is a harsh juggling act for coach Johan Ackermann.
But this story of the Bulls seems to go deeper than that. They look like a side caught between ideals. A side that hasn’t settled (understandable given their lack of Boks) and a side that isn’t clear on their identity.
POOR DEFENSIVE RECORD
Their poor defensive record is one thing, but the lack of ambition is another. They were played off the park on Sunday night and didn’t have an answer.
There were individuals that tried hard, but collectively there was never the will or firepower to match Northampton and that was disappointing.
And again it came down to a yellow card. Where the two yellows cost them against Bordeaux last week, a moment of madness from Alulutho Tshakweni cost the Bulls a yellow and three tries while he was off the field.
Tshakweni looked to have been tripped by Emmanuel Iyogun and then turned around and retaliated with a trip of his own.
Northampton complained, the camera replays showed from a distance Tshakweni’s clear trip but didn’t see clear evidence of Iyogun. It was an off-ball incident that was dumb and costly. And the Bulls felt the pain.
The result will do little for the Bulls' brand in Europe, nor for Bulls fans hopes with Johan Ackermann as coach.
The latter’s record is now three wins in eight games since taking charge and while that can easily change, there are certainly some questions that are starting to be asked.
TOO EASY FOR NORTHAMPTON
It was way too easy at times for Northampton - as their first try showed. A poor kick from Kade Wolhuter was run back and saw Henry Pollock put Ollie Sleightholme away for an easy try down the tramlines.
The Bulls did exploit a mistake shortly afterwards, as Devon Williams forced a knock-on by Sleightholme and kicked the ball through for Stravino Jacobs to run 50 metres to score.
But that was the last of their smiles on the field, as Northampton, already in control, started to stretch the scoreline.
A five metre tap penalty was held up initially and the Bulls thought they had succeeded in forcing a maul, only for referee Holly Davidson to disagree, allowing Northampton to send the ball wide for Hendy to score his first untouched.
At 14-5 up at the break, Northampton went into overdrive when Tshakweni was sent from the field.
Pollock, Alex Coles and Sleightholme all scored within five minutes to put them too far to be caught.
They had opened with Hendy’s second try before that, falling on a Fin Smith grubber that bounced just righ.
As the game wound down, Hendy got his hat-trick and Josh Kemeny finished the game off with a turnover try to get them to 50, prompting talk of whether the Saints can go all the way.
They may just do that, but they will march on with the memory that the Bulls haven’t even got out of the starting blocks.
Scorers
Northampton Saints - tries: George Hendy (3), Ollie Sleightholme (2), Henry Pollock, Alex Coles, Josh Kemeny. Conversions: Fin Smith (5).
Vodacom Bulls - try: Stravino Jacobs.