North inspires Northampton Saints to Ospreys victory

Wales winger George North helped Northampton Saints to a 17-29 victory over the Ospreys at Liberty Stadium that keeps them in the hunt for a place in the Heineken Cup quarter finals.

North’s second half try from 70m out put Northampton into a comfortable lead and although Rhys Webb and Alun-Wyn Jones scored tries for the hosts the Saints scored two more through George Pisi and Glenn Dickson to seal the result.

The victory does not ensure that Northampton will qualify for the quarter final as Leinster beat Castres which leaves the Saints with an outside chance of qualifying as one of the best-placed pool runners-up.

Northampton ground out the at-times dour win over Ospreys, Stephen Myler kicking
four first-half penalties to one from Dan Biggar.

It wasn’t until early in the second half that the Saints came to life, a turnover
and quick play-the-ball setting Wales winger George North haring down the left
for a try.

Scrum-half Rhys Webb scored a sniping try for the Ospreys to breathe some life
into a game desperately short on quality.

But Northampton hit back with a George Pisi touchdown

The home side were not out of it, however, Alun-Wyn Jones driving over from
a line-out, Biggar’s conversion taking the score to 22-17.

The Saints responded through an opportunistic Glenn Dickson try to round off
a desperately disappointing campaign by the Welsh region.

Final Score Ospreys (3) 17 Northampton (12) 29

Scorers

Ospreys
Tries – Webb, A W Jones
Pen -Biggar
Con – Biggar 2
Drop –

Northampton Saints
Tries – North, Pisi, Dickson
Pen – Myler 4
Con – Dickson
Drop –

Match Officials

Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France),
Assistant ref : Patrick Pechambert (France),
Assistant ref : Jean-Luc Rebollal (France),
TMO : Gilles Cogne (France),
Citing Commissioner : Douglas Hunter (Scotland)

Ospreys: Richard Fussell; Jeff Hassler, Tom Isaacs, Ashley Beck, Aisea Natoga; Dan Biggar, Tito Tebaldi; Ryan Bevington, Richard Hibbard, Aaron Jarvis, Alun-Wyn Jones (c), Ian Evans, Sam Lewis, Justin Tipuric, Joe Bearman

Replacements: Scott Baldwin, Duncan Jones, Adam Jones, James King, Morgan Allen, Thomas Habberfield, Sam Davies , Jonathan Spratt

Northampton Saints: Tom Collins; Jamie Elliott, George Pisi, Luther Burrell, George North; Steve Myler, Kahn Fotuali’i; Alex Waller, Dylan Hartley (c), Salesi Ma’afu, Courtney Lawes, Christian Day, Calum Clark, Tom Wood, Samu Manoa

Replacements: Mikey Haywood, Ethan Waller, Tom Mercey, Sam Dickinson, Phil Dowson, Lee Dickson, Glenn Dickson, Fa’atoina Autagavaia