LV= Cup: Northampton try drought ends in win over Gloucester
Northampton made it two wins from three LV= Cup Pool 4 games with a cosy 26-7 success against Gloucester.
Last Updated: 26/01/13 5:46pm
Luther Burrell and Alex Waller crossed for Saints tries, ending a lengthy drought in front of their own fans, and they were efficient with the boot on their way to an impressive victory over their Aviva Premiership rivals.
A couple of early Gloucester infringements gave Ryan Lamb the chance to pop over a couple of penalties and give the home side a 6-0 lead.
Gloucester briefly led, as it turned out for the only time, when Ryan Mills made the most of a Scott Monahan break to score on his first outing for more than six months after knee surgery - he also converted.
But it was Lamb to the fore again for the Saints as they restored their lead seven minutes before half-time, the fly-half tricking the Cherry and Whites defence to allow Burrell to saunter home unchallenged for a try, the first the Saints had scored in front of their own fans since 24 November.
Northampton continued to dominate the forward battle after the break and Stephen Myler came off the bench to add six more points to their lead with two penalties.
And the game was completely over as a contest 13 minutes from the final whistle when prop Waller nipped around a ruck to plunge over after a powerful driving maul, with Myler's conversion ending the scoring.
Saints now only need to beat the Exeter Chiefs in their final pool game to secure a place in the semi-finals.