Saints sunk by Gloucester

Azam: Second-half try

Gloucester took a huge step towards securing a place in the Aviva Premiership play-offs by claiming a 27-15 victory over Northampton at Kingsholm.

The Cherry and Whites are now five points clear of the Saints in third place and need just two points from their last two fixtures to guarantee a spot in the last four.

Despite the loss, Northampton are still well placed to join them, but the visitors were clearly second best on Tuesday night.

Tim Molenaar and Charlie Sharples set the tone with first-half tries and a third score from hooker Olivier Azam after the break killed the game off.

Freddie Burns kicked a total of 12 points, while the Saints managed tries from Alex Waller and Lee Dickson to add to five points from Shane Geraghty.

Both sides rang the changes for the re-arranged midweek clash and the match started in explosive fashion, with Azam twice involved in scuffles.

Warning

The France international escaped with a warning from referee Wayne Barnes, although replays showed him leading with his head into a clash with Saints lock Adam Eustace.

Saints kept their composure and went ahead when Geraghty found Waller with a perfect pass and he powered over from close range.

The hosts found a quick response in the 13th minute as Rory Lawson found half-back partner Nicky Robinson before Molenaar split the defence and rounded Scott Armstrong to score.

Burns conversion nudged Gloucester into a 7-5 lead and the full-back then followed that up with a penalty at the end of an often fractious first quarter.

The deficit was reduced through a Geraghty penalty, but Gloucester soon asserted themselves again as Sharples touched down after a great turn of pace had left Bruce Reihana floundering.

Burns added the extras and Gloucester then pushed for another try, but the Saints held on and went into the break only 17-8 down.

Despite having a glut of internationals on the bench, Northampton coach Jim Mallinder did not turn to his replacements at half-time.

Points

And home side's dominance continued as 10 points in 11 minutes at the start of the second half all but sealed the win.

Burns slotted his second penalty through the posts before Azam touched down to give Gloucester a 19-point lead and put the hosts on course to extend their 100 per cent record at Kingsholm in the Premiership.

A new Northampton front row of hooker Dyland Hatley and props Soane Tonga'uhia and Brian Mujati led to a spell of sustained pressure for the Saints.

Gloucester remained firm in defence though, with the hosts showing no signs of the frailty that saw them concede five tries at Leicester three days ago.

The visitors had much of the territory in the final quarter, with Dickson's try - converted by Geraghty - giving them some faint hope.

But they could not mount a comeback, with Tonga'uiha dropping the ball when he dived over the line in the closing stages as they looked for a losing bonus point.