Bittersweet win for Bristol

Dan Ward-Smith was stretchered off as Alfie To'oala's try helped Bristol beats Saints.

Dan Ward-Smith's England ambitions lay in tatters on Saturday evening after he was stretchered off during Bristol's 14-8 victory over Northampton Saints.

The domineering number eight, unquestionably one of the season's outstanding Premiership performers, went down awkwardly during contact and he left the field with a suspected dislocated kneecap.

With Ward-Smith heading to hospital, Bristol suffered a first half battering at the hands of Saints' forwards, before showing their title credentials to rally back for victory.

Northampton's superb forward effort saw them take an 8-0 lead into half time thanks to Ben Cohen's 100th try for the club, but Bristol hit back through Brian Lima and Alfie To'oala to triumph.

It was Saints who flew out of the blocks in front of a raucous home crowd and they should have been ahead inside five minutes.

Brushing off suggestions that they would be light upfront without the likes of Steve Thompson, Pat Barnard and David Gerard, Northampton ploughed directly through the middle of Bristol's defence to earn the game's first penalty.

Unfortunately, Carlos Spencer's goal-kicking remains a pressing problem for Paul Grayson's men, and the New Zealander skewed his kick from close range.

The miss clearly dented Spencer's confidence and it cost Saints another three-point opportunity on the 11-minute mark, with the Kiwi preferring to kick to the corner after more good work from the Northampton pack had earned the penalty.

Bristol coach Richard Hill had picked a team built to overpower their opposition after seeing Biarritz do likewise a week ago, but he lost his main man inside the first quarter, with Ward-Smith stretchered off.

More problems were to follow for the league leaders as Lima saw yellow for failing to roll away from the ruck, and Spencer finally rewarded his men for a superb opening with the simplest of penalties.

Jason Strange passed up an immediate opportunity to restore parity, and he will then have breathed a huge sigh of relief as Saints twice went close in as many minutes.

First, Spencer's clever diagonal kick was bravely defended by Josh Taumalolo under thunderous pressure from Cohen, and then the relentless Saints pack bundled over - only to be denied by the video referee.

A try had to come for the hosts, and on 25 minutes they finally pierced Bristol's rearguard, with Cohen flying in at the corner for his landmark touchdown after good handling by Robbie Kydd and Paul Diggin.

The first half was being played almost exclusively inside Bristol's 22, yet the visitors would have entered the interval happy to be only 8-0 behind.

With relegation a very real prospect, Northampton needed another score to settle the nerves against their clinical opponents, and they were dealt a harsh lesson within five minutes of the restart.

After Spencer had missed his third kick of the night, Lima pounced to intercept Damien Browne's telegraphed pass and cut the deficit to a single point.

Suddenly the mood completely changed inside Franklin's Gardens, Bristol's forwards were on the rampage, and Tonga'Uhia saw yellow for collapsing the maul when a penalty try could easily have been given.

The expected seven-pointer did not follow for the visitors though, and they were reduced to 14 men themselves when Gareth Llewellyn was punished for an off-the-ball punch.

Bristol remained the more likely to steal victory as the match became a real war of attrition, with heightening tension making up for the lack of quality on show.

The West Country club kept knocking at the door, forcing Saints onto the back foot, and finally their reward arrived as To'oala bundled over with 10 minutes remaining.

Northampton were nearly robbed of any consolation for their commendable effort as Bristol went over again late on, but David Lemi was adjudged to have knocked on - keeping the scores within seven points.

Victory does not stop Bristol slipping to second in the table after Leicester's maximum win over Newcastle, while Northampton are left in a real relegation battle with Worcester - who are now just four points behind.