Northampton Saints 28 Gloucester 14: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

Because at 14-0 down against an in-form Gloucester side, they had barely landed a blow in what was a frightening opening 35 minutes.

It was even more worrying given that Saints had also failed to score a single point during the second half at Leicester Tigers seven days earlier.

And to add to their woes, they lost influential scrum-half Alex Mitchell with just 21 minutes played, on an evening when Archie McParland was unavailable due to an injury of his own.

Fin Smith was also sidelined, watching this game from the stands, meaning Saints were shorn of three England half-backs as they found themselves in a hole against a Gloucester side who were refusing to let them dig themselves out.

The Cherry and Whites had entered this round of Gallagher PREM action sitting top of the table, beating Exeter Chiefs, Harlequins, Bath and bagging two bonus points in their gallant loss at Leicester Tigers.

And with the likes of Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan sitting on the bench, they had some heavy artillery in reserve to try to take the game out of Saints' reach during the second half.

But the black, green and gold didn't let it get that far.

Instead, they rolled up their sleeves and came back from the dead.

Their big men delivered, packing a sizeable punch from two lineout drives during the final five minutes of the half.

Tom Pearson and Curtis Langdon applied the finishing touches, with Anthony Belleau, who had stepped in for Smith, adding two conversions.

And suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it was all square, with belief coursing through the veins of everyone of a black, green and gold persuasion.

Gloucester looked stunned as their dominance during the majority of the first period proved only good enough for a stalemate at the break.

It was a huge psychological blow for the Cherry and Whites, who would have been well aware of how hard it is to win at a ground that has been a graveyard for opposition teams in recent times.

Saints have not lost a league match at the Gardens since Leicester won 33-0 at the ground in March 2025.

And they weren't about to give that record up lightly here.

The second half was as impressive as the final five minutes of the first period.

Saints pushed on to pick up two more tries, executing in typically expert fashion, with Belleau firing a fantastic long pass out to George Hendy for the first before Rory Hutchinson, on the bench due to Scotland commitments earlier in the week, applied a clever finish for the bonus-point effort.

Gloucester were not allowed to find a way back into the game, with brilliant and resilient Saints defending thwarting them at every turn.

A Saints team that had failed to score a single point during the second half at Leicester refused to let Gloucester score a single point during the second half in Northampton.

After the game, boss Phil Dowson said this had been a good chance to find out a lot about this year's black, green and gold bunch.

And he was understandably extremely happy with what he discovered.

They showed the grit, determination and mentality of champions on a night when Gloucester threatened to upset the apple cart.

George Skivington's side would have viewed this as a chance to make a statement of their own, to show they could be the best by beating the best.

But in the end, the team that was the best last season stood tall and showed just why so many members of this squad lifted that PREM silverware back in June.

They showcased the incredible depth they possess as talented 20-year-old Jonny Weimann and French fly-half Belleau stepped up in style, displaying yet again just how good this group and its coaches are.

And to stop Gloucester taking anything home from the Gardens felt so significant, even though the season is still just five rounds old.

After what happened on that rain-soaked afternoon at Leicester and with a break from league action beckoning, Saints needed to deliver.

But as the old saying goes - when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

And that was exactly what this Saints team did on another special evening under the Gardens lights.

How they rated…

JAMES PATER – a really strong showing from the full-back in many ways. He continues to get more powerful in contact and his clearance and chase before making a big hit gained Saints some vital territory… 8

OLLIE SLEIGHTHOLME – a fairly quiet night for the wing as the forwards slugged it out for much of his time on the field, but he did stand strong when needed out wide on one or two occasions… 7

TOMMY FREEMAN – in the thick of the action in the midfield battle, some of his offloads got Saints going on the break and he also made a couple of big stops defensively… 8

FRASER DINGWALL – the Saints skipper continued to run into brick walls for his team and his lovely little pass helped Belleau to set up Hendy for a key try… 8

GEORGE HENDY – added another try to his tally with a new-look celebration, too, and he did well to get back to stop Will Joseph scoring on one occasion during the first half, though he couldn’t stop him scoring a second time later in the half… 7.5

ANTHONY BELLEAU – Saints fans love this man for many reasons, because he always steps up in the best possible way and he is just so tough. His kicking was absolutely crucial to this win, with two of his touch-finders gaining the ground needed to help Saints get over the line… 8.5

ALEX MITCHELL – didn’t really have any time to make an impact as he had to come off with the clock having just ticked past 20. You really have to feel for him as he has now suffered four separate hamstring injuries during 2026… 6.5

MANNY IYOGUN – his carry helped to cause panic as Gloucester gave away a high tackle penalty that would come back to bite them late in the first half, and he looked hungry for this… 7.5

CURTIS LANGDON – claimed his first try of the season and celebrated by referencing the fact he became a father for the first time in September. An all-action display in which he looked back to his energetic best… 8.5

ALEX COLES – the athlete got through a huge amount of work again, helping to disrupt Gloucester as much as he could while also carrying hard when he got the chance… 8.5

ED PROWSE – another really physical display in which he covered plenty of ground to stop Gloucester doing the same… 8

JOSH KEMENY – JOINT CHRON STAR MAN – didn’t stop all night long. An absolutely relentless, brutal showing in which he just kept contributing in a positive manner over and over again… 9

TOM PEARSON – JOINT CHRON STAR MAN – his juggled finish deserves plenty of praise as it was far from easy under pressure, and he showed why England named him in their squad last week with yet another reminder of how incredibly impressive he is… 9

CALLUM CHICK – JOINT CHRON STAR MAN – the work rate of this man is through the roof. He really deserved to share this star man with his fellow back row forwards because they were the heartbeat of an immense defensive showing as well as blasting the holes to help the team to collect a try bonus point at the other end of the field… 9

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

JONNY WEIMANN (for Mitchell 21) – still just 20 years old, this young man showed again what a luxurious position Saints are in at scrum-half. With Archie McParland and Alex Mitchell injured, he stepped into the spotlight, looking like he’d been part of this team for years with a fine performance that gets extra marks due to the context of the situation he found himself in when he came on… 8.5

ROBBIE SMITH (for Langdon 56) – the lineout didn’t work so well towards the end of the match, but his appetite and endeavour in open play was excellent, and one acrobatic catch high above his head was eye-catching… 7

DANILO FISCHETTI (for Iyogun 56) – helped to keep the energy levels high, flying into collisions as he ensured Saints kept going forward in defence and attack… 7.5

ION NECULAI (for Kundiona 56) – looked strong again, shrugging off a knock to continually get stuck in for his side… 7.5

RORY HUTCHINSON (for Sleightholme 59) – his finish that claimed the bonus-point try was so clever as he called for the ball and picked out a small gap that he could exploit with his excellent footwork… 7.5