Vodacom Bulls 21 Northampton Saints 30: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings

After such a lean spell since January of this year when Phil Dowson’s 14 men won at Munster, Saints have finally regained the steel that made them formidable on the road at one stage last season.

Few gave them hope of beating Vodacom Bulls in their own backyard, not because of a lack of quality but because of the conditions (altitude and heat) and the energy it takes to travel to Pretoria.

But this season’s Saints made a statement akin to last season’s.

They rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in from minute one, making a mockery of the possession and territory stats as they made their way into a 12-7 half-time lead.

They were under siege at the set piece and the breakdown, with Manny Iyogun eventually paying the price with a yellow card.

But as they did at Thomond Park at the start of this year, Saints refused to let their numerical disadvantage deter them.

Instead, they pounced to score a crucial try before the break, winning the sin-bin period while preventing the Bulls from scoring a single point.

They continued to fight against the tide after half-time and then took their chances when they came, moving 15 points ahead with 20 minutes to go.

It looked like they had some welcome breathing space in suffocating conditions, but back came the Bulls, led by the hugely impressive Cameron Hanekom.

The gap was eventually cut to a single point, which could have got the nerves jangling during the final 10 minutes.

But Saints kept their composure and kept pushing forward, notching the crucial bonus-point try thanks to a sublime assist from Rory Hutchinson and a typical finish from Tommy Freeman, who scored twice during the second half.

It was a special moment and when the final whistle sounded, this really was one to savour.

It was a memorable success that Saints can call upon in the weeks and months to come.

This new black, green and gold team have proved that they have the kind of steel that the 2023/24 side did.

They too can go into the toughest environments and walk away with wins.

And that can only be a good thing as another testing away trip, this time much closer to home, beckons when Saints go to Saracens on Sunday.

How they rated…

GEORGE FURBANK – appeared to suffer what could potentially be a broken arm and Saints will hope for a speedy recovery from their skipper, who deserves credit for his leadership on such a trip… 7

TOMMY FREEMAN – not only did this man score two tries, he also prevented one as he raced back to stop Devon Williams grounding the ball at a key time in the second half… 9

FRASER DINGWALL – made some hugely important contributions, featuring in the top three for Saints in tackles, metres made, defenders beaten and carries… 9

RORY HUTCHINSON – produced a moment of real class to create the bonus-point try for Saints and also delivered defensively, punching well above his weight time and again… 9

OLLIE SLEIGHTHOLME – made more metres than any other Saints player and threatened to score one of his trademark breakaway tries during the second half… 8

FIN SMITH – produced a great offload for George Hendy’s first-half try and also fronted up physically time and again… 9

ALEX MITCHELL – another showing that emphasises his importance to this team as he created a try with some magic during the first half and he delivered a 50:22 that was sensational… 9

MANNY IYOGUN – found life tough at scrum time against a formidable pack and paid the price with a yellow card, but he could be proud of his efforts in other areas of the game… 7

CURTIS LANGDON – a massive shift once again from the indefatigable hooker, who just keeps putting his body on the line in defence and attack for his team… 9

ELLIOT MILLAR MILLS – showed his breakdown ability but also had his work cut out at scrum time, with Saints opting to freshen things up at half-time… 7

TEMO MAYANAVANUA – won a couple of turnovers for his team and worked hard in the heat, doing what he could to add his physicality to the game… 8

TOM LOCKETT – got through the full 80 minutes, working so hard in defence and doing good work at lineout time… 8.5

ALEX COLES – started at six and looked strong. Was penalised on a couple of occasions but overall he could be proud of his performance… 8.5

HENRY POLLOCK – just loves the confrontation in tough environments and he looked to have enjoyed every minute of his time on the park, winning some key turnovers… 8.5

JUARNO AUGUSTUS – CHRON STAR MAN – a huge showing on his return to South Africa as he topped Saints’ tackle count, scored a try and carried hard for the team… 9

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

GEORGE HENDY (for Furbank 30) – once again, he wasted little time in making an impact, getting Saints on the board with a try and using his footwork to trouble the hosts… 8.5

TREVOR DAVISON (for Millar Mills 40) – won a key penalty to help Saints relieve the pressure at 12-7 up in the second half and really made a difference… 8

CHUNYA MUNGA (for Mayanavanua 53) – looked to get involved as much as he could and his athleticism was helpful in the heat… 7

TOM PEARSON (for Pollock 53) – made some big carries after coming on, helping to push the Bulls back and Saints forward… 8