Northampton returned to the head of the table after squeezing out Gloucester in an indulgent festive romp at Franklin’s Gardens. The visitors scored four tries to three, with their 18-year-old wing Louis Rees-Zammit securing a hat‑trick in his third Premiership start before a likely Six Nations call-up by Wales.
Rees-Zammit will soon qualify for England on residency through his education at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire, but the nephew of the former Cardiff, Pontypool and Wales B full-back Paul Rees is only interested in representing the country he was born and brought up in.
He followed his two tries against Worcester last week with three more on an afternoon when Gloucester’s schemer was Mark Atkinson rather than Danny Cipriani.
Gloucester came armed with a counterattacking plan, but it only lasted as long as it took Northampton to work out how to defuse it. Once the Saints took control of the breakdown and ensured quick release, they dominated territorially but never put away opponents who, with their pace and guile behind, were able to turn half-chances into tries.
Gloucester attempted 125 tackles to Northampton’s 29 in the first half but led for much of it after opening the scoring on seven minutes. Atkinson’s weighted chip was hacked on by Rees-Zammit, whose pace did the rest.
But Gloucester’s turnovers dried up and Northampton gradually assumed control, even though they were operating with a half-fit Dan Biggar, who suffered a dead leg after an early tackle by Alex Craig and hobbled on until the interval. He had by then accumulated eight points, landing two penalties and converting a try by Mikey Haywood that followed a scrum penalty and a driving line-out. They would have had a second try but for a saving tackle by Cipriani on the left-wing.
Taqele Naiyaravoro is different to Rees-Zammit, relying on bulk rather than pace, and he looked to have finished off a lineout move after getting over the line. Cipriani, who went into the round having missed more tackles than any other player, decided not to get in the Australian international’s way but to make a side-entry and prise the ball from his grasp as he looked to ground it to secure a drop-out.
Northampton’s 13-7 interval lead was quickly embellished by Cobus Reinach, who scored a try from a ruck after spotting two front-rowers ahead of him.
The scrum-half was celebrating a second three minutes later after receiving a pass from Tom Collins, but was ruled on review to have been in front of Ahsee Tuala as he chased the replacement full‑back’s kick.
The game had opened up and Gloucester immediately made their reprieve count with a try by Chris Harris after a deft pass from Atkinson, who was involved in his side’s first three tries and shaped their play as much as Courtney Lawes did Northampton’s: the England second‑row was invariably in the right place, making more metres in possession than any other forward and leading his side’s tackle count by some way.
Northampton were defending the Premiership’s only remaining 100% home record and looked to have regained the initiative when Reinach beat Rees-Zammit to Cipriani’s loose pass for a 60-metre try.
But Rees-Zammit scored his second after another defence-opening pass from Atkinson, who was involved in a move when Cipriani almost scored in the right corner, but he was tackled into touch by George Furbank. Northampton were then nine points ahead through a Piers Francis penalty.
Rees-Zammit’s hat-trick gave Gloucester a second bonus point but Cipriani’s missed conversion meant they needed another try to win. Francis made sure for Saints with his second penalty.
