Tommy Freeman’s phenomenal four tries inspire Northampton past Saracens

Tommy Freeman gave Steve Borthwick a timely reminder of his wing credentials with a stunning four-try display as Northampton Saints extended their lead at the top of the Prem table in this utterly compelling contest.

In a week that Noah Caluori, the 19-year-old Saracens rookie, had captured the headlines with his five-try haul against Sale that led to his England call-up, Freeman took centre stage as Saints go into the international break unbeaten, with four wins and a draw.

It was an absorbing night of rugby, and a contest of high quality that will have heartened Borthwick ahead of England’s opening game of the autumn against Australia next weekend, with several of his players, including Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell and Henry Pollock, all impressing.

England may yet decide to switch Freeman to outside centre, but the Lions wing was in his pomp in the 14 shirt, overshadowing Caluori who struggled to replicate his stunning impact against Sale.

Pollock had jokingly declared before the game that Caluori, who had spent the week training with England, would have a target on his back. The tactic from Smith was to avoid giving him the opportunity to win aerial contests but instead turn him with a series of chip kicks behind him.

Mark McCall, Saracens’ director of rugby, admitted his coaching team had pondered as to whether to start Caluori, given he had not joined up with the club until Thursday.

“I thought that he deserved to play after last week,” said McCall. “I thought he had the maturity to do so. I also thought that whatever, this will be a good experience for him regardless, whether it’s a good experience in the moment or whether it’s a good experience in a couple of weeks’ time or a couple of months’ time. And it will be.”

For all McCall’s frustrations, Saracens played a full part in this encounter, at one stage leading by nine points in the second half having looked dead and buried when they trailed by 17 points after 25 minutes, but it was Saints who finished the final quarter in control.

Northampton made all the early running, with Caluori finding himself isolated in the defensive line with a chip by Smith for the opening try finished by George Hendy.

With the man mountain JJ van der Mescht causing havoc to the Saracens defensive line, it was another fiendishly placed chip by Smith that led to a second try moments later, with Max Malins struggling to gather the ball as he slid over his own line, with his knee instead knocking the ball beyond his grasp and Tom Pearson then grounding the ball with his fingertips.

When Freeman crossed for his opening try following another drive by Van der Mescht, Saracens were in serious danger of being cut loose before the half was up. Desperate for a foothold, they struck from almost nothing, unloading a first-phase attack from a rare incursion into the Saints half, with a neat move involving Owen Farrell and Nick Tompkins finding a soft shoulder in the defensive line before Fergus Burke finished near the posts.

The game turned on its head. Having failed to convert a series of close-range drives, a perfectly placed chip by Burke forced Freeman to turn and Jack Bracken’s electric acceleration took him into the space behind him, and he gathered to score.

The half finished with Saracens now in total control, with Saints forced to concede a series of penalties under intense pressure. Pearson was shown a yellow card as a consequence and moments later Saracens had snatched the lead. Tom Willis tapped a free kick, carried hard and then Juan Martín González burrowed over for his side’s third try.

With Pearson still in the bin, now it was Northampton who looked in serious trouble. The interval provided little reprieve as Saracens stretched their lead, with Hugh Tizard powering over to ground the ball at the posts. Farrell’s conversion opened up a nine-point lead but this roller-coaster contest had plenty more twists to come.

With Pollock and Van der Mescht again to the fore. Pollock intercepted Burke’s pass from a Saracens line-out, sparking a wave of attacks culminating in a yellow card Marco Riccioni and after a series of penalties, Pearson, back on, powered over for his second try.

The burst of scoring continued as Freeman crossed for two tries in quick succession to complete his hat-trick finishing before Saracens threatened a late revival, with Charlie Bracken showing great skill in taking a tapped penalty and then regathering his own kick and then putting Malins over.

Yet this was the Freeman show. Smith, on an eye-catching display before he assembles with the England squad on Sunday, placed another chip behind the Saracens defence for Freeman to score his fourth.

Match details

Northampton Saints: Hendy; Freeman, Hutchinson (Litchfield 80), Dingwall, Todaro; F Smith, Mitchell (McParland 80); Fischetti (Wright 53), R Smith (Iyogun 53), Davison (Green 68), Lockett, van der Mescht (Prowse 62), Coles, Pearson (Chick 68), Pollock. Replacement: Belleau. Sin-bin: Pearson (40). 
Saracens: Malins; Caluori (Hall 65), Tompkins, Farrell, J Bracken; Burke, C Bracken (Simpson 72); Mawi (Carre 43), Dan, Riccioni, Itoje, Tizard (Isiekwe 57), Gonzalez (Earl 53), Christie (McFarland 51), Willis (Street 59). Replacement: Hadfield. Sin-bin: Riccioni (57).
Referee: A Woodthorpe.

[Source: Daily Telegraph]