Bath 21-42 Northampton: How under-strength Saints pulled off top-of-the-line wins of 2025 and marked themselves as critical title contenders, writes ALEX BYWATER

Bath was awash with celebrities on Saturday, David and Victoria Beckham among those in the city for the wedding of Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty and Holly Ramsay.

The daughter of celebrity chef Gordon had invited the great and the good to her big day, despite a falling out with Peaty’s parents. Just down the road from Bath Abbey, it was a different story. 

Save for Henry Pollock and Tommy Freeman, Northampton’s A Listers were absent at The Rec. Not that it mattered. Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson took the big decision to rest England internationals Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall and Alex Coles as well as a host of other key figures in the pack. Mitchell and Co have already had their mandatory post-autumn rest, so Dowson’s move was not forced upon him. You got the feeling Northampton had waved the white flag with their selection.

How very, very wrong that assumption was proved to be.

Even with the spine of their team absent, the Saints excelled to inflict a first home PREM Rugby defeat on Bath since October 2024. Freeman ended with a stunning hat-trick and of course it was Pollock, English rugby’s new darling, who delivered the knock-out blows with a match-winning second-half brace. Northampton were just outstanding.

The fluency of their attack and overall cohesion was impressive, especially given the number of Dowson’s changes. Archie McParland and Anthony Bellau, the replacements for Mitchell and Smith, showed they are more than just back-ups. Freeman, Pollock and George Hendy also stood up in style. Bath, by contrast, were nowhere near their usual high standards though their paucity should not detract from what was a fine Northampton performance.

Northampton Saints secured one of the wins of 2025 with a great performance in Bath

This was a statement Saints win with a bonus point to boot.

They could have won by more too, having three scores ruled out.

You had to wonder what Northampton’s travelling army of fans, who braved a bitterly cold night, made of Dowson’s selection. There were plenty of Saints supporters here, those in the younger age bracket swilling lagers and wearing Pollock’s trademark black headband. But they went home delighted and immediately had something to cheer, Freeman cutting a trademark line past Tom Dunn’s flailing tackle attempt to score.

Edoardo Todaro also raced clear, but play was pulled back for a knock on. Bath soon responded, predictably through the power of forwards Thomas du Toit and Dunn.

The second home try came after Saints lock Ed Prowse, starting with Coles absent, was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle on Miles Reid. No 9 McParland did well to dart over from a ruck and level the scores at 14-14. Bath were far from their best.

Only a brilliant try-saving tackle from Sam Underhill stopped Saints’ Italian flyer Todaro and Northampton then had another try chalked off. Hendy broke through and played in Freeman, but referee Craig Maxwell-Keys and TMO Dan Jones adjudged Bath prop Beno Obano to have been illegally stopped from making a tackle in the build-up.

On the verge of the break, brilliant breakdown work from Pollock stopped another Bath attack.

A second from hulking South African prop Du Toit at the start of the second half made you think Bath’s usual supremacy would be re-established. But although Rory Hutchinson was harshly judged to have been short of the line, more smooth-as-silk handling sent Freeman over for his second. The England back poked fun at Maxwell-Keys with his celebration, asking if it needed another TMO check. Then Pollock came to the party again, as he always tends to do. Bath wing Henry Arundell broke clear down the left, but the final pass didn’t stick. When the ball fell loose, Hendy picked up and raced away. Pollock was in support to finish and celebrate acrobatically and in trademark fashion. Even Bath’s powerhouse bench failed to make its usual impact, summing up what was a rare off day for Johann van Graan’s defending league champions.

There were fears for the under-strength Saints but they defied those doubts on Saturday

Pollock, sporting his peroxide blond hair in a rat tail, soon had another.

With Bath replacement hooker Dan Frost in the sin bin, Saints showed they have brawn as well as brain, shunting over the line. Pollock came up with the ball and the boot of Belleau – who kicked four conversions and a penalty – saw Saints home. There was still time for Freeman to complete his treble.

At the final whistle, Saints’ players celebrated wildly and rightly so because their performance here was one of the best the PREM has seen in the calendar year of 2025 and another tick in the box for Dowson who is building a fine coaching record.

Northampton’s five points also took them back above Bath to the top of the table and marked them out as serious title contenders.