Northampton Saints overcame the loss of injured captain George Furbank to post a statement 30-21 Investec Champions Cup win against the Bulls in Pretoria.
England international full-back Furbank went off 10 minutes before half-time after suffering an issue with his right arm following a tackle by Bulls skipper Elrigh Louw.
The Gallagher Premiership champions dug deep, though, at Loftus Versfeld, with Furbank’s replacement George Hendy and number eight Juarno Augustus scoring first-half tries en route to a bonus-point triumph.
Augustus’ score came immediately after Saints prop Emmanuel Iyogun had been yellow-carded, which underlined a resilient performance at altitude in temperatures of more than 30 degrees.
Wing Tommy Freeman added two tries after the break, while fly-half Fin Smith kicked two conversions and two penalties. Back-row forwards Cameron Hanekom (two) and Marcell Coetzee touched down for the Bulls, with Johan Goosen converting all three.
But Freeman’s second try, taking a brilliant Rory Hutchinson pass to the line, put the result beyond doubt as Saints secured both victory and an attacking bonus point.
Coach Phil Dowson was vindicated in his decision to select a full-strength side despite the challenges that travelling to South Africa posed.
The five competition points leave them firmly in charge of Pool Three following a bonus-point success against Castres in their Champions Cup opener.
PA
