Sleightholme hat-trick propels Northampton to 71-48 Premiership win over Bath
On 10 October 2026 Northampton defeated Bath 71-48 in a Premiership Rugby match that produced 18 tries and 119 points, with Ollie Sleightholme scoring a hat-trick and Northampton touching down 11 times to Bath’s seven.
The defending Prem champions ran up a high-scoring victory in a game where defence was largely absent and attacking play dominated. The 119 points made it the second-highest scoring match in the league’s history, behind Saints’ 94-33 victory over Bristol in May. Fly-halves Fin Smith and Finn Russell both produced moments of creativity, and the report recorded 69 defenders beaten across the 80 minutes. The match report also drew comparisons between the spectacle on display and basketball, referencing the Harlem Globetrotters.
Northampton opened the scoring when Fin Smith slipped through a gap after a show-and-go, but Finn Russell responded with a created try that involved Arthur Green feeding Tom Carr-Smith to score. Bath then extended their ascendancy with Charlie Griffin squeezing over on the left before Northampton replied with Sleightholme finishing a flowing move. James Pater then put his winger clear to extend Northampton’s pressure.
Tommy Freeman broke down the right and, after the Bath flanker Josh Bayliss was shown a yellow card for a cynical infringement, Freeman finished under the posts. Bath again struck through the work of Kepu Tuipulotu, whose jackal led to a penalty and a successful lineout move that saw Archie Griffin barrel over. The visitors regained the lead when Tuipulotu powered through tackles and found Arthur Green on his left.
Early in the second half Dingwall dotted down following a dummy, and Bath then looked to hold the advantage with two tries inside 11 minutes of the restart. Green forced his way over on the left and Pater finished a break after Santi Carreras had spilled a long pass near halfway. Carreras later corrected his error by scoring, and Josh Kemeny was released on the left in a continued flurry of tries.
Alex Mitchell broke clear to score Northampton’s seventh try and restore their lead at 45-41. Bath introduced their Bomb Squad during the third quarter, but Northampton pulled further ahead before the quarter was out. Freeman initiated a move from inside his own 22 that finished with Sleightholme scoring in the corner, and after Ollie Lawrence was sin-binned Sleightholme wriggled through to complete his hat-trick.
Bayliss continued to keep Bath in contention, but late scores from Alex Coles and a second for Tommy Freeman completed Northampton’s comfortable run to the finish line, sealing the 71-48 victory.