Stuart Hodge
European round-up: Northampton score impressive win over Bulls in South Africa as Leicester Tigers thump Sharks
Round-up of Saturday's European rugby union action, as most British teams enjoyed a very successful day in the Investec Champions Cup; Northampton won at the Bulls as Leicester won convincingly against the Sharks; Harlequins and Leinster were also victorious but Bristol and Ulster lost
Last Updated: 14/12/24 10:53pm
Northampton 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.
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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.
Saints' victory leaves them in charge of Pool Three following a bonus point success against Castres in their Champions Cup opener.
Leicester Tigers 56-17 Sharks
Leicester coasted to a 56-17 victory against South African visitors the Sharks in Pool One at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.
Sharks were without a number of World Cup-winning Springboks, including Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Bongi Mbonambi, and Leicester tore them apart.
Hooker Julian Montoya scored two early tries before wing Ollie Hassell-Collins and centre Solomone Kata crossed, with Tigers collecting a bonus point after just 35 minutes.
Fly-half Handre Pollard added a fifth try before the interval - he also kicked six conversions for a 17-point haul - then a Jack van Poortvliet touchdown took Tigers past 40 points and forwards Charlie Clare and Emeka Ilione completed the rout, with Jamie Shillcock landing two conversions.
Ulster 19-40 Bordeaux-Begles
Ulster's hopes of progressing from Pool One suffered another setback after they lost 40-19 against Bordeaux-Begles in Belfast.
A week after conceding 60 points to Champions Cup holders Toulouse, Ulster led 19-14 at half-time following tries from Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney and Werner Kok.
Bordeaux, though, overwhelmed Ulster after the break as Damian Penaud, Guido Petti, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Ugo Boniface claimed touchdowns that followed a first-half penalty try and score for Tevita Tatafu.
Leinster 15-7 Clermont Auvergne
Pool Two favourites Leinster backed up their impressive victory over Bristol by beating Clermont Auvergne 15-7 at Dublin's Aviva Stadium.
Garry Ringrose and Jordie Barrett scored first-half tries after Alivereti Raka claimed an early Clermont score, with Leinster fly-half Sam Prendergast adding a conversion and penalty.
Harlequins 53-16 Stormers
Alex Dombrandt and Cadan Murley plundered hat-tricks as Harlequins' Investec Champions Cup campaign was given lift-off with a 53-16 victory over the Stormers.
A week after falling to Racing 92 in Paris, Quins produced an eight-try demolition of South African visitors who were missing seven Springboks to injury including Manie Libbok, Damian Willemse and Frans Malherbe.
The irrepressible Dombrandt and Murley took centre stage in front of England coach Steve Borthwick, who was watching from the stands, as the hosts ended a two-match losing run.
Marcus Smith featured 66 minutes in a pleasing end to his week after signing a new contract that keeps him at the club until 2028 and he was joined at half-back by Danny Care, who was given a rare start this season.
The Stormers' collapse completed a bleak day for South African teams in the competition following earlier defeats by the Bulls and Sharks, the trio conceding 139 points between them.
La Rochelle 35-7 Bristol Bears
Two-time Champions Cup winners La Rochelle inflicted a second successive defeat on Bristol with a 35-7 win at Stade Marcel-Deflandre.
The highlight was a stunning first-half finish by former England wing Jack Nowell for La Rochelle's opening try, and they went on to collect a bonus point.
Tolu Latu, Levani Botia, UJ Seuteni and Thomas Berjon followed Nowell over the Bristol line, while fly-half Ihaia West kicked five conversions.
Jack Bates claimed Bristol's solitary touchdown just before half-time, converted by Sam Worsley, as their hopes of reaching the last 16 were dealt a major setback.
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