WELSH WING GEORGE North ran in four tries as Northampton Saints recorded a comprehensive 34-6 win over the Ospreys in Pool 5 of the Champions Cup.
Jim Mallinder’s side were powerfully impressive throughout, clinching the bonus point in the 77th minute as the sensational North stripped the ball from an Ospreys’ carrier on the halfway line, dinked ahead and won the race to dot down.
The Ospreys improved slightly in the latter stages of the game, although they were largely a shadow of the team that has swept to the top of the Pro12 early on this season.
The freakish North crossed twice in each half, with Stephen Myler converting all four of those tries and adding two penalties for Mallinder’s men. The only scoring the Ospreys managed were two penalties from Dan Biggar, who missed three other attempts off the tee.
This clash was all about North’s impact though, as the Welsh region utterly failed to get to grips with his beastly strength and clinical finishing. The 22-year-old now has eight tries in eight game in all competitions this season.
Johnny Sexton’s Racing Métro take on Treviso in Italy tomorrow in the other Pool 5 fixture of the weekend.