Premiership: Trokkie gets Saints back on track

Juarno Augustus put in a storming performance as defending Premiership champions Northampton Saints bounced back in style, while Bath and Saracens continued their unbeaten start to the season.

Juarno Augustus marked his first start of the season with a barnstorming run to help Northampton beat Exeter Chiefs 30-24, bouncing back from a loss to Bath in the opening round of the season.Saints appeared to be cruising at 30-10, until England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso dotted down two converted tries in eight minutes to set up a tense finale.

– Christian Wade scored a hat-trick of tries as Gloucester just did enough to win 44-41 away to west country rivals Bristol. Wade – back in the Premiership after six years away in the NFL and a spell with Paris-based club Racing 92 – climbed to 85 Premiership career tries, putting him equal fourth with former England scrumhalf Danny Care on the all-time list. Ruan Ackermann was on the bench for Gloucester, while centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg started for Bristol.

– Former Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny celebrated his first English Premiership try as Harlequins picked up a 28-14 bonus-point victory over Newcastle. The Stephan Lewies-captained Harlequins took a 21-7 lead into half time, but the second half was stalemated at 7-7 as Newcastle, with Philip van der Walt at flank, suffered their 23rd consecutive Premiership loss.

– A 22-point haul from outside centre Alex Lozowski helped Saracens beat Sale 45-26 after the visitors lost England flyhalf George Ford early on to a quad injury. Robert du Preez kicked a conversion and two penalties for Sale, who had Hyron Andrews and Jean-Luc du Preez in their pack. Scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl played 76 minutes for Saracens.

Johann van Graan‘s Bath made it two wins out of two with a hard-fought 20-15 success away to Michael Cheika‘s Leicester Tigers. Lock Quinn Roux and flank Jaco Coetzee were in action for Bath, while Hanro Liebenberg started for Leicester.

Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images

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