'Watched the ship burn last week' - Phil Dowson proud as Northampton Saints fend off Gloucester fightback after letting lead slip at Exeter Chiefs

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Northampton Saints Director of Rugby Phil Dowson watched his team let another lead slip away as Gloucester fought back from 31-0 down at Kingsholm, only for Saints to win it late with a penalty to win their first Gallagher PREM match of the season. Saints nearly replicated their opening game against Exeter Chiefs, in which they were ahead 33-7 only for Chiefs to roar back and draw 33-33.

Highlights: Saints fend off thrilling Gloucester fightback from 31-0 down

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Northampton Saints picked up their first Gallagher PREM win of the season after fending off a roaring comeback from Gloucester at Kingsholm.

Saints were 31-0 ahead at one point before the second half, having secured a bonus point inside 35 minutes.

But a repeat of last week's capitulation against Exeter Chiefs emerged, and the hosts ferociously clawed their way back to lead by one point as the game entered the final 10 minutes.

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Gloucester fly-half Ross Byrne was yellow-carded, however, and Anthony Belleau coolly slotted a penalty in the 72nd minute to clinch a 37-35 win.

Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson, watching on as his team let another lead slip, left his coaching box with around 15 minutes to go and stepped down to the pitch.

"That was a personal decision based on the fact I sat and watched the ship burn last week and I hadn't got down," Dowson said. "And I just thought I'd do something different. We were trying to wrestle momentum, I was trying to show encouragement and to give the lads the 'let's not worry, we're still winning,' and just to change the picture really."

He added: "I was tremendously proud of the players, under incredible pressure, down to 13 for periods. Alex Coles trying to organise seven different guys out of the lineout. I guess it spoke volumes about how committed the team are but also how much we have to do."

Both sides were hunting for their first win of the season after losing their opening games.

Gloucester lost to Sale Sharks after letting a lead of their own disappear in the second half.

Saints meanwhile, were in a similar position last week with a 33-7 lead against Chiefs at half-time, only to go scoreless in the second half and draw 33-33.

Discipline was partly at fault against Gloucester as Saints suffered yellow cards to George Hendy and Tom Pearson within five minutes as the home side began their fightback.

"Yeah, like Exeter last week, there's not a poor side in the league," Dowson continued. "We've seen huge comebacks over the last couple of seasons, attack seems to be much more to the fore I think.

"Once you get on a roll, we talk about it all the time in all sports about momentum. We lost momentum again, but we did just enough to continue to play when we got back to 14 on 14 to wrestle it back.

"It's frustrating. I think one of the issues is twice we've had front rows leave early in the game. If you run a front-rower for 60/70 minutes as we did last week and this week, it's going to take its toll.

"Unfortunately Cleopas [Kundiona] had to go off because he was playing particularly well, and that meant we were down uncontested and playing with a man less. That coupled with some pretty dogged and poor discipline meant that we've given ourselves a mountain to climb."

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'One for the ages' - O'Driscoll

TNT Sports pundit Brian O'Driscoll called the thrilling clash "one for the ages."

The Irishman spoke after the game alongside Craig Doyle and David Flatman, praising the riveting show that both sides put on.

"This was an insane game," he said. "We talk about games of two halves that we see in the Gallagher PREM so often and incredible comebacks. This was one for the ages. 31-0 up away from home, but then it looked like Gloucester had other ideas. Came out in the second half and scored immediately, and you just sensed from the Shed there was something coming.

"Then there was ill-discipline from the Saints, but somehow they found a way to knock over that penalty from Anthony Belleau at the death and come away with maximum points."

Flatman also gave his opinion on Byrne's late yellow card which allowed Belleau to kick the winner.

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Byrne was sent to the sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on in what was a similar situation to Freddie Thomas' attempt in the first half, which only received a penalty.

The Gloucester fly-half was aggrieved with the referee as he showed him a card, but the pundit believes referee Adam Leal made the right call.

"I don't think any Gloucester fans will be debating this, they'll be saying it's a disgrace, and I very politely disagree with them," Flatman said.

"I look at it and think, actually, did it look like he was going to catch it and go the length? He went with one hand, it was a swiped attempt. It was instinctive, but it was a negative instinct. I think the yellow card was the right decision."

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