Saints sink stubborn Solihull

Cohen was Northampton's star performer

Northampton 32-19 Birmingham/Solihull

Northampton suffered a scare against Birmingham/Solihull before winning through to the Powergen Cup quarter-finals.

The Premiership club trailed 19-12 early in the second half before Ben Cohen scored a quick brace of tries to ease the fears, and nerves, of the home support.

Cup games are always difficult... they wanted to make life very hard for us and they did

Northampton skipper
Budge Pountney

The England winger made a solid contribution throughout in a new experimental role at outside centre.

Former New Zealand coach Wayne Smith made 10 changes in all to the side that beat Wasps last weekend and his new charges took time to settle.

But as well as Cohen's scoring exploits, the visitors' hopes of an upset seemed to disappear with their stand-off Luis Criscuolo.

The Argentine nosed the Bees ahead twice in the first half with two drop goals but was stretchered off shortly after the interval.

  Scores and scorers

Northampton 32

Tries: Jon Phillips, Chris Budgen, Ben Cohen (2) & Budge Pountney

Cons: Ali Hepher & Paul Grayson

Pens: Grayson

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Birm./Solihull 19

Try: Nick Baxter

Con: Gallagher

Pens: Luis Criscuolo (2)

Drop goals: Criscuolo (2)

It was all level at half-time at 12-12, after Phillips and prop Chris Budgen, against his former club, had both crossed for scores.

An interception and 75-yard run-in from winger Nick Baxter made it 19-12 to the Bees after 53 minutes, before Cohen stepped in with tries in the 58th and 64th minutes.

Scotland captain Budge Pountney finally made it safe right at the death with a try that allowed former England fly-half Paul Grayson to pass 2,000 points for the Saints with the conversion.

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Northampton: Shaw, Moir, Cohen, Tucker, Beal, Hepher, Dawson, Todd, Richmond, Budgen, Newman, Phillips, Rennick, Pountney, Hunter.
Replacements: Thompson, Stewart, Evans, Soden, Howard, Kirk, Grayson.

Birmingham/Solihull: D. Knight, Hislop, Reid, Minshull, Baxter, Criscuolo, P. Knight, Lewis, Hubbleday, Bullock, Hyde, Underhill, Orgie, Jordan, Fakatou.
Replacements: Cattle, Gallagher, Small, Brooks, Houston, McCrainer, Fortey.

Referee: Steve Leyshon (RFU).