Last season’s Heineken Cup runners-up Northampton left themselves with a mountain to climb if they are to progress from Pool 1 after gifting the Scarlets a 28-23 win at Franklin’s Gardens on Friday.
The shock loss gave the Scarlets their second straight win and shattered Northampton’s 12-match unbeaten home record in the tournament as the Welsh visitors repeated a 2004 success at the venue.
The hosts’ preparations had already been hit by days of speculation that England want their coach Jim Mallinder to replace Martin Johnson.
The Saint now will have to pray for a miracle after they followed up their opening loss to Munster with an error-strewn showing.
Mallinder had insisted beforehand that their narrow defeat by Munster had been expunged from his men’s collective memory.
However, it did not look like it as the Scarlets, bidding to become the first Welsh team to win the competition, kicked on in style from their opening win over Castres.
Mallinder has risen to prominence with a giddy run with Saints from the second division to last year’s trophy match where they lost to Leinster.
However, his potential England credentials took a hit as the Scarlets bagged a deserved bonus-point victory.
Tries from Liam Williams, Aaron Shingler and Matt Gilbert in the opening period had Northampton staggering and then Wales flyhalf Rhys Priestland rubbed it in with a bonus-point try on his first start since the agonizing World Cup loss to New Zealand, while adding four conversions.
Northampton, missing Ben Foden with a rib injury, did rally late on to claim a losing bonus after George Pisi and Tom Wood went over to add to 13 points from Ryan Lamb.
However, the writing was on the wall from the third minute as fullback Williams put the visitors in front after Gareth Davies’ initial break.
Williams kicked through and touched down.
A Lamb penalty could not douse Welsh spirits, but there was controversy when referee Peter Fitzgibbon missed an apparent knock-on from Sean Lamont challenging Courtney Lawes for the restart. Shingler grabbed the loose ball to score as Northampton looked on aghast.
Priestland’s conversion made it 14-3 and after Foden’s replacement Georges Pisi dropped Priestland’s kick, Gilbert was in there in a flash to drive over for the Scarlets’ third try.
The Scarlets had Jonathan Edwards sin-binned for killing the ball at the ruck, but that could not stop Priestland going over to give the hosts too much to do, even if Pisi and then Wood made it a close run thing at the death.
There was further Welsh glee when Cardiff Blues, welcoming back World Cup star Sam Warburton to home turf, edged out London Irish 24-18 in Pool 2 to add to their memorable away win over big-spending Racing-Metro last weekend, while in the same group Edinburgh came back from the dead to beat Racing 48-47 to stand joint top.
In the day’s other game, a Pool 4 meeting saw French campaigners Clermont hammer Italy’s Aironi 54-3 to move above Leicester and Ulster.
Leinster go up against Glasgow — opening day winners against Bath — today in Pool 3 having only managed a last-ditch draw in their first game against Montpellier.
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