He struggled to impose his authority from the start and a match that included the England captain, Dylan Hartley, being sent to the sin-bin for entering a ruck with a swinging arm deteriorated into skirmishes and brawls. Hartley saw yellow when his right arm caught the prop Rabah Slimani, who was lying on the floor. Ten months ago Hartley was sent off for catching Sean O’Brien in the face with a swinging arm. There was a point when Northampton had enjoyed more than 70% of the possession and territory, but they made little impact. Christian Day scored a consolation try for Northampton moments after getting away with a foot in touch.

Source: The Guardian October 21, 2017 16:52 UTC