We'll have all the build-up, in-game action and reaction as it happens here...

Saints suffered defeat in the first game of their potentially decisive Champions Cup double-header as Leinster once again bagged a big win at Franklin's Gardens.

The Irish side inflicted heavy defeats on the black, green and gold in Northampton in December 2013 and December 2016 - and they were at it again on Saturday afternoon.

Leinster proved too powerful and too streetwise, scoring seven tries as they earned a 43-16 success and the maximum haul that puts them in control of Pool 1.

They are now five points ahead of second-placed Saints, who must go to the Aviva Stadium to face Leinster again next Saturday evening.

Chris Boyd's men had briefly threatened to travel to Dublin with a win under their belts after taking a 16-14 lead during the first period.

Ahsee Tuala finished off a flowing move and Dan Biggar landed three penalties and the conversion.

But Leinster kept coming back and the crucial period came just after half-time as the Irish giants scored their fourth and fifth tries of the match inside a ruthless three-minute spell.

Saints tried to summon a response and did enjoy plenty of possession, but Leinster's defence was determined as they preserved their unbeaten start to the season.

Saints endured a nightmare start to the match as Cobus Reinach's pass went astray in the Leinster 22 and the away side immediately pounced, Jordan Larmour breaking before releasing James Lowe for the score.

Sexton converted to make it 7-0 inside just three minutes and Saints needed to issue an immediate riposte.

They did just that as Teimana Harrison delivered a brutal carry and the ball was eventually moved left at real speed for Tuala to dive over in the corner.

Biggar converted superbly from the left touchline to level the scores, and the noise levels were beginning to rise.

Saints were starting to get into their groove and they were so unlucky not to score again as Reinach put a grubber through and the bounce beat Tom Collins.

A penalty was coming though, and Biggar landed it to make it 10-7 in the home side's favour.

Leinster replied almost immediately, despite a sensational try-saving tackle from Reinach on fellow scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park.

The ball was recycled and patient play allowed Rhys Ruddock to power over, with Sexton converting to make it 14-10 in a frantic encounter.

Saints were still coming at Leinster, using their scrum as a platform, and Biggar was able to land a penalty to cut the gap to one point after a big carry from Alex Waller.

And Saints were in front on the half-hour mark after some more high-tempo play put Leinster on the ropes, allowing Biggar to slot a penalty.

But Leinster landed a blow before the break, kicking to the corner and eventually rumbling over through tighthead prop Andrew Porter.

Sexton sliced the conversion, sending it wide of the right post, leaving the score at 19-16 at the end of an electrifying first 40 minutes.

But Leinster soon extended their lead after the restart, picking up the bonus point as once again the forwards cranked up the heat and Cian Healy finished well.

Sexton limped off and his replacement, Ross Byrne, did the business from the tee to make it 26-16.

Leinster scored again soon after, Byrne skating in for his team's fifth try as Saints splintered and Waller saw yellow.

Byrne hit the post with the conversion to leave the score at 31-16 with Saints needing to scale a mountain.

They came back with bite, but Leinster's defence stood tall on their own line to add to the frustration.

Garry Ringrose was sin-binned for a tip tackle on Biggar to bring the teams level in terms of personnel and Saints attempted to start their comeback.

But Taqele Naiyaravoro knocked on close to the Leinster line and the Irish giants breathed again.

Saints, to their credit, kept coming forward, but they were repelled time after time by the blue machine.

And Leinster had the final say as replacements Luke McGrath and Ed Bryne both dotted down to put the seal on a resounding success.

Saints: Tuala (Francis 58); Collins, Proctor, Hutchinson, Naiyaravoro; Biggar (Grayson 63), Reinach (Tupai 66); Waller (cc) (van Wyk 58), Haywood (van Vuuren 60), Painter (Hill 50); Moon, Ratuniyarawa; Wood (Ludlam 50), Gibson (Coles 63), Harrison (cc).

Leinster: Larmour; D Kearney, Ringrose, Henshaw (R Kearney 78), Lowe; Sexton (c) (R Byrne 45), Gibson-Park (McGrath 54); Healy (E Byrne 54), Kelleher (Tracy 54), Porter (Furlong 54); Toney (Fardy 56), Ryan; Ruddock, van der Flier, Doris.

Referee: Alexandre Ruiz

Saints boss Chris Boyd admits his side ran out of steam against Leinster at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday afternoon.

The Irish giants, as they did in 2013 and 2016, claimed a huge success in Northampton, scoring seven tries as they won 43-16.

It means they have taken charge of Champions Cup Pool 1 ahead of next Saturday's return game at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

And Saints were left to rue a difficult second half, in which they were unable to score a single point.

"We competed fairly gallantly in the first 40 minutes," said Boyd, who had seen his side take a 16-14 lead before Leinster went in 19-16 up at the break.

"We said in the shed at half-time that a fair amount of juice had been taken out of the legs but we were still in the game.

"We had a period of 15, 20 minutes where we had a lot of possession and territory but came away with zero - I thought they defended really well.

"We didn't ask enough questions, we weren't patient enough and we didn't execute our skills well enough but they were very good defensively.

"Then we conceded three tries at the end when there wasn't a lot of petrol in the tank, which was the disappointing part really.

"They're one of two or three teams in Europe who can take the intensity up to somewhere near Test match level.

"It's something we don't have to cope with very often in the Premiership and that's why the Leinsters of this world have been successful or close to successful in Europe over the years.

"When they need to go up a gear in that physical intensity part of the game, they've got some answers.

"If you look at the way the big Irish teams are able to manage their squads, it's very different because the Premiership asks questions of teams every week.

"If you look at how often their big players play and are kept fresh, it is a good advantage for them.

"But you've got to deal with what you've got to deal with and we had some chances that we didn't take, which was disappointing.

"I don't know how many times we got five or six metres from their line and didn't get across.

"It's part of our education, isn't it?"

The first-half started slowly but soon came to life and the Cobblers, having won five of their last six in the league, went into the break a little frustrated after they let the lead slip so soon after taking it.

Charlie Goode's 33rd-minute goal, on his 100th EFL appearance, was cancelled out by Randell Williams five minutes later and the visitors never really recovered during a disappointing second 45 minutes.

Two goals in as many minutes, scored by Aaron Martin and Alex Fisher, secured all three points for the Grecians, despite Sam Hoskins netting a fine solo effort in the closing stages.

There is certainly no disgrace in losing to a side as strong as Exeter, who moved up to second with victory, but the result is a reminder that, while they've made progress in recent weeks, the Cobblers are not yet the finished article.

They remain in the League Two play-off positions but drop down a place to seventh ahead of next week's meeting with Forest Green Rovers.

The big guns were back for Northampton in Devon as manager Keith Curle made only one alteration from the team that beat Notts County in the FA Cup last weekend, that coming between the sticks where David Cornell replaced Steve Arnold.

But Exeter made the slightly better start at St James Park and carved out the game's first clear chance on eight minutes when Ryan Bowman streaked away down the left, cut inside two defenders and curled a fraction wide of the far post.

The early stages were not full of chances but gradually things warmed up and Town had a decent sight of goal themselves midway through the period as Vadaine Oliver's cross fell for an unmarked Andy Williams, who headed over the crossbar.

That was followed by another good opportunity for the visitors with Hoskins twice going close, seeing a shot blocked and then dragging wide of the near post after Williams caught an Exeter defender dawdling on the ball.

Cobblers were slowly turning the screw and they hit the front just past the half-hour mark. Exeter attempted to break away from a corner but Alan McCormack won two tackles and the ball fell to Nicky Adams, whose cross deflected out to Goode and he picked out the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The Exeter reply was swift, however, and Town's defence will not be happy with the simplicity of their equaliser. Williams received the ball on the right from a quick free-kick and was allowed to cut inside unchallenged before drilling a low shot into the bottom corner.

Bowman and Goode couldn't make the most of half chances at either end and the teams went into half-time locked at one apiece.

Exeter were first to threaten in the second-half and they were a lick of paint away from taking the lead through Jack Sparkes' free-kick, which might have been touched onto the post by Cornell.

Cobblers were struggling to regain a foothold and had to weather an intense Exeter storm, the home side going close on two more occasions with Nicky Law heading wide and Fisher unable smother the ball in.

Eventually City's pressure told and Martin made Town pay for switching off at another set-pieces, this time a short corner corner, when nodding in Williams' cross.

And within 90 seconds the home side gave their visitors a mountain to climb, Sparkes whipping in a super cross and Fisher nodding home to make it 3-1 and put Exeter in total control.

Bowman curled just wide as Exeter continued to push forward, and the afternoon was threatening to descend into a nightmare for the Cobblers when McCormack limped off with a leg problem.

But Cobblers gave themselves a lifeline with 12 minutes to thanks to a fine individual goal from Hoskins, who weaved past two defenders and stroked into the bottom corner.

The visitors had nearly all of the ball in the remaining time but Scott Wharton's speculative long-range effort and an overhead kick from Oliver was all they had to show for their pressure and ultimately Exeter were worthy winners.

Exeter: Maxted, Sweeney, Atangana, A Martin, Law, Bowman, Fisher (Seymour 79), Moxey (c), Sparkes (Parkes 79), Collins (Taylor 87)

Subs not used: Visser, Jay, Richardson, L Martin

Cobblers: Cornell, Goode (c), Turnbull, Wharton, McCormack (Kaja 73), Lines, Anderson (Watson 58), Hoskins, Adams, Williams (Smith 58), Oliver.

Subs not used: Arnold, Martin, Harriman, McWilliams

Referee: Neil Hair

Attendance: 3,971

Cobblers fans: 247

Northamptonshire Police's Chief Constable has said a near miss car accident outside RAF Croughton, the base where Harry Dunn was killed in a collision, was not connected with any base staff or personnel.

Radd Seiger, adviser and spokesman for the Dunn family, tweeted yesterday describing the near miss accident.

Mr Seiger said: "A member of the public has told us that 2night he just (inches) missed a head on collision outside RAF Croughton, with an American turning right out of the base on to wrong side road.

"Reported to pol (442). Be in no doubt as to importance of this campaign."

Northamptonshire's Chief Constable, Nick Adderley, said this evening the incident had no connection with any staff or personnel from the base.

Writing on Twitter, Chief Constable Adderley said: "As promised, I have now received a detailed briefing on this incident.

"I can confirm that a near miss did occur but had nothing to do with any member of staff or personnel from RAF Croughton. It is worth me repeating that this had nothing to do with staff from the base."

Chief Constable Adderley added: "At approx 17:40hrs, four members of the public were spoken to by security staff from the base.

"The members of the public (British nationals) were lost and asked for directions. On leaving the entrance to the base, they turned onto the wrong side of the road."

Radd Seiger has since thanked Chief Constable Adderley on Twitter after speaking to him about the incident.

Harry Dunn, 19, was killed in a collision outside RAF Croughton on August 27 and police believe the driver who struck him, an American, was driving on the wrong side of the road.

The driver, Anne Sacoolas, is the wife of a US government employee who was working on the base.

She cooperated with police at the scene of the crash and was interviewed at home the next day but she later returned to America through diplomatic immunity.

Harry's family have been fighting for justice.

Northamptonshire Police said it is investigating the reports of a near miss accident by the base and will be carrying out inquiries to fully establish the facts.

Cobblers boss Keith Curle felt his side 'did enough' to come away with at least a point from their 3-2 defeat to Exeter City on Saturday.

The visitors, chasing a seventh straight league game unbeaten, were well-placed with 37 minutes gone at St James Park after being handed the lead by Charlie Goode's low strike.

But Randell Williams' equaliser just before half-time was the critical moment in the game and from then on the Greicans seized control, scoring two goals in two second-half minutes through Aaron Martin and Alex Fisher.

Despite Sam Hoskins netting an excellent late goal, Town succumbed to their first league defeat in almost two months as Exeter, who've lost just once at home this season, moved up to second place.

"I thought we were very competitive in the game but they're a good team and they have a decent record at home," said Curle.

"We wobbled them and we wobbled them with a few chances - if we take those chances, it's a different story.

"But you have to give them credit, they have a good belief, good understanding of how they want to play and they kept putting the ball in behind us and kept knocking at the door.

"They got their rewards with two balls in the box, but their second goal is disappointing because the referee gave a goal-kick at first but then changed his mind and gave a corner.

"But we've got to defend the middle of our goal better than that. We're disappointed because we feel we did enough to get a minimum of a point out of the game."

Keith Curle is keeping his fingers crossed that the injury which forced Alan McCormack to come off against Exeter City on Saturday will prove nothing serious.

The midfielder, who played a key role in Town's opener at St James Park, gingerly made his way from the field after receiving treatment on 72 minutes.

Winger Egli Kaja took his place but McCormack didn't go down the tunnel and instead watched the rest of the game from the bench.

The 35-year-old, who's been an influential figure during Town's upturn in fortunes over the past couple of months, has battled his fair share of injury problems in recent seasons and missed the first two months of the current campaign with a hamstring problem.

Curle will be desperate to keep him fit ahead of the busy festive schedule and he's hopeful his injury sustained during Saturday's game is nothing major.

"It's me being protective of Alan McCormack," said Curle, whose side were beaten 3-2 at St James Park. "He felt a little bit of fatigue and felt something might happen.

"That's a red flag so it's a case of taking him off and we don't assess it during the game because we know potentially what could happen.

"But we'll settle it down, assess it on Monday in training and hopefully we've made the right decision and we've got him off at the right time."

Radio presenter Chris Evans announced live on air on Friday morning (December 6) that Little Houghton CofE School had claimed third place in Virgin Radio's 'Twelve Schools of Christmas' contest.

The competition challenged schools across the country to record their pupils singing festive songs with a chance to have it featured on the radio.

But Little Houghton pulled out all the stops by not simply recording a Christmas classic - but by singing an original song written by one of the school's parents.

"It's Christmas" is an original track written by parent Oliver Paine and sung by all 87 children at the school.

The full track was played on Virgin Radio on Friday after they were named joint-third winners alongside a Gloucester school.

Headteacher Carolyn Fairbrother told the Chronicle and Echo: "It's such a massive achievement for such a small school, especially when we were competing with the likes of secondary schools all across the country with their own choirs.

"The songs were marked on the enthusiasm, creativity, 'catchiness' and, of course, their cute factor, and I definitely think we scored high in all of those.

"I couldn't be more proud of the children. They all sung with such enthusiasm, and we're incredibly grateful for the song written by Mr Paine."

The school will now get the chance to send a group of their pupils to the Sky Academy where they will be able to see how the broadcaster puts together its news and blog segments.

The school will also receive a bundle of books from publishers Harper Collins.

Listen to 'It's Christmas' as sung by the pupils of Little Houghton Primary School using the video player above.

Karl Spires told Northampton Magistrates Court he did not think about the fact he was banned from driving when he moved his mother's Vauxhall Zafira on November 19.

But the 28-year-old, of Everdon Close, was caught driving on St Peters Way in the town centre.

On Thursday (November 5) he was given an 18-month community order, 100 hours of unpaid work, told to pay £85 costs and £95 victim surcharge as well as having an additional six months banned from driving.

The magistrate told him: "If you come back for driving while disqualified again this gets much more severe and you will be in serious danger of being sent to prison."

Exeter manager Matt Taylor hailed the Cobblers as 'a seriously good team' but felt his side played 'much better football' during their 3-2 victory on Saturday.

Exeter went into the game with only one two wins in their last six league matches and they had to do things the hard way after falling behind to Charlie Goode's 33rd minute opener.

Randall Williams levelled things up with a long-range strike shortly before half-time and then quickfire goals from Aaron Martin and Alex Fisher took the Grecians up to second place in Sky Bet League Two.

“I was really pleased with a 25 to 30-minute spell in the second-half,” said Taylor. “I thought first-half was probably a messy game where both teams were cancelling each other out to a certain extent.

"They got ahead through a set-piece and we got back in the game from a moment of good quality from Randell and then second-half I thought we were more like ourselves.

“We played much better football, we had more control of the ball in better areas of the pitch and we started to look dangerous and scored two really good goals off the back of that.

"I was so pleased we managed to get two goals ahead because Northampton are a good team and they keep coming and coming at you and pegging you back, so that was so important.

"They scored a poor goal from our point of view - but a good goal from their point of view - to get back in the game and then we held out relatively comfortably and still had a few opportunities ourselves.

“We just didn’t have an ounce of control in that first period when it was messy so we could get the ball on the floor and then we could hurt them and we could work our way up the pitch.

"We knew there would be a little bit of space and we did work ourselves up the pitch and then the goals have come off the back of set-pieces. They are a seriously good team, with a lot of good players for this level, so we are really pleased with that game.”

Ozuni Adran, aged 18, of Malthouse Close, Northampton
Zaharia Balea Christion Alin, aged 30, of Hinton Road, Northampton
Adam Bickfrid, aged 36, of Spencer Road, Northampton
Has Dulgheru, aged 67, of Queens Road, Northampton
Josh Goddard, aged 28, of Higgins Square, Northampton
Florin Ion, aged 42, of Long Mallows Rise Ecton Brook
Aching Lonut, aged 26, of Swinford Hollow, Northampton
Alex Matvlevica, aged 48, of Charles Street, Northampton
Has Mocar, aged 38, of Queens Road, Northampton
James Morris, aged 32, of Coverack Close, Northampton

Plans to save Moulton’s library have been agreed after Daventry District Council agreed to loan the village’s parish council £184,000.

Northamptonshire County Council has reviewed its library service to see what it needs to legally provide and, where possible, transfer libraries over to community groups. Within the Daventry district, Daventry and Brixworth Libraries are to be retained as statutory provision but Moulton, Long Buckby and Woodford are not.

Moulton Parish Council had drawn up plans which would see it provide a community library in the current facility at Moulton Community Centre. This would take advantage of an offer from the county council to provide books, ICT and other support in return for an annual fee from the parish council.

Community, culture and leisure portfolio holder for Daventry District Council (DDC), Councillor Alan Hills, had previously said the deal was ‘short-term funding really rather like a bridging loan’.

The deal had been agreed by the district council’s strategy group in October but still required the approval of the full council. That approval was given on Thursday night (December 5).

It will see DDC provide the parish council with £184,000 to purchase the surrender of the lease, on the condition that the parish council then provides a community library for a ‘sensible minimum period’ suggested as 15 years.

The funds would come from the district council’s Strategic Infrastructure Fund. The council would get its money back from planning obligation funds from developers, of which £285,000 are due over the next few years. Once DDC has made its money back, any remaining planning obligation sums would be paid to the parish council to ‘maintain, improve and operate’ the library.

A report states that the agreement ‘causes only minimal impact’ on the district council’s financial position.

Charlie Goode's well-placed finish handed them the lead and they were good value for it but, on this occasion, it did not lead to three points - or even one - as the impressive Grecians produced a spirited comeback to inflict a rare league defeat on Northampton, their first in nearly two months.

In some ways, this defeat might not be such a bad thing for the Cobblers, especially if, as manager Keith Curle noted afterwards, they use it as a learning curve.

Winning games can sometimes fool people into thinking everything is fine when that is so rarely the case. Indeed, while it cannot be disputed that the Cobblers have made significant strides this season, their run of excellent form hasn't been without the odd scare, as Curle has happily acknowledged himself.

The amount of chances they've conceded at times has been a concern, most notably in the first-halves against Crewe and Grimsby. On Saturday it caught up with them as Exeter successfully exploited the space behind the two wing-backs, both of whom like to attack more than defend and that can, occasionally, leave the back three exposed.

Of course, coming out on the wrong side in tight games against good teams will happen several times over the course of a season but what must frustrate Curle about this defeat down in Devon is the soft nature of all three Exeter goals.

It was too easy for Randall Williams to cut inside and get his shot off when equalising shortly before half-time - the game's decisive moment - while City's second and third goals both stemmed from balls into the box, something which is perceived to be Town's strength.

"We're very disappointed," admitted captain Charlie Goode afterwards. "We're most frustrated with the goal at the end of the first-half because recently we've been getting into half-time 1-0 or 2-0 ahead and going on to win.

"We're disappointed with that and then the two goals in the second-half come from corners and crosses into the box and that's normally what we're so good at it. We'll have to look at that."

For much of the first-half, the Cobblers looked the team that had leapt from 18th to 6th in the space of six weeks as they posed a real and constant threat on City's goal, but Williams' equaliser changed the game.

Exeter dominated for 30 minutes either side of half-time and two goals in two minutes was always likely to be too much to come back from, despite Sam Hoskins' fine solo effort in the closing stages.

"Every goal scored in every division is preventable at some point but straight after the game is not the time to get too critical," said Curle.

"We'll go back, we'll analyse and as I've said to the players, when we get beat we have to learn from it, but I can't fault the effort or the commitment.

"We also had fantastic travelling support again and they were very vocal. We put enough balls in the box, both first-half and in the second-half, but things didn't quite drop for us."

Chris Boyd has quashed rumours linking Saints with a move for Leicester Tigers scrum-half Ben Youngs.

There had been some speculation in one publication that Saints could target Youngs if the England No.9 failed to agree new terms at Tigers.

Cobus Reinach has been linked with a move to Montpellier next summer, but even if the South Africa star did opt to move to France, Saints are still well stocked at scrum-half.

They have last season's young player of the year Alex Mitchell, Henry Taylor, who has been so impressive since joining from Saracens, and Academy graduate Connor Tupai.

And Boyd is clear about which direction his club is going in.

"I have never spoken to Ben Youngs in my life and we have absolutely no interest in Ben Youngs at Northampton Saints. Is that reasonably clear?” Boyd said.

“We are looking for young guys with potential. Ben Youngs has been wonderful for Leicester and for England. Leicester are his club.

“I am not interested in recruiting a 30-year-old from another club in England. It’s not where we are going.

“You can put that one to bed. It is probably his agent looking for another £100k. Nothing to do with us.”

Cullen steered the unbeaten Guinness PRO14 leaders to a 43-16 win at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday.

It meant they took control at the top of Champions Cup Pool 1, denting Saints' hopes of progression in the process.

It was the third time in as many matches that Leinster had won the Northampton leg of a Champions Cup double-header.

They also did so in 2013 and 2016, but in 2013 Leinster suffered a shock on home soil as Saints bounced back from a humbling 40-7 defeat by winning 18-9 in Dublin on the following weekend.

And Cullen said: "We've been in this situation before where we've had a big win in Northampton and gone back to the Aviva been beaten.

"You've to be so careful with these fixtures. Normally, it's just onto the next team. It's a unique thing that takes place in the season where there's head-to-head fixtures. It doesn't always transfer into the following week.

"We've seen that first-hand ourselves in this exact fixture where we've had a win - similar to what we had on Saturday - and then go back to the Aviva the following week and Northampton were very clever that day.

"They kicked us into the corner, had a lot of possession, George North eventually scored. They put a lot of pressure on us and we just literally ran out of time.

"At the end of the game, we were pushing hard, dropped a ball, they ran the length of the field and we lost out on even a losing bonus point.

"That meant we were away in the quarter-final against Toulon which I remember because it was my last game as a player in this competition.

"There's a huge knock-on effect of every single point in these round robin games. We can't take anything for granted because every point is so important."

Leinster scored seven tries at Saints on Saturday, coming back from 16-14 down and completely shutting out Chris Boyd's team in the second half.

"We looked stretched at different stages, particularly in the first half and even for bits of the second half," Cullen said.

"Northampton had us a couple of times where they don't quite nail that final pass. So, there's lots for us to improve on and it's important we have that mindset.

"Leading into the game, we've talked about not quite taking chances that have been there for us in games. Even in the first half, I thought we pushed things a little bit.

"We tightened up a lot better in the second half, we'd much better ball control and two good tries early in the second half and two good tries at the end and that was the most pleasing piece."

One potential blow for Leinster ahead of next weekend's game was the injury suffered by Ireland fly-half Jonny Sexton.

"Johnny has taken a bang to the knee and we'll see how much damage has been done," Cullen said.

"We're just trying to build cohesion with the guys coming back from the World Cup and that's taking a bit of time.

"This was a positive step, but we'll get better each week and continue to improve."

Cobblers lost their six-game unbeaten run in the league after losing 3-2 at second-placed Exeter City on Saturday.

How did the players perform at St James Park? Find out with our player ratings...

For 38 minutes of Saturday's game at Franklin's Gardens, Saints supporters could sit back and marvel at how far their team had come.

But come full-time, it was more a matter of looking at how far they still have to go.

Because two minutes before the break, Saints were 16-14 up against the favourites for this season's Champions Cup.

A year on from the first game of their Challenge Cup double-header against Timisoara Saracens, Saints were now squaring up to the continent's best - and they were beating them.

But by the time the final whistle sounded, Leinster had shown their all-court class, walking away with a bonus-point success that encompassed seven tries from the blue machine.

They continue to march on, maintaining their 100 per cent record in all competitions this season ahead of next Saturday's rematch with Saints at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

How did they do it?

Well, in various ways.

Put simply, they were strong in all areas.

In defence, they soaked up so much pressure, particularly during the first 20 minutes of a second half in which they stopped Saints scoring a single point.

In the lineout, they cranked up the heat, on their own ball and when Saints had the throw.

And when they got the chance to counter, they did it with ruthless efficiency, particularly during a first half in which Jordan Larmour and James Lowe looked electric.

Leinster delivered the kind of complete display that Saints rarely encounter in the Gallagher Premiership.

There are usually quite a few weaknesses to exploit, as Saints showed when tearing Leicester Tigers to shreds on the previous weekend.

But teams like Leinster and Saracens at their best don't allow many chinks of light.

And Leinster are not only full of class but they are also full of - to borrow a Chris Boyd term - petrol.

They don't have the demands that the Premiership brings.

They are able to rest and rotate at will, targeting every single Champions Cup fixture as if it is a final.

Saints do not have that luxury and, not only that, they also had to deal with a laundry list of injuries.

To beat Leinster, you need a full squad that delivers a flawless display.

Saints did not have that, and they did not do that.

There were errors made that they were left to rue, with so much possession lost in enemy territory.

Time and again, Saints' momentum was ruined by a mistake, but you also have to credit Leinster for forcing those errors, with their defensive linespeed and ability to scramble second to none.

They are the benchmark in Europe and Saints, who have come so far under the shrewd stewardship of Boyd and his coaches, can see what kind of journey they must still go on.

They need to find a way to cope with the raw physicality of sides such as this, but that is easier said than done with the Premiership's financial constraints and the nature of the league itself.

That being said, you won't hear many excuses being made.

Because Saints fully believe that they can eventually compete with Europe's elite.

And experiences like the one on Saturday can only do them good as this young team develops.

In 2013 and 2016, Saints suffered big home defeats in double-headers with Leinster.

But whereas on those occasions, Leinster sapped the life out of their spirit, this time it was purely the legs that went, not the minds.

Saints kept fighting and had they been able to call on more of their experienced players from the bench, they may have conjured up a much closer conclusion.

As it was, Leinster made the most of the home side's fatigue to give the scoreline a real gloss.

And they will be confident of backing it up in Dublin next week.

But if there is one quality this Saints side possesses above all others, it is belief.

And you won't be telling them they can't go to the Aviva Stadium and at least give Leinster a run for their money next weekend.

Whatever happens, Saints will at least be pleased that they don't have to venture into the depths of a Romanian winter, as they did last year.

And for that, and the journey they have been on during 2019, their supporters should be extremely thankful.

How they rated...

AHSEE TUALA

Grabbed the only Saints try, just as he did when Leinster won at the Gardens in 2016, but couldn't play too much more of a role in the game... 5.5

TOM COLLINS

Was so unlucky to see the bounce of the ball stop him from scoring a try and he competed well in the air, but he didn't have the space he needed to shine... 5.5

MATT PROCTOR

An eventful outing from the New Zealand centre who seemed to be in the thick of the action, carrying hard and defending plenty... 6.5

RORY HUTCHINSON

Was razor-sharp as ever in attack during the first half, but Leinster found a way to stop him making his trademark key passes and tested him in defence... 6

TAQELE NAIYARAVORO

Not the birthday the big man wanted as Leinster found a way to shut him and Saints down on a difficult afternoon... 5.5

DAN BIGGAR

Produced some tidy play during the first period and tried to orchestrate a Saints comeback in the second but he was eventually given a late breather... 6.5

COBUS REINACH

Made one of the best try-saving tackles you will see, having earlier handed Leinster a chance to break for a score. Was always lively but took a knock in the second half... 6.5

ALEX WALLER

Got stuck in for his side but found himself in the sin bin towards the end of the first half... 5.5

MIKE HAYWOOD

A few lineouts were read by Leinster but that wasn't all his fault and he made an incredible 21 tackles in a huge shift for his side... 7

EHREN PAINTER

Didn't miss a tackle, making 10 as he tried to help Saints compete with Leinster's brutality... 6

ALEX MOON

Was one again namechecked by Chris Boyd for his showing after the game as he delivered a good second-row showing... 6.5

API RATUNIYARAWA

Seemed to be everywhere at times, knocking loudly on the Leinster door with his power and racking up 19 tackles without missing a single one... 7.5

TOM WOOD

A ferocious display from the flanker as he threw himself into contact time and again, bleeding for the cause and even coming back on late on for more... 7

JAMIE GIBSON

Came into the team for Lewis Ludlam to give Saints a back row freshness but Leinster stopped his threat... 6

TEIMANA HARRISON

Topped Saints' tackle count with an incredible 26 as he continually put his body on the line, also making some big carries in attack... 7.5

Replacements (who played more than 20 minutes)

PAUL HILL (for Painter 50)

Wasn't an easy time to come on as Leinster had taken charge of the game, but he did what he could for his team... 5.5

LEWIS LUDLAM (for Wood 50)

Came on with Saints looking to rebuild and he added some energy, making plenty of tackles and trying to take the fight to Leinster... 6.5

FRANCOIS VAN WYK (for Waller 58)

Didn't do much wrong after coming on but the game was drifting away from Saints at this point... 5.5

PIERS FRANCIS (for Tuala 58)

Did everything he could to get in the game, showing how happy he was to be back after a short injury lay-off... 5.5

CHRON STAR MAN - Josh van der Flier (Leinster)

Chris Boyd admits there are some 'interesting decisions' to be made as Saints look to select a side that can win at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening.

The black, green and gold were beaten 43-16 in a brutal battle with Leinster at Franklin's Gardens last Saturday.

Saints took plenty of knocks in that match, with Cobus Reinach one of the players forced to limp off the field.

But with the likes of Alex Mitchell and Henry Taylor injured, there are far from an abundance of options if Saints want to rotate.

That is also the case in other positions, with Boyd admitting he may have to call on some young players to step in and give others a rest this weekend.

"There are some really interesting decisions for us around Europe versus the Premiership," said Boyd, whose side sit second in Champions Cup Pool 1 but top of the Gallagher Premiership.

"We've obviously still got ambitions to try to make the play-offs in Europe but we'll have to see where we go.

"We have to think about giving some players some rest because there are a lot of guys who have played a lot for us during the past month.

"We might give some fresh guys an opportunity but the problem we have is that some of the guys we would normally go to, like Owen Franks, Courtney Lawes and David Ribbans, who still aren't going to be available this week.

"If we're going to make changes it will be younger guys coming in and there's a risk in that."

When asked what approach Saints are taking to the week ahead, Boyd said: "You can't dwell on the loss, that's for sure.

"You've got to take the learnings from it and then work out what you need to do to get the boys on the field as fresh mentally and physically as possible to have another go at the machine.

"I know some of the guys were a bit sore but if I gave them the chance to rest this week they would all say no.

"They'll want to go there, roll their sleeves up and have a crack."

Two men have been charged in connection with three sexual assaults on women in Northampton, including rape and kidnap.

The women were attacked in three separate incidents in the Spring Boroughs and Semilong areas on Sunday, December 1.

Trofim Midoni, 20, of Queens Road, Northampton, and Valeriu Frunza, 23, of Boughton Green Road, Northampton, are charged with one count of rape, three counts of kidnap with intent to commit a sexual offence, two counts of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault.

The pair were remanded in custody following the charges on Friday (December 6).

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Pendlebury said: “I hope these charges go some way in reassuring the local community in Northampton who were rightly concerned by these sexual assaults.

“I also really want to take this opportunity to appeal to others who may have any information about these sexual assaults to speak to the police.

“Please be assured that we will treat your reports with the sensitivity and confidence they deserve – there is absolutely no excuse for sexual assault, regardless of the situation, and we will always seek justice for you. Please come forward.”

Increased police patrols by both response officers and neighbourhood officers were held in the Spring Boroughs and Semilong areas throughout the weekend to reassure the community.

Anyone with information or anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault is asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Cobblers' excellent unbeaten run might have come to a disappointing end at the hands of Exeter City on Saturday but manager Keith Curle still came away feeling 'encouraging' by his side's performance at St James Park.

Town hadn't lost in the league since slipping to a tepid 3-0 defeat at Scunthorpe United on October 12, winning five of six games ahead of their long trip to Devon on Saturday.

But, despite Charlie Goode's opening goal on 33 minutes, there was to be no seventh successive league game undefeated as Randall Williams, Aaron Martin and Alex Fisher all netted for the home side.

Sam Hoskins' terrific solo effort gave late hope of a comeback but it wasn't to be for the Cobblers, who have slipped to seventh in Sky Bet League Two.

Nevertheless, Curle was relatively upbeat about his side's showing at St James Park and the way they gave an impressive Exeter side a difficult afternoon.

"We made them wobble," he said. "We asked them questions and had we got that second goal it might have been a completely different story.

'But you've got to give them credit. They've got some good players who can open doors and do different things - like Williams and (Nicky) Laws - and they're deservedly at the top end of the division.

"But likewise, we also had some good performances during the game. There's an air of disappointment because we thought we did enough to get a point out of the game."

The Cobblers were the better team before half-time and deserved the lead when skipper Goode struck, however failure to take any of their other opportunities came back to haunt them during an out-of-sorts second-half display.

"The disappointing thing is that, when we had them wobbled and we were asking them questions, we needed to be a little bit more clinical," Curle added.

"We were on the front foot and then we finished the game on the front foot. They were mightily pleased when the whistle went because our lads would have carried on and we won't give up.

"But we're not far away. We were playing against a good team that have a very good home record and we wobbled them.

"The players are disappointed because they were very proud of the run they've been on but we know we've played against a good team with good players.

"That's encouraging and we put enough balls into their box and had things gone slightly differently, we could have been 2-0 up and it's a different story and maybe we could have gone on to score three or four."