Northampton boss Phil Dowson admitted Gloucester “had a point to prove” and that his men “didn’t stand up for the fight”.

On a difficult day for the champions, Dow-son also had to explain why England’s Fin Smith did not return after a head injury assessment after only four minutes.
He said: “Fin passed his head injury assessment, but he couldn’t see out of one of his eyes because he got a knee to the eye.”
Northampton also lost wing George Hendy for a similar reason in a costly first half. Overall Dowson conceded: “Gloucester came all guns blazing and had a point to prove. They proved it, we ...