Bristol stun Premiership leaders Northampton

English Premiership leaders Northampton suffered a shock 52-21 thrashing against Bristol on Friday to end their six match unbeaten run.

On their return to domestic action after the eight-week break for the Six Nations tournament, Northampton looked rusty in a woeful display at Ashton Gate.

It was Northampton's first league defeat since November and they could have no complaints after Bristol stormed clear through tries from Joe Batley and Harry Randall in the early stages.

Fly-half AJ MacGinty added two conversions and a penalty before second-half scores from Kyle Sinckler, James Dun, Gabriel Ibitoye, Max Malins and Fred Davies.

MacGinty kicked four more conversions and James Williams booted one, as Bristol secured a bonus-point triumph.

Bristol's victory kept them in with a fighting chance of reaching the play-offs, but it was a night to forget for Northampton, whose points came via two Ollie Sleightholme tries, a Jake Garside touchdown and three Fin Smith conversions.

Stephen Varney's late try gave Gloucester a dramatic 27-25 victory over Leicester.

Seven days on from beating the Tigers in the Premiership Rugby Cup final, Gloucester recorded their first league win on their travels since October.

Jamie Shillcock's score had put Leicester on track to climb to second in the table after they recovered from a 14-point deficit, but they instead they dropped a place to seventh thanks to Varney's last-gasp intervention.