Already the bad news is starting to arrive in Brian Ashton's in-tray. Dan Ward-Smith has been a breath of fresh air for the Premiership this season and it was hoped he would be so for England this Six Nations. But as with so much of England's fresh air this season it turned foul when the Bristol No 8 was carried off with a suspected dislocated kneecap that would put him out of the tournament.
The foulness did not stop there, though. Some of this rugby was painful. Lots of huffing and puffing, mostly from a Northampton side that have lost the imagination and lightness of touch they used to pride themselves on.
Bristol had been under intense pressure for the first 10 minutes, as indeed they would be for most of the first half, but had managed to hold out against some physical if unsubtle approach work from Northampton. Ward-Smith had just floored the rampaging 21st Tongan, Soane Tonga'uiha - a menace even for a would-be England No 8.
Bristol managed to engineer a scrum of their own five metres from their line, and Ward-Smith picked up. But he was driven back over his line and never got up. He was carried off with his leg in a splint and an oxygen mask strapped to his face. He will not be playing next weekend.
Bristol's evening got worse. From the next play, Brian Lima was shown yellow for not rolling away at a tackle and Carlos Spencer slotted a penalty from in front. But, as they had in the first half against Biarritz last week, the Saints laboured to make their overwhelming dominance tell. This is not a vintage Northampton side.
Their attacks relied on the bluntness of brute strength, and Bristol can handle that. Three times Northampton got themselves over - none of them pretty - and three times they failed to get the ball to ground, as is so often the way when your approach methods are mud-wrestle ugly.
Still, when they finally did score it was pretty enough, Ben Cohen's swan dive finishing a simple handling move on the left - but then you remembered that Lima, his opposite number, was still in the bin. He returned once Spencer had missed the conversion, and faced with a full complement of opponents Northampton, for all their pressure, would not score again before half time .
Sure enough, things soon turned against the wasteful. A clumsy pass from Daniel Browne, typical of a team struggling with the responsibility of so much possession, had Lima skipping clear to exact retribution for his earlier dismissal. Suddenly there was one point in it. Next it was Tonga'uiha to take a turn in the bin. Could Bristol take advantage of superior numbers? No. Indeed, they soon lost Gareth Llewellyn to yellow, but still neither side could do anything with the extra man.
Northampton had to negotiate the final 10 frantic minutes with 14 men when Christian Short was shown the fourth yellow card. Bristol made it tell, taking the lead at last with a line-out and drive finished by Alfie To'oala. Northampton pressed at the death, as everyone knew they would. Bristol saw yellow once more, as everyone knew they would. Notwithstanding that, though, the Saints' best efforts were not enough, as everyone knew they would not.
NORTHAMPTON Diggin; Lamont, Kydd, Quinlan (capt), Cohen; Spencer, Robinson; Tonga'uiha, Harley (Richmond), Budgen, Damien Browne, Tupai, Fox (Lewitt 65), Daniel Browne
Try Cohen Pen Spencer
BRISTOL Taumalolo; Lima, Brew, Higgitt, Lemi; Strange, Perry; Clarke (Hilton 65), Regan, Crompton, Winters, Llewellyn (Hohneck 65), Salter (capt), To'oala, Ward-Smith (R Pennycook 13)
Tries Lima, To'oala Cons Strange 2
