Northampton (8) 20 Tries: Reihana Pens: Myler 5 Saracens (9) 15 Pens: Jackson 4 Drop goals: Jackson
Reihana crosses for the crucial try to give Northampton the initiative
Bruce Reihana's try and five penalties from Stephen Myler enabled Northampton to continue an unbeaten home run that stretches back to March 2007.
After surviving a shaky opening period in which they fell 9-3 behind, the Saints rallied to take control.
And Reihana, only playing because Sean Lamont was on Scotland duty, was sent in for the crucial try by Ben Foden.
Myler then punished some ill-discipline with three kicks, before Glen Jackson earned a bonus point with a drop goal.
It was a frantic end to a cracking match, which had begun with debutant Justin Marshall inspiring a bout of Saracens pressure that yielded nine penalty points.
And it could have been even better for the visitors had Alex Goode not had a try ruled out on the half hour after referee Greg Garner penalised them for obstructing the home defence by crossing earlier in the move.
Then, against the run of play, Northampton hit back with their opening try in the 39th minute, centre Jon Clarke and flanker Mark Easter doing the hard work before Foden sent Reihana over in the left-hand corner.
In the second half the balance swung firmly in the hosts' favour and, with Saracens' discipline failing them, Myler's boot put the hosts 11 points ahead with time ticking down.
Jackson replied with a penalty and drop goal, though, to ensure the visitors escaped with a losing bonus point.
Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder: "Saracens got the better of us in the first half, put us under a lot of pressure and defensively we had to work really hard.
"Then in the second half we got on the front foot and played some good rugby.
"But Stephen Myler is a good goal-kicker and in tight games like that you need somebody who's going to be consistently knocking over the penalties and, apart from his goal-kicking, he had a really good game."
Saracens director of rugby Eddie Jones: "Why (the disallowed try) was pulled up I'll never know. Rugby's a great game because the referee's so influential and the crowd can be so influential.
"You have to be that much better to win here and we weren't that much better.
"How we ever get penalised in the scrum against them when they can't even hold their scrum up... it's a joke. There needs to be some control in the way the game's officiated."
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