Northampton scored two tries in the final two minutes to beat 14-man Wasps 40-36 in a dramatic Premiership clash.

Tries from Jack Willis Paolo Odogwu, Gabriel Oghre and Charlie Atkinson put Wasps 30-14 up before Ollie Sleightholme got one back for Saints.

Jacob Umaga was sent off after bringing down Skosan in the air as Saints got a penalty try before the late drama.

The win lifts Northampton up to sixth in the Premiership table, while Wasps’ two bonus points saw them climb to fourth-from-bottom amid concerns for the Coventry-based club’s future after filing a second notice of intention to appoint administrators.

Despite having more of the possession and territory in the opening 25 minutes, Saints found themselves 18-6 down.

First Willis crossed unopposed when he was put through after Nizaam Carr broke the line from 40 metres, before Odogwu went over in the right corner after Wasps drew in the Saints defence from a close-range lineout and Atkinson’s long pass released the winger.

Umaga added two penalties as Saints’ forwards struggled to match the intensity of their Wasps counterparts – a feat all the more impressive having seen their pack’s strength hit as Vincent Koch and Tom Willis pulled out due to illness in the build-up to the game, while Ben Morris was forced off with a head injury after 13 minutes.

Wales fly-half Dan Biggar – playing for the first time since announcing he would leave Saints at the end of the season – had kicked two early penalties before brilliantly setting up Northampton’s first try on the stroke of half-time as his deft grubber kick and excellent handling allowed him to palm the ball to Coles to score.

Biggar kicked a third penalty soon after the restart before gingerly leaving the field seven minutes into the second half – something which will worry Saints and Wales fans alike, with his country’s opening autumn Test against New Zealand less than a month away.

The game came alive with 25 minutes to go, first with three tries scored in almost as many minutes. The first saw Oghre dive in from close range after Odogwu managed to roll to the line after being chopped in a tackle.

Atkinson then finished off the move of the match as the young Wasps fly-half carved through Saints in midfield, kicked to Josh Bassett, who kicked on and Atkinson dived on the loose ball. Then Wasps made a mess of the kick-off and seven passes later Sleightholme was over in the left corner for Saints.

What proved to be a game-changing moment came with 14 minutes left as Skosan gathered a high cross-field kick and Umaga collided with the South African replacement while he was in the air. Skosan landed on the back of his head and the Wasps full-back was sent off despite being knocked unconscious in the incident, with Saints also being awarded a penalty try.

Wasps initially did well with 14 men and Will Haydon-Wood’s late penalty looked to have done enough to secure five points for the hosts as they went 36-28 clear.

But as the game drew to a close Wasps became increasingly tired and more gaps appeared, which Saints exploited when Juarno Augustus barrelled down the left wing before Coles took up the mantle for his second try.

And, 45 seconds after Wasps’ restart, Saints found themselves over the line once more as they ate up the ground thanks to breaks from Augustus, Sleightholme and Coles before a final four-pass move sent Skosan in on the right wing to seal a dramatic win.

Wasps director of rugby Lee Blackett told BBC CWR:

“When you look at off the field, everyone at first is really positive and hopes it comes through.

“It’s only natural that the longer it carries on, the more people will start to get worried.

“I think the players have been really good, again they put a great performance in at Bath and got five points, and they put in nearly a very good performance today.

“They’re playing some good rugby at the moment, we could be four from four but we’re sitting here one from four.

“You’ve just got to keep trusting everything we’re doing. We’ll end up winning those games that we’re losing and we’ll just have to take two points today.”

Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson told BBC Radio Northampton:

“I think ordinary is a little bit of a compliment, we didn’t get into our game at all really.

“The breakdown wasn’t great and we gave them opportunities in our half and they took them, similar to last week with Quins.

“But what I did like was our relentless effort to stick at it and make sure that we stuck to our guns, believed in that DNA and game plan, and came back strong towards the end.”

On Dan Biggar: “I think he’s ok – he took a dead leg and he took something else, but I haven’t chatted to the medics so I wouldn’t know exactly.”

Wasps: Umaga; Odogwu, Odendaal, Mills, Bassett; Atkinson, Robson; Hislop, Oghre, Ryan, Launchbury (capt), McDonald, Morris, J Willis, Carr.

Replacements: Frost, Martinez, Alo, Cardall, Curran, Porter, Haydon-Wood, Feyi-Waboso.

Sent off: Umaga (66)

Northampton: Furbank; Freeman, Proctor, Dingwall, O Sleightholme; Biggar, Mitchell; A Waller, S Matavesi, Hill, Salakaia-Loto, Moon, Coles, Ludlam (capt), Graham.

Replacements: Smith, E Waller, Petch, Ribbans, Augustus, James, Hutchinson, Skosan.

Referee: Adam Leal