Northampton Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder has said that beating Harlequins for a second time this season was the perfect way to answer the critics.

George North and Dylan Hartley both scored tries while Stephen Myler added points with the boot, as the Saints triumphed 23-9 at Franklin's Gardens last night.

Mallinder said that talk of his team not being good enough for a top-four finish in the Aviva Premiership is paling into insignificance now that they are top of the league.

"Doing the double over Harlequins is pleasing because of all that chat this time last year," Sky Sports News quotes him as saying.

"You remember things and we hurt last year when people said we couldn't beat a top four side.

"I'm delighted that we've done the double over Quins and beaten Bath and Saracens here. We've shown we can win big games."

Northampton take on Ospreys in the Heineken Cup on January 12.