Oxford Saints stormed to the top of South West Conference Division 1 following a 28-2 hammering of Birmingham Bulls at Abingdon RFC – their fourth win out of four.

The hosts took the lead in the first quarter when Jay Taylor powered the ball over from a yard out after good blocking from centre Stuart Cribbes. Johnny Dover added the extra point to give Oxford a 7-0 advantage.

Late in the second quarter, Kyle Micallef increased Saints’ lead when he sprinted into the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown following a superb throw from Jay Taylor.

Dover missed the kick, but early in the second half, came on to slot a 20-yard field goal to establish a 16-0 lead.

At the other end, a mad scramble for the ball saw Bulls score their only points when Micallef was tackled in his own end zone to concede two points.

Bulls tried to get back in the game, but Saints held firm, with Chris Taylor smashing his way over from three yards out to make it 22-2 in the fourth quarter, with Dover missing the chance for an extra point.

And it was all over for the visitors when Chris Ellis bulldozed his way through the Bulls defence before sprinting over following a superb 34-yard run, with Dover missing the subsequent kick.

On Sunday, Saints will be looking to keep up their perfect start to the season when they travel to second-placed Tamworth Phoenix, who are one of the favourites for the title.