By Chris Gleadell
February 2 2007

So yes maybe another defeat on Saturday but I’m sure I was not alone in thinking a corner may well have been turned. Considering we were playing table topping Bristol and were predicted in some quarters pre-match to get a right royal pasting I thought overall the lads fronted up. On the down side we still seem to have white line fever and despite dominating possession and territory in the first 40 minutes Ben Cohen’s 100th try for the club and a Carlos Spencer penalty was all there was to show for all the players efforts. In all truth by the half time whistle we should have been well out of sight as yet again failure to get over the whitewash, married to an interception try by Bristol , made us architects of our own downfall. Ultimately the driven over try sealed our fate but had we had an official that refereed the rolling maul evenly for both attack and defence we might even have pulled off the victory but Mr Davey’s application of the laws should never have come into the equation had we taken our chances early on.

Having said that overall, despite the end result, I came away from the Gardens with more hope than I’ve had of late. In recent weeks we have shown that we can compete against top sides, Bristol , Biarritz and Wasps when we have a mind to do it. Though it’s sticking at it consistently for 80 minutes week in week out and finally getting those all important tries without throwing in displays of the likes we saw against Worcester . After Saturday one thing is for sure, the lads are capable of doing it and ultimately the clubs good health this season is in nobody’s hands but their own, they can do it. With a two week Guinness Premiership break until we take on Quins at the Gardens on February 17th its time for the team to get their collective heads together and come out all guns blazing to put not only some distance between themselves and Worcester below them but applying pressure on the handful of teams within striking distance above.

I cannot let Saturday’s pass without a special mention for our front row. Losing the first choices of Tom Smith, Steve Thompson and Pat Barnard in the run up to the game was seen as a crucial blow. Even the most optimistic of Saints supporters had doubts that their replacements, the trio of Chris Budgen, Dylan Hartley and Soane Tonga'uiha could compete with a pack that had been the cornerstone of Bristol ’s form this season. It was envisaged that the rookie front row would never be on level terms with a Bristol eight containing like of the Gardens latest pantomime villain. Mark Regan, however no one told Chicken, Dylan and Tiny that.

Chicken, was well Chicken, solid as a rock, he gave it his all and as always never let anyone down. Dylan played like a man possessed and had his best game for the club and on this form will battle Steve Thompson all the way for that No.2 shirt.

And finally Tiny. I don’t think we had seen anywhere near the potential of Soane till Saturday evening but with a few games under his belt he looks like he could be a real handful in both the tight and the loose for anyone. Well done to all three.

ARGENTINA

Whilst there is no GP rugby at the Gardens for two weeks there is a game of some importance taking place at the Gardens on Wednesday night as the Saints take on Argentina . It is the first time the club have taken on an international side since the ‘Invincible’ All Blacks defeated a Northampton team 32-0 in September 1905.

I hope we do not have to wait another 102 years for the next game of this kind but as it seems they do not come around too often get their if you can to see a little bit of Gardens history. The game is also being televised live by Sky.

SIX NATIONS

This weekend sees the start of this year’s Six Nations and on the face of it, it looks like being a very open race. France and Ireland are the predicted front runners but a Brian Ashton led England might not be the lame ducks that were a few weeks ago and might instead be the dark horses of the tournament although some team selections still have me scratching my head (see below). Italy might well be the team the watch though. I’m not saying they are going to win the tournament but they could have a big say in who does. After running Ireland and Scotland close in last years 6N the Italians pulled off an 18-18 draw against Wales at the Millennium Stadium. They might just have a shock or two up their sleeves again this season and I’m sure the Welsh will not be looking forward to visiting the Stadio Flaminio in Rome in the fourth round of games.

From a Saints point of view we do not have a whole lot of representation this year.
With Wally injured and missing the whole tournament it looks like Sean Lamont for Scotland may well be the only Northampton player playing this weekend. Like many others I’m surprised Ben Cohen is still not involved in the England set up though especially given that Ashton’s first selection of Josh Lewsey and Jason Robinson means England start with no specialist wingers. Despite England ’s dismal Autumn campaign Ben was one of the better players and there seems very little reason in dropping him. As he said this week in this paper by agreement to give youngsters a start Ben is not involved in the England A (no not the ‘Saxons’ thank you) squad but you have to feel that England are missing a trick leaving a rejuvenated Ben out of the main party. However this could all be to Saints advantage as a fired up player goes all out to prove to Brian Ashton in particular that by form his international career is not dead yet. With a World Cup on the horizon I would not bet against Ben being on the plane.

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And last weeks that I forgot.


So despite the defeat it was mission accomplished for the Saints on Sunday as qualification was secured for a Heineken Cup quarter final spot. Well secured is probably stretching a point because by Saturday evening that place had already been guaranteed with results at Castres and Sale going our way. Tigers superb win (did I just say that?) at Thomond Park meant that unless there were some very odd results on Sunday it would be virtually impossible to avoid Biarritz again at the QF stage.

When Llanelli beat London Irish earlier on Sunday it confirmed that the result of the Biarritz game meant whatever way the seeds were reversed we were due to meet yet again for a third time this season and the seventh time overall in the HC.

Of course Saints could have turned the whole thing on its head with a four try victory to give us home advantage but a look at BOPB’s points against tally in the Top14 this season to see that would be a very tall order indeed and once Saints had not got over the whitewash despite after the first 20 minutes a virtually impossibility. The game then became a dead rubber and suffered for it as it was certain now the next game would be taking place in the Basque country in a couple of months time.

Looking at the tables late on the Saturday night before the game I took the gamble that this would indeed be the outcome and booked my flight south in advance and the way the Ryanair price to Biarritz was gradually rising over the next few hours I don’t think I was alone looking like we will yet again see a large Northampton contingent at a Heieneken Cup away game this season. At the time of writing although not definitely confirmed yet it looks like the game will be taking place at the home of Real Sociedad, the Anoeta in San Sebastian/Donosita thirty miles south of Biarritz on Sunday April the 1st.

A dilemma for Saints supporters is whether to spend the weekend in Biarritz and travel south on the Sunday with the local support either by train or bus or make a weekend of it in San Sebastian . The popular Friday to Monday flights to Biarritz are now at a premium (over £300 at the last check) so that may sway some supporters although getting to nearby Pau , or further afield Bordeaux , and getting the train is a much cheaper option. As with the likes Munster before there will be a real party atmosphere in the town over the weekend so get there if you can. The way the rest of the rugby world are writing up the game up it’s a foregone conclusion but then we have been involved in a few of them in the past in the Heineken Cup, including a certain final in 2000. We can always hope that it is Biarritz who end up the April Fools.

A word of praise for the travelling support from Biarritz . It seems that some of the French clubs supporters are gradually catching on to what good weekends these games can be.

Although small in number they were colourful and made themselves heard. We might have offered the Bus Club instead of the terrace at Ondarts Bar and pasties instead of paella and overall the weather might not be quite like the Cote Basque but it seems like they all enjoyed themselves. We met up with some pre-match and I’m sure like everyone else i'm looking forward to meeting up with them again at the end of March.

BRISTOL

For now however we have to put thoughts of Europe behind us as its back to the Guinness Premiership this week and the clash with table topping Bristol at the Gardens on Saturday evening. As mentioned a couple of weeks ago to say that Bris have been a surprise package this season is somewhat of an understatement. A lot of peoples tip for relegation back to Div1 under the astute tutelage of Richard Hill they are still riding high and will provide a stern test. With just five points between us and Worcester at the basement, albeit with a game in hand, for Saints it is imperative to start picking up points and to start putting some daylight between themselves and the drop and Saturday is as good a time as any to start doing it.

ENGLAND

In the never ending club v country saga the latest talking point is central contracts for the top players. The proposal, and yes yet again it is another leaked document, is that instead of continually switching between club and country the elite players, rumoured to be around 32 in number, would be centrally contracted and paid by the RFU and allowed back to the clubs when Brian Ashton sees fit.

Again we are told it’s to protect players from burnout but again I’d question if this was the case and the RFU are serious about the subject shouldn’t the national body be looking at the welfare of all players not just the elite? All this will do in effect is shift the problem elsewhere. To counter this the argument is that expanded squads with a higher wage cap will help clubs losing their stars for ten games a season but unless squad rotation is made mandatory coaches will always select the best available.

If Steve Thompson is away with England on current form week in week out we would select Dylan Hartley instead, what about his welfare? Surely the ceasing of the EDF trophy and end of season playoffs would increase player welfare all round.

Another potential sticking point will be the continual changing of teams plans. It may be stretching the imagination a little at the moment but imagine a settled Saints side romping away at the top of the league in spite of having say three players away with the Ashton elite. What do you do when they return, do you change your winning formula or leave them kicking their heels or, as may well be the case are you duty bound to play them whatever their form as part of this new agreement.

I’m sure a few of you noticed that the Welsh coach asked the Ospreys to try Gavin Henson at full back this week, how long before we see the same here? Would you drop an in form Bruce Reihana as part of an experiment for Team England when European qualification or relegation was the issue?

Of course to pacify the clubs the RFU will throw more money at them and I’m sure like turkeys voting against Xmas the club chairmen whose coffers are low, luckily we are not one of them, will vote for it. In my view that’s a backward step but when cash is king it looks like yet again a business decision might be made over a sporting one.