THOUGHTS FROM THE CHRON

24^th APRIL, 2008

NEWBURY

With the season drawing to a close the Saints secured another five point victory on their last road trip in National Division One winning 40-22 at Newbury. That is not quite the whole story though as the plucky underdogs came back from the dead and very nearly gave the Saints a sizable bite on the backside.

Despite starting like a train and going into a 21-0 lead in the first quarter the Saints began to falter as the shell shocked home side regrouped and hit back with three quick fire scores of their own before halftime and that early lead was cut to just a couple of missed conversions. Tries from Ben Lewitt and Tom Smith after the break steadied the ship but on the hour mark Newbury got their reward of a fourth try through Andy Reay and the bonus point that secured their Div One survival.

Chris Ashton closed the game out with his 35^th score of the season but hats off to the home side on not only keeping their status for another season but also in the way they played their two games against the all conquering Saints. Arguably over the two games they played better against us than any other side in the division. Not only did they push us to a single point at the Gardens but on Saturday they became the only team (so far) to secure a try scoring bonus points against Northampton.

Whether or not they raise their game against the big boys, they beat Exeter earlier this season, and then let things slip against the lesser lights it is hard to tell but given how hard they pushed the champions its odd that it took them until the last but one game of the season to survive. On the form against us you would think they would be contenders and if consistent be challenging near the top next season. A question of finance might dent those ambitions which is sad for a team that almost pulled off the result of the season. I wish them all the best for the future.

 
THE END IS NIGH

As Frank Sinatra used to warble, ‘And now the end is near.’ With 34 games gone and 34 victories the Saints have certainly done it their way and surely now as they face that final curtain it can only be going out in a blaze of glory. Or can it?

Giving Frank a rest for a minute, whilst the fat lady has now truly taken the stage to blast out that final number we cannot take for granted that that undefeated season is in the bag. As we saw last week, when the opposition has a more tangible target, survival in the division over a line in a record book, they can cause us problems.

Saturday’s opponents Launceston are on the edge of a precipice. Looking down and out for most of the season, in recent weeks they have clawed their way back inch by inch to give themselves a real shot at survival and a second season in National Division One.

As things stand they are just a single point above the trapdoor and will be waiting anxiously for news of how Sedgley Park and the Bees are progressing during the afternoon. However, strange as it might sound given they are playing the Saints, their future might be in their own hands.

Like Newbury last week it may come down to trying to secure a single point or maybe even the game itself. Given the scare, albeit temporary, at Monks Lane last Saturday you could not discount Launceston, who sit just one place below last weeks valiant losers, thinking they might be in with a shot should we take our eye off the ball and play as loose as we did last week.

However despite all the distractions of an end of season game, personnel leaving, trophies to be awarded etc I am taking the lads to do a professional job and get the business in hand out of the way first to secure that 35 won, none lost season on our return to the top flight.

It may however be a lot closer than the ‘away’ fixture in early March given what the Cornish side are fighting for but here’s hoping come five o’clock on Saturday we both have something to celebrate. Then the party can begin.

 
WILL HE, WON’T HE?

The Saints have been in the rugby media a fair bit this last seven days with three cases of will he won’t he. First up after the news that Martin Johnson has indeed been appointed head honcho at Team England came the speculation that after less than a year in the job Saints coach Jim Mallinder would be lured away to become part of Johnson’s coaching panel. With purely my Saints head on like most I would be sad to see him go as in my mind the work has only just begun and the knock on effect of yet another coach taking the reins, however good he is, could knock the club back once more just as we seem to be getting on an even keel.

As an Englishman yes I am sure Jim would do a good job but as I said last week I am still a bit suspect about this whole Johnson setup and rather a proven coach move onto things in later years after experience in the Guinness Premiership and Europe than be sunk without trace under inexperienced national leadership now.

The second is what is being dubbed ‘Fodengate’. Despite having a fully signed and legally binding contract that ensures the services of Ben Foden at the Gardens next season the players current coach Sales Phillipe Saint-Andre is trying to pull some kind of smoke and mirrors act to derail the move at the last moment. First he states the player has a get out clause (which he has not) on a contract he admits he has not seen then he tries to influence the player into staying at his club by trying to tell everyone what Saints future selection policy is.. Not only is an attempt to clearly unsettle the player but it also leaves M. Saint-Andre looking a bit like rugby’s answer to Jose Mourinho.

As someone said quite rightly this week Sale had their chances to retain the player’s services when we came in with an offer. They chose not too but now at the eleventh hour, they now realise what an asset they are going to lose it seems that by hook or by crook they want to interfere with that process. Given the number of players changing clubs nowadays if this became the norm then lord knows where it will end. How long before we become like football with and endless round of tittle tattle over player movement?

The third part, and I’m going to contradict myself here is a little bit of transfer tittle tattle of our own. Its no secret that a tall hairy South African was seen in the Weedon Road chippie a couple of weeks back enquiring about deep fried biltong (rough translation he was at the Gardens) and the rumour about Victor Matfield joining the Saints has been doing the rounds for a while now.

Given that sighting and the press speculation that an offer has been made married to the fact that the player says he will be making a decision on his future on Friday which may feature a British club it looks like it could be a goer.

I always take these rumours with a pinch of salt and I am not counting any chickens yet but I am surprised given the money floating around at Big Vic’s current club Toulon that we can even compete for his signature. That is of course jumping to the conclusion that finance is the driving force. Though I think they might win it on lifestyle too.

If it is true, and I truly hope it is, we would all welcome a player of his calibre with open arms not only on the playing side but as a message of intent that the Saints are back and are not only going to produce home based players but are willing financially to mix it with the big boys for the right players in their aim to get back to the top.

Now I’ll drink to that.

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