Honours Even

This was a strange, slightly turgid match – although games always seem that bit less engaging when you’re taking notes. Both sides put on very good defensive displays. Northampton’s recycling machine was working well and they were running around like the Little Train That Could, but to no great effect. They never really got behind the solid Irish defence, and they weren’t going to score a try of their own. In the end it was a gift from the Irish that turned the game from what was on the way to being a fairly comfortable Irish win.The Irish kicking game was working well. We kicked well and often. A good idea in practice, but a tactic let down by a woeful lineout performance in the 1st half, which meant that Northampton had the all most of the time. The line out did get better as the match progressed, and as the match moved on, Irish exerted more and more control, until a couple of clangers in the last 5 minutes cost us the game.

The green team that Northampton had announced earlier in the week was not the one that took the field: Cohen was there at outside centre. Reihana was at 15, and Krige started. For Irish: Bish was in for Appleford, so Staniforth moved to 13.

Irish started well enough. From the Saints kick-off Tofty put in a big clearance to the Saints 10m line. Irish applied pressure, Dawson charged down a Grayson kick ohen – playing at 13 – gathered, and from under his own posts evaded 2 tacklers, and boomed the ball into the stands. Gustard was left, wrapped around the base of the post. The post didn’t seem to be bothered. Saints stole the line out, but Grayson had his kick charged down again. Now Northampton worked their way patiently out of their own half. They were switching the play left and right with gradual movement up the pitch. Robinson was marshalling them well, with the occasional muscling half-breaks of his own. The Saints worked their way to the Irish 22 where Irish dived over and Grayson hit an easy 3 points. 8 minutes, gone 0-3.

Saints continued to keep the ball after Tofty put the restart straight out. After exchanging chips. Tofty, in his own half, took the ball on the right and attacked blindside. With Sackey beside him he chipped and was taken out. From 30m to the right of the posts, Tofty himself kicked the 3 points. It was 3-3 after 13 minutes.
I think it was 13 minutes. By this time the scoreboard was showing us live pictures of a game at the Madejski Stadium, but not the game clock.

Irish continued to stifle good works from Northampton chivvied along by Robinson who at times was playing like a 2nd blind-side flanker. When Irish did get in good positions they normally lost momentum by losing an attacking lineout. On 20 minutes Browne blatantly dived over a ruck. Spreadbury gave us the very kickable penalty. Casey took some action of his own, and the penalty was reversed.

On 26 minutes Tofty launched Irish’s 1st attacking back move of the match. He went right, looped, and passed to Horak who managed to off-load to Sacks. The ball was worked back to the middle where Bish and Daws combined well only for Northampton kill the ball. Tofty missed the fairly easy penalty so it remained 3-3.

Reihana gathered a deep kick and counter attacked well, but Saints lost the ball on half-way. Kieron kicked deep into Northampton territory where Cohen gathered, but was pinned by Horak. Cohen didn’t release, and Irish choose to chip into the left hand corner for an attacking lineout. Nick took the ball but the drive was stifled. The ball went to Tofty and Catt. Cohen handled in the next ruck, and on 33 minutes, went to the sin bin for 2 offences in 2 minutes. Tofty kicked the easy pen. 6-3.

Up till half time Northampton continued to paint broad brush strokes left to right, right to left in no man’s land. In the end, they got bored and kicked the ball away. Horak took the mark. Tofty cleared to half way. Irish stole the line out and worked the ball down the backs. Tofty went for a crafted floaty pass to Sacks,
but Robinson decided he wanted it. Dodge was gaining on him all the time leaving Gustard in his wake, but when Robinson was finally caught, 5 metres out, his momentum took him over easily. Easy conversion. 40 minutes: 6-10 to Saints.

From the restart Northampton conceded a scrum for unintentional obstruction. They were then pinged for not binding. Tofty kicked the penalty, so it was 9-10 at half-time.

The second half began with Cohen still in the bin and Drahm on for Grayson. I presume it was Grayson’s decision and not Pountney’s.

The half started with some good pick and drive from the Irish forwards; something that was sadly lacking from the game in general. Was this because the defences were well set against it ? or because it just didn’t show up much in either teams playbook. Whatever the answer, I reckon the game would have benefited from a lot more bosh. Anyway, Irish banged up the middle and on the 22m line in front of the posts, Saints came in from the side and a penalty was on offer. Irish decided not to bash on and go for a try. Dodge spun it back to Tofty and he slotted the DG. 12-10 after 42 minutes and Cohen was back on, and Durrant was on for Hardwick.

On 45 minutes Irish broke out of their 22, Horak should have passed to Bish, but Saints gave a penalty away on half way anyway. Catt made touch on the Saints 22 on the left, but Irish knocked on after the lineout. After a few more knock-ons were exchanged, Catt gained 50 metres in 3 seconds by rifling a kick from inside his half to within a metre of the Northampton eastern corner flag. Northampton cleared.

49 minutes: Robinson (9) off, Ben Jones on
JFK off, Strud on.

At the next lineout Dodge took it short and went scampering along down the left wing. He couldn’t get the ball to Robbie, and the ball ended up in touch for another line out for Irish. The ball went to Strud, and it fortuitously bounced off a part of him into the arms of Big Bob who went rampaging into the 22. The ball was spun right to Tofty, who feinted a drop goal and then jinked back inside towards the posts. He extracted himself from the ruck and next time the ball came back to him he kicked the simple drop goal.

55 minutes: 15-10 to Irish. By now Sturges was on for Morris.

Irish ballsed up the restart ( I can’t remember what happened, but the notes say “LI balls up restart”) but it didn’t bother them, and the ball was worked to half way where Northampton gave away a penalty. Catt found touch on the left 17 metres from the Saints try line.

60 minutes: Roche on for Gustard.

From the lineout Stan made a half break. Irish rumbled on and Tofty scuffed over the inevitable drop goal.

61 minutes: 18-10 to Irish. Less than 20 minutes to go and we seemed to be in total control. The line out was now functioning well. We were playing the game in their half, and although hardly threatening their try line we seemed to be scoring almost at will.

We had a line out from a penalty 11 metres from the Saints line. Throw in not straight. And Drahm boomed a clearance to half-way. From the line out the ball was kicked around on the half way line and Irish ended up being off side just inside the Northampton half. Drahm struck it sweetly. It sailed over. Might’ve gone over
from 70 metres.

66 minutes: 18-13. An oh well moment.

Saints knocked on the restart, but wheeled the resulting scrum so got the put in. Irish got the ball back and spun it right to Staniforth 10 metres out under the posts. Stan died with it and Saints cleared. Horak took a mark. Catt hit a big clearing kick. Reihana took one of many quick throw ins. Human took the ball
in midfield and injected pace into the move forcing Daws to come in from the side and give away a penalty. Drahm kicked another one from half way. It crept over. Drahm didn’t miss a kick all afternoon. 18-16. Northampton hadn’t been over our 10 metre line while scoring 6 points.

A Catt counter attack down the left took Irish into the Saints half. Irish were moving the ball well. Tofty went for cross field kick into the north-east corner. Reid was bearing down on it. A kind bounce would’ve seen him over in the corner but the bounce took it into touch.

69 minutes: Tofty had picked up a knock and he was replaced by Baz.
The Saints won their line out from the lucky bounce, but the Irish forwards did a brilliant job driving the maul over the dead ball line. From the 5 metre scrum the forwards worked it to under the posts and Baz kicked the easy DG. All those easy DGs from very good attacking positions. Hindsight says we should have been more
ambitious. But it was 21-16 now and our authority had been restored, for about 20 seconds.The restart went to Reid, and under no pressure, the ball went straight through his arms. No knock-on, but Northampton snaffled the ball 10 metres from our line. The ball was spun back and Reid rushed to the barely formed ruck on the 22, and was harshly adjudged to have come in from the side. Drahm slotted the easy 3.
78 minutes 21-19.

A good deep restart ended up with a Northampton scrum deep in their own 22. Irish were pinged for bad binding and Drahm kicked to half way. From the resulting line out Drahm kicked again to touch on the Irish west 22. So Irish had the throw in. They went for a cute throw to Casey at the front of the line, but the ball went 4
metres not 5, so Saints had the scrum on the Irish 22. What would they do ? The pass to Drahm bounced short of him. Baz was bearing down but with great skill, Drahm stepped to the right and kicked, in almost one movement.
The DG was over. 84 minutes 22-21

Irish came back bravely in the dying moments. They handled the ball well under pressure, but never really got within drop goal range. They lost the ball at a ruck deep in the Saints half. There was still time for Irish to win the line out from the Northampton clearance but with no time left Barry went for a desperate attempt
from 40 metres. The ball landed short and to the right and the game was over.


London Irish: M Horak, P Sackey, S Staniforth, M Catt, J Bishop, M Mapletoft (rep: B Everitt, 74), P Hodgson (rep: D Edwards, 76)), D Wheatley, R Russell , R Hardwick (rep: P Durant, 43), N Kennedy (rep: R Strudwick, 53), B Casey, P Gustard (rep: K Roche, 60), K Dawson (captain), R Reid.

Northampton: B Reihana, J Rudd, B Cohen (sin-bin: 39-49), M Stcherbina, W Human, P Grayson (rep: S Drahm, half-time), M Robinson (rep: B Jones, 53), S Emms, S Thompson (captain), R Morris, G Seely, D Browne (rep: E O’Donoghue, 71), R Beattie, C Krige, M Soden.

Ref: Spreadbury

Attendance: 17,364

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