LAUNCESTON vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

National League One: Tuesday, 4^thMarch, 2008 - K.O. 8 PM

Launceston 7 v 72 Saints

MATCH REPORT

Before the game started there were many questions to ponder (would the Saints run out first?  Would we be greeted by a Cornish voice on the mic?), and for the first time in a while the team selection was one of them.  After the injuries sustained at Bedford, and the prospect of 3 games in a week, this game had been highlighted by many as the chance for Jim Mallinder to pick a ‘second’ team, and the team that ran out was certainly a long way from what most people would consider to be the strongest, but the blend of youth and experience worked well.

Captain Bruce Reihana kept his place at full back, with Neil Starling and Paul Diggin also keeping their places on the wings.  Joe Ansbro, fresh from his impressive game on Saturday, partnered James Downey in the centre, with a new half-back pairing of Myler and Robinson completing the backs.  There were lots of familiar faces in the forwards, as well as a few less recognisable ones.  Tiny, Paul Shields, and crowd-favourite Chris Budgen made up the front row, with the very young partnership of James Cannon and Phil Hoy starting in the second row.  Alex Rae found himself in the unfamiliar position of blindside flanker, with Ben Lewitt and Mark Easter completing the back row. 

The Saints did indeed run out first as the away team, but they still managed to wangle kicking the ‘right’ way (that is, towards the Sturtridge in the first half).  Launceston kicked off, but the Saints won the ball and drove forwards back over halfway.  The Saints went in search of their first try, but wasted some good chances by trying to be too clever – quicker ball across the backs would have produced an overlap on more than one occasion.  Indeed, it was Launceston who looked like they might score first when speedy winger Matt Jess scooped up a loose ball and found himself in acres of space.  Unfortunately for Jess the referee blew for a penalty to the Saints, which Myler duly dispatched to touch.

The lineout was won successfully, and the forwards rumbled on and over the line.  Chris Budgen came up with the ball, scoring a very popular try.  Myler added the conversion, giving the Saints a 7-0 lead before ten minutes were up.

The second try came not long after, following a scrum won against the head by the Saints.  The ball was worked up field through many phases of play, and eventually Joe Ansbro found himself scoring his third try in two games.  Myler missed the conversion, but the Saints were looking relatively comfortable with their 12-0 lead.

That comfort was short lived, however, as Launceston struck back with a wonderful try that King Carlos himself would have been proud to score.  The Saints fumbled the ball in an attacking position, and Launceston scrum half Sam Alford pounced on it.  He chipped ahead over the onrushing defenders, collected the ball after it bounced, and ran in to score under the posts.  Marc Scrivener added the conversion, taking the score to 12-7 to the Saints after twenty minutes.

It took the Saints ten minutes to break through the determined Launceston defence, though it was an excellent defensive tackle by Joe Ansbro that set up their next score – he dislodged the ball in the tackle, the Saints tidied up, and who else but Brooce burst through to run in and score under the posts with a swallow-dive (no, not a parrot in sight).  Myler added the conversion, giving the Saints a 19-7 lead after not quite half an hour.  Try number four, and the bonus point, followed a couple of minutes later after Phil Hoy (? – I know it was a lock in a scrum cap!) broke through and put Alex Rae over in the corner.  Myler missed the conversion, but he had two more opportunities before half time as the Saints scored tries through Neil Starling and Paul Shields.  Starling’s try came following some good interplay between Mark Easter and Mark Robinson at a scrum, while Paul Shields’ effort was distinctly less pretty – the forwards collapsed in a heap over the line, and he came up with the ball.  Myler missed the first conversion but was successful with the second, giving the Saints a 36-7 lead at half time.

The second half began in much the same way as the first had finished, with Neil Starling scoring his second try of the night.  A good scrum by the Saints produced some quick ball, and the men in tights (Digger, Bruce, and Starling) combined to put Starling over in the corner.  Myler added the conversion, and the Saints' lead looked even more comfortable at 43-7.

The next ten minutes saw Launceston throw everything at the Saints.  They retained the ball through countless phases of play, slowly edging towards the try line.  The forwards were repelled, so the backs had a go, but they too were denied by some excellent defensive work.  Eventually a tackle from Bruce Reihana forced a knock-on.  Before the scrum was set the Saints made their first two changes, with Ian Vass and Barry Everitt coming on for Mark Robinson and James Downey.  The Saints managed to clear their lines after being awarded a penalty, but Everitt's kick missed touch.  Some good follow-up work saw Launceston concede another penalty, however, which Vass took quickly.  A great offload by Bruce (making up for the absence of Spencer) sent Stephen Myler over in the corner.  He missed the conversion, so the Saints were 48-7 up just short of the hour mark.

A few minutes later, and Bruce crossed for his second of the afternoon following some quick passing along the backline after a good lineout.  Myler missed the conversion again, the ball bouncing off the far post, but the Saints were looking good at 53-7.

For the next try the Chicken and the Fox combined, the latter bursting through the defence to score under the posts.  Myler couldn't miss that conversion, and the Saints were 60-7 up.

Budgen was involved in the next try too – a little inside pass to Easter, straight from the Tom Smith school of passing, put the number 8 over.  Myler added the two points, giving the Saints a 67-7 lead after 75 minutes.

Fittingly, the final try of the night was scored by Bruce Reihana, topping off an excellent performance by the captain.  The Saints took a lineout quickly, the ball found its way to Bruce who shrugged off a couple of tackles on his way to scoring.  Myler missed the conversion, but the scoreboard still made for good reading: Launceston 7, Northampton Saints 72.

This somewhat makeshift Saints team was more than a match for Launceston who couldn't make the most of some good spells of possession.  The tackling of Bruce and Ansbro, combined with the excellent work of the forwards - who won turnover at rucks on more than one occasion - meant that the Saints had a platform to work from rather than having to rely on Launceston making mistakes.  The Saints were guilty at times of trying to over-complicate things, but it is all credit to Launceston that more than once they gave the Saints little opportunity to take the straightforward option. 

I wonder if we can play a few more away games at Franklin's Gardens next season…?

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