Northampton Saints
News: Hardleywins win Hardley Saints 13 Quins 16
By Howlin'
January 2 2011
Momentum. Often spoke about in rugby circles, momentum is key they say. Would the enforced rest help saints come into the first match of 2011 refreshed and raring to go, stronger and fitter than the bruised and battered Quins. Or would the match hardened Londoners expose some rustiness in the soaraway Saints who hadn’t faced a real in your face tackle since the 18th December.
Aviva Premiership Round 11
Northampton Saints v Harlequins
Franklin's Gardens 1st Jan 2011, KO 15:00
It wasn’t long into the match at Franklins Gardens today before we had an inkling of the answer. Quins set to their task from the off. Playing a brand of uninspiring simple rugby they all knew their task and they were all on message and efficient. Two early penalty chances resulted for the “ever reliable” Nick Evans who strangely missed both much to the relief of the Gardens faithful who also showed signs of a healthy Christmas and new year’s rest.
It’s not a pleasant experience being mugged. Being mugged in your own back yard is also very unnerving, particularly when you can see it coming and are powerless to prevent it. A “home banker” indeed. I always fear these encounters , where the crowd expect, the team stutter into action and the accident is there just waiting to happen.
Saints were stirred into action, but every move looked a little forced. Knocks on were aplenty. Penalties to Saints were kicked to touch as, perhaps, some over confidence was in evidence. All efforts came to nought. A try was disallowed , I think for a forward pass from Lawes as he cleverly offloaded before being pushed into touch, Surely the points would come. But it was the 26th minute before another pen was kicked for posts and the Saints troubled the scoreboard for the very first time in 2011.
On only their third visit to the saints half however , Quins were awarded a third pen and Evans levelled the scores.
The saints dominated territory and possession. Whether the Saints attack was profligate or the Quins defence was obdurate is a matter for much debate. I suppose it depends on whether you are able to extend some of the season of goodwill to our opposition and appreciate their efforts or simply blame the Saints for being wasteful but there was no further as we fast approached half time.
Luckily however the saints scrum was functioning near to the awesome norm that we have become accustom and a watching Gary Pagel might have been purring approval at a display of front row supremacy not seen since his time in the gold black and green.
Three penalties and then a sin binning for prop Andress . No penalty try but a play for the line. No sooner is new year over but Easter is upon us. Flopping right over us in fact. But not for long. He also sees yellow and the Saints once again go for the scrum. Finally a penalty try is awarded. Saints supreme. Quins down to thirteen. Half time arrives. Surely now the tide will turn. A second half beckons full of tries and new year happiness. The pressure Saints exerted on Quins in that first half was tigeresque. Doreen’s influence was illustrated for all to see. We had broken the mighty Quin’s back. The second half would be a try fest. Huzzah.
Ah but dear reader, as Sky reporters everywhere should have learned by now (no, really they should have) rugby is a sport. Sport does not follow a script. It is vibrant, it is real, it is gloriously unpredictable. That’s why I love it. How about you ?
The ten minutes Saints had supremacy in numbers was the ten minutes that for me, defined the match. Saints forgot to be tigeresque and lost their composure. They lost their patience, they lost the ball, they lost the match ! Ok they weren’t helped by an erratic Mr Richards; they visibly showed their frustration on several occasions. But they showed that they still lack the nous to win a championship.
Quins were there for the taking. If we didn’t gift them a try they were never go into score one of their own.
But they were gifted a try , to Danny Care with a charge down. It was enough on the day to decide the match. Penalties exchanged and frantic Saints attacks, the introduction of Geraghty with pace and GUILE still had no effect on the result as a frantic Saints were no match for a pragmatic Quins who dominated the remainder of the second half.
Make no mistake. Quins deserved thier victory. It was hard won with guts and bodies on the line and an indomitable spirit. The Saints day however was epitomised by the knock on by Tiny that ended the game. It was one of those days. Hopefully it will be part of the learning curve for this squad, that they don’t want another one of “those days” and now know that to prevent it they have to protect possession of the ball far, far better than they did today. They will also know that to win , firstly you need to work. You need to keep possession, you need to be patient and you need composure. Oh yes and you need to get that momentum back. And pretty damn quick. We may flirt with being Tigeresque, but next week we need to be better than that. We need to out tiger the tigers in their own back yard. Well lads, how much do you want it ?
(post script. To keep it in perspective for all the profits of doom, of which I’m sure their will be many emerging from the gloom after this result, as I write this, Saints just extended their lead at the top of the table to two points with a game in hand. If you gonna mess up maybe not a bad time to do it. Oh and handing Quins their first away win in a season is what we do best. They’ll probably finish top four now !!)
Timeline:
3mins QUINS Miss pen Evans
8mins QUINS Miss pen Evans
26mins SAINTS Pen Myler 3-0
29mins QUINS Pen Evans 3-3
39mins QUINS Yellow Andress
40mins QUINS Yellow Easter
40mins SAINTS Try Penalty Con Myler 10-3
HALF-TIME SAINTS 10 QUINS 3
54mins QUINS Try Care Con Evans 10-10
64mins QUINS Pen Evans 10-13
68mins QUINS Pen Evans 10-16
73mins SAINTS Pen Geraghty 13-16
FULL-TIME SAINTS 13 QUINS 16
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Stumbleupon02/01/2011 00:36
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Looks like their coaches had done good work on sussing our game plan, and they probably couldn't believe their luck when we didn't pull out "Plan B"
David L
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
- Live wrong and preposterously
I remember muttering to Smurfs Dad about 15 mins into the second half - "were going to loose this one " there was just something about the body language of some of our lot that wasnt quite right.
Never mind there's always next week !!!!
alive and well in Shrubbery Terrace
But, as you imply, one loss is not the end of the season. We cannot expect to play in this tough league and not meet sides who are capable of winning against anyone.
Even so, slightly worrying is the implication from Eif that teams may be working us out, and even more piercing is Broonie's view from a few weeks ago that we are becoming an 8 man team (maybe I am stretching his point a bit there).
Wee Jim...let's hope that Adelaide and Melbourne weren't the Aussies 'WACA' moment!
No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.
Dryathlon
One way of looking at it, I guess.
There will not be a player in the Saints team that doesn't think it was a very, very close call - but deserving doesn't come into it.
Guile, on the other hand? Who knows...?
Watching the highlights, he actually ran round from the opposite side of the scrum and charged head on. Here is a nice little freeze frame...
Just to set the record straight.
Anyway, good luck Saints for the rest of the season, see you in the playoffs ;-)
Nunquam Dormio
Quote:"The ten minutes Saints had supremacy in numbers was the ten minutes that for me, defined the match. Saints forgot to be tigeresque and lost their composure. They lost their patience, they lost the ball, they lost the match..."
Sounds about right.
Thank you, Sir.
Saint til I die
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