By Mark H & The Clan
June 10 2004

Right, I nagged, nurtured, begged and lost the polls this season -it hasn’t been that straightforward this time around. But finally, we’re there, and we have results!!! As last year, we’ll look at the players, the games and the opposition faced this season, and as promised, all comments sent to me (that I still have, of course) will be anonymous.

Saint Of The Season 2004/05 (last year’s winner - Andrew Blowers)

You were asked to pick out your top three players of the season, who were then scored points for their position (5,3, and 1).

1st - BRUCE REIHANA - 47.84%
2nd - Mark Robinson - 18.04%
3rd - Darren Fox - 16.86%
4th - Andrew Blowers - 6.67%
5th - Matt Lord - 4.71%

Well, I think like every other Saints poll this season, one man dominated throughout. Bruce picked up 79% of the first places, and only two polls did not include the likeable Kiwi. Other players mentioned were Shane Drahm, Nick Beal, John Clarke, and one voter even included Serge Betsen and Thierry Henry!

Your comments:-

“Bruce Reihana - how does he make that space?”
“…over the whole season BRUCE - Sharky - Foxy with Matt Lord running them close because of his consistent effort and commitment”
“Darren because he is the nearest we have to a British Kiwi in terms of spurut.”
“Darren Fox - Mr Tackle himself and now showing a bit of attack skills and guile too”
“Matt Lord – consistent, honest, un-fancy graft”
“Shane Drahm - Wee Shane, wonderful body swerve! When on song unbeatable but recent signs of the old fragility returning.”
“Thierry Henry – in any sport, this year”
“Serge Betsen - You didn’t say just Saints and Rugby!”



Best Match (last year’s winner - Leicester away)

AGEN AWAY - 42.86%
Gloucester home - 33.93%
World Cup Final - 7.14%
Leicester away - 5.36%
Bath home - 3.57%
Wasps home - 3.57%
Cardiff (?) - 3.57%

As with last season, the two most significant wins of the season take the top two places. Anyone in France that evening will never forget it, as with the Gloucester home game where Franklin’s Gardens reached its most passionate.

Your comments:-

“Agen Away - for the gutsiest defending I've ever seen and Lom's grin when sat in front of Wayne and on camera!”
“Agen away (damn couldn't be there but watched on telly)”
“Glaws - home - was [a] birthday and we had guests at the match - they and we saw everything - a free flowing and incisive demolition of Glaws in the first half - a punch up or two - Sharky running 30 yards to help his mate - Saints defending like heroes of Stalingrad in the second.”
“Glos at home, great rugby, drama, heroes, villains, it had everything”
“That I was actually at, Gloucester at home or Leicester away; that I watched on TV, Leicester home or Agen away”
“England v Australia WC final - tension, Saintly players & victory”
“Beating the Tigs away from home….again.”



Best Home Match (last year’s winner - Biarritz)

GLOUCESTER - 56.90%
Bath - 10.34%
Leicester - 10.34%
Sale - 6.90%
Harlequins - 3.45%
Wasps - 3.45%
Leeds - 3.45%
Llanelli - 1.72%

1st November 2003. Sky cameras. Passion. Fracas. Injustice. Class. Win. A very good afternoon indeed…

Your comments:-

“Gloucester home, despite the referee”
“Glaws at home (an absolute beaut)”
“Gloucester & Llanelli - Real rugby games!”
“Bath - great performance in difficult conditions, satisfaction for all the “words & banter” from the pretty city leading up to the game.”
“Leicester nil”
“Quins cos that way we still got into Europe without having to [mess] around with extra play-offs etc - I don't think my nerves could have taken much more!”
“Entertainment-wise: Leeds.”



Best Away Match (last year’s winner - Leicester)

AGEN - 55.17%
Leicester 17.24%
Leeds - 10.34%
London Irish - 6.90%
Saracens - 3.45%
Sale - 3.45%
Borders - 3.45%

Nice evening that…

Your comments:-

“Agen - performance against the odds, great result & crowd support”
“Agen but unfortunately I didn't go!”
“Nicholas Beal dropped a…great goal…. Leicester away”
“L*******r - consecutive victory and that drop goal!”
“Leeds, rounded off with a curry in Bradford!”
“Restructured to those I managed to get top - so Leeds”
“London Irish - for the fight back in the second half”
“Sarries (quality finish)”



Best Away Trip (last year’s winner - Biarritz/Toulouse)

LEEDS - 35.71%
Agen - 32.14%
London Irish - 7.14%
Gloucester - 3.57%
Sale - 3.57%
Middlesex Sevens 3.57%
Borders - 3.57%
Bedford - 3.57%
Newcastle - 3.57%
Didn’t go - 3.57%

Interesting that a sunny day in West Yorkshire beats a rainy evening in France. Both deserve plaudits for the massive away followings that travelled.

Your comments:-

“Not made so many this season, so for me it was Leeds away - a home game in all but name”
“Leeds (no passport,no money so no trips abroad)”
“…again Leeds - it was a sunny day - the ground is great - the locals are friendly - our fans were numerous noisy and in some cases ridiculously dressed - and we won handsomely coming away with joy and hope in our hearts for a successful end to the season.”
“Agen especially as I got to sit in the VIP area, drink lots of champagne and get hugs from lots of Frenchmen and Frenchwomen who recognised me from the local paper in December”
“I’m jealous – Agen, je comprend”
“Irish. only one i went to this season but that was a good laugh”
“London Irish after Xmas, a lovely day”
“I didn't go on any!!!! First time in many many seasons!!!”
“This year’s was Dublin for Ireland/Scotland but Saints-wise, the best trip as usual was Newcastle.”
“I only went to two, so that'll be Gloucester (as opposed to Bath in the cup)”
“Sale Sharks - worth the 12 hours of driving to see the look on my brother's face when we came back to draw from 10 points down!”



Best Opposition (last year’s winner - Gloucester)

WASPS - 82.76%
Llanelli - 10.34%
Bath - 3.45%
Harlequins - 3.45%

I can’t say that I’m surprised by this one, either by the winners, the margin, or the other teams mentioned. All thumped us at some point during the season - Wasps on out for doing it twice.

Your comments:-

“Wasps - they are a canny bunch with some home grown talent that has really come good. They are a team not a collection of talented individuals - they never lie down as evidenced in both the semi and final of the Heineken.”
“You REALLY need to ask this after yesterday?! Wasps by a country mile”
“Pests. I was also impressed by the fact that they applauded all corners of the ground last Sunday & that most of us hung around & applauded them too.”
“Wasps, 2nd half of the season”
“Wasps - they were a class above us and I suspect everyone else.”
“Wasps - by a country mile”
“Llanelli - the only team to beat us both home and away”
“Bath at the Rec, a proper seeing to”
“Gloucester (for Hazell's & McRae's thuggery)”



Worst Opposition (last year’s winner - Cardiff)

ROTHERHAM - 44.64%
Borders - 12.50%
Leeds - 10.71%
Saracens - 7.14%
Sale - 7.14%
Leicester - 7.14%
Gloucester - 3.57%
Wasps - 3.57%
Ourselves - 1.79%
Stuart Barnes - 1.79%

As last year, it seems that the criteria here is losing to Saints home and away. Of the top 6, only Sale got anything out of Saints, and that a draw on the first day.

Your comments:-

“Rotherham. They never stood a chance!”
“Rotherham, sadly.”
“Roth - absolutely dire; Borders, not much better”
“Can't really comment, but probably Rotherham.”
“…poor old Roth - a class below”
“Borders - for all their words after the match at the gardens -they were poor!”
“Borders. Easily. Shows just how far Scottish rugby has regressed over the last 5 years.”
“Leeds were pretty awful”
“Leeds - dear Lord - imagine having to watch that every week - poor loves!”
“Sale (only ‘cause we trounced them)”
“Ourselves, some games!”
“Stuart Barnes in his dislike for Paul Grayson. He really can’t forgive the guy for taking HIS England place, can he?”



Marks out of Ten for the Season

The season - Average score 7.28 (last year 7.63)
The players - Average score 7.49 (last year 7.60)
The management - Average score 7.47 (last year 8.31)

Scores for the season ranged from 6 to 9, the players from 5.5 to 10, and for the management from 2 to 10. Apologies to one or two individuals, I though it best not to include your comments in this section, for reasons I’ve e-mailed you about.

Your comments on the season:-

“We messed up on two major matches. Llanelli away and Irish at Home”
“…did well in absence of world cup players”
“…not as good as 2002/3 - failed to really see anyone off except Sale at home. We should be blowing teams away, not winning by the odd point. Stopping giving all visitors ten points start with the car park pass would be a start.”
“…We’ve done about as well as I thought. Plenty of style but ultimately lacking a bit of substance.”
“…really entertaining season”
“We didn’t do great but achieved a league position that is respectable. The bad marks are once again our inability to win the big ones.”
“…as far as I could see did their very best and are consummate professionals”
“…too many injuries, too many players brought in that did nothing (Kort Schubert was he called?), too many stupid losses, lack of depth in the squad, playing players out of position too often, playing players when not really fit (e.g. ZP semi), poor away form.... third in the ZP was a great result given what I've just written but the gap to second and first is really significant.”



Your comments on the players:-

“Still not sure we have enough cutting edge this is not just down to fitness and skills it is about taking responsibility on the pitch and working for the others around you all the time. We have some outstanding examples of that but we have some who drift in and out of the club without impact for 100% of the working week.”
“…gave their all without fail”
“Varies between two and nine depending on the performance - nine for Agen away, Leicester away, Gloucester home; two for yesterday’s capitulation and for the loss at home to London Irish.”
“…always give their all, sometimes it’s not enough“
“…putting it in every week despite the loss of key players to injury and the WC, plus all the problems off the field with speculation over coaches, contracts etc.”
“Nine for effort & work rate; six for achievements. We are still not punching our collective weight although I’m not sure that it’s entirely a player thing.”
“Sometimes 5, sometimes 8”
“7 for effort (that would include some higher individual scores) 6 for skill levels - this is where the game plans have come unstuck - consistency in skill standards is what is wanted rather than one or two brilliant moments or players in contrast with sloppy rushed play on all too many occasions.”
“…too many matches when they didn't make it happen - some of the senior players need to get a grip and not disappear when the heat is on and it has to happen every week not just once or twice a season - look at Wasps!!!!!!!”



Your comments on the management:-

“They have seen us through the change from amateur to professional game and now need to get us tougher for considerable challenges of the next five years. I believe we are about to see a period of major change. Look at the effects of professionalism on other sports and learn. We need to avoid the excesses of the Man. U. & Chelsea approaches but we cannot dream of the old days forever.”
“…maximised the talent available…”
“6 (controversial I know!) however WS has gone back on a promise”
“…overrated, including by many on the board, who think WS is the new messiah. He is not, he’s a very naughty boy! No, all joking apart, this is a professional game, and performance is measured by trophies (and I don’t count that 7s tourney as a trophy in the strictest sense of the word.) Job incomplete, but in a way I’m glad it is, because I think the change of coach is needed at this time.”
“10 - for the board for acting promptly to replace Smithy with a quality coach. (not messing around like Sharks, Tiggers etc.)”
“9 - for the coaching staff, strange team selections at times (particularly in the backs), but tried hard despite all the injuries and off field speculation. Credit must also go for the 1st XV events.”
“…the flaw in the strategy has been the Super 12 style of forward play in general terms. There’s also a suspicion that one or two players have been kept for a season or two too long. Some ruthlessness might have led to more success although it doubtless wouldn’t have gone down too well with the “No Corne Krige Here” brigade. And for what it’s worth, we could have done without Keith Barwell’s reprorted comments in the local press regarding Matt Dawson recently: “too big for Northampton”, etc. Zero points for that.”
“…I wish Shaddo had kept his job though“ (Mark’s note - thanks to Shad’s mum for voting!)
“7 - for achievement…8 for man management”
“…tactically naive sometimes”
“…did well with what they had, considering international call-ups and major injuries to key players. One or two mistakes, which they fessed up to in public immediately”
“Passionate and committed but didn't solve the problems facing them, better engagement with the supporters.”


In part two, I’ll look at the most memorable moment of the season, the best opposition player, the personification of a Saint, and the opposition supporters, amongst other things. And I’m saving the referees for part three…


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