Northampton Saints
Tales from the Members Bar 22 - Mark Easter III
By OSB
April 3 2008
Mark Easter is beginning to recognise me and understand my ways. We joked that when the time came, his biographer would probably interview fewer times than I have this season. In keeping with custom a player coming up for his fiftieth cap – the milestone that actually qualifies him to receive said cap – comes along to the press briefing day.
Tales from the Members' Bar
No.22 Mark Easter (Part III)
Mark Easter is beginning to recognise me and understand my ways. We joked that when the time came, his biographer would probably interview fewer times than I have this season. In keeping with custom a player coming up for his fiftieth cap - the milestone that actually qualifies him to receive said cap - comes along to the press briefing day.
No-one ever forgets their debut and Mark is no different. The South Stand was not quite finished its extension work nevertheless, the ground was full. It was an awesome sight; it made you tingle. The game was not up to much, Saints' early pressure was absorbed by the Falcons; trying to force the play cost Saints penalties and points. The first-home-game nerves eventually subsided but by that stage Dave Walder had grooved himself into the match and Saints lost their first home game of the season.
His next game was in the Whitehall Farce (Gloucester - away) that was Mr Pearson deciding to do away with penalties unless he could also brandish a yellow card. Without receiving one himself, Mark was doing whore's drawers impressions as he made way for front row replacements for those that had.
His first try for the club came in the
return match with Gloucester
but the one that stands out is the try that secured the bonus point victory
against Bath.
Along with Fox and Tupai (not to mention injuries to Hopley and Rudzki), Mark has been one of the workhorses of the pack's efforts this season. His time at Nottingham had taught him what to expect. "It's very forward-dominated. Our pack will be in a battle every week. We've got to get it right up front," he told the Saints' web-site.
It did not happen for us early in the season as we seemed to want to score from every phase of possession. We would make half-breaks and then try to force the play. As the season has gone on we have coped better with the big packs and gone about the job of getting the ball to the right people in the right places.
We had a good laugh about one of our regular contributor's comments that indicated that Mark had wandered around the pitch with a question mark over his head. He thought that perhaps he and Johnny Howard had not been on the same page when that happened a couple of times. Maybe not even the same book.
Last week was a bit frustrating too. Having achieved dominance in the scrum, everything went pear-shaped because the referee ordered a re-scrum. We do not plan to give the ball out while we are motoring forward like that. We expect to get a try or a penalty. Ah! That's Life!
Ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry; I have failed you. In the key question of Mark Easter's third favourite biscuit (please indulge us on the Jaffa Cake), I failed to determine if he used the term Jammie Dodger as a brand name.
He was prepared. "Jammie Dodger," quoth he, "I do not mean the plain ones, those with the creamy filling." It was easy enough to dismiss Arnott's Raspberry Shortcake and Weston's Jam Fancies because they are but clones of the original.
However, having decided he meant Burton's JD Vanilla Thriller, I was crestfallen to discover impostors.
There could be dozens
of them. 
I had only just met the Vanilla
Thriller when a whole world of assortment packs and private labels was opened
to me. A Nicecupofteaandasitdown dot
com told me that there are, "much revered
Jam Sandwich Creams which are not Jammie
Dodgers. These are examples of the generic Jam and Cream Sandwich
biscuit. Normally such biscuits are found in assortment packs with their
numbers strictly regulated making them highly prized. So it is a boon to
biscuit lovers to know that you can get packs of 15 of them from Sainsburys."
It does not end there. Fox's - of all people, his own
team-mate - have joined in. Fox's Jam Ring Creams.
"It's
the combination of real raspberry jam and vanilla cream, sandwiched between
flaky round shells that make Jam Rings truly irresistible!"
arw
3.04.2008
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Stumbleupon03/04/2008 23:45
I can't believe Easter is up to nearly 50 - he's still only a baby, surely? Gosh, how time flies.
Another good one, OSB.
No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.
Dryathlon
Many thanks to OSB for another great piece and to Chris W and the club for making it happen. :-)
"It's not the despair, Saints, I can take the despair. It's the hope I can't stand."
I must say that I found it increasingly frustrating to see Mark keep shuffling the ball forward as our scrum demolishes the opposition, but not picking up and carrying forward. Not just last week, either. And the co-ordination with JH has been woeful at times. I like Easter a lot and I'm sure the plans are being executed, but too often we fail to capitalise on developing situations - are there not times when Mark should make a call, even if not in the "gameplan", I wonder?
I was another one frustrated by the continued holding in of the ball at the scrums, but as I was not on the pitch or privy to the game plan it would be difficult to know the reason for the tactic.
It only seems 5 minutes since the Newcastle game when Mark made his debut, how time flies when you are having fun !
Once a scrum half .... always a scrum half
I think Mark's done really well, considering he's rather been thrown in at the deep end - we've not had a great deal of experience at no 8 for a while really, so he hasn't had the chance to learn from anyone.
“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
Benjamin Franklin
Tetleys Block F E143
Saint til I die
No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.
Dryathlon
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