By Chris Gleadell
February 27 2009

So very near but ultimately so far for the Saints in the loss against the Wasps of Wycombe at Adams Park on Sunday. The 9-5 scoreline suggests a close game but in all honesty the Saints, given the amount of possession and territory they had should have had the victory in the bag well before the final whistle. People may point at the, for once, wayward boot of Stephen Myler as the architect

Chris Gleadell's"Thoughts from the Chron

February 26th 2009

of the downfall but there were half a dozen or more handling errors in crucial areas of attack that were probably just as contributable to the defeat. That the officials might have handled some things differently was also a factor but the truth is we should have had plenty in the tank to not let that become the central talking point it became.

However it was not all doom and gloom in my eyes, in fact far from it. Despite the loss and the frustration that we had perhaps blown the opportunity for a first win at High Wycombe I came away from the game greatly heartened by what I had seen. Let’s not forget this is the Wasps side that put thirty plus points on Leicester Tigers the week before and one who has just started to put a vein of form together for their traditional last minute dash for the line. Yet apart from the last few minutes we never really let them have a sniff of our line all afternoon and even then the defence held firm till the end.

As I mentioned last week we mostly travelled in hope rather than expectation but it was Saints not Wasps who were more often than not in the ascendancy and looked like the more rounded side with ball in hand. And when push came to shove in the nitty gritty Saints showed that they were not for bullying and despite some quite clear at times goading by the opposition to our players (and one in particular) there was nothing to suggest Wasps were going to get the upperhand in this area. Indeed a sly dig late on by old warhorse Simon Shaw on young Courtney Lawes that was returned in kind, and with interest, summed up the attitude of the lads that if Wasps wanted to dish it out they had to be prepared to take it. For those that were at the Harlequins game at the Stoop three weeks earlier the difference in the effort, application and for want of a better word nous between the teams representing the Saints on those two occasions was immense. In fact you would have not thought they were from the same club.

So yes no win but as a unit I think the team took a sizable step forward on Sunday. While I know the doom merchants will cling to the cold hard fact of that scoreline and say the Saints failed on their travels again in my mind if they say success is a journey not a destination then I think collectively we travelled a fair bit more down that road at the weekend, victory or not. On another day those passes would have stuck and Smylers radar would have been back on beam and when that happens someone along the line will be on the receiving end of a real tonking from us. Forget the score, with fine tuning, we are starting to shape up as a very good team. The rest will come in time, have faith.

The support was in good voice too. I would guess there were probably over a thousand of us there but certainly apart from a few ‘Oggy, Oggy, Oggies’ from the home crowd it was the Saints fans that could be heard the most. The team say they appreciate the effort and it does lift them not only at home but on their travels, which brings me to Worcester. Given Sundays showing the lads must surely be in with a great chance of recording their first Guinness Premiership win on the road at Sixways on the 7th of March. Support that day could be vital so I would urge all that can get there to make the effort and travel down to Worcester to sing your hearts out. It may well be a turning point.

NEWCASTLE

Before that trip to Worcester though there is the visit of Newcastle Falcons to the Gardens on Saturday. Given our record at home and Newcastle’s league position it would normally look like a banker for the Saints for those who like a flutter. However it may not quite be the cakewalk predicted.  The Falcons appear to have upped the ante over the last couple of weeks. A home win over Saracens last weekend was preceded by a very comprehensive demolition of Bristol at the Memorial Ground. Bristol may be the bottom club but their game against the Falcons, just a place above them at the time, was in some respects their last throw of the dice in staying up and surviving in the division. The manner of the defeat makes you think that maybe Newcastle might cause us more problems than we first envisaged and lads will have to be at the top of their game to prevail. Having said that I think they will be. They know they let a great chance slip through their fingers at Wasps and I have a sneaking suspicion that should we start well the visitors might well reap the whirlwind.

The boys might also have an added incentive on Saturday. Not counting any chickens just yet but the last time we lost a league game at home was on March 3rd 2007 when Gloucester edged a tight game 5-7. With our next home game after Saturday coming on the 14th of March against Sale if we should win on Saturday it will be two clear years since the Saints lost at the Gardens in a competitive game. And yes whilst I know a year of that was out of the top flight it still means a full year of rugby undefeated against top opposition. Take a look at the stats of the other Guinness Premiership club that is something that does not happen too often anymore. There will of course be a few more tests along the way before the season ends, especially as three of the top four sides still have to visit us, but should we turn over the Falcons on Saturday in a small way at least that feat should be celebrated.