By Mark H, with pics by Mark & Lom
October 12 2005

Watching a game in the A League is always an interesting experience. The pressure is off somewhat; you want to see your team do well but the result is not necessarily everything, as the games should be for development, whether that be developing youngsters, fringe players or returning heroes.

You usually get a more entertaining game of rugby too.

 

David Wilson, Eni Gesinde and Sean Tomes

 

So it was on Monday night, when a hideously young Falcons side went to Franklin’s Gardens for a meeting with Northampton’s second team.  Unlike last week, there was no Walder, May, or McCarthy, but rather the future of the club in Tomes, Buist, Gesinde and Dickson (amongst others),  Northampton’s starting XV included a vast amount of Premiership experience, and it was therefore no real surprise that the points went to the home side in a 31-10 victory that included six tries being scored, an early finish, and bingo!

 

 

 

Falcons took the lead in the third minute when after a Mark Wilkinson kick to the corner, the lineout developed into a catch and drive and number eight Jason Smithson – the Academy conditioning coach – rumbled over in the corner.  Fly half Gavin Beasley missed the difficult conversion, but the lead would last (and indeed grow) until just before half time.  Luke Myring’s close range penalty pulled the score back to 5-3, but on the half hour, the same trick – kick to corner, catch and drive – saw an almost identical second try for Smithson.  This time, the ball fell off the tee as Beasley ran up, so he had to pick the ball up but snatched the attempted drop kick.

 

Yes, that is Ross Beattie at the front of the Saints line.

 

 

The home team had already been held up over the line twice, so when an attempt at diving over from a ruck was penalised for obstruction, the home crowd (1,587 in total, not all Saintly) grew increasingly displeased; a mood compounded by Ed Williamson being penalised for a high tackle on a falling John Rudd, Rudd eschewing the conciliatory handshake afterwards.  The big winger got his revenge a minute before the forty when he bulldozed over from close range in centre field to level the scores, and then five minutes into injury time, an overthrown Saints lineout found a surprised Brett McNamee at the back, and he set up the maul for prop Luke Harbut to flop in.  17-10 at the break, and the tide had turned.

 

Saints elected to play with the slope in the first half...

 

 

The bingo link?  Well, Franklin’s Gardens is next to the monstrosity that is the bingo hall, and during the first half, the radio mike picked up the bingo caller doing a very good Norman Collier impression, whilst the match was going on.

 

 

The last thing needed was to lose a player and a try within minutes of the restart, but that’s exactly what happened.  Williamson, whose card had probably been marked for the high tackle, took a walk for an infringement on the tryline, and from the five metre scrum, Rudd cut a magnificent line, jinking past tackles to score under the posts.  As a match, it was pretty much over, with the Falcons backs having struggled to create anything in the face of ferocious Northampton defence (the Falcons defence being equally commendable).  With 19 minutes to go, World Cup winner Steve Thompson came on to hook, moving first choice hooker Dylan Hartley to the back row, and promptly lost his first throw as Andy Buist got all over it.  The biggest cheer of the night came when he got his second one right though…

 

Ross Batty and Steve Thompson

 

The final score of the night came in the 69^th minute, when number eight Mark Easter went through a huge gap created by excellent dummy running to score, Ben Patston subsequently kicking his second conversion of the half.  The match ended with just over a minute of the eighty left, after Wilkinson was knocked prone, and the referee showed an admirable amount of discretion to allow Sparks the treatment he needed.  Thankfully, he walked off, albeit groggy, and Ian Peel later confirmed that he was ok, having got caught in a bad position and suffering the consequences.

 

 

So no joy for the Falcons points wise, but what of individual performances?  Well, just as the first XV pack strength is in the back five, so it is in the development side, with Tomes, Buist, Gesinde, Williamson and Smithson all performing well, hitting rucks hard, and playing with an admirable edge whilst right on it. 

 

 

 

Gesinde climbs highest

 

Gesinde in particular stood out for me; a very useful lineout jumper, he stole some good Northampton ball and made one break that if he could have just ridden the last tackle, would have meant a try from his own half.  He definitely looks one for the future.  It’s also very good news to see Andy Buist back after his cruciate damage in Perpignan, and the only pity is that there’s only one league game left before the winter break in which he can increase his fitness.

 

Lee Dickson - "So if I knead the dough like this, my bread will rise?"

 

In the backs, Lee Dickson looked sharp and hungry, but the speed and handling skills of the more experienced Saints backs meant that Mark Laycock, Wilkinson, Adam Dehaty and Cameron Johnston spent much of the evening on the back foot.

 

Sparks kicks for touch - Falcons didn't go for the posts all night, preferring the catch and drive.

 

A point of discussion in the bar afterwards was how differently the youngsters played to the first XV style-wise, with the emphasis very much on the forwards doing the work and the ball only going out wide when needed; the rolling maul was used excellently and the lineout work, as stated earlier, was very impressive.  It’s a huge credit to John Fletcher and Peter Walton that the team are playing to their strengths, and you can tell that these lads are really putting their bodies on the line in the way that Walton himself used to.  Their heads never went down at all, a huge credit considering that they were playing a more experienced side who’d beaten Leicester 36-0 here just two weeks before.

 

Ross Batty

 

If you can get along to next Monday’s game against the current league leaders – Sale Jets – at Percy Park (Mark's note - note the change of venue), I’d encourage you to.  There’s lads here who want to get better, who will get better, who want to play on a higher stage, and who deserve your support.

 

The Fletcher/Walton debrief

 

And on a final note, if Alison or Smithy read this, get some of those jerseys in the shop – smart, different in a retro sense, and only a small sponsor’s logo on the reverse.  I’m sure they’d sell.