By Howlin'
April 23 2007

"It's not the despair, Saints. I can take the despair. It's the hope I can't stand. "

HEINEKEN CUP 2006/7 - SEMI FINAL

WASPS 30 v 13 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

SUNDAY, April 22nd 2007 - 3pm

RICOH STADIUM, COVENTRY

 

Maverick's strapline was never more apt. A few weeks ago few would have given saints any chance in a European semi final against Wasps. In recent years Wasps have been the masters of peaking at the business end of the season. Very often starting the season badly, this one being no exception, they come to form when it matters. Their quarter final win against Leinster being a classic example. Some would have you believe that saints injury woes are the norm. Well cast your eyes over the Wasps squad and tell me where they have suffered the same. Saints have been without possibly their most creative back, John Clarke for almost the entire season. They have been without their talisman and captain, Bruce Reihana for almost the entire season. Quinlan and Thompson have both recently announced their retirement from the game completely. Both were first team players of note. Show me where Wasps have suffered the same fate. No. Here we had a contest between a side conditioned and coming into form at precisely the right moment against a side that could finally field their strongest fifteen (almost), but still with serious doubts over the match fitness of key players. Surely this will be a rout.

 

In fact many pundits were convinced that saints were not even worthy of being here. Of course they only qualified through being in a group of no hopers and then beating the French champions on their own pitch in the quarter finals was only made possible by the French not bothering to play rugby.

 

Then there is the fact that the Saints' management are rubbish, the coaching inept and the entire squad bicker and fight with each other with the result that there is no team spirit or semblance of a game plan. So wasps must win by fifty surely.

 

Well it wasn't to be. Saints once more gave us hope. Last week they went down at Adams Park. Not unusual as they have yet to win there (and yes peeps that includes when the wondrous Wayne was in the hot seat). But they went down in some style. So here on a neutral ground could there be a chance. We began to hope.

 

Then to the match itself. If support alone could guarantee victory then Saints would stroll it. Outnumbering the waspies at least two to one the crowd gathered. Fair play to the Ricoh and the Heineken sponsors. Ok the beer and choice of drinks was rubbish but the effort made to create the right backdrop for a rugby semi final was evident and the arena itself was very impressive. It is a shame that more didn't turn up to enjoy the day. After all in our heart of hearts we knew that this was our cup final. We haven't had a good day out since the heady days of the early noughties when it was a regular event for a few years, so most of us went determined to enjoy the day whatever the result.

 

The aircraft hangar that was the "Jaguar" exhibition centre played host to several bars and food vendors and a few live bands, who made up for their lack of quality by playing very loudly. Once through the turnstiles several more bars beckoned and then into the arena itself. Sky in their wisdom and by use of cunning camera angles did not display the disparity in the support. But I was there and I can guarantee that Wasps put on a pretty poor showing. Also strangely enough they mostly occupied the £45.00 seats. Whereas the Saintly throng was mostly in the cheap seats. Perhaps Uncle Keith's demographic insinuations were nearer the mark than some would have us believe. Or perhaps we Northampton folk are simply more thrifty.

 

So to the game. Saints start with a blast. A swift move through the backs sees Bruce score in the corner. Then even more spectacularly he converts from wide out on the left. So here come that hope again. Can it be our day? Wasps come back strongly but saints repel and another visit to their half results in a pen. Bruce kicks to make it ten nil. More hope. Wasps get angry and buzz around the breakdown spitting venom. Then a lovely moment. Dillydallyio gets collared by Carlos. He goes running to the ref crying like a girlie “that nasty man poked me in the eye boo hoo". Carlos gives him a slap round the face and tells him to grow up. Lovely. Saints in the lead waspies moaning. Then another pen and lo Bruce does the business again. Thirteen nil. Hope was there for all to see. The saintly throng were in full song. The team were playing with passion and laying their bodies on the line. We can win; yes we really can win this!!

 

But no. Just as we thought one more score would do it, Wasps start the comeback. Lewis gives a pen against Ben for trying to win the ball at a breakdown. Dillydallio starts crying again "send the nasty man off Alan" So Ben has to slap him again and tell him to grow up.(If you have a recording of the game just replay the Dillydallio slapping it’s great fun, even Lardy was enjoying it). But this was the beginning of the Wasps comeback. Thirteen points was never going to be enough against a quality outfit like wasps, especially in these weather conditions.

 

Now when I was at the game my image of what came next was that saints faded away. I sought to explain this in two ways at the time. One was that the key players such as Bruce (who had an awesome first twenty minutes including 100% kicking record) were not fully match fit and therefore they started to tire and became less influential. Secondly I thought that maybe after having given it a go as the no hope underdogs, saints began to believe at thirteen nil up that they could actually win and therefore the nerves kicked in resulting in stifled play, such as we have experienced in the league. But before writing this report I waited until I watched the game again on TV. It just goes to show how our memory of events can be very different from what actually happened.

 

Now I won't do a blow by blow, it will take too long and very probably be very boring. But I recommend you watch the game again if you can just once. You will then see that saints were actually in the lead until as long as the sixtieth minute. It was Sackey's try that was the game breaker. This was after a debatable pen to Wasps an extra ten metres for complaining about it and Lewitt (imo harshly) being sent to the bin. But even then saints came back and were on the attack for a fair while, still only three points down and with everything to play for. Lewis gave a pen to Wasps to relieve the pressure from a scrum that could very easily been given the other way. Those were the crucial moments. Once it went to 23-13 it was game over.

 

Sadly Wasps scored again as saints tried to chase the game a minute or so from the end so the final score flattered Wasps, who I don't think were seventeen points better. And the game swung, as so many big game do, on a couple of crucial moments. Saints didn't fade as I thought they had; they fought to the end. The better team won on the day, but we should be proud of the saints. They ran wasps very close and proved that they deserved to be playing in that semi final. They were not outclassed and even Lardy appreciated the effort and was far less damming in his commentary than usual. So hold your heads high Saints, tend to those wounds, rest those aching limbs and give it one last huge effort against Irish next week. You proved today that you are good enough to be competing with the best, now you have to make sure we still can next season.