By Rich on the spot
September 8 2002

Northampton Saints achieved a comfortable 31-13 win over the Newcastle Falcons but they could have won by a far greater margin with better options, handling and patience. Still there are many positives to comment on, with the shining star of the day being new signing Oriol Ripol. The Church’s stand was christened with its share of the very healthy 10,213 crowd present at the new look Franklins Gardens. There was pre-match entertainment and a parade by local junior sides mini-rugby players but the holding up of black green and gold cards was to be honest a bit naff and looked a pale imitation of the sea of flags and scarves at Twickenham. In the village they were going for a face painting record and the kids enjoyed the bouncy castles and Bernie’s tuck shop. So a good atmosphere and the stage was set for Saints to rip into the young, inexperienced and under-strength Falcons.

There was also plenty on the pitch for the fans to get excited about with the home league debuts of Steve Williams, Mark Connors and Oriol ‘Raspberry/Golden Snitch’ Ripol. Ben Cohen had moved to outside centre giving John Leslie and Paul Grayson four strike runners to terrify the Falcons defence.

The match itself rarely matched expectation. This was not Hats on Wheels stuff! Newcastle without Lam, Tuigamala, Armstrong, Weir and Graham do indeed lack power and experience but they do defend tenaciously. Coach Wayne Smith felt that Saints had squandered at least 4 clear-cut try scoring opportunities and Captain John Leslie spoke of the ‘roasting’ that he and his teammates were expecting from the Smudger.

To the game and it took just 3 minutes for Paul ’Larry’ Grayson to get off the mark with his first penalty. That it took 31 minutes for him to get Saints to 9-0 speaks volumes about the match. From my South stand vantage point it was amusing to hear the terrace wits in C block sing ‘One 10 in England’.

Newcastle got three back on 33 minutes with the predictable Wilkinson penalty. There was more predictability as the shout rang out from the terrace ‘kick it it’s your only option’ and to be fair it was! Newcastle were awful in the first half, without wit, wisdom, pace or power. The Saints should and could have already wrapped up the try bonus at this stage of the match.

On 34minutes a Blowers break led to quick ball for Grayson, whose unexpected turn of pace made a fool of the Falcons defence. Close to the line he tried to force a pass and the chance was lost. However from the resulting scrum Blowers hurried Wilkinson’s clearance, which only found Sleightholme who set Beal away on the charge. Good recycling allowed the Saints to play with width with Connors and Seely taking the ball on in the wide positions. The ball again swept to the other side of the pitch and with the Falcons defence at sixes and sevens Beal fed Sleightholme for a popular score. Grayson missed the conversion but there was a feeling around the ground that the floodgates might open.

Then came THE Oriol Ripol run. He received quick ball along the line and was away, rounding former Gardens favourite Joe Shaw as if his feet were stuck in glue and then beating half the Falcons defence before being cut down just short. This is the player Saints have been missing down the years; he’s very fast with good balance and a great inside step. But if he had backed himself he’d have got in at the corner. Never mind though the Spanish International is fast becoming a cult hero in Northampton and the tries are just a matter of time.

The last score of the half was another Johnny Wilkinson Penalty the half time score a hugely disappointing 14-6.

Into the second half and Larry got the scoreboard ticking over again with a penalty on 43 minutes.

One of the positives of the game for Saints was their defence. Referee Lander decided on a mystery free kick at the scrum, Newcastle carried the ball into the Saints 22 through the dangerous Taione, however Saints tackled hard to force the turnover. Tom Smith made the scrum half pass of the afternoon and Larry set the backs away on the counter. Quick hands saw Sleightholme put in a good kick for Beal and Cohen to chase and all the pressure was back on the Falcons.

On 49 minutes Saints added their second try but what hard work it was. Several times the move seemed doomed as the Saints produced poor passes but eventually Cohen made a powerful drive for the line, John Leslie, Matt Dawson and others joined in to give him a hand and Saints drove over for the score. Leslie and Cohen are probably still debating who scored the try.

After that the game turned into a substitution and turnover fest with both sides emptying their benches and squandering decent possession.

The most decisive turnover, form Dan Richmond’s excellent floor work, produced points for Grayson. Saints quickly moved the ball, working the blindside. They then put width on the move with Seely hauled down just short of the line. More quick ball saw Falcons run out of defenders and Larry dotted down for a deserved try. He converted his own try to make the score 31-6.

Saints tried hard to get the fourth try and the bonus but it wasn’t to be. Raspberry Ripol again came close skinning Joe Shaw for a second time. However the last score of the match belonged to Newcastle as they worked Grimes over for a good try. That will probably be the icing on the cake as far as Smudger’s post match lambasting is concerned.

There is a bit of a downbeat feeling after this match with most Saints fans viewing it as a bonus point lost rather than 4 points gained. A performance like that against a team that can match Saints forward power will end in a loss.

The experiment of Ben Cohen at outside centre looks to have failed. From the South stand it was clear to see where he was going wrong. His positioning and the timing of his runs were awful. He did not handle well and was guilty of knock ons in crucial positions. He tried once to often to chip and chase and when running the ball he was hesitant allowing the defence to organise against him. At other times he offloaded way too early before drawing the tackle and creating space for the wingman. Time will tell if this is just a lack of confidence and inexperience rather than lack of skill but the message board suggestion of a run out at 13 for the wanderers seems like a good idea.

The lineout continues to cause concern. The SKY match facts shows Saints losing set piece possession on 5 occasions. It wasn’t consistently bad but the old problems were there for everyone to see.


On the positive side for Saints: Andy Blowers had his usual awesome impact, knocking Johnny ‘best player in the World’ Wilkinson off his usual balance. Seely and Pountney also contributed in a strong back row display. Connors had a strong if uneventful debut. The whole team is playing with greater pace with Sleightholme and Ripol adding much in that department. Perhaps the biggest positive of them all is that the Saints know that it just wasn’t good enough.