By Saint not on the Spot
September 16 2002

Well the Saints flatter to deceive, but in a game that they would have lost twelve months ago they stuck to the task, fed off scraps and came away with the four point win in a game where Bristol arguably played the best rugby. The Saints started in their usual 'hats on wheels' style with forays straight into the Bristol 22 till on three minutes the home side were penalised for a high (it must have been high!) tackle on Steve 'no nickname' Williams.

Larry stepped up to give the Saints an early 3-0 lead but Bris hit back almost immediately. It was that man Contepomi who makes a habit of scoring against the Saints who wriggled his way over after a Bristol penalty for a lineout infringement. His touchline conversion gave his side the early advantage at 3-7.

Larry reduced that deficit a minute later as the whistle happy Ashley Rowden gave yet another series of penalties. 6-7. But guess what?
No sooner had the teams restarted than Contepomi was lining up yet another kick to restore the home sides lead of four points.

The game by now become a scrappy affair punctuated by the persistent use of Mr Rowdens whistle and neither side really got into their stride until on a quarter of an hour Grant Seely set the game alight by sending livewire Oriol Ripol into space and but for some good covering the Spanish wing would have been in for his second of the season.

The Saints continued to threaten but failed in the final execution and when Bristol hit back they found they suffered from the very same problem. On twenty minutes Neil McCarthy decided he would brighten up the afternoon by felling Matt Dawson with a cynical trip. Mr Rowden had no option but to card the Bristol front rower as the Saints looked to gain advantage against the fourteen men.

Another Larry penalty reduced the count to one point at 9-10 but it was Bristol who took the upper hand as the Saints found themselves a man down on the half hour with Matt Stewart being sent to the bin while the Bristol hotheads were calling for Ripol to be hung drawn and quartered for a high tackle on Contepomi.

Despite a fairly straight forward penalty kick being missed by Contepomi the home side were straight back into the Saints twenty two for a lineout.

As the Saints struggled to come to terms with the Bristol line everyones favourite Bristolian Garath Archer was driven over for the second score for his side. The conversion and the return of McCarthy looked like doom for Saints. An eight point cushion against 14 men, the game was there for the taking in the remaining minutes of the half for Bristol but remarkably they pushed the button marked 'Self Destruct'.

Straight from the kickoff John Leslie was cleaned out without the ball giving Larry a straightforward kick to cut the loss to five points and while Saints galvanised and composed Bristol grimmaced and decomposed as again attempts were made to take Matt Dawson out the game giving the Saints the chance at a lineout in the Bris twenty two.

The initial play was fumbled but Bristol failed to clear their lines after Archer and Contepomi crossed for the Saints to go back for more. Again and again they drove forward with no way through till a bit of lady luck shone on Larry Grayson.

A neat little grubber through the Bris defence evaded both Brendan Daniel and Ben Cohen but bounced just right for John Leslie who went over for the score unopposed. The conversion took fourteen man Saints into the lead at the break at 19-17 when ten minutes earlier they were looking at certain defeat.

The second half started with the Saints starting off where they had left the first by pounding the Bristol line. There seemed to be no way through till a gift from Bristol when they failed to clear their lines let Saints in. After a dozen or so phases a poor kick that should have gone over the main stand and into the Bristol Channel was instead aimed straight at Nick Beal who gratefully accepted the gift and put Budge Pountney in for a well earned try.

The conversion gave Saints a nine point lead and appeared at this stage to have the game in the bag but Bristol had other ideas. On fifty five minutes Pichot and Contepomi combined well to send Daniel over in the corner and after threatening the Saints line again and again a further penalty cut the score to one point at 26-25.

It was however as close as Bris got. Again they failed in their execution including at one time a pass that flew straight over the heads of a three man overlap when the score was a cert.

The Saints rode the storm and then picked up on yet another Bris gift as a wayward pass fell to Tom Smith. Wee Tam took a couple of strides and sent Ben Cohen on a trademark fifty metre dash for the line where there was no stopping him. The conversion sealed the game for Saints but before Contepomi and Larry exchanged further kicks that denied the home side till important bonus point.

BRISTOL: J Williams; B Daniel, D Rees, M Shaw, P Christophers; F Contepomi, A Pichot; D Crompton (rep: P Johnstone, 68), N McCarthy (sin bin, 20-30), J White, G Archer, A Brown, B Sturnham, M Lipman, M Salter (rep: S Nelson, 22-30).

NORTHAMPTON: N Beal; J Sleightholme (rep: P Jorgensen, 53), B Cohen, J Leslie, O Ripol; P Grayson, M Dawson; T Smith (rep: C Budgen, 64-73), S Thompson (rep: D Richmond, 55), M Stewart (sin bin, 31-41; rep: Budgen, 73), S Williams, M Connors, A Blowers, A Pountney (rep: J Phillips, 55), G Seely (rep: Budgen, 35-41).

Referee: A Rowden (Berkshire).

SCORERS: Bristol : Tries: Contepomi (7min), Archer (34), Daniel (54). Conversions: Contepomi 2. Penalty goals: Contepomi 3 (13, 68, 78). Northampton: Tries: Leslie (40+1), Pountney (46), Cohen (73). Conversions: Grayson 3. Penalty goals: Grayson 5 (5, 12, 24, 36, 80+2).