By Chris on the Spot
April 26 2002

Well on paper just about every pundit and Saints supporter had this game won before kick off. Unfortunately for us the game was played on grass. The lush Twickenham turf where the Irish excelled to beat us at our own game to take the Powergen Cup in style. The day had just about everything apart from 80 minutes of rugby in the middle from a Saints supporters point of view.

Travelling down on our coach with the merry bunch from Wolverton Cricket Club just about every car or coach we passed en route had either Saints shirted passengers or scarves and banners flying.
It was going to be our day!

On the drive into Twickenham it was Gold, Black and Green everywhere as the whole world and his brother from the Northampton area plus a few more from elsewhere around the globe travelled to HQ in Saintly hope.
It was going to be our day!

Basking in the midday sunshine at the Stoop watching our U21 side whilst eating smoked salmon (no prawn sarnies here) and quaffing champagne and chatting with friends old and new (hello again Rich!) and all was well with the Saints world. Our U21s lost but that couldn't hide the fact.
It was going to be our day!

Fed and watered we all wandered up to Twickenham with hopes high in a party atmosphere around the ground, even the policemen and the ticket touts were smiling. Entering the ground and climbing high to our seats. Expectation was high. The singing of 'Oh When' had already started in earnest and the 35,000 or so Saints supporters warmed up for the big occasion.
The teams ran out to a crescendo of sound. Saints in an unusual maroon. But who cared? No one.
It was going to be our day!

Then, unforunately, the game started.

It wasn't going to be our day!

I won't dwell to much on the action, you were all there and I don't want to give anyone recurring nightmares.
Suffice to say that the Irish, to their credit, played us at our own game and disrupted any gameplan we might have had from the off.

Although you couldn't put your finger on any one thing the Saints failed to perform all round. The big occasion got to some who were too emotioinal and went over the top while others were subdued in their contribution to the game for probably exactly the same reason.

A final score of five tries to Ben Cohens well taken one was testament to an Exiles side that thoroughly deserved their win. Theres no getting away with it we were outplayed in every department. Well done London Irish.

For the Saints it was a massive dissapointment but you do not become a bad side overnight.
The game must be put down to experience and built on. Knowing what coach Smudger is like it sure as hell aint gonna happen again!

We will learn from this and the next time we get to a final at HQ we will know what stands before us both in opposition and our own mental demons to be kept in check.

And next time.

It just might be our day!!