Northampton Saints
Supporters give their views on the Wasps game
By The Supporters
May 8 2002
THE FANS VIEW
Wasps v Saints
Wasps v Saints
What the Supporters
Thought
Dorcan8
Read the match report on the Offy site and it appears we created chances only to throw them away. Was anybody there today? Did we throw the match away? It seems Tucker/Moir did not have a good game is this fair? Any comments on today's performance? I see we are now back down to 6th and 2 pts behind the pests. Let's hope Bristol away is good for us, and stuff the Budgies at FG again!!!
Saint Ian
Yep, there was quite a few of us there and guess what, we should have scored three tries in the first half (that said, Pests looked better in the second). Our line-out was appalling (shades of the Powergen), the ref made some up some new rules (or so it appeared) and the touch judge did not see a Pest stamping on one of our guys about 2 foot in front of him (and the ref added insult to injury by awarding THEM a penalty). All in all, not great, can do better. And 'yes' I've seen Craig Moir have better days. Normally on this MB I am a great fan and defender of 'the only #9 in England' [just ask our Sorries friend large]; that said I am beginning to worry about the man. The Powergen Cup Final sees him swinging at his Club Captain; today he's pushing the ref and appears to be sinking to the depths of two of his fellow England captains [Day-Glo and the mono-browed one, as if you didn't know] in terms of swinging at the opposition like a punch-drunk prize-fighter. What is going on? I know he was frustrated by today's performance (there was a lot of us in the Mac Alpine Stand in a similar position) but his performance today was somewhat short of faultless. The man has so much talent but seems to press the self-destruct button a bit too much of late. Come on, Mr Dawson, the BG&G needs you to be at your best.
Fat Alan
My sentiments exactly. I'm another big Daws fan. A couple of seasons ago I'd describe the guy as an out and out winner and not to be missed in any side. I think he has got carried away with his own success and needs to take a step back or two and rebuild. Saying that there were several occasions where he'd got the ball and our backs were all over the place and I could see him thinking what the **** am I supposed to do. COME ON DAWS GET THAT OLD MAGIC BACK!!
St. Andrew
What was that ? I really am a Saints fan but today was awful. Missed opportunities and poor decision-making. We let Wasps dominate us physically and mentally - a bit naive really. We didn't deserve to win although one point would have been nice. I used to admire Dallaglio but you go off people. He set the tone from the start arguing the toss with the ref (thought that was Daw's preserve) and bringing a nasty edge to the proceedings. There were a lot of injuries. Not that we are saints (ha ha) but the Ref was awful too and missed so much, for example stamping on our man, their second try (nothing wrong as far as I could see)and our high tackle on King amongst other weird decisions. Personally I thought Soden tried hard but in the second half we didn't seem to have much of a clue. So I am a bit pi**ed off. Do I go to Bristol or not? I've long since forgiven the Twickenham debacle but we seem to be rather hopeless away from FG. Yes we avoided relegation hassles and I'm grateful. Yes Wayne Smith now knows very clearly what we are like - wonderful at times and useless at others. Come on you Saints !
Saint Ian
Take your point(s), chap, me too....however, much as I would like to go to every game and win it, it's unlikely to happen all the time. Furthermore, at Loftus Road right now? Just ask the T******s who lost there a few weeks ago (after the Little Thatched One was talking up how good the Unspoken were!), and Glaws who were absolutely destroyed there; at least we escaped with our dignity (sort of). We knew at the start of the season that this was one of re-building ; essentially the first year of the three year plan and we aren't exactly doing bad in this regard (if you don't think so, be a Barf supporter right now)...I think we just missed Hurricane Blowers, Action Man and Jorgy a bit too much today against a Pests full squad. Go to the Showgirls Bristol’s match mate; you'll find a lorra lorra (sorry Blind Date on TV at the mo) of us there
COME ON YOU SAINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saint Ian
MOTM candidates. Hhhhmmmmm......not easy this as nobody looked THAT great, however, mine as follows....'Mighty' Joe Shaw looked impressive when he came on, Budge gave 110% for 80 odd minutes (like normal), Wally looked good with ball in hand (but same old story in the line-out),Archie looked sharp but one intercepted pass nearly led to a Pests' try and Bealer gave it his all too (we're getting used to this, this season as well). Any other nominations for our Dear Leader Chris?
Fat Alan
As the great man himself would describe it I think there was a lot of Hanky Panky going on today with Wasps getting the better. Three good chances wasted in the first half and then we were out of it. One word LINE OUT or lack of one and then no idea of what to do when we did get the ball. Joe Shaw did well and saved us some further blushes. Still the beer was good and the seat was cheap. Ho Hum!
PS anyone get a better view of what went on - Daws throwing punches and Cohen and Larry going off with blood injuries?
St Marlowe
We created great chances & threw them away. It pains me to say that Jar Jar (my most wonderfulest player ever ever) is becoming a liability. Moir was not up to the mark, and the lineouts were as poor as I have ever seen them. V depressing as that squad CAN play, but did not seem up for it. Joe Shaw needs a full game to show if he can keep that speed up. Still FA, as you say, the beer was good (Fullers), seats cramped, and both sets of supporters agreed that the ref was an absolute disgrace. Please let Bris be the recipients of the backlash! Smudger will not have been content with many of the players today,
Dan Cooper
Re the stamping incident - the wasp’s guy was trying to clear him away from the ruck so within the laws of the game he was allowed to 'ruck' him.
I'm not condoning it but he was preventing the ball coming out of the ruck.
Jesus, am I turning into a ref?
TomKat
There's a fine line between rucking and stamping, and that was stamping.
As for the game it was more disappointing than Twickers. Irish had our number then and there was nothing we could do about it; Wasps were just cr@p and we were worse.
If Tucker gets another game for us I'll puke. He's never had a good game in the first XV and he tossed away the best scoring chance we had. Moir's time must be up soon, he's nowhere near Brooks for skill or pace. Overall, nobody had a half decent game, it was like pre-Smudger times.
Hopefully in the close season he'll take about 12 of the squad round the back of the Gardens, shoot them and start afresh!!
Saint Ian
I still think the incident involved over- excessive use of the boot; once again we see a touch judge who seems to add no value to the proceedings....just like normal
KJM
The shoeing WAS vigorous - but frankly it was down to poor quality refereeing: Saints had two guys lying on the wrong side - feet from the line - for what seemed like ages. He had the option of blowing when it was clear you'd killed the ball on your own line - he didn't: result... what you saw.
The referee simply wasn't up to this standard of match - which was pity cos both sides seemed up for a focused flowing game which he did his best to interrupt.
Saint Ian
....But how many times have we as rugby supporters (Saints, Wasps, whoever) seen poor refereeing this season <takes shoes and socks off> Everybody on the wrong end of a decision infers that the ref is 'on' the opposition's side (when we played Showgirls this season I think it is fair to say that this was the case)...but yesterday I think the standard was very poor for both sides; at one point Saints were awarded a penalty and even the FG faithful were amazed by this one. Is it a case of "I'm Steve Lander and so's my wife"?
Question time: what do the guys do running the line for 80+ minutes apart from...err, run up and down a bit? It seems that touch judges seem to be more and more superfluous as time goes on....
West Midlands Saint
As to being a good match to miss - the Saints looked good in the first half and if it hadn't been for the now customary unforced errors and turnovers we could have had it sewn up. Tuck seems to either have poor peripheral vision or he suffers from Townsend’s Syndrome.
After the break we couldn't get back into our stride and the lineout simply fell apart (the worst this season? - even Danny made no difference but against Shaw/Jones/Dilly Dally and Worsley any team would struggle).
Good to see Matt Miles on the bench and the new streamlined Toddy. Joe Shaw looked sharp and ran the ball back to his support well. In fairness, Wasps stepped it up in the second half and had, what appeared a perfectly good Craig Dowd try called 'held up.'
The boys fought well and on another day could have won it.
Day-Glo’s whinging made Jar-jar look as if he'd taken a vow of silence.
Bernie’s Best Friend
I think one of the first things Smudger needs to sort out this Summer is who's making the decisions on the pitch! The penalty incident in the first half which Daws decided to kick from inside his own half was both amazing and bizarre in that Larry obviously didn't think it was on...Budgie stood apart with his hands on his hips as his is way when Daws decides HE knows best...and every body else just watched bemused!
This is far from the first time this happened this season and unfortunately as I think we all know Budgie doesn't have what it takes to be a leader on the paddock...how we need a Mighty Tim or Lammy out there...until this happens we will never achieve the success we're desperate for.
Sadly I don't think we currently have anyone at the Club who can fit the bill...anyone disagree?...let's see who comes in the Summer!...Smudger got a busy time ahead!!!
Ajack
AB will be captain next year, anyone disagree? Sadly he was not playing today.
Saint Ian
As with everybody else at LR yesterday (Saints AND Pest fans), I wondered what all that was about, too; did Daws suddenly think that he was about to become Stimo at the Scarlets match (and grab a headline or two in the process?). There is clearly a lorra lorra tension between Messrs Pountney and Daws (viz the PCF incident); maybe due to Daws being Saints VC but not getting the 'big job' when Lammy left?
I wouldn't be surprised to see Daws being relegated to the bench on Wednesday to allow him to 'cool down' a little...and Smudger give Budge a kick up the Aris for letting Daws get away with yet another display of petulance.
Old Pete
It has been obvious for some time that there is no leadership on the pitch - in fact ever since Lammy left ( no I'm not opening that debate again ) At times we seem to have a committee out there.
Unless we get someone new and inspirational then I would vote for the Hurricane.
I also think that will be some changes over the Summer - sell by dates and attitude problems must have been noted by Wayne
Also as for who’s in charge - what about off the pitch ???
Chris in WH
I agree with all comments. AB would make the best captain of the current crop. However I believe the new 'leader' will be recruited over the summer.
As for Mr Dawson I would go a bit further than existing comments. I believe its simply time for him to go. He is obviously not a team player. We can overlook this when he is playing well but all he does these days is act like a demented scarecrow at the base of most rucks , scrums and mauls. Arms waving and complaining to the ref rather than doing his job. The needs of the many ( the team ) outweigh the needs of the few ( MD's ego ). Did anyone see Brian Redpath this afternoon on Sky. What a contrast - man of the match by some distance and playing behind a pack under severe LI pressure for most of the game.
Dorcan8
Hurricane B would seem to be the best option at this stage, assuming his tactical abilities match his clear ability to lead from the front. Certainly I believe Budge would be better suited simply playing his game rather than getting involved in the captaincy lark which is patently not working. As for Daws - not sure about him having to go. Is it petulance or is it frustration about the team's apparent ability to self-destruct at key moments? Look at Powergen, the pack only attempted to defend the link of 9 and 10 partway into the 2nd half. Sure his display should have been saved for the locker-room, but perhaps if the rest of the team played with total passion at every game and venue.........???Difficult to criticise when none of us know all the facts. And let's not forget how far we've come since Smudger's arrival in terms of playing, attitude and position in the league. Although on that last point we are now down to 7th and the next two games are crucial. Does anyone know what EC qualification now entails?
TomKat
I would hate to see Daws go, in my mind he's still one of the best scrumhalves in the country (after Redpath), but he was out of order taking that kick on Saturday and no one out on the pitch has the nuts to stand up to him and keep him in line.
Daws thinks, and is treated like a sacred cow on the pitch. Budge doesn't want to cause another scene, so he won't stand up to him, and making any other current player captain isn't going to change the situation. If it just went on playing ability AB would be a shoe in, but we need another Major Tim or Lammy to put him in his place. I don't envy WS summer ahead.
Bonso
I think there is a leadership issue and the solution is not a obvious one. This is not a new situation neither. There have been a few occasions particularly when things were not going our way earlier on in the season when the team seems to have been run by committee not led. However as there is not a viable alternative at the moment it is up to the senior players to help Budge and not hinder him by respecting his position in public. As the army says you salute the rank and not necessarily the man.
Rich
Re: losing at Wasps. This has been a bizarre season. Tigs have run away with it and high profile clubs have had very poor runs. Top of that list are Saints and Wasps. In a not so bizarre season four or five clubs will be unbeatable at home and it will just be case of the team that wins the most away matches wins the league. Other teams should have a home record like pooh corner and these include Saints, Wasps, Glos, Irish and Sale. A win at wasps today would have been a great result to lose isn't catastrophic.
Saint Ian
Re 'not catastrophic', hear hear; the Pests have hit a rich vein of form of late and Gatland will have a point to prove to Ireland's great and good after the way he was treated. A similar thing happened to another Kiwi coach and we all know what happened there...Dagger blow being back has helped too..well for 70 minutes it did yesterday anyway. I had us down to get 9 out of the available 15 points from the last three games, with us down to get only 1 point yesterday <sob>. I can't see the leaky Barf (geddit?) beating Pests after yesterday's respective performances so we have our work cut out for us re EC appearance next season. However, my 9 points are STILL ACHIEVABLE, so let's all get behind the boys at Showgirls and FG in the next few days, and here's to the EC next season.
Professional View
Wayne Smith
"We knew it was going to be an extremely hard game,"
"We stuck at it but they probably lasted the course better than we did. I thought we started a lot better and could have had two or three tries but they were all squandered by silly mistakes."
Ali Hepher
"They put in the big hits, they smashed us backwards and we couldn't get our game really. We struggled presenting the ball which you need to do to make quick balls for the backs to play which we struggled to do all afternoon.”
Dorcan8
Read the match report on the Offy site and it appears we created chances only to throw them away. Was anybody there today? Did we throw the match away? It seems Tucker/Moir did not have a good game is this fair? Any comments on today's performance? I see we are now back down to 6th and 2 pts behind the pests. Let's hope Bristol away is good for us, and stuff the Budgies at FG again!!!
Saint Ian
Yep, there was quite a few of us there and guess what, we should have scored three tries in the first half (that said, Pests looked better in the second). Our line-out was appalling (shades of the Powergen), the ref made some up some new rules (or so it appeared) and the touch judge did not see a Pest stamping on one of our guys about 2 foot in front of him (and the ref added insult to injury by awarding THEM a penalty). All in all, not great, can do better. And 'yes' I've seen Craig Moir have better days. Normally on this MB I am a great fan and defender of 'the only #9 in England' [just ask our Sorries friend large]; that said I am beginning to worry about the man. The Powergen Cup Final sees him swinging at his Club Captain; today he's pushing the ref and appears to be sinking to the depths of two of his fellow England captains [Day-Glo and the mono-browed one, as if you didn't know] in terms of swinging at the opposition like a punch-drunk prize-fighter. What is going on? I know he was frustrated by today's performance (there was a lot of us in the Mac Alpine Stand in a similar position) but his performance today was somewhat short of faultless. The man has so much talent but seems to press the self-destruct button a bit too much of late. Come on, Mr Dawson, the BG&G needs you to be at your best.
Fat Alan
My sentiments exactly. I'm another big Daws fan. A couple of seasons ago I'd describe the guy as an out and out winner and not to be missed in any side. I think he has got carried away with his own success and needs to take a step back or two and rebuild. Saying that there were several occasions where he'd got the ball and our backs were all over the place and I could see him thinking what the **** am I supposed to do. COME ON DAWS GET THAT OLD MAGIC BACK!!
St. Andrew
What was that ? I really am a Saints fan but today was awful. Missed opportunities and poor decision-making. We let Wasps dominate us physically and mentally - a bit naive really. We didn't deserve to win although one point would have been nice. I used to admire Dallaglio but you go off people. He set the tone from the start arguing the toss with the ref (thought that was Daw's preserve) and bringing a nasty edge to the proceedings. There were a lot of injuries. Not that we are saints (ha ha) but the Ref was awful too and missed so much, for example stamping on our man, their second try (nothing wrong as far as I could see)and our high tackle on King amongst other weird decisions. Personally I thought Soden tried hard but in the second half we didn't seem to have much of a clue. So I am a bit pi**ed off. Do I go to Bristol or not? I've long since forgiven the Twickenham debacle but we seem to be rather hopeless away from FG. Yes we avoided relegation hassles and I'm grateful. Yes Wayne Smith now knows very clearly what we are like - wonderful at times and useless at others. Come on you Saints !
Saint Ian
Take your point(s), chap, me too....however, much as I would like to go to every game and win it, it's unlikely to happen all the time. Furthermore, at Loftus Road right now? Just ask the T******s who lost there a few weeks ago (after the Little Thatched One was talking up how good the Unspoken were!), and Glaws who were absolutely destroyed there; at least we escaped with our dignity (sort of). We knew at the start of the season that this was one of re-building ; essentially the first year of the three year plan and we aren't exactly doing bad in this regard (if you don't think so, be a Barf supporter right now)...I think we just missed Hurricane Blowers, Action Man and Jorgy a bit too much today against a Pests full squad. Go to the Showgirls Bristol’s match mate; you'll find a lorra lorra (sorry Blind Date on TV at the mo) of us there
COME ON YOU SAINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saint Ian
MOTM candidates. Hhhhmmmmm......not easy this as nobody looked THAT great, however, mine as follows....'Mighty' Joe Shaw looked impressive when he came on, Budge gave 110% for 80 odd minutes (like normal), Wally looked good with ball in hand (but same old story in the line-out),Archie looked sharp but one intercepted pass nearly led to a Pests' try and Bealer gave it his all too (we're getting used to this, this season as well). Any other nominations for our Dear Leader Chris?
Fat Alan
As the great man himself would describe it I think there was a lot of Hanky Panky going on today with Wasps getting the better. Three good chances wasted in the first half and then we were out of it. One word LINE OUT or lack of one and then no idea of what to do when we did get the ball. Joe Shaw did well and saved us some further blushes. Still the beer was good and the seat was cheap. Ho Hum!
PS anyone get a better view of what went on - Daws throwing punches and Cohen and Larry going off with blood injuries?
St Marlowe
We created great chances & threw them away. It pains me to say that Jar Jar (my most wonderfulest player ever ever) is becoming a liability. Moir was not up to the mark, and the lineouts were as poor as I have ever seen them. V depressing as that squad CAN play, but did not seem up for it. Joe Shaw needs a full game to show if he can keep that speed up. Still FA, as you say, the beer was good (Fullers), seats cramped, and both sets of supporters agreed that the ref was an absolute disgrace. Please let Bris be the recipients of the backlash! Smudger will not have been content with many of the players today,
Dan Cooper
Re the stamping incident - the wasp’s guy was trying to clear him away from the ruck so within the laws of the game he was allowed to 'ruck' him.
I'm not condoning it but he was preventing the ball coming out of the ruck.
Jesus, am I turning into a ref?
TomKat
There's a fine line between rucking and stamping, and that was stamping.
As for the game it was more disappointing than Twickers. Irish had our number then and there was nothing we could do about it; Wasps were just cr@p and we were worse.
If Tucker gets another game for us I'll puke. He's never had a good game in the first XV and he tossed away the best scoring chance we had. Moir's time must be up soon, he's nowhere near Brooks for skill or pace. Overall, nobody had a half decent game, it was like pre-Smudger times.
Hopefully in the close season he'll take about 12 of the squad round the back of the Gardens, shoot them and start afresh!!
Saint Ian
I still think the incident involved over- excessive use of the boot; once again we see a touch judge who seems to add no value to the proceedings....just like normal
KJM
The shoeing WAS vigorous - but frankly it was down to poor quality refereeing: Saints had two guys lying on the wrong side - feet from the line - for what seemed like ages. He had the option of blowing when it was clear you'd killed the ball on your own line - he didn't: result... what you saw.
The referee simply wasn't up to this standard of match - which was pity cos both sides seemed up for a focused flowing game which he did his best to interrupt.
Saint Ian
....But how many times have we as rugby supporters (Saints, Wasps, whoever) seen poor refereeing this season <takes shoes and socks off> Everybody on the wrong end of a decision infers that the ref is 'on' the opposition's side (when we played Showgirls this season I think it is fair to say that this was the case)...but yesterday I think the standard was very poor for both sides; at one point Saints were awarded a penalty and even the FG faithful were amazed by this one. Is it a case of "I'm Steve Lander and so's my wife"?
Question time: what do the guys do running the line for 80+ minutes apart from...err, run up and down a bit? It seems that touch judges seem to be more and more superfluous as time goes on....
West Midlands Saint
As to being a good match to miss - the Saints looked good in the first half and if it hadn't been for the now customary unforced errors and turnovers we could have had it sewn up. Tuck seems to either have poor peripheral vision or he suffers from Townsend’s Syndrome.
After the break we couldn't get back into our stride and the lineout simply fell apart (the worst this season? - even Danny made no difference but against Shaw/Jones/Dilly Dally and Worsley any team would struggle).
Good to see Matt Miles on the bench and the new streamlined Toddy. Joe Shaw looked sharp and ran the ball back to his support well. In fairness, Wasps stepped it up in the second half and had, what appeared a perfectly good Craig Dowd try called 'held up.'
The boys fought well and on another day could have won it.
Day-Glo’s whinging made Jar-jar look as if he'd taken a vow of silence.
Bernie’s Best Friend
I think one of the first things Smudger needs to sort out this Summer is who's making the decisions on the pitch! The penalty incident in the first half which Daws decided to kick from inside his own half was both amazing and bizarre in that Larry obviously didn't think it was on...Budgie stood apart with his hands on his hips as his is way when Daws decides HE knows best...and every body else just watched bemused!
This is far from the first time this happened this season and unfortunately as I think we all know Budgie doesn't have what it takes to be a leader on the paddock...how we need a Mighty Tim or Lammy out there...until this happens we will never achieve the success we're desperate for.
Sadly I don't think we currently have anyone at the Club who can fit the bill...anyone disagree?...let's see who comes in the Summer!...Smudger got a busy time ahead!!!
Ajack
AB will be captain next year, anyone disagree? Sadly he was not playing today.
Saint Ian
As with everybody else at LR yesterday (Saints AND Pest fans), I wondered what all that was about, too; did Daws suddenly think that he was about to become Stimo at the Scarlets match (and grab a headline or two in the process?). There is clearly a lorra lorra tension between Messrs Pountney and Daws (viz the PCF incident); maybe due to Daws being Saints VC but not getting the 'big job' when Lammy left?
I wouldn't be surprised to see Daws being relegated to the bench on Wednesday to allow him to 'cool down' a little...and Smudger give Budge a kick up the Aris for letting Daws get away with yet another display of petulance.
Old Pete
It has been obvious for some time that there is no leadership on the pitch - in fact ever since Lammy left ( no I'm not opening that debate again ) At times we seem to have a committee out there.
Unless we get someone new and inspirational then I would vote for the Hurricane.
I also think that will be some changes over the Summer - sell by dates and attitude problems must have been noted by Wayne
Also as for who’s in charge - what about off the pitch ???
Chris in WH
I agree with all comments. AB would make the best captain of the current crop. However I believe the new 'leader' will be recruited over the summer.
As for Mr Dawson I would go a bit further than existing comments. I believe its simply time for him to go. He is obviously not a team player. We can overlook this when he is playing well but all he does these days is act like a demented scarecrow at the base of most rucks , scrums and mauls. Arms waving and complaining to the ref rather than doing his job. The needs of the many ( the team ) outweigh the needs of the few ( MD's ego ). Did anyone see Brian Redpath this afternoon on Sky. What a contrast - man of the match by some distance and playing behind a pack under severe LI pressure for most of the game.
Dorcan8
Hurricane B would seem to be the best option at this stage, assuming his tactical abilities match his clear ability to lead from the front. Certainly I believe Budge would be better suited simply playing his game rather than getting involved in the captaincy lark which is patently not working. As for Daws - not sure about him having to go. Is it petulance or is it frustration about the team's apparent ability to self-destruct at key moments? Look at Powergen, the pack only attempted to defend the link of 9 and 10 partway into the 2nd half. Sure his display should have been saved for the locker-room, but perhaps if the rest of the team played with total passion at every game and venue.........???Difficult to criticise when none of us know all the facts. And let's not forget how far we've come since Smudger's arrival in terms of playing, attitude and position in the league. Although on that last point we are now down to 7th and the next two games are crucial. Does anyone know what EC qualification now entails?
TomKat
I would hate to see Daws go, in my mind he's still one of the best scrumhalves in the country (after Redpath), but he was out of order taking that kick on Saturday and no one out on the pitch has the nuts to stand up to him and keep him in line.
Daws thinks, and is treated like a sacred cow on the pitch. Budge doesn't want to cause another scene, so he won't stand up to him, and making any other current player captain isn't going to change the situation. If it just went on playing ability AB would be a shoe in, but we need another Major Tim or Lammy to put him in his place. I don't envy WS summer ahead.
Bonso
I think there is a leadership issue and the solution is not a obvious one. This is not a new situation neither. There have been a few occasions particularly when things were not going our way earlier on in the season when the team seems to have been run by committee not led. However as there is not a viable alternative at the moment it is up to the senior players to help Budge and not hinder him by respecting his position in public. As the army says you salute the rank and not necessarily the man.
Rich
Re: losing at Wasps. This has been a bizarre season. Tigs have run away with it and high profile clubs have had very poor runs. Top of that list are Saints and Wasps. In a not so bizarre season four or five clubs will be unbeatable at home and it will just be case of the team that wins the most away matches wins the league. Other teams should have a home record like pooh corner and these include Saints, Wasps, Glos, Irish and Sale. A win at wasps today would have been a great result to lose isn't catastrophic.
Saint Ian
Re 'not catastrophic', hear hear; the Pests have hit a rich vein of form of late and Gatland will have a point to prove to Ireland's great and good after the way he was treated. A similar thing happened to another Kiwi coach and we all know what happened there...Dagger blow being back has helped too..well for 70 minutes it did yesterday anyway. I had us down to get 9 out of the available 15 points from the last three games, with us down to get only 1 point yesterday <sob>. I can't see the leaky Barf (geddit?) beating Pests after yesterday's respective performances so we have our work cut out for us re EC appearance next season. However, my 9 points are STILL ACHIEVABLE, so let's all get behind the boys at Showgirls and FG in the next few days, and here's to the EC next season.
Professional View
Wayne Smith
"We knew it was going to be an extremely hard game,"
"We stuck at it but they probably lasted the course better than we did. I thought we started a lot better and could have had two or three tries but they were all squandered by silly mistakes."
Ali Hepher
"They put in the big hits, they smashed us backwards and we couldn't get our game really. We struggled presenting the ball which you need to do to make quick balls for the backs to play which we struggled to do all afternoon.”
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