News: Thoughts from the Chron 118h February 2010

By Chris Gleadell
February 18 2010

Revenge is indeed sweet. With last weeks visitors Newcastle being the only side to have won on the hallowed turf of Franklin's Gardens since the end of the 2006/07 relegation season there was a sizeable ghost to be laid to rest on Saturday. Saints may well have been in the hunt for the bonus point by the final whistle but it was anything but an easy ride.

Thoughts from the Chron

18th February 2010

A fine early try with less than ten minutes on the clock looked as if Saints had set out their stall early. From a stolen lineout the ball was progressed through to Bruce Reihana who broke the line and superbly drew the remaining defence to set up Chris Ashton for his umpteenth try of the season.

With their tails up Saints went for the second but got a rude awakening of the slow lumbering kind when a Saints error out of defence was pounced upon and the Falcon’s pack trundled their way to the line for the score. Jimmy Gopperth’s conversion tied the teams at 10-10 and it looked like we were going into the break with Saints needing one of their famous second half displays to win the day. On the chink of halftime though there was some daylight in the scores as Jimmy Downey broke free sending Juandre Kruger thundering for the line. The South African was held up just short but livewire scrumhalf Lee Dickson, doing his very best to upset his old club, followed up for the score.

Ultimately that score sealed the victory with Newcastle adding just a further three points in the second period though Saints edged away as Juandre turned provider once again to send in that man Ashton for his second of the afternoon and his fifth of the season against Newcastle to set up the grand finale. This time however the Saints late, late show did not materialise this time round and there was a slight twinge of disappointment that the bonus point was not secured but at the end of the day a job well done.

ALL WITH MUCH TO PLAY FOR

The victory keeps Saints well on course for the end of season playoffs in third spot in the Guinness Premiership, just a point behind Saracens in second and two points off Tigers, who have played one game more, at the summit. With both teams still having to visit the Gardens, prospects look good. Perhaps the biggest GP upset of the week was down in Reading where Irish were taken to the cleaners by Bath allowing Wasps to close the gap on a top four place. Wasps now sit just two points behind the Exiles, who appear to be going through a mini crisis, but Saints still retain a healthy eight point cushion over the High Wycombe side.

Certainly with a further nine point gap between fifth and sixth it looks increasingly like perm any four from the top five now for the playoffs but the rest of the league still have much to play for. Should Saints not win the Heineken Cup - yes I know unthinkable isn’t it? – then that sixth spot could well the last chance saloon for a whole handful of clubs and Heineken qualification for next season. Five clubs, Gloucester, Bath, Newcastle, Harlequins and Sale, all sit within three points of that coveted sixth berth so still a lot of mileage in this secondary race yet. Even Worcester just a further three points away might fancy their chances should they string a run together but they will be looking worriedly over their shoulder at basement club Leeds, who pushed leaders Tigers all the way last weekend.

So for every club still much to play for and from a Saintly point of view lets hope it is business as usual and a continuation of the wins starting at Quins on Saturday.

QUINS

I can remember a couple of years back writing how, as returnees to the Guinness Premiership, we could do no worse than emulate what Harlequins had done since their promotion before us. Quins wrote the template on how to treat relegation as a positive, use the experience to refresh, regroup and in some respects re-find yourself as a club then to return in not only better shape but to hit the ground running in the top flight. Of course you might argue that we have done that and more since our promotion and set new markers ourselves but Quins despite that early promise look to be struggling. Just two home wins all season and coming off a bit of a tonking at Gloucester, who have hardly set the world alight themselves thus far, signs are not good.

This may still of course be the hangover from the much publicised bloodgate scandal but by and large this seems to be largely forgiven and forgotten in the rugby community now. Perhaps behind closed doors and with the club shaken to its core the effects of the affair are still being felt. Even that siege mentality that may well have been of some use earlier this campaign may well have evaporated now nobody outside of the club give their past misdemeanours more than a seconds thought. Whatever the reasons Quins have gone from possible contenders to also rans in the matter of a season.

However being one of those five clubs mentioned earlier I am sure they are well aware that a single victory could see them in sixth place and put their season back on track at this stage. Sometimes that’s all a club needs as a confidence booster and I am sure that has not escaped the powers that be at Quins. And after all what better way to do it than bring down one of the current high flyers.

For Saints well I may have been a bit flippant before in suggesting it is just a case of just winning week in week out but there is also a ghost to put to rest at Quins too going on last season’s performance. It had to be just above the worst effort Saints put in all campaign and it was in some respects a turning point. Mentally, and no doubt verbally from the coaches, it was a kick up the backside for the club and in my mind it was the spark that saw the start of better things. Week on week after the defeat at the Stoop we gradually improved culminating ironically in the Challenge Cup victory at the very same ground at the end of the season.

So coming off a bad defeat and there still being a chance for Quins to get back on track this season we might well see them come out all guns blazing but I think with a couple of returnees we might be just about good enough to edge them. That in itself would be a timely boost for ourselves with the big East Midlands derby looming on the horizon seven days later.

News: Thoughts from the Chron 118h February 2010

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Date: 19/02/2010 00:06

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