From the Archive - Tetley Cup Final 2000

By Chris G
April 1 2003

After the loss in 1991 it took the Saints a full nine years to return to Twickenham for a domestic cup final. With half an eye on a return to HQ for the European Cup a few weeks later the Saints went down to Wasps with the game begging.

On the first of two visits to Twickenham in May 2000 the Saints narrowly failed to win their first major honour. After staging yet another second half comeback, the hallmark of that season, the Saints fluffed a lineout and didn't make good use of a four man overlap with the game at their mercy allowing Wasps back in and two late tries sealed it for the London club.

A sweltering sweaty Twickenham pitch saw the Saints and Wasps did battle for the Tetleys Bitter Cup 2000.
Saints were spurred on knowing that this would be their first major trophy. Wasps were spurred on by an amazing tongue in cheek interview with Saints Chairman 'Cunning' Keith Barwell, in which he described certain Wasps players as 'iffy'.
(we all knew he was talking about Eurovision Song Contest winner/winger Kenny Logan)

Nigel Melville took these words to heart and played the interview to his players. It did the trick.

In an error and sin binning strewn first half Saints were always on the back foot. Alex King , who had a woeful afternoon with his kicking, and Larry exchanged early penalties before Wasps took the upper hand and scored quick tries through Josh lewsey and Trevor Leota.

Going in at half time 19-12 down the Saints for once looked dead and buried.

But the Franklins Faithful, who were there in their tens of thousands outnumbering Wasps 5 to 1, knew that, as they had done so often that season, the team were always capable of fighting back.

And fight back they did.

An early Larry penalty was soon followed by another offence. Saints sensed they had the upper hand and opted to kick into the corner. From the resulting lineout Freddie Mendez, who was one of the earlier bin sinners, found Richard Metcalfe. From the resulting maul Budge Pountney emerged to dive over.

The Saints were now unbeleivably in the lead 20-19. A further Grayson try extended the lead but with the game, and the cup, there for the taking the Saints started to make fatal mistakes. A carbon copy of the earlier try scoring lineout was fluffed and a four man overlap failed to the try that could have sealed the match.

Wasps sniffed victory and fought back with a try from Logan. They again led 23-24.

Saints threw everything at the Londoners and were rewarded with a penalty just in their own half.
Up stepped the previous weeks hero Paul Grayson. Could Larry do it again. Unfortunately not, it fell well short.

With Saints now pushing for a last gasp score the ball was turned over and Mark Denney broke away for the try that sealed the game for the Wasps.

Logans conversion was the last kick of the match and the (then) West Londoners took the spoils..

Overall on the day Wasps were the better side and thoroughly deserved thier win.
However the Saints must have been disappointed after coming so close after their spirited second half comeback.

That dismay only lasted a couple of weeks though.
At the end of that month they returned to Twickenham to play Munster in the European Cup final.

The rest, as they say, is history but to this day I still believe the battered Saints players would have settled for the Tetleys that season and maybe, just maybe, not have gone that extra mile in the Eurpean Final. Every cloud..........

Northampton: N Beal; C Moir, A Bateman, M Allen, B Cohen; P Grayson, M Dawson; G Pagel, F Mendez, M Stewart (M Scelzo 73), A Newman (J Phillips 60), R Metcalfe, T Rodber, B Pountney, P Lam (capt) (S Walter 33-39, D Mackinnon 65).

Wasps: J Lewsey; S Roiser, M Denney, R Henderson, K Logan; A King, M Wood; D Molloy, T Leota, W Green (A Le Chevalier 57-65), A Reed (M Weedon 65), S Shaw, J Worsley, P Volley, L Dallaglio (capt).