Seabass Ensures Saints’ ‘Second-Half Syndrome’

The supporters around me were talking apocalyptic talk, suggesting that I write some B&B addresses for Exeter and Plymouth into my report. Feigning optimism, I said, “Of course we can stay up!” However, inside, I’m not so sure…

It’s not that the Saints don’t have the players; they do. We have a whole range of ex-All Blacks, ex-Lions and even a Hong Kongese thrown into the mix. If the Guinness Premiership standings were based on the team sheets, we would certainly be pushing for a playoff place. Unfortunately, the standings are based on how the team plays and that’s where the Saints have more than failed this season. A few weeks ago, someone on the board made the observation that, in general, the Saints seem to score significantly more points in the first half than they do in the second. Whether this is a case of getting tired or one of being uptight is open to debate, but one thing that’s for certain is that it can’t go on any longer. The Saints have four Premiership games left this season and three of them are away, two of those against top-four teams. It’s going to be a hard run-in for the men in green; can they stay up? There’s only one way to find out…

But anyway, let’s talk about the game. It started off brightly for the Saints. After the game was kicked off, Ben Foden’s box-kick was charged down and the Saints grabbed the ball. Following this was a sight as rare as an intelligent person from Alabama; a Saints rolling maul making good progress. Eventually, Chris White, fresh from his ten-second blunder in Rome, gave the Jimmies a penalty, which Myler, reinstated at 10, duly converted.

Unfortunately, this was the extent of the Saints’ good play for a while. Sale’s Elvis Seveali’i (who, despite starting, was wearing the No. 20 shirt for no obvious reason) broke past some Saints players and reached the twenty-two. Fortunately, when Baldy Larrachea attempted a drop-goal, it was far too low and was fairly easily charged down.

However, the Saints fans weren’t laughing for long. The Sharks had a scrum on the twenty-two and what followed was, quite frankly, embarrassing for fans of defence. Chabal took the ball from the back of the scrum and offloaded to Foden. The Sale men had a massive overlap and when the ball came for Oriol ‘Raspberry’ Ripol, it was inevitable he would dive over in the corner fairly unopposed. Uncle Fester Larrachea missed the difficult conversion, but the men from the north were 5-3 in front.

However, five minutes after this, the Saints lifted themselves again. After Sale made a pass that was so forward that it actually crossed from block W to X, the resulting scrum gave Spencer a neat break down the middle. However, play was stopped after a seeming clash of heads between Chris Jones and Robbie Kydd. But it wasn’t one of them that had to go off. For what would be the first of three times in eighty minutes, Damien Browne left the pitch for a blood-bin and Matt Lord replaced him.

After this, the Saints went into overdrive mode and battled themselves towards the line. After Spencer tried to hack Chabal’s head off with his foot, Cohen broke down the wing, and eventually, the ball managed to get the ball, broke past Egghead Larrachea and dived over in the corner, bringing joy to all around the stadium who supported the Saints. Myler’s conversion was hampered by the ball falling off the tee (causing an amusing remark of “Have we got time, ref?”), but Smiler managed to curl the ball round the posts using the atrocious windy conditions and the Saints were ahead 10-5. Unfortunately, Slaphead Larrachea gained a penalty almost immediately (and was substituted immediately after). His replacement, Thomas, missed another penalty a few minutes later. A few moments later, it was the battle of the Frenchmen as Chabal overturned Labit with a shuddering tackle.

Some minutes later, the Saints have a penalty, but knowing their woeful kicking record, they shun the posts and opt for their even more woeful lineout record. But the Saints win the lineout and form a rolling maul. However, in typical Jimmies fashion, we cock it up and run into our own player. Never mind, we soon get a scrum through some law that I think Chris White made up on the spot, and soon, Vaughan Going is rampaging through the Sale defence. He almost scored, and then some brilliant passing, sending the ball through Myler, Carlos and Bruce, gave the ball to Cohen who ran right round Ripol and dived over on the wrong wing. Myler just missed the conversion, but the Saints were sitting pretty at 15-8 after 35 minutes.

However, now was not the time for attack; it was the time for defence. The Sale men began rampaging towards the Saints line and it took a defensive effort worthy of the RAF during the Battle of Britain to stop the Sale men going over. All the players piled into the ensuing rucks and pile-ups, but when the Saints somehow emerge with the ball right on their own line, the half ends and the Saints fans depart for the bars and burger huts relatively pleased.

The second half began pretty much where the last one had left off. A lovely run by Chris Bell that bisected the Saints defence caused great problems, especially after a kick to the corner, but the men in green were saved by Sale running into their own man. Not too long after this, Sale made a complete mess of their scrum and the Saints booted the ball downfield. General confusion and hysteria broke out, a Sale clearance is charged down and nothing really comes of it. Instead, something comes of a Sale break, resulting in a penalty, Lord replacing DB1 for the second time, and three points for Sale, leaving the scores at 15-11.

This penalty pretty much set up the rest of the game for the Saints. Clearly in that familiar state of panic mode they seem to get into during every game, they resort to ten-man rugby, rarely moving the ball past Myler. It really was about as dull as some particularly dreary ditch-water from the back garden of the most boring man in the world. However, the Saints do get a penalty somehow and boot it towards the corner. Excitingly, the Saints manage to win their own lineout and heave the maul twenty metres towards the line. But since this is the Saints, something is bound to go wrong. Northampton knock the ball forward on the line and general groans ring out through the stadium.

However, from the resulting scrum, the Saints somehow steal the ball, and play it across the park. They receive a penalty and, shunning the posts again, go for the corner. The resulting lineout collapses, the Saints get another penalty, Lord comes onto the pitch to replace DB1 yet again and the Jimmies go for the corner again. Northampton get another penalty and from the resulting lineout, they manage to get the ball slightly wide. After Sheridan kills the ball, Chris White has had enough and sends the prop to think (or try to) about what he did for ten minutes. Luckily for the Saints, the penalty is right in front of the posts and since even they can get that, Myler converts the kick and the Saints are 18-11 ahead with about ten minutes to go.

Unfortunately, the Saints weren’t counting on the hair monster, Sebastien Chabal. The bearded one made a superb break through the middle. He then chipped  over the Saints’ heads and caught the bouncing ball despite Sharky’s best efforts. Seabass then passed to the following Chris Bell who avoided the Sundance Kydd’s grasp and scampered over between the sticks. It really was a superb try and if I ever remember to watch ‘The Rugby Club’ again, I’m sure it will be a candidate for ‘Try of the Month’. Lee Thomas converted and the men from Manchester had somehow managed to sneak up to draw level.

Frankly, the rest of the game was as dull as the aforementioned ditch-water. Sale had obviously consigned themselves to getting nothing more than a draw and used nothing more than the forwards. Even when the Saints somehow got the ball, the attack was limited and when Chris White eventually blew the whistle for full-time, there were no real cheers from the crowd, and to be honest I can see why.

In the first half, the Saints played some of the best rugby they’ve played for a long time. Spencer looked much more comfortable and was able to be more inventive at outside centre. Labit put his heart and soul into the game, as did Bruce and Cohen. I think that the main problem was similar to the one we had against Bristol and Gloucester; being in the relegation battle, once we see a chance of winning, we tighten up and do constant pick and drives, which is not where our strength is. We have world-class backs in Cohen, Spencer and Reihana, but I can’t remember the last time we really had a back-orientated game. However, I think I can remain positive about the rest of the season. I think that perhaps if we just relaxed a little bit, we could fulfil that statement on our season tickets; the one that says “World Class Rugby”.

Teams:
Northampton Saints – Going (Mallon 75mins); Reihana (capt), Spencer, Kydd, Cohen; Myler, Robinson (Howard 74mins); Smith, Hartley, Brooks (Tonga’uhia 58mins), Browne (Lord 16-29mins, 53-58mins, 65-69mins), Short, Tupai, Lewitt (Fox 69mins), Labit.

Sale Sharks – Laharrague; Mayor (Wigglesworth 64mins), Seveali’i, Bell, Ripol; Larrachea (Thomas 24mins), Foden; Sheridan (Roberts 78mins), Titterrell (Briggs 72mins), Evans (Stewart 54mins), Jones, Schofield (I Fernandez Lobbe 64mins), JM Fernandez Lobbe, Hills (Roberts 77-78mins), Chabal (capt) (Cox 75mins).

Scorers:

Northampton Saints – Tries: Spencer, Cohen; Con: Myler; Pen: Myler.

Sale Sharks – Try: Ripol, Bell; Con: Thomas; Pens: Larrachea, Thomas.

Yellow card:
Sheridan (68mins)

Travis Perkins man of the match:
Christian Labit

Attendance:
13,265