From the Archives - Saints v Bath 1999

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By From the Archives
September 18 2002

In our first look back at previous Saints v Bath games we go back May Day 1999, and indeed Bath could be forgiven for sending out a may day call as Saints, including a rampant somersaulting Freddie Mendez, totally destroyed the opposition in the Gardens sunshine.

Final Say For Fired Up Freddie

Saturday May 1st 1999
Saints 40 Bath 17
Allied Dunbar Premiership

THIS magnificent victory by Northampton ensured that Leicester stay honest and have to go to Newcastle today to shoot for the point which will give them the Allied Dunbar Premiership title.

But as Northampton's team did a lap of honour round Franklin's Gardens to mark their last home game of the season, and second place in the table, they were probably revelling more in the quality of their own performance than in the fate of Leicester.

This was comfortably the best I have seen Northampton play. The measure of their superiority was nowhere near reflected in the scoreline, and Bath could not have complained had Saints scored at least three more tries.

Both sides deserve the utmost respect for producing such a compelling and fiery confrontation so late in the season. Bath signalled their intention when their forwards linked arms and stood menacingly staring down the tunnel as Northampton took the field.

But Northampton are a big and physical team, even as far out as the wings, where Craig Moir and Ben Cohen are easily large enough to play lock. They are beautifully organised and fierce and were driven on brilliantly yesterday by Matt Dawson at scrum-half, who had a hand, a foot or a voice in everything that was happening.

Grant Seely and his back row were supercharged, while Federico Mendez, no doubt to the increasing chagrin of Bath, whom he left under a cloud last season, proved the most striking figure in the match. He supplied the final flourish with a steaming try round the back of a lineout and a forward roll in mid-air en route to the touchdown.
And rugby was almost looking for another benefactor after the game.

Keith Barwell, Northampton's owner, celebrated so fiercely on the steps of the stand at the end that there seemed to be grave danger of him becoming over-excited and expiring. Barwell is one of the new owners who has always chucked in a healthy dose of realism along with a great wad of money, and he is one of those who has stuck around to supervise the financial downsizing of a game which had become bloated.

Looking around Franklin's Gardens yesterday, experiencing the sense of occasion which was abroad from late morning onwards and seeing the delight of the capacity crowd, you had to feel that Barwell and his ilk even have a chance of clawing back a few quid as professional club rugby develops and progresses.

The immediate good news is that two great shire horses in the front row, Garry Pagel and Mendez, have re-signed for another season. If having his back slapped by 9,000 people doesn't help to alleviate Mendez's homesickness then nothing will.

It is not news that Bath have their problems, and there was a tetchiness and fallibility about them yesterday that has characterised their game throughout the season. The back five of their pack - a few flashes from Steve Borthwick apart - disintegrated and it was a measure of the fact that Dan Lyle has not remotely approached his true form after a long injury absence that Mendez could sprint through him for the try at the end.

On the few occasions when Bath did win some possession, Kevin Maggs and Mike Tindall ran hard and well in the midfield. If there is something missing from the Saints' jigsaw, it is probably a high-class centre. But Bath wielded authority at no point of the pitch, and must crop their squad in the right places to mount a challenge in Europe next season.

It was something of a travesty that it was they who scored the opening try of the match, because the first quarter was packed full of wave after wave of Northampton attacks. Yet Northampton had managed only two penalties from Ali Hepher before Bath put themselves on the board.

The try came when Adedayo Adebayo ran a powerful angle outside Mike Catt to carve out a splendid try for Tindall at the posts.

However, Northampton came back to lead 16-5 at half-time. They had already thrown away tries with a handling error each from Andy Northey and Matt Allen in separate movements. But they scored in the 24th minute after Matt Perry conceded a lineout deep in his own territory. Tim Rodber won the ball, Northampton ran one of their peel variations and sent Mendez on his way.

The ball was driven on through two rucks and Mendez appeared again to send the impressive Seely over. Dawson had taken over from Hepher as kicker-in-chief and two well-struck efforts set up that 16-5 lead.

The fractious tone of proceedings was illustrated with scuffles as the teams disappeared down the tunnel but, to be frank, it all kept the pot boiling merrily.

Apart from two lone breakouts that led to tries for Catt and then Russell Earnshaw, the second half was dominated by Northampton, with the ball zipping between forwards and backs. Seely settled the match just before the hour after Northampton opted for a scrum when they were awarded a penalty. The scrum jolted forward, wheeled slightly to the right to give Dawson some space, and, when Northampton's scrum-half burst to the blind side, he was able to slip the ball inside to Seely for the try.

Shortly afterwards, with Northampton rampant, another superb movement ended only when Northey lost the ball in a tackle with the line begging and with most of the team having handled. Seely was again catapulted over the line from an attacking scrum, but this time was recalled because Dawson had shepherded a Bath tackler out of the way with his shoulder.
However, Dawson was still striking the ball sweetly with his kicking at goal, and he put his men 26-12 ahead with a penalty awarded after Bath had come up offside to try to re-gather a miskick from Gareth Cooper.

But there were two cannonballs left in Northampton's armoury. The perservering Budge Pountney scored after the move of the match, featuring the two wings driving up the middle and a ghosting break from Dawson. Finally, we had another lineout peel variation which sent Mendez charging to the posts. Mendez also exhibited splendid timing, deciding that his calf muscle was hurting him seconds before the end, so that he could treat himself to a standing ovation as he departed the action alone.

Leicester will have to make the world's biggest hash of things for Northampton to finish at the top, but it is possible that not even the terrific Tigers could have handled Northampton on this form.

Team
N Beal; C Moir, A Northey, M Allen; B Cohen; A Hepher (D Malone 60min), M Dawson; G Pagel, F Mendez (C Johnson 80min), M Stewart (M Volland 77min), J Phillips, T Rodber (capt), P Lam, G Seely, B Pountney.

Saints Scorers

Grant Seeley....................Try (2)
Federico Mendez...............Try
Anthony Poutney...........Try

Ali Hepher.......................Penalty (2)
Matt Dawson..................Conversion (4)
.......................Penalty (2)