Cup Fever Week - Tigers v Saints 1993

Bucks last stand
By Chris in the Archive
February 25 2003

I guess as we look back on Saints cup semi final history this week we have to take the rough with the smooth. In doing this regrettably today we look back to that Pilkington Cup run of the 1992/1993 season that ended up with a semi defeat at Welford Road. But oh what a journey!

And starring at the centre of that journey was that man again, yes Buck Shelford!

The Saints started their campaign at Tabard in the third round of the cup.
The club dangled a very large cash carrot in front of the lower league side to switch the game to the Gardens but to their credit the Tabard committee held out and the game was played at their leafy Hertfordshire ground on a cold November day, Cold it may have been but for the travelling Gold Black n Green hordes a good day out was had by all!

Current Director of Rugby, John Steele, weighed in with 20 points for the Saints but the thing that lives long in the memory for just about everyone there that day was the Tabard eight scoring a pushover try against the much vaunted Northampton pack. Saints regrouped though and finally came out winners at 50-13 to set up a fourth round tie with last years semi opponents Newcastle.

Newcastle were then a second division outfit, they were to be promoted later that season, but they could not live with the Saints at the Gardens that January day. The forwards dominated with Buck and Gavin Baldwin picking up two tries apiece to help the Jimmies run out easy winners at 33-3.

The Saints were again drawn at home in the quarter finals this time to fellow first division team Moseley. The forwards were again in fine form with Mr Shelford again picking up two tries in a dominant pack that included the outstanding young Tim Rodber then on the verge of an England place. The final score was 37-15 and the Saints stood just 80 minutes away from a second Twickenham appearance in three years.

Lady luck finally ran out though and I like many thousands of other were disappointed on the Monday lunchtime to hear the semi final draw. We got the game nobody wanted, Tigers away!

The club sold over 5000 (in a crowd of 16,000) tickets for the game to take place at Welford Road on Saturday April 10th. It all looked like it was going to be a classic local derby encounter but alas, just as they did two weeks ago the Saints froze at the big occasion with the whole of the country watching the game live on BBC Grandstand.
The Saints failed to come to grips with Tigers side who scored tries through a young Neil Back and Dean Richards and the boot of John Liley keeping things clicking over. At half time the Saints were as good as down and out as the chant 'Deano, Deano' was heard around the ground.
Yes folks,believe it or not the Tigs had two chants in those days!

The Saints faired better in the second period, led by the mighty Buck in his last game in the Gold, Black n Green, but the damage had already been done and the home side ran out in the end the 28-6 winners with Saints consolation six points coming from the boot of Nick Beal.

The Saints were out but one abiding memory of that day was the Saints supporters who stayed to drown their sorrows. Around 7:00pm that evening in the Victory pub opposite Welford Road just about every table had someone standing on it singing 'Oh When the Saints!'. For a moment you would have thought we were the victors but we had to wait a further seven years for our next cup visit to Twickenham. Things of course have worked out slightly better so far this century.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The Saints did actually make it to one Twickenham final that year. A month later a mostly inexperienced side made it to the final of the Middlesex Sevens at HQ only to lose in dramatic fashion in the final seconds of the game against Wasps.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

While researching this two things caught my eye.
The first, in the programme of the day, was a mention of a certain Mr Grayson possibly moving to Welford Road from Waterloo!

The second was a picture in Saints review of the season of two happy face painted young lads at the semi final game. One was called Ian Vass. Now I wonder what ever happened to him???