Its down to the wire as Saints take on the Falcons

By Chris G
May 11 2002

Its winner takes all at the Gardens as the Zurich Premiership season goes right down to the wire. Saints entertain Newcastle with both teams in touching distance of a Championship home draw and a place in Europe. Let the battle commence......

TEAM NEWS

Sideshow Joe Shaw keeps the fullback shirt after his storming display at Bristol in midweek while Nick Beal drops to the bench. Jorgy has recovered from the knock he took to the head in the Bristol game and teams up again with John Leslie in the centre. Johan Ackerman definitely misses out but apart from the South African this is just about Saints strongest starting lineup.

15 Joe Shaw
14 James Brooks
13 Peter Jorgensen
12 John Leslie
11 Ben Cohen
10 Paul Grayson
9 Matt Dawson
1 Tom Smith
2 Steve Thompson
3 Matt Stewart
4 Jon Phillips
5 Olivier Brouzet
6 Andrew Blowers
7 Budge Pountney (capt)
8 Mark Soden

Replacements:
16 Dan Richmond
17 Robbie Morris
18 Rob Hunter
19 Grant Seely
20 Dom Malone
21 Mark Tucker
22 Nick Beal
.
At the time of writing no word on team matters from the Falcons camp.

Read the Newcastle preview


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HISTORY

Since, under Rob Andrew, Dean Ryan, Steve Bates
and Sir John Hall, the old Gosforth club was transformed
into Newcastle Falcons there have been several
'interesting' games between the teams. The Saints
were the first opponents under the Andrew regime
and the boys did us proud in the North East totally
destroying the home side by 52 points to 9.
This game was in the second division when
the Saints won the division undefeated.
The next year a rebult Newcastle followed us up.

The next season probably produced the best two games
between the sides.

In January, undefeated in the league, and later to win the
championship, Newcastle came to Gardens and sneaked
an an abrasive bad tempered game 21-17 in controversy
as Saints had two perfectly legitimate tries disallowed.
In the Falcons ranks was a certain Patrick Lam who has of
course been a legendary Saint only to return to his former club.
Saints got revenge a month later in the Tetleys cup when they became the first side to beat Newcastle that season in a cruncher of a game at the Gardens. The sight of Tim Rodber stopping Inga the Winger in his tracks at full pelt will live with the spectators that were there that day. It was like a bufallo hitting a Volkswagen Beetle head on!



EARLIER THIS SEASON

SMUDGER INSTANT HIT AS SAINTS SHINE


So there is a God after all? Just as most of us were looking forward, or not, to another week of Saintly despair the boys came good in style. The light at the end of the long dark tunnel could, on yesterdays showing, soon be bright Gold, Black n Green sunshine.

Forget what you may have read elsewhere about it being a poor game of rugby and Saints win being all down to how inept the the Falcons were, its utter tosh. Yet again we find journalists taking the one story from the Press Association and trying to put their own spin on it. Yes people were leaving in droves but purely because the Falcons supporters could no longer bear to see their team ripped apart by a rampant Saints outfit. (On top of that it was bloody cold!)

Newcastle were made to look bad by a Saints side playing out of their skin that harried the opposition at every opportunity. As John Steele said post match - "Today we stuck at it, closed Newcastle down and forced them into making errors."

The Falcons were never allowed to settle and despite one error when Ben Cohen and Paul Grayson faled to clear an awkward bounce the defence, with Cohen outstanding held firm.

Indeed apart from this error the 'flying' Falcons never really threatened the Saints twenty two and it was on this bedrock of defence that the Saints built their comprehensive victory.

The Saints started like their lives depended on it, and in some cases their livelihoods did. Early pressure failed to gained any points however despite the game being played exclusively in the Falcons half.

To compound the lack of points the first foray in the Saints half by the Falcons ended with a penalty and three points kicked by Dave Walder.

It looked like the same old story, dominance, then once the opposition hit back, doubts came in and confidence would drop. But not today, this was a new Saints, watched for the first time by their new coach Wayne 'Smudger' Smith. They were a fired up collective nightmare for the Falcons as they took the game again and again to the home side who had very little to offer in return.

The newly applied pressure soon bore fruit as on the half hour the Saints forwards upped a gear and drove deep into Newcastle territory. A scrum, reset three times, allowed Ben Cohen to burst through a Falcons defence left in abject disarray by the disruption.

Larry converted but woe was to follow for the stand in fullback as a Tom May chip eluded him from the kickoff allowing the young centre an easy score. Still though their was no panic, or head dropping in the ranks, they just drew breath, regrouped and the Saints again laid siege to the Newcastle line.

Rob Hunter who proved many doubters wrong (including myself) with a brilliant back row display, and without any doubt his best in a Saints shirt, broke free and led the charge to the line. Held up the ball was recycled to young flyhalf James Brokks who outwitted the vaunted home defence to break over for the try.

Grayson again converted to restore the Saints lead at 14-13 going into the break of the game that the lads had well and truly dominated from the off.

The Falcons were expected to regain compusure in the second half by introducing their experienced batch of replacements including Gary Armstrong and Gardens legend Pat Lam and it was a suprise to most that they did not appear for the second period.

Not that they could have halted the slide of their team as with only a couple of minutes gone Ben Cohen, who gave Liam Botham such a torrid afternoon he's probably thinking of going back to cricket, again forced his way through for the Saints third and his second try of the afternoon.

Grayson converted and the Saints were now truly in control in both the tight and the loose and a strong points advantage that Newcastle never looked like denting.

Again camped in the Falcons half it took a change in personnel on the hour to increase and secure the game. England U21 skipper Mark Tucker came on for Wallaby Peter Jorgensen and almost with his first touch scored the Saints fourth, and a bonus point earning try.

Even the introduction of Lam and Armstrong could not save the Falcons now.

Larry again converted and the Saints were home and dry but not before Ben Cohen had put in the tackle of the afternoon on Falcon flanker Taione who only had the tryline to beat after waltzing around Grayson.

The tackle, and indeed Cohens performance summed upped Saints afternoon as referee Nigel Yates brought proceedings to an end.

I don't want to jump the gun but it blooks like the corner could well have been turned. Some players had outstanding games and even the Newcastle media was full of praise for James Brooks, 'Wally' Thompson, Ollie Brouzet and yes, yet again Andy Blowers but all the players deserve a big thank you from all the supporters for putting pride back into the club and giving us some hope again.

Today sees the first day of Waynes Smiths reign at the club, on yesterdays showing he's got a damn good base to work on.

Onwards and upwards.......

And in the cup!

FALCONS SET TO FLIGHT AS SAINTS STORM HOME

Oh what a night! The Saints were simply supreme! Even the combined might of hurricane force winds, Rob Andrews Falcons and Tony Spreadbury could not stop the lads booking their place in the Powergen Cup final on April 20th against our old friends London Irish.

Early in the afternoon there were doubts that the game would take place at all as strong winds battered the region, leaving trees and fences down and various parts of the Saints tented village trying to make their way down Abbey Street. With disruption to travel, including a few hundred who were stuck with no trains running, and the promise of the wind abating, kick off was put back to 6:00pm.

Of course the sites resident conspiracy theorist has suggested that this was all part of Smudgers masterplan. Get the supporters in the pubs and bars then give them and extra hour to ensure that they are even more 'louded up' before kickoff.

By the time kickoff did come around the wind had indeed dropped and the crowd was indeed louded up to brim. Everyone was in good voice throughout a crowd which included for the first time Keith Barwell after his recent illness. Welcome back Uncle Keith!

The teams ran out to a thunderous welcome and I'm not too sure what the two young mascots, sons of Nick Beal and Paul Grayson made of it all. Probably, blimey, does my Dad have to put up with this noise at work every week, but at least we met Bernie!!!

To the action. The Saints started in confident mood taking the game from the off to the Falcons and showing no early signs that Smudgers perceived gamble in playing youngsters Dan Richmond and Robbie Morris in the front row instead of internationals Steve Thompson and Tommy Smith was anthing over than rugby mastery. Indeed both lads had solid games and certainly we will be seeing much, much more of them in the coming years.

With the game just four minutes old the Saints got their first rewards. Inga Tuigamala chipped out of defence but could not gather the ball. The forwards took up the initiative led by the rampant Grant Seely out wide on the left. The ball was recycled through several drives before Grant found the gap and surged through four Falcons defenders for the score which almost took the roof off.

Larry converted and added two further penalties, including one for which Falcon Hugh Vyvan was carded for, but the Falcons defence held out and indeed could have scored themselves but for a storming tackle by Danny Richmond on Falcom man of the match Epi Taione. As if on cue though the Saints upped a gear on the half hour and in ten glorious minutes added 20 more points to the scoreboard in one of the best performances of combined back and forward play seen at the Gardens.

That man Ben Cohen ignited the fire bursting through after taking an inside pass from Larry. The England winger was held up short but the ball was recyled virtually on the line by the forwards twice before Matt Dawson, back to his very best, stepped up to send a beautifully weighted long looping pass out to the outstanding Peter Jorgensen who skipped in for the score. The roof took another shudder as the crowd swithed to party mood sensing the Falcons were there for the taking and Twickers was within their grasp.

Minutes later they were back again changing points of attack across the field at will leaving the Falcons defence grasping at air. Breakdown after breakdown sucked more and more defenders in until the ball was smartly passed out along the line to a waiting Grant Seely on the wing who dived over for his second score of the half.

Larry missed the difficult conversion but Falcons centre Tom May was harshly adjudged to have gone in late on two try Seely at the score giving a restarted penalty from the centre spot. Mr Grayson duly obliged hitting a powerful kick plum centre through the posts.

The Saints were on a high but not finished yet for the half. Again and again they drove back in to Falcons territory with the visitors defence at sixes and sevens as to where the next attack would come from. The Saints opted for a repeat of Grants second score. The defence was tied up after several drives and mauls to the left leaving Saints in numbers out right, after Matt Dawson had made the initial break and taken play deep into the Newcastle 22.

The ball again flew along the line with John Leslie and Robbie Morris doing fine work before Jorgy sent the ball out to winger Craig Moir. The Scotsman stepped inside the flailing arm of 'Inga the Winga' to score Saints fourth and the game was over as a contest at 33-0 even before the sides had a chance to eat their halftime oranges!

The first half was all about attack but the second period gave the Saints the chance to hone their defensive skills as again and again they held fast against the Falcons onslaught, even allowing for losing skipper Budge Pountney for ten minutes when he was adjudged to have come round the side to steal a ball that was clearly out. But then you can't have everything!

The Saints weathered the storm for most of the half then in a series of drives headed back upfield and into the Falcons territory. Again with the forwards having made massive inroads Peter Jorgensen stepped into the breach to take a pop pass in a gap just wide enough for him to stretch to the line for his second, and Saints fifth, score.

As the Saints fans celebrated the famous victory the Falcons grabbed a late, late consolation through Stephenson but nothing could dampen that atmosphere as yet again at the final whistle the roof took a final hammering in decibels.

As Bill McClaren might have said 'There'll be dancing in the streets of Jimmy's End tonight!

So on to Twickenham……….


ANNES STATS

Results Summary in the Premiership
Played 11
Saints Won 7 63.6%
Newcastle Falcons Won 4 36.4%
Drawn 0 0%

Team Greats
Biggest Win for Saints 57 - 16 27 Mar 1999
Biggest Win for Newcastle Falcons 37 - 12 08 Oct 1997

Player Greats
Saints top try scorer vs Newcastle Falcons Ben Cohen 6 tries
Saints top points scorer vs Newcastle Falcons Paul Grayson 95 points
Newcastle Falcons top try scorer vs Saints Inga Tuigamala 4 tries
Newcastle Falcons top points scorer vs Saints Jonny Wilkinson 37 points


Previous Meetings

Season: 2001-02
02 Dec 2001 Northampton Saints vs Newcastle Falcons 28 - 13 Kingston P
Season: 2000-01
18 Nov 2000 Northampton Saints vs Newcastle Falcons 26 - 18 Franklin's
20 Aug 2000 Northampton Saints vs Newcastle Falcons 21 - 27 Kingston P
Season: 1999-00
21 May 2000 Northampton Saints vs Newcastle Falcons 32 - 23 Kingston P
26 Dec 1999 Northampton Saints vs Newcastle Falcons 37 - 5 Franklin's
Season: 1998-99
27 Mar 1999 Northampton Saints vs Newcastle Falcons 57 - 16 Franklin's
15 Nov 1998 Northampton Saints vs Newcastle Falcons 35 - 45 Kingston P
Season: 1997-98
31 Jan 1998 Northampton Saints vs Newcastle Falcons 17 - 21 Franklin's
08 Oct 1997 Northampton Saints vs Newcastle Falcons 12 - 37 Kingston P
Season: 1993-94
30 Apr 1994 Northampton Saints vs Newcastle Falcons 43 - 23 Franklin's
11 Dec 1993 Northampton Saints vs Newcastle Falcons 28 - 8 Kingston P