Leeds v Northampton - Zurich Report

By Mark H
May 3 2004

Sometimes watching the Saints is like teaching a child to count. Totally fruitless for ages and ages as they try and get the hang of what they’re supposed to be doing, and then all of a sudden bang, it clicks into place and then there is no stopping them.

One win and two points behind at the start of play, Saints are now three points in front after four tries and a five point win at Headingley on a gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon.

Ah yes, the sun. Having travelled up on the mobile sauna that was coach number seven, with the heating jammed on full, it was a pleasure to walk into a fine Yorkshire afternoon. Someone commented as we were getting off the coach that the weather was perfect because it meant that the lads would not fail to see the gold black and green amongst what sadly turned out to be the wide open spaces of Headingley (a shame because it really is a perfect place to watch a game of rugby, regardless of code). That it proved that there were way more than the official allocation of five hundred Saints supporters there (I’d say double it, add a few hundred more and start from there) was just proof that not only will we travel anywhere, but we’ll do it in huge numbers as well.

With the weather being better than expected, and the target being laid down by Gloucester the previous day (as well as some quite pitiful attempts at wind ups by Messrs Gomersall and Melville on Sky, along with the usual anti-Saints bias), the stage was set for running rugby. What I’m sure none of us expected was Saints trying to run the ball back from our own 22 at every early opportunity. An enterprising gameplan obviously, but also potentially a very dangerous one, so it was not entirely unexpected when scrum half Alan Dickens intercepted a short pass from Nick Beal on the halfway line and just about managed to run the length of the half to get the try, despite a desperate attempt to get a tackle back in just short of the line. My friend found herself confronted by a Leeds supporter of advancing years turning round and cheering in her face, then apologising for it. Passionate and polite - it was that sort of afternoon. Gordie Ross kicked the conversion and there was a deficit of seven just five minutes in. You could hear Stuart Barnes’ heart a-fluttering the entire length of the M1...

The other thing that had become blindingly obvious in the early stages was that the gamble by Phil Davies of putting Mark Regan on the bench was not working. No disrespect to his replacement Rob Rawlinson, but it looked a lightweight Leeds eight on paper, and Regan’s experience may have just about held it together. As it was, Saints dominated the first half upfront to such an extent that I commented at the time that if we got a five metre scrum I’d back us for a pushover try. At one point, it looked quite possible that there was going to be a Saints pushover try from a Leeds scrum on their own five metre line, such was the domination being shown by the men in green.

Grays kicked a penalty in front of the posts after the obligatory controversial decision by referee Steve Lander. If there’s ever been a referee that appears to be in the game for himself rather than others more than him, then I haven’t seen him - strutting around before the kick off it was obvious that his lay off had treated him well, with a tan and excess weight, and it was also clear that he hadn’t refereed at this level for a long time, and was consequently unaccustomed to the pace of the ZP. The impressive John Leslie, cutting more lines and beating more defenders than usual, tried a little kick and chase through, and was taken out by a blatant block from centre Tristan Davies. Rather than seeing how the play would develop, Lander blew immediately - just as John Clarke was touching down for the try. Having seen that a try had been scored, you’d have thought that he might have given a penalty try. Wrong. At one point I wasn’t even convinced that he was going to get his hand in his pocket, but eventually the yellow card came out.

Shortly afterwards however, Bruce was being helped off the pitch after two or three minutes treatment trying to get him moving again, and a scrumcap being thrown down in disgust. The early prognosis is that it’s a rib injury that will probably keep him out of next Saturday’s game - let’s hope that it’s not that serious to keep him out of any more games than that. At one point Shane Drahm was ready to come on in a direct swap, but Andy Vilk then appeared as the replacement with a major reshuffle elsewhere in the backs, with Ben moving out to the wing, and Bealer to full back. The good thing, I suppose, about playing players out of position from the start is that they’ve had a week to get used to them, so can go back to their favoured positions if needed and slot in straightaway.

The move worked, because Saints began to get on top and play a pressing game that should have thrown up a large number of tries, and it would have done had there not been repeated knock ons when the line was begging, allied with some desperate Tykes defence. Frustration levels were mounting, both on and off the pitch, increased by Ross’ second penalty to put the home side back in front. If we were going to have one of those days, please don’t let it be today, when so much was dependent on the result. Just after the penalty was scored, Grays limped off and was replaced by Shane Drahm. Little were we to know what an effect he would have after the interval, which shortly followed with the score 10-8 to Leeds.

My thought at half time was that if we were going to play an expansive game, then Shine would be ideal for that and able to use his dancing feet to full effect. Well, after the second forty minutes, Shine will be transferring to London at the end of the season, not to Saracens, but to the West End to star in a remake of Saturday Night Fever. It’s very unfair on the others to say that Shine changed the game, as it was very much a case of cutting out the errors, but he did provide a spark and a different option to get Saints flowing again.

Leeds replaced Rawlinson and Persico with Regan and Hyde for the second half, and immediately the Leeds pack looked tighter. That didn’t stop the Saints backs from starting to perform though. Andy Vilk broke down the right, and in attempting to make a tackle, Phil Christopher went down with what proved to be a game-ending injury, as the ball was spread along the line, it just seemed like a matter of time before someone took advantage of that gap, and it fell to Bealer to find the gap in the line between prop Gavin Kerr and flanker Dan Hyde and go over for a second try. Saintly voices were made loud, with a fair amount of relief in them, and Shine kicked the extras for a 15-10 lead.

No mistakes were needed now, just consolidation and possible extension of the lead. That man Drahm was listening, making no mistakes with two penalties. Eleven points was more comfortable than five, but still not totally comfortable. One flash of genius was needed, or one mistake. Step forward Dan Scarbrough…

Scabs was having a reasonable game, but both him and David Rees on the other wing were having to come infield to try and get some decent ball to attack the Saintly defensive line. With the Saints’ gameplan having changed slightly - kick the ball into the Leeds half and make them work from deep - it meant that the Leeds backs were having to come from deeper and deeper. When a kick was put in the region on Scarbrough, on his left wing, he was faced with an onrushing Cohen and Vilk. Rather than take the ball into contact, and in fairness he was very isolated, he opted for a chip over Ben’s head. The same Ben Cohen who plucks the ball out of midair for fun for England and Saints. The same Ben Cohen who managed to get hands to the ball and knock in down straight into Vilky’s hands. The youngster knew what to do knew, and charged towards the Tykes line, delaying a return pass back to Cohen just long enough for the try to be an absolute formality. Contest over - it was now a case of fourteen minutes to get a bonus point. And for Scarbrough? Immediate substitution and replacement by the youngest player in ZP history in seventeen year old David Doherty. An uncharitable Leeds supporter near me said “Thanks for everything you’ve done Scarbs” - it will be very interesting to see if he plays in their final game next week before going to Saracens.

Leeds didn’t think that the game was over though, and subsequently had their longest spell of pressure in the entire game. They should have scored when Ross knocked on over the line, and it did take them ten minutes to score it, but eventually David Rees, the best of the Tykes on the day, made it over the line for his second ZP try of the season. Ross missed the conversion, and it was 26-15, but more importantly, Saints could finally get back to the halfway line.

It didn’t take long to get the fourth try. A long, hanging Shine kick off was knocked on. The first scrum was reset, and as we waited for Lander to award a penalty to Leeds (it was their turn), I commented that Doherty had been left to look after Ben. Again, no disrespect, but a kid against England‘s number one winger? If the ball could be put along the line then surely the try was on. Well, I got it wrong, and yet right. The ball was quickly fed out to Shine, who put in a flat cross kick that was just at the right height for Ben to jump on the run, land, and touch down. The volume was cranked up another notch. Five points in the bag, and bring on Quins.

The team came back out to a resounding reception, and deservedly so. It was a battle, Leeds were tough, but the job was done and now the season comes down to three of those matches where trophies are awarded. You know, those. I don’t use “f” words…although if we could call them Powergen Cup semi-finals then we’d like them more. Roll on Saturday…