Don't Believe The Hype - Saints 12 Glaws 18

By Ben Dover, additional notes by Mark H
September 19 2004

If anyone tells you that this game was won at the hands of an inept Premiership Referee, then don’t believe them. True Steve Lander did have a moment or two to himself but he was by no means the orchestrater of this particular score line.

Gloucester, one of the early season visitors to Franklins Gardens and following directly in the footsteps of their near neighbours Bath had clearly done their homework. Nigel Melville and Dean Ryan’s instructions to their side must have been “whatever you do, don’t let them have the ball in open play”.

To my mind his match was won in the damp early autumn mists of the Cherry and White training ground, where a determined Gloucester must have hatched their plot. And for many Saints fans it’s to be hoped that not too many of Gloucester’s premiership classmates will be borrowing their textbooks.

Gloucester bristling with exciting back line players but missing a few of their more recognised names in the forwards probably ran out as underdogs on to a pitch that looked more deserving of a Ryder Cup fairway.

But it was the Saints side bursting with confidence from their early season success that were not to be allowed into the game. Every opportunity afforded to the Saints was to be snuffed out before the footballing juices were allowed to flow from the men in Gold Black and Green.

It would be hard on Johnny Howard to criticize his performance in this game but the absence of Mark Robinson from the base of the scrum was noticed and Paul Grayson’s early departure from the game probably didn’t help matters, although Drahm busied himself about the pitch in a more than creditable fashion.

But in all honesty Saints were under all kinds of pressure from a keen Gloucester pack who pushed and shoved and huffed and puffed all over the park. Surely they couldn’t keep it up? The dice would at sometime fall in favour of Solomon’s men. But no, they never did.

Instead ball after ball was turned over knocked on or fumbled by a Saints side robbed of all time and space. Even in the closing quarter when Gloucester were down to fourteen men after killing the ball at a ruck did a try look like materialising as ball after ball was coughed up at each critical moment.

But the basis for Gloucester’s win was founded on a simple old fashion Rugby principle keep’em deep. You are far less likely to concede a try to a side attacking from the edge of it’s own 22, and with players like Reihana Cohen and Rudd in the side further back than that would be even better.

And so it was that every time an opportunity was spied, back went the ball from a Gloucester boot towards the corners and restart after restart was required from a defensive lineout inside our own 22.

To be fair to the Saints though Gloucester who had far more continuity from their possession rarely looked like challenging the try line either, and it took some poor defensive errors in the second quarter to allow Ozam to cross the line with all the ease of a national hunt protestor making his way into the houses of parliament.

Penalties came and went as Saints edged closer, but rarely was last seasons passion rekindled. Henry Paul who had a number of chances to put the game beyond the Saints with his boot kept delivering slim life lines but at the other end things were no different and with 12 minutes to go and the score at 12 – 13 Drahm’s missed penalty properly summed up the Saints afternoon.

Late desperation from the Saints gifted Gloucester and Marcel Garvey a final score as he put pressure on Cohen who was having a far from impressive day at the office. The tackle was made but man and ball had enough momentum to slide over the line. 12 – 18 and luckily Paul missed the conversion to leave the Saints desperately clinging on to a bonus point.

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Mark H - I was supposed to write the report for this match, and whilst waiting for the First XV session to finish, started scribbling out a few notes, only to get home and see all of my thoughts eloquently summed up by Ben.  I'll just add one thought - Ben Cohen's mental aberration at the end when he allowed Garvey to get a start on him summed up the game; Glaws were on the pace, Saints weren't.  I wouldn't be surprised to see changes next week.

And after the game in Heroes, everyone was reflecting on what we had seen when the bar fell silent as Steve Lander walked through, to be ushered to the Rodbar through the kitchens by Claire.  Not without one comment though - "Typical Lander, can't even see himself coming on the wrong side"...