Sing When You're Winning

By Jonathan Stockham
January 15 2006

Northampton Saints cruised to a seven try victory to put themselves back in control of their pool in the Challenge Cup with a commanding performance against a second string Bristol team who nevertheless posed a stern challenge to the home side. It was only in the final quarter that Saints finally broke free to secure the bonus point.

 

Sing when you’re winning

 

Northampton Saints 45,  Bristol Rugby 8

 

Saturday 14 January 2006.

 

European Challenge Cup, Pool 1, Round 5.

 

Odd day really. Much had been made in the immediate build-up to the game of Bristol taking their first team squad to La Manga for some R&R and not looking to field their top players in a competition they regard as secondary to the need for survival in the Guinness Premiership. Would this be a banana skin for the Saints if they took the result too much for granted?

 

There was also the chance for fans to sing along to the Vangelis anthem beloved by the players and printed in the programme to “cut out and keep.”  Finally, the club were going to test the stadium evacuation procedures and everyone had to be out of the ground immediately after the final whistle in less than 8 minutes or we would all be sprayed with fire retardant foam, or something like that.

 

C and D Block seemed to join in with the song and even some venerable members of the Church’s stand quietly sang along from their “hymn” sheets. Anyway, to the game.

 

Monsieur Eric Darriere was the man in the middle and he got the game under way beneath leaden skies after a period of rain and drizzle. This might qualify for a Hats on Wheels award but within 2 minutes Saints had scored a try and were 7 points to the good. A turnover of Bristol ball by Saints was worked away by Tom Smith and after good recycling, a stunning variety of moves and strong running in support by Sam Harding, the Kiwi flanker came back in off the right wing, stepped inside Vaughan Going and touched down for a try which settled the early nerves of the home crowd.

 

Bruce Reihana added the conversion and after 2 minutes the score was 7-0 to Saints.

 

Bristol hit back shortly afterwards when Saints were to learn that the ref was going to be very quick to penalise infringements at the tackle and Tommy Hayes kicked the penalty just inside the left post to bring the visitors back within 4 points.

 

Saints struck again 2 minutes later after a long clearance kick by Ben Cohen had found touch. Although Bristol won their line out, Saints put so much pressure on their opponents that the visitors had no option but to kick up field and before you knew it Carlos Spencer was flinging out quick long passes, the ball passed through the backs’ hands like a weasel on amphetamine and Harding was there to take the final pass and thunder over for another try, to which Bruce added the conversion. Nine minutes on the clock and Saints were 14-3 ahead.

 

The dark clouds reappeared for Saints after 20 minutes when Luke Myring, playing earlier than expected after a shoulder injury, worked hard to clear up messy ball in defence but it was clear that his injury hadn’t really cleared up. He eventually left the pitch to reappear at half time to sit on the bench with his arm in a sling and replaced at this point by John Rudd. Ben moved to centre in a rearrangement of the back line.

 

 

Saints rush defence had been causing trouble all afternoon when Bristol attacked and on 25 minutes Bristol coughed up possession just in their own half. Carlos snapped up the ball and weaved his way through the scattered Bristol defence at increasing speed to dot down for Saints third try. Bruce missed the conversion but Saints now lead 19-3 and only one try to go for the bonus point.

 

 

 

Not a lot happened then for quite a long time after that although Sharky showed his worth by nipping back to touch down a Bristol attacking chip into the Saints goal area. Saints then lost another player to injury as Sean Lamont fielded a Bristol kick, which stayed in play. He looked to kick, then to pass long to Bruce, then decided to give up on that idea and run out of defence. He then slipped over and his ankle then gave up as well. He was led from the field of combat shaking his head and swearing at himself under his breath. Scrum half Johnny Howard came on to play on the wing and demonstrate that he is as quick as a very quick thing in Quickland.

 

Half time came and the presentation of the Saints With Heart Walk 4 cheque of £22,000 to the British Heart Foundation by walk patron Maggie Barwell after a lot of hard work and excellent organisation by Bob Stainsby and team. Well done all.

 

The second half was fairly action packed but unproductive. Steve Thompson hobbled off after 9 minutes to be replaced by Dylan “The Rabbit” Hartley. Then, on 22 minutes Saints came to life and attacked up the right wing. Bristol were pinged for offside but M. Darriere played a lengthy advantage. Saints worked the ball left and Johnny Howard was nearly through for a try but was tackled short. He kept the ball alive and Sharky took the ball at speed to canter over for try number 4 and the bonus point. Bruce added the extras and Saints now looked secure at 26-3.

 

Darren Fox came on for Ben Lewitt and Brett Sturgess came on for Chris Budgen who received the biggest cheer of the day for another huge performance from the little prop. He later received the Man of the Match award so I hope you were watching Paul Ackford. You are a very tall ex lock forward but your comments about “Chicken” in the Sunday Telegraph last week made you look very small by comparison to our tight head.

 

From here on in, the reportage becomes a tad hazy as the tries were being scored by Saints so rapidly that I was still scribbling about one try whilst Saints were running in the next.

 

On 25 minutes, tremendous continuity by Saints and express running by Johnny Howard produced ball for Ben to run in for a try and 3 minutes later he scored again after the ball was moved at speed and found the England winger in space. Before you knew it, the score was 40-3 to Saints.

 

Mark Soden came on to replace the ever hard working Dan Browne who had controlled the ball well at the base of an often messy Saints scrum.

 

Sharky again probed along the left touch line and Saints won a scrum from the continued pressure. The ball came back to Carlos who put up an enormous punt over to the right side in front of the Tetleys Stand. The ball seemed to hang in the air for ages but in the gathering gloom, Johnny Howard was motoring up the right wing at considerable speed and arrived as the ball re-entered the lower atmosphere at just the right moment. A career at NASA Rocketry Department awaits you Carlos. JH collected the ball cleanly, skipped through a despairing Bristol tackle and scampered over to give the Shrubbery Terrace a close up view of sliding try scoring. Bruce missed the touch line kick but a score line of 45-3 suited this writer perfectly as that was my prediction of Saints score in Lou’s Lottery.

 

The game still had some life and Bristol counter attacked strongly, an opportunist try from a Carlos mistake being saved by Damien Browne’s goalkeeping skills as he slid to collect the ball and stop a probable Bristol try.

 

Sam Harding was rampaging around with great effect as the game really loosened up but that loss of shape allowed Bristol, who never gave up all afternoon and emerge from this defeat with credit for sheer persistence, to break the Saints defensive system down and score through Sambucetti on their left with a huge overlap. The conversion was missed and the referee blew for no side shortly after.

 

A significant and emphatic victory for Saints which moved them to the top of their pool in the Challenge Cup and looking good for qualification into the quarter finals. Bristol’s second string had given Saints a game and forced several errors. Our scrum looked shaky at times and our line out still needs to sharpen up, although in loose play, Saints pack were dominant. A long period in the middle of the game had yielded no points for Saints and although they were clearly the better team, let’s not count chickens yet….except the one who was Man of the Match of course.

 

Points scorers:

 

Saints: Cohen (2T), Harding (2T), Spencer (1T), Robinson (1T), Howard (1T), Reihana (5C).

 

Bristol: Hayes (1P), Sambucetti (1T).