Well what a weekend that was! The Saints came good in some style, pulling out the performance of the last couple of seasons at the Stade Armandie, Agen on Friday night. It was just one of those Saints days when everyman played his part and just about everything fell into place.
It was a game that will live long in the memory for all those that made the trip to France and those watching or listening back home in blighty.
It would be very hard to pick out individuals as it was the quintessential team effort but it looked to me like someone, somewhere had designed the game and conditions just for Paul Grayson’s kicking game as he pushed the home side back again and again. To confuse the Agenais he mixed and matched to keep them on their toes, or more often than not their backfeet.
Just when you thought he was going to use the boot once more the ball was run of defence, even sometimes from behind our own line, by more often than not Chris Hyndman, Ben Cohen and Bruce Reihana who punched holes in the Agenais wall all night long. In defence the backs played a major part too with midfield general John Leslie organising matters at the coalface, Sharky Robinson yet again punching above his weight and makeshift wing Mark Tucker putting in the tackle of the night that single-handedly drove back an Agen attack ten metres.
The forwards of course were immense to a man too. Despite a couple of early hiccups the front eight regained their compusure and did not give an inch all night long against one of the most vaunted packs in France indeed by the end of the game they had them all at sixes and sevens. In the front row Robbie Morris had his game of the season while Tam Smith and Wally were all over the park like demons.
In the second Matt Lord and Mark Connors dominated the lineout and the backrow of Grant Seely, Andy Blowers and the abrasive Darren Fox never let the Agenais settle all night. Truly a great night and all this on St Bernards day too!
RESPECT OR NON!
You cannot take anything away from the teams performance but I have a sneaking suspicion that a touch of over confidence from Agen might have played a part too going on what we heard around the town.
Of course losing only once in 54 games before Friday does build up a cloak of invincibility but it could also prove your downfall. Around the town in the days before the game we had a couple of comments from people along the lines of 'thank you very much for coming from Northampton but you really do not stand a chance'.
In one bar near the ground a very friendly French barmaid commented very matter of factly 'today is the day you lose' as if it was a foregone conclusion, indeed on that same bars wall was a poster that when roughly translated read ‘Northampton are just a boil on our bum waiting to be lanced.
Of course once the game started and they had not run in a couple of tries after ten minutes the cracks started to show and I cannot help thinking that the Agenais were subconsciously thinking that it was just a case of them turning up.
We heard on returning home that Renaud Peillard, still obviously an important part of the squad, had been on a ‘mission’ in the previous couple of days round the streets of Agen picking up the local views on the game from the townsfolk and the media and I am sure he heard just the same thing about how Agen would easily prevail. Looks like that old ‘respect’ came into play for us a second week running.
WHERE DID THEY COME FROM
Arriving in Agen midday on Thursday we encountered only a few pockets of other Saints supporters and, given that the game had been switched late to a Friday night, we thought maybe only three or four hundred may make the trip.
On the day of the game in town there was an increased smattering of Gold, Black and Green around the bars and streets but nothing that could prepare you for what happened at the ground. As we neared the Stade Armandie there were Saints coming out of the woodwork in all directions and it was estimated that around 1000 had made the trip to France.
Of course the performance on the pitch put everyone in good voice and the locals, drums trumpets and all, were silenced by half time. Fair dues to the Agen support though, apart from the single ville (no that’s not a spelling mistake) idiot gesturing in our players faces the majority applauded the Saints and their support. On the Agen website the locals were quick to praise the Gold, Black and Green army post match and though these quotes may lose something in translation I think we can all, just like the team, be proud of our performance.
"Cheer also with the English supporters which were brilliant, they are beautiful (they must have caught my best side) a crowd that sings like that!."
"Yes, cheer with NORTHAMPTON: the supporters are formidable, what songs they have, the Agen support can take example to follow."
"It is clear that the British supporters are super!!! I was Friday downtown at the end of the morning, there was the support of Northampton everywhere, they wanted to buy us drinks, and us to speak with them. Their songs are enormous, they make more noise than us with 8000, because they all, small, old, women, men etc put themselves at it all to sing and applaud!!
Cheer with them!"
And it was not just Agen that witnessed the invasion, on returning home we stopped off for a night in Toulouse and the Frog & Rosbif bar resembled the Bus Club on a Gardens matchday such was the amount of Northamptonians in there.
Well done to all but the job is only half done. With the game against the Scarlets a winner takes all affair on Sunday and with a rumoured two or three thousand making the trip from Llanelli everyone has to be at their most vocal come kickoff time. Okay we may only have one song we all know and we may not all be in tune, but once you get 10,000 voices singing it there is nothing that can compete. So altogethher together now, 'OH WHEN THE SAINTS!!!!!'
It would be very hard to pick out individuals as it was the quintessential team effort but it looked to me like someone, somewhere had designed the game and conditions just for Paul Grayson’s kicking game as he pushed the home side back again and again. To confuse the Agenais he mixed and matched to keep them on their toes, or more often than not their backfeet.
Just when you thought he was going to use the boot once more the ball was run of defence, even sometimes from behind our own line, by more often than not Chris Hyndman, Ben Cohen and Bruce Reihana who punched holes in the Agenais wall all night long. In defence the backs played a major part too with midfield general John Leslie organising matters at the coalface, Sharky Robinson yet again punching above his weight and makeshift wing Mark Tucker putting in the tackle of the night that single-handedly drove back an Agen attack ten metres.
The forwards of course were immense to a man too. Despite a couple of early hiccups the front eight regained their compusure and did not give an inch all night long against one of the most vaunted packs in France indeed by the end of the game they had them all at sixes and sevens. In the front row Robbie Morris had his game of the season while Tam Smith and Wally were all over the park like demons.
In the second Matt Lord and Mark Connors dominated the lineout and the backrow of Grant Seely, Andy Blowers and the abrasive Darren Fox never let the Agenais settle all night. Truly a great night and all this on St Bernards day too!
RESPECT OR NON!
You cannot take anything away from the teams performance but I have a sneaking suspicion that a touch of over confidence from Agen might have played a part too going on what we heard around the town.
Of course losing only once in 54 games before Friday does build up a cloak of invincibility but it could also prove your downfall. Around the town in the days before the game we had a couple of comments from people along the lines of 'thank you very much for coming from Northampton but you really do not stand a chance'.
In one bar near the ground a very friendly French barmaid commented very matter of factly 'today is the day you lose' as if it was a foregone conclusion, indeed on that same bars wall was a poster that when roughly translated read ‘Northampton are just a boil on our bum waiting to be lanced.
Of course once the game started and they had not run in a couple of tries after ten minutes the cracks started to show and I cannot help thinking that the Agenais were subconsciously thinking that it was just a case of them turning up.
We heard on returning home that Renaud Peillard, still obviously an important part of the squad, had been on a ‘mission’ in the previous couple of days round the streets of Agen picking up the local views on the game from the townsfolk and the media and I am sure he heard just the same thing about how Agen would easily prevail. Looks like that old ‘respect’ came into play for us a second week running.
WHERE DID THEY COME FROM
Arriving in Agen midday on Thursday we encountered only a few pockets of other Saints supporters and, given that the game had been switched late to a Friday night, we thought maybe only three or four hundred may make the trip.
On the day of the game in town there was an increased smattering of Gold, Black and Green around the bars and streets but nothing that could prepare you for what happened at the ground. As we neared the Stade Armandie there were Saints coming out of the woodwork in all directions and it was estimated that around 1000 had made the trip to France.
Of course the performance on the pitch put everyone in good voice and the locals, drums trumpets and all, were silenced by half time. Fair dues to the Agen support though, apart from the single ville (no that’s not a spelling mistake) idiot gesturing in our players faces the majority applauded the Saints and their support. On the Agen website the locals were quick to praise the Gold, Black and Green army post match and though these quotes may lose something in translation I think we can all, just like the team, be proud of our performance.
"Cheer also with the English supporters which were brilliant, they are beautiful (they must have caught my best side) a crowd that sings like that!."
"Yes, cheer with NORTHAMPTON: the supporters are formidable, what songs they have, the Agen support can take example to follow."
"It is clear that the British supporters are super!!! I was Friday downtown at the end of the morning, there was the support of Northampton everywhere, they wanted to buy us drinks, and us to speak with them. Their songs are enormous, they make more noise than us with 8000, because they all, small, old, women, men etc put themselves at it all to sing and applaud!!
Cheer with them!"
And it was not just Agen that witnessed the invasion, on returning home we stopped off for a night in Toulouse and the Frog & Rosbif bar resembled the Bus Club on a Gardens matchday such was the amount of Northamptonians in there.
Well done to all but the job is only half done. With the game against the Scarlets a winner takes all affair on Sunday and with a rumoured two or three thousand making the trip from Llanelli everyone has to be at their most vocal come kickoff time. Okay we may only have one song we all know and we may not all be in tune, but once you get 10,000 voices singing it there is nothing that can compete. So altogethher together now, 'OH WHEN THE SAINTS!!!!!'
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