So the Saints mini run of five victories finally came to an end on Sunday at the Causeway Stadium, High Wycombe. In all honesty you could not fault the players effort but we were pretty much outplayed in just about every department by a very impressive Wasps team.
The South Bucks side were in my opinion just about the best side we have played in a long, long time.
Things looked bright early on. After we had held off an early Wasps offensive for ten minutes or so we took the game to them even turning down kickable penalties to try and force the try but alas no points were forthcoming. After twenty minutes it all looked to be over as Wasps, for whom Simon Shaw was immense, upped a few gears and ran away with it. Bruce Reihana’s 13th try of the Zurich was little consolation as on the face of it there was a large gulf between the sides in skill and organisation. The pick of the Saints for me has to be Matt Lord who even when the chips were down never gave up on the chasing the game. His tracking back and last ditch tackle, which unfortunately did not prevent Tom Voyce touching down for Wasps last try, says volumes about the guys attitude. A bit of an unsung hero Lordy could be the dark horse for player of the season.
So where exactly does the result leave us? Well it was the one game we could afford to lose and still be on course for the play offs so everything is far from over. Glos, with their rather lucky win at Sarries, have gained some ground but we are still in the driving seat with three regular games to go. On the face of it we have to get fourteen points from the three games against Bath, Leeds & Quins to definitely secure third place and a place in the playoffs. However when you consider the way Glos have been playing and the fact that they still have to play both Wasps and Bath (with Irish being their third game) we may need far fewer points than that target of fourteen. So all in all Sundays defeat not such a setback as first thought and I still think we are sitting pretty for that third spot. I fancy Wasps might still overhaul Bath at the top so there is a potential clash in the West Country on the horizon if not it is back to the Causeway. The big question is, if the game is at the ‘Wreck’ will we be getting any tickets?
FREE WEEKEND
With Saints having bowed out at the group stage of the Heineken Cup it is yet another free weekend for us coming up. With it being Easter I’m sure most of you will be spending time with your family, mowing the lawn, washing the car etc (what fun eh?) but don’t forget your weekend need not be totally rugby free with all four quarter finals on the box from Friday through Sunday.
In my mind Toulouse already have one toe in the final at Twickenham on the 23rd of May where the form book suggests they will meet Wasps or Munster. Personally, much as we all like the Munster mob, after that game in 2000, I would like to see a Wasps v Toulouse final in what could be one of the best finals on paper ever in the competition, a game for the purists that I would be quite happy to pay to see.
WANDERERS
The club have announced the details of the two-legged final of the Zurich A League against Quins.
The second leg takes place at the Gardens on Tuesday April 27th with a 7:45 kick off, I’m sure I will see you all there. If you want to follow the team down to the Stoop for the first leg its is on Easter Monday evening at 7:30. Being a Bank Holiday there is disruption to the train service and it looks at the very least like six hours travelling to get you there and back if you’re thinking of letting the train take the strain. It looks like the only feasible option is by road. Remember to give yourselves plenty of time as Monday evening will be the time the whole world and his brother return from their weekends away. The supporters club are thinking of running a coach but at time of writing details are not finalised, please look on our websites message board (www.comeonyousaints.com) for any possible updates. Good luck Wanderers!
NEW COACHES
So Alan Solomons has confirmed his coaching panel for next season. Not only does Aussie Frank Ponissi join us as skills coach but also Solomons forwards coach at Ulster, new Zealander Adrian Kennedy, will be following him to the Gardens. Now Solly describes Kennedy as a “hard nosed and abrasive coach” which may be somewhat of an understatement as on investigation it seems that he learnt his trade under New Zealand legend Alex ‘Grizz’ Wylie.
Grizz it seems is to diplomacy and negotiation what Austin Healey is to modesty. A few years ago his I read his biography and there are more tales about the guy than I’ve had hot dinners. One famous one which sums up the man was that at a club game one of his props had the top part of his ear ripped off so Grizz just taped round the bleeding wound and sent the player back on. The bleeding became so profuse that the tape kept coming off so the player left the field saying to Wylie he really felt he needed stitches to stem the flow. Wylie apparently in typical fashion told him to b***** off and he would find somebody that really wanted to play for the club.
The stories about firing a shotgun through a hotel wall and laying out a troublesome spectator only added to his legendary status and if Adrian Kennedy is half as ‘hard nosed and abrasive’ I can see our forwards are in for some hard, hard graft. But maybe at the end of the day we as a club will be all the better for it.
Things looked bright early on. After we had held off an early Wasps offensive for ten minutes or so we took the game to them even turning down kickable penalties to try and force the try but alas no points were forthcoming. After twenty minutes it all looked to be over as Wasps, for whom Simon Shaw was immense, upped a few gears and ran away with it. Bruce Reihana’s 13th try of the Zurich was little consolation as on the face of it there was a large gulf between the sides in skill and organisation. The pick of the Saints for me has to be Matt Lord who even when the chips were down never gave up on the chasing the game. His tracking back and last ditch tackle, which unfortunately did not prevent Tom Voyce touching down for Wasps last try, says volumes about the guys attitude. A bit of an unsung hero Lordy could be the dark horse for player of the season.
So where exactly does the result leave us? Well it was the one game we could afford to lose and still be on course for the play offs so everything is far from over. Glos, with their rather lucky win at Sarries, have gained some ground but we are still in the driving seat with three regular games to go. On the face of it we have to get fourteen points from the three games against Bath, Leeds & Quins to definitely secure third place and a place in the playoffs. However when you consider the way Glos have been playing and the fact that they still have to play both Wasps and Bath (with Irish being their third game) we may need far fewer points than that target of fourteen. So all in all Sundays defeat not such a setback as first thought and I still think we are sitting pretty for that third spot. I fancy Wasps might still overhaul Bath at the top so there is a potential clash in the West Country on the horizon if not it is back to the Causeway. The big question is, if the game is at the ‘Wreck’ will we be getting any tickets?
FREE WEEKEND
With Saints having bowed out at the group stage of the Heineken Cup it is yet another free weekend for us coming up. With it being Easter I’m sure most of you will be spending time with your family, mowing the lawn, washing the car etc (what fun eh?) but don’t forget your weekend need not be totally rugby free with all four quarter finals on the box from Friday through Sunday.
In my mind Toulouse already have one toe in the final at Twickenham on the 23rd of May where the form book suggests they will meet Wasps or Munster. Personally, much as we all like the Munster mob, after that game in 2000, I would like to see a Wasps v Toulouse final in what could be one of the best finals on paper ever in the competition, a game for the purists that I would be quite happy to pay to see.
WANDERERS
The club have announced the details of the two-legged final of the Zurich A League against Quins.
The second leg takes place at the Gardens on Tuesday April 27th with a 7:45 kick off, I’m sure I will see you all there. If you want to follow the team down to the Stoop for the first leg its is on Easter Monday evening at 7:30. Being a Bank Holiday there is disruption to the train service and it looks at the very least like six hours travelling to get you there and back if you’re thinking of letting the train take the strain. It looks like the only feasible option is by road. Remember to give yourselves plenty of time as Monday evening will be the time the whole world and his brother return from their weekends away. The supporters club are thinking of running a coach but at time of writing details are not finalised, please look on our websites message board (www.comeonyousaints.com) for any possible updates. Good luck Wanderers!
NEW COACHES
So Alan Solomons has confirmed his coaching panel for next season. Not only does Aussie Frank Ponissi join us as skills coach but also Solomons forwards coach at Ulster, new Zealander Adrian Kennedy, will be following him to the Gardens. Now Solly describes Kennedy as a “hard nosed and abrasive coach” which may be somewhat of an understatement as on investigation it seems that he learnt his trade under New Zealand legend Alex ‘Grizz’ Wylie.
Grizz it seems is to diplomacy and negotiation what Austin Healey is to modesty. A few years ago his I read his biography and there are more tales about the guy than I’ve had hot dinners. One famous one which sums up the man was that at a club game one of his props had the top part of his ear ripped off so Grizz just taped round the bleeding wound and sent the player back on. The bleeding became so profuse that the tape kept coming off so the player left the field saying to Wylie he really felt he needed stitches to stem the flow. Wylie apparently in typical fashion told him to b***** off and he would find somebody that really wanted to play for the club.
The stories about firing a shotgun through a hotel wall and laying out a troublesome spectator only added to his legendary status and if Adrian Kennedy is half as ‘hard nosed and abrasive’ I can see our forwards are in for some hard, hard graft. But maybe at the end of the day we as a club will be all the better for it.
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