Well maybe a loss on Saturday but the lads were far from disgraced and all things considered overall another step in the right direction.
Indeed a very baffling refereeing decision when Andy Blowers was clearly taken out the game on the way to a Sale try which snatched the lead in the dying moments of the first half arguably changed the face of the game.
Had the Saints gone in ahead at the interval things might well have gone differently knowing they had a slender lead to defend, at the very least a losing bonus point was within their grasp. We displayed flashes of attacking rugby and breaking out in numbers that showed confidence and belief is still building and there still is hope for the season and although I am sure the rash of late withdrawals would not be looked on as an excuse by the club they surely did not help matters.
Given that the score slightly flattered Sale we can only guess what may have happened had Reihana, Krige, Stribina and Drahm started the game.
However it was not to be but the optimist in me says the Saints glass is still more half full than half empty and it maybe just needs the top up of a good win over Saracens at the Gardens on Saturday.
LOOKING AHEAD
On Saturday it’s the annual visit of the funny hat brigade as Saracens visit the Gardens.
It’s one game that should be pencilled in for the home win but Saracens, as they showed in their demolition of Newcastle on Friday night, are anything but pushovers and have started to put a string of form together since Steve Diamond took over as head coach.
They can however tend to go into their shell especially away from home when the chips are down.
Saints, with a little bit of luck on the injury front and a roaring Gardens behind them, are certainly capable of pulling something out of the bag on this one and I’ll take them to edge a further win that takes them nearer to safety.
Saturday also sees the start of the Six Nations and we potentially say goodbye to Cap’n Wally and Ben to England and Tam Smith and Ross Beattie to Scotland for a few weeks as the Saints fight on in the ZP . Not an ideal situation but we suffer player losses less than others like Sale and Tigers although the sooner they move the Six Nations to seasons end as a block the better in my opinion.
The Wales v England game kicks off at 5:30 and for those not rushing home to watch it is bound to be shown in bars both inside the ground and around the locality. The France v Scotland game kicks off at 2:00 so you should be able to catch the first half before the main event, Saints v Sarries kicks off at three. See you there!
THE FUTURE
Saints have come in for some criticism over the last couple of years from various sources over their recruitment policy and the quality of produce through the academy, indeed it has been pointed out that there is not one Saints youngster in the England U21 squad announced last week. However I suspect in some ways we have turned a corner as we look to develop talent closer to home.
It was good to see young Paul Diggin have such a storming debut on Saturday. A produce of BBOB, and as local a lad as Steve Thompson and Ben Cohen, ‘Digger’ certainly caught the eye not only stopping Jason Robinson in his tracks but showing him a clean pair of heels on occasion too. Under Alan Solomons I doubt the chance would ever have come his way.
In recent weeks the Wanderers have also been giving run outs to young prospects from the area including the likes of Adam Barnard and Jack Green and several more potential young Saintsmen such as Ben Patson, Rhoddri Davies have been getting glowing reports for their efforts in the second string.
So all is not as bad as it may have looked (or appeared to look) a couple of months ago and whilst I’m sure we will still see big overseas names signing for the Saints the influx of more homegrown players coming through the ranks will continue to rise in years to come on the evidence of recent weeks.
BRINGING THE GAME INTO DISREPUTE?
So Sharkey gets 14 weeks for his ‘stamp’ on Mark Regans head. The club it seems has decided to err on the side of caution and not appeal, probably wise given the inconsistencies of some of the punishments handed out at the various hearings held for some unknown reason at the four corners of the country none of which could bear relation to where the player resides or where the game took place. I’ve always thought one central panel with a pool of ‘judges’ based at HQ might arguably be more consistent in their decisions but then we are talking the RFU so lets alternate between Leeds, London, Coventry and Bristol and a different set of individuals each week. Is it just me or is that just plain daft when a player cited at say Bath v Bristol could be called to Leeds the following Tuesday night rather than a hearing heard a mile down the road? And lets face it on past showing those two different hearings could range widely in the sentence meted out depending on who was sitting on the panel. Of course that not to say Sharkey might have got a longer ban under these circumstances but when you see bans ranging from four weeks to six months for the same offence you start to think at least people would knew where they stood (no pun intended) if there was one central panel handing out justice like for like.
Please note the next bit was written on Sunday before Regan the Con Artist had been charged
Talking of Mr Regan how clever it was of him to admit on BBC Look North last week that he had milked his injury in an attempt to get Sharkey sent off. Of course we know antics like this go on in the round ball game but if any player were to admit so much in soccer there would be banner headlines and the player quite rightly charged with bringing the game into disrepute. Will this happen to Regan? No of course not. Perhaps at times rugby’s a little naïve in what it expects of people, in my mind this should be stamped (pun fully intended) out before it becomes the norm.
Had the Saints gone in ahead at the interval things might well have gone differently knowing they had a slender lead to defend, at the very least a losing bonus point was within their grasp. We displayed flashes of attacking rugby and breaking out in numbers that showed confidence and belief is still building and there still is hope for the season and although I am sure the rash of late withdrawals would not be looked on as an excuse by the club they surely did not help matters.
Given that the score slightly flattered Sale we can only guess what may have happened had Reihana, Krige, Stribina and Drahm started the game.
However it was not to be but the optimist in me says the Saints glass is still more half full than half empty and it maybe just needs the top up of a good win over Saracens at the Gardens on Saturday.
LOOKING AHEAD
On Saturday it’s the annual visit of the funny hat brigade as Saracens visit the Gardens.
It’s one game that should be pencilled in for the home win but Saracens, as they showed in their demolition of Newcastle on Friday night, are anything but pushovers and have started to put a string of form together since Steve Diamond took over as head coach.
They can however tend to go into their shell especially away from home when the chips are down.
Saints, with a little bit of luck on the injury front and a roaring Gardens behind them, are certainly capable of pulling something out of the bag on this one and I’ll take them to edge a further win that takes them nearer to safety.
Saturday also sees the start of the Six Nations and we potentially say goodbye to Cap’n Wally and Ben to England and Tam Smith and Ross Beattie to Scotland for a few weeks as the Saints fight on in the ZP . Not an ideal situation but we suffer player losses less than others like Sale and Tigers although the sooner they move the Six Nations to seasons end as a block the better in my opinion.
The Wales v England game kicks off at 5:30 and for those not rushing home to watch it is bound to be shown in bars both inside the ground and around the locality. The France v Scotland game kicks off at 2:00 so you should be able to catch the first half before the main event, Saints v Sarries kicks off at three. See you there!
THE FUTURE
Saints have come in for some criticism over the last couple of years from various sources over their recruitment policy and the quality of produce through the academy, indeed it has been pointed out that there is not one Saints youngster in the England U21 squad announced last week. However I suspect in some ways we have turned a corner as we look to develop talent closer to home.
It was good to see young Paul Diggin have such a storming debut on Saturday. A produce of BBOB, and as local a lad as Steve Thompson and Ben Cohen, ‘Digger’ certainly caught the eye not only stopping Jason Robinson in his tracks but showing him a clean pair of heels on occasion too. Under Alan Solomons I doubt the chance would ever have come his way.
In recent weeks the Wanderers have also been giving run outs to young prospects from the area including the likes of Adam Barnard and Jack Green and several more potential young Saintsmen such as Ben Patson, Rhoddri Davies have been getting glowing reports for their efforts in the second string.
So all is not as bad as it may have looked (or appeared to look) a couple of months ago and whilst I’m sure we will still see big overseas names signing for the Saints the influx of more homegrown players coming through the ranks will continue to rise in years to come on the evidence of recent weeks.
BRINGING THE GAME INTO DISREPUTE?
So Sharkey gets 14 weeks for his ‘stamp’ on Mark Regans head. The club it seems has decided to err on the side of caution and not appeal, probably wise given the inconsistencies of some of the punishments handed out at the various hearings held for some unknown reason at the four corners of the country none of which could bear relation to where the player resides or where the game took place. I’ve always thought one central panel with a pool of ‘judges’ based at HQ might arguably be more consistent in their decisions but then we are talking the RFU so lets alternate between Leeds, London, Coventry and Bristol and a different set of individuals each week. Is it just me or is that just plain daft when a player cited at say Bath v Bristol could be called to Leeds the following Tuesday night rather than a hearing heard a mile down the road? And lets face it on past showing those two different hearings could range widely in the sentence meted out depending on who was sitting on the panel. Of course that not to say Sharkey might have got a longer ban under these circumstances but when you see bans ranging from four weeks to six months for the same offence you start to think at least people would knew where they stood (no pun intended) if there was one central panel handing out justice like for like.
Please note the next bit was written on Sunday before Regan the Con Artist had been charged
Talking of Mr Regan how clever it was of him to admit on BBC Look North last week that he had milked his injury in an attempt to get Sharkey sent off. Of course we know antics like this go on in the round ball game but if any player were to admit so much in soccer there would be banner headlines and the player quite rightly charged with bringing the game into disrepute. Will this happen to Regan? No of course not. Perhaps at times rugby’s a little naïve in what it expects of people, in my mind this should be stamped (pun fully intended) out before it becomes the norm.
No comments:
Post a Comment