Talk about twists and turns. Just when you think there’s light at the end of the tunnel the gods contrive to turn round and give you a sharp kick in the shins to remind you that far from being safe Saints again face a very real threat of relegation. I know some of us have been counting chickens before they have hatched and I count myself amongst the worst offenders but Saturdays defeat at Bath and just about every other result going against us leaves the Saints joint bottom of the table. Whatever happens in the next week or so’s games relegation will now be decided on the last day of the season when Saints travel to fellow strugglers Worcester.
However to put ourselves in with a fighting chance first we have to overcome Newcastle on Friday night at the Gardens. Mathematically six teams could still go down, including Falcons as a long shot, so there is still plenty of mileage left in the battle for the drop yet but Saints main aim must be to throw every thing they have and more at Newcastle from the off and play this game as if its their very last. It goes without saying that even taken into account all previous games this is probably the Saints biggest test for a decade and defeat could mean the unthinkable becoming more a reality and Division One rugby and no European competition for us next season. That cannot be allowed to happen, to put it bluntly, looking at the permutations, we lose on Friday and the writing could well and truly be on the wall as far as our future is concerned.
The game will not be one for the weak hearted and of course we have our part to play too turning the ground into an inhospitable cauldron for Newcastle, at the very least expect to wake up with a sore throat on Saturday morning but hopefully a smile to go with it. It’s time for a bit of fire and brimstone so lets get up and get at em!
It will be a final home game for a few players on Friday night including Shane Drahm and Corne Krige but the special mention must be for Andy Blowers. Andy returns to New Zealand via Japan having given his all for the club on each and every occasion he has worn the gold, black and green jersey. The guy will leave as a Gardens legend and will leave one big hole in the team and, along with his family, the club. Recently on our website there was a discussion about Saints best ever backrow and whilst many opted for Budge Pountney, Tim Rodber, Pat Lam. Brian West and Buck Shelford in various combinations each and every person who named their preferred six, seven and eight included Andy Blowers in their selection. Given the esteemed company I don’t think you can give any better accolade than that.
TICKETS OR NOT
One thing for certain on Friday night is that yet again it will be another sellout at the Gardens. The popularity of the game continues to rise with packed house after packed house across the Zurich Premiership each and every week. Of course the big drawback to this is that there are not enough tickets to go round and increasingly people are frustrated at not being able to see their team play live. Long gone are the days when you could decide on the morning of the match to travel the country and get in on the gate at wherever Saints were playing, now you have to plan sometimes weeks in advance.
That game at Worcester is a case in point. Tickets are as rare as hens teeth and Saints quota of 500 was snapped up as quick as you could say Sharky Robinson leaving other fans empty handed for a game that could end in delight or despair for the Saints. Some of us have been lucky enough to get tickets for the game courtesy of new found friends from Worcester while another intrepid band took the day off work last Monday to queue at Sixways, Worcester’s ground, in the early morning for a mere handful more but many more on the day will miss out.
There is however no simple solution, demand is outstripping what the current stadia can provide and it appears there is no quick fix. Whilst the likes of Saints increase capacity to (hopefully) suit that demand gradually and Tigers who still plan long term to move to a 32,000 seater stadium look to the future other clubs are struggling to keep pace. Saturdays victors Bath are basically stuck between a rock and a hard place in their present setting, unable to develop in their current location they must be turning revenue away each week as the sold out notice goes up and sooner or later push will come to shove and they will have to leave the confines of the city or in all probability face hardship. They also have to face the fact that the Premiership will be demanding a growth in capacity for all clubs very soon one which means the rumoured move to Swindon could become a reality.
All is not well for a couple of other clubs too, Wasps at this moment in time do not even know where they will be playing next season, do they stay in High Wycombe and build on the fan base they have nurtured in South Bucks but again face the same capacity problems of Bath or do they move back to Loftus Road in West London to not only avoid paying a penalty fee to their former landlords but cash in on an increased number of seats, if of course they can find a new fan base to fill them. Down the road in Twickenham Quins have problems with their aging South Stand part of which gave way at the weekend injuring a London Irish supporter. Should that stand be condemned by the local authority Quins could find themselves well short of the required capacity come next season too, even with their new west stand currently being built. So in the short term everything is not rosy in the ZP stadium garden and for the foreseeable future hunting down those elusive tickets could get harder and harder in the coming seasons.
I wish I had the answer but short of buying a season ticket at all twelve Premiership grounds I guess we should all get used to scratching around and planning well ahead for those elusive matchday tickets.
However to put ourselves in with a fighting chance first we have to overcome Newcastle on Friday night at the Gardens. Mathematically six teams could still go down, including Falcons as a long shot, so there is still plenty of mileage left in the battle for the drop yet but Saints main aim must be to throw every thing they have and more at Newcastle from the off and play this game as if its their very last. It goes without saying that even taken into account all previous games this is probably the Saints biggest test for a decade and defeat could mean the unthinkable becoming more a reality and Division One rugby and no European competition for us next season. That cannot be allowed to happen, to put it bluntly, looking at the permutations, we lose on Friday and the writing could well and truly be on the wall as far as our future is concerned.
The game will not be one for the weak hearted and of course we have our part to play too turning the ground into an inhospitable cauldron for Newcastle, at the very least expect to wake up with a sore throat on Saturday morning but hopefully a smile to go with it. It’s time for a bit of fire and brimstone so lets get up and get at em!
It will be a final home game for a few players on Friday night including Shane Drahm and Corne Krige but the special mention must be for Andy Blowers. Andy returns to New Zealand via Japan having given his all for the club on each and every occasion he has worn the gold, black and green jersey. The guy will leave as a Gardens legend and will leave one big hole in the team and, along with his family, the club. Recently on our website there was a discussion about Saints best ever backrow and whilst many opted for Budge Pountney, Tim Rodber, Pat Lam. Brian West and Buck Shelford in various combinations each and every person who named their preferred six, seven and eight included Andy Blowers in their selection. Given the esteemed company I don’t think you can give any better accolade than that.
TICKETS OR NOT
One thing for certain on Friday night is that yet again it will be another sellout at the Gardens. The popularity of the game continues to rise with packed house after packed house across the Zurich Premiership each and every week. Of course the big drawback to this is that there are not enough tickets to go round and increasingly people are frustrated at not being able to see their team play live. Long gone are the days when you could decide on the morning of the match to travel the country and get in on the gate at wherever Saints were playing, now you have to plan sometimes weeks in advance.
That game at Worcester is a case in point. Tickets are as rare as hens teeth and Saints quota of 500 was snapped up as quick as you could say Sharky Robinson leaving other fans empty handed for a game that could end in delight or despair for the Saints. Some of us have been lucky enough to get tickets for the game courtesy of new found friends from Worcester while another intrepid band took the day off work last Monday to queue at Sixways, Worcester’s ground, in the early morning for a mere handful more but many more on the day will miss out.
There is however no simple solution, demand is outstripping what the current stadia can provide and it appears there is no quick fix. Whilst the likes of Saints increase capacity to (hopefully) suit that demand gradually and Tigers who still plan long term to move to a 32,000 seater stadium look to the future other clubs are struggling to keep pace. Saturdays victors Bath are basically stuck between a rock and a hard place in their present setting, unable to develop in their current location they must be turning revenue away each week as the sold out notice goes up and sooner or later push will come to shove and they will have to leave the confines of the city or in all probability face hardship. They also have to face the fact that the Premiership will be demanding a growth in capacity for all clubs very soon one which means the rumoured move to Swindon could become a reality.
All is not well for a couple of other clubs too, Wasps at this moment in time do not even know where they will be playing next season, do they stay in High Wycombe and build on the fan base they have nurtured in South Bucks but again face the same capacity problems of Bath or do they move back to Loftus Road in West London to not only avoid paying a penalty fee to their former landlords but cash in on an increased number of seats, if of course they can find a new fan base to fill them. Down the road in Twickenham Quins have problems with their aging South Stand part of which gave way at the weekend injuring a London Irish supporter. Should that stand be condemned by the local authority Quins could find themselves well short of the required capacity come next season too, even with their new west stand currently being built. So in the short term everything is not rosy in the ZP stadium garden and for the foreseeable future hunting down those elusive tickets could get harder and harder in the coming seasons.
I wish I had the answer but short of buying a season ticket at all twelve Premiership grounds I guess we should all get used to scratching around and planning well ahead for those elusive matchday tickets.
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