Before the game the stage was all set, sunshine, a packed house, the pitch looking like a bowling green and the supporters in good voice, more of which later, and you had the feeling it was going to be our day. After the opening few minutes you were certain it was going to be our day as we took the Falcons to the cleaners, then reality struck as they broke away for the first try which seemed to mentality affect the team and the crowd. Whether it’s the memory of last year still lingering or there wasn’t much on the park worth cheering but neither group raised their game until an unlikely draw became a reality in the closing minutes. Alas even that was not to be and we took a single losing point from a game that all but looked like a five point banker after those initial few minutes.
So where do we go from here. Well to be fair to the new setup the team is still a work in progress, it is still a massive learning curve, but after last weeks display against Bath I know I’m not the only supporter who traipsed his way away from the Gardens feeling somewhat flat and disappointed.
We can all hope we learn from Saturdays experience where old warhorses Owen Finegan and Colin Charvis gave us an object lesson in how to slow down and stop a game and while last weeks lesson of giving away penalties seems to have been heeded this weeks blackboard subject must surely be how to retain the ball in contact.
I’m not downhearted yet though, that win at Bath proved it can be done and with the pack about to be bolstered by Pat Barnard, who is getting rave reviews in South Africa, and Sam Harding from Canterbury (and it is rumoured a southern hemisphere lock) we should be taking steps forward rather than the one back we took on Saturday. While our centre partnership looks like it still needs tuning we have got a backline that on paper should be firing, a procession of good clean ball might just ignite that.
ORF DAIN GLOUCESTER
It’s back down to the West Country on Saturday to take on Gloucester at Castle Grim (Kingsholm). The venue of a most unexpected win towards the end of last season it is again another tall order for the lads. Gloucester upped a gear last week beating surprise table toppers Bristol at the Memorial Ground and being at home will be flying high, we have to endeavour, just like last year, to knock them off their perch.
A word of warning for those of you thinking of taking the train, (via Birmingham), down to Gloucester. Saturdays service is suspended and buses replace the trains along this route and could not only cause delays but add several hours to your journey.
NO THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC
I know I’m not alone in thinking this and going by the messages on both the clubs official website and comeonyousaints.com it seems the vast majority think the same way, why do the team have to run out to music other than the club song? Has anybody thought of the supporters position on this, after all aren’t we all in this together? Now I know this is seen as a team building tool and I am not suggesting they do away with it altogether it’s just the whole timing of the whole thing. Call me old fashioned but if you run out to 12,000 people supporting your club singing your club song and you feel you need something else to replace When the Saints Go Marching In on to the pitch to raise your game then perhaps I’m missing the point and then maybe we are not so much that 16th man the players have mentioned in recent weeks, certainly not if an outside influence can replace us at the traditional Gardens greeting. Just like the team we need our warm up too, not a disjointed one, and whilst on Saturday ‘Oh When the Saints’ may have been sung with great gusto once the new tune stopped drowning us out I think most people gave it their all to outdo the new music rather than compliment it. But then perhaps that’s the master plan, its there to fire us up, not the team, but seriously I know a lot of people felt it was an intrusion into that most traditional welcome that is unique amongst all the top flight clubs.
As I said before though there’s no need to do away with the music altogether if it does serve the team but perhaps the timing could be better, play their chosen tunes during the warmup, blast them in the changing room and down the tunnel but when it comes to entering the arena it should be one club, one voice. Perhaps a signal from Lennie Newman, Geoff Allen or whoever to Tink and Billy who usually lead the singing to fire up ‘Oh Wendy’ when the players are ready, then all would be well with the world rather than the stop start scenario we had on Saturday which I know irked a lot of the support who felt they were being replaced. One club, one voice.
NARBONNE
Although its still three months off any Saints supporters thinking of making a trip south to Narbonne just before Christmas should be thinking of making those plans now before those cheap flight prices start to creep up. You cannot fly to Narbonne direct but there are several options available and supporters have already booked flights via Toulouse, Montpellier, Perpignan, Carcosonne and some intrepid folks via Barcelona. Narbonne links with all these destinations by a reliable rail service and tickets for these can also now be booked on the net in English up two months in advance.
As for hotels the La Residence and Le Languedoc look the favourites in the town centre while the standard chain hotels like the Novotel & Ibis are a taxi ride away on the outskirts of town.
As for bars, I’ll keep you posted but friends from London Irish inform me ‘The Globe’ was a favourite haunt as it is owned by someone from the Narbonne club.
So where do we go from here. Well to be fair to the new setup the team is still a work in progress, it is still a massive learning curve, but after last weeks display against Bath I know I’m not the only supporter who traipsed his way away from the Gardens feeling somewhat flat and disappointed.
We can all hope we learn from Saturdays experience where old warhorses Owen Finegan and Colin Charvis gave us an object lesson in how to slow down and stop a game and while last weeks lesson of giving away penalties seems to have been heeded this weeks blackboard subject must surely be how to retain the ball in contact.
I’m not downhearted yet though, that win at Bath proved it can be done and with the pack about to be bolstered by Pat Barnard, who is getting rave reviews in South Africa, and Sam Harding from Canterbury (and it is rumoured a southern hemisphere lock) we should be taking steps forward rather than the one back we took on Saturday. While our centre partnership looks like it still needs tuning we have got a backline that on paper should be firing, a procession of good clean ball might just ignite that.
ORF DAIN GLOUCESTER
It’s back down to the West Country on Saturday to take on Gloucester at Castle Grim (Kingsholm). The venue of a most unexpected win towards the end of last season it is again another tall order for the lads. Gloucester upped a gear last week beating surprise table toppers Bristol at the Memorial Ground and being at home will be flying high, we have to endeavour, just like last year, to knock them off their perch.
A word of warning for those of you thinking of taking the train, (via Birmingham), down to Gloucester. Saturdays service is suspended and buses replace the trains along this route and could not only cause delays but add several hours to your journey.
NO THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC
I know I’m not alone in thinking this and going by the messages on both the clubs official website and comeonyousaints.com it seems the vast majority think the same way, why do the team have to run out to music other than the club song? Has anybody thought of the supporters position on this, after all aren’t we all in this together? Now I know this is seen as a team building tool and I am not suggesting they do away with it altogether it’s just the whole timing of the whole thing. Call me old fashioned but if you run out to 12,000 people supporting your club singing your club song and you feel you need something else to replace When the Saints Go Marching In on to the pitch to raise your game then perhaps I’m missing the point and then maybe we are not so much that 16th man the players have mentioned in recent weeks, certainly not if an outside influence can replace us at the traditional Gardens greeting. Just like the team we need our warm up too, not a disjointed one, and whilst on Saturday ‘Oh When the Saints’ may have been sung with great gusto once the new tune stopped drowning us out I think most people gave it their all to outdo the new music rather than compliment it. But then perhaps that’s the master plan, its there to fire us up, not the team, but seriously I know a lot of people felt it was an intrusion into that most traditional welcome that is unique amongst all the top flight clubs.
As I said before though there’s no need to do away with the music altogether if it does serve the team but perhaps the timing could be better, play their chosen tunes during the warmup, blast them in the changing room and down the tunnel but when it comes to entering the arena it should be one club, one voice. Perhaps a signal from Lennie Newman, Geoff Allen or whoever to Tink and Billy who usually lead the singing to fire up ‘Oh Wendy’ when the players are ready, then all would be well with the world rather than the stop start scenario we had on Saturday which I know irked a lot of the support who felt they were being replaced. One club, one voice.
NARBONNE
Although its still three months off any Saints supporters thinking of making a trip south to Narbonne just before Christmas should be thinking of making those plans now before those cheap flight prices start to creep up. You cannot fly to Narbonne direct but there are several options available and supporters have already booked flights via Toulouse, Montpellier, Perpignan, Carcosonne and some intrepid folks via Barcelona. Narbonne links with all these destinations by a reliable rail service and tickets for these can also now be booked on the net in English up two months in advance.
As for hotels the La Residence and Le Languedoc look the favourites in the town centre while the standard chain hotels like the Novotel & Ibis are a taxi ride away on the outskirts of town.
As for bars, I’ll keep you posted but friends from London Irish inform me ‘The Globe’ was a favourite haunt as it is owned by someone from the Narbonne club.
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