Despite not putting in an eighty minute performance Saturday’s seven tries against Viadana was testament to that. Throughout the team we seem to want to try things that last year would never have been attempted such was the fear of failure.
Of course it is a high risk enterprise, as Keith Barwell alluded to in his programme notes, and some supporters are exasperated at the type of tries we gifted to London Irish two weeks ago. My personal view is that I go to the Gardens not only to support the Saints but to be entertained as well. I’m pretty sure we are going to get a fair amount of that for our money this season.
If this high risk game means we might gift the odd thing to the opposition then so be it. If it was solely all about winning and closing down the game then we might as well have all upped sticks and gone and watched Leicester a decade ago as the ball spent the afternoon up Dean Richards jumper as Tigers ground out uninspiring win after win. You might go home happy at the win but I doubt you would have seen much in the way of entertainment.
Even Tigers play a more expansive game these days (yes Tigers and expansive in the same sentence, you wouldn’t have put money on that a few years ago) so much as it might have us all pulling our hair out at times, give me this new ‘dangerous’ game any day, nothing ventured, nothing gained and it’s sure going to be a fun ride.
One of the main beneficiaries of the new game is Ben Cohen, his triple on Saturday underlining his return to form. His confidence and exuberance for the game have returned in bucketloads. Most of all he says he is enjoying his rugby again but it was sad to hear that things got so bad last season he was thinking of giving up altogether. His new lease of life is not only a boost for Ben himself but for the club and he’s starting to look like the player he was when he burst onto the international scene. His third try on Saturday was very reminiscent of one he scored against Grenoble at the Gardens, the year we won the Heineken Cup. An omen perhaps?
LOOKING AHEAD
On Sunday it’s off down to Bristol for the second Pool One game in the European Challenge Cup. Bristol, who returned to the domestic top flight, the Guinness Premiership, this season do not on the face of it appear to be taking the ECC as seriously as they are their campaign in the GP. Last week away to Narbonne they made 13 changes from the team that played Saracens the week before.
However they still managed to gain a bonus point in the 20-13 loss and some Bristol supporters present thought that maybe some of those youngsters thrown in the deep end should be more permanent fixtures in the 1st XV. Richard Hill, the Bristol coach, has stated he will be putting out the strongest team possible but with them playing Wasps just five days later in the GP it’s anyone’s guess what side will take the field.
For the Saints a win would in all probability keep them neck and neck with Narbonne at the head of the group before we return to a month of Guinness action. I’m backing the lads to sneak it.
LOSE A BRUCE
Following on from the Saints with Heart walk a couple of weeks back a group of those walking, after either seeing their pictures taking part or realising just how unfit they were at walk end, have decided to go on a sponsored slim in aid of the British Heart Foundation to not only shed a few pounds but improve their general health and fitness.
In a novel way of losing weight the twenty or so that have signed up already, including yours truly (though I still claim I’m big boned), are collectively going to attempt to lose the weight of the players individually starting at fullback, number 15. So first up is the 86 kilograms of Bruce Reihana hence the projects working title ‘Lose a Bruce’. If successful when Bruce has been ‘lost’ we will move onto the wings etc.
POOR OLD CHAVIN
I just don’t know what to make of Gavin Henson. As a player he has got bags of potential theres no doubting that, but he has not exactly done enough in the game to already be penning an autobiography. To fill the gaps in it seems that ‘Chavin’ has chosen to have a go at all and sundry in rugby.
As former ‘Welsh’ international Shane Howarth says, he hasn’t got that much to write about so he has spiced it up for the cash.
Now he might have an axe to grind with the likes of Clive Woodward, Graham Henry and Steve Hansen but long term it’s the attacks on his fellow players that Gavin’s going to find the most problems with. Calling team mates drunkards (and that’s the kettle calling the pot black according to the book) and others being undeserving of wearing the Welsh shirt isn’t going to do him a whole lot of good. Sure, he will be cold shouldered by some and he could find life on tour quite lonely, after all no one will want to socialize too much with someone that makes a habit of telling tales out of school. However he might also find his words are not too good for his health.
You see what Gavin is overlooking is that rugby is a team game. All for one and one for all. The next time he’s at the bottom of a ruck with the opposition raking ten bells out of him I’m not too sure others on his team will be busting a gut to help him out. Perhaps then he might rue the day he got his ghost writer to put pen to paper. But hey, Charlotte says it’s a good read………….
Of course it is a high risk enterprise, as Keith Barwell alluded to in his programme notes, and some supporters are exasperated at the type of tries we gifted to London Irish two weeks ago. My personal view is that I go to the Gardens not only to support the Saints but to be entertained as well. I’m pretty sure we are going to get a fair amount of that for our money this season.
If this high risk game means we might gift the odd thing to the opposition then so be it. If it was solely all about winning and closing down the game then we might as well have all upped sticks and gone and watched Leicester a decade ago as the ball spent the afternoon up Dean Richards jumper as Tigers ground out uninspiring win after win. You might go home happy at the win but I doubt you would have seen much in the way of entertainment.
Even Tigers play a more expansive game these days (yes Tigers and expansive in the same sentence, you wouldn’t have put money on that a few years ago) so much as it might have us all pulling our hair out at times, give me this new ‘dangerous’ game any day, nothing ventured, nothing gained and it’s sure going to be a fun ride.
One of the main beneficiaries of the new game is Ben Cohen, his triple on Saturday underlining his return to form. His confidence and exuberance for the game have returned in bucketloads. Most of all he says he is enjoying his rugby again but it was sad to hear that things got so bad last season he was thinking of giving up altogether. His new lease of life is not only a boost for Ben himself but for the club and he’s starting to look like the player he was when he burst onto the international scene. His third try on Saturday was very reminiscent of one he scored against Grenoble at the Gardens, the year we won the Heineken Cup. An omen perhaps?
LOOKING AHEAD
On Sunday it’s off down to Bristol for the second Pool One game in the European Challenge Cup. Bristol, who returned to the domestic top flight, the Guinness Premiership, this season do not on the face of it appear to be taking the ECC as seriously as they are their campaign in the GP. Last week away to Narbonne they made 13 changes from the team that played Saracens the week before.
However they still managed to gain a bonus point in the 20-13 loss and some Bristol supporters present thought that maybe some of those youngsters thrown in the deep end should be more permanent fixtures in the 1st XV. Richard Hill, the Bristol coach, has stated he will be putting out the strongest team possible but with them playing Wasps just five days later in the GP it’s anyone’s guess what side will take the field.
For the Saints a win would in all probability keep them neck and neck with Narbonne at the head of the group before we return to a month of Guinness action. I’m backing the lads to sneak it.
LOSE A BRUCE
Following on from the Saints with Heart walk a couple of weeks back a group of those walking, after either seeing their pictures taking part or realising just how unfit they were at walk end, have decided to go on a sponsored slim in aid of the British Heart Foundation to not only shed a few pounds but improve their general health and fitness.
In a novel way of losing weight the twenty or so that have signed up already, including yours truly (though I still claim I’m big boned), are collectively going to attempt to lose the weight of the players individually starting at fullback, number 15. So first up is the 86 kilograms of Bruce Reihana hence the projects working title ‘Lose a Bruce’. If successful when Bruce has been ‘lost’ we will move onto the wings etc.
POOR OLD CHAVIN
I just don’t know what to make of Gavin Henson. As a player he has got bags of potential theres no doubting that, but he has not exactly done enough in the game to already be penning an autobiography. To fill the gaps in it seems that ‘Chavin’ has chosen to have a go at all and sundry in rugby.
As former ‘Welsh’ international Shane Howarth says, he hasn’t got that much to write about so he has spiced it up for the cash.
Now he might have an axe to grind with the likes of Clive Woodward, Graham Henry and Steve Hansen but long term it’s the attacks on his fellow players that Gavin’s going to find the most problems with. Calling team mates drunkards (and that’s the kettle calling the pot black according to the book) and others being undeserving of wearing the Welsh shirt isn’t going to do him a whole lot of good. Sure, he will be cold shouldered by some and he could find life on tour quite lonely, after all no one will want to socialize too much with someone that makes a habit of telling tales out of school. However he might also find his words are not too good for his health.
You see what Gavin is overlooking is that rugby is a team game. All for one and one for all. The next time he’s at the bottom of a ruck with the opposition raking ten bells out of him I’m not too sure others on his team will be busting a gut to help him out. Perhaps then he might rue the day he got his ghost writer to put pen to paper. But hey, Charlotte says it’s a good read………….
