Bruce stayed as cool as a polar bear chomping on a choc ice – though even he could not bear to look at the ball in flight. The stands erupted to confirm the score and all went home happy after what can only be described as the great escape.
The whole team though must take credit. They fought it out till the bitter end to secure the win, something I’m not quite sure last years model would have done. We might not have played particularly well but heads didn’t go down and we kept grinding away till Ben Cohen stepped inside and went over for the late, late, late try to set up Bruces show stopping finale.
And to top all that we are starting to score tries again. That’s ten in three games now. Top try scorers in the league two years ago, last year we couldn’t find the end zone however many phases we went through. With a backline containing proven try scorers like Bruce, Ben and Stormin’ Norman Lamont I’m sure in the coming months that tally will grow and grow and the odds on the top try scorer being a Saint (the trio are currently 20/1, 40/1 and 100/1 respectively) looks quite tempting if you like a punt. I’m still not quite sure why Carlos was kicking away so much ball on Saturday, the guys a genius there must have been a reason, however once he clicks with these three behind him hitting the ball at pace we will give any side big problems containing us.
That’s not forgetting our two centres. David Quinlan looks a class signing while the player that’s surprised just about everyone is John Clarke in his transition to outside centre. Week on week he gets looks to get more comfortable and confident in his new position. I’m not claiming to be a great visionary but I said in this column a year or so back that when Clarkey came off his wing infield he looked every inch a young John Leslie. For once in my life I’d like to be proved right.
Another revelation this season is Damien Browne in the second row. There were quite a few last year wondering if he brought anything different to the team but this season he has come out all guns blazing and won a much deserved man of the match on Saturday. Perhaps you can put last year down to the disillusionment felt by most of the squad but Damien this term looks like a different player and is all the better for it.
David Gerard alongside him in the second row also looks a good acquisition but sadly with Selbourne Boome’s long term injury there is again some disruption in this area of the team following on from the early season neck damage suffered by James Percival. You have to feel sorry for Selbourne. In the last couple of weeks I think we were just starting to see the real player, I’m sure we all wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully him and James will be driving each other on to full fitness for next year.
It does however leave a hole in the team which will probably have to be filled once Selbournes salary cap allocation is freed up. With the Currie Cup and NPC in their final week the obvious choice would be South African or another New Zealander.
Perhaps though David Gerard should be persuading his friend Fabien Pelous that Weedon Road chips and conkers are preferable to baguettes and boules.
FORZA ITALIA
Saturday sees a change in competition again with the Saints first Group 1 game in the European Challenge Cup. Viadana of Italy are first up. It’s the first time the Saints have played a competitive game against an Italian side at the Gardens, the only previous clash being a 29-9 win away at Padova almost a decade ago. Incidentally that season Saints won all their group games, including an unheard of win in Touloun, but went down to Narbonne, also in this years group, by a single point in France in the quarter finals.
I am sure the lads will want to do well in this competition as yet again it provides a route into next years Heineken Cup and I’m expecting them to lay down the group marker on Saturday. However as Calvisano proved last season in taking some notable scalps, including Baths, Italian sides should not be taken lightly but I believe we will have just too much firepower for them.
SAINTS WITH HEART
Before last Saturdays game, around sixty of us were taking part in this years Saints with Heart charity walk in aid of the British Heart Foundation.
The group was mostly Saints supporters but in the true spirit of the game we were joined by other followers of London Irish, Leicester and Worcester.
Walkers doing the longer 17 mile route were joined by another group of wanderers at Stoke Bruerne for the final eight miles into town.
Yet again the gods smiled on us and it was perfect walking weather and apart from an odd blister and some people taking an hour to get out of bed on the Sunday morning, a good day was had by all.
The Saints in Heart charity was first set up by Richard Lindsley in 2002 after three Saints supporters Bob Stainsby, Rob Leach and Mark Coleman all suffered heart attacks in quick succession all in the prime of life. All made full recoveries, due in part to efforts of the BHF. Indeed all three took part on Saturday and Rob could even be seen on television on Monday evening on Anglia Tonight skipping along the towpath hand in hand with Bernie.
Plans are already afoot for Saints with Heart V, next years fundraiser, watch this space for details.
The whole team though must take credit. They fought it out till the bitter end to secure the win, something I’m not quite sure last years model would have done. We might not have played particularly well but heads didn’t go down and we kept grinding away till Ben Cohen stepped inside and went over for the late, late, late try to set up Bruces show stopping finale.
And to top all that we are starting to score tries again. That’s ten in three games now. Top try scorers in the league two years ago, last year we couldn’t find the end zone however many phases we went through. With a backline containing proven try scorers like Bruce, Ben and Stormin’ Norman Lamont I’m sure in the coming months that tally will grow and grow and the odds on the top try scorer being a Saint (the trio are currently 20/1, 40/1 and 100/1 respectively) looks quite tempting if you like a punt. I’m still not quite sure why Carlos was kicking away so much ball on Saturday, the guys a genius there must have been a reason, however once he clicks with these three behind him hitting the ball at pace we will give any side big problems containing us.
That’s not forgetting our two centres. David Quinlan looks a class signing while the player that’s surprised just about everyone is John Clarke in his transition to outside centre. Week on week he gets looks to get more comfortable and confident in his new position. I’m not claiming to be a great visionary but I said in this column a year or so back that when Clarkey came off his wing infield he looked every inch a young John Leslie. For once in my life I’d like to be proved right.
Another revelation this season is Damien Browne in the second row. There were quite a few last year wondering if he brought anything different to the team but this season he has come out all guns blazing and won a much deserved man of the match on Saturday. Perhaps you can put last year down to the disillusionment felt by most of the squad but Damien this term looks like a different player and is all the better for it.
David Gerard alongside him in the second row also looks a good acquisition but sadly with Selbourne Boome’s long term injury there is again some disruption in this area of the team following on from the early season neck damage suffered by James Percival. You have to feel sorry for Selbourne. In the last couple of weeks I think we were just starting to see the real player, I’m sure we all wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully him and James will be driving each other on to full fitness for next year.
It does however leave a hole in the team which will probably have to be filled once Selbournes salary cap allocation is freed up. With the Currie Cup and NPC in their final week the obvious choice would be South African or another New Zealander.
Perhaps though David Gerard should be persuading his friend Fabien Pelous that Weedon Road chips and conkers are preferable to baguettes and boules.
FORZA ITALIA
Saturday sees a change in competition again with the Saints first Group 1 game in the European Challenge Cup. Viadana of Italy are first up. It’s the first time the Saints have played a competitive game against an Italian side at the Gardens, the only previous clash being a 29-9 win away at Padova almost a decade ago. Incidentally that season Saints won all their group games, including an unheard of win in Touloun, but went down to Narbonne, also in this years group, by a single point in France in the quarter finals.
I am sure the lads will want to do well in this competition as yet again it provides a route into next years Heineken Cup and I’m expecting them to lay down the group marker on Saturday. However as Calvisano proved last season in taking some notable scalps, including Baths, Italian sides should not be taken lightly but I believe we will have just too much firepower for them.
SAINTS WITH HEART
Before last Saturdays game, around sixty of us were taking part in this years Saints with Heart charity walk in aid of the British Heart Foundation.
The group was mostly Saints supporters but in the true spirit of the game we were joined by other followers of London Irish, Leicester and Worcester.
Walkers doing the longer 17 mile route were joined by another group of wanderers at Stoke Bruerne for the final eight miles into town.
Yet again the gods smiled on us and it was perfect walking weather and apart from an odd blister and some people taking an hour to get out of bed on the Sunday morning, a good day was had by all.
The Saints in Heart charity was first set up by Richard Lindsley in 2002 after three Saints supporters Bob Stainsby, Rob Leach and Mark Coleman all suffered heart attacks in quick succession all in the prime of life. All made full recoveries, due in part to efforts of the BHF. Indeed all three took part on Saturday and Rob could even be seen on television on Monday evening on Anglia Tonight skipping along the towpath hand in hand with Bernie.
Plans are already afoot for Saints with Heart V, next years fundraiser, watch this space for details.
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