December 16 2005

Northampton Saints - Thoughts from the Chron
By Chris Gleadell
December 16 2005

At last! After a run of six defeats the lads pulled a victory out of the hat on Saturday to ease a few jitters. By their own admission they did not play well but a win is a win is a win.

I’m still not quite sure what the French’s game plan was, and when Franck Tournaire talked of damage limitation last week I think he just meant damage, but to get four tries and the bonus point can be counted as job done.

Sam Harding’s try was an All Black peach with the New Zealand trio of Carlos, Bruce and Sam combining to run in the score of the season so far. Carlos certainly gagged the doubters with a sublime display and he run in the lead up to this try showed just why we signed him.

So with five points in the bag it’s off to France this weekend for the second leg and I’m sure a completely different French team in outlook. The group is still finely in the balance with Saints, Narbonne and Bristol still in the hunt to win the group or qualify as one of the best runners up. With Bristol to play at home and Viadana away in January getting something out of Friday night’s game could be crucial. There’s a French saying that literally translates as ‘hats on wheels’ meaning to come out of the blocks all guns blazing. If the lads can get stuck in early on Friday night (remember Agen?) then they might just unsettle the French enough to take the game  and set themselves in a strong position as we head into the festive season.

As usual the Saints will be well represented at the game by the travelling Northampton support. With the proximity to Christmas and the fact that the European Challenge Cup does not have the draw that the Heineken does it may mean that there may not be as many going out to Narbonne as the four figure groups we have had in recent years to places like Biarritz and Toulouse but I’m still expecting to see a few hundred in Gold, Black and Green on Friday night at the Parc des Sports et de l'Amitie.

It seems like the support is converging on France from the four corners with fans flying into Toulouse, Montpellier, Carcosonne and Perpignan then heading down to Narbonne. Having looked around the town this morning via the wonders of a live camera on the roof of the town hall which you can control via your internet connection it looks a beautiful town with a lot of life. It also looks like the people of Narbonne are in full Christmas swing with the town already lit up and according to the local tourist board several Christmas festivities planned for over the weekend including the traditional Christmas market. So if you cannot make it this weekend, (and believe me I’m not trying to rub your nose in it),  you can see us all enjoying ourselves at  www.mairie-narbonne.fr/webcam/webcam.asp Look out for the man in the Saints shirt waving.

For those of you travelling out, as mentioned in the site a few weeks ago, the rugby bar of choice, according to our friends at London Irish is The Globe which is owned by a member of the Narbonne coaching set up. It can be found at Café du Globe 8 quai Vallière though I’m sure going on other years there will be a smattering of Saints just about anywhere in town.

If you are staying out in France for the weekend and are at a loss for something to do on Saturday, Perpignan are playing Leeds in the Heineken Cup just down the coast. There is a regular train service from Narbonne taking around 45 mins and return fare is €20. Tickets for the game will be available at the ground from 3:30 onwards with a 6:30 evening kickoff. If you have never seen the Perpignan support it is quite an experience and well worth making the effort if you have time. See you there!

MORE LUNACY AT THE ASYLUM

And now for Club v Country Part 368. Just how much dafter can it get? To bolster the ailing Powergen Cup some bright spark at the RFU (yes those complaining most about players playing too many games) decided on a revamp and expansion of the competition.

Lets involve the Welsh they thought, they love playing us, perhaps we can even use the Millennium Stadium for a double header semi-final day to really blow the trumpet about our flagship tournament. Well all well and good till someone finally noticed that the weekend planned for that double header sits slap bang in the middle of the Six Nations. There are no international games organised for that weekend but in what seems like another tit for tat move the RFU are now saying England players cannot play in these games. It really does start to make you think the lunatics have taken over the asylum when the governing body ban their own players from their own flagship tournament on a whim. Madness.

Quite rightly, in my opinion anyway, the clubs are insisting they select their strongest possible teams for these games but already some elements at the RFU are talking about sanctions against the clubs should they do so. When push comes to shove I could well see the clubs saying right its you competition, stick it, and walking way from this competition en masse leaving the RFU with not only an empty Millennium Stadium in March but an equally empty Twickenham for the final in April and a rather hefty bill with both the BBC and the Welsh Rugby Union to pacify. As always, I cannot see sense prevailing.

GLAD TIDINGS

As I will be staying down in France till Xmas, taking in some museums and art galleries (I’m not fooling you am I?) this will be my last column of the year. So I’d just like to wish you all the very best for the festive season and a very prosperous new year and may the team you follow, as long as they play at Franklins Gardens, bring you all you wish for in 2006.

December 8 2005

Northampton Saints - Thoughts from the Chron
By Chris Gleadell
December 8 2005

I know it was another loss on Saturday, and I know the pessimistic glass half empty brigade will be moaning about this column again, but I think there was a fair few positives to be taken from the Powergen Cup defeat at Welford Road at the weekend.

Some of us seem to be overlooking the fact that it was top of the table Tigers versus bottom of the table Saints and it was always going to be a tall order to get anything out of the game but the lads valiant efforts got us within touching distance yet all in vain.

Despite the disappointment there was no disgrace in this defeat but yet again a couple of errors edged the game away from us at crucial stages.

It was a game that was so close but ultimately so far as the fourth Tigers try left us out of touch while if we had just held them at bay at three scores we would have gone through to the semi finals with us gaining that valuable point that Tigers dropped. However it was not to be but in my mind a few of the lads took a step forward at the weekend and stood up to be counted especially in the forwards. Stopping and driving back Leicester’s maul while defending our line and giving as good as they got in the set piece certainly did not look like the under strength pack the media would believe you we had week in week out. I think as a unit to some extent they grew up a bit on Saturday and they now know they have this kind of game in them. Now it’s a matter of building on that and sustaining it for 80 minutes of the game.

For once the front eight overshadowed the efforts of the backs. Despite two well taken tries we certainly missed the solidity and creativeness of Dave Quinlan and John Clarke in midfield. Carlos, by his own admission, said he did not have the best of days but I think he’s being a bit hard on himself there as even a couple of Tigers supporters declared at half time he was dictating the game and that’s a bit like getting blood out the proverbial stone.

We dominated proceedings in the first half and but for a soft Leon Lloyd try could have gone in at the break 11-0 up, a lead even gritty Leicester would have found hard to break with four tries in the second half. With the boost of that late score Leicester came out with their heads up in the second period and gradually ground down the Saints to take the game the loss of Steve Thompson being key to our galvanised efforts fading. So the place in Cardiff in March goes to the Tigers while for us it’s all eyes on the European Challenge Cup for the next couple of weeks and maybe our only remaining realistic chance of qualifying for the Heineken Cup next season.

LOOKING AHEAD

It’s back to the Gardens at the weekend for the last home game of 2005 and the first of a double header against French side Narbonne. With the loss against Bristol in the last round of the competition points are now crucial for the Saints and despite Narbonne not having won away from home this season, apart from their awarded ‘victory’ in the fog abandoned game in Viadana, they cannot be taken lightly especially with the likes of wily old war horses Franck Tournaire and Christian Labit in their ranks. Tournaire is already talking down his teams chances suggesting Saturday’s game is just ‘damage limitation’ for Narbonne but having played against us for Leicester I am sure he will be looking to give the auld enemy yet another bloody nose. Labit on the other hand says he is looking forward to playing Northampton again as having played against so many times for Toulouse in the last few years it’s like meeting up with old friends.
I am sure that friendliness will not extend to early Christmas presents though but I’m taking the lads to build on last week’s performance and go to France the weekend after with all to play for at the head of the group.

ON BANS

I must say I was quite surprised to read comments by Tigers chief exec Peter Wheeler about how players should be handled in the light of Lewis Moody’s lengthy ban for punching in the recent England v Samoa game at Twickenham. Wheelers normally a guy who talks a lot of sense (despite his choice of club) but I think he is way wide of the mark in suggesting professional players should be treated any differently than the amateur branch of the game.

To suggest the pro players should receive lighter sentences because it may affect their livelihood is surely missing the point that these bans are there as a deterrent. Perhaps it might make a few think again if it is hitting them hard in the pocket and whilst yes its true that the same length of ban does not affect the amateur club player as much as all he misses is playing for his club surely the guys at the very pinnacle of the game are the one who should be setting examples. These are the guys that are the public face of the game and role models for youngsters. To see them treated more leniently than Joe Bloggs playing for Milton Keynes Thirds would be a travesty.

One thing Wheeler was right on though was inconsistencies in the length of bans handed out for very similar offences. Whilst not condoning Moody’s act he was involved in defending a team mate whilst the same weekend we saw South Africa’s John Smit, who elbowed France’s Jerome Thion deliberately in the throat causing vocal chord damage that left him hospitalised, receive just six weeks, three less than Moody. That’s not an isolated incident, across the game these discrepancies happen week in week out

Biarritz, Thions club, are talking about possibly taking out a private civil action against Smit as they consider the length of ban nowhere near long enough for the severe injuries their player has suffered taking into consideration sentences handed out elsewhere. It could well be a test case and if successful it will take the game down a route it surely does not want to go unless the IRB and national unions get their house in order and there is some kind of parity in sentencing. 

December 1 2005

Northampton Saints - Thoughts from the Chron
By Chris Gleadell
December 1 2005

Another loss on Saturday and another game we could, if not should, have won. So as we move into a four week break from the Guinness Premiership we sit precariously just off the bottom of the GP table with Leeds, who have finally found some form, just three points below us.

It’s frustrating to watch and even more so knowing that the lads are playing some very good rugby at times but the key seems to be three C’s, confidence, concentration and consistency. While we seem to have the ability to put any team on the rack we don’t seem to be able to do it for long periods and kill them off, Worcester were there for the taking on Saturday but we just didn’t push the advantage when we were on fire.

Let’s hope the current predicament is not leading to doubts because it seems at times once we suffer a knock back we go back into our shells to start building up that head of steam from scratch again. Having said that though it was an improvement on the previous weeks showing and despite the doom brigade still rattling on that the end of the world is nigh I still think we are slowly getting there slowly but surely. A month away from the pressures of the Premiership, giving us a breathing space while the game develops and maybe some confidence building along the way might just be what the team needs and what better place to start than at Welford Road this weekend.

So it’s off up the road to our nearest and dearest neighbours on Saturday for the final Powergen Cup group game against Leicester. The group hangs finely in the balance and the game is all but a playoff for a semi-final place at the Millennium Stadium in early March. We currently sit at the top of the group undefeated, four points clear of Tigers, a bonus point could see us through, although that would not be definite and I can see it being an afternoon of bitten fingernails and slide rules as the why’s and wherefores change as the afternoon progresses.

What a confidence boost it would be though if be hook or by crook we edged past Tigers into the final four of the competition. Then who knows what kind of form we will be in by March. It’s even feasible despite our current predicament that that elusive Heineken Cup place could be within our grasp.

That’s all in the future though, on Saturday I’m backing the lads to hang onto the Tigers coat tails and just, only just, book their place at Cardiff. If you cannot make the game, and there are tickets still available, it is live on the BBC.

NEW ZEALAND

Don’t tell Keith Barwell but two weeks ago I passed up going to Yorkshire to watch the Saints and instead headed to his ‘friends’ Nigel and Rupert’s place at Twickenham to see England take on New Zealand. While KB is probably right in saying that the interest in watching the national team is fading the draw of the All Blacks is always going to pack out HQ, even though the atmosphere is a little muted with a gaping hole where the south stand used to be.

Of course the new world order completed their Grand Slam over the four home nations this but against England, who it has to be said were arguably missing their two most influential players in Wilkinson and Dallaglio, they certainly did not look as invincible or indeed as well organised behind the ball as they did in the Lions tour just five months ago.

The question will be raised sooner or later, have New Zealand yet again peaked too early, midway through World Cups? I think, especially with the likes of ex-Saint Wayne Smith involved, that there will be a few more twists and turns yet before France 2007 but I think England too showed they may be on their way slowly but surely towards the form that won the RWC in 2003. They still have a long way to go though but almost pulled off the result and the quote of the day had to go to All Black coach Steve Hansen after his team ground out the win. “They (the All Blacks) showed more guts than I do wearing a pair of Speedo’s.”

ON REFEREES

Okay I admit it, in the heat of the moment I’m likely to question the odd refereeing decision though I purposely never have a go at the performance of the match officials in this column as lord knows there is enough of us amateur whistle blowers on the terraces and in the stands all venting their particular view of how the game should be reffed. However this week, in print, I’ll make an exception as I think even the one eyed chap that stands behind me that shouts “coming in from the side”, “not straight” and “holding on” all afternoon could have done a better job than the referee who officiated on Saturday.

Now don’t get me wrong people shouldn’t be deterred from going into refereeing and youngsters should be encouraged but the display we saw on Saturday plainly was not up to any kind of standard we should be seeing at the top end of the game. It was clear that early on not only had he lost the players (was I the only one who noticed players totally ignore his instructions to move back at a line out?), but he tried to regain his authority by handing out card after card, including one to Seamus Mallon which plainly looked like he had lost the plot completely.

Having said that he did not cost us the game, that was in our own hands but if this is the standard of refereeing coming through it is a worrying trend. I would like to think the guy just had an off day, if not perhaps the powers that be should take a long hard look on the structure, support and training of match officials.