The closeness of Saturdays score probably was not a fair reflection on the game itself. We dominated possession and territory in the first half allowing Leeds to enter our half on only a handful of occasions. However on three of those visits they came away with points and the lads must have been kicking themselves at halftime with just two scores from Sean Lamont and man of the match Jon Clarke to show for their efforts.
The second half started in pretty much the same vein until Justin Marshall, the key to a lot of what Leeds were doing well, took exception to a clattering tackle from Ben Cohen and set about rearranging Bens face with a couple of sharp punches. With Marshall given a yellow and ten minutes rest when probably a red would have been more the order of the day the Saints upped it another notch but still could not get the ball over the whitewash. As the game wore on Leeds came back into it and after a flurry of personnel changes Saints seemed to momentarily lose their shape and purpose allowing Leeds back in with a late score. Luckily Bruce, with a late, late penalty, saved the day but it could well have been one of those ‘Saints grab defeat from the jaws of victory’ headlines in Monday nights Chron.
But the potential banana skin was avoided and Saints gradually start the climb skywards. The Guinness Premiership table makes interesting reading. Saints now lie in ninth place but are nearer a potential Heineken Cup spot in five or sixth than they are the relegation trapdoor in twelfth. There is of course a lot of rugby still to be played yet and a few more twists and turns but we are certainly in much better shape than we were a few weeks back and once the drier tracks come into play come season end we could be a match for anyone. Before then lady luck might just have dealt us a good hand in the fixtures with a visit to Wasps a week on Sunday.
The players, those not involved in the Six Nations, have the weekend off before we look to the trip to High Wycombe. Whilst we will lose Ben, Wally, Sean Lamont and Jon Clarke to international duty Wasps are in danger of losing a whole rake of their team. Whilst they do have good strength in depth the likes of Dallaglio, Lewsey and Dawson will be sorely missed and maybe, just maybe we are in with a very good chance to finally beating that ‘Lost’ Causeway hoodoo. At a place where not many teams get a look in it could be an unexpected bonus getting something out of this game.
FRANCE
I’m sure, by the wonders of satellite television, some of you saw the conditions that the French Top14 games were played in last weekend. Some games could not take place at all due to snow, even coastal Narbonne having a foot of the white stuff on their pitch. Nearby Perpignan were not to be beaten, they opted for a bulldozer to clear their pitch, leaving not only a mudbath but tire tracks everywhere (I’m sure Piggy Powell was mightily impressed?). In the post match analysis there was talk of a fixture pileup elsewhere and the pressure to play such games but the French being the French just shrugged their shoulders and got on with it any way they could, even if it did mean reducing their hallowed turf to a quagmire. It has to be said the Biarritz & Perpignan players really looked like they enjoyed the game, even ending it in a mudfight to get those who still had a patch of clean linen showing completely muddied. This got me thinking, whilst over here we hear about player burnout, there being too many games and the national union seeing central contracts as the only way to protect players as the way forward, why don’t we hear the same from France where they play a comparable amount of games and go to such extremes to play them?
If you take that argument a step further, we also hear from some coaches at national and club level, Rob Andrew said it again this very week, the fear of relegation is affecting the way some clubs play, choosing a stilted 10 man game over the expansive game the likes of which the Saints are trying to develop such is the fear of relegation. That in turn affects how England plays.
Tell that to the French, they have a 14 team top division in which three are relegated either directly or via playoffs. Does it affect their flair or the way the national side plays? No of course not and if I was a betting man I’d be putting my money on France to win this years Grand Slam. So on the face of it, it seems one country is close to getting it right whilst another is still just looking for the next excuse or scapegoat and until us English get over that there will be little chance of hitting the heights like we did in 2003.
SIX NATIONS
So with no Saints game this week I’ve been lucky enough to get a ticket for England's opening Six Nations game against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
A while back there was a discussion on a New Zealand website (thesilverfern.com)
about the relative merits and quality of the 6N. In reply a French chap, a supporter of Castres, now resident in Ireland wrote the following which in my mind sums up what it’s all about.
“It's not about the teams you play, it's about tradition.
It's about Underwood diving in the corner, Thornburn tears and Castaignede's drop goal. It's about O'Driscoll dummies and Jeffrey's bloodied jersey.
It's about grand slams and Calcutta cups, triple crowns and wooden spoons.
It's about national anthems being sung by 80.000 people as one, from the top of their lungs. It's about some fields in Athenry, some flowers in Scotland and swinging chariots.
It's about the fervour of Cardiff and the barbecues of Twickenham, the train station at Lansdowne road and the sunshine of Flaminio. It's about the berets of St-Denis and the kilts of Murrayfield.
It's about goats and cockerels on the side of the pitch and St George crosses everywhere in the stands. It's about thistles, roses, shamrocks, leeks and daffodils.
It's about 93 years of blood, sweat and tears.
It's about Pride.”
I’ll drink to that!
The second half started in pretty much the same vein until Justin Marshall, the key to a lot of what Leeds were doing well, took exception to a clattering tackle from Ben Cohen and set about rearranging Bens face with a couple of sharp punches. With Marshall given a yellow and ten minutes rest when probably a red would have been more the order of the day the Saints upped it another notch but still could not get the ball over the whitewash. As the game wore on Leeds came back into it and after a flurry of personnel changes Saints seemed to momentarily lose their shape and purpose allowing Leeds back in with a late score. Luckily Bruce, with a late, late penalty, saved the day but it could well have been one of those ‘Saints grab defeat from the jaws of victory’ headlines in Monday nights Chron.
But the potential banana skin was avoided and Saints gradually start the climb skywards. The Guinness Premiership table makes interesting reading. Saints now lie in ninth place but are nearer a potential Heineken Cup spot in five or sixth than they are the relegation trapdoor in twelfth. There is of course a lot of rugby still to be played yet and a few more twists and turns but we are certainly in much better shape than we were a few weeks back and once the drier tracks come into play come season end we could be a match for anyone. Before then lady luck might just have dealt us a good hand in the fixtures with a visit to Wasps a week on Sunday.
The players, those not involved in the Six Nations, have the weekend off before we look to the trip to High Wycombe. Whilst we will lose Ben, Wally, Sean Lamont and Jon Clarke to international duty Wasps are in danger of losing a whole rake of their team. Whilst they do have good strength in depth the likes of Dallaglio, Lewsey and Dawson will be sorely missed and maybe, just maybe we are in with a very good chance to finally beating that ‘Lost’ Causeway hoodoo. At a place where not many teams get a look in it could be an unexpected bonus getting something out of this game.
FRANCE
I’m sure, by the wonders of satellite television, some of you saw the conditions that the French Top14 games were played in last weekend. Some games could not take place at all due to snow, even coastal Narbonne having a foot of the white stuff on their pitch. Nearby Perpignan were not to be beaten, they opted for a bulldozer to clear their pitch, leaving not only a mudbath but tire tracks everywhere (I’m sure Piggy Powell was mightily impressed?). In the post match analysis there was talk of a fixture pileup elsewhere and the pressure to play such games but the French being the French just shrugged their shoulders and got on with it any way they could, even if it did mean reducing their hallowed turf to a quagmire. It has to be said the Biarritz & Perpignan players really looked like they enjoyed the game, even ending it in a mudfight to get those who still had a patch of clean linen showing completely muddied. This got me thinking, whilst over here we hear about player burnout, there being too many games and the national union seeing central contracts as the only way to protect players as the way forward, why don’t we hear the same from France where they play a comparable amount of games and go to such extremes to play them?
If you take that argument a step further, we also hear from some coaches at national and club level, Rob Andrew said it again this very week, the fear of relegation is affecting the way some clubs play, choosing a stilted 10 man game over the expansive game the likes of which the Saints are trying to develop such is the fear of relegation. That in turn affects how England plays.
Tell that to the French, they have a 14 team top division in which three are relegated either directly or via playoffs. Does it affect their flair or the way the national side plays? No of course not and if I was a betting man I’d be putting my money on France to win this years Grand Slam. So on the face of it, it seems one country is close to getting it right whilst another is still just looking for the next excuse or scapegoat and until us English get over that there will be little chance of hitting the heights like we did in 2003.
SIX NATIONS
So with no Saints game this week I’ve been lucky enough to get a ticket for England's opening Six Nations game against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday.
A while back there was a discussion on a New Zealand website (thesilverfern.com)
about the relative merits and quality of the 6N. In reply a French chap, a supporter of Castres, now resident in Ireland wrote the following which in my mind sums up what it’s all about.
“It's not about the teams you play, it's about tradition.
It's about Underwood diving in the corner, Thornburn tears and Castaignede's drop goal. It's about O'Driscoll dummies and Jeffrey's bloodied jersey.
It's about grand slams and Calcutta cups, triple crowns and wooden spoons.
It's about national anthems being sung by 80.000 people as one, from the top of their lungs. It's about some fields in Athenry, some flowers in Scotland and swinging chariots.
It's about the fervour of Cardiff and the barbecues of Twickenham, the train station at Lansdowne road and the sunshine of Flaminio. It's about the berets of St-Denis and the kilts of Murrayfield.
It's about goats and cockerels on the side of the pitch and St George crosses everywhere in the stands. It's about thistles, roses, shamrocks, leeks and daffodils.
It's about 93 years of blood, sweat and tears.
It's about Pride.”
I’ll drink to that!
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