Northampton Saints - Thoughts from the Chron

By Chris Gleadell
September 22 2006

Well all in all a rather eventful day at the Gardens on Saturday. The Saints did the business on the park, securing the four try bonus point win in what overall was an impressive performance. It was the proverbial game of two halves.

Saints dominating proceedings in the first period Bath getting the lions share of territory and possession in the second.

The win was just as much a testament to our defence as offence as wave after wave of Bath attacks were repelled in the last quarter of the game. Of course with Bath coming to the Gardens off a hammering of our nearest and dearest neighbours Tigers it was almost a foregone conclusion that they would dominate in the forwards. The thing is nobody had told Saints that.

The expected pushover try came not from the visitors but Tam Smith and when Bath tried the same ploy our lads not only held them at bay on occasion but drove them back and even started to steal the visitor’s lineout ball as all their labour came to little fruition.

Central to our game is that we seem to have acquired somewhat of a defiant edge this season. Certainly we are hitting rucks and mauls with gusto and even see opposition set pieces as an opportunity to not just defend but turn the game to our favour. It seems like there is a collective will not to be pushed around anymore instead we strive to impose ourselves on the opposition. The architect of this culture change is on the whole Peter ‘Slugga’ Sloane but you can’t put a plan like this into operation without the full support of your players and to a man they all look like they are up for that challenge and long may it continue.

YOU BOUNDER, YOU CAD, GIVE ME THAT BALL BACK

Of course the game was overshadowed by the who said what to whom saga. If there ever was a storm in a tea cup this was it. Some things about the incident do not add up for me though. Since the old Gordon Terrace was demolished I’ve stood near the halfway line a couple of people back on the new terracing.

Now I don’t know about anyone else but unless there’s a lineout in front of me or players are still chattering at the silence for a kick you very rarely hear anything loud enough from the players that carries over to the crowd. The alleged incident was heard by people standing in a similar position to me further along. As Andy Higgins wasn't releasing the ball there was a lot of noise from the crowd, jeering and shouting at him to release.

I just cannot believe what was alleged to have been said was heard 100% clearly by anyone, however near they were to the front. I can only think it was a case of lip-reading and with gumshield in place (as Keith Barwell mentioned in Mondays Chron) how can you be 100% certain on that? What suprises me even more is that, believing that 99% of our population are fair minded folk, more people have not come out the woodwork saying yes I heard XYZ.

They haven't.

Of course a fair smattering of them would be Saints supporters but I simply fail to believe that a large section of our own fans would turn a deaf ear to racism because it was a player from our club. How did just four clearly hear things that hundreds around, including quite a lot of other Bath fans did not.
Now I’m not suggesting these supporters are making this up, they acted as they saw with the best intentions, just that overall given the circumstances and evidence they might have made a snap judgement and been mistaken.

Of course everyone has been exonerated but mud tends to stick and I’d like to think these supporters were big enough to come forward and say given the weight of evidence we may after all be wrong. Given the way rugby has been dragged through the mire this week because of the allegations the game would be better for it.

OFF TO CASTLE GRIM

So it’s off down to the West Country this weekend and the game against Gloucester at Castle Grim. Last years game will be remembered for an array of yellow cards and the uncontested scrum shenanigans, a fire that was well stoked by all and sundry including a very sanctimonious Stuart Barnes without really understanding the law on named front row replacements. It was a shame because it overshadowed (a common theme this week) just how close Saints came to beating Gloucester on their own turf.

We started to see just why we signed Carlos with that chip and catch that set Wally up for his try and although we may have been edged out there was hope for the future.

Given current form, if anyone can read form given the topsy turvy form in the Guinness Premiership this season, this looks like a very close run thing and if I was a betting I might side with the draw. Promises to be a good one.

SAINTS WITH HEART V

On October 28th, prior to the Borders game this years Saints with Heart charity walk will be taking place. Now in its fifth year there are six walks taking place. As well as the traditional 17 mile route march from Wolverton there are shorter walks starting at Blisworth, Towcestrians RFC, Old Scouts RFC, Old Northamptonians RFC and Northampton Casuals RFC. If you want to take part or want to help out on the day in another capacity or maybe even just sponsor somebody then you can log on to the SWH5 website at www.swh5.co.uk or email Paul Flatt at pflatt2@btinternet.com.

FAREWELL BUDGE

It will be somewhat the end of an era at season end when Budge Pountney packs his bags and heads off with his family back to his native Hampshire. Legend is a big word to hang on someone’s shoulders but Budge has been part of the furniture at the Gardens, or as someone else described him this week, “the beating heart of the club” for well over a decade and his departure will leave some very large gold, black and green shoes to fill.

A few years back we held a ‘Who epitomises being a Saint” poll on the site. This wasn’t about who was the best player etc, more who was the very essence of all the club stood for. Budge won by a country mile, a fitting tribute to the guy who rose from being the wet behind the ears, head banded rookie we saw in the early 90’s to one of the best opensides in the world and but for his injury would still have been plaguing the opposition, and some referees interpretations, to this day.

Having risen through the ranks I always got the feeling Budge was more a man of action than a suit and like everyone else I wish him every success in his future.

It may not be much of a farewell though, I do get a feeling though that the draw of the Gardens will see him back as a visitor again and again.