Wally Walks Right Over Worcester

By St Nick
November 12 2006

This is a bit of a new experience for me. You see, I’ve never written a match report when the Saints have won. I know it should be fair and balanced. But to be honest, I can sum it up in one word: “YEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!” Oh, alright, I’ll write some more…

GUINNESS PREMIERSHIP ROUND 7

WORCESTER WARRIORS 18 vs. 23 NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

Sixways – Saturday, 11^th November 2006. 3pm

Wally Walks Right Over Worcester

I know it was a messy game with loads of knock-ons. I know we, yet again, wasted many chances when we got close to the line. But I don’t care, because for the first time this season, I felt that the team really, really wanted this match. They fought so hard for a win, and they thoroughly deserved it.

OK, to the game.

The match started at 3pm and immediately, the Saints began to get momentum. Within two minutes, they had already got a kickable penalty. Well, kickable if you’re Dan Carter or Jonny Wilkinson, but I’m afraid Los is neither of those, and the ball just gave up after about forty of the fifty metres that it was meant to be travelling.

After a few scuffles that inevitably involved Paul Tupai, the Warriors pushed up towards the North Stand and got their forwards into gear. But unlike recent weeks, we held them back. It wasn’t the forwards who scored the try. It was the backs. Despite a brilliant try-saving tackle by Chris Wyles, the winger, ~~Iseeya Haveeli~~ ~~Iceeya Havelley~~ Aisea Havili dived over in the corner. Ol’ Drahmy failed to knock over the extras, but Wuss were still ahead by 5 points with 8 minutes on the clock.

And we now transfer ourselves back to the South Stand, where the Saints have been camping for a few minutes. Big Dav steals a lineout and the Saints pack is marching on, on, on. A couple of moves later, Spencer is once again facing the posts with an altogether simpler kick to perform. He makes no mistakes and the Saints close the gap to two points. After a few more minutes, the Saints received a penalty for holding on and Los kicked it again. 5-6. What’s this? The Saints are in front in a Premiership game? Surely not.

Well, it gets even better. After a slight injury scare for the much welcomed Quinlan, the forwards pushed on from a line-out. A slick succession of moves meant somehow that Air Toops the ball. He gave it to Barnard who scampered almost over the line. He couldn’t quite make it, but who is this? Sharky is on his shoulder! Barnard flicks it up and Robinson bundles over the line. On reflection, it was a great try to watch; started by the forwards, nearly ended by the forwards, but in the end it went to the Kiwi scrum half. Los kicked over the extras and the Saints seemed to be sitting fairly pretty after about 28 minutes at 5-13.

Mark Robinson

Not for long. The warriors in the Warriors team hit back fairly soon afterwards and after the Saints tried to handle in the ruck, referee Fox blew the whistle, Drahm kicked from an easy position and the Worcester men were back within 5 points. 8-13. And that’s how it stayed for the rest of the half. Apart from a stupid pass by an unnamed person that nearly cost us a try and a crosskick by Los that nearly gave us a try, the match stayed relatively in the Worcester half. We were certainly dominating the game at this point.

During half-time, we were treated to the mild entertainment of some fans kicking a ball quite pathetically and our very own Rhodri doing a dance for the East Stand. Well, if you’re a Saints fan, it was more entertaining than the first five minutes. John Brain had obviously said something as the Wuss men came out firing and soon enough, they had got another penalty for going in to the ruck at the side. Shane converts and the score is 11-13.

Never mind, Spencer is here to save us. He threads right through the Worcester defence and damn near makes the line. But unfortunately, a lack of communication involving DB1 running into Rhodri just as he was about to catch the ball and dive over meant the entire chance went wasted. Oh well. Saints got a numerical advantage a minute later when that walking bald scary thing known as Craig Gillies took out DB1 in the lineout and was promptly shown yellow for 10 minutes. From the resulting lineout, the Saints pack pushed the Worcesterians off the park, and Wally, who seemed to be playing out of his skin, dived over near the corner. What happened next was slightly surreal, so let me explain. Carlos lined up his kick and ran up. Precisely 2 milliseconds before he kicked it, the ball fell off the tee. So Los, being Los, picked it up and attempted to drop-kick it from the touchline. It wasn’t that bad an effort either, but it still sailed right of the posts, leaving the Saints 11-28 ahead.

The next ten or so minutes was an endless rolling maul, from both sides, whilst the Warriors tried to prevent the Saints from scoring yet again in this period with only 14 men. They succeeded, and a couple of minutes after Gillies returned to the pitch, the Worcesterians pummelled our pack into submission from a lineout and Tom Harding (yes, he is related to Air Sam) scored near the touchline. Shane’s kicking fared better than Los’ and the ball sailed through the posts rather than falling off the tee, making the score 18-all after about an hour. Everything to play for.

Rhodri nearly set up a try, a scything break from about forty metres, halted yet again by a quite obvious forward pass again about ten metres out. Never mind, we had had a penalty for offside, but Spencer’s inconsistency continued and it sailed past the posts. In the next few minutes, something very strange happened. It seemed a normal ruck, but it clearly wasn’t as play was stopped. Barnard was helped off the pitch, whilst Thommo proceeded to attack Lee Fortey, the Worcester replacement hooker. He had to be taken away by Fox and then he decided to have a go at the East Stand, most of them Worcester fans who seemed to be getting him extremely riled. Anyway, the Saints had a penalty for one reason or another, and we got a lineout. Thommo immediately answered the Worcester fans.

Everyone thought it was just going to the middle of the line for Damo or Big Dav to knock it down to Sharky. Instead, Thommo threw the ball to the front, it was tapped back and Wally virtually had a free run to the line. He made a little side-step and stormed over for his second try of the day, looking pleased as punch. Carlos still couldn’t take the extras, but the Saints were in the lead, albeit slightly, on 18-23.

Steve Thompson

For the last ten minutes or so, the Saints just defended and whiled down the time brilliantly. They didn’t try anything too risky and when the Saints got a penalty, Los booted it into the crows, and the green, black and gold celebrated a superb victory. No, it wasn’t really that pretty, and yes, we could have left them for dead earlier on, but they put so much passion into their play that I simply don’t care. Everyone played well, especially the forwards, who battled on and on, and Wyles tackled well, Vass didn’t embarrass himself this week. Los was back on form and Sharky, as always, put his heart into it. I’m just glad the Saints have won a game that they fully and completely deserved…

Worcester Warriors -

Best; Havili, Rasmussen, Lombard, Tucker; Drahm, Powell; L Fortey, Gotting (C Fortey 60mins), Morris, Blaze (Collier 40mins), Gillies, Horstmann (capt), Harding, Hickey (Quinnell 61mins).

Northampton Saints -

Vass; Howard, Davies (Going 73mins), Quinlan, Wyles (Diggin 40mins); Spencer, Robinson; Smith, Thompson, Barnard (Tonga’huia 66mins), Damien Browne, Gerard, Tupai, Fox (capt), Easter.

Scorers:
Worcester Warriors –

Tries: Havili, Harding; Con: Drahm; Pens: Drahm (2).

Northampton Saints –

Tries: Robinson, Thompson (2); Con: Spencer; Pens: Spencer (2)

St. Nick’s Man of the Match:

Steve Thompson