Thoughts from the Chron 16th April
By Chris Gleadell
April 16 2009
Well it may have taken the Saints a while to get into their stride but a late, late try rush saw them ease into the European Challenge Cup semi-finals with a victory over Connacht at the Gardens on Saturday. That late four try burst put a bit of a lopsided view on the final score at 42-13 but Saints could breathe a sigh of relief as it all looked so very different 30 minutes earlier.
Chris Gleadell's Thoughts from the Chron 16th April 2008
In some respects the game was a carbon copy of last weeks game against Gloucester. It was nip and tuck for an hour, then a Stephen Myler penalty put some daylight between the sides before the Saints cut loose in the last ten minutes.
However when Connacht's Ray Ofisa went over on 52 minutes allowing Ian Keatleys conversion to give the Irish side the lead for the first time I know I was not the only one thinking, oh no, here we go, 1997 all over again. But I should never have doubted the lads. Yes, they might have been aided by a couple of yellow cards but these were given when Connacht were trying to hang on in there by hook or by crook as Saints upped the pace. In the end fitness and staying cool calm and collective won the day to set up a ECC semi-final at home to Saracens on the May Bank Holiday weekend.
LOOKING AHEAD
So all in all, and with all things considered, not that bad a day at the office.
Connacht were certainly a more competitive side than a lot of us had given them credit for but when all is said and done reaching the semi finals of the two cup competitions in your return to the top flight is no mean feat, and we still have so much to play for.
In fact a glance at the Guinness Premiership table will tell we are not alone in that fact. Six teams still battle it out for the championship playoff places whilst every team, bar already relegated Bristol, can still qualify for next seasons Heineken Cup be it via league position or winning the European Challenge Cup. With Toulouse failing at Cardiff last week an extra spot for an English team is available next season. This will either go to the winner of the ECC or seventh position in the Guinness Premiership.
With two GP games to go that seventh spot could potentially be filled by any of five clubs and even though half the London based media will have you believe it is currently 9th placed Wasps destiny by divine right, Saints could well sneak it as one of those quintet. There are of course many permutations but the simple fact is should we even secure that spot we could well lose the Heineken place should either Worcester or Saracens (should they finish below us) win the ECC.
However this should not stop us aiming to finish as high as we can in the table because even if we are not successful in Europe, and of course I hope we are, we can pray that that Bourgoin take the spoils rather than our GP rivals.
So to that effect it is all guns blazing for the visit of London Irish to the Gardens on Saturday.
As far as domestic competition goes Irish have their eyes on the main prize. Currently sitting third in the GP table a win on Saturday could see Irish not only head the table by teatime but almost certainly secure a coveted playoff spot, so they will not be coming to lie down. Perhaps given their shock exit at home in the ECC at the hands of Bourgoin last Thursday night they might even be out with more of a point to prove too.
However as the lads showed in the Paddy's Day game down in Reading in March we do have the measure of them and they are beatable especially as we are on our own patch. A win for us and a loss for Sale and Sarries, at home high flying Quins and Tigers respectively, could make the final game up at Sale on April the 25th very interesting indeed.
And as ever we have our own part to play. I thought we were a bit mute on Saturday when things were against us - thought not ‘subdued into petulant silence' as the Irish Independent reporter put it - so here is a chance for us to not only redeem ourselves and lift the team to new heights but also to silence those drums.
With so much to play for it is sure to be tight though but I think the team with the most Irishman will prevail, Saints!
UNCONTESTED SCRUMS
I am surprised that more was not said in the aftermath of Saturday's game about the issue of uncontested scrums. It is a grey area that in a one off winner takes all game you should use any means to win the game within what you can get away with. That is probably true in some respects but all too often lately, and it has certainly increased over the last couple of years, we have seen a struggling scrum suffer an ‘injury' which prevents them competing giving the referee no option but to go uncontested.
Things certainly looked suspect on Saturday as a dominant Saints scrum was negated by a prop having to go off. That the eighteen stone, six foot prop was ‘helped off' by a five foot four, ten stone physio didn't wholly convince the injury was as bad as it might have been acted out. But therein lies the problem, none of us are medical experts and certainly given what may happen you cannot put the onus on referees to judge a mans ability to carry on. Clearly though something has to be done.
Whether this is a product of the true face of professionalism and a win at all cost mentality is arguable but the scrum is so central to the game you cannot have teams opting in and out of it because they can't compete on level terms.
It may be obvious but that's exactly what it is about, gaining the upper hand by brute force and technique, if you lose that battle, tough, that's the game.
Of course the law on uncontested scrums was brought in to cover the genuine injuries that do occur but it is plain that at times this is abused. You only have to look at France where one game in three last season in the Top14 and D2 was affected by scrums having to go uncontested. Oddly enough they changed the rule to allow more front row forwards on the bench and there have been just two, yes two, instances across all the games over those two divisions so far this season.
In England the instances of uncontested scrums in the top division has doubled over the same period. While France seems to have stemmed the flow we seem to be getting worse but the PRL and the RFU are talking about adopting the law here too, maybe from the start of next season. It cannot come too soon because you have to feel for the likes of Euan Murray, doing what he does best to give his team the edge, only to be told, sorry your opposite number doe not feel up to it anymore, stop pushing.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
I often wonder if the uncontested scrums thing is something else we just have to adapt to. At the weekend, when we knew it was uncontested to the death, we made a few changes to take advantage of the fact: [www.flickr.com]
If the opposition nullifies our scrum as an attacking weapon then, until the laws are sorted out, maybe we just have to learn if we can turn it our advantage.
No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.
Dryathlon
And I think if you accept its something we have to get used then its the beginning of the end for the scrum because some bright spark will say, isn't it more open and fast with five backrowers on the pitch lets do away with that pushing bit. In my mind its something that has to be nipped in the bud before it comes the norm and teams opt out every week and the likes of Euan will have to go back to being James Herriot.
No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.
Dryathlon
I thought we had all moved on from that, and the comment singularly fails to reflect knowledge of the modern game, its funding requirements, and above all, the fact that London Irish supply more nationally qualified representatives for England Rugby than Northampton does currently across all age groups.
I mean, how long has it been since the Vatican beatified any of Northampton's staff ? See, pointless, but comedic...
I will be at the game this weekend, sat in the Tetley's Stand. I hope that both sides give it their all, as at the Madejski, and validate the belief that both sides were good to watch as they kept trying for the win right until the death.
Its an article for a local paper read by an awful lot of people who don't read these boards (well four), fact is its the truth.
And by the way we still play in the Saint(s) James area.
I think you meant "how long has it been since the Vatican canonised any of Northampton's staff?". Beatification is just one step towards being made a saint. But thanks for taking us all so seriously.
Quote:GMC_LI
... these was the first words uttered...
Surely that should read "these were...". Obviously GMC_LI is some kind of oik (rhymes with loike).
Quote:GMC_LI
Good article spoilt by the needless references to having more Irish players than this weekend's opposition. .
-snip-
I mean, how long has it been since the Vatican beatified any of Northampton's staff ? See, pointless, but comedic...
Thing is, we don't make a big thing of having been canonised. LI do make a big thing of being Irish.
"Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it."
-- Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161-180 A.D.