News: Wasps 20 Saints 15 Match Report
By Emma Brooker
October 5 2009
A lacklustre performance by the Saints for 70 minutes of Sunday’s game against Wasps meant that they are still yet to win in High Wycombe. Blue skies, pink boots and previous between these two sides suggested we were in for a treat - and for the last ten minutes of the game, we were.
Guinness Premiership Round 5
London Wasps v Northampton Saints
Sunday 4th October 2009
Adams Park KO 3pm
A sustained period of possession for the Saints could not break down a dogged Wasps defence, and the home side clung on to win a largely forgettable encounter.
I am writing this report with some trepidation. I don't claim that it will be fair, I am a Northampton supporter writing for other Northampton supporters after all, but if you want something criticising Wasps, or overly lauding the Saints, I'm afraid you will have to look elsewhere. I don't find Danny Cipriani offensive (though I'm afraid I can't say the same about Lawrence Dallaglio's new range of pasta sauce), and I am not going to lambast Chris Ashton for a mistake.
Anyway, enough of that...
The Saints came into this match on the back of a performance against Leeds which did the job but nothing else, while Wasps' last game had been a loss against the in-form London Irish. A fit-again Stephen Myler took up a place on the bench, with Shane Geraghty preferred at fly-half. Two potential candidates for England's currently vacant fullback spot lined up against each other, with Wasps continuing with Danny Cipriani in that position. The Saints boasted a completely changed front row from the previous week's game, and Scott Gray was given a week off, with his place being taken by Mark Easter.
Wasps got on the scoreboard early on, with the ever-reliable Dave Walder kicking a penalty in the fourth minute. Wasps had the best of the early possession, with a decent attack only halted following a poor pass to Tom Varndell with the line in sight. Another Wasps attack was ably halted by Chris Mayor, and the Saints were rewarded with a penalty which Geraghty cleared to halfway. The Saints lost the lineout, and Wasps attacked quickly but failed to make the most of an overlap when John Hart's fumbled another potentially try-scoring pass just a few minutes later, causing many Northampton fans to breathe a sigh of relief!
Some poor work by the Saints in the lineout once again cost them possession, and ultimately three points as they were penalised at the subsequent Wasps lineout and Dave Walder stepped up to convert it. Walder's boot was the source of the game's next penalty, after some good work by the Saints was undone when Reihana was isolated in possession and Wasps won the ball. They worked themselves back to halfway where the Saints infringed at a scrum and Walder made it 9-0 after almost 25 minutes.
The Saints eventually found themselves with a scoring opportunity after Wasps were penalised, but Geraghty's kick was wide and the score line remained the same. Wasps continued to press, and it was only excellent tackling by first Foden and then Mayor which kept them out. Eventually, however, the Saints were penalised again and Walder continued his form with the boot and made it 12-0 to the home side.
The next significant piece of action saw the best and worst from Danny Cipriani. Wasps were awarded a penalty, but the fullback's clearance failed to find touch and was returned by the Saints. They, however, lost possession and Cipriani put in a long kick which was chased by himself and Chris Ashton. The ball rather cruelly bounced back towards Ashton, who was running towards his own try line, and over his head, into the hands of Cipriani who followed his kick up magnificently. His swan-dive in the corner was perhaps a little unnecessary as he could have run under the posts, and seemed even sillier when Walder missed the subsequent conversion.
This little episode caused one Saints fan sitting behind me to immediately call for Ashton to be substituted. "I've never been impressed by him. He scores a lot of tries, but he can't kick and he can't tackle."
The Saints eventually got themselves on the board when Sackey was penalised for not rolling away after a tackle on Reihana. Geraghty was successful with his penalty attempt, taking the score to 17-3. Normal service was soon resumed, however, as Wasps attacked again through Shaw and Simpson, but the latter was penalised for holding on and Geraghty cleared to touch.
The second half started much more brightly for the Saints, with a great run by Foden and some excellent interplay between Ashton and Nacho giving Geraghty the chance to chip into the corner where, it seemed, Chris Mayor scored a perfectly good try. The referee, however, had other ideas, suggesting that Phil Dowson had knocked the ball on, and so ruled out the score. This seemed to spur the Saints on, and they attacked once more through Wilson and Nacho, but some poor kicking sees them pegged back into their own half. Varndell seemed to squander another scoring opportunity for the home side as he couldn't quite hang on to a pass.
The Saints got themselves slightly closer to Wasps when Geraghty was successful with a second penalty, and this break in play saw a raft of substitutions - Mujati, Dreyer and Lobbe made way for Tiny, Bonorino and Lawes.
The next passage of play was, perhaps, typical Saints. Reihana caught the ball and broke into the Wasps half. He kicked ahead, and he and Ashton chased, though Cipriani gathered the ball. He was, however, unceremoniously dumped over his own line by a lovely tackle from Ashton, winning the Saints a scrum on the 5m line. The scrum yet again resulted in a penalty, this time to the Saints, which Geraghty duly slotted over taking the score to 17-9. "Take Ashton off" pipes up the voice behind me.
The Saints soon had another opportunity as once again Reihana broke through, following a little bit of the ‘aerial ping-pong' which has gained such notoriety lately. With the line in sight, however, Bruce suddenly decided to cut inside a non-existent defender and was brought down by his pursuers. The ball was eventually knocked on, and Wasps were able to clear, and Serge Betsen almost scored at the other end. While they may not have scored the try, the move set Walder up to add another three points, this time from a drop goal. This took the score to 20-9 with fifteen minutes to go.
Geraghty soon had the opportunity to close the gap, but his penalty attempt drifted wide. He made amends just a couple of minutes later, however, when Wasps infringed again and the kick was successful.
The Saints pressed once more, with Ashton almost put through on the wing until a great tackle by Lachlan Mitchell, just on for Cipriani, put him in to touch. Mitchell, unfortunately, knocked himself out in the process and play was delayed for almost ten minutes while he was carefully carried off on a stretcher.
The Saints stole the ball at the lineout once play re-started, and worked an overlap, but Geraghty threw a pass at, well, no-one, and the danger passed. A box-kick by Simpson from the lineout was ably caught by Ashton who put Foden in to space. A penalty on half way resulted, and Reihana stepped up to try and secure the losing bonus point at least. His kick was successful, and the gap was reduced to five points.
The momentum was with the Saints, and they attacked once more, the ball passing through almost every pair of hands again and again. Wasps, however, held strong, and as the clock hit zero, a frustrated Shane Geraghty threw a wayward pass into touch and the referee blew for full time, much to the relief of Wasps, one suspects.
The Saints seem to lack flair in the backs, and certainly lacked power in the forwards in the first half. Their play seems to be very predictable, with move after move seeming to be pre-planned. Wasps were similar, but have some real pace and thus troubled the Saints without really creating a great deal themselves. There also seemed, though I suspect it's imagined on my part, a little bit of "it's Adams Park, we never win here" about the team. Of course, we all know it's down to the white shirts really...
Let's just hope we're not wearing them (either physically or mentally) next weekend!
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But the disagreements - this was the first match where Cipriani has played at FB this season and Simon Shaw was nowhere to be seen - we could have done with him in the last 10 minutes, And I think your try was ruled out because of a forward pass before the ball got to Ashton - but i was looking across the width of the field to see that.
Saint til I die
You were spot on about the disallowed try. Dowson went up for the ball and knocked it forwards, before Mayor caught it and went over. Marginal, but the call was correct.
thank you Emma
MJ43 by now most folk know exactly where you're at regarding the match preview, enough is enough?
Come On You Saints
One thing, just for accuracy:
"They, however, lost possession and Cipriani put in a long kick which was chased by himself and Chris Ashton."
It was Joe Simpson, the scrum half, who put the kick in behind Ashton for Danny to chase.
KevinTheB
www.justgiving.com/kevinbroadbent
Quote:MJ43
Well done, Emma. Admirably objective, and a welcome antidote to the vile rubbish which preceded the game.
Totally agree. Well done Emma!