Saints 35 - 23 Not Nots

In the end this proved a convincing win and my fears were unfounded.  It didn't seem that way in the first 5 minutes however as Ryan Lamb managed two drop goals (one the result of a Smyler kick being charged down) and we were down 6-0 in the blink of an eye.  However that was the last time that the Exiles were to look threatening, the final score flattering them as a result of some disruption near the end of the match (more of which later).

Smyler came into his own.  Instead of being phased by his early mistake, he took the game by the scruff.  Wonderful positional kicking, great handling.  This was the fly half we wished we always saw.  Confident, play making.  He shortly narrowed the lead with a penalty from a difficult position.  In fact his place kicking throughout the game was fantastic, some really difficult kicks going over, and only one miss for the entire match.

The first try came from Jamie Elliott.  At only 18 he is the youngest player we have, but he is already showing flare and poise.  He was targeted with the high ball at the Irish restarts but he caught every one.  And he never dropped out of a tackle.  But even more impressive is his pace and his ability to spin out of hits.  He reminds me of Shane Williams in many ways.  And after a couple of attempts that didn't quite make it, finally he got over in the corner and things were moving the right way.

Next was a try magicked out of nowhere.  A smart pick up of a loose ball which had spilt out of a ruck by Brett Sharman and he was off.  But it was clear he couldn't make it the whole way.  Digger was on his outside and his arms were out for the pass.  Brett decided to kick ahead instead.  If you ever see a replay you will see Digger turn to Brett and say something very rude before haring down the field after the ball.  A lovely weighted chip ahead and then Digger was able to drop on the ball scoring a fine try.  Brett got a lot of plaudits, but the reports internally suggest that if he ever tries that again then he is going to find himself in the Wanderers for the rest of the season.

The try of the match came from Clarke however.  This time from a maul.  Tiny was standing his ground with a horde of Irish trying to bring him down.  Clarke sees an opportunity and scoops the ball out of Tiny's hands.  And after a neat side step around Hodgson he's got the field ahead of him clear except for one figure.  Delon Armitage.  Delon prepares, he waits.  Clarke nears him.  And just as Delon goes for the tackle Clarke makes a beautiful side step which completely out-manouvres Delon who only manages to get enough of a hand on Clarke that he is spun around and down while Clarke continues on to the line and the try.

Half time and Saints well in the lead.  Three tries up.  Almost 90% of territory.  Dominant.

Scoring slowed after half time but it was clear that the Saints weren't going to let go.  And from a game that had initially looked dangerous there was now the sniff of a bonus.  Sure enough it was to come.  From a scrum, that rock of our play this season, Ryan Powell went to the blindside.  Only Ojo to get passed, and a nice offload to Digger saw him go in for his second try of the match.

15 minutes to go and the Saints were firmly in charge.  London Irish hadn't looked like scoring but were making a quick foray into our 22.  Then disaster.  Digger attempted to tackle the biggest player on the pitch and got himself in completely the wrong position.  He received a knee to the head for his troubles and was laid out cold.  A long long time for treatment, and a lot of concern from the supporters, but he was awake when he was stretchered off, and later reports indicate that he recovered quickly and is OK.  However this disrupted the team.  At the restart after the injury they let in a soft try.  And then a mispass by TinTin allowed Ojo to race away for a second (although nearly caught by Elliott).  The Irish were able to go home with a semblance of respectability but, in reality, they were crushed.

Scorers:
Saints - Tries: Elliott, Digger (2), Clarke; Cons: Smyler (3); Pens: Smyler (2), TinTin
London Irish - Tries: Hala'ufia, Ojo; Cons: Lamb (2); DGs: Lamb (2); Pens: Lamb