Wasps 13 - Saints 24

Last year the Saints achieved their first vistory at Adams Park.  It was very much the show of the scrum that ground the Wasps into the ground.  Could a resurgent Saints manage it again against a Wasps squad which has shown fluctuating fortunes again so far this season.

The Wasps scrum certainly came out not intending to allow a repetition of last years engagement.  In fact it is a while since I have seen the Saints pack puched around like that.  At least for the first 30 minutes.  But playing at that intensity takes its toll and the Wasps weren't able to maintain the pressure for the full match and that, most probably, is the reason behind the final score.  To add salt to the wounds, the two Saints tries came from the props, Tiny and Mooj.

The game was scrappy from the Saints point of view.  A lot of near misses but difficulty in stringing together the final pass at the crucual moment.  Some wonderful breaks by Vaseline who once again looked threatening, but Ryan Lamb was neutralised quite effectively and couldn't unlock the backs.  Add to that a couple of missed kicks and it would be fair to say a difficult day for him.  One of his penalties was deemed to not go over but he was convinced otherwise and called for the TMO, but it was impossible to tell on the reply as the ball went too high, and it was finally not given despite Lamby shaking his head repeatedly.

While some penalties were traded early on, the first try actually came from the Waps while they were a man down.  Tim Payne had been shown a yellow after throwing a punch at Callum (who, for once, didn't retaliate but made sure he got the linesmans attention instead).  Somewhat against the run of play Wasps had the ball and Jo Simpson put in a lovely probing kick that Flash failed to collect.  Wade took the ball and threw what looked like a speculative pass but instead went straight to Riki Flutey who was then able to dive in at the corner.  It was a lovely try and one of the moments of the match.  Some more penalties and the Saints went in slightly ahead but wondering how to break the Wasps defence.

When all else fails then look to the forwards.  Two minutes into the second half and Tiny went over after some lovely ball handling.  Two turnovers gave the Saints the ball and it was quickly heading down the line.  A forwar pass from Courtney was missed by the linesman and suddenly Vaseline was breaking for the line.  He couldn't quite get there and was brought to ground but Tiny gathered the ball and dived forward, his long arm extending, ball in hand to touch down.  The momentum of the game shifted and the Saints looked in charge.  10 minutes later and Mooj scored after a run from the 22, bursting through a tackle from Nicky Robinson and just making it to the whitewash before Jo Simpson caught him.

At this point Saints fans would have relaxed a little.  But the Wasps do not le down and die.  Soon they were back and pushing.  The last 15 minutes of the game was mainly played in the Saints territory and a soft try for Filipino, Flash looking for where the ball might go rather than where it was, saw the gap close.  But the final play saw another turnover from the Saints and the ball was cleared to the sound of the refs whistle and another victory.

Both the ref and the linesmen were poor and detracted from the game.  The Saints deserved to win but instead the focus was on a number of poor decision from the officials.  Before Wasps fans get too agitated it is worth pointing out that the penalty count was high for both teams and I believe that the Saints got pinged more often.  Be that as it may, at this level the refs need to be consistent and show an understanding of the game.

MOM went to Courtney.  Despite a ban at the World Cup and also a yellow card the other week, Courtney is still packing in the power at the tackle.  One on Nicky Robinson early on in the game was especially brutal (but legal) and Nicky was left on the ground need help from the physios.  It isn't just the power but the speed that causes the opposition the problem, as Courtney appears from nowhere going like a steam train.  Rugby is a physical sport, and Courtney wants to instill fear in his opponents, if they can even have a split second when they are wondering if he is going to hit them then there is more chance they will make a mistake.

Match Details

• Half Time 8-12
• Attendance 8,222
• Referee Tim Wigglesworth
• MOM Courtnet

London Wasps

15	Hugo Southwell
14	Tom Varndell
13	Chris Bell
12	Riki Flutey	1T
11	Christian Wade
10	Nicky Robinson				1P
9	Joe Simpson
1	Tim Payne
2	Rob Webber
3	Ben Broster
4	Ross Filipo	1T
5	Marco Wentzel
6	Richard Birkett
7	Jonathan Poff
8	John Hart
16	Tom Lindsay
17	Sakaria Taulafo
18	Jeremy Castex
19	Joe Burton
20	Matt Everard
21	Nic Berry
22	Ryan Davis
23	Chris Mayor

Northampton Saints

15	Ben Foden
14	Chris Ashton
13	Jon Clarke
12	Tom May
11	Vasily Artemyev
10	Ryan Lamb		1C		4P
9	Lee Dickson
1	Soane Tongauiha	1T
2	Dylan Hartley
3	Brian Mujati	1T
4	Courtney Lawes
5	Mark Sorenson
6	Calum Clark
7	Phil Dowson
8	Roger Wilson
16	Mike Haywood
17	Alex Waller
18	Paul Doran-Jones
19	Samu Manoa
20	Tom Wood
21	Martin Roberts
22	Stephen Myler
23	George Pisi

Saints 44 - Falcons 15

This was always an important match for both teams.  The Saints, after a difficult start, now had three wins on the trot and wanted to keep the form flowing.  Falcons, even this early in the season, were contemplating possible relegation and desperately needed a win under their belts.  With both teams at the bottom of the table a lot was riding on the result.

The start was all about testing out the opposition, and while the Saints looked more dominant, it was initially honours even with 3-3 after ten minutes.  The next ten mminutes were a different story though.  Slow ball from a ruck allowed the Saints to get themselves well set and as Chris Pilgrim tried to clear the line his kick was charged down by Tiny.  It was a clean charge but it was enough and Dowse was able to gather it in.  A couple of quick passes and the ball reached Tom May.  Now, in all honesty, he should have passed it one more time, but this was his 200th premiership appearance and it was against his old team, so clearly he wanted to make it a bit memorable and he barged his way over the line to touch down his first try for the Saints and the first try of the match.  It only took 7 more minutes for May to go over the whitewash again and he had bagged a pair.

The Saints were looking in control but to the supporters dismay Lawes was soon in trouble.  Whether the ref thought it was a shoulder charge or a late tackle was not entirely clear but Lawes was seeing a yellow card while Manning rolled around on the ground in obvious agony.  Well, it was obvious until Lawes sat on the naughty step, at which point Manning sprang up with no assistance from the physios, grinned at the crowd, and then got on with the game.  This had the side effect of making the game appear like an early panto show as every time Manning touched the ball throughout the rest of the match then boo'ing could be heard around the stadium.  The first couple of times the boo's were heartfelt but after that it became a comedy element that everyone got into and enjoyed.  Gopperth managed to kick the penalty and then the Falcons tried to up the pressure.  Despite some silly handling errors byt the Saints, the Falcons couldn't capitalise on their advantage in numbers and finally Gopperth had to go for a drop goal. 

Half time and the score was 18-12 to the Saints.  The reality was that the Saints had had the best of the match so far but Gopperth was keeping the Falcons within touch and greater discipline would be needed in the second half if the Saints were to make the most of their dominance.

It didn't take long.  Within 4 mionutes of the second half the Falcons had a line-out at their 22.  An overthrow saw the ball collected by the Saints and spun out to Lamby.  He spotted a gap and dived through it, leaving enough numbers to his left for him to pass to Clarke who then passed to Vaseline.  The Russian was over for the Saints third try of the  match and continuing his impressive entrance into English rugby.  And it became even more impressive 10 minutes later when he went over again in a similar move.

The scrum were now demolishing the Falcons who were repeatedly left a pile on the floor.  And Flash was obviously feeling left out having watched others score tries.  He was to round out the game with a brace for himself however, the first from short range and the second scopping up the ball in the Saints 22 after a Falcons handling error and running the length of the pitch for a Splash.

The Saints had put in another strong performance.  A defence that never looked like being breached, a scrum that had territory, a line-out that was winning and pressurising the opposition, and a back line that was spinning the ball and finding the gaps.  While positions in the table haven't changed that much, with the Saints at 8th, it looks more hopeful and the Saints seem to have remembered their winning ways.

Match Details

• Half Time 18-12
• Attendance 13,326
• Referee JP Doyle
• MOM Ryan Lamb 

Northampton Saints

No.	Name
15	Ben Foden
14	Chris Ashton	2T
13	Jon Clarke
12	Tom May	2T
11	Vasily Artemyev	2T
10	Ryan Lamb		3C		2P
9	Lee Dickson
1	Soane Tongauiha
2	Dylan Hartley
3	Brian Mujati
4	Samu Manoa
5	Courtney Lawes
6	Calum Clark
7	Tom Wood
8	Phil Dowson
16	Mike Haywood
17	Alex Waller
18	Paul Doran-Jones
19	Mark Sorenson
20	Roger Wilson
21	Martin Roberts
22	Stephen Myler		1C
23	Scott Armstrong

Newcastle Falcons

No.	Name
15	Jeremy Manning
14	Luke Eves
13	Corne Uys
12	Jamie Helleur
11	Rikki Sheriffe
10	Jimmy Gopperth			1D	4P
9	Chris Pilgrim
1	Grant Shiells
2	Joe Graham
3	Euan Murray
4	Andrew van der Heijden
5	Tim Swinson
6	Mark Wilson
7	Will Welch
8	Ally Hogg
16	Mike Mayhew
17	Ashley Wells
18	Dan Frazier
19	Glen Townson
20	Redford Pennycook
21	Jordi Pasqualin
22	Greg Goosen
23	Alex Tait

Ospreys 22 - Saints 32

This always had the potential to be an interesting match.  Ospreys put out a fairly junior team (with a lot of players still in New Zealand or making their way back after a fairly successful World Cup for Wales - as an aside, how do Wales get to the 3rd/4th play-off and still go down in the world rankings, something wrong there) while the Saints had their World Cup players integrating back into the team.  One of those matches that is always threatening an upset. 

Looking at the result you could think that it was closer than, in many ways, it was.  Saints got the bonus point for 4 tries.  Ospreys only got one try, the rest of the points came from the boot of Matthew Morgan (rightfully MOM), and that was despite playing for 20 minutes with only 14 men after the ref gave two yellow cards.  But while the Saints showed their experience in holding the game and correcting early errors, the Ospreys youngsters should be proud of a fantastic effort

The first half was an untidy affair from the Saints.  A lot of errors, handling was rusty and penalties given.  Typical integration team, the world cup players not really sre of the new members of the team and calls not fully understood.  The first try came from Vasily, making 4 tries in two matches, after a nice pass from Lamby found Fodes who then put Vasily over unopposed.  For a while everything bogged down into a rough and slightly bad tempered game and the half time score was 19-10 to the Ospreys.  Saints fans where left wondering what was going to happen, the Saints looked dominant but weren't getting the points on the board whereas the Ospreys were keeping it all ticking over, helped by their one try just before half time coming from an intercept by Sonny Parker of a Vasily pass.

Jim Mallinder clearly gave the guys a bit of a talking to.  They came out looking determined, if not happy.  But they put the ill-discipline to the side and tightened up on all aspects.  Starved of penalty opportunities then the Ospreys were always going to struggle.  But even after Dylan collected the next two tries during the first fifteen minutes of the second half, he still didn't break a smile, clearly this wasn't enough in his mind and more was needed.  And sure enough, a few minutes after that Callum Clark collected a wonderfully weighted cross kick from Lamby to go over, with other men spare.  19 unanswered points and the Saints looked done and dusted.  A penalty each for the teams didn't affect the final score greatly and the Ospreys were unlucky to leave without a bonus point after a good display.

Match Details

• Half Time 19-10
• Attendance 4,463
• Referee Neil Hennessy 

Ospreys

No.	Name	T	C	D	P
15	Ross Jones
14	Tom Prydie
13	Ben John
12	Sonny Parker	1T
11	Eli Walker
10	Matthew Morgan		1C		5P
9	Tom Habberfield
1	Cai Griffiths
2	Scott Baldwin
3	Aaron Jarvis
4	Tom Smith
5	Ian Evans
6	James King
7	Sam Lewis
8	Morgan Allen
16	Mefin Davies
17	Joe Rees
18	Duncan Jones
19	Richard Kelly
20	Chauncey O'Toole
21	Tom Grabham
22	Will Price
23	Kristian Phillips

Northampton Saints

No.	Name	T	C	D	P
15	Ben Foden
14	Chris Ashton
13	Scott Armstrong
12	James Downey
11	Vasily Artemyev	1T
10	Ryan Lamb		3C		1P
9	Lee Dickson
1	Soane Tongauiha
2	Dylan Hartley	2T
3	Paul Doran-Jones
4	Courtney Lawes
5	Mark Sorenson
6	Calum Clark	1T
7	Tom Wood
8	Roger Wilson
16	Mike Haywood
17	Alex Waller
18	Tom Mercey
19	Samu Manoa
20	Phil Dowson
21	Martin Roberts
22	Stephen Myler				1P
23	Jon Clarke

Saints 36 - Sarries 6

Over the last couple of years the Sarries have become a bit of a bogey team for the Saints. There are several reasons behind it - some of the support is more football like than rugby, the Tiny incident, the fact that they keep beating us (!). Anyway, having finally got a win last week this was theoretically not the match that we now needed. Yes, it's LV Cup so not the full first choice Sarries, but it isn't our top team either. Some interesting choices in the team though - Vasily Artemyev making his debut, Jamie Elliott finally back from injury, Tom Wood back from the World Cup, Sarge back from injury. And on the bench Dylan, Courtney, Tiny, Cesare.

It turns into a dream start for Vasily (now nicknamed Vaseline for his ability to slip through) and he has a try within minutes of the whistle. Like last week the team are showing signs of playing and running. A second try for Vaseline before half time and he has won over the fans. Sarries putting on pressure but other than two penalties they can't follow through.

The second half continues well. Vaseline gets his third try, a hattrick on his debut, how's that to light the rugby world, and Jamie Elliott gets a brace. When the Saints run then hey are fun and dangerous. When they go back to a kicking game then it becomes less dominant and some worrying moments. When the Saints play well though it is a great game, audacious off loads which don't always go to hand but you can forgive for the vision. And without the ones that don't go to hand then those that do wouldn't happen either and we wouldn't have 5 tries. It's worth mentioning the last try, a beautifully weighted chip from Smyler going into Elliotts hands for him to dive over after a sprint for the line.

Saints 33 - Chiefs 3

The two teams came into this match from opposite sides of the spectrum.  The Chiefs have got their season off to a flying start whilst the Saints have been struggling (to say the least).  Having beaten the Tigers at home the Chiefs must have fancied their chances.

So at kick off to see the Saints collect the ball and then run rather than kick for clearence had many of us with our hearts in our mouths.  Any moment we were waiting for the whistle to blow as ill-discipline has been a big part of our downfall.  But when the whistle did blow it was a for a try, scored by Downey, and the Saints were off to a flyer. 

The score board at the end was misleading.  In fact the Chiefs had the majority of the possession and spent a lot of time in the Saints half and even on the try line.  But resilient defence and a refusal to infringe meant that the Chiefs couldn't find the gap that they wanted.  

It's hard to say what made the difference, and it is only one game.  Personally I hold to the line that it is the return of Dicko.  I beleive we saw the same efect last season.  I beleive that Dicko keeps them on the straight and narrow while organising the defences to withstand the hordes.  Others will say it was Ryan Lamb (MoM) running the ball and creating openings.  Whatever the reason, this was the team that we expect to see and there were smiles all around at the end.

Massive credit to Mike Haywood, a youngster catapulted into playing as the starting hooker with Dyln in Ne Zealand and both Sharman and Long injured.  Hooker is a tough position to play and normally age is needed to get wise. Mikey played fantastically and earned the respect of players and fans alike.  Also Samu Manoa deserves a mention - another great game and he is learning each time he pulls on the shirt, he deserves a starting place in the future.

Warriors 12 - Saints 3

It doesn't get better. Worcester fighting to get off the bottom of the league show more determination and more nouse than the Saints. The pre-season warm ups and signings seems to have all been for nothing, confidence is shaky and errors high. Not an inspiring team to watch. How we go from Heineken finalists to resting at the low end of the table is anyone's guess.