Goode puts the boot into Saints

Goode Kicking!
By Jason Harris
September 29 2002

Sarries outside half Andy Goode kicked 26 points to see of Northampton Saints 31-19 in a scrappy, indisciplined affair at Vicarage Road.

In a tense, albeit turgid match where both sides were guilty of spoiling the game as a spectacle, Goode delivered what was required as the sides scored one try apiece and also had one each disallowed.

Sarries took the lead right at the beginning. Adryan Winnan put up a high ball and played everyone onside as he challenged the Saints defence to pluck it out of the air. The ball was flapped back by Northampton and the alert Richard Hill was the first to pounce. Hill took the ball deep into the Saints 22 and passed to Stuart Hooper who went in unopposed.

Saints responded with a penalty from Paul Grayson but that was almost immediately cancelled out by another from Goode and a third from the outside half put Sarries 13-3 up.

Morgan Williams had a try disallowed after the scoring pass from Craig Yandell was ruled forward by Scottish referee Andy Ireland. From then on, it was all Northampton. Saints kept winning the re-start ball and driving into the heart of the Sarries defence.

But the thin black line held firm and the visitors' only reward was a smartly-taken drop goal from Grayson after taking the ball going backwards and having his back to the posts.

Saints kept up the pressure but Sarries still stood firm. A marked improvement on the previous two games where they buckled and let in a hatful of points. Further penalties were exchanged between the two stand-offs, making the score at the break 16-9 to the home side.

Just three minutes into the second half, Sarries found themselves down to 14 after Craig Yandell was sin-binned for repeat offences at the ruck and Northampton capitalised. Eventually.

First, from the penalty that came about after Yandell's sin-bin, Paul Grayson struck the left upright and Saracens just about cleared their lines after they didn't manage to put a man near the post.

Next, after a forward drive to the Saracens line, Tom Smith was unlucky to be denied five points as the referee blew for the ball being held up - which it was at the time - just before the Scotland and Lions prop eventually managed to get it to ground.

Finally, a couple of minutes later, fullback Nick Beal was on the end of a first-phase move from a lineout where the ball flowed along the Saints back line. The former England man broke the first tackle and took advantage of the defensive line going backwards rather than moving forwards to make the hit and raced 35 metres for the touchdown in the right corner. Grayson added the extras and the score was now level at 16-all.

Yandell returned to the fray some three minutes late - yet another incident that adds weight to the argument for independent, off-field timekeeping in ZP games - and Sarries continued their dogged defensive commitment in the face of more Northampton attacks.

Goode nudged the home side ahead just three minutes later with a drop goal and the three points became six as he kicked his fifth penalty.

Another penalty-goal exchange between Grayson and Goode made it 25-19 just before Sarries prop Johnny Marsters was sin-binned for killing the ball deep inside the home 22.

With two hookers on the bench, the Sarries front row was once again going to be a makeshift unit. On-loan prop Andy Kershaw, who turned in a great performance on his debut, moved from the loose head to the tight, James Parkes came in at hooker and Matt Cairns moved to loose head.

Any worries about another hastily-retreating scrum were dispelled as Richard Hill showed masterful control at the base to ensure that the ball was secured and that Saints were denied any possession.

The introduction of Abdel Benazzi proved crucial in Sarries next score. The French international made two hard charges into the Northampton midfield and the second attacted enough defenders to give Goode an easy platform for his second field goal.

Saints were trying desperately to get the bonus point with the score now 28-19 and their indiscipline gifted Saracens two more chances to kick for goal. Although Goode missed with the first from 57 metres, his second from 52 out - the final kick of the match - sailed over and the final whistle went to seal a morale-boosting win for the Men in Black.

The character and will to win shown by Saracens was top-drawer. However, Shelford will have been displeased with some poor discipline and a lot of very bad re-starts; Saints won those by a ratio of almost four to one. A further boost on the day was the news that Sarries' next opponents - the hitherto all-conquering Gloucester - were held to a draw by lowly Bath.

The Men in Black will head to Kingsholm next weekend with renewed heart, but will not underestimate the size of their next Zurich Premiership task: Sarries have never a league match at Castle Grim.