Thrills and spills on a sunny day...

After a memorable weekend on Tyneside, we’re back home at StoneX for a potentially entertaining encounter with Northampton Saints, and what a glorious day it is as the Spring Equinox approaches, with sunshine and mild temperatures meaning that for the first time in a while I don’t resemble a black and red Michelin man. Mrs Jonny is in a good mood as our brand new car is making its StoneX debut and it's my turn to buy lunch, and on this day all is right with the world as we pass through Gate A, wander up to greet people at the Oasis, buy a drink and ponder what we're having to eat. I always really enjoy Premiership Cup and (the now rare) Storm matches – the chance to see Sarries’ stars of the future and watching them progress into the first team set-up and then who knows; the often free-running rugby on display; a relatively tension-free atmosphere…..although I dearly wish more people would turn up for these matches. Premiership Cup games at StoneX are of course included in people’s season tickets, or for non-season ticket holders tickets are cheap.

Today’s Sarries squad is, as is customary, largely made from our impressive pool of emerging talent, mixed on with some older and more experienced heads – Jackson Wray will be glad of some more game time as he settles back into the squad. Josh Hallett and Ollie Stonham feature in the starting XV and I see that Alex Jeffries, our sizeable short term signing from Scarlets is on the bench.

Saints have also selected a mixture of youth and experience, with the likes of former Sarrie Nick Auterac, James Grayson and Piers Francis lining up alongside the youngsters – and there’s a familiar name on the bench in the form of Frankie Sleightholme, son of Jon and younger brother of Ollie.

The game kicks off as we in the East Stand bask in the direct, warm, sunshine and some of us are in “shirt sleeves”.

Sarries, perhaps also basking a little in the lovely weather, make a sluggish start and a stray kick presents Northampton with a very early opportunity to take the lead, courtesy of James Grayson who received a short pass and goes over afrer just 3 minutes, but misses his conversion so it’s 0-5.

Saints’ lead doesn’t last long, however, as a pacey break from Harris takes Sarries deep into opposition territory, and the ball is worked across the pitch before a clever kick from Obatoyinbo sets the onrushing Segun free to do what he does best to level the scores, with Manu adding the extras to take matters to 7-5.

Play opens up a little now, with the sides falling short of each other’s try lines and penalties are exchanged before Grayson edges Northampton ahead with an impressively long and accurate kick for 7-8. Good game so far.

The game ebbs and flows, albeit that Saints, a big side with even their no. 11, Tuala, of a build that could stand in as a prop if the occasion arises, look to have a physical edge and are dominating the scrums. 

Approaching the half-hour mark, Manu kicks a Sarries penalty to the corner, whereupon the well-drilled maul routine that has seen Tom Woolstencroft and Jamie George pick up tries aplenty this season functions beautifully and this time it’s Pifeleti on the end of things to ground the ball and with a successful Manu conversion Sarries seem to be heading into the closing stages of the half in decent shape having settled after a slow start to the game.

It is, though, another maul, this time executed by Northampton, that narrows the score when James peels away with ball from the back of the formation to skip through Sarries’ defence and although Grayson again misses his conversion, the half ends with Sarries enjoying only a one-point advantage at 14-13.

It’s been an enjoyable first half that’s passed by quickly, and I wouldn’t like to predict who’s going to win the contest, Northampton do look to have a little more muscle than a young Sarries side. We shall see.

The early part of the second half is pretty much like the first, with Northampton starting the better of the two sides and it’s only 3 minutes into the 40 when Francis goes over to put Saints back into the lead, with Grayson’s less-than-unerring boot failing to convert leaving the score at 14-18.

Northampton continue to look the stronger side, and as we move close to the hour mark Hendy takes advantage of a slip-up by Segun, trying to keep a De Haas kick in play but  succeeding only in setting up the Saints sub to score their fourth try, which Grayson converts to give the visitors a 14-25 lead - at this juncture I can’t see Sarries overhauling that score. I console myself with the thought that it’s a very watchable game on a lovely day.

Sarries suddenly kick into life, though, and within a spell of 3 minutes early in the last half-hour, the game turns our way:

Firstly, and on 61 minutes, the youngster Jackson goes over out wide, with a successful Manu conversion taking Sarries to within four points at 21-25, followed secondly just 4 minutes later by what is without doubt the moment of the match if not my season (although Dom Morris's spectacular score against Quins in the same competition runs it mighty close):

Segun picks up the ball and slaloms his way at terrifying speed through the Northampton defence for his second score, giving Manu an easy conversion to take Sarries to 28-25 and a bonus point.

Northampton aren’t done yet, though, and within another 5 minutes have hit Sarries with a “double” of their own:

On 68 minutes, Francis goes over after some nice work from Grayson who this time converts to regain the lead for Saints at 28-32 then barely a minute later Hendy almost emulates Segun’s effort as he sprints through Sarries’ defence to dot down with Grayson’s now-improved kicking restoring Northampton earlier 11-point lead at 39-28 with 10 minutes left.

I’m getting out of breath watching this….

We’re into the last 10 minutes now as Ethan Lewis emulates messrs George, Woolstencroft and Pifeleti by driving over from a strong Sarries maul and Manu makes it five from five for 35-39 to set up a hopefully “grandstand” finish.

Unfortunately, the finale to a wonderful game is not a hard-won last-ditch winning try from Sarries – it’s Sleightholme crossing the line in the corner with a minute left and Grayson ending the game with a conversion and a final score of 35-46.

Although some might say that there hasn’t been a lot riding on this game, it’s nonetheless been a thoroughly entertaining afternoon with both sides giving it real go, Northampton looking physically stronger and at times “monstering” us in the scrum, with our youngsters gaining a bit of valuable experience on the road to who knows where.

Onwards and upwards…

Jonny Browne

Photo courtesy of Nigel Eaton.

TEAMS:

Sarrries:

15 Obatoyinbo, 14 Harris, 13 Hallett, 12 Morris, 11 Segun, 10 ManuVunipola, 9 de Haas

1 Mawi, 2 Pifeleti, 3 Wainwright, 4 McFarland, 5 Hunter-Hill, 6 Stonham, 7 Wray, 8 Christie

Substitutes

16Lewis, 17 Crean, 18 Jeffries, 19 Nkwocha, 20 Dan, 21 Bryan, 22, Moore, 23 Jackson

Saints:

15 Freeman, 14 Gillespie, 13 Francis, 12 Matavesi, 11 Tuala, 10 Grayson, 9 James

1 Auterac, 2 Fish, 3 Garside, 4 Moon, 5 Frost, 6 Tonks, 7 Newman, 8 Irvine

Substitutes:

16 Haywood, 17 Hobbs-Awoyemi, 18 Prowse, 19 Coles, 20 Patten, 21 Tupai, 22 Hendy 23Sleightholme