If we'd had just ten more minutes.....

There wasn’t, you might say, a huge amount riding on this game for Sarries – we’d already qualified for a home play-off semi-final, and we were comfortably ahead of Sale Sharks at the top of the table. One more win would mathematically assure us of finishing first in the league. I mused on the way to the ground after a couple of pints in the Thomas A’Becket, and while trying to keep up with Mrs Jonny’s long-legged stride, that it would be nice if a league leader’s trophy could be awarded to whoever finishes top of the table, as it is in Super League. Another pot on the mantlepiece, a reward for the hard yards of a long season, and not least something for the squad and fringe players who worked so hard to keep us at the summit during the international periods. I’m sure if I analysed it there are more cons than pros, but it’s just a thought. I always quite look forward to Saints away – it’s a nice stadium, their fans I’ve found to be pretty friendly and it’s not too bad a journey from North London (an hour and a half’s drive door to door from Hornsey – sometimes it takes longer than that to get to my nephew’s in Wandsworth). We were staying over in a hotel, with a table booked at the not very splendidly named Balti Central…Northampton, being just about in the Midlands, boasts some proper balti houses…

Today, Sarries were putting out what some unkindly refer to as a second-string squad, with the recently-returned internationals being rested for this one.

Notable inclusions were the youngster Ollie Hartley, definitely one with a bright future ahead of him, stepping in at inside centre with Duncan Taylor outside him, and Toby Knight starting at openside alongside Jackson Wray and Nick Isiekwe (amazingly, only just about to turn 25)

Another of our many exciting tyros, Nathan Michelow who’d impressed against Scarlets, was set to make his Premiership debut from the bench.

Billy, sadly, will miss the rest of the season.

Saints, one of a number of clubs still in with a chance of the play-offs were fully-loaded and the pre-match pub talk was of a tough game for our young side, but I'd predicted it to be close as there was more pressure on Saints.

On an unexpectedly warm and sunny day with many of us shedding layers as the players came out, Sarries came out looking determined to start positively, with Northampton perhaps, understandably, a little tense, and within 3 minutes took the lead when good work from Hatley and a lovely little “grubber” (love to know where that comes from) from Lewington to set up a razor-sharp Segun to  to go over in the corner in a gravity-defying move a la Theo McFarland,, converted from way out wide by Manu to put Sarries 0-7 up with people still streaming to their seats.

Saints then nearly got back on terms when Ribbans crossed the line but to the relief of the red and black faithful massed behind the posts, a TMO review showed that he’d lost control of the ball as he crossed the whitewash.

Just on 10 minutes, though, Sarries sustained an early blow of a different kind when a big hit by Taylor to dislodge the ball from Saints’ hands was adjudged by Wayne Barnes to be high and with head contact…..the red card was waved. Rules are rules of course but from a promising start the game in that moment turned into what could be a long afternoon for our lads….

Sarries at this stage held their nerve after this setback, and indeed increased their lead when after 15 minutes Manu slotted home a straightforward penalty to take the score to 0-10.

Moments later, Saints got themselves back in the game when a well-worked exit from a penalty saw the ball shifted to their left and Moon dotted down to take things to 5-10 following an unsuccessful conversion.

The home side weren’t long in taking control of the game having shaken off early nerves and with a numerical advantage, and on 21 minutes a smart piece of kicking took Saints into Sarries’ red zone, with ball again being worked across to Sarries’ right and Ludlam making no mistake from close range. Smith this time converted and Saints were 12-10 ahead.

The noise levels from the home crowd had increased.

Segun briefly got the away fans excited with a chip behind the Saints defence but the kick went long.

Saints remained in control, hard as Sarries tried to stay on terms, and 2 minutes before the interval Freeman made our task that bit harder when, following another well-crafted exit from   a penalty the ball was yet again worked across to Sarries’ right and this time it was the pacy Freeman who powered across the line, with Smith taking the game to a half-time score of 19-10.

There was no great point in speculating how the game might have shaped up had Sarries been in possession of full XV, and to be fair it looked like Saints had spotted something in that all three tries arose from the ball being worked across to Sarries’ right. With Manu playing very well and Segun seeming to have regained his old spark after such a long spell out with injury, and not forgetting our ability, even with so many senior players absent, to haul back a deficit, there was always hope. We just needed a decent opening spell in Act 2.

It was, however, Saints who struck the first blow of the second half, when with only 2 minutes on the clock an admittedly lovely phase of play saw Hutchison pick up the ball inside Sarries’ 22 and step past Sarries’ defence for the bonus-point score, Smith extending the lead to 26-10 and it started to look a hard lead for even Sarries to haul back. We lived in hope though and the travelling band in black and red gave a good and noisy account of themselves. 

After Goode had briefly got the noise levels up further in the lower tier of the Cinch stand with a trademark kick into the heart of Saints’ half but the moment passed and Saints were able to clear.

On 49 minutes the task looked beyond even Sarries powers of recovery when a long spell of pressure on our lines eventually resulted in our defence being stretched, allowing Smith the space created by a deft long pass  to score in the corner, and although the conversion was missed, the score with just 20 minutes left was a conclusive-looking 31-10….hope springs eternal though, and the Sarries fans kept singing.

Sarries started to make changes, and this seemed to energise them a little with at this juncture not much to lose.

The excellent Hartley looked to have a good opportunity to reduce the deficit but Saints held firm, although he was not to be denied on 54 minutes when he set up Manu, who’d had a great game thus far, to scamper in under the posts and then convert his own score for 17-31. Hope sprung a little higher…..

……only to be dashed again when Segun was shown a yellow card for a tackle in the air, reducing Sarries to 13 men for the next 10 minutes - and Saints were quick to exploit the situation when on 63 minutes Dingwall crashed over the line, with Smith restoring Saints’s 21-point lead at 38-17.

With Saints appearing to relax a little and even with only 13 men on the field, Sarries injected more urgency into their play, starting to push the home side back and sensing also perhaps that a try bonus point might not be out of the question, and with just over 10 minutes to go the youthful force of nature that is Dan forced his way over the line after good work by Harris, Manu converting for a 38-24 scoreline. 

Saints were starting to look tired as Sarries, with Earl off the bench and full of energy, drove relentlessly forward in search of one last score - and in the last minute of the game the useful try bonus point was secured when Segun placed the pill for Sarries’ fourth, and although Manu couldn’t convert to secure the additional losing bonus point, it was a highly satisfactory ending to a challenging game.

I did feel that if, somehow, the game could had gone on even 10 minutes longer, Sarries might have come away with 5 points….

It was noticeable that, in the end, both teams seemed happy – Saints with five points and perhaps a sense of relief that Sarries didn’t change things up earlier, Sarries with their try bonus point and a barnstorming last ten minutes. Certainly when the Sarries players came over to us at the end, there were a lot of smiles. 

Manu I have to say was superb, and fully deserved his try – like Nick Isiekwe he seems to have been around for ages, but is not 23 until May. There’s a sense his time is coming soon as he gains strength, experience and confidence.  I've maybe been a bit hard on him in the past, feeling that he hadn't quite fulfilled his potential but I should have factored in that he's still very young, he's had his share of injuries, and growing into a Sarries shirt can take time - especially one with that name on the back 

Ben Earl, when he came on, instantly ratcheted up the team’s energy levels.

And as for Theo Dan…he seems to be a hybrid of Schalk Brits and Jamie George – Brits’ mobility and hands, Jamie’s power and strength. I don’t think it’s beyond the bounds of possibility that he’ll soon be in the senior England set-up.  

Oh - and Balti Central was wonderful - they even do a "family Naan bread" large enough for four people......

TEAMS:

Northampton: Furbank; Ramm, Dingwall, Hutchinson, Freeman; Smith, Mitchell; Waller, Matavesi, Davison, Ribbans, Moon, Lawes, Ludlam, Augustus.

Replacements: Cruse, Waller, Hill, Coles, Salakaia-Loto, Graham, James, Collins.

Saracens: Goode; Segun, Taylor, Hartley, Lewington; Manu Vunipola, de Haas; Mawi, Woolstencroft, Judge, Hunter-Hill, Tizard, Isiekwe, Knight, Wray.

Replacements: Dan, Hislop, Riccioni, Michelow, Earl, van Zyl, Hallett, Harris.

Referee: Wayne Barnes