IT'S THE HOPE THAT KILLS YOU

I might have mentioned it before but I’m not a fan of these big days out. Twickenham, Wembley, the London Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – for me there’s no place like home! I really don’t understand why we so readily give up home advantage and offer our opposition the chance to experience the big game atmosphere (which undoubtedly hypes them up). But that’s the way things are going. So we made the journey to another part of North London although sadly didn’t manage to see the women’s game (timings just didn’t work). As we took our seats there was a lot of loud music and some guy called Dizzee Rascal was cavorting about on the pitch. Couldn’t they have found him a Sarries’ shirt? Not my thing really but Mr Woodthorpe, our referee, seemed to be enjoying it doing his warm-up goose steps to Mr Rascal’s rap. I know, I’m getting old. One other point - I was sitting between 2 guys who are both colourblind and they found the choice of strips challenging! Saints green on green and Sarries loud mix of red, black and white both difficult to see. Given around 10% of guys are colourblind, you’d think someone might take this into account!

Elliot Daly led the team out on his 100^th appearance as the sun shone on the Spurs’ cockerel turning it golden. And then we began. Saints could have taken the lead from the kick off when they kicked the ball down field and it only just evaded the chasing winger. The relief was temporary – Saints continued to pound the Sarries tryline with Pollock being particularly troublesome. Bracken managed a brief respite but Saints were back with avengeance and Litchfield was over for the first score which Fin Smith converted. Saints continued to hold the upper hand. A lovely 50-22 was well defended but Saints kept coming back and Smith slipped the ball to McParland running from deep for a 2^nd try also converted. 14-0 and we’re still in the first quarter. It was looking like it was going to be a very long evening! I was rather regretting turning up, after all it didn’t look like Sarries had!

Things looked to have got even worse when Pollock thought he had scored from a Sarries’ lineout only for the try to be chalked off for crossing. Finally as we moved into the 2^nd quarter, Sarries got attacking ball in the Saints 22. A bounce pass from Faz via Daly found Tobias Elliott on the wing and he doesn’t miss those. Faz added the extras with an excellent conversion to make it a rather flattering 7-14. Sarries seemed to take heart from the score although the execution was a bit lacking, especially when Daly lobbed a pass out to a non-existent Segun and it went straight into touch. But a couple of things went Sarries’ way like a Daly clearance to touch from outside the 22 which went unpunished then most significantly, Saints lost Fin Smith to an HIA (from which he didn’t return). Saints had a 6-2 split on the bench which meant Dingwall came on and Furbank moved to makeshift 10. Sarries had another couple of half-chances before the break with a Dan 1-2 not coming off then a sustained period in the Saints 22 with a couple of penalties of which the last they went for a 5m scrum and messed it up.

We were entertained by a light show at half time which was actually one of the better attempts I’ve seen as we digested the fare so far. The loss of Smith seemed to me to be huge. Saints just didn’t look the same team without him. Not surprisingly Furbank couldn’t generate the same shape as young Fin but we felt maybe Sarries had a chance….if (and a big if) they could avoid too many errors and take their opportunities.

The second half started promisingly with an equalising try by Theo Dan off the back of the rolling maul and again an excellent conversion. We should have taken the lead with a Segun break (he tripped over) and crosskick to Elliott but Tizard, with Pollock snapping at his heels like a bulldog,  decided to juggle the ball over the line instead. Sarries were showing a bit more imagination but weren’t helped by a couple of poor kicks from Faz. Then the changes began and with them went the dominance Sarries had established in the scrum. On paper, Mawi, George and Riccioni should have been our own version of the bomb squad but instead they struggled, even more so when Willis also departed for Michelow (although the young lad put in a decent shift AND managed not to get carded!)

Into the final quarter and Faz missed touch with a penalty. Unforgiveable and potentially the pivotal point of the match. Had that kick found touch, Sarries would have had a lineout deep in Saints’ 22 and there was every chance of a score. As it was Saints cleared the danger. More changes with big Theo being replaced by Isiekwe and Charlie Bracken by Van Zyl. Then Burke replaced Faz and Malins came on for Segun.

After a period of pressure Saints enormous 19, van der Mescht, set off down the wing and thought he’d scored but somehow Burke and Elliott had got under him and the ball wasn’t grounded. Malins kicked ahead but he’s not the player he was and the ball went dead however Sarries had a kickable penalty. Big pressure on Burke but he never looked like missing and Sarries had a slim 17-14 lead. Saints weren’t giving up though, they aren’t top of the Premiership for nothing. Once more they pounded the Sarries try line but a huge defensive effort kept them out and from a tap penalty Van der Mescht was again held up mainly by Burke. The entire team sighed with relief as if their work was done while Saints redoubled their efforts and caught them napping when McParland broke through a rather stunned defensive line to score his second. Hutchinson converted for 17-21 with just a couple of minutes on the clock. But there was to be no last minute salvation. Sarries thought they had a scrum but the TMO had seen a high tackle, the penalty went to Saints and that was that.

So, a much better performance than we saw last week but still a long way to go. We don’t seem to start or end well at the moment. We keep losing games in the last few minutes: games that we should be winning. Why? Is it lack of fitness, lack of confidence, lack of belief? Do we no longer think we CAN win? (So much of this game is played in the mind).

Much has been said on this message board about our failings this season. To add my tuppence ha’penny, Faz has been a great servant to the club but it’s time for him to take a step back: Burke showed enough today to be given a start at 10. We’re too slow with the Faz axis. When we have the ball we move it side to side but gain very little ground and eventually someone gets frustrated and knocks on or, worse still the pass gets intercepted. It was noticeable that Saints, especially with Fin in charge, play much flatter and their backs were able to run onto the ball so they already had momentum and could break our line at will in a way we could only dream about. We have some good young talent, we need to back it. And why was Noah sent to Coventry (well Ampthill?) The experience he could have gained on the pitch today was surely priceless for a future superstar (we hope).

So, barring a miracle next weekend, our season is over (and having just watched Bath without many of their superstars overcome Sale on the TV it would take something along the lines of Jesus rising from the dead – well it is Easter!). Let’s back the youngsters, let them make their mistakes while it doesn’t matter, let them get used to playing together so that when the good doctor takes the reins he’s got something to work with.

It feels odd doesn’t it. We’ve got used to success but it’s not ours by right and it never will be. Freewheel for a mile or 2 and everyone’s raced ahead leaving you to play catchup.  We have a lot of talent, we need to let those young guys spread their wings and learn to fly.

SARACENS:

Daly, Elliott, Cinti, Tompkins, Segun (Malins), Farrell (Burke), C Bracken (Van Zyl); Carre (Mawi), Dan (George), Street (Riccioni), Itoje, Tizard, McFarland (Isiekwe, Onyeama-Christie, Willis (Michelow)

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS:

Furbank, Freeman, Lichfield, Hutchinson, Ramm, Smith (Dingwall), McParland; Iyogun (Fischetti), Langdon (Wright), Green (Davison), Lockett (Chunya-munga), Prowse (Van der Mescht), Kemeny (Chick), Pearson, Pollock.

SCORERS:

Saracens: Tries – Elliott, Dan; Conv: Farrell; Pen: Burke

Northampton Saints  Tries: Litchfield, McParland (2);  Conv: Smith (2), Hutchinson

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe

(Footnote: apologies for the lack of a match photo: Sportnetwork have changed the way we can use images and it seems to take a lot longer for them to upload images from the game. I will try and add a photo later)