Basic errors gift Northampton their first win

Memory lane....
By Loose Head
September 28 2003

A game that certain players will want to forget but should never be allowed to. While some players were giving sublime performances, others were dismal. Northampton were not particularly good, but then you don’t have to be if Wasps keep giving you the ball.

The game started with Wasps at full throttle. Within four minutes it was 10-0 to Wasps. An early penalty goal was followed by Purdy who took the ball at the back of the lineout and fed Richards at scrum half. Oogie took a pop pass and carved open the Northampton defence. O'Connor was on hand to finish with a try under the posts. Things were happening in impressive style.

Northampton were kept at bay but indiscipline kept giving Drahm kicks at goal to keep the taxi meter going. The problem with being televised early in the season is that everyone gets to analyse you. And so, yet another cross-field kick to Rudd's wing and another try scored against us. As far as I can remember, that tactic has worked ever time it has been tried against us this season. Rudd is continuing his curate's egg of a season. He makes a decent fist of a crash ball centre. The problem comes when he tries to vary his running. Every time he tried coming off his right foot to change direction his feet went from under him. He seems to be wearing moulded stud boots which are not man enough for the job. My back garden is rock hard with grass like straw. Pitches like Franklin Gardens are beautifully tended with lush green grass. That is to say not rock hard. He needs decent studs or he is going to go over every time and be no use to anyone.

Ayoola Erinle (aka Oogie) played his best game so far and fully justified being picked ahead of Denney. The creativity that exists with van Gisbergen, Oogie and Fraser in the midfield is a very potent scoring weapon. Both Wasps tries came from that area. The first as described above, the second in the second half came again off the back of a lineout. Van G broke through the Saints defensive line with Oogie on his shoulder to take a pass. Oogie didn't quite make the line but was able to recycle to give Richards a relatively straight forward finish. Wasps were back in front at 16-17.

Both tries came from secure possession achieved from successful line-outs. This is where the problems start. Simon Shaw is 6' 9". If he lifts his arms up he can reach just over 9 feet up. If he has lifters we are talking 12 or 13 feet. If I am kind to John Barrett I would limit his missed lineout throws to half a dozen, although I think it was more than that. How? Why is something that is a standard part of the hooker's job so hit-and-miss? (Well, miss actually). The lineout was an utter shambles in the second half. The ball would fly past our players to a rather startled Saints forward. Sometimes that happened without Shaw or Purdy jumping. Was the co-ordination really that poor? OK Barrett had an absolute mare of a time. Why were long throws called? I assume they were called as that seems to be what Barrett attempted. Why on earth didn't Dowd or whoever was pack leader get a bit of order with a banker ball to the front jumper?

There was one period in the second half where Voyce hoofed a penalty to get us a 5 metre lineout. Last season that would have meant a bankable try for Dowd. Four turned over lineouts later we were on out own 5 metre line. The lineout was stolen and a clearance kick gave us a lineout further back, which was lost and so on. Pitiful. If there is no possession there is no score possible. That creative mid-field had very little to work with. The game was quite literally thrown away.

With Wasps chasing the game a pass from Voyce was intercepted and Saints secured the win in injury time. Can't really blame Voyce, accidents happen when you are forced to play catch-up. The last kick of the game was a penalty to Wasps for Gizzy to get us a bonus point. Unfortunately the penalty was a result of him getting clothes-lined. He didn't seem in any fit state to kick and demonstrated same. Final score was Northampton 27 Wasps 17.

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Loose Head