Match action - starts
BONFIRE Night and fireworks are meant to wait until November, but Northampton and Saracens lit the fuse six weeks early after a bad-tempered match which will only deepen the acrimony between these Premiership rivals.
The main flashpoint, which saw Saints loosehead Alex Waller sin-binned for a 55th minute off-the-ball dumper-truck tackle on Saracens hooker Jamie George, was unquestionably the pivotal moment which cost Northampton the game.
However, it was a less obvious act of alleged skullduggery which will keep citing office Mike Rafter busy, with Waller’s post match confirmation that he had told referee Greg Garner he had bitten on the hand in the first-half.
Photos were soon circulating on the internet showing Saracens wing Chris Ashton’s mouth in contact with Waller’s hand at a tackle, and former England flanker Rafter will decide over the next 24 hours if Ashton has a case to answer.
Waller’s case was more clear cut. Having already been involved in a spat with Richard Wigglesworth, which saw the Saracens scrum-half shove him after what he deemed to be a late challenge, Waller should have been happy enough when Stephen Myler’s fourth penalty of the match punished the retaliation.
This gave Saints a 12-9 lead, and with the wind behind them, they looked well set after 50 minutes of this bruising encounter. However, Waller had his dander up, and when George -- who had just come on for Schalk Brits –- made his presence felt at a ruck by pulling the Saints prop forward as he stood guard at a breakdown, the red mist descended.
He picked up the Saracens No.2 and, lifting him horizontal, crashed to ground where he and George were locked in a grisly embrace in which there was a clash of heads.
Although Waller was exonerated of a head-butt, meaning that he was shown a yellow card rather than red, 14-man Northampton not only paid an immediate price for his temporary expulsion, but also the momentum of the match passed inexorably to Saracens.
Insult was added to injury when George scored from the resulting penalty kick to the corner. With Maro Itoje taking a clean catch at the 5m line-out, and a quick secure and pass from Billy Vunipola, the hooker stole down the tramline to touch down untouched.
Although Alex Lozowski – who gave another remarkably assured display -- could not add the extras from the touchline, Saracens led 14-12. To give the young flyhalf his due he kicked everything else, and with a 19-point haul from the tee he made a telling contribution as Saracens took control.
In terms of influence he was matched by Schalk Burger, with the Springbok veteran relishing the ferocity of the physical battle, and steering his side over the line. He also showed a touch of class to go with grit, releasing Chris Wyles with a one-handed pass over the back of the tackler that had the Saints sounding the alarm.
With Burger at its heart the Saracens driving lineout proved to be the most potent weapon on the pitch, and they pocketed the match, when, with 15 minutes remaining, they were awarded a penalty try when the depleted Northampton pack was judged to have deliberately collapsed their surge for the line.
With Lozowski converting to make it 21-12 and then adding two further penalties – the first when Sam Dickinson became the second Saints forward to be sin-binned after killing the ball on his own line – Saracens were home and dry.
Northampton said they would be bringing plenty of muscle to a ground where the English and European champions have lost only six times since January 2013, and they were true to their word. Given that Saracens are not the sort of outfit that accepts being bullied, the opening exchanges were always going to be attritional – and once battle was joined it remained of the rutting stag variety until the halftime whistle.
Three penalties by Myler with three in reply from Lozowski saw the first-half end in a stalemate. However, with Louis Picamoles making inroads from scrum pick-and-drives, and Northampton denying Billy Vunipola the right of reply by dominating the scrum put-ins, the visitors will have fancied their chances after the break.
Instead it was Vunipola and Co who blasted their way to victory, because what Saints had not factored into the equation was Waller’s match-turning moment of ruck rage.