Ten-try Saints have Tigers in their sights
NORTHAMPTON, as close to the Harlem Globetrotters as we have seen for a while in the Premiership, booked a semi-final place with old rivals Leicester Tigers with this exhilarating allcourt performance.
Saints raced in for ten tries, some of them crackers, and finished off with a slam dunk of a score for Lewis Ludlam.
There is no better running and handling side in the realm and the carnage his side caused was a suitable Franklin’s Gardens sign off for coach Chris Boyd who will be returning to New Zealand when the play-off are concluded. It’s been a transformational four-year shift from the Kiwi.
The big question now is whether they can get enough possession against Leicester Tigers’ powerful dominating pack at Welford Road on Saturday. Saints don’t necessarily need parity, they are dangerous enough to live off relatively slim pickings, but their backs do need that ball in their hands. Regular season leaders Tigers will start out strong favourites but Saints in this mood could be bloody awkward opponents.
That’s a fascinating clash to savour but for now all praise should be heaped on this performance, although credit to Newcastle for staging an unlikely third quarter comeback that added a little edge to proceedings.
After conceding three tries straight after the break, Saints went into a quick huddle under the posts, a time out to continue the basketball theme, and came back with a flurry of memorable plays to win disappearing into the distance.
Initially it had all been very straightforward with Newcastle seemingly still on the bus in the first half. Saints were quick out of the blocks with a brace from the excellent Sam Matavesi and another from Alex Coles before Falcons fired a shot in anger with Callum Chick running a great line to roar home from 40 metres.
Saints were in the mood though and pressed on with tries by Alex Mitchell and Tommy Freeman before half-time.
After the break it was, perversely, all Falcons for 20 minutes with a penalty try, which denied George McGuigin his 16th of the season, and the Newcastle hooker another lineout rumble moments later by Jaimie Blamire, minutes after McGuigan had been replaced. Understandably he wasn’t over amused.
A third Newcastle try from Adam Radwan had the Saints fans getting a little twitchy but no worries, their side roared back with a spectacular burst which garnered two more tries for the excellent Freeman, who is quickly climbing up the England ranks, a score for MOM Rory Hutchinson and tries for South Africans Courtnall Skosan and Juarno August.
Memorable stuff, much appreciated by Tom Wood in the grandstand after the popular Saints stalwart announced his retirement earlier this week. Wood famously scored the late winning try in their playoff against Tigers eight years ago, the year Northampton last won the title. That was as sweet a moment as Saints fans can recall, although a win in Leicester on Saturday might just top it.