Northampton Saints 36 - London Irish 21 |
On
paper, these two teams looked a little miss-matched as countless
injuries had affected the London Irish pack, with the likes of Topsy
Ojo, George Skivington and James O'Connor missing from the starting
fifteen.
I
assumed this would've put Northampton in a comfortable position going
into the Easter Sunday game and I suspected a manageable win for the
home side in front of the 13,475 crowd at Franklins Gardens – but I
was very wrong.
A
win is a win but Northampton didn't make it easy for themselves and
London Irish have more than proven that they don't rely on luck.
What a game of two halves!
The
Saints were panicking early doors, with several disjointed phases of
play which saw Stephen Myler continuously kicking to touch. However,
an air of excitement and expectation whipped up along with the winds
around the Gardens, when George Pisi smashed Shane Geraghty, but he
kept calm and carried on. And quick offloads and a fast attacking
line from the London Irish team meant they were continuing to pose a
real threat.
However,
the crowd’s spirits soared with a moment of sparkle, as Jamie
Elliott sprinted through to score, even with three defenders chasing
him. A contentious try as it looked upheld but Geraghty nearly
counteracted his efforts by mirroring Elliott's play and it was only
Myler who managed to prevent him from scoring
at the other end, as he sprinted out of nowhere to bring down his
opponent just short of the try line.
A tremendous effort from Geraghty but Northampton were still in
control – just. The home crowd gave a sigh of relief. Phew!
The
balance started to shift as London Irish were penalised in the scrum
on several occasions and the control and composure brought by Kahn
Fotuali'i meant the Saints were in the driving seat – especially
when he crossed the line with ease. The London Irish defence had
been strong up until this point but they failed to organise
themselves late on. This
exact scenario repeated itself only six minutes later, as Northampton
controlled the ball through the hands of the attacking back line and
it was Jamie Elliott who scored in the corner for his second try of
the game.
Leading
up to half time, London Irish did look vicious on the attack in parts
but this failed to be reflected on the score board. Their Achilles
heel had been their failure to close - much to the Saints’
advantage.
HT
24-0
It
was a great restart from Northampton as Salesi Ma'afu made a break to
score his first Premiership try for the Saints and Franklins Gardens
erupted. Moments later George North made considerable ground and the
crowd held their breath for an Easter treat, with a potential fifth
try of the game for the Saints, but the Exiles were heavily fortified
and they didn't succumb to Northampton's force.
The
pace and intensity from the Saints highlighted why they are a top
Premiership team and it was Fotuali'i who showed incredible skill
with his ability to get the ball away from the ruck ridiculously
quickly. But Saints didn't manage to prevent London Irish from
putting points on the board.
The
downward spiral started with Burrell playing foolish fancy football
twenty minutes into the second half, enabling Andy Fenby to score for
Irish. Alarm bells should have been ringing for Northampton but two
minutes later Geraghty sprinted three-quarters of the pitch to score
from an interception. Northampton were becoming lack lustre and were
in disarray and the Exiles had found their momentum.
Ebbs
and flows – peaks and troughs – call it what you will. There is
a tighter margin in this premiership than people thought.
As
Alex Waller was sin-binned with thirteen minutes left to play, the
impact it had on the home team meant London Irish were muscling their
way back into the game. The Saints pace had faded and the Irish pack
prolifically pounded their defensive line, even after play stopped
for five minutes as Matt Williams was sadly stretchered off with a
suspected broken leg.
It
was definitely not the luck of the Irish that won them the second
half, putting 21 points on the Saints. Their
attacking line was second to none and their tenacity was tremendous.
A questionable try that could've been given to London Irish with six
minutes to go would've taken the exiles into the lead but the pass
was claimed forward by the TMO and Northampton held on by the skin of
their teeth.
Luckily
for the Saints, Alex Waller secured their victory with a try in the
dying seconds of the game but it's fair to say, they didn't make life
easy for themselves.
It
was definitely a game of two halves. The first, being one that will
boost Northampton's confidence and help to re-galvanise them for the
Aviva Premiership semi-finals.
And
the second half was one that will aid London Irish in gaining
momentum as they look ahead to next season.
Shane
Geraghty mentioned this to me after the game,
'I
think the character shown from a lot of the boys coming off the bench
made a big impact, we took our chances, in comparison to the first
half, the momentum shifted. I think we clawed ourselves back in
position to even win it and that's what we're going to take on to the
last two games but also to next year.'
Even
though Salesi Ma'afu was awarded Man of the Match, it was an
incredible team performance from the Saints. Jamie Elliott, Stephen
Myler and Kahn Foutali'i were the 'tremendous trio' for me. They all
had a part to play in this clinical and crucial game that sees
Northampton remain 2nd
in the Premiership.
Jim
Mallinder spoke of his thoughts after the match,
'I
think we probably had a good fifty minutes to be honest, I think we
came and spoke at half time, about keeping that intensity and pace to
our game. We got our bonus point and then seemed to click off, switch
off.'
But
Northampton will have to ensure consistency if they want to secure
that vital home semi-final.
They
have the capability and the power rests in their hands.
FT
36-21