Northampton Saints 52- 30 Wasps
“Wasps
came out and played well...it's good we could respond” said
Jim Mallinder.
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The
boys celebrating their win
Photos by Claire Jones, RedHatPhoto.com |
If
anyone thought it was going to be a ‘run of the mill’ match at
the Gardens on Friday then they couldn’t have been more wrong!
Undoubtedly the talking point of the weekend had to be George North's
concussion. We all know Jeremy Clarkson's sacking from the BBC was
the other for his attack with intent on a TV Producer but was there
intent or malice in Nathan Hughes' actions as he collided with
North’s head in this much talked about rugby union game of the
weekend?
Well
... why were Hughes feet anywhere near North’s head? What was he
aiming to achieve? He wouldn't have stopped him from scoring the try,
unless he'd dived to prevent him from grounding the ball, which of
course he didn’t - he ran at him. So was it reckless or clumsy?
Well,
the debate could go on and on but this was definitely the turning
point for Saints who were trailing 8-20 until the 35th minute in the
game. With that very unfortunate incident aside, it was an insanely
good game of spicy rugby from both Premiership sides. And to add the
cherry on top of Northampton's victory, Stephen Myler reached a club
record, hitting the highest number of Premiership points scored for
the Saints.
Great
work Mr Myler!
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Stephen
Myler making history
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But
that said, Wasps looked fierce, fearless and physical. Their set
piece was incredibly strong and on the attack, bashing the defence
and intimidating Northampton all over the park. It was the fleet of
foot Christian Wade who was the first to put points on the board but
the mighty North reciprocated minutes later when perfect precision
from a Stephen Myler chip landed in the hands of North who touched
down, it was scintillating to see. I was literally gob-smacked! Ping
pong ensued for a while with Wade striking for his second off the
inside shoulder of Alex Lozowski and once again North reciprocated.
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Christian
Wade - Mr Speedy!
Wasps on the counter attack seemed stable and strong and Saints looked unable to break down this brick wall but it was a raging forwards pack who were awarded a penalty try and then the defiant and dominant Alex Corbisiero who bulldozed over for the home side who began to look electric, creating chances and thrilling their fans. |
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Alex
Corbisiero saluting the sky in remembrance of Luis Ghaut after
his try
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Saints
then went full steam ahead before the break when Samu Manoa caught
the ball off the restart, popping to North who sprinted down the wing
and crossed in the corner, again. But the try wasn't that simple, the
Welsh winger was knocked unconscious as he touched down - from the
impact of Nathan Hughes, running at full pace and colliding with
North's head. After North was stretchered off, Hughes was red carded
for the incident five minutes before half time after referee Craig
Maxwell-Keys consulted with the TMO.
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George
North touching down and the red that followed for Nathan Hughes
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This
decision sparked both satisfaction and rage off the pitch – and
from what I can tell, the decision of the referee, Craig Maxwell
Keys, was based on the intent of Nathan Hughes to kick the ball out
of North’s hands as he grounded.
It
was a fiery first half tinged with worry and sadness and this
roller-coaster we were all on was about to get even more gripping!
HT
27-20
Wasp’s
physical ability was definitely on par with Northampton's if not
better at times, as Wasps shipped the ball out wide on numerous
occasions, testing Northampton’s defence. It was Wade who found a
gap and made a break, running rings around the Saints pack to score
his hat-trick after the battle of the boot between Lozowski and Myler
was proving pretty perfect in the third quarter of the game.
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Samu
Manoa tackling Elliot Daly
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But
the dam burst with ten minutes to go, as Wasps started to tire and
sloppy ill-discipline saw them flounder, whilst conversely Saints
stepped on the gas and pulled away. An outstanding leg drive from
Mikie Haywood saw him take on Ashley Johnson, pushing him backwards
for what seemed to be a mile of metres; It was awesome to watch.
Northampton
became galvanised and with the 16th man in full voice too, the Saints
finished with a flurry - three tries in eight minutes! Ken Pisi
dotted down and with the talented Ahsee Tuala fresh on the field too,
it was a privilege to see him score such an impressive couple of
tries. The first off a chip to the corner from Myler and the second
an incredible act of acrobatics to avoid touch as he dived over the
line with his legs in the air!
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Ken
Pisi and Ahsee Tuala scoring in the final ten minutes
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What
a way to finish.
FT
52-30
I
appreciate the referee, Craig Maxwell-Keys was thrown in at the deep
end for this Friday night Aviva Premiership fixture but overall, his
precision, accuracy and decision making was on point. It was always
going to be an interesting game between these two new local rivals
but nobody could've have predicted the outcome or the incident.
However
as three Saints players left the field injured - one seriously - with
no Wasps player suffering injury - and also a feet first sliding
tackle aimed at Ken Pisi as he touched down for Saint’s fifth try,
Dai Young may at least want to review how his players are tackling
and not be surprised that all eyes will now be on them.
If
anything – if you take away the red card and focus on the
concussion, it highlights the importance of player safety and the
duty of care of players - to players – safety being paramount.