Go Flash

Flash scores two against the Wallabies. And the second is an iconic moment, fantastic running from his own 22 in order to score. Beautiful to watch.

When The Saints

"A" decided that she wanted to write about the Saints.  It seemed an opportunity to set up a new blog.  So we spent some time yesterday designing it, basic ideas from here and I just add the artistic direction.  Then started posting.  She is the author.  I am editor (with varying levels of editing depending on how it is going).  Anyway, I went for a shameless plug on the Saints forum, and this evening we have had 75 hits!  Not bad going.  And some positive feedback whcih is great.  You see the more I can get "A" interested in all things rugby then the more chance I have of continuing to go to matches.  Yes, there is an ulterior motive, but it keeps me happy!

Saints 38 - Gloucester 23

I had a hard decision today.  I was supposed to be at a Greenbelt ops meeting.  But it is still rugby season and we had a home game against Gloucester.  Compromise time.  I didn't go riding (a big decision) so I could get to the meeting in the morning but I left at lunch time so I could make it to the match.  And, although I miss you all dearly, that was the right decision because it was a great match.

The Saints have been playing an attractive brand of rugby this season, running the ball, counter-attacking.  And some of our opponents have risen to the challenge.  Such a match was today, both sides running, attacking, lookng for the breaks.  Which lead to a match which went from one end of the pitch to the other in the blink of an eye.  An attack, a gamble, lost ball, counter-attack.  Great to watch.  Gloucester supporter behind me said at the end we deserrved to win, but they gave us a run all right.

And at the end a wonderful selfless moment.  Bruce Reihana is the most loved player at the Saints, he has already made sacrifices for the club in that he could have gone back to New Zealand with a chance to get in to the All Blacks, or he could have gone to Munster, but he stayed with us in the lean times.  We all love it when he gets the ball, and cheers of "Bruce Bruce Bruce Bruce" resound around the stadium.  At the end of matches he comes back out and claps us, the fans.  He always has a moment for the children.  A great man.  Today he played as well as ever.  Then, with only 2 minutes to go, he made a break down the wing.  A great run, he stepped passed, or over, tackles.  He made it to the Gloucester try line.  He went over the Gloucester try line.  Then, in a moment no-one believed, rather than take the try himself he passed to Chris Ashton so that Flash could get his hat-trick of the match.  There is no question that Flash deserved the hat-trick, the first two tries being great reading of the game and perfect lines, but Bruce is only 6 points away from scoring 1000 for the club.  He always puts others before himself and is, in every way, a true gentleman who I am proud to have seen playing rugby.

Munster Mash

Well what a weekend trip.  Immense fun and a good example of why rugby union is such a good game.

Northampton Saints managed to get through to the Heineken Cup quarter finals a month or so ago.  We were the only english team to get through but we were at the bottom of the 8, so we were drawn against Munster at Thomond Park (their home ground).  Tickets were scarce but one night, with a rush of blood (or whisky) to the head, I entered the ballot.  And we got three tickets.  I then realised just how much the trip was going to cost, what with flights, hotel, car hire etc.  But in for a penny etc etc.

Last weekend was the trip, and we got back today.  And it was so much fun, despite losing.

First off we were flying from Cardiff to Cork.  We went from Cardiff because I had some work over there.  We arrived at Cardiff airport on Friday morning and checked in.  Then we went up to the departure gates.  Only to realise that we were surrounded by Ospreys players who were off to Biarritz.  I am not a great Ospreys fan, mainly because of their supporters, by they do have some players that I greatly admire.  So to find myself sitting having a cup of coffee while the table next to me had James Hook and Mike Phillips also having a drink, to watch Adam Jones shopping in duty free, to stand next to Ian Gough, was like a dream.  There were all the others as well, names you would know well, but these were the names that I was in awe of.

A good start then.  Arrived in Cork, hired the car and started the drive to Charleville where we were staying.  Only to find that we were driving past Blarney Castle.  So we had to stop there didn't we.  And yes I kissed the Blarney Stone (and no, I really don't care if locals have pee'd on it).

The next morning we got up and took a taxi to Limerick.  And was duly stunned at the number of Munster flags everywhere.  This is a city that lives and breathes rugby.  And the Munster fans were already wandering around in their Munster tops, and we were wandering around in our Saints tops, and everything was so friendly - and this is where rugby scores so highly above football, we could mix and mingle freely and happy to see each other.  We went to Clohessys bar where all the Saints were meeting, and picked up our flags.  We wandered around the city for a while before making our way to Thomond Park.  Of course we fitted in a Guiness or two as well.

The match itself was something else.  Thomond Park holds twice as many spectators as Franklins Gardens,  The noise was incredible.  You cannot begin to believe it until you sit there with Munster fans shouting from all around you.  The noise fills your body.  In fact it scared the life out of my daughter, so much so that we told her we could go, but she didn't want to.  And though we lost in the end, at half-time the Saints were ahead, and for a moment, a brief moment, the Munster hordes were silenced and 6000 Saints could be heard singing.  A glorious moment.  We left defeated but still proud to be Saints, and swapped flags with Munster supporters on the way out.

The next day we made a trip to Tipperary (which is, of course, a ong way to go).  Then headed back to Cork ariport.  As we were standing to board the plane I noticed the guys ahead of us had WRU clothes and bags.  I pointed them out to "J" and said I thought I recognised them.  Turned out they were the ref and other officials from the match!  So "A" had to speak to them when we landed and waiting to collect our bags.  She even got Nigel Owens autograph, and he gave here a WSRUR pin batch, which she can wear on her hat with all her other badges.

Yes we lost.  Yes it cost a lot of money.  But the experience was priceless!

What's that coming over the hill...

I love being a Saint, and Tiny has confirmed a three year deal with the Saints, leaving a sorry Sarries behind.

A Tiny Step

This year has gone fairly well for the Saints so far.  We won the LV Cup.  The only english team through to the quarter finals of the Heinekan Cup.  Sitting second in the Guiness Premiership.  There was a cloud however.  Tiny (Soane Tonga'uiha as his real name, you can see why we opt for Tiny) had signed for the Saracens for next season.  Now the Saints had taken Tiny from Bedford as a slow and overweight prop.  Now he is a prop with a desire to be a wing!  Well, OK, that's an exagerration but his intercept and break during the LV Cup final was incredible, he ran almost the whole length of the pitch.  The point is that he is now up there as one of the best in the premiership and we were going to miss him.

Somehow something that started as a rumour, that Tiny had changed his mind and wanted to stay, has got more and more momentum.  It's looking as though he is doing his best, but it is annoying the Sarries quite a bit.  It's exciting news and I believe that the input from the fans, with threads on the Saints forum and even a petition on Facebook, has had a big impact on his decision.  Unfortunately it is likely to get ugly before it gets pretty.  I hope it doesn't distract the players for the rest of the season.

Saints 30- 24 Gloucester

Last season my daughter started enjoying rugby and supporting the Northampton Saints. This has proved a wonderful thing for me as I have been able to go to almost every home match this season, and even managed to start mixing in some away games. Well today was the final of the LV= Cup, played at the Worcester ground. Now, last year I was at the same final, it was at Twickers, but by coincidence it was against Gloucester. Last year Cardiff Blues trounced the cherry and whites, so I headed towards todays game thinking I would be lucky to be on the winning team two years in a row. This was not helped by Shane Geraghty being put at full back. Shane is an enigma at the best of times, sometimes sublime and sometimes substandard. To put him at full back, out of position was either an act of genius or madness.

What a game. Last year ended up quite a fun affair. The Blues ran in trys for fun and it was an "easy" game to watch. Today was nip and tuck. At times Gloucester were in the lead. Then the Saints would come back. Then the pressure would build again. It so could have gone any direction. I have no voice left (which could be interesting as I have a few presentations to do this week) and my nails are nibbled to the quick. But, in the end, we won. I do have some sympathy for Gloucester, their record is not great in these events, but they played their hearts out. Ultimately though, what makes the Saints so good at the moment, and what fosters incredible loyalty amongst their supporters, is that they really are a close team who are their for each other. It isn't that one man stands above the others but that every one of them throws everything they can into the game.

There were some wonderful moments. "Tiny" (a prop, a very large prop) making a break and runing almost the length of the field. On TV you see him smiling to start with and then the smile changing to concern as his engine fades - props are just not supposed to run that far. A great try by Lee Dickson - so deserved, no-one else puts his body on the line so often. Shane under the high ball - being targetted by Gloucester and showing that he can't be intimidated. Roger Wilson making breaks. All absolutely stunning to watch. A day where my nerves couldn't have taken another 5 minutes, the last two minutes of the game stretching for eternity when the whole game was over in a flash. So enjoyable.

Once again I can say "I was there".

Crash and Burn

If you want an example of how money corrupts then look no further than sport at the moment. The bloodgate incident was a shock in itself. That a rugby player would have a blood capsule on his person to bite into if he needed to come off to allow a replacement on is bad enough. That the physio then cut the players cheek so there was a wound is even worse. But this pales into insignifiance when viewed alongside Renault and the F1 crash. I can't work out if Piquet himself suggested crashing in order to help his team-mate, or whether it was a Renault idea. Whoever thoguht it up should have known better, and no-one should have agreed to go along with it. The number of people put at risk is unimagineable. So for Renault to get off with a suspended sentence is a joke. It shows that the industry is more concerned about money than the rights and wrongs of an action. Clearly motor racing has always been a sport fraght with danger, but that doesn't mean that anyone should get blase about it.

A Final Roar

It's the third, and last, test for the Lions against South Africa. They have already lost the series. Importantly they have also lost a large number of key players. And yet, when the cards are finally dealt, they come out with every intention of winning. And they do. Emphatically. Considering the other two matches went to the last whistle, this is the most convincing play by either of the teams. In fact on total points, and on tries scored, the Lions actually win. However, that's statistics, South Africa won the test and we can't take that away from them. Some players today really showed their mettle. I won't ever understand why Martyn Williams didn't start the other two matches, today he was inspirational, always there and in the thick of it. Only really eclipsed by Mike Phillips who controlled the game as scrum half and then stood tall when he was moved out to centre.

Three fantastic amtches. The Lions are not a spent force, they have a role to play in the modern game. And they were so close to winning it all.

Deuce

It was almost predictable wasn't it. The hype just got so high. It's as though we never learnt from Henman. Whats almost more amazing is that The Telegraph manages to turn this into a bad thing for Roddick. Now, I'm no tennis fan, and I have to admit to only watching because I don't like Murray and wanted to see him beaten, but it seems to me to be extemely unlikely that Roddick could be sorry to have beaten Murray, no matter how often he has lost to Federer. The media are strange. A week ago they had Murray through to the final, despite the distance to go. They even managed to forget the match a few days ago when he was taken to the line. This morning they were talking about a man on top of his form, but this is a man who was lucky to get this far after nearly being unseated by Wawrinka. And with Roddick they are already writing him up as losing the final. Time to let them get on with playing.

50-12

Cardiff vs Gloucester in the EDF final (rugby if you have to ask). The Anglo-Welsh cup. And the Blues trounced Gloucester. Down at Twickers. Watching what was a fantastic match. Yes I would think that because my team won. But the reality is that the Blues played a wonderful, spell-binding game. Beautiful passes. Wonderful tactical awareness. You don't see rugby of this calibre often. I took 212 photos of the day and have subsequently deleted 102 of them, but that is the advantage of digital.

And the important thing is I can say, I was there.

England Lose

Well, technically, draw. But it isn't as though the headline surprised you is it? For clarification, I am talking cricket here. The second (or is that third) test in Antigua, where England had scored an insurmountable number of runs, was lost becasue they couldn't bowl the West Indies out. How they couldn't bowl a tail ender with the amount of time they had is a question that will probably go unanswered. That they didn't enforce the follow on is another. For the game to finish because of bad light is simply sad.

Newsflash

Warning - expect delays if calling out the AA or RAC - they are currently experiencing high demand due to a high number of chariots needing to be towed back over the Severn Bridge.

For those of you not in the know - Wales beat England today, 23-15. It was a hard match. England were not the walkover that was expected by some. Wales would start to dominate, would look like they were going to storm forward, and then England would drag, from some unknown depths, a new strength to start again. Some England players deserve an amazing amount of respect, Worsley and Sackey (I still can't understand why the most threatening man was taken off) stand out from the crowd. It was tense to watch, and in the last ten minutes could have gone either way, England managing to play outside themselves while Wales were struggling to find new ideas. The England game plan was to slow down the match, to stop Wales running, and it was a plan that almost worked. Nonetheless, Wales move onwards, two matches down, two matches won.

Scotland 13 - Wales 26

I'm travelling (and there is so much a story there, maybe I'll tell you later) so for now - GO WALES!!!!!!!!!!!

Northampton 52 - Toulon 11

The second rugby match for "A". I was worried that the first would be a fluke and that she wouldn't enjoy this one. And at the beginning it didn't look good. She was more interested in her sweets to start with. Strangely she became much more interested in the second half. ind you, that was when we were running in all the tries! And we were at the right end, tries being scored under our noses. The important thing is that she said she wants to go to another match. This is looking good for me!

[Now, to be honest, yes I am supporting the Saints. But they remain my "second" team. I live here so I may as well support them. But really I support Cardiff. So I ahve to report that Cardiff Blues thrashed Calvisaro yesterday putting them at an untouchable top of the Heinekan Cup. And the only team undefeated. Yea]

Come On The Blues

I'm seriously getting back into my rugby again. For a few years following a team has been difficult. But I am managing to see a few more matches on TV, and there are some good summary programmes. As I live in Northampton I do support the Saints, but my REAL team are the Cardiff Blues, as I grew up going to every match.


They were playing at Gloucester today. That's a hard fixture. Always a hard place to win, Gloucester are a tough team, the supporters tougher. After 27 minutes Cardiff had a player sent off. We can debate whetehr or not it was really a head but, we can debate whether the Gloucester player took a dive, but wahtever it meant Cardiff were down to 14 men for the rest of the match. I almost gave up at that point. As it was we ahd to get in the car to return home. I managed to convince "A" to let me turn off the music when there was about 15 minutes of play left and I listened to the rest of the match. And, incredily, Cardiff won. I don't know what happened to Gloucester, they should have taken up the baton and run Cardiff into the ground, but in the last 5 minutes it was like Gloucester were the team with a man down. They were exhausted, and somehow Cardiff kept on coming, to be the only team to score a try in the match. A wonderful victory.

By The Way....

In case you missed it - Wales beat Australia. And I am still smiling (it was yesterday). I had to remain restrained throughout the match as "J" had a friend around, so I couldn't shout at the TV as I wanted. The tension in our house was palpable, it must have been unbearable in the stadium. Real to-and-fro stuff. Wales deserved the win but it was a close thing, and Aus scoring in the last minute meant I destroyed a couple of extra fingernails. But that makes Wales the only Northern Hemisphere team to manage to beat a Southern Hemisphere team. A good position to be in before the six nations starts. And I have to say, here and now, Andy Powell you are amazing, I didn't think that we would ever see a player that made Martyn Williams look average, but Andy Powell is in the thick of everything, always ready to receive the ball, always ready to break a couple of tackles. Great stuff. Wales are a pleasure to watch.

Rags to Riches

I don't understand football, never have. Rugby, cricket, even ice hockey all great. But football never interested me. So I don't understand everything behind it. But I have recently heard the numbers being thrown around for the transfer season. How is this justified? Something like £104 million changed hands yesterday, with a single player being bought for around £35 million. These seem like truly obscene amounts of money to me. I cannot get my head around it. I think about what that money could do if it was put into society and it makes me sad. I firmly believe that there should be a capping system to keep the price down. Down and to a respectable level.

Onward

16 golds. He's really worried now. Accusing us of cheating. Something about only winning when we are sitting down, but even that has been confounded today. National Lottery coming good and, before Gordon takes all the credit, remember who started it. Seriously though, the sailing and cycling teams have done a fantastic job, all credit to them. Now it's just a question of where to buy a GB shirt for him to wear.

Shiny

I have a bet with someone at work. He's an aussie. Before the Olympics started he bet me that if the UK got more golds than Aus then he would wear an England cricket shirt. If Aus got more than the UK then I would have to wear his aussie one (again, I had to wear it when we lost the Ashes). He was strangely quiet today.