Supporting the Saints

Heineken cup final 21st May 2011

Leinster v Northampton Saints

Millennium Stadium Cardiff

 

Leinster 33 northampton Saints 22

 

 

Leinster were the out and out favourites. Previous winners in 2009, filled with international stars, they had been there and done it. What chance the young pretenders from Northampton.

At the beginning of the season, I believed that Saints were not yet good enough to succeed in this competition. With a bit of luck along the way I though they could get to the premiership final and once there could triumph over any premiership club on their day. But Europe ? A different matter entirely. Just look at the teams who started in that competition back at the start of the season. Leicester, Wasps from England. The mighty Toulouse, Stade Francais , Claremont. The great Munster and of course Leinster themselves.

Experience counts in such auspicious company. Our squad were still learning. But as Saints battled through the quarter and semi finals I began to believe. The manner in which we dispatched Ulster and then Perpignan; particularly the way we dismantled the mighty Perpignan pack, gave me hope that we might, just might, win the whole damn thing. Saints were on the brink of becoming the first team to win the competition unbeaten. Nine from nine !  Join the elite band of multiple Heineken cup winners. What an achievement that would be.

But sitting in that massive crowd soaking up the atmosphere my nerves were shot. If the players felt anywhere near to the state I was in how could they even catch a ball, let alone play world class rugby ? But play rugby they did. And this supporter is swelling with pride in his team today.

Unless you come from planet Zog or are reading this report in the mistaken belief that Comeonyousaints.com is a religious site and think you are reading instructions on how to become canonised , you will know what happened next. You won’t get a blow by blow account here. Try Chris Wearmouth on the Offy he really is rather good at that.

No here I will recount that Saints played a blinder in the first half . They tackled like demons, often dislodging the ball and overturning possession. One tackle by Foden on the mighty BOD deserved to be, and on a different occasion may have been, a match winner. When in possession they played some great running rugby. Leinster found it hard to contain the rampaging Saints. The mighty Saints pack lived up to their reputation. Even when Mujati was sin binned for pulling a player back, the seven man Saints pack, containing one of our “weak bench” , pushed them back winning a penalty and won one against the head. Saints score three unanswered tries with Myler missing just the one conversion by hitting the post and adding a penalty. 22-6 to Saints at half time. We dared to dream.

We knew that Leinster would come back like a storm in the second half. Unfortunately we had turned the underdog tag around. There is not much in this world more dangerous than an Irishman with his back against the wall. The hope was that the third try might be enough to keep us in the lead but this would require holding out for at least the first ten or fifteen minutes of the second half.

 

Saints started well enough. The first wave was repelled with a turn over and a l¯vîg®*™¨j˜LPh. But the tide had turned. The Leinster attack was relentless . Eventually the sea wall broke and the tries started coming. Sexton fully deserved his man of the match. He has grown in stature rapidly and one can see why he has stolen O’Gara’s international crown. When his first conversion hit the same post as Myler but instead of bouncing back as Myler’s had, went over, the signs were there that this wasn’t going to be our day.

In the end it was the classic game of two halves. The difference being when Saints were scoring their 22 points Leinster managed to stay in touch with a couple of pens and scored 6. When Leinster scored their 27 Saints could not respond.

So the better team won in the end. But Saints didn’t lay down. Once the Irishmen established their lead, the Saints rallied. The bench were used and there was still some rugby to be played. But Leinster still had enough gas to make the tackles and the breakdown penalties went their way allowing them to clear their lines. Saints closest chance of getting the score that may have instilled some doubt in the champions minds came when Foden, who had a wonderful match, galloped past O’Driscoll and fed Ashton. A fully fit Flash would have gone for the outside and maybe, just maybe reached the line. But late in this game, late in a long hard season, it was a break too far and he cut back inside looking for support and the chance was gone. So no trophy for Saints for the first season since Jim took the reigns.

Jim Dorien and Grayse have, in three seasons, brought the club from the first division to the brink of European glory. They have built a team that can stand toe to toe with the best in Europe, a team that was 40 minutes away from lifting the Heineken cup. Now they must build a squad, within the limitations imposed, that can stay the course. That building has already started as we saw from the performances of Callum Clarke, Tom Mercey and Alex Waller and the raft of signings arriving next season.

  If you are a Saints supporter you will be hurting today and for some time to come. And why not you dared to dream. You had one hand on the Heineken cup, the greatest prize in club rugby; you nearly touched the sky. But remember you won’t be hurting any more than the battered and bruised players who went to hell and back to try and make our dream come true. They left nothing on that pitch Saturday, they more than earned our support. Thank you lads. In time, if you can, watch the match again. You will come to realise what most of the neutrals already know. That was a fabulous game of rugby. Possibly one of the greatest finals ever. No tight cagey rugby, but two wonderful teams going hammer and tongs at each other, playing exciting, breathtaking football. And remember we may have lost but it was your team in the final. Not the mighty Toulouse, not Stade Francais nor Claremont. Not Leicester or Wasps, not even Munster. No, it was Northampton………Northampton in the final of the greatest club competition on earth…………and we will be back.