England’s next big game against Scottish opposition in the Six Nations next month will have a considerably higher profile but here was conclusive proof that life at Murrayfield will be far from straightforward. Though Northampton sneaked home courtesy of a last-gasp try from Harry Mallinder, the 19-year-old son of the Saints’ director of rugby Jim, this was not a performance they will otherwise remember with great affection.
Saints had been trailing 15-12 entering the last couple of minutes, having turned down a kickable penalty in favour of going for the corner. The French referee, Romain Poite, was playing an advantage to the home side when Stephen Myler hoisted a hopeful punt towards the left corner and the ball ricocheted off George North’s raised arms to the lurking Mallinder who dived gleefully over to maintain his side’s chances of European knockout participation.
They will have to play better than this against Scarlets this coming weekend to guarantee a last-eight spot and the watching Eddie Jones was also left with much to ponder on the subject of the England captaincy. If ever there was a moment for Dylan Hartley to rampage around the field and hammer a few Scots in the process it was this weekend but the hooker did little of massive note and was replaced by his lively club rival Mike Haywood after 57 minutes. Mallinder Sr conceded Hartley is not yet back to his best after injury. “It’s hard to put a timescale on it but he’ll get better every time he plays,” he predicted.
The Calcutta Cup will be a rather different kind of occasion but Jones will also have learned a fair amount about a number of other players on both sides. Aside from Hartley, the young tight-head prop Paul Hill is a candidate for a front-row role in England’s matchday 23 and did little to dilute the impression that he is destined to enjoy a lengthy international career.
The immediate future looks slightly less rosy for a few other Saints such as Tom Wood, Luther Burrell, Ben Foden and Lee Dickson, all omitted from Jones’s first squad, but here was a perfect opportunity to alter perceptions. While Wood worked as tirelessly as ever, Northampton as a unit are not maximising their collective potential and, until Mallinder’s face-saving intervention on his European debut, this was another example of it.
Clad in their all-black kit, they came nowhere near New Zealand levels of skill as they huffed and puffed for lengthy periods, dangerous only from their trademark lineout drives which yielded their first two tries. It was the visitors who looked brighter with ball in hand and frequently dominated the territorial battle after a 10th minute close-range try by Teimana Harrison, nicely converted from wide out by JJ Hanrahan, had given Saints an early lead.
As a player Gregor Townsend was always worth watching and the team he coaches belong in the same category. If Jonny Gray were English, he would be as high in Jones’s pecking order as he is in Vern Cotter’s and the all-international back row also have the sort of balance England have lately found elusive.
Throw in the marauding Fijian Leone Nakarawa and the clever Finn Russell at fly-half and Northampton were always going to find it tricky if Plan A – a full frontal assault by their pack – failed to deliver. Nor did it help when the promising Tom Collins caught an accidental knee to the head from Russell as they went up for a high ball and had to be carried off on a stretcher. His replacement Mallinder, normally an inside centre, found himself thrust into the action at full-back with Foden switching to the wing.
Glasgow might have caused even more problems had they not missed three shots at goal. Saints also squandered a couple of good possessions, not least just before half-time when Hartley had an attempted pass intercepted and kicked to safety by the alert Russell. When it comes to his set-piece work, Hartley has few peers but around the field he has not been the force of old in the last couple of seasons.
Saints, who had won 10 of their previous 11 matches against Scottish opposition, were rather more concerned with the here and now. Russell put his side 9-7 ahead with just over half an hour to play and for a moment it looked as though Northampton would respond in the approved manner. Another strong forward drive yielded a score for Christian Day and, although Hanrahan could not land the conversion, the match was back in their hands. They reckoned without Glasgow’s continuing tenacity, a fourth Russell penalty levelling the scored again before a splendid 45-metre penalty from Hogg have the Warriors a thoroughly deserved lead. Could they hang on? Even after Swinson was sin-binned for foul play, it seemed they might emerge with something until Myler and Mallinder combined to floor the Warriors. The Saints are not exactly marching in but they are still alive.
Northampton Foden; Collins (Mallinder, 25), G Pisi, Burrell, North; Hanrahan (Myler, 53), Dickson (capt; Kessell, 75)); A Waller (E Waller, 63), Hartley (Haywood, 57), Hill (Denman, 72), Lawes, Day, Gibson, Wood, Harrison (Fisher, 57).
Tries Harrison, Day, Mallinder. Cons Hanrahan, Myler.
Glasgow Hogg (Weir, 77); Jones (Naiyaravoro, 57), Dunbar, Johnson, Lamont; Russell, Price; Reid (Allan, 63), Macarthur (Mamukashvili, 59), Puafisi (Fagerson, 53), Nakarawa, Gray (capt), Wilson, Fusaro (Swinson, 67), Ashe.
Pens Russell 4, Hogg. Sin-bin Swinson 74
Referee R Poite (Fr). Attendance 14,874.
