Let’s not dwell on that, lest everyone who got into rugby during the World Cup think that the sport is in fact awful. Saracens’ defence, led by the likes Kruis and Itoje, was outstanding; their whole “wolfpack” thing might sound like the stupidest thing in the world, but it’s mighty effective as Northampton barely came close to crossing the line. They forced the home side to get frustrated and to concede kickable penalties, then Owen Farrell took care of the formalities. They remain top with a four-from-four win record.
As for Northampton, they slip down to ninth, mixing it up with the dross as they deserve to do. They miss Samu Manoa hugely and this past summer is, in truth, their second in a row during which the squad hasn’t been strengthened. They need Picamoles and perhaps a greater spark in the backs too, and this is going to be a long old season for them and a top-four finish doesn’t look likely.
That’s all from me. Cheers for reading, bye!
Full-time: Northampton 6-12 Saracens
Northampton may have shaded the first half, but Saracens definitely deserved to win what was, in truth, a woeful game.
Penalty (Hanrahan 80) Northampton 6-12 Saracens
And he just about brings it round enough from 30 metres, squeezing it inside the right-hand post.
80 min “See you enn tee” shouts someone at both Chris Wyles and a microphone. Hanrahan is kicking for goal and the losing bonus point now.
79 min Quick ball off the top and Northampton get it wide quickly, twice, but everything is lateral with them right now. A third time across the pitch and Tuala, then North make ground. About 78 minutes too late, Saints are showing some impetus.
78 min It’s a Saracens scrum smack bang in the middle of the Northampton half. Their scrum is comfortable – a huge turnaround from the first half – but then Gibson makes a great tackle and wins Northampton a penalty.
77 min Why are you still reading this?
76 min Harrison charges off the back and earns his side a fair few metres, before Hanrahan clears to Wyles. The Saracen sends it back to the Irish Saint, who knocks it on. Sigh.
75 min Saracens won’t mind that too much, as the ball is now going to be tied up in a scrum just five metres out from the Northampton line.
Such a bad advert for English rugby, this is duller than dishwater and explains why Eng struggle, such a lack of creativity #saintsvsarries
— Jon Sleightholme (@JonSleightholme) November 7, 2015
74 min The throw goes long to Kruis and the maul forms, Rhodes with the ball at the back. They’re up to the line now, Saints desperate and bunched up around the breakdown. There’s space wide, but it’s tied up in the tight for now. Left now and Hodgson switches back inside to Wyles, but the American can’t hold it and knocks forward.
73 min Here comes the rolling maul, down the Saracens left and gaining 15 metres. Into the 22, there’s a Saints prop in at the wrong side and it’s another penalty. This time Hodgson pops it into the corner.
72 min Hanrahan’s lazy clearance is charged down, then Tuala throws a poor pass inside to no one at all, putting Wood under huge pressure while clearing his mess up. Eventually Northampton do well to recover and Dickson clears, but dear me that was poor.
71 min Saints spin it left but the ball goes loose once again and Saracens hack it into their hosts’ 22.
70 min Teimama Harrison comes on for Dickinson and immediately concedes a penalty for a high tackle on Bosch. Hodgson comes on for Farrell, who leaves to boos. Sarries lineout on halfway, but Day steals it.
Penalty (Farrell 69) Northampton 3-12 Saracens
From just outside the 22 and five metres in from touch on the right, Farrell takes Saracens beyond two scores.
68 min We’re going back for the penalty advantage, against Paterson for swimming down the side of the maul. Farrell will look to kick this from wide on the right, and this should be the game.
67 min Kruis takes it and forms the maul, about five metres outside of the 22. There’s a penalty advantage against Paterson, so they go left through the hands and Goode jinks up to within 15.
66 min Try again then, Northampton, this time from the Sarries 10 metre line. It’s clean ball this time and they go left fast, with Elliott coming off his wing and arcing up to the 22. He’s taken down, then holds on to the ball though and Wigglesworth clears with the penalty. Franklin’s Gardens is sounding uncharacteristically flat.
65 min Or rather on his own 22, according to the touch judge. No matter though, as Kruis has stolen Haywood’s throw and Wiggelesworth clears further upfield, down the Sarries left.
64 min High from Wigglesworth and North is tackled by Burger. Another box kick follows, by Dickson, and Michael Rhodes knocks it on. Hanrahan sends a testing kick down towards the opposite corner, but Wyles does well and finds touch about 30 metres upfield.
63 min Brookes off and the highly rated Yorkshireman Paul Hill comes on. Saints ball from the lineout and they carry up to the 10 metre line, but it’s yet another turnover and Goode clears. Hanrahan returns, gets a great bounce and finds touch well, just outside the Sarries 22.
Alex Waller off, replaced by his brother Ethan. For Saracens, Mako Vunipola and Du Plessis are off, with Barrington and Figallo on.
62 min Saints go left and Hanrahan steps and crosses halfway. Back right now and Foden makes a bit more ground, but then Paterson loses it in contact. It’s recycled to Bosch, but the Argentinian’s kick is a bit too mighty and goes out on the full.
61 min Kelly Brown is on for Billy Vunipola. Day wins the lineout on the Saracens 22, but then Itoje strips it from Brookes and they go left; Duncan Taylor fires a low kick down the left into touch. That’s his final act – not his best – as Bosch takes his place. Gibson wins the lineout just outside his own 22 and Dickson clears, Burrell winning it back!
60 min George goes long to Billy Vunipola, who is smashed by Dickinson brilliantly. That’s winded him I think. Back to Goode on his own dead ball line and, under massive pressure, he clears well to touch. Saints make a couple of big changes: Hartley and Myler off, Haywood and Hanrahan on – the latter for his Franklin’s Gardens debut.
59 min Myler opts to kick, looking for Foden wide on the left, but the ball beats everyone and bobbles into touch in the corner. Big pressure here on George, but that was great defence.
58 min Wood takes the lineout at the back and Saints look to drive it, but Saracens defend the maul well so they go left. This is great defence though from the away side and they’ve driven their hosts back out of the 22.
57 min Myler finds the bottom-right corner with a splendid penalty. Northampton replace Fotuali’i and Craig with Dickson and Paterson.
56 min Clean ball for Saints and Elliott comes into midfield to step up over halfway. Itoje comes into the ruck to clear out Fotuali’i, but the ball was still in the ruck and he’s penalised for playing the No9 early.
54 min Goode clears to touch on the left, just inside his own half on the Saints right. Craig takes it at the back and, when Fotuali’i goes off the back, Itoje hammers him in the tackle. The big Saracens man knocks on in doing so though.
53 min Again it’s totally still. Eventually Saracens get the free-kick, as Wood was using his foot to hook it in the tunnel. Farrell misses touch with his kick and Foden returns with a high one, with Goode calling the mark.
52 min There’s nothing between the two sides at this scrum; it’s totally still. Neither hooker can strike, so the referee resets it.
51 min Brits and Hargreaves go off, George and Rhodes taking their respective places.
50 min That’s not very clever. The throw goes short to Kruis but he very nearly pops it straight to Dylan Hartley. Itoje recovers the ball and is dragged into touch, but the referee overrules his touch judge and decides Hartley knocked on.
49 min Here comes Brits on the charge over the gain line. Right it goes to Taylor, but his offload is loose and Foden puts North away down the touchline – the Welshman beating two men and getting over halfway before Ashton gets back to bring him down. Myler spins it into the corner on the right.
48 min I would think Northampton will be making changes soon – they’ve done nothing at all since the break. Dickinson goes on a charge down the left, running back a kick, but when it comes back right Barritt tackles and strips Burrell. It’s out to Farrell and he plays for territory, finding touch on the left 30 metres from the Saints line. Gibson wins it and Fotuali’i clears.
Penalty (Farrell 47) Northampton 3-9 Saracens
This is indeed bread and butter for Farrell.
46 min Good scrum from Saracens and they force the Saints front-row up; that’s much better from Mako V, getting low and beneath Brookes. Peanalty Saracens on the 22 and this should be bread and butter for Farrell.
44 min Farrell kicks it to touch on the left, on the Saints 22. They form the maul at the back of the lineout, but it goes to ground. Itoje peels and takes it into a second contact, a ruck this time, so it’s a Saracens scrum when the ball gets stuck.
Jesus we are a boring side to watch this year. Even in tempted to turn this game off #saintsvsarries #rugbyunited
— Chris Hagger (@rugby_chris) November 7, 2015
43 min Saracens take it into contact just outside their 22. Wigglesworth kicks high and Gibson knocks on, into the hands of the offside Hartley. Penalty Saracens midway inside their own half.
42 min Slow ball from the scrum for Northampton but Myler gets the kick away towards the corner. Goode does well to stay in play, then more kicks are exchanged.
41 min Myler gets us back under way. It’s a shallow kick well taken by Hargreaves at the second attempt. Wigglesworth clears long to Foden, who returns high and Goode looks to jink through. There’s no gap, so it’s recycled and Vunipola looks to put Kruis through with and offload, but again the defence is good. High again and Foden is wrapped up by his mate Ashton. It’s stuck in the maul, but as it’s come from a kick Saints get the scrum.
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The teams made one line-break apiece in that half. One for the purists: on Facebook, a friend of mine has commented on how dire he’s finding this to watch... and he’s a prop.
Half-time: Northampton 3-6 Saracens
Northampton probably, very marginally, edged that half. They were all over Saracens at the set-piece, but the game took on a bit more of a niggly edge in the last five minutes and poor discipline, as well as a poor penalty from Myler, means Saracens go in just in front. See you in 10.
Penalty (Farrell 40) Northampton 3-6 Saracens
It’s a monster from near halfway and Sarries lead at the break.
40 min Farrell isn’t the most popular man out there and he’s been smashed once again, jumping into George Pisi and getting full whack from the Samoan. Saints are offside at the ruck though and Farrell can put his side in front from 45 metres.
39 min North takes the drop-out on the Saracens 10 metre line and gives it left to Burrell. His stabbed kick through hits a Saracens shin and bounces into touch, but then Kruis nabs the lineout. Farrell just gets his kick away before being mullered once again by Wood.
38 min From the 22, to the left, Myler makes no sends it drifting across the face. That’s a poor effort.
36 min The ball goes forward of Northamptonian fingertips at the restart. Wigglesworth sends it high and Foden, diving forward and going for the spectacular take knocks on. But then it’s turned over and Brookes steps and spins it wide. North kicks ahead, Ashton gathers but then the former England man throws a wild pass to no one. Taylor sweeps up five metres out, but the tacklers are there to smother him. He holds on and it’s a penalty Saints!
Penalty (Farrell 35) Northampton 3-3 Saracens
From 43 metres or so and about five to the left, Farrell works with the wind and sends his kick through the posts.
This won’t go down well with the crowd. Against the advice of his TMO, referee Pearce decides Farrell’s shove to Wood’s head isn’t enough to reverse the penalty. That’s fair enough, although Wood is right to think that the tackle was barely late in any case.
33 min More picking, more driving, but Northampton remain solid in defence. The crowd have been riled by something, I think a late tackle by Wood on Farrell and the latter’s shove in retaliation.
Updated
32 min Northampton creep forward early, Du Plessis is on his knees, but the referee picks the former offence to penalise and gives Sarries the free-kick. Kicks are exchanged, then Farrell makes a half-break thanks to a dummy midway inside the Saints half.
Probably an expensive one too, eh?
Petrus du Plessis is down with an ankle-ouch. Juan Figallo, on the bench, is a more than useful back-up.
31 min It goes long and Wood seizes the loose ball, but he can’t cling on to it and knocks the ball forward.
30 min It’s cleared to Foden and the shameful man bun proponent fires a wonderful kick from midway inside his own half to touch on the left, inside the Sarries 22.
29 min Gibson comes around on the loop and completely misses Burrell with his pass, but that opens up the field and Elliott takes it on and crosses halfway. Waller carries on, then Fotuali’i’s high kick is dropped backwards by Goode. Wyles, the former Saints wing, cleans up.
28 min A woeful pass from Hargreaves leads to a brilliant bit of skill from Goode, trapping it with his boot, flicking it up into his hands and kicking to touch midway inside the Saints half on the right. Saints win and clear the ball easily enough though.
27 min For once, clean ball from a scrum! Farrell sends it up high and Elliott takes, but he’s met immediately by Barritt. Saracens are doing a good job of disrupting Fotuali’i at the ruck, but the No9 eventually gets the ball out and up in the air.
26 min Northampton are going backwards here in the face of strong defence – both sides have been outstanding in that area. Back behind the 10 metre line now and Hartley offloads forwards out of a tackle, conceding the scrum. Somehow I don’t think he’ll mind too much.
25 min And again Northampton get the penalty at the scrum! The Sarries pack goes marching backwards and falls to pieces, then Myler finds touch on the left 25 metres out. This time they win it cleanly and drive in midfield. Saracens’ defence is solid though.
24 min Brits’ throw to the back isn’t straight and Northampton take the scrum.
23 min On the sidelines, Sarries’ coach Alex Sanderson is having a moan about the refereeing of the scrum. Farrell finds touch down on the Saints 10 metre line.
22 min Saracens scrum, 15 metres from their own posts. Finally they win a scrum, as Brookes stands up and Mako Vunipola is on the board.
21 min Myler kicks to touch, 25 metres or so out from the Saracens line on the left. Hartley throws too long, but it bounces up into the hands of Myler and he speeds into the 22. Brought down and it’s recycled quickly, but James Craig knocks on.
20 min Gibson takes and the maul forms close to touch on halfway. Fotuali’i pops it inside to Elliott, but Saracens are alert to it. They go left and Pisi is turned over in midfield, but Billy Vunipola goes off his feet.
19 min A third scrum penalty, to go with a free-kick, to Northampton, as Du Plessis bores in and can’t straighten his angle. The result is the scrum splintering and Myler finds touch on halfway.
18 min Itoje takes, but Northampton initially shove the maul backwards. Into the mêlée go Waller and Day; the latter latches on to the ball, Saracens are stuck and that’s a scrum Northampton. Brilliant defence from the Saints.
17 min Saracens retain it though, largely thanks to Burger smashing into the ruck like the brilliant madman he almost certainly is. Waller is penalised for lying on the ball and Farrell puts a great touchfinder down the left, giving his side a lineout 10 metres out.
16 min Let’s see if Saracens fare any better on their own feed then. They do not, conceding as they do a free-kick for an early push. Myler puts it high and Elliott gets up and stops Vunipola.
15 min It’s a very, very slow one, so Wigglesworth sends it left. Goode is smashed by Pisi but gets it away left to Wyles with a fantastic long pass. He steps inside and tries to get it back out left, but Burrell knocks on going for the interception.
14 min James Craig takes it and the ball goes straight to ground. Fotuali’i takes it on himself to clear, sending the box kick to touch on the Northampton 10 metre line. From that, Sarries form the driving maul.
13 min Ashton gets his hands on it for the first time, but can’t get up beyond halfway. Back it goes to Farrell and he kicks for touch nicely, finding it on the Sarries right inside the 22.
12 min Another scrum penalty against Mako Vunipola, whose arm drops to the ground under pressure from Brookes. The battle of the England props is only going one way right now. Myler finds touch on halfway and Gibson takes, before they swing it right to North off his wing. Fotuali’i, Goode and Foden then exchange kicks.
10 min Brits steps and sends another wonderful offload to finally give his side some momentum, but a couple of phases later the ball goes loose and Gibson is on it. Back to Myler and he clears long to Brits inside the Saracens half. The hooker charges up and is tap-tackled well by Dickinson, but then Vunipola (B) bounces off of Day and flips an offload inside to Itoje. Fotuali’i drags the big man down on the 22 and forces a knock-on. A pause now, as Dickinson gets a bit of treatment.
9 min Brits throws long and Hargreaves takes. On they go, crashing into contact in midfield and Northampton aren’t allowing them fast ball. Left to Goode and he looks to step, but Dickinson stands firm so there’s no ground to be gained.
8 min A couple of picks, a couple of drives, but then Wigglesworth overcooks his box kick and Elliott calls the mark under no pressure in his 22. The little wing clears to touch midway inside his own half, again on the Saints right.
7 min Myler clears long up the field from the centre of the pitch, on his own 22, and Northampton get the lineout on the right, eight metres inside their own half. Gibson takes at the front and Fotuali’i puts it up high, for Burger to claim well.
6 min Awesome scrum from Northampton and it could be a penalty for any number of reasons as Sarries crumple.
5 min Lovely offload from Brits and Mako Vunipola goes through a gap, into the 22. He runs into North though and the returning wing holds him up brilliantly. Hartley arrives in support and that’s a turnover scrum to Northampton.
4 min This time the restart stays in and Fotuali’i clears to Vunipola. Saracens come back and crash it up the middle around halfway. Wide they go, gaining ground and crossing the 10 metre line with alarming ease.
Penalty (Myler 3) Northampton 3-0 Saracens
From 30-odd metres, just to the right, Stephen Myler slots it nicely through the middle. That’s 175 points for him against Saracens, making him the number one in those standings.
2 min Northampton go left, then down the middle and crash up to the middle of the Sarries half. Obstruction at the ruck by Hargreaves on Fotuali’i and the Saints No9 earns his side the first penalty.
PEEEEP! Luke Pearce is today’s referee and, at his signal, Owen Farrell gets us underway in the most inauspicious manner, sending his kick-off drifting out into touch on the full. Scrum Saints right in the centre of the pitch. Very fiercely contested and out it comes on the Saints side.
Here come the teams; Alistair Hargreaves first up, leading out the away side, followed by Tom Wood for the Saints. Wood is in for a tough old time today – the power in that Saracens back row of Itoje, Burger and Vunipola is frightening.
An impeccably observed minute’s silence for Rememberance Day.
Going back to last season, Saints have only won one of their last five matches while Saracens are five from five across the same period. Northampton lead 3-2 in the last five head-to-head matches, but Sarries have won 10 times at Franklin’s Gardens – more than any other side.
Delighted the Barwell name sits proudly on the new stand at Franklins Gardens. A remarkable family, the founders of the modern @SaintsRugby
— Martin Bayfield (@MartinBayfield) November 7, 2015
Weather watch
In contrast to dull, cold, wet, dreary London, Franklin’s Gardens is bathed in sunlight. Anyone in the big Tetley’s Stand will be wise after the fact to have brought sunglasses, because otherwise the sun is going to be blinding until it dips behind the Churches Stand opposite.
George North got a great welcome when he ran out on to the Gardens pitch. His first game here since March 27. Good to see him back.
— Tom Vickers (@WheresTommyV) November 7, 2015
Away from the rugby, these aren’t good times for Northampton. The county cricket club and football club are both in severe financial troubles and both are in danger of not existing in the very near future. Sterling work, then, by the Northampton Town Supporters Trust, who have, to date, raised over £31,500 to save the football club. You can donate here, if you wish.
One quick landmark that’s worth mentioning: congratulations to Schalk Brits, who is making his 150th appearance for Saracens today.
So how do we see this one going? Northampton to win by 40 will struggle I reckon. I don’t like the balance of the back row, which contains three six-and-a-halfs. Three very, very good six-and-a-halfs, mind you, but three six-and-a-halfs nonetheless and Picamoles can’t come along soon enough. The second row also looks a touch light – you won’t find a bigger Christian Day fan than me, but it could do with the bulk of Matfield or Lawes.
Essential pre-match reading
The European Champions Cup returns next week (excellent!). Eddie Butler is looking forward to it here.
Preamble
Afternoon, folks. What, you thought The Rugby was done? Fear not; after six weeks (and one day) of a glorious, glorious World Cup, the Guardian isn’t going to make you go cold turkey. Oh no, we’re giving you some of the stiff stuff now: proper club rugby, the one that separates the more hardcore fans and those genuinely enthralled by what’s just been from the hangers on. This MBM comes to you smelling of ale and chips with curry sauce. Dear god I want an ale and chips with curry sauce.
Today’s big match is a doozy. Since the Soane Tonga’uiha farrago of 2010, there has been – if not bad blood between these two clubs – then a definite sense that they don’t particularly like each other. Matches between the two always come with a sense of spice, of occasion.
Saracens are the reigning Premiership champions, having beaten the table-topping Saints in the play-off semi-final on their way to dethroning them last season. That made it something of a double for the Barnet-based lot, having also dumped Northampton out of the LV= Cup, again at the semi-final stage.
Those successes ended a couple of years of hurt for Sarries against Saints. They were on the wrong end of the best Premiership final to date in 2013-14, when Alex Waller scored a Premiership-winning try in the final second of extra-time to give Northampton their first ever title. I promise this MBM will be a bit more balanced than that one. The season before that they met in the semi-final, when a stunning first-half showing saw Northampton demolish their opponents.
Based on this season’s form though, there is only one winner. Sarries sit pretty atop the table after winning all three of their matches – although London Irish did give them a bit of a scare, that’s only likely to stop complacency this weekend. Northampton, on the other hand, have been a bit of a let-down: 40 great minutes blew Newcastle away, but Newcastle are poor and that win was bookended by away defeats to Worcester (unforgivable and a truly dire performance) and Sale (more understandable, given Sale’s recent record in Salford, but the Saints were, as Tom Wood put it, rubbish).
Changes are afoot though, and not just in terms of the teams as Franklin’s Gardens opens its new Barwell Stand for the first time in a competitive match. It replaces the old Sturtridge Pavilion – something of a sad moment for me, as it was the place my dad bought me my first ever bitter shandy as a kid, somewhere we used to frequent a lot and the place where one of my oldest friend’s family held his wake.
As for the teams, Wales’s George North and England’s Billy Vunipola make their first appearances of the season for the home and away sides respectively. Saints are without the injured Calum Clark, James Wilson and Courtney Lawes, as well as the rested Victor Matfield and Louis Picamoles doesn’t arrive until the summer, but do promote Dylan Hartley and Christian Day from the bench. The visitors come as close as they ever will to being the neutral’s favourite, by including Argentinian World Cup alumni Marcelo Bosch and Juan Figallo on the bench.
Kick-off is at 3.15pm GMT. Here are your teams:
Northampton
15 Ben Foden, 14 Jamie Elliott, 13 George Pisi, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 George North, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Kahn Fotuali’I; 1 Alex Waller, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Kieran Brookes, 4 James Craig, 5 Christian Day, 6 Jamie Gibson, 7 Tom Wood (c), 8 Sam Dickinson.
Replacements: 16 Mikey Haywood, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Michael Paterson, 20 Teimana Harrison, 21 Lee Dickson, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Ahsee Tuala.
Saracens
15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Chris Wyles, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Richard Wigglesworth; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Schalk Brits, 3 Petrus Du Plessis, 4 George Kruis, 5 Alistair Hargreaves (c), 6 Maro Itoje, 7 Jacques Burger, 8 Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Juan Figallo, 19 Michael Rhodes, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Charlie Hodgson, 23 Marcelo Bosch.
Updated
