Chris Gleadell: Saints youngsters come of age in Euro cauldron
Well what a night that was! Saints progressed to the final of the European Challenge Cup by holding their nerve to quell a spirited Saracens fightback at a highly-charged Franklin's Gardens on Friday evening.
Despite dominating the first period, a Bruce Reihana try and eight points from the boot of Stephen Myler were all the lads had to show for their efforts at half-time.
Surely though, given that dominance, the floodgates would open in the second half as we ground down Sarries more and more? But no.
Instead, the boot was on the other foot for a good 20 minutes or so as Sarries regrouped and hit back.
A try from Rodd Penney, converted by Glenn Jackson, brought the teams level with seven minutes on the clock and things were starting to look bleak.
With the game on a knife edge and fingernails being bitten down to the quick, it took a bit of level-headedness and a certain degree of calm for Smyler to change the game back in our favour.
After some fine work by both forwards and backs, the opposition were driven back sufficiently for the fly-half to sit back in the pocket and slot over the sweetest of drop-goals straight through the uprights with just three minutes left to play.
It was an awfully long three minutes though, but the forwards went to work grinding out that remaining time and after what seemed like another hour or so, the loudest clock countdown from 10 at the Gardens saw the Saints secure the game and that place in the final later this month.
At that final whistle, not only were there scenes of celebration but an almost audible collective sigh of relief.
Just 10 minutes earlier, pinned back in our own 22, you might have thought the opportunity was passing us by.
But the ability of the lads to stay calm and forge on regardless saw us through to the clash with Bourgoin and our first European final since 2000.
We may have a lot of youngsters out there, but when the chips were looking down they did not panic and showed some collective maturity.
When I had time to get my breath back, get my blood pressure down and collect my thoughts, I reflected on what a great Gardens night that had been both on and off the pitch.
Fair play to the Saracens supporters, they got there in numbers to get behind their side.
Though like most I wanted to stick those incessant horns where the sun don't shine, the Saints support took it as a challenge and we raised our game and our voices too.
We may never be good enough to win Eurovision but the belting out of Oh When The Saints went a long way to making the best atmosphere we have had in quite a long while.
If we can bottle some of that and take it to the final it should certainly add to the occasion.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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