Saints FanStand: Future of Saints is looking bright
Paul McQuaid: Saints demolished Wasps in the LV=Cup on Saturday. It was a powerful performance that underlined the exciting potential of Jim Mallinder’s young squad.
Coming off the back of two big defeats, it speaks volumes for the character of the players that they got back to winning ways in such emphatic style.
With so many first-teamers absent, it was great to see young players like James Craig, Jamie Elliott, Ben Nutley and Alex Waller step up to the mark.
They will surely have benefited from being given the chance to shine in a match where the result actually mattered.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the game was the clinical way Saints piled on the points in the last quarter. It was almost reminiscent of some of the all-conquering Wasps sides of the recent past.
Wasps clinched four Premiership titles and two Heineken Cups in a stunning six-year period at the start of the millennium.
They built their success on a talented squad, strong club ethos and a fierce determination to succeed.
Saints are laying similarly strong foundations, and while there will undoubtedly be setbacks along the way, the long term success of the club looks assured.
Those fans who have been complaining about England call-ups and a seeming lack of new signings to replace stalwarts like Roger Wilson and James Downey, need to keep the faith. In years to come we may look back and say this was the breakthrough season for several Saints stars of the future.
Gareth Watkins
‘Emotional rollercoaster’ is an overused cliché, but it feels apt where Saints fans are concerned – how else to describe the thrilling, terrifying mix of experiences we’ve been through down the years?
After the mixed news of the past few days, Lee Dickson might have had an insight into our world.
Having been among the best scrum-halves in the Premiership for several years but – like Phil Dowson – continually overlooked for the England senior side, it must have been a huge boost when the call finally came.
With Richard Wigglesworth injured and Danny Care out of the equation for off-field reasons, Lee finally had the chance to show what he could do on the international stage.
And although he only got a few minutes of action as England edged out Scotland at Murrayfield, he did nothing wrong and looked like someone who wanted to play an important part to play in the Six Nations.
Then came the news of a cruel injury blow and what must have been an extremely bittersweet moment for the Dickson family as brother Karl was called up in Lee’s stead – only for it to turn out that Lee’s injury wasn’t serious enough to keep him out of action and he was returning to the squad.
Hopefully he will make the most of his chance now he’s back in the frame, but he’ll also be welcomed back on to the Saints rollercoaster when his current international journey ends.
Calum Spires
Well, that was a bit more like it! Last week I asked for some positivity to be delivered, either in the form of future signings, or with a vastly improved performance on the pitch.
It would appear that the request was met, and then some. Yes, Wasps may have been poor, and they might have had more players missing than us, (only just) but scoring eight tries against any Aviva Premiership side is still quite an achievement, and it is always pleasing to see both wingers scoring a brace.
And all of this coming from the side labelled as ‘The Scrum’ on the Rugby Club by Sky Sports’ resident blabbermouth Stuart Barnes. One wonders: Will Barnesy eat humble pie on this week’s edition? More chance of bacon gliding past my window I’d say.
Having now booked ourselves a home semi-final in the LV= Cup, our attention as a club must now turn back to the massive task ahead – staying within touching distance of the play-offs during the rest of the Six Nations.
Winning and winning well against Wasps was vital to our chances of maintaining a consistent run of form during the tournament.
It is essential to hit the ground running during this period, and the confidence created by the massive victory over Wasps should help massively. With players such as Ben Nutley, James Craig, Noah Cato and Paul Diggin impressing in recent weeks, things are looking up for the Saints, and with Gloucester next up, positivity and belief is key.
Jason Roberts
Generally I don’t watch Premiership rugby around this time of year, the Six Nations takes priority.
With that in mind, let’s look forward to this week.
England play Italy, and although it will no doubt be a hostile environment in Rome, you’d expect England to chalk up a second win there.
Their win against Scotland was ugly, but the determination they showed at Murrayfield under immense pressure speaks volumes about their character.
They might not win the championship, but they’ll leave supporters feeling that players are proud to play for their country again.
I see them beating Italy by more than two tries.
The major talking point regarding the Wales versus Scotland game will be the retirement of Dan Parks who leaves a void at 10.
Ruaridh Jackson sat out last week, and you’ll have to think he’ll start if fit.
Scotland will leave it all on the field, but like last week they’ll come up short, against a Wales team coming off a huge win in Ireland. I think Wales will win by less than 10.
The Ireland versus France game will be a crucial clash.
After Ireland’s heart-breaking loss last week, a second defeat would crush their title ambitions.
France meanwhile put 30 points on Italy while playing at about 60 per cent themselves.
Yet no-one knows how France will play, even under new boss Phillipe Saint-André.
This will be the game where we’ll see if France are the real deal.
And I’m not sold. This is do or die for Ireland. They’ll win by less than seven.
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