Saints FanStand: It’s great Diggin’s staying
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Gareth Watkins: Of all the recently-announced contract extensions at Franklin’s Gardens, the one that pleased me most was Paul Diggin’s.
That’s not so much because of his undoubted ability and wholehearted commitment as a player, more to do with what he represents. In the best possible way, Digger is a throwback to another era.
Before professionalism, top clubs didn’t scour the world for playing talent and were more likely to pick up players from local clubs, schools and colleges.
And before professionalism, rugby players came in different shapes and sizes to fit different positions, rather than virtually all standing over 6ft tall and weighing more than 14 stone.
There have been obvious gains from these changes – Saints never won any major silverware in the amateur era but have won quite a bit in recent years; playing in Europe regularly has spread the name and reputation of the club; and the impact of overseas stars like Wayne Shelford, Pat Lam and Bruce Reihana on the standards of their fellow players has been massive.
But it’s heartening to see that there is still room in the modern game for someone of average stature, who was born and bred in Northampton, grew up as a Saints fan and knows and understands what those of us in the stands are going through.
Digger’s been a great ambassador for the club, for the town and for the sport, and I’m delighted that there is going to be a further chapter in his career at Franklin’s Gardens.
Jason Roberts
The win against London Irish was more than a win for the Saints.
It was a statement. Where Saints teams in previous years have fallen in February and March, this team looks different.
Down, away to a team for whom this was a must-win game, the entire team showed a level of resolve that I’ve never seen from any recent Saints side.
Being a Saints fan comes with a certain level of expectation. Under Mallinder, it’s been fairly simple.
Start the season strong, don’t lose at home, suffer a dip in form around February/March time, come back strong in time for the play-offs and then fall majestically at the final hurdle.
And obviously, all these years of pain and suffering mean that I instantly shoot down the chances of the Saints every year to save myself the inevitable disappointment. And I’m not alone.
Even during last year’s Heineken Cup final, you could see one collective look on the face of every Saints fan: “This is too good to be true. It can’t possibly happen.”
And we were right. But this year will be different.
So, I‘ll say it. I think Saints can win the Premiership. I think Saints should win the Premiership.
I’m saying Saints must win the Premiership for the sake of all the long-suffering fans who are fed up of being the bridesmaids.
And I’m saying Saints will win the Premiership because they are the best team in the competition. And if I end up disappointed, so be it.
Paul McQuaid
What a result! Saints played brilliantly to come from behind and beat a strong London Irish side last Sunday.
To win away from home and clinch a bonus point in the dying minutes showed real character and determination.
Stephen Myler had a great game and passed the ball beautifully for three of the tries. Even Stuart Barnes was impressed!!
More of the same will be required against our noisy neighbours from Watford this weekend.
Saracens are the team we love to hate. Their brash, ‘in your face’ approach has certainly wound up Saints fans over recent years.
The Soane Tonga’uiha affair set the tone for a period of sustained bitterness between the clubs, but other factors such as trying to hoist a Sarries flag from the top of the Express Lifts tower before a Premiership semi-final certainly didn’t help.
More recently of course Saracens have poached Chris Ashton from under our noses too, but in truth there’s much to admire about the current English champions.
They have an excellent team ethic, strong self-belief and outstanding players such Schalk Brits, Jacques Burger, Ernst Joubert and England’s new fly-half Owen Farrell.
Saints are the form team in the league but will need to step up another level to win.
If they do they’ll leapfrog Sarries and move into second place with just a handful of games to go before the play-offs.
They say actions speak louder than words so let’s hope Saints do their talking on the pitch and silence Sarries… for a while at least!
Oli Gilks
Well what a fantastic win at Irish! After a first half packed with errors, laziness and bad luck, I feared the worst and thought we could well be on the end of a bit of a hiding.
Irish were spinning the ball wide and quickly, isolating our wingers and allowing the highly impressive Sailosi Tagicakibau the space a winger of that class craves.
Irish’s blitz defence was penetrable though and with Stephen Myler firing quick flat passes on the gain line, chances out wide were always going to be available.
Myler was fantastic but what was most pleasing was the versatility he showed from last week where he also claimed the Man of the Match award.
Sale at home was a dog fight where Myler steered the ship well and kicked superbly to guide us to victory.
At Irish, while his kicking for goal wasn’t quite as consistent, his distribution was first class. It was a sunny day that invited flowing, running, attacking rugby and Ryan Lamb, against his old club, would have seemed the obvious contender for the jersey.
Myler deservedly got the nod after his excellent performance last week and duly delivered.
Myler set up three tries with inch perfect, drilled, flat passes that bypassed the on-coming rush defence. The desire, determination and passion shown in the second half from Saints was really pleasing to watch and bodes well for the upcoming fixture at Saracens.
A win at Saracens and the impending return of our internationals means a home semi-final is not out of the question.
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