Northampton Saints 45 Barbarians 39: Tom Vickers' take on historic game at the Gardens

Rather than sitting in my usual press box seat in the Church’s Stand, I decided to locate myself among supporters in the cinch Stand.

It felt important to take in this historic occasion and truly get a sense of how the fans savoured what was, as expected, an exciting spectacle.

It was superb to see the support former Saints title winners Tom Wood and Luther Burrell received.

So strong are the feelings for those men that the people around me groaned when Burrell was stopped on his way to the line.

But those groans were replaced by cheers when Japan-bound Burrell finally got his score 57 minutes into his final outing at his former stomping ground.

Lukhan Salakaia-Loto had given Burrell a slightly colder welcome earlier in the game, getting involved in some pushing and shoving with the popular centre.

But that is the way Salakaia-Loto plays the game, with no sentiment shown and no prisoners taken.

And things soon calmed down so Burrell, who seemed surprised by the minor pushing match, could enjoy the rest of his day.

A guard of honour was rightly given to Wood when he came off, having put in his trademark shift, despite not playing since June.

There was also a chance to say a fond farewell to now Toulon fly-half Dan Biggar as, although he wasn’t playing here, he made a welcome appearance for a chat on the pitch.

And all in all, on slightly chilly day, you could feel the warmth flooding from the stands onto the field of play.

This was a great idea that came to fruition in a great way.

Saints, let’s not forget, led the way when it came to setting up a Barbarians fixture this autumn.

And what a job they did in putting this game on, ensuring Wood and Burrell would be present and that the fans would be entertained.

The Barbarians, of course, did their bit, with their try celebrations in particular bringing smiles to faces in the stands.

And Saints played their part, too, with Tom Collins doing what he does best: grabbing five-pointers, as he notched a second-half hat-trick. He does love a try!

It allowed the black, green and gold to get minutes into returning players, warming them up for the big Gallagher Premiership game at Gloucester next weekend.

But while that match will be all about the result, this was anything but.

The outcome mattered little, what did count was the fan experience and the enjoyment of the likes of Wood and Burrell.

And it’s fair to say, all of the necessary boxes were ticked here on a truly special afternoon at a truly special rugby venue.