Northampton Saints 23 Perpignan 7: match report
Read a full match report of the Heineken Cup semi-final game between Northampton Saints and Perpignan at stadium: mk on Sunday May 1 2011.
Bulldozer: Soane Tongauiha ploughs through the Perpignan defence Photo: ACTION IMAGES
By Mick Cleary 5:00PM BST 01 May 2011
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On a dizzy, sunlit afternoon well might the Northampton faithful have belted out their songs as their Saints went marching on to Cardiff.
Never was an anthem more appropriate. There was an ease and a swagger in Northampton’s performance, a real sense of overwhelming superiority.
At times it was almost one-sided, testimony to the force and cleverness of a Saints side in its pomp. They were steely-eyed and spring-heeled in equal measure.
Only the lap of honour was conducted at a sedate pace. In a new-look stadium in Milton Keynes, this was a moment when the fans saluted a coming-of-age side, a team that has the capacity to emulate the heroes of 2000 in lifting the Heineken Cup.
As then, so now, with an Irish side standing in their way, albeit Leinster are more formidable opponents than a callow Munster of all those years ago.
But Northampton should fear now one as they pursue a cup and Premiership double. They could yet be the first side in the tournament’s modern history to go through to the end undefeated.
Leinster will have a rather significant opinion as to that. Northampton were all-consuming here: raw-boned and defiant up-front, vibrant when they needed to be behind.
They more than withstood the expected pummelling in the scrum from the so-called Catalan ogres, tellingly shunting a Perpignan scrum on to its backside just moments from the end.
So many Saints stood tall: prop Soane Tongaa’uiha, back-row forwards, the understated Phil Dowson and the tireless Roger Wilson, the full-bore midfield duo, James Downey and Jon Clarke, with Ben Foden sharp and eager at all times from the rear.
Foden was a real handful in the first-half, back to doing what he does best, being the bane of defences and not late-night taxi drivers.
But above all this was a performance of a team happy in its own skin, each player confident in his own ability and of those around them.
There was a composure in the way they went about their business, fierce yet disciplined, keen yet not overenthusiastic.
Of courses, their foundations had to be secure and their tight scrummage gave one of the great European performances in dealing with the vaunted Perpignan eight. Northampton have answered those critics who consider them to be solid but not exceptional.
“On its day, this team can beat anyone,” said Northampton captain, Dylan Hartley. “People still pick holes in us. We were playing for ourselves today. It was quite nice to stick two fingers up to the doubters.”
The contest was as good as run by half-time, Stephen Myler’s second penalty edging his side 20-0 clear by the 38th minute. True, Perpignan did raise a flicker of hope among their colourful, small band of fans when hooker Guilhem Guirado blasted his way over from a line-out drive on the stroke of the break but it was to be fleeting.
Perpignan were never allowed to settle, never allowed to generate tempo. As so often happens in Anglo-French encounters they bore a sense of grievance at the imbalance of the penalty count, over two to one in favour of the home side.
There was merit in some of their complaints, Irish referee, George Clancy, wrongly calling back centre David Marty for offside after he had gathered a superb chip kick from his fly-half, Nicolas Laharrague, in the 25th minute looking set to scoot 40 metres to the line.
Instead, he got in a huff at the decision, Northampton remained calm and took full advantage, Myler banging over the goal from distance and within two minutes Clarke scoring a well-worked try that seemed, even at that early juncture, to break the heart of Perpignan.
They allowed themselves to get rattled and ratty, losing focus and clear purpose. They were beaten all over the field. It was a disconsolate retreat for them, out of this season’s tournament and almost certain not to qualify for next year’s competition given their lowly standing of ninth in the French league.
It took barely a quarter-of-an-hour for Northampton to find their range. After an edgy opening, Saints struck hard in the 15th minute.
Downey, who is emerging as a genuine contender for Ireland’s World Cup squad, made a lovely break and found Dowson on the inside.
The flanker himself made great inroads and was only hauled down two metres from the line by Perpignan fullback, Jerome Porical. No matter. His mates were in support. Wing, Paul Diggin stepped in as scrum-half, wheeled to switch play, flummoxing Perpignan, leaving Foden to canter over the line.
It was to trigger a calamitous period for the French side, the Marty incident prefacing a ten point concession. Shortly thereafter wing, Julien Candelon, was yellow carded for a reckless tip-charge on scrum-half, Lee Dickson, at a restart.
The second-half had the air of a formality about it as Northampton shrewdly preserved their lead, Myler’s 49th minute penalty the only score of the half.
Northampton, who still need two points against Leeds on Saturday to guarantee a top four Premiership finish, are all too aware that Leinster will be of a different order altogether.
“They are all used to big games on the big stage,” said Saints’ director of rugby, Jim Mallinder. “ We’ve done remarkably well but we’ve won nothing yet.”
True, but on this evidence Northampton are genuine contenders.
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