Can it really be next year already? It has been one of the fastest moving years I have ever experienced and seems to have rushed past in the blink of an eye. I never used to believe my dad when he told me that time passes quicker the older you get, but I must admit that, as with most things, he is right. The energy and excitement that carried over from last season was evident in our first couple of home games, but blow by blow that confidence was eroded as first one then another succumbed to the injury list. It has been a hard slog since then and at times has not been much fun, however even though we find ourselves in the same position as at the same stage last year, we are five points and two wins better off. I know it is not terribly productive to look back and compare, but there are significant lessons to be learned from what has gone before and it would be silly not to have a look at what we achieved in the second half of last season.
Our last home game against a full strength London Wasps team was quite an event to behold not least because beholding any of it was hard enough through the fog. It made for quite a night however with the atmosphere building in intensity as the game became more and more fraught. As the game came down to the last few minutes and another kick went astray, you got the feeling that the rugby gods were looking favourably on the Saints for a change. The countdown from 10 seconds was deafening and Steve Thompson’s punt over the stand (which is still to land) was a great way to finish a titanic encounter. It was certainly easy to get out of bed the following morning to come to work and review the game and plan for the next. That exuberance did not last long however as David Quinlan walked through the door with a hand the size of a house and announced he was the proud owner of a fractured meta-something or other. Well, it wouldn’t be the Saints at the moment if have every bit of ying we can lay our hands wasn’t met by an avalanche of yang.
Saracens came and went in a flash and a game we worked very hard to stay in touch with, faded into the night in the last quarter. Frustrating at best but a brief chat with Alan Gaffney afterwards rubbed salt into the wounds as he told me they had virtually no injury problems at all. No surprise they are going strong in the league. If you need proof just look at the price Sale are paying for a few laser-guided injuries.
Today sees the return of Worcester and a must-win game for both teams. It will no doubt be a tense and nervy affair with plenty at stake for both teams. As for us, we can only look after ourselves and concentrate on what we are good at and as I said at the same stage last year, these next games do not signal the end for anyone, but go a long way to defining the rest of the season.
