12 May 12
The Saints' Aviva Premiership Rugby dreams were dashed three minutes from time as Nick Evans's conversion sent Harlequins to Twickenham.
Chris Wearmouth
| Last Match | |
![]() ![]() ![]() Score 25-23 Score Lost Score Lost 25-23 Teams Quins v Saints Date 12/05/2012, KO 14:45 Opposition Harlequins (A) Venue Twickenham Stoop Att- 12,192 Referee: Small Worcester Warriors (H)
Won 42-14
Exeter Chiefs (A)
Won 15-18
Leicester Tigers (H)
Lost 21-35
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| Next Match | |
![]() ![]() ![]() Teams Saints v Leinster Teams Northampton Saints v Leinster Rugby Opposition Leinster Rugby (H) Date 18/08/2012 Date 18/08/2012, KO TBC Date Sat 18th Aug 12 Home/away H Opposition Leinster Rugby Venue Franklin's Gardens Time KO TBC Referee Previous Meeting Leinster 14-19 Saints Saints Form W L W W L Leinster Form W W W W W |
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And Cohen was the man to deliver that try in just the third minute when late replacement prop Chris Budgen fed the ball to centre Marc Stcherbina to release the England wing. Budgen, the Wanderers' top try-scorer this season, was called off the bench after Tom Smith failed to shake off a bruised knee he suffered in last weekend's game against Sale Sharks. Shane Drahm, back in his favoured position of fly-half, stepped upto kick the conversion and Saints were 0-7 in the lead.
Saints followed Cohen's effort with a disallowed try before flanker Darren Fox was sent to the sin-bin. Glasgow made the most of Fox's absence by putting their first points on the board through the boot of fly-half Dan Parks. His penalty brought the scoreline to 3-7 with 16 minutes gone.
With the 15-minute window of good pitch out the way, it would seem running rugby was out the door and this was now the time for the forwards to grind out some possession and territory. As with many of Saints' recent games, territory and possession were not a problem but the try-line seemed to be a boggy wall for both sides. Parks slotted over his second penalty before the break, after Drahm had bounced one off the woodwork, and the scoreboard read 6-7 at half-time.
The visitors were forced to change their shirts at half-time after their ecru away shirts had changed to shade of muddy brown, thanks to the conditions. And it was the players in black, green and gold that piled on the early pressure with a grubber kick by Mark Robinson being kicked ahead by Cohen and chased on by John Rudd for the try, only for French referee Eric Darriere to call them back for what he thought was a knock on from Cohen. At least Drahm was able to push Saints further ahead with a penalty in the 52nd minute.
Drahm got a second penalty in the 56th minute after Glasgow flanker Donnie MacFadyen was also sent to the sin-bin for foul play. Drahm's kick took Saints to a try and a conversion lead - a lead they would need to hang onto to come away with that crucial win. Parks dented that lead with his third penalty in the 73rd minute but Saints were in a defensive mood and were not going to let their first win in six weeks get away. All fifteen players put their bodies in the line to prevent Glasgow from scoring and when the final whistle blew, there were some very relieved faces in the Saints squad. As of tonight, Saints are top of the table in pool three.
Attendance:
2,772
| No. | Name | T | C | D | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Rory Kerr |
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| 14 | Sean Lamont |
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| 13 | Graeme Morrison |
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| 12 | Andrew Henderson |
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| 11 | Kenny Logan |
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| 10 | Dan Parks |
3P |
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| 9 | Sam Pinder |
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| 1 | Kevin Tkachuk |
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| 2 | Gordon Bulloch |
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| 3 | Lee Harrison |
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| 4 | Andy Hall |
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| 5 | Dan Turner |
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| 6 | Cameron Mather |
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| 7 | Donnie Macfadyen |
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| 8 | Jon Petrie |
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| 16 | Scott Lawson |
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| 17 | Andrew Kelly |
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| 18 | Andrew Wilson |
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| 19 | Johnnie Beattie |
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| 20 | Graeme Beveridge |
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| 21 | Calvin Howarth |
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| 22 | Andy Craig |
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| No. | Name | T | C | D | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Bruce Reihana |
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| 14 | John Rudd |
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| 13 |
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| 12 |
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| 11 | Ben Cohen |
1T |
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| 10 |
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| 9 | Mark Robinson |
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| 1 | Chris Budgen |
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| 2 | Dan Richmond |
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| 3 |
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| 4 | Matt Lord |
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| 5 | Damian Browne |
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| 6 | Darren Fox |
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| 7 |
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| 8 |
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| 16 |
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| 17 | Brett Sturgess |
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| 18 |
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| 19 | Grant Seely |
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| 20 | Johnny Howard |
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| 21 | Andy Vilk |
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| 22 |
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