Falcons make three changes for Saints clash

Posted on Apr 14, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Newcastle Falcons have made three changes for the visit of Northampton Saints in the Aviva Premiership on Friday night (kick-off 7.45pm).

Tom Catterick gets the nod at full-back ahead of the injured Jeremy Manning, while there are starts for Gcobani Bobo on the wing and James Fitzpatrick at centre.

Alan Tait’s men will be hoping to bounce back from last weekend’s narrow defeat to Leeds, with victory over a star-studded Saints outfit. A last gasp Adrian Jarvis drop-goal snatched victory for the Yorkshiremen, and one man itching for the Falcons to bounce back is back-rower Ally Hogg.

Speaking to the gathering media at Kingston Park, Hogg insists the Falcons’ premiership status is very much in their hands, saying: “At one point behind and four games to go it is still in our own hands, and we will go out there for every single match determined to fight for the win.

Hogg never had to endure the fret of relegation during his 10 year stint at Edinburgh as the Magners League is a ring-fenced 10-team competition.

“If you were in this position in the Magners League then you would start thinking about building for next year, but we don’t have that luxury because we are fighting for our lives until the very end of the season,” he said.

Northampton travel to the north-east hot on the back of an impressive Heineken Cup quarter-final triumph over Ulster.

“We have watched the game on the video and the intensity was good. It was a cracking game to sit and enjoy, but from an analytical point of view we can definitely take a lot of pointers from the way Ulster attacked them.

“They have got pace throughout their team, and we are going to have to match them in terms of physicality.

“Our line-speed in defence will be vital, because if we sit back and let them run at us then they are going to score tries. They are a quality team, and we will need to shut them down early,” added Hogg.

Newcastle

15 Tom Catterick
14 Alex Tait
13 Tane Tu’ipulotu
12 Jame Fitzpatrick
11 Gcobani Bobo
10 Jimmy Gopperth
9 Micky Young

1 Jonny Golding
2 Matt Thompson
3 Euan Murray
4 Tim Swinson
5 Andrew Van der Heijden
6 Mark Wilson
7 Will Welch
8 Ally Hogg

Replacements

16 Rob Vickers
17 Grant Shiells
18 Kieran Brookes
19 Filipo Levi
20 Alex Gray
21 Chris Pilgrim
22 Luke Eves
23 Rob Vickerman

Northampton Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder said today that he is wary of the dangers that will be posed by Newcastle Falcons in tomorrow night’s Aviva Premiership Rugby Round 20 clash at Kingston Park.

The Saints return to Aviva Premiership Rugby action still in the hunt for a top four spot and the place in the semi-finals that comes with it. But Newcastle’s result against Leeds last week sees them fighting for a place in the league, and Mallinder commented that this will make the Falcons very dangerous on their home turf.

“Newcastle are fighting for their lives and will battle throughout the full 80 minutes and beyond,” he said. “We are right at the business end of the season and a point here or there really matters to every team whether you are at the top or the bottom of the lead.

“The Falcons are physical in midfield, have a committed pack of forwards and one of the Premiership’s top points scorers in Jimmy Gopperth. It will certainly not be easy for us at Kingston Park, far from it, and we are prepared for a tough challenge.

“We got a good result on Sunday in Milton Keynes, but that is behind us now and we have been fully focused on Newcastle all week. Understandably the players have been in good spirits, but they also know that we have to keep winning if we are to secure a place in the top four for the play-offs. There are lots of teams ready to capitalise if we slip up, so we have to make sure we don’t.”

Tomorrow night’s game is being shown live on ESPN, with coverage starting from 7pm. Alternatively you can follow all the action in the Saints’ Facebook match blog and get score updates via the club’s Twitter feed. BBC Radio Northampton will carry live commentary, which you can also find online via PremiershipRugby.tv.

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS TEAM TO PLAY NEWCASTLE FALCONS
Aviva Premiership Rugby Round 20
Kingston Park
Friday, April 15th, 2011
Kick off 7:45pm
15 Ben Foden
14 Chris Ashton
13 Jon Clarke
12 James Downey
11 Paul Diggin
10 Stephen Myler
9 Lee Dickson
1 Soane Tonga’uiha
2 Dylan Hartley (capt)
3 Brian Mujati
4 Courtney Lawes
5 Christian Day
6 Calum Clark
7 Phil Dowson
8 Roger Wilson

Replacements
16 Brett Sharman
17 Alex Waller
18 Tom Mercey
19 Mark Sorenson
20 Tom Wood
21 Stuart Commins
22 Shane Geraghty
23 Bruce Reihana

England U18 FIRA tournament squad announcement

Posted on Apr 12, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

England U18 Head Coach John Fletcher has named a squad of 24 ahead of this season’s FIRA tournament semi-final against Wales on Sunday, April 17, kick off 5pm. The game will take place in Auch in the south of France.

Fletcher’s side have had a mixed season, enjoying wins against Ireland and Italy earlier in the year before suffering a 26-21 defeat against Scotland just over two weeks ago in Leeds.

A win against the Welsh would take England into the final of the competition against either Ireland or hosts France on Saturday, April 23 in Tarbes.

England welcome influential Ivybridge College and Exeter Chiefs full back Jack Nowell back into the squad after he missed the Scotland clash, but are still without Nowell’s injured club colleague, prop Luke Cowan-Dickie. Newcastle Falcons No. 8 Joe Robinson joins up with the squad having recently represented England Clubs & Schools U18 in their 23-all draw against Ireland U18 Clubs in Dublin.

Speaking ahead of the game Fletcher said: “We’ve got a few players missing due to injury but the lads that have come in are all top players and they’ll be fine. I’m happy with the squad and we’ll be looking to put in a big performance against Wales on Sunday.

“It was disappointing to lose to Scotland but I’m keen to see how we bounce back.”

England U18 FIRA Squad

FORWARDS

Dominic Barrow (Prince Henry’s Grammar School) (Leeds Carnegie)
Joe Buckle (Bryanston) (Bath Rugby)
Jack Clifford (RGS Guildford) (Harlequins)
Max Crumpton (Oaklands College) (Saracens)
Matt Hankin (Haileybury College) (Saracens)
Danny Herriott (Moulton College) (Northampton Saints)
Alec Hepburn (Henley College) (London Wasps)
Tom Jubb (Oaklands College) (Saracens)
Nathan Morris (Sedbergh School) (London Wasps)
Joe Robinson (Sedbergh School) (Newcastle Falcons)
David Sisi (St Paul’s Catholic College) (London Irish)
Tom Smallbone (Harrow School) (London Irish)
Scott Spurling (Harrow School) (Saracens)

BACKS

Jack Arnott (Ivybridge College) (Exeter Chiefs)
Alex Day (St Joseph’s College) (Northampton Saints)
Sam Hill (Ivybridge College) (Exeter Chiefs)
Will Hooley (The Leys School) (Northampton Saints)
Mark Jennings (Myerscough College) (Sale Sharks)
James Lightfoot-Brown (St Paul’s Catholic College) (London Irish)
Jack Nowell (Truro College) (Exeter Chiefs)
Henry Slade (Plymouth College) (Exeter Chiefs)
Tom Stephenson (Moulton College) (Northampton Saints)
Anthony Watson (St George’s College) (London Irish)
Marcus Webber (Manchester Grammar) (Leeds Carnegie)

Northampton 23–13 Ulster

Posted on Apr 10, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

P. Tomlinson reports from stadium:mk

Northampton booked a semi final encounter with Perpignan after overcoming a tough Ulster team. The Saints recovered from a 13-10 half time deficit to reach their first semi final since 2007, the season that they got relegated. Ulster after reaching their first Heineken Cup quarter final since they won the competition in 1999 would have been disappointed not to reach the semi finals.

Although Northampton took an early lead, prop Soane Tonga’uiha stretching over for a second minute try, Ulster had clawed their way back with a couple of penalties and took the lead with an Andrew Trimble try after having an earlier effort disallowed. With a vocal travelling support getting behind them it perhaps looked like Ulster could have gone on to upset the Saints. Ulster controlled the game better than the Saints, and fly half Ian Humphreys was kicking to the corners. By contrast his opposite number Stephen Myler repeatedly launched aimless ups and unders with poor chasing.

However the Saints rescued the game in the second half, kicking an early penalty to even the scores before scrum half Lee Dickson crossed the line to retake the lead. Northampton mauled effectively at the start of the game and were also giving Ulster a tough time at the scrum, but for a large part of the game failed to capitalise on these forward advantages. It was only really in the last quarter that Saints started controlling the game and reintroduced the mauling game to great effect.

Ulster let a golden opportunity go missing – with two Saints players down on the floor injured, Ulster were awarded a penalty in front of the posts and quickly tapped it and shifted the ball to the left where there was no defence. Instead of scoring an easy try to level the scores and take the game to the wire, fullback Adam D’Arcy instead knocked it on with the tryline at his mercy. At the other end of the pitch Myler kicked his third penalty to give his side some breathing space and seal the win.

It wasn’t a classic Saints performance – they had their moments of brilliance, but at times looked aimless and lacked control, and didn’t really assert themselves until near the end. Ulster were promising but perhaps lacked some of the quality on display by Northampton. They did control the game better and kept pegging Saints back. They have a young team and should be a real threat once they gain more experience of Heineken Cup quarter finals.

Saint will probably return here or move to Coventry to take on Perpignan – a game that will thoroughly test their pack. Ulster though will want to make sure that they get to the quarters again next year and not make this years appearance a one off.

Mallinder wants more of the same from Saints

Posted on Apr 1, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Director of rugby Jim Mallinder is demanding more from the Northampton Saints team as it prepares to face Sale Sharks at Franklin’s Gardens tomorrow afternoon.

The Saints came home with a bang last week with a five-try win over London Wasps. And Mallinder says that the squad will have to perform even better tomorrow against a Sale Sharks outfit that he believes is in a false position in the Aviva Premiership Rugby table.

“Sale are capable of playing some good rugby,” he said. “Their 8,9 and 10 are very strong which is always an important area and they also have two quality wingers in Ben Cohen and Mark Cueto. They have threats all over the field and we need to make sure we are on our game.

“Charlie Hodgson is a very good goal-kicker and he will take any chances he gets. We have to make sure we are not over eager and give away stupid penalties or else we will get punished with field possession or penalty goals.

“There’s no way this game will get forgotten. We are determined to finish in the top four. To do that we have to make sure we win our home games and that starts with this Saturday. To take our eyes off the game would be to our detriment.”

Barwell to stand down as Saints chairman

Posted on Mar 18, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Northampton Saints today announced that Keith Barwell will be standing down as the club’s chairman in September 2011.

Mr Barwell has been synonymous with the Saints for over 20 years. One of the club’s first box holders in the late-1980s, his initial million-pound investment in 1995 ensured that the Saints made the transition to professional rugby union successfully and Mr Barwell has remained one of the driving forces within the English club game ever since.

During Mr Barwell’s time as chairman the Saints won the Heineken Cup, European Challenge Cup and LV= Cup, provided the coach for the successful British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 1997 as well as numerous players for several international teams as well as the Lions.

Off the field Franklin’s Gardens was turned into the pre-eminent dedicated rugby facility in Europe. The stadium was completely rebuilt between 2001 and 2002, with a further extension in 2005, and in the last 18 months Mr Barwell has worked tirelessly to ensure that the arena will be completed with a new North Stand.

With Mr Barwell at the helm the Saints has also demonstrated that it is possible for a rugby club to also succeed as a viable business. After an initial public offering in 2001, Northampton Saints plc has continued to run at a surplus in every subsequent year, the only club in England to do so.

In 2009 Mr Barwell was honoured with an OBE for services to Northampton.

“I have had the fortune of being involved in club rugby during a very exciting time and it has been an honour being chairman of the Saints,” Mr Barwell said. “I have worked with a superb board of directors and some excellent directors of rugby and coaches. It has been a roller-coaster ride, with both silverware and relegation, and every minute of it will live long in the memory.

“Although I have been chairman, I am first and foremost a Saints fan and have had the privilege of watching some world class players wear the black, green and gold. It has also been an honour to serve the Saints fans, who put in considerable amounts of time and money supporting the club, and we have had an excellent relationship, as I have had with the staff at the club.

“I believe that it is the right time for me to be stepping aside as chairman. The club is on an upward trend on and off the field and will be in safe hands going forward.”

Although he is standing down as chairman, Mr Barwell will continue on the club’s board of directors for a further 12 months with the Barwell family remaining as majority shareholders.

Mr Barwell’s son, Leon, will take over as chairman in September, following a unanimous vote of the Northampton Saints board in early March. A director of The Barwell Corporation and VSG, a nationwide security company, Leon Barwell has been on the Saints’ board since 1999 and has been involved in a wide range of projects, including the initial public offering and formation of Northampton Saints plc and the redevelopment of Franklin’s Gardens.

“It’s a huge honour for me to be able to play such an active role in a club that means so much to me,” said Leon Barwell. “As a family we’re very proud of what’s been achieved at the Saints over the past 15 years, and one thing you know for sure is that we have to go as far again in the next 15 if we want to stay at the top of the game.

“I feel very lucky to be coming into the role with a very strong board around me, a very good executive management team on and off the field and the best supporters in the country. I’m certainly looking forward to working with all of them, especially Tony Hewitt as vice-chairman, and with the current squad of players we’ve got and the players that are joining us I’m looking forward to leading the club to consistent levels of success through the coming years. Throughout the club there is that burning ambition which is a great driver for us.

“Keith is obviously a hard act to follow, not just within the environment in Northampton but the impact and presence he has on the national scene. He has put Northampton well and truly on the international sporting map. But I am no less passionate or determined than he is and it’s a challenge I’m relishing.”

Saints chief executive Allan Robson also paid tribute to Mr Barwell.

“Keith will live on forever in the history of the Saints, and deservedly so,” he said. “The club would not be where it is without his time, effort and commitment. He has constantly striven for success both on and off the field, and has shown that you can achieve both in professional club rugby.

“As one of the original chairmen whose money helped club rugby turn professional in the first place, Keith has also been one of the driving forces behind the development of the club game as whole and Premiership Rugby will not be the same without him.”

In addition to Leon Barwell taking over as chairman, September 2011 will also see the appointment of Tony Hewitt in the brand new role of vice-chairman. Mr Hewitt has been on Saints’ board of directors since 1995 and played a leading role in the redevelopment of Franklin’s Gardens as well as the share offer for Northampton Saints plc.