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The fear stalking Northampton: 'Did we get selection strategy wrong? Time will tell'
Chris Boyd has insisted it is too early to say if Northampton have got their post-lockdown selection strategy wrong – even though their one-win-in-four record has seen them fall off the pace in the race for Gallagher Premiership top four qualification.
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The Saints were in fourth when the league was shut down last March due to the pandemic. At that juncture, there were only eleven points behind leaders Exeter but they now welcome the Chiefs to Franklin’s Gardens on Friday night with Northampton 24 points behind the table-toppers.
Whereas many clubs in the Premiership have targeted wins by putting out their full strength XV for specific games and inviting inevitable defeat in others by selecting very much understrength, Northampton took the decision to have two even-strength XVs.
However, this balanced approach hasn’t produced the results they wanted and their post-lockdown form is currently the ninth-worst in the Premiership, their five-point haul from four outings enabling Wasps, who have taken three wins and 14 points, take over occupancy of fourth place, seven points clear of Boyd’s strugglers.
Boyd insisted it won’t be until Northampton complete this next block of three games – leaders Exeter this Friday, third place Bristol away next Tuesday and fellow strugglers Leicester the following Sunday – that he can definitively say whether he has got the strategy wrong or not, but current indications suggest they have.
Ooooh the zip on that James Grayson pass ?@SaintsRugby back in front, we've a cracking game on our hands here! pic.twitter.com/GO1OltwsQa
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) August 30, 2020
Asked if he would have selected differently for the defeats to Wasps, Bath and Harlequins interspersed by their lone win at London Irish, Boyd said: “I don’t think we would have but that is probably a relevant question in three weeks’ time. We have either got this thing wholly wrong and we have underestimated or miscalculated the fact that we had two teams we thought were capable of being competitive.
“The interesting thing is if you look at Sale as an example, going strong and they put out pretty much the back end of their roster, a pretty weakened team, and they had a really good victory against Wasps.
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“If you’re going to go strong, weak, strong, if your weak side is good enough to get a victory, particularly a key victory, that is an absolute bonus for you and that worked. We calculated that we thought we were too far behind points-wise to have the luxury of not chasing points across most of the games.
“Every club will be unique. It will be unique to where you started from a ladder position point of view to what your roster looked like and who you have got to play. When we sat down as a group we said with our draw that is left, what is the best way for us to do this to keep guys fresh and fit to try and get performance.
“We felt the best way to do it was to split into two relatively even teams with the four-day turnarounds (between games). What that (interchange) gave us was eight- and nine-day turnarounds. What we haven’t got is the performance, so the question is has the performance come from the selection policy or has the performance come from other factors and that is where we are challenging ourselves as a coaching group.”
Asked if he feared he had got it wrong, he added: “It’s too early to tell. But right now, one game out of four, you’d probably say yes. But in all of those games, as an example, if you have got (Alex) Moon, (David) Ribbans, (Nick) Isiekwe, (Api) Ratuniyarawa, whichever two locks we pick, I don’t think there is much performance outcome ability between those four.
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“(Fraser) Dingwall, (Rory) Hutchinson, (Matt) Proctor, (Piers) Francis, we think there is not a whole lot of difference between those guys… so, did we get it wrong? Time will tell.
“If we’re trying to dig into the lack of outcome from the selection, my opinion is the lack of outcome has come from performances that came from too many errors, too many poor decisions and that inconsistency and our inability to convert points under pressure has been significant. Has that come from selection, I don’t think so? But everyone will have a different opinion.”
POST-LOCKDOWN FORM GUIDE
1. Exeter W4 PTS 18
2. Saracens W3 PTS 16
3. Bath W3 PTS 15
4. Wasps W3 PTS 14
5=. Bristol W2 PTS 10
5=. Gloucester W2 PTS 10
5=. Sale W2 PTS 10
8. Harlequins W2 PTS 9
9=. Worcester W1 PTS 5
9=. Northampton W1 PTS 5
11. Leicester W1 PTS 4
12. London Irish W0 PTS 1
Grave warning about the credibility of Euro 2020/21 ??????? https://t.co/BhFp89cSAy
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 3, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
20 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
9 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
78 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
20 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
9 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
16 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
20 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
20 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
20 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
2 Go to comments