EXCLUSIVE: 'They looked like they'd just been promoted' - Andy Goode tears Saints apart
There’s nothing like a bit of light relief after suffering the embarrassment of your worst Premiership defeat for over a decade and conceding more tries than you have in any other top flight league game.
A visit from the team they dislike more than any other in what is sure to be an almighty tear-up at Franklin’s Gardens, could be just what Northampton Saints need but this will have been the biggest coaching week of Jim Mallinder and Dorian West’s careers.
They have won a Premiership title and a couple of Challenge Cups but finding a way to bounce back from an absolute humbling against Saracens when they have their nearest and dearest coming to visit for a huge derby game will have been some challenge.
If they perform the way they did last week, then some serious questions are going to be asked.
I couldn’t see a defensive structure at all. There were some people flying out of the line and some drifting and it made me question on Twitter whether they even had a defence coach.
Do @SaintsRugby have a defence coach? They are all over the shop
— Andy Goode (@AndyGoode10) September 2, 2017
The 38 points they trailed by after 40 minutes against Saracens is the biggest half-time deficit in any Premiership game since 2008 and London Welsh have been in the top flight for a couple of seasons since then.
We put 71 points on London Welsh when I was at Wasps in 2014/15 but they weren’t behind by as much as 38 at the break. That puts into perspective how feeble Saints’ first-half performance was last week.
I don’t say this lightly but they looked like a side that had just been promoted. There are international players in that team who were non-existent on Saturday and they will be hurting and have to put it right this week.
There are rumours that the coaching side of things has gone a bit stale and hasn’t evolved and, in my opinion, Alex King was made a scapegoat when he left “by mutual consent” just over a month into last season. He is now the backs coach at Montpellier, who have won their opening two games in the Top 14 with try bonus points and scored 12 tries in the process.
Their issues have been up front. Samu Manoa left in 2015 and Louis Picamoles has departed this summer. That is a lot of power towards the back of the pack that has been lost and not been adequately replaced.
If you lose your best player and don’t replace him with someone else who can have that kind of impact, obviously the squad is going to be underpowered because of that. There is no like for like when it comes to Louis Picamoles but Mitch Eadie has cut his teeth in the Championship. That is not a slight on him because he is potentially a very good player but is that good enough recruitment when you are trying to compete with Saracens, Wasps, Leicester and Exeter?
When I was at Wasps, I remember Dai Young said he was shopping in Lidl when he joined the club but after the takeover and the move to the Ricoh Arena he moved on up to Marks & Spencer!
Since they won the Premiership in 2014, Northampton have gone backwards. Since Saracens won the Premiership for the first time in 2011, they have got better and better.
Saracens have brought in the likes of Liam Williams, Will Skelton, Christopher Tolofua and others. They are top of the range signings.
Saints have announced the signing of Dan Biggar for next season this week and there is no doubt that has been pushed through to deflect a little bit from the absolute drubbing they got at Twickenham on Saturday.
This summer they have signed the likes of Rob Horne, Cobus Reinach and Piers Francis with Super Rugby experience and I have no doubt they will add value but they are all in the backs and I think they are massively underpowered up front and, from what we have seen, haven’t evolved in terms of the way the game is played nowadays.
Mark Darbon, who replaced Allan Robson as the club’s chief executive in July, has spoken out in support of the coaching team and insists there will be no “knee-jerk reaction”. If it was football, a loss at the weekend would lead to the sack after that vote of confidence. Thankfully, rugby is not going down that road but it is still a results driven business.
Jim Mallinder and Dorian West brought Northampton back up into the Premiership and have done a great job there historically but you only have to look 37 miles up the M1 to see what can happen. Richard Cockerill was Mr Leicester and people thought he would be there forever but, ultimately, sometimes your voice does go stale as a coach and change can be a good thing for a club.
It is way too early to be talking about hiring and firing after one game but another serious defeat at home this week will certainly raise the question of what direction they’re heading in.
Northampton are a big rugby club. The stature of the club means that they should be in the top four year in, year out.
The visit of the Tigers will certainly focus the minds but there needs to be no more motivation than putting right the embarrassment that they put out on the field against Saracens at Twickenham last week.
Comments on RugbyPass
True Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks 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.
21 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.
10 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.
21 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
10 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.
21 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. 🥴
21 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!
21 Go to comments