Saracens vs Northampton - Sat 3pm

[Adam_P]

Tempest - you have one job. That was so clearly in touch. These officials are a joke

[Mellsblue]

Tempest - you have one job. That was so clearly in touch. These officials are a joke

Tempo is by far the worst official in the league, imo.

[Mellsblue]

Horrific decision. Physics dictates Freeman can’t do much else.

[Adam_P]

Tempest - you have one job. That was so clearly in touch. These officials are a joke

Tempo is by far the worst official in the league, imo.

Followed closely by Dickson

[FKAS]

Tempest - you have one job. That was so clearly in touch. These officials are a joke

Tempo is by far the worst official in the league, imo.

Followed closely by Dickson

Ridley needs to have his name in that particular mix.

[fivepointer]

Commentators and coach waxing lyrical about a shit kick from Farrell that went dead... You couldn't make it up

That was utterly bizarre.

Dallaglio was disgracefully bad throughout. but thats pretty much a given. High time he was jettisioned.

Maitland surely should have got a card for his challenge on Fairbank?

Overall Saracens too smart and efficient, Saints too predictable and inaccurate. Save for a decent 3rd quarter they never really got going.

[FKAS]

Didn't the ball just die in the air (Sarries kicked into the wind in the first half) with Furbank and Maitland just both collide having jumped trying to cover the same space?

I've only seen the BT guys comment on it after the event but it looked like they were making a mountain out of a molehill. Was it worse in real time?

[Puja]

Commentators and coach waxing lyrical about a shit kick from Farrell that went dead... You couldn't make it up

There was some execrable gagging on Farrell's co..mposure by the commentary, but that one was actually fair - it was a very good spiral bomb (that phrase is never going to be usable again, but it's what it was) with a flight that utterly bamboozled the Saints catcher and bounced inside the 22. It wasn't a touchfinder that went wrong, it was a very good attacking kick that did what it was supposed to and then unluckily bounced into touch in goal.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Didn't the ball just die in the air (Sarries kicked into the wind in the first half) with Furbank and Maitland just both collide having jumped trying to cover the same space?

I've only seen the BT guys comment on it after the event but it looked like they were making a mountain out of a molehill. Was it worse in real time?

Maitland ran past the landing point and took Furbank out. How the ball acts in the air is irrelevant.

[Adam_P]

Commentators and coach waxing lyrical about a shit kick from Farrell that went dead... You couldn't make it up

There was some execrable gagging on Farrell's co..mposure by the commentary, but that one was actually fair - it was a very good spiral bomb (that phrase is never going to be usable again, but it's what it was) with a flight that utterly bamboozled the Saints catcher and bounced inside the 22. It wasn't a touchfinder that went wrong, it was a very good attacking kick that did what it was supposed to and then unluckily bounced into touch in goal.

Puja

Wash your mouth out

[Mellsblue]

Commentators and coach waxing lyrical about a shit kick from Farrell that went dead... You couldn't make it up

There was some execrable gagging on Farrell's co..mposure by the commentary, but that one was actually fair - it was a very good spiral bomb (that phrase is never going to be usable again, but it's what it was) with a flight that utterly bamboozled the Saints catcher and bounced inside the 22. It wasn't a touchfinder that went wrong, it was a very good attacking kick that did what it was supposed to and then unluckily bounced into touch in goal.

Puja

Wash your mouth out

End result is all that matters. It was a crap kick. Even if you subscribe to the ‘unlucky’ side of the debate the eulogising afterwards was waaay ott.

[FKAS]

Didn't the ball just die in the air (Sarries kicked into the wind in the first half) with Furbank and Maitland just both collide having jumped trying to cover the same space?

I've only seen the BT guys comment on it after the event but it looked like they were making a mountain out of a molehill. Was it worse in real time?

Maitland ran past the landing point and took Furbank out. How the ball acts in the air is irrelevant.

Both airborne at the same time so Furbank has jumped early as well. If Maitland isn't in position to catch the ball then neither is Furbank.

[Mellsblue]

Didn't the ball just die in the air (Sarries kicked into the wind in the first half) with Furbank and Maitland just both collide having jumped trying to cover the same space?

I've only seen the BT guys comment on it after the event but it looked like they were making a mountain out of a molehill. Was it worse in real time?

Maitland ran past the landing point and took Furbank out. How the ball acts in the air is irrelevant.

Both airborne at the same time so Furbank has jumped early as well. If Maitland isn't in position to catch the ball then neither is Furbank.

Maitland had run past the ball and then jumped whilst Furbank was moving towards the ball…

[Beasties]

Sarries really do operate under a different set of rules to everyone else. Maitland should’ve been at least a yellow. First try came from a lineout Sarries had to reach backwards to catch. Lawes penalised for demonstrably not playing the 9, whereas Farrell completely took out Mitchell at a ruck on 36 mins. I’ve seen enough. Such a shame, they should win without this officiating blindness.

[FKAS]

Maitland ran past the landing point and took Furbank out. How the ball acts in the air is irrelevant.

Both airborne at the same time so Furbank has jumped early as well. If Maitland isn't in position to catch the ball then neither is Furbank.

Maitland had run past the ball and then jumped whilst Furbank was moving towards the ball…

Fair enough.

[FKAS]

Sarries really do operate under a different set of rules to everyone else. Maitland should’ve been at least a yellow. First try came from a lineout Sarries had to reach backwards to catch. Lawes penalised for demonstrably not playing the 9, whereas Farrell completely took out Mitchell at a ruck on 36 mins. I’ve seen enough. Such a shame, they should win without this officiating blindness.

Saints were dreadful, particularly up front. I missed the opening of the game but I tuned in time to see from the third try onward. The 6:2 bench gave faint hope in the second half but it could have been more for Sarries.

Sarries certainly got the rub of the green at times but Saints were also lucky not to have conceded an earlier penalty try thanks to Dickson's inability to spot a player a few feet from him going directly in at the side to splinter a maul two metres from the line.

I'm not sure how Dickson keeps getting big games. If you're a pro looking for a cushy gig go into reffing, you'll be quickly promoted above your level and backed despite any glaring errors you make.

[Beasties]

Sarries really do operate under a different set of rules to everyone else. Maitland should’ve been at least a yellow. First try came from a lineout Sarries had to reach backwards to catch. Lawes penalised for demonstrably not playing the 9, whereas Farrell completely took out Mitchell at a ruck on 36 mins. I’ve seen enough. Such a shame, they should win without this officiating blindness.

Saints were dreadful, particularly up front. I missed the opening of the game but I tuned in time to see from the third try onward. The 6:2 bench gave faint hope in the second half but it could have been more for Sarries.

Sarries certainly got the rub of the green at times but Saints were also lucky not to have conceded an earlier penalty try thanks to Dickson's inability to spot a player a few feet from him going directly in at the side to splinter a maul two metres from the line.

I'm not sure how Dickson keeps getting big games. If you're a pro looking for a cushy gig go into reffing, you'll be quickly promoted above your level and backed despite any glaring errors you make.

Yeah, Saints were very poor alongside, meant to add that but had migraine whilst typing and my brain struggles to see words with a migraine. The Maitland incident at the start clouded my judgement thereafter sadly.

[Oakboy]

On paper, Northampton had a superior back row. In practice, Saracens won that contest comfortably. In England terms Lawes/Ludlam or Earl/Isiekwe? Food tor thought.

[fivepointer]

I wouldnt have Isiekwe in my England squad, let alone as a starting player. Lawes is an infinitely better player.

Inevitably we've got sidetracked about reffing decisions but it has to be said that Saracens were just very good. There was a real snap and accuracy in their play throughout. They attacked with great verve and skill. They defended intelligently, were composed and disciplined. They are the best team in the league and set the standard others should be aiming for.

[Oakboy]

I wouldnt have Isiekwe in my England squad, let alone as a starting player. Lawes is an infinitely better player.

Agreed. I'd only have Lawes from the four. What I was getting at was why Isiekwe and Earl outplayed Lawes and Ludlam on the day? Was it down to the system played by each team, the contributions from the rest of each team or what? I'm not making a big thing of it, just interested - cause and effect etc. If I was picking a combined XV from the starting 30 before the match I'd have picked Lawes and Ludlam. Post-match, I could not justify the selection.

[Mellsblue]

I wouldnt have Isiekwe in my England squad, let alone as a starting player. Lawes is an infinitely better player.

Agreed. I'd only have Lawes from the four. What I was getting at was why Isiekwe and Earl outplayed Lawes and Ludlam on the day? Was it down to the system played by each team, the contributions from the rest of each team or what? I'm not making a big thing of it, just interested - cause and effect etc. If I was picking a combined XV from the starting 30 before the match I'd have picked Lawes and Ludlam. Post-match, I could not justify the selection.

If your team has front foot ball and is dominating contact it makes life much easier for nos 6 through 10.

[FKAS]

I wouldnt have Isiekwe in my England squad, let alone as a starting player. Lawes is an infinitely better player.

Agreed. I'd only have Lawes from the four. What I was getting at was why Isiekwe and Earl outplayed Lawes and Ludlam on the day? Was it down to the system played by each team, the contributions from the rest of each team or what? I'm not making a big thing of it, just interested - cause and effect etc. If I was picking a combined XV from the starting 30 before the match I'd have picked Lawes and Ludlam. Post-match, I could not justify the selection.

If your team has front foot ball and is dominating contact it makes life much easier for nos 6 through 10.

I think Fivepointer had it right. Intelligent defence, composure and discipline. Sarries had it and Saints did not. As they haven't for most of the season or last season or the season before...

It's incredible that the Sam Vesty attack is able to drag them so far when they concede so many points and penalties.

[Mikey Brown]

Only just bothered watching the highlights. I'm not sure how anybody could defend that Maitland challenge.

[Mellsblue]

Tempest - you have one job. That was so clearly in touch. These officials are a joke

Tempo is by far the worst official in the league, imo.

Followed closely by Dickson

Having just watched Peyper stink up the place I’ll never* complain about Tempo or Dicko again.

*a couple of months

[Which Tyler]

*a couple of months

Notices that neither has a match in the next couple of months

Nods in agreement