London Irish Rugby Team

Northampton Saints 25 London Irish 23

Northampton: B Reihana (captain), S Lamont (J Rudd, 84), J Clarke, D Quinlan (R Davies, 73), B Cohen, C Spencer, M Robinson (rep: J Howard, 56), T Smith, D Richmond (rep: S Thompsom, 56), C Budgen (rep: B Sturgess, 70), D Gerard (rep: M Lord, 59), D Browne, S Harding, D Fox, S Boome (rep: M Soden, 63).

London Irish: M Horak, S Staniforth (rep: D Armitage, 40), R Penney, M Catt (captain), D Feau’nati, R Flutey, B Willis, N Hatley, A Flavin , R Skuse (rep: F Rautenbach, 60), B Casey, N Kennedy, D Danaher, K Dawson, P Murphy (rep: J M Leguizamon, 40).

4 mins Try Reihana 5-0
4 mins Conversion Reihana 7-0
11 mins Penalty Flutey 7-3
11 mins Try Flutey 7-8
11 mins Conversion Flutey 7-10
19 mins Try Feau'nati 7-15
19 mins Conversion Flutey 7-17
23 mins Penalty Reihana 10-17
26 mins Penalty Flutey 10-20
30 mins Try Reihana 15-20
38 mins Penalty Reihana 18-20

Half-time 18-20

59 mins Penalty Flutey 18-23
88 mins Try Cohen 23-23
88 mins Conversion Reihana 25-23

Sconfitta all'ottantottesimo, dopo 8 minuti di recupero, per i nostri Exiles...

(Paddy Lennon reports from Franklin’s Gardens)
Whatever happened to the actual time clocks that were supposed to be introduced into the Premiership this season? That is the question all concerned with London Irish were left asking at Franklin’s Gardens this afternoon. Referee Chris White found nine minutes of second half injury time in the final minute of which Northampton Saints scored a match winning converted try to rob Irish of a victory they deserved on the balance of play.

A Bruce Reihana try and conversion in the fourth minute threw down the gauntlet to Irish forcing them to focus. To their credit they regrouped quickly and in the 11th minute Riki Flutey kicked a penalty to register Irish’s first points.

Two minutes later the New Zealander was to put Irish into the lead with an interception try and conversion – a lead they were to keep until the dramatic finale. Premiership debutante Dominic Feau’nati had the best of starts when he raced forty metres to score his team’s second try in the 19th minute in the left corner. Flutey kicked a brilliant conversion from the touchline. Reihana and Flutey exchanged penalties in the 23rd and 26th minutes before Reihana finished off a cross field move by Saints to touch down in the right corner in the 30th minute. He failed with the conversion but was successful with a penalty in the 38th minute to leave the half-time score 18-20. .

In a tense second half Irish had to withstand periods of intense pressure from the home team. The Exiles’ well marshalled defence coped with all that Saints could threaten them with and always looked dangerous on the counter-attack.

Once again Bob Casey and Nick Kennedy were outstanding in the lineout and stole crucial possession. Faan Rautenbach came on to make his debut for Irish in the 60th minute, his physical presence and experience added considerably to the scrum which only further perplexed Irish supporters when the scrum was penalised for wheeling on the Saints put-in.

Tactically Irish controlled the final quarter of the game until the dramatic finale. Saints capitalised on a rare incursion into the Exiles 22. A tap penalty by Howard following the scrum set Sam Harding out left. He found Reihana who passed to Cohen and he had the strength and speed to force his way over on the left corner. Reihana to his credit kicked the winning points form the touchline.

A bonus point was scant reward for a game that Irish deserved to win.