Toulouse 21 – Bath 19
Bath had to win this home match at The Rec after getting toweled by Glasgow last week, but they suffered from a suspension and injuries. Star centre Kyle Eastwood was missing and two locks, one a 19-year-old, had to play in the backrow. And the openside flanker had started in only one game this year—at no.8.
By contrast Toulon had a backrow of Thierry Dusautoir, Imanol Harinordoquy and Louis Picamoles who had close to 200 test caps between them.
Nor was the record of Bath against Toulouse brilliant, having won only one of their four contests against each other “in Europe”.
But Bath showed a surprising dominance in the scrums gaining five penalty kicks from the French team. The Toulouse lineout was brittle also, partly due to some erratic throws.
Bath took an early lead from a penalty goal but Toulouse switched play from side to side, as they did throughout the match, for winger Vincent Clerc to score. The extras had Toulouse ahead 7-3 at 14 minutes, but Bath got closer with a field goal.
At half time Toulouse led 7-6. Their lead should have been bigger but flyhalf Toby Flood missed two easy penalty goals.
Vincent Clerc – first try scorer
Bath retook the lead from a penalty goal. But Toulouse had some big bopper reserve backrows on the park now and after they took the ball up, play was switched again. There followed some nice ball handling and Harinordoquy scored in the corner for Toulouse to lead 14-9, eight minutes after the break.
The game was even for the next quarter hour: only a Bath penalty goal disturbed the scorer. But at 64 minutes Toulouse grabbed their third try after battering Bath in their own 22, switching the ball wide again and Harinordoquy passing sweetly to 15 Maxime Medard, the scorer.
Toulouse looked home and hosed leading 21-12 but the makeshift Bath team responded valiantly. Following another scrum penalty they drove from the lineout to score and convert their first try of the match.
Suddenly Bath were behind by only two points and there were five minutes left – an age; game on !!!
Bath got back up to within 30 metres with a maul drive from the lineout but Toulouse held on to win 21-19.
It was a scrappy win for Guy Noves’ charges, but given their indifferent form this season, he will take this away win merci beaucoup.
Imanol Harinordoquy – man of the match
Commentator Ben Kay gave the man-of-the-match award to Harinordoquy, who was far and away the best player on the park. Fullback Medard was also prominent for his linking runs and reading of the play on defence.
For Bath flyhalf George Ford played better than countryman Toby Flood of Toulouse did in the position, and 13 Jonathan Joseph was hostile running unders’ lines and challenging tacklers on contact.
But full marks to the backrowers playing in positions they were not accustomed to.
Aussie watch: 130 kgs Edwin Maka played most of the second half for Toulouse and once scrummed on the open side !! He bullocked the ball up effectively twice before the third Toulouse try was bagged, and dislodged the ball in a tackle in the final play of the day.
He went OK but having Tekori and him on the park at the same time detracted from the agility of the French team.
Northampton 34 – Ospreys 6
George North, a winger who played a lot of the game at outside centre, had a game to remember when he scored all of the Northampton Saints’ four tries.
Northampton got no match points in Paris in Round 1 against a difficult southpaw opponent and were looking for a knockout of Ospreys. It was on the cards since the Saints had been averaging six tries per game in the EP at home this year and the Ospreys hadn’t won an away game ”in Europe” in five years.
Northampton opened the scoring with a penalty goal and the Ospreys replied. Ironically the latter was set up by the best move the Ospreys had on the night when Biggar sliced through; but it was early and they took the points.
The Saints got a dodgy turnover close to the Ospreys’ line and the visitors were caught short out wide. It was easy meat for North and the score was 10-3 at 17 minutes.
George North – first of four tries
The suspect nature of the turnover was bad karma for Northampton though, and two good-looking tries were refused by a sniffy TMO.
But the exemplary kick and chase of the Saints team plus their comfort with ball in hand, always made them the more likely team to produce tries. Sure enough, after 14 Ken Pisi tip-toed through three tacklers, North got his second pie on the half-hour.
When Northampton got their second penalty they lead 20-3 at oranges.
Ospreys weren’t in the contest because of the Saints’ power game and (lacking the ill Andrew Bishop in the centres), their own shabby defence on the edges. They scarcely ever had the ball in their opponent’s 22 after the first ten minutes.
George North – played like Superman
After Ospreys’ 10 Dan Biggar missed two penalty goals in a row, a rarity recently, he slotted one to take the score to 20-6 for Northampton.
But that was as good as it got for them and the Saints got deep for a five-metre lineout from another piece of dark arts’ dodginess.
Then this fat guy took the ball up knocking people over and soon after North scored his third try.
The score was 27-6 to Northampton but that was not as important as getting the fourth try for a bonus point in the next 25 minutes.
They had already lost their shape in the second half and it didn’t improve chasing a bonus. Those darned Ospreys were spending more time in the Saint’s half and using up the time needed to score the fourth pie.
It looked like the rampant home crowd would be disappointed but then came a bit of North magic.
In the 77th minute he stripped the ball from an Osprey, 45 metres out, ran and kicked the ball low, in-goal. As though wearing a cape, and his undies outside his shorts, he beat three defenders to score though held back at the time.
Full time; Northampton 34 – Ospreys 6.
Dan Biggar – had a rare poor day with the boot
North was naturally man-of-the match and would have got it for his fourth try alone, but Pisi also had good moments for Northampton; and the rat-cunning of flankers Callum Clark and Tom Wood was effective.
Lock Courtney Lawes had a tough game and some of his off-loading was dangerous.
Aussie watch: That fat guy who helped to set up North’s third try was Salesi Ma’afu.
