- Northampton won the Premiership playing brilliant attacking rugby
- But they were uncharacteristic of Bath and opened the door to a comeback.
- Saints deserve credit for turning around the deaths of 14 men
I don’t think anyone can argue that the better team won the Premiership this season.
Northampton finished the regular season top of the table, playing brilliant attacking rugby combined with a huge improvement in defense and physicality.
But his performance here was the most unusual I’ve seen in a long time. His accuracy was poor, with surprising errors in ball handling and poor decisions. He allowed Bath, who were heroic, to stay in the contest with 14 men.
I’ve played in games where the error and penalty count is high and it feels like everything is going against you. Getting out of that routine is difficult. That’s why the Saints deserve a lot of credit for turning it around and winning it to the death. I am delighted by my old side.
I played in two losing Premiership play-offs during my time at Saints and I know how much winning this title will mean to everyone at Northampton. The celebrations will last a long, long time and such a dramatic victory is the best possible way for club legends such as Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam and Alex Waller to say goodbye.
Northampton won the Gallagher Premiership title playing some brilliant attacking rugby.
Bath played heroically to fight back with 14 men, but the final is about winning
I worked day in and day out with all three of them and I know how much they wanted to win the league for the team.
Bath cannot dispute Beno Obano’s red card. I felt for Obano when he was crying on the bench after he was sent off. But he hit Juarno Augusto high and in my opinion there was no extenuating circumstance.
Bath challenged to play three quarters of the game with 14 men in impressive fashion. Part of the reason Northampton were so inaccurate was because their opponent’s line speed in defense was so good.
Bath’s flanks, Sam Underhill and Ted Hill, were superb. Even Finn Russell risked his body and forced Burger Odendaal to retreat with the help of Underhill. Bath prevented the Saints from playing the way they wanted to.
Dan Biggar insists Bath cannot dispute Beno Obano’s red card for harsh tackle
But the Saints won’t care that they weren’t at their best. Finals are about winning. With Lawes and Ludlam moving on, the Saints will find it difficult to repeat this success, so my advice is to savor every minute.
Bath will return. This defeat will hurt them, but it may be the best thing that happens to them, since sometimes you learn more from the pain of a defeat than from winning.
