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And it all comes down to the final home game of the season…

May 5, 2012 by redhatphoto

Roger Wilson, Exeter Chiefs vs Northampton Saints, April 2012

Roger Wilson, Exeter Chiefs vs Northampton Saints, April 2012


It only seems like five minutes ago when I was taking photos of Saints playing last year’s final home game of the season against Leeds. Today, as was the case last year Saints need to win to qualify for the play-offs. Given where we were at the start of the season, it’s a remarkable performance. And it’s made all the more remarkable when you consider we are still missing Tom Wood, Courtney Lawes, Calum Clark and Dylan Hartley.

I love these games – all the matches in the AP kick off at the same time, we always seem to need to do something, there are players to say goodbye to and the supporters get the chance to meet the players on the hallowed turf. Saints need to win and win well – Worcester have nothing to play for except pride. I am sure Richard Hill will want a performance but it is a great chance for Saints to get to the play-offs again. Sale Sharks look like they have done Saints a favour by fielding a team of all England qualified players – the youngsters will garner £80,000 for Sale and will need to step up to beat an in-form Harlequins.

I love taking photos at this time of year – the light is great, there’s lots to see and I tend to get carried away by the excitement. The cameras are going well – the D3 will be getting an annual service in the summer but beyond that it will be my internet presence that keeps me occupied. The site needs a tidy up and I really do need to get my Associateship sorted. Hey ho there’s always things to be doing!

Come on you Saints – let’s keep the roller coaster rolling!

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Saints lose the battle of the East Midlands so it’s a decider in the West Country

April 21, 2012 by redhatphoto
Chris Ashton, Northampton Saints vs Leicester Tigers, April 2012

Chris Ashton, Northampton Saints vs Leicester Tigers, April 2012

Photos of Northampton Saints vs Leicester Tigers can be found here…

One of the privileges of my time with the Saints, is being able to listen to the press conferences after the game. So listening to Jim Mallinder after the loss to Tigers, it was clear that he was as mystified by the Saints’ flat performance as the rest of us. He was also right when he insisted it was just time for the team to dust itself down and prepare for the most important match of the season – a trip to Sandy Park to play the Exeter Chiefs.

So what happened? It was a bright start – Saints took a 6-0 lead and were attacking well. But then the wheels fell off – first when Ryan Lamb was charged down and second when Agulla created a beautiful try down the Tigers’ right wing. After then Saints were chasing the game but the structure had completely gone, the team wasn’t working as a unit. Time and time again the men in GB&G gave the ball away too easily and Tigers continued to punish them. In the end, Saints had to make do with a couple of consolation scores – I was delighted for Chris Ashton. I really hope we see more of him scoring in the GB&G before his move to Sarries in the summer.

And so Saints need to go to Sandy Park and win. I wasn’t planning on going but given the circumstances how can I not make the long trip from Essex? I can’t wait – Rob Baxter’s Exeter are a great team and Sandy Park is ground I am yet to visit. Jim Mallinder has picked the team that beat Bath – if they play at the tempo and with the conviction they did at the Rec, the boys are in with a great chance. It’s simple, the Saints need to give absolutely everything.

Bring it on:-)

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Saints win against Wasps and take the spoils in the West Country against Bath

April 2, 2012 by redhatphoto
Lee Dickson, Bath Rugby vs Northampton Saints, Mar 2012

Lee Dickson, Bath Rugby vs Northampton Saints, Mar 2012

Photos from Bath Rugby vs Northampton Saints can be found here…

It’s been an odd week what with one thing and another. The win against Wasps was hard fought with Martin Roberts try sealing the five points. I had a reasonable afternoon with Ben Foden’s try celebrations bringing me my best photos of the day. It was great to be out and about and not being rained on and it was lovely starting the match in sunshine. The cloud over Gardens caused by the two citings lifted slightly as the team did well without the two players and during the week we found out we will be without Dylan until mid May and Calum Clark until November.

It was the trip to Bath that I think saw a change in Saints’ fortunes. It was just a great team performance – Bath have one of the meanest defences in the league only bettered by Saints. So to go to the Rec and bully them for 80 minutes was brilliant to watch. James Criag was imperious in the line out, stealing the ball time after time and his work rate in the lose was outstanding. Phil Dowson had his best match in the GB&G this season and how Andy Long does it, I will never know. He was everywhere and scored a great forwards try. But it is Lee Dickson who has impressed so much since he had the captaincy thrust upon him. He has always been an excellent player for the Saints but since being picked for England, he has taken a big step up in his performances. Dylan has an outstanding man deputising for him and Saints are very lucky to have Lee Dickson at the helm.

For once, I got a decent selection of photos with some lovely ones of Digger and Phil Dowson being the highlights. Actually there wasn’t much light but that’s another story! My favourite photo of all is Lee talking to the team in the huddle at the end of the game. The team’s focus (pardon the pun) despite the game being over was fascinating to see and I think the shot works really well.

And my news is you can now buy prints from me directly thanks to the lovely folks at SmugMug – more pennies will hopefully be heading to the folks at the RPA Benevolent Fund.

See you in a couple of weeks.

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Saints lose to Tigers in the final… Onwards and upwards…

March 24, 2012 by redhatphoto
George Pisi, Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints, March 2012

George Pisi, Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints, March 2012

Photos from Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints can be found here…

How many times will Saints supporters write or say the phrase ‘onwards and upwards’ after a defeat? This week was particularly hard with the citings of two captains in Dylan Hartley and Calum Clark – whilst both must be presumed innocent until proven guilty, a cloud has descended over the Gardens. But here’s where our stock phrase kicks in and it really is onwards and upwards to the next game against London Wasps!

If I am to sum up last weekend’s final, it is odd. I cannot fathom how two talented teams could produce such dreadful rugby – Saints battered Tigers for 30 minutes and yet failed to control the ball at crucial moments several times. Tigers just suffocated the game as had Saracens a couple of weeks previously. Where the final in 2010 was an open try fest with two teams playing open attractive rugby, this year’s was a boring wrestling match. Tigers were good for their win – it was a lucky interception try by Hamilton but the writing was on the wall long before then

And so to the next match as Saints march onwards and upwards – London Wasps have had a difficult season where they have suffered so many injuries to key players. Some are back but many are missing including the newly capped Rob Webber. Saints have all their England boys back save the one so it will be fascinating to see how the team gels. I am delighted to see Lee Dickson with the captain’s armband. Lee is a leader on the pitch – he is natural guide of the players (partly because he never shuts up!) and partly because he has a deep understanding of the game.

I have a busy afternoon of minis rugby before the main event – I love wandering around the back pitches taking photos of the youngsters dashing about the place. And it’s always great to see the winners on the main pitch at half time. As for the main event, I am hoping for one of those lovely pink sunsets over the Gardens and some better rugby than last week.

Enjoy the game:-)

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Saints beat Scarlets and march to an East Midlands derby final…

March 17, 2012 by redhatphoto
Tom Wood, Northampton Saints vs Scarlets, Mar 2012

Tom Wood, Northampton Saints vs Scarlets, Mar 2012

It was a gloriously sunny day – in the morning Becca and I had fun taking photos of the Under 9′s tournament on the back pitches. It was so much fun watching the youngsters playing in the sun, learning the skills of our fine sport.

The main event was a lunchtime kick off which meant the majority of the Franklin’s Gardens pitch was bathed in sunshine. Hannah Wearmouth joined me for the match – she took on the D700 and 70-200mm whilst I had the D3 and the 400mm. We had a grand old time – it wasn’t the easiest of matches to shoot. A lot of the play was in midfield and lots of bodies would typically be in the way. But we collected a good crop and Hannah got some lovely shots of Scott Armstrong’s try.

The match was a pretty even contest despite what the scoreline says. Early on the Scarlets gave Saints a real scare with James Craig, Paul Diggin and Martin Roberts making try saving tackles. But once Alex Waller had gone over for his try from a lovely maul, I certainly felt the tide was going Saints way. It was great to see the youngsters in the squad doing so well and one or two old ones in the likes of Andy Long!

Tomorrow is the final against Leicester Tigers. It the first time the two teams have meet in a final and I am not sure how I am going to watch it. I am always a nervous wreck in Tigers games so adding that it’s a final is going to make me 10 times worse!

And in the next few days I will have some really exciting photography news…

Exciting times indeed!

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Saints lose in the deluge at Vicarage Road… Time for a spring semi-final against the Scarlets…

March 11, 2012 by redhatphoto

Photos from Saracens vs Northampton Saints, Aviva Premiership are here…

Much as I try not to dislike Vicarage Road, it is one of my least favourite grounds to go to – it hasn’t yet made my hit list of places I won’t go. That honour currently includes Adams Park. However, it is a dreary, cold, soulless ground which is falling apart. So adding a deluge of rain and sleet didn’t add to my humour last Sunday. The icing on the cake was the 5pm kick off – ESPN’s second black mark – the first being when Saints’ match against Bath was held up by the FA Cup match between Everton and Chelsea!

So taking photos of this match was always going to be a struggle and so it proved. Saints probably tried to play too much rugby whilst Saracens just killed the game. There isn’t much to write about except we all got soaked, Samu and Tiny were immense in the lose and Ryan Lamb secured Saints a deserved LBP.

My day was complete when I ended up sat next to a TV cameraman who every few minutes would shout a single expletive in frustration – it was a little off putting to say the least. And in the second half, I ended up next to two agency photographers who were more interested in talking about their next jobs and the England team. Of course, it was interspersed by wingeing about the game in front of us – I was beginning to think that the rugby Gods had it for me. The saving grace was I got home in under an hour!!

And so to today’s game and what a cracker it will be – Scarlets return to the Gardens for the LV= Cup semi-final. It’s still an off competition which I struggle to follow in the group stages but here we are in the easy to understand bit. If Saints win, it’s a trip to Sixways where an East Midlands derby awaits. If they don’t, it’s a weekend of DIY! It’s great to see the likes of Tom May at centre – Tom is a thoughtful chap who writes a very interesting blog – one small request Tom, could you kick the ball away from me this time? :-) Tom Wood starts his first match since Christmas and given his tweets, captain Calum Clark is as fired up as ever!

I can’t wait – enjoy the game:-)

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Saints win against Sharks and Irish… the season starts to looking interesting…

March 3, 2012 by redhatphoto

Calum Clark, London Irish vs Northampton Saints, Feb 2012

Photos from Northampton Saints vs Sale shares are here…

I can’t remember ever having been wetter – the rain managed to get through 5 layers of clothing and I ended up sitting taking photos of the main event whilst gently steaming in the sunshine. The under 12′s played through driving rain and Andy Taylor and I managed to capture some good shots of the tournament.

Sale Sharks are apparently undergoing a revival or so say Sky Sports. They have certainly changed their management team with a new CEO and coaching team. It was business as usual for a depleted Saints team – a business like performance saw 4 points safely secured. The match was by no means a thriller but at the moment I am just happy to secure a win. Stephen Myler’s boot did a grand job and that’s all that was required.

Paul Doran Jones, London Irish vs Northampton Saints, Feb 2012

Photos from London Irish vs Northampton Saints are here…

A week later and the sun was still shining – I can’t say I have grown to love the Madjeski but it’s an easy place to work in. The staff are friendly and the access is good. The Saints boys have actually found the place a happy hunting ground in past few seasons and this year was no different. Stephen Myler’s passing game was at its very best – in the second half, his passing ripped past the Irish midfield and took advantage of the space out wide. The winning try demonstrated the work rate and support play of the team. George Pisi’s chargedown of Delon Armitage’s kick and pass to Ben Nutley was a brilliant piece of inter play between backs and forwards. It resulted in quite the best and most emotional try celebration I have seen in a long time. Calum Clark was totally overcome – I love the way he plays with his heart always on his sleeve. A few minutes later he was spent, leaning heavily on Christian Day, exhausted by his efforts.

I had a good day at the office with some significant plays happening right in front of me. I didn’t realise at the time but I came close to being decapitated by Tom May’s celebratory kick of the ball as Digger went in for the try. The photos revealed that it missed by inches.

The D700 and D3 are going really well and I am really looking forward to the spring weather. The 400mm comes into its own in the sunshine, taking crisp images and tracking play really well. The 70-200mm is the most flexible lens I have and most matches, I gather a crop of fine photos from it.

Tomorrow it’s a 5pm kick off for the match at Vicarage Road – why the match had to be moved back and couldn’t be moved forward is beyond me. It’s going to be a long evening’s work on the M25 trying to get the photos sorted. But a good win could see the men in GB&G in second place, I can’t wait:-)

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Saints lose in the west country, back to the Gardens for the Sharks

February 18, 2012 by redhatphoto

Samu Manoa, Glocuester vs Northampton Saints, Feb 2011

The trip to Gloucester through the Cotswolds was a delight – the light twinkled through the trees, the snow created a carpet of white across the rolling countryside and the road was one of the more interesting drives we have on our Saintly travels.

The Saints went to Kingsholm with a depleted team – Gloucester likewise had lost some of their internationals but weren’t so badly hit by the Six Nations. The match was a game of two halves where Saints were sloppy and slow in the first half and bright and sharp in the second. Allowing the Gloucester back line so much time and space resulted in two relatively easy tries. By half-time, I feared the worst. However, the changing room chat clearly changed things because Saints came out with real purpose.

We came so close to the win but it wasn’t to be. Still a LBP is a precious thing that eluded us last season. I had a difficult afternoon with extremes of light that I have rarely experienced. I took to spot metering which does mean you get burned out sections of the photo but I had to do it.

Today Sale Sharks come to the Gardens – Sale are a team in transition. We should have won at Edgeley Park but lost our collective heads at a critical moment. Today’s team is much stronger than the one that turned out in the autumn. However, Sale are improving and have a tenacious pack as Leicester Tigers found out earlier this season.

The best news this week was the new contracts for Samu Manoa and Christian Day – two fine players who bring so much to the Saints squad. Samu has been a revelation since he joined last summer – already a huge Gardens favourite, he is learning his trade so quickly. Yet again the Saints management has uncovered a gem.

And talking of Saints management, I am delighted that Jim Mallinder wants to stay with us and has not applied for the England job. He is such an integral part of the Saints revival that I believe Jim’s loss would have been huge. Thanks Jim and Dorian for doing so much for Northampton Saints RFC:-)

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Saints cruise past Wasps into a home semi-final… Time for the Premiership and a trip to Kingsholm…

February 11, 2012 by redhatphoto

Alex Waller, Northampton Saints vs London Wasps, Feb 2012
It was a game that Saints had to win and win well. A seriously weakened Wasps side arrived at the Gardens with nothing to gain other than pride. Saints on the other hand, needed to win big and it was clear that the team remained focussed for the 80 minutes. Eight tries were scored and a number of new names were seen on the scoresheet – Cato, Long and Craig all bagged scores with Cato showing great signs of the player Saints supporters hope he will become. James Criag was back to the player we saw at the start of the season, aggressive in the lose, strong in the line out and very aware for his own try when he caught a dozing Wasps side unawares by taking a tap penalty.

I had a good day with the cameras though an accidental flick of a switch meant I had focus lock on and couldn’t understand why continuous focussing wasn’t working on the D3 and 400mm – oops! Still some good photos were gleaned and it was great to work with some light. The downside was the snow – it does do funny things to the auto focus.

And so it’s back to Gloucester, the cherry and whites are missing several first team players too so it will be interesting to see how Saints get on. I for one, can’t wait to see what will happen.

Enjoy the game:-)

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Saints look to get back to winning ways…

February 4, 2012 by redhatphoto

Saints in the tunnel at stadium:mk, Northampton Saints vs Munster, Jan 2012

It’s been a funny old fortnight – two matches and two losses featuring very different Saints teams in very different competitions. The occasion at MK Dons was brilliant – 22,000 people crammed into stadium:mk, lots of tension and some excellent rugby. Saints were blown away by a very professional Munster side – the second half was one way traffic despite a penalty try on 52 minutes. I had a mixed evening – a brilliant start in the tunnel, a very average middle but a decent end. Did the experiment work? Well yes and no. Yes because we need to attract more people to the games and we need to make more money. No because after three matches it still doesn’t fell like home – each match experience has been too different – at home games, supporters know where they are, where they like to go and what they like to do. The changes with each match have not necessarily improved things and have made the stadium unfamiliar. Should Saints do it again – of course, but the management team need to seek and listen to feedback and not necessarily from the vocal minority that would apparently resist any change.

Samu Manoa, Bath Rugby vs Northampton Saints, Jan 2012

Talking of change, it would be really good if somebody did something about the Rec. The facilities are dreadful and how folks turn up willingly for every home game is a mystery! As usual, my issue was access to water – there wasn’t any available. Actually that’s not strictly true – there was plenty in the soggy pitch. So I sat in a bog, completely parched and by the end of the second half, completely frozen! There wasn’t much to cheer about on the pitch either – the Saints youngsters had kept themselves in it until the 20 minutes before the end and then things fell apart.

And so on to the last match in the strange competition that is the LV= Cup. Saints need to win and win well to secure a home draw. Wasps are playing for pride and are missing even more players than Saints. So it’s going to be interesting to see what happens.

Finally, good luck to all the Saints players in today’s Calcutta Cup match – let’s hope for a win against the auld enemy!

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