Bruce Reihana, Juandre Kruger, Northampton Saints vs Saracens, November 2009
That has to be the wettest I have ever been at a rugby match – it started raining as I was shooting the under 12′s matches in the Land Rover Cup and continued for several hours until the start of the second half. It was hard keeping all the gear dry but the cameras did well in the conditions and I was pleased with the LV= Cup photos and the ones of the youngsters.
Saints did enough to win with one moment of genius from Ben Foden lighting up the game. His kick through the Saracens defence for Chris Ashton to score was a brilliant piece of play. Ben is a player who can change the game in the blink of a eye. He has played so well in the past few weeks – it is bewildering how England can ignore such talent. Meanwhile, Chris Ashton goes from strength to strength – his balance and pace were always there, now he has the union knowledge to go with it. Unusually for me this season, I missed both of the tries. The first one was blocked by the substitutes warming up, the second by the pile of bodies on top of Christian Day. Oh how I wanted him to cross the whitewash again!
This week it’s Quins. The RFU has granted them until 10.30am tomorrow to name the team. Saints have named their strongest available side – it’s great to see Euan Murray back from injury. It’s amazing how fast he has got back from injury. Courtney Lawes is also back from England duty – I pity the recipient of his first tackle when he comes on – ouch! Here’s hoping for some running rugby, played at pace and without the mindless kicking of the ball.
For me, it’s an under 7′s and 8′s tournament with the Community folks in the morning and then pitchside for the Quins match. I can’t wait!
