Scrummaging Saints end losing streak against Dragons
It was far from perfect from the Saints who will have to look at their striking rate when in good field position but this was a much needed for the moral.
The other positive from the game has to be their scrum. After struggling in that aspect in recent weeks, the forwards’ pack put on an impressive display to dominated their Welsh opponents and put themselves in the right part of the field all game.
Despite three poor attempts from the tee, Ryan Lamb kicked 20 points and kept the scoreboard ticking for Northampton against a very physical but too ill-disciplined Dragons side.
The Welsh took their chances well to score but where pinned back in their own half all gamenwith a penalty count approaching 20.
Today was their seventh consecutive defeat since their win against Edinburgh back in September.
Lamb recovered from an early shocker from right in front of the posts to put the Saints in the lead with a penalty but Tom Prydie leveled the score soon after with a long range effort from the half way.
The English fly-half got the visitors back in the lead and the score looked to be settled before the break but out of nowhere the Dragons struck.
From a clean lineout ball, the Welsh went wide and two passes later, Springbok flyer Tonderai Chavhanga broke through to dive under the posts.
Prydie kicked the easy conversion and the home side where leading 10-6 at the break.
Lamb reduced the deficit to a single point but from the restart he decided to go from an unnecessary chip over the top inside his own 22 to see scrum-half Wayne Evans collect the ball and send Chavhanga behind the try line for his second try of the game.
Four minutes later, the Saints finally made an opportunity count and from a well-worked catch and drive, Phil Dowson barged his way over.
Lamb added the extras from the touchline and Northampton were in the lead again.
As the penalty-count started to pile up against the Dragons, the Saints’ fly-half added two more successful kicks to take their margin to 22-15 with 20 minutes to go.
On their 16th penalty given away, replacement prop Nathan Buck was sent to the bin for the Welsh and Northampton made them pay in the next minute when winger Jamie Elliot collected a perfectly weighted cross-field kick from Lamb.
They were leading 27-12 but a fantastic comeback was on the card as Chavhanga secured his hat-trick ten minutes from time.
But the English weren’t going to be denied and Lamb secured the win with a drop-goal soon after.
For Dragons
Tries: Chavhanga 3
Conversions: Prydie
Penalties: Prydie
Sin bin: Buck
For Northampton
Tries: Dowson, Elliot
Conversions: Lamb
Penalties: Lamb 5
Drop Goals: Lamb
Dragons: Prydie; Harries, Leach, Smith (capt.), Chavhanga; D. Evans, W. Evans; O. Evans, Gustafson, Way; A. Jones, Sidoli; I. Jones, Cudd, Brown.
Replacements: S. Jones, Price, Buck, Nimmo, L. Evans, J. Evans, Robling, Dixon.
Northampton: May; Pisi, Waldouck, Burrell, Elliott; Lamb, Dickson; Waller, Haywood, Doran-Jones, Manoa, Sorenson; Clark, Dowson, Van Velze.
Replacements: McMillan, Waller, Mujati, Oakley, Nutley, Roberts, Armstrong, Collins.
Referre: Luke Peare
Star man: Phil Dowson – Northampton
NICK VERDIER
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