UFO Info Week-End

Two minutes later they attacked down the same flank exposing the tiredness of the Bedford

Two minutes later they attacked down the same flank, exposing the tiredness of the Bedford defence and winning a scrum five metres from the Bedford line.The drive was exemplary in its execution but the referee brought them back to try again, with similar results. With 10 minutes remaining the Saints were leading by two points but a surging run down the left wing by full-back Nick Beal forced a penalty and subsequent score by Garry Pagel. Northampton 34

Bedford 29
LOCAL DERBIES are often special occasions and this one did not disappoint. Schuster, with his third conversion and a total of 21 points for the match, completed a hugely satisfying day for Harlequins and raising serious doubts about Saracens’ ability to remain out in front.Harlequins: J Williams; D O’Leary, D Officer, J Schuster, D Luger; T Lacroix (capt), N Walshe (C Wright 40); D Barnes, K Wood, G Halpin (J Leonard 59), G Llewellyn, G Morgan, B Davison, R Jenkins, A Leach.Saracens: M Singer; R Wallace, J Thomson, K Sorrell (S Ravenscroft 30), B Daniel; A Penaud, K Bracken; R Grau, G Chuter, P Wallace, P Johns, D Grewcock, T Coker (F Pienaar 51), R Hill, T Diprose (capt).Referee: C White (RFU).. Like relay runners waiting for their turn, Wallace and Pienaar were pawing the ground on the touch-line as the seconds ticked by. The 10 minutes up, they raced back on to the field but it was to no avail. O’Leary, fully atoning for his first-half misjudgement, took Williams’ pass to score six minutes from time.

Schuster, with two more well-struck penalties, replaced some of the Quins’ stuffing while Paul Wallace replaced Jenkins in the sinbin.As this also required the removal of Francois Pienaar to make way for a specialist prop, Saracens were forced into another spell on the defensive. To make matters worse Rory Jenkins was sitting out his time in the sinbin. Even so, Quins looked livelier in attack, more committed in the loose and unquestionably more comfortable with the ball in their hands. Penaud converted both and suddenly Quins’ push had lost its stuffing. Their lead was now a fragile seven points and their defence was looking vulnerable.

Alain Penaud broke through for a try and two minutes later Steve Ravenscroft scored from Tony Diprose’s cleverly disguised pass after Daniel had bounced in and out of several attempted tackles. With an inviting three-quarter line primed outside him Daren O’Leary, in the acting scrum-half position, opted to have a go himself and the chance was lost.It seemed to be a costly aberration because Saracens set off at a blistering pace at the start of the second half. Reassuring as it was, a 28-point cushion in the gusty wind was not yet enough. Carelessness allowed Brendon Daniel to streak across for Saracens’ opening try but what might have been the critical moment came just before half-time when Quins launched another attack near the Saracens line. Schuster added to their discomfort with two penalties and, although he slipped up with a third attempt, he was back in the groove with a third penalty which followed Keith Wood’s try. The try came from nifty footwork by Lacroix and fine backing-up by Garrick Morgan. Quins won the line-out and Rory Jenkins, driven over by his forwards, scored the try which Schuster again converted.