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Welcome to the Saints Supporters’ Club
This is the 100th Anniversary season for the Saints Supporters’ Club. Our aims are :
- To serve the interests of the Members of the Supporters Club.
- To actively liaise with the Club, in order to foster constructive co-operation, dialogue and mutual understanding.
- To endeavour to facilitate an increase in attendance at home and away fixtures.
- To support all of the players and teams who represent the Club both on and off the field.1 To organise and participate in charitable fund raising and social events.
- To organise and participate in charitable fund raising and social events.
- To liaise with the Club to improve the social facilities for the supporters.
Here you can see the latest news from the SSC, the Club, and our upcoming games and events. The Club is once again running coaches to away matches and you can book here. Our Newsletters are now on this page.
NEWS
Northampton Saints Supporters' Club
Northampton Saints Supporters' Club has been in existence for almost 100 years in one form or another and exists to provide a focus for committed Supporters of Northampton RFC. Photos on this page courtesy our official photographer James Fitchew
The marathon is over and it's now a sprint to the finish line, with four teams left in the chase. First up on Saturday at 1.30pm it's the London derby with Saracens v Harlequins; then the East Midlands derby with Tigers v Saints following on at 4.30pm. Both games are on BT Sport1.
Down in London, Sarries amassed 17 wins and a draw, whilst Quins got 15 wins. Sarries also have a significantly better for/against points difference. However, this is knockout rugby which often means that the form book can be put to one side. I could well see Harlequins coming out on top in this game as long as they can keep their heads and keep their penalty count low.
Our game see the Tigers as favourites, having won 20 our of 24 and having been top of the table throughout the season. The two previous encounters between the two sides do not make for good reading: 55-26 to Tigers at Franklin's Gardens back in October and 35-20 to Tigers in February at Welford Road. Saints are definitely the underdogs, but on the plus side the team's performance has massively improved over the last couple of months.
Matt Carley is the referee, so we need to avoid upsetting him. Getting on top of the scrums will be difficult as that has been one of the Tigers key parts of the game - though whether some in their front row know how to bind properly is open to discussion!
No 1947-48 season cartoon this week as I'm nowhere near that archive today. Instead, here's an old Barclaycard advert from a Saints programme...
Saints Supporters Club information for Saturday 4th June...
There will be no supporters club table in the Rodber suite this Saturday, before or after the game. Don't let that stop you going into the Rodber Suite as I'm sure that the Saints Foundation will be having their usual prize draw and sales stand, so will be happy to take some money from you.
After the game the Saints will be making a number of awards - including that for the Supporters Club Player of the Season, as voted for by you. Who has won it? Well you will just have to stay behind to find out.
It's time for the last round of regular season games before the playoffs and, for the Saints, that's a home fixture against Newcastle Falcons on Saturday at 3pm. We currently sit in 4th place, with a 2-point advantage over Gloucester. That's an advantage but it's not all done and dusted, so let's have a look at what can affect us.
Tigers are currently top of the pile, with Sarries 3 points adrift. It is then not definite who will have the No.1 bragging rights come 5pm. Tigers are at home to Wasps and the form book suggests strongly that a home win will be on the cards, leaving Leicester where they are now. Saracens are guaranteed a home semi-final and have to travel to Gloucester; with both teams looking to get as much out of this as possible, this promises to be the best match of the weekend for a neutral to watch.
Third-placed Harlequins are too far away to get into the top two, and too far ahead of us. They will stay third regardless of what happens on their visit down to Exeter. What are the odds on them resting some of their players for next week?
For our game it's 4th plays 11th but I don't expect Newcastle to roll over as the two teams below are snapping at their heels. This is Dean Richards' last game in charge of the Falcons so they will be wanting to give a good performance for him. Saints definitely need to treat this seriously, not just as match practice for the semi-finals.
I'm expecting Leicester to win and I'm also going to call our game a home-win, which will give the playoffs as Tigers v Saints and Saracens v Harlequins (which will be good news for those of you who have already bought tickets for the game at Welford Road!
From the 1947-48 season archives I have one match cartoon left. As it happens it's the one for the last home game of that season. The opponents were Old Alleynians, who are still in existence down in Dulwich in south London.
It's been ages since the Saints had a game, but the penultimate round of the Premiership sees them in action again on Saturday at 5.30pm. That involves a trip down to the StoneX Stadium to take on Saracens in the last away game of the season. If you are on the Supporters Club coach you need to be at Franklin's Gardens for 2.30pm. If you're not on the coach then it's Radio Northampton or BT Sport1 (as it's being broadcast it won't be on the PRTV feed).
Seats are still available on the coach if you make a last minute decision to travel.
The league standings see Tigers with 86 points, Sarries with 82, Quins with 74 then Saints on 68. Tigers are guaranteed a top-two spot for a home semi-final playoff. Sarries are in the playoffs but not yet guaranteed a home time, on the other hand they could theoretically overtake Leicester - which means that they will be up for this game to secure the necessary points. Saints will also be up for this as Gloucester are only one point adrift; with Exeter and Sale also with the potential to get into the top four if other teams have a meltdown.
Sarries v Saints see the home team as favourites, but we've beaten them there in the past and no reason why we can't do it again. Sarries had a tough game against Toulon last week, with the Saints having a rest we may just have the edge. Harlequins play host to Gloucester and that's a game where we will be quietly egging on the home team in an effort to keep the Cherry & Whites below us. None of the other games this week can affect our position.
It looks as if it will be tight going into the final round of matches on 4th June, but I can see the Saints just getting into the playoffs. by dint of Gloucester having a tougher run-in
The 1947-48 season archives don't show a cartoon for a Saracens match, so here's one for the Bedford away game of that year.
Tickets for An Evening With Dylan Hartley are now on sale!
www.macmaker.co.uk/product/an-evening-with-dylan-hartley-5th-august-2022/
We have another week yet to wait until the next Saints game, but that's not to say that you can't see some live rugby this weekend.
On Saturday at 2pm, Loughborough Lighting play their last home game of the season at Franklin's Gardens, and if you are a season ticket holder you can get in for free! Their opponents are Harlequins Ladies with, hopefully, a similar outcome to that of Saints v Harlequins at the same venue a fortnight ago. Just £7 to get in if you don't have a season ticket.
In the ten-team league, the Harlequins side are 3rd with the Lightings 7th. 12 wins to the visitors and 8 to the hosts, suggests that fortune favours the Harlequins. A good crowd of Saints supporters cheering them may just be what Lightning need to gee them up from the kickoff. The terrace and Carlsberg stand are open, but it's possible that the South Stand will also be opened up if the attendance warrants it.
The Lightning team are based at Loughborough University so, with that tenuous academic connection, I've dragged out from the 1947-48 archives the cartoon for the Saints v Cambridge University match...
The end of a very strange season draws closer; strange in terms of the start/end dates, the format of some competitions and the timing of some fixtures that leaves the Saints with 2 games in 7 days and then a gap of 3 weeks and further gap of 2 weeks. The first of those 4 games is on Saturday at 3pm against Bath. No broadcast TV coverage, which means those staying at home will need to tune into Radio Northampton or fork out for the PRTV app.
Supporters Club coach travellers are reminded that it departs at 9.30am. Some seats on the coach are still available if you're making a late decision to travel.
Saints are 6th in the table at the moment, Gloucester having leap-frogged us as a consequence of finally being awarded the win from their cancelled Worcester tie. Bath, meanwhile, sit down in 13th having had a torrid time this season - just 4 wins and 1 draw out of 20 and the first of those wins not coming until January. In the reverse fixture back in December, Saints came out on top 40-19. The form book points to an away win; we must hope that the Saints have read that book!
Above us in 4th are Exeter, 4 points clear. They travel to Saracens, which should be a tough game for the Chiefs and give the possibility of us catching up with them a bit. Gloucester have a 2 point advantage and their game this week is away at Bristol, that looks to be an away win to keep then ahead of us.
Sale are two points below us, but as it's their furlough week that points gap is irrelevant for the time being. A win against Bath could see us move up the table but with no fear of dropping down if we lose.
This week's delve into the 1947-48 archive brings up the player profile for Joe Lomas.
Bookings now open for the Supporters Club coach to Saracens on 21st May. Some seats also available on the Bath coach for this Saturday if you're quick...
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