Hearts racing but vital signs are good..

Supporting Saints should come with a health warning - particularly for those with heart and blood pressure issues. And if you didn't have them before you followed the Black Green and Gold you will almost certainly have them now.

As if hanging onto the lead in the dying minutes against Newcastle last week wasn't nail biting enough Saturday's performance against Bath was even more edge of your seat stuff.

Bath came into the game as table toppers from the week before. This season they had managed to dispatch both Falcons and Sarries with try bonus points and had only come unstuck against Tigers at home in the dying seconds of the game.

We, on the other hand, had shown some sparky displays against Sale and Bristol but not turned them into the big Ws that we  needed. A hard fought win at Newcastle in grim conditions spoke volumes for the character of this young side and  I for one had a glimmer of optimism for this game. 

It was great to welcome Lewis Ludlam back and to give him the appreciation that the England management had failed to do. 

Tommy Freeman was also back in the mix - although we were a couple of Toms light in the starting line-up with Tom Seabrook on the bench and Tom Litchfield somewhere in the stands.

And true to form it was a Tom who got Saints' first try - the increasingly impressive Tom  Pearson charging over the line after a perfectly timed pass from Tom James. 

And Tom James was the architect for the second try - dancing through the Bath defence to put Alex Coles away.

After the break a fumble from Bath's De Glanville saw a line out inside the 22. It came off the top straight to the waiting arms of George Hendy who cantered through for a try. 

But Saints pack and the defence from the whole team were the difference on the day. We have been used watching pressure situations from "behind the settee" such has been our defence over the past few seasons. But not on Saturday - wowser. No longer waiting for the game to come to the players the tackles were much more positive and meaningful. And when the boys were defending their own line in the final minutes they were not only rock solid but also completely legal - the penalty count was at an all time low!

The scrum got two scrum penalties in succession and looked in control for the whole game.

But please, please can you boys stop kicking the ball away in tight games in the final ten minutes - really not sure my heart can stand it. Thank goodness for Sam Graham and his hard won turn over which signalled the end of the game

For more photos got to https://www.redhatphoto.co.uk/ 

Many thanks to Claire Jones for the photographs.

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