Amlin Challenge Cup - An All English Affair

The quality of the rugby that has been played in this year’s Aviva Premiership has been something to behold and it is a testament to the intense competition that has been ongoing week in week out that for the first time in history all four of this year’s Amlin Challenge Cup semi-finalists are English sides.

On Friday Night the Northampton Saints hosted their second knockout match of the season as they welcomed Harlequins to town. It was clear from the outset the Saints meant business, they didn’t let an early period with fourteen men phase them and after that they never looked back. In a stark contrast Harlequins never looked like they were going to find their stride in the match and were a shadow of the team that that successfully put Leicester in their place just seven days ago. Conor O’Shea’s side massively missed the experience and accuracy of Nick Evans at fly half and were out muscled for the majority of the match by a determined and focused Saints squad.

At the heart of the Saints’ dominance were two men in particular; Kahn Fotuali’l and Sam Dickinson; whilst they were on the pitch Fotuali’l flourished and Dickinson devastated. It was Fotuali’l’s lighting quick ball that gave the Saints the platform to strike off and his marshalling of the pack they allowed them to be brutally efficient. Sam Dickinson worked like a Trojan from start to finish; he was the top tackler of the day and carried hard for his team and surely a shift like that wouldn't have gone unnoticed by a certain Stuart Lancaster who was watching from the stands. Elsewhere for the home side young Tom Collins flourished bar his sin bin indiscretion, Stephen Myler went about his business with the efficiency that we have come to expect from him and as mentioned the forwards collectively took the match by the scruff of the neck and made it theirs.

Harlequins really didn’t have a great day at the office, Conor O’Shea highlighted the ‘little energy moments’ that didn’t go their way as their downfall however a few Quins fans may argue that it was more than just 'little moments' that were the problem. Focusing on the positives there were a number of individuals that gave their hearts and souls to the cause; Chris Robshaw and Nick Easter played as if their livelihoods depended on it and must be praised for their outstanding contribution to what was ultimately a lost cause. Charlie Walker had a great first game back after 3 months out and Dave Ward continued his stellar season although for once his throwing could have been a little more accurate.

Unfortunately both sides were plagued by injuries throughout the game, for Saints the sight of George North limping off after twenty minutes was never part of the pre-match script however it was Harlequins that came off worse with Mike Brown, George Robson and Jordan Turner-Hall all picking up blows. The extent of all of these injuries will be assessed over the next for days and both sides will be relying heavily on their medical teams in order to get these key individuals back as quickly as possible for their final matches of the season. 

In front of a noisy and expectant crowd at Adams Park the second Amlin Challenge Cup Semi Final took place between London Wasps and Bath Rugby... the last time that Bath were at Adams Park they taught Wasps a lesson in how to play rugby and that is something that the men in black and gold desperately wanted to make amends for in this knockout match. 

Bath’s form in the Amlin Challenge Cup has been devastating and whilst they have gone off the boil ever so slightly in the Aviva Premiership on Sunday afternoon they arrived with their A Game and delivered a gutsy display in order to end the afternoon victorious once again. Whilst losing a knockout match isn’t ideal Wasps will be pleased that they gave a very strong account of themselves and had it not been for a basic missed lineout or two things could have ended very differently. Both sides played the match a breakneck speed, at times it was simply exhausting to watch and it also was a brutally physical one that contained some bone crunching hits. 

Wasps lost Captain Chris Bell early on to a titanic collision with Nick Abendanon in midfield and that certainly set them back.... Bath had done their homework, they marked Nathan Hughes like a man wanted for crimes to rugby and didn’t give him any space to play in and all of their big game players delivered; Matt Garvey played in a manner that was reminiscent of a certain Jacques Burger, Nick Abendanon made double the number of metres of any other player on the pitch and George Ford had one of those days that makes you realise just why so many people are tipping him to be England’s future at fly half. In all fairness to London Wasps they never ever gave up and pushed Bath right until the bitter end; Joe Simpson and Elliot Daly both provided a lot of finesse and class, Andy Goode added his experience and James Haskell showed no regard for his own personal safety as he worked himself into the ground however all in all it just wasn’t enough. 

So there we have it... the Northampton Saints and Bath Rugby will fight it out to be crowned the Amlin Challenge Cup Winners and what a match that will be... both teams combined immense forward power with electric running backs and under the Friday Night Lights of the Arms Park in Cardiff it will be one hell of a final. 

For all the photos from Wasps vs. Bath see the Out On The Full Flickr Page here