Aviva Premiership Final – The Final 80 Minutes and More

The Aviva Premiership Final is the most important eighty minutes of the season and this year it was the turn of Saracens and Northampton to take to the stage at Twickenham and do battle in pursuit of the Title. These two teams have led the way all year in terms of their physicality and ability to demolish sides on a regular basis therefore we all knew that it was going to be an electric match but I don’t think that many of us predicted just how intense or long (!) it was going to be.

Both sides spent the first 5 minutes introducing themselves to each other and indeed to the Final, it was clear that in spite of there being a wealth of experience on the pitch every single man was nervous and felt the huge weight of expectation that was on their shoulders. A penalty from Owen Farrell settled the match and then the real end to end action started and the hits started to fly!! The battering ram Luther Burrell was matched by the bulldozer that is Billy Vunipola and for 10 minutes the possession was fairly even however critically Saracens came away with the points and clocked up a 6-0 lead. It was clear for all to see that Saracens were moving up the gears and initially Saints looked slightly powerless to stop them; however a moment of pure magic from Ken Pisi changed that. Ken’s break was a sublime and critically it gave Saints the confidence to go for the corner, not once but twice, and that set up Ben Foden for a delightful try. Myler’s boot added the extras and although the half ended as it started with Saracens in possession driving dangerously towards the try line no further points were scored. HT Saracens 6 Northampton Saints 7.

After 15 minutes of rest both sides returned to the pitch flying and if you can believe it, and I’m sure that you can if you watched the match, the hits and level of rugby went up a level. Hit wise I am talking about bone shattering, earth shaking, Twickenham silencing hits... North, Burrell, Farrell and even Ashton got in on the action. The tempo and pace of the match was breathtaking; one minute Saints looked to have a small stranglehold on the game the next Saracens were back in control... regard for personal safely had been thrown out the window at the first whistle and it was stunning rugby to watch. When George Pisi crossed with 20 minutes to go in other matches that would have been it however in this Aviva Premiership Final there was plenty of action left!! What followed was agonising intense and brilliantly compelling; Saracens scored, then had their try disallowed, then Saints looked to be weathering the storm before Marcelo Bosch crossed. Hodgson’s conversion hit the post and that meant the score was 14-14 with less than 5 minutes to go and it turned out that there was simply nothing that could separate the two and that meant that we went to extra time for the first time ever in an Aviva Premiership Final! 

With a short 5 minute break in between normal time and extra time it gave me a moment to think about what it must feel like to be a fan, coach or indeed a substituted player who was helpless on the sidelines until further notice and my heart went out to them, because I, as a neutral, was feeling a little emotional!!

The extra time started by trading penalties, Myler and Hodgson both were as cool as cucumbers and the struggle to get anything between the two sides continued. Neither side gave an inch, both continued to put their bodies on the line as if it was the first 10 minutes of the game not the second to last. Straight after the final break Luther Burrell gave away a penalty and the experienced Hodgson made no mistake when he secured the 3 points for his side. For the first time in almost 45 minutes Saracens had their noses in front and Saints looked to have their backs against the wall. As expected Saints weren’t finished yet... after drive, after drive, after drive, they edged themselves to the foot of the posts and then the decision was taken out of everyone’s hand as TMO Graham Hughes took centre stage. After what must have seemed like a lifetime for fans of both sides the decision was made and JP Doyle raised his arm in confirmation of the try, with the clock in the red that was it Northampton Saints were confirmed the Aviva Premiership Champions 2014. FT Northampton Saints 24 Saracens 20 

The Post Match Reaction 

Once the final whistle had blown the contrasting emotions of agony and ecstasy were plain for all to see, Mark McCall hailed his ‘heroic players’ for their outstanding efforts not only during the Final but throughout the year and he cut a lonely figure in the press conference, bitterly disappointed and hurting as much as his players will be. Steve Borthwick's career didn't end with him holding the trophy aloft and you suspect that, that will take a competitor like Steve a long time to get over. In contrast Jim Mallinder and Tom Wood were on top of the world, Mallinder described a ‘sense of relief’ and made no bones about the fact that winning the Aviva Premiership Title eclipsed the Amlin Challenge Cup Final last week! Tom praised his teammates heart and endeavour and none more so than Dylan Hartley. Dylan came and spoke to the media afterwards, shoes off and trophy in hand and you could not help but want to applaud the man who has come so very far since this time last year. Dylan, like his Captain will be on the plane to New Zealand on Monday to conduct some serious business on an international level but before then they will celebrate long into the night with their team mates.

This year’s Aviva Premiership Competition finished in the most dramatic fashion, it was a match that had everything that you could possibly want from a game of rugby and so much more... the cruelty of sport is that there had to be one loser... Saracens will lick their wounds and come back stronger whilst Saints will party hard and maybe next year they will aim to lift three trophies!!! Now all that is left for me to do is sign off from the Aviva Premiership for the year... the competition has given us all so much pleasure and joy and I’m sure that I’m not alone in saying that for a couple of months my life will be poorer without it! To all the players, coaches and staff at every Aviva Premiership Club I’d like to say thank you... what a season you gave us and what a way to finish it!