Travis Perkins and Northampton Saints - the foundation of a great Rugby Union
Northampton Rugby Football Club began life in 1880 and is now one of the giants of English Rugby Union.Many Home Nation Internationals have donned the green, black and gold shirt of the 'Saints', including Jeff Butterfield and Dickie Jeeps who both captained England in the 40's and 50's, and modern day greats including Tim Rodber, Nick Beal, Matt Dawson and Scotsmen Budge Poutney and Gregor Townsend. The current squad boasts England Internationals Ben Foden and Dylan Hartley, and Scotland Internationals Scott Gray and Euan Murray.
Saints was also home to England's 2003 World Cup heroes Paul Grayson, Matt Dawson, Steve Thompson and Ben Cohen.
Northampton Saints are the current holders of the European Challenge Cup.
Travis Perkins has been supportive of Northampton Saints for many years. In addition to being the club's main sponsor since the 2000/01 season, the Travis family have been life-long supporters and were instrumental in the stadium redevelopment.
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Sale Sharks 7
Northampton Saints 15
Guinness Premiership
Sunday 7 March, 2010 - Edgeley Park
Saints keep winning run going against Sale
The Saints achieved their first league double over Sale for a decade, breaking their Guinness Premiership duck at Edgeley Park in the process.
The Achilles' heel for Saints on their last road trip had been the opening 20 minutes, but when they recovered the kick off and set up camp deep in
Sale's territory a superb start looked likely. Ben Cohen had other ideas, his pressure on Bruce Reihana not only forced a fumble but allowed Sale to clear and win a penalty on halfway.
Saints made immediate amends when Brett Sharman's tackle both stopped Charlie Hodgson in his tracks and forced a turnover. Hodgson held on, referee Chris White blew his whistle and Stephen Myler pushed his side back to the home 22.
Two phases later the Sharks had infringed again, this time not rolling away from a tackle on Courtney Lawes, and Myler had the game's first shot at goal. However while the hosts were given a boost as the fly half pushed his attempt right of the uprights they could not make the most of their good fortune.
Indeed the Saints' attacking verve and defensive aggression meant they dominated the territory and possession in the opening quarter. Unfortunately Myler, who was otherwise marshalling his team superbly, was having a distinctly off day with the boot and a second penalty - from virtually the same spot as the first - also headed right of the posts.
The visitors also had a cracking try chance in each corner before the first quarter was up, too, with Sale being rescued only by a forward pass from Lawes to Chris Ashton in the right, and a desperate tackle from Hodgson on Joe Ansbro on the left. Myler had another two attempts to break the deadlock, as did Hodgson, but it was far from being the tight game the five penalty attempts would suggest.
Saints had another good sight of the line just before the half-hour, only for Lawes to fumble a Paul Diggin pass in space. This in turn set up Sale's best attack of the half when centre Jonny Kennedy turned on the afterburners to take his team deep into the Saints' half. Lee Thomas also had a chance to break the deadlock from the halfway line, but his penalty shot was more wayward than the five that had gone before.
Sale had Cohen's second timely defensive intervention to thank for preventing Ansbro taking advantage of an overlap outside him, but the former Saint was nowhere to be seen when Diggin danced over for the first points of the day two minutes from the break. Thomas tried his best to force the fumble, but the TMO was satisfied that Diggin had grounded the ball successfully and awarded the try. Reihana landed the conversion and Saints were finally on the score board.
It was no less than they deserved for their dominance and although Sale had a final attack of the half the visitors' line held and the teams headed for their dressing room chats with Saints leading 7-0.
Sale came firing out of the blocks in the second half and some lovely hands put Neil Briggs away into space. Fortunately Lee Dickson broke this attack up, and when replacement Gavin Kerr fumbled wide on the right the visitors were able to clear.
This proved to be more of a squall than a storm, however, and when powerful rucking forced a turnover and subsequent possession deep in the Sale half the Saints went five points further clear.
It was a lovely try. Ashton, standing at first receiver, spotted a possible overlap on the blindside. Superb hands from Ansbro and Reihana bisected the home defence and Ashton was able to cross unopposed.
Nevertheless it took a desperate triple-tackle to stop Marika Vakacegu scoring in the left corner, and similar efforts on the right to prevent first Hodgson and then a Sharks rolling maul from going over the whitewash.
So by the time the hour mark was reached the Saints were still 12-0 up, and with the introduction of Shane Geraghty, Phil Dowson and Dan Vickerman - the latter for his debut - fresh bodies on the field as well.
Suitably bolstered, Saints headed back upfield and won a penalty that Geraghty converted to take his team three scores clear with a shade over 10 minutes to go.
It proved to be a handy margin as Sale finally got a score of their own after 77 minutes. Kennedy had dropped the ball when powering towards the line in their previous attack, but Cohen showed the centre how it was done in the left corner. Hodgson converted from the touchline, and in a repeat of the LV= Cup encounter between these teams five weeks previously, Sale threw everything at their opponents.
However this time they were just looking for a bonus point, which they were cruelly denied by the right-hand upright stopping a last-gasp Hodgson penalty shot. Geraghty took the ball dead and Saints had the points.
Teams:
Sale Sharks - Macleod; Vakacegu, Kennedy, Thomas (Bishop 70mins), Cohen; Hodgson, Peel; Roberts, Briggs (M Jones 77mins), Forster (Kerr 40mins), C Jones (Cox 51-57mins, 72mins), Schofield (capt), Ormsby (Seymour 53mins), Fearns, Koyamibole
Scorer - Try: Cohen; Con: Hodgson
Northampton Saints - Reihana; Ashton, Ansbro, Downey (Clarke 72mins), Diggin; Myler (Geraghty 59mins), Dickson (Dickens 66mins); Tonga'uiha (Dreyer 77mins), Sharman (Long 72mins), Mujati (Morris 66mins), Fernandez Lobbe (capt)(Vickerman 55mins), Kruger, Lawes (Dowson 59mins), Best, Wilson
Scorers - Tries: Diggin, Ashton; Con: Reihana; Pen: Geraghty
Referee - Chris White
Attendance - 7,109
Northampton Saints 15
Guinness Premiership
Sunday 7 March, 2010 - Edgeley Park
Saints keep winning run going against Sale
The Saints achieved their first league double over Sale for a decade, breaking their Guinness Premiership duck at Edgeley Park in the process.
The Achilles' heel for Saints on their last road trip had been the opening 20 minutes, but when they recovered the kick off and set up camp deep in
Sale's territory a superb start looked likely. Ben Cohen had other ideas, his pressure on Bruce Reihana not only forced a fumble but allowed Sale to clear and win a penalty on halfway.
Saints made immediate amends when Brett Sharman's tackle both stopped Charlie Hodgson in his tracks and forced a turnover. Hodgson held on, referee Chris White blew his whistle and Stephen Myler pushed his side back to the home 22.
Two phases later the Sharks had infringed again, this time not rolling away from a tackle on Courtney Lawes, and Myler had the game's first shot at goal. However while the hosts were given a boost as the fly half pushed his attempt right of the uprights they could not make the most of their good fortune.
Indeed the Saints' attacking verve and defensive aggression meant they dominated the territory and possession in the opening quarter. Unfortunately Myler, who was otherwise marshalling his team superbly, was having a distinctly off day with the boot and a second penalty - from virtually the same spot as the first - also headed right of the posts.
The visitors also had a cracking try chance in each corner before the first quarter was up, too, with Sale being rescued only by a forward pass from Lawes to Chris Ashton in the right, and a desperate tackle from Hodgson on Joe Ansbro on the left. Myler had another two attempts to break the deadlock, as did Hodgson, but it was far from being the tight game the five penalty attempts would suggest.
Saints had another good sight of the line just before the half-hour, only for Lawes to fumble a Paul Diggin pass in space. This in turn set up Sale's best attack of the half when centre Jonny Kennedy turned on the afterburners to take his team deep into the Saints' half. Lee Thomas also had a chance to break the deadlock from the halfway line, but his penalty shot was more wayward than the five that had gone before.
Sale had Cohen's second timely defensive intervention to thank for preventing Ansbro taking advantage of an overlap outside him, but the former Saint was nowhere to be seen when Diggin danced over for the first points of the day two minutes from the break. Thomas tried his best to force the fumble, but the TMO was satisfied that Diggin had grounded the ball successfully and awarded the try. Reihana landed the conversion and Saints were finally on the score board.
It was no less than they deserved for their dominance and although Sale had a final attack of the half the visitors' line held and the teams headed for their dressing room chats with Saints leading 7-0.
Sale came firing out of the blocks in the second half and some lovely hands put Neil Briggs away into space. Fortunately Lee Dickson broke this attack up, and when replacement Gavin Kerr fumbled wide on the right the visitors were able to clear.
This proved to be more of a squall than a storm, however, and when powerful rucking forced a turnover and subsequent possession deep in the Sale half the Saints went five points further clear.
It was a lovely try. Ashton, standing at first receiver, spotted a possible overlap on the blindside. Superb hands from Ansbro and Reihana bisected the home defence and Ashton was able to cross unopposed.
Nevertheless it took a desperate triple-tackle to stop Marika Vakacegu scoring in the left corner, and similar efforts on the right to prevent first Hodgson and then a Sharks rolling maul from going over the whitewash.
So by the time the hour mark was reached the Saints were still 12-0 up, and with the introduction of Shane Geraghty, Phil Dowson and Dan Vickerman - the latter for his debut - fresh bodies on the field as well.
Suitably bolstered, Saints headed back upfield and won a penalty that Geraghty converted to take his team three scores clear with a shade over 10 minutes to go.
It proved to be a handy margin as Sale finally got a score of their own after 77 minutes. Kennedy had dropped the ball when powering towards the line in their previous attack, but Cohen showed the centre how it was done in the left corner. Hodgson converted from the touchline, and in a repeat of the LV= Cup encounter between these teams five weeks previously, Sale threw everything at their opponents.
However this time they were just looking for a bonus point, which they were cruelly denied by the right-hand upright stopping a last-gasp Hodgson penalty shot. Geraghty took the ball dead and Saints had the points.
Teams:
Sale Sharks - Macleod; Vakacegu, Kennedy, Thomas (Bishop 70mins), Cohen; Hodgson, Peel; Roberts, Briggs (M Jones 77mins), Forster (Kerr 40mins), C Jones (Cox 51-57mins, 72mins), Schofield (capt), Ormsby (Seymour 53mins), Fearns, Koyamibole
Scorer - Try: Cohen; Con: Hodgson
Northampton Saints - Reihana; Ashton, Ansbro, Downey (Clarke 72mins), Diggin; Myler (Geraghty 59mins), Dickson (Dickens 66mins); Tonga'uiha (Dreyer 77mins), Sharman (Long 72mins), Mujati (Morris 66mins), Fernandez Lobbe (capt)(Vickerman 55mins), Kruger, Lawes (Dowson 59mins), Best, Wilson
Scorers - Tries: Diggin, Ashton; Con: Reihana; Pen: Geraghty
Referee - Chris White
Attendance - 7,109