Rugby Union: Mighty Mendez leads the Saints' stampede

Northampton 57

Newcastle 16

IN THE end it was not so much a march for the Saints as a stroll. An embarrassingly easy one at that. Northampton's domination of the match earned them their first victory in four Allied Dunbar Premiership meetings with the defending champions. And it was conducted in style as they ran in nine tries.

Northampton played with flair and finesse. Their determination to entertain had a 6,540 crowd yelling and stamping its approval. Newcastle were left looking shell-shocked as Saints hit them with a barrage of blows, attacking from all parts of the field, with every player willing and able to carry the ball up and go on to score.

The Saints' defence were magnificent and it was their biggest win this season and the Falcons' heaviest defeat. To single out individuals might seem invidious but the scrum-half Matt Dawson and hooker Federico Mendez were in scintillating form.

They may not have had Paul Grayson, but Northampton always looked like scoring by running at Newcastle, and Dawson's boot did the rest. There was certainly a more adventurous air about the Saints. They were prepared to attack from anywhere and frequently did.

Mendez was always willing to propel his 18 stone of Argentine beef into the thick of things, invariably emerging in a cloud of dust with ball in hand, leaving opposition bodies twitching on the ground in his wake.

After Ben Cohen's well-taken opening try in the 13th minute it was Mendez's quickness of wit, rather than his pace, which ensured Saints' second try. The Argentine hooker received the ball as a move went left, heading for nowhere. Mendez spotted Dawson coming up on his right and sent out a superbly timed pass. The lock Richard Metcalfe rewarded such vision by flinging his 7ft 1in frame over the try-line on the right.

The centre Matt Allen was over for Saints' third try after a great break by Dawson, who eluded a clutch of tackles, passed to Pat Lam, and Allen pounded into the open for a simple score. But all the while Rob Andrew was punishing every Northampton indiscretion by knocking over penalty after penalty from wherever he chose. Three of those, along with his conversion of the scrum-half Hall Charlton's solo try in the 25th minute kept the Falcons in touch.

But Northampton stormed into them after the interval. Mendez should have scored in the second minute of the half, unfortunately Nick Beal refused to look right and the chance was wasted. It did not matter. Four minutes later Mendez got his try after some serious assaults on the line by Dawson and then Lam. Then Dawson wriggled over for a try, followed shortly after by the flanker Budge Pountney and a second each for Mendez and Cohen as well as one for Beal. The Falcons fluttered to earth, lifeless.

Northampton: N Beal; C Moir, A Northey, M Allen (A Blyth, 28-35), B Cohen; A Hepher, M Dawson; M Volland, F Mendez (S Walter, 79), M Stewart, R Metcalfe (J Phillips, 41), T Rodber (capt), D Mackinnon (G Seely, 46), P Lam, B Pountney.

Newcastle: P Massey; J Naylor, V Tuigamala, T May, M Wood; R Andrew (capt), H Charlton; G Graham, R Nesdale, M Hurter (I Peel, 47), H Vyvyan, G Archer, P Walton (J Rule, 47), R Beattie, J Cartmell.

Referee: C White (Cheltenham).