Saracens bounced back in style from two straight defeats with a morale-boosting victory over Northampton Saints at Vicarage Road on Saturday (September 28) afternoon.

Two crushing defeats had seen the men in black slip alarmingly down the Zurich Premiership table, but they produced the perfect response to the stinging criticism from head coach, Buck Shelford, and owner Nigel Wray with a stirring display that augurs well for the remainder of the campaign.

The men in black, with a host of internationals on the bench, made a dream start, crossing the try line in the opening two minutes to send the sparse crowd of 6,289 into raptures. A trademark up-and-under from Adryan Winnan fell kindly into the path of Richard Hill, who burst forward before off-loading to Stuart Hooper who charged over from 15 metres.

Goode converted and added another penalty but his opposite number, Paul Grayson, kept the visitors in touch with a penalty and a neat drop goal with his wrong-foot.

Sarries, who defended manfully in a first half where they were on the back foot for large parts, were denied a try on ten minutes when a pass from Hooper to Morgan Williams was adjudged to have gone forward.

Goode, in sparkling form, added three further penalties to Grayson's one, as Sarries entered the break with a 16-9 lead.

The signs looked ominous for the men in black as the second half got underway as within three minutes Craig Yandell was sin-binned for coming in from the wrong side.

Northampton, sensing their moment, stepped up the pace and were denied a try when Tom Smith, the Scotland prop, was brilliantly held up on the line by Tom Shanklin and Johnny Marsters.

The men black, however, could do little about the Saints' first and only try on 52 minutes when Nick Beal burst through the gap, converted by Grayson, to level the scores at 16-16.

Goode added a drop goal on 54 minutes and then a penalty on 56 as Sarries regained the lead.

Grayson slotted a penalty on 63 minutes but that was to be the last score registered by the visitors as Sarries' took control.

Goode, the former Tigers' fly-half, nailed another effort from inside his own half and, after Marsters had been sin-binned on 67 minutes, sealed a fine win and completed a superb haul of 26 points with a drop goal and another penalty in the last six minutes.

Saracens: Winnan, Johnstone, Shanklin, Sorrell, O'Mahony, Goode, Williams; Kershaw, Ross, Marsters, Hooper, Yandell, Peacey, Roques, Hill.

Replacements: Castaignede, Bracken, Benazzi, Cairns, Chesney, Little, Parkes

October 1, 2002 10:30