Falcons blitzed by tough Saints

Northampton coach Wayne Smith provided conclusive proof on Saturday that the old school methods - pre-dawn starts, cold showers and punishment just short of public flogging - work. OK, so he didn't quite thrash his players with birches as punishment for their abysmal showing against Leicester a fortnight earlier.

But he did drag them in for training at the ungodly hour of 7.30am, and then axed internationals Tom Smith and Steve Thompson. The pay-off is a place in the Twickenham final against London Irish, thanks to a remarkable first 40 minutes which left Newcastle 33-0 down and, to quote from Falcons director of rugby Rob Andrew, 'blitzed'. Northampton captain and Scotland star Budge Pountney admitted after the 38-7 triumph that the order to report early on Tuesday was not entirely welcomed.

'I didn't even realise there were two 7.30s in the day,' he joked. 'It was full training at the ground and, because the weather was good, the boys enjoyed it.' Former All Black coach Smith's decision to drop Scotland and Lions prop Smith and new England hooker Thompson might have seemed like a gamble. But replacements Robbie Morris and Dan Richmond were excellent, while the coach's message about maintaining performance standards hit home.

'The two boys dropped have taken it well,' said Pountney. 'We've got to know that, if you don't perform, it doesn't matter if you play for England, Scotland or the Lions - you are part of Saints and no-one is bigger than this team.' Saints were incredible in the first half, former England stand off Paul Grayson making opposite number Jonny Wilkinson look bedraggled with his superb marshalling of the attack. Defensively, the home side looked as if they could have stopped an armoured regiment. But the game was still technically alive after half an hour, with Northampton only 13-0 up thanks to an early Grant Seely try and two Grayson penalties. They then scored 20 points in eight minutes, Peter Jorgensen, Seely again and Craig Moir touching down while Grayson hit one penalty and a conversion, to settle the contest before half-time. Newcastle later chased everything but gained little. A try from Jorgensen made it 38-0 before Michael Stephenson finally scored for the visitors in injury time, Wilkinson converting.

The challenge now for Northampton is to carry this performance into the Zurich Premiership. Smith, having arrived just before Christmas, has enjoyed what he calls 'a winter of content' but needs to climb the table.

Still, tough love works, it seems.