Jon Sleightholme's most famous try, against Ireland in 1996, gave Will Carling's England the Five Nations trophy. It was created by the wing's Northampton club-mate Paul Grayson. On Saturday five minutes before the break Matt Dawson, Grayson's half-back partner six years ago, created another try for the four-square Yorkshireman.
"It wasn't the greatest try I've scored but it was one of the most memorable," said England's forgotten man. For the last two years Sleight holme has been sponsorship manager at Franklin's Gardens, two shoulder dislocations and ruptured knee ligaments sending his playing career down a depressing blind-side channel.
"There have been dark days but I didn't want my career to peter out like a damp firework. So six months ago I began the road back to fitness. Wayne [Smith, the coach] said he was starting with a blank sheet of paper, encouraged me to return and it's just great to be back."
Sleightholme, now 30, must have been pretty good at his day job, which he is continuing, to judge by the speed at which Northampton have con structed two grandstands. In little more than four months this summer a new stand was added to the one built in the summer of 2001, creating a 12,500-capacity ground and the best club rugby theatre in the country. As the club chairman Keith Barwell says, £6.1m for half a ground in 33 weeks is pretty shaming on the men behind the multimillion-pound Wembley fiasco.
But if this is an impressive rugby theatre, Newcastle were bit-players on Saturday. Once Sleightholme had crashed over following Dawson's neat blind-side pass and Nick Beal's incursion into the line, there was only one team in it. On this evidence Rob Andrew's team, underpowered up front, face a long, hard winter.
Jonny Wilkinson battled magnificently behind that beaten pack but all his good work, the trademark tackling and booming defensive touchfinders, was done in his own half. Liam Botham gave a brave display under the high ball but Newcastle's only other eye-catching display came from a lively Hall Charlton, a second-half scrum-half replacement who played as if he had a point to prove to Andrew. By the time Stuart Grimes scored Newcastle's first try of the season, following a quick Wilkinson penalty, the home fans were making for the bars.
Northampton were soon out of sight after the break, though. John Leslie, who left Newcastle under a cloud three years ago, added a second try and Grayson a third. Grayson, who also kicked 16 points, was voted man of the match. It was truly a day for former England thirtysomethings.
Northampton: Beal; Sleightholme, Cohen, Leslie (capt; Jorgensen, 55), Ripol; Grayson (Brooks, 73), Dawson (Vass, 58); Smith, Thompson (Richmond, 59), Stewart (Morris, 54), Williams, Connors (Hunter, 45), Blowers (Soden, 70), Pountney, Seely.
Tries: Sleightholme, Leslie, Grayson. Cons: Grayson 2. Pens: Grayson 4.
Newcastle: Botham; Shaw, Noon, May (Godman, 70), Stephenson; Wilkinson (capt), Grindal (Charlton, 55); Peel, Brotherstone (Thompson, 70), Hurter (Ward, h-t), Vyvyan (Hamilton, 76), Grimes, Taione (0tuvaka, 70), Dowson, Dunbar (Devonshire, 58).
Try: Grimes. Con: Wilkinson. Pens: Wilkinson 2.
Referee: S Lander (Liverpool) Attendance: 10,213.
