Wasps 31 Northampton Saints 35: Tom Vickers' review and player ratings
Actually, it looked like it might be the worst one yet.
Because after getting what looked like a stranglehold on the game, Saints, who had never previously won at the Ricoh in the Premiership, somehow let Wasps off the hook.
A 28-10 lead became a 31-28 deficit seemingly in the blink of the eye.
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Hide AdNot only that, 15 men rapidly became 13 as Tom Collins was sent off and Cobus Reinach was sin-binned.
It looked like being a second-half horror show, even if Saints had pocketed a losing bonus to add to their earlier try bonus point.
Wasps were on the charge and the momentum had completely swung their way.
It was almost surreal as Saints had been dominant for so long.
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Hide AdAside from a Marcus Watson sucker punch, brilliantly engineered by Malakai Fekitoa, the men in grey and green appeared calm, composed and hungry for tries.
In fact, they probably should have been far further ahead than the four-point lead they enjoyed at the break.
Wasps had been struggling to get out of their own half, despite delivering some bone-crunching hits and producing prolonged periods of resilience.
And when Tom Wood and Cobus Reinach scored two tries in the space of 11 second-half minutes, there looked to be only one winner.
But that was where Saints stopped and Wasps started.
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Hide AdThe hosts brought the likes of Sione Vailanu and, most notably, Jimmy Gopperth off the bench.
And Gopperth, so often a tormentor of Saints, helped to turn the tide in his team's favour.
Suddenly, Saints were all at sea, with gaps appearing at an alarming rate and not enough buckets on board to shift the water out of a rapidly sinking ship.
That was until the final five minutes, when they finally regained a foothold in the game.
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Hide AdWave after wave of attack came Wasps' way, and they eventually buckled thanks to the brute strength of Taqele Naiyaravoro.
The away fans, who outsung their home counterparts, were left delirious, and after the metronomic Dan Biggar converted, Saints saw it out to secure a memorable win.
Yes, it shouldn't have needed to be so memorable.
Saints should have sewn the game up at 28-10 ahead, as teams like Saracens and Exeter most likely would have done.
But it was another step in their evolution and another lesson that they can learn without any real damage being done.
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Hide AdThey will have to be better for longer in games against better teams.
But another win on the road is so welcome and the perfect way for them to start the year, however it came.
This Saints team rarely fails to produce excitement and heart-stopping moments.
And they will now desperately hope they can keep themselves alive in Europe during the next two weeks.
How they rated...
GEORGE FURBANK
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