Thanks for Nothing, Bucharest!
By Andy Brown
October 16 2009
This weekend’s Amlin European Cup tie between Leeds Carnegie and Rugby Parma (kick off 3.00pm, Sunday) provides Leeds Carnegie a chance to atone for their early season poor start. The Cup has always been seen by the larger nations as something that could ease the intensity of the local competitions and allow the teams to take a virtual deep breath and try out some differing combinations.
Leeds’ start to the season has been a depressing one, and if they are to remain a force at the top level, then the nadir of their season should already have happened; the wins need to come, and frequently over the coming months. Now we have the situation that we thought we had at the beginning of the Guinness Premiership season – a winnable match at home against opposition we should be capable of beating.
But who said there was no pressure in this competition? With what looked, on the face of it, a remarkable victory in the last round, Bucharesti Oaks – a team made up of players from several clubs in Romania - put a whole stack of points on the board to beat Parma 21-9, and thus making any feel-good factor for Leeds this weekend nigh on impossible.
You can just imagine it can’t you? A loss? Unthinkable. A narrow win? Well, Bucharest beat them well, so why can’t we? A win by a hatful? Even Bucharest did that, so still nothing to crow about.
So the fans of Leeds Carnegie, whatever the outcome, will still fit into their comfort zone of being depressed and Eeyore-ish about the whole state of the club and its future at the top table.
What can’t be denied though is that the team picked will be going all out for a valuable confidence-building win against the Parma side, and will want to perform well in front of the Headingley faithful. A good result is all that matters at the end of the day, and if this is the kick-start to the season that is so desperately required, then who am I to allow negativity to cloud it?
Leigh Hinton makes a welcome return to the side this time, and it’ll be good to see him ghosting through a number of gaps in a Parma defence run ragged by deft passing and strong forward play. This is not a pipe-dream, it could easily happen, and I expect it to. The XV selected, barring a couple of props, is a recognisable team-sheet from last year. A National 1 team selection to take on a weak-looking Italian outfit.
They will be good enough to get Leeds first win, and it’ll be convincing. We may even see the spark of Premiership revival to come…
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:10:16:14:42:51 by apb.
Up the Carnegie TYKES !
WHATEVER IT TAKES
we're doooomed ...
COME ON YEW CARNEGIE-TYKES!!!
Quote:Bobba
Don't you just love pessimists!
I love people who cannot spot sarcasm when it is staring them in the face. Obviously too subtle!
Some say he has a Tykes flag with team signatures on.
Others say that he's doing the same to the Carnegie flag,
All we know is that he's called Leeds carnegie signed flag.
Some say he has a Tykes flag with team signatures on.
Others say that he's doing the same to the Carnegie flag,
All we know is that he's called Leeds carnegie signed flag.
Quote:Leeds Carnegie Signed Flag
Don't you just love Toulouse too,
Still no.