News: HC: Northampton Saints vs Castres - Match Preview
By lilyg
October 6 2010
The Aviva Premiership takes a back seat for a couple of weeks as Northampton Saints begin their march on Europe in the Heineken Cup. They welcome the French side Castres Olympique to Franklin's Gardens on Friday evening and regular COYSDC contributor lilyg looks ahead to the game...
Heineken Cup – Round One
Northampton Saints v Castres Olympique,
Friday 8th October 2010, 20:00 - Franklins Gardens
OK, let’s get it out of the way…I hate Friday games.
When you work in London, you are at the behest of London Midland and their desire (or not) to get the 17:13 running on time. Still, the last Friday game, I watched the masses of Saints shirts join me in my London Midland worry and had there been a delay, then I think we would have witnessed the first train based riot…so we will see whether I am back in time for my pasty and chips…
And so to matters on the pitch.
The Heineken Cup, the only cup the Saints won before the Tiggs (very pleased with that!), the only English team to have made it into the knockout stages last season and how I would love to say the 2010/2011 champions.
Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing great was ever achieved - the trepidation, excitement and vibrancy that the tournament generates throughout Europe, nay the World, really only goes to show that this competition is easily one of, if not, the most prestigious trophies in club rugby. I have no doubt that in this 16th year of fierce rivalry, the drive and passion on the pitch will be met in equal proportions to that in the stands and especially in ours.
And so to our continental visitors, located in the Midi-Pyrenees, Castres Olympique last tasted European victory in 2003 beating Caerphilly 40 - 12 in the European Shield. Prior to that, they were runners up in 1997 (to Bourgoin) and in our glorious year of 2000 (to Pau) in the European Challenge Cup. Their recent Heineken cup history hasn’t been anything to shout about, not getting out of the group stages since 2001/02 when they reached the semi-final only to be beaten by Munster at home in front of their biggest crowd (20,500) and with one Ignacio Fernadez Lobbe in their squad.
At the time or writing, they lie 10th in the Top 14 table but only five points stand between them and the team in third who they beat at home…Stade Toulousain. In fact they have won all the home matches, but their away form has been woeful, losing every single one, conceding 109 points in the last four games alone.
So what to expect from Castres and their first visit to the Gardens? It’s generally suggested that there is a French tendency to target the Top 14 thus leading them to playing under-strength sides as they focus on their main prize – I’m not so sure Toulouse would agree with that, but certainly, Castres current poor away form will only benefit the Saints if they keep it up!
With Benjamin Keyser, Chris Masoe, the enormous Georgian Akvseni Giorgadze, Scott Murray and Sebastien Tillous-Borde in their ranks, Castres will not or should not be a walkover and nor should they be treated as such. We had a few ‘nearlys’ in Division One – I don’t want any more grey hair thank you.
And so to the Saints, with their Heineken Cup shirts slowing creeping back to the hoops (bring back the hoops!), the teams recent form, exciting brand of rugby and my green, black and gold coloured spectacles I can’t see this being anything but a home win and a home win by at least 12.
In my bones I feel that there’s something special (tongue in cheek) going on at the Gardens this year, and I for one want to be part of it.
Our man in the middle for this encounter is the Irishman John Lacey, a first time visitor – let’s make it one he never forgets, let’s make it the noisiest one he’s ever heard, let’s make this first game of the tournament a spectacular event and most importantly let’s make sure there’s a big fat W at 21:40 on Friday night!
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Saint til I die
Looking forward, as ever, to a great game with plenty of noise.
I hope that Castres manage to persuade a few of their fans to come visit us so they know what to expect on the return leg.
“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
Benjamin Franklin
Tetleys Block F E143
I used to hate night games too, but now I love them as they tend to imply that Saints are on the tele, and that means I get to see them, even if it is at a silly hour in the morning.
It is a mystery to me how so many of the French teams seem to accept a miserable away record as long as their home record is good. Maybe it is because their supporters do not travel to away games in the large numbers that we see from the British sides? If so, does this really pprove that all our effort is worthwhile and that we are, after all, the 16th man?
Nice preview, so much better than the one in two weeks time is going to be.
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Merci beaucoup!
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