Preview: Saints vs Leeds - "Tyke On Me"
By Louisa Loveluck
January 27 2006
Another week, another crunch match. Come 5:00 on Saturday, one set of supporters will leave Franklins Gardens with a renewed hope, safe in the knowledge that their fight for their top-flight status is still alive. But who will it be?
Northampton Saints vs Leeds Tykes
Franklin's Gardens
Saturday, 28th January 2006
It is vital that the Saints secure a win against Leeds this weekend since a loss could send them
plunging back down to 11th place, once again ensconced in a relegation dogfight between Bath and the Tykes, and scrapping for their lives. When you consider the fact that the Saints must travel to High Wycombe the following weekend, it is not hard to understand why Saturday’s showdown has become so crucial.
But enough of the doom and gloom! The men in the Green, Black and Gold will take to the field this weekend, buoyed by the fact that they have won 5 out of the last 6 matches. Unbeaten in 2006, a victory over Leeds could see them leap to as high as 8th in the table.
After last Friday’s cancelled fixture in Viadana, it could be argued that Northampton’s momentum will have been somewhat hampered, but the newfound confidence within the squad must surely be cause for optimism amongst even the gloomiest ranks of our supporters. The arrival of backrower, Paul Tupai has coincided with a newfound winning mentality (many would argue that the two are linked) and that could just prove to be the difference between the two teams this weekend.
Saturday’s opponents have proved in the past to be somewhat of a ‘bogey team’ for the Saints, and of the last 4 encounters, the Tykes have claimed no less than 3 wins. Once again, Budge Pountney’s men must be careful not to underestimate the Yorkshiremen as their current form belies their lowly premiership status. The Tykes travel to Franklins Gardens this weekend on the back of a crushing 48-3 victory over Jonah Lomu’s Cardiff Blues and whilst the Saints must still be marginal favourites this weekend, one must not forget that Leeds are the masters of the sporting upset - just ask Bath and Perpignan!
The last time the two sides met, it was the Tykes who came away with the spoils after the Saints let in two early tries and as a result, found themselves on the back foot for most of the match. Despite a late Northampton resurgence, it was Leeds who prevailed, winning 28-25 in an ultimately disappointing match.
This afternoon, the Saints’ Director of Rugby, Budge Pountney, announced his team as:
15 BRUCE REIHANA (co-capt)
14 SEAN LAMONT
13 Jon Clarke
12 DAVID QUINLAN
11 BEN COHEN
10 CARLOS SPENCER
9 MARK ROBINSON
1 TOM SMITH
2 STEVE THOMPSON (co-capt)
3 Chris Budgen
4 Damien Browne
5 Matt Lord
6 PAUL TUPAI
7 Ben Lewitt
8 Daniel Browne
16 Dylan Hartley
17 Simon Emms
18 DAVID GERARD
19 SAM HARDING
20 Johnny Howard
21 Robbie Kydd
22 John Rudd
So it seems that the Saints have gone from one extreme to the other. Last week the coaches were struggling to string together a backline and this week they seem to have centres and wingers coming out of their ears. A return to fitness for David Quinlan and Sean Lamont has allowed Pountney to announce a full-strength team with and with Jon Clarke’s impending England A call-up, it seems that we may soon be able to field a full international backline!
In the backrow we see a second start for new hope, Paul Tupai who seems to have considerably stabilised both the scrum and the lineout since his arrival and who, despite having played less than 2 hours of competitive rugby for the Saints, many are hailing as the new Andrew Blowers. It is certainly an impressive reputation to live up to, but if an article in New Zealand Daily Post is anything to go by, he seems to be out of exactly the same mould. Here's the link to that story....
Elsewhere, Simon Emms and Robbie Kydd finds themselves on the bench after extensive injury layoffs, and the latter will be hoping to make it onto the pitch for his home debut on Saturday.
The Leeds team for this weekend is yet to be announced, although it is expected to be pretty much unchanged from the side that won at Headingly last weekend. The only likely changes will come if Gordon Ross and Gavin Kerr are announced as unavailable for selection after their inclusion in the 22 for Scotland’s Six Nations campaign.
So, now that I’ve covered the team news it is time for the customary prediction. Once again, it is sure to be a tight match (when is it not?) with both teams desperate for a win.
Whilst I write this, my pen hovers over the page for a fleeting second as I hesitate to write this next sentence… but what the heck, as a Saints supporter I am fully entitled to my own optimistic delusions, and if our recent winning streak isn’t cause for a more positive outlook, I don’t know what is!
Saints by 12…
Pics are courtesy of BigRich and show the conditions in Viadana last weekend.