Preview: Romancing the Cup
By Peter Creek
January 18 2007
On Saturday the Division One teams enter the EDF National Trophy in round four. This is a time for the minnows to pit themselves against the full & part-time professional outfits. Dreams of giant killing acts and trips to Twickenham abound.
One such tie which has the potential to be a “David and Goliath “ game is Tykes versus Tynedale at Headingley Carnegie stadium.
This is Tynedale’s big day. I’m sorry I’ll try that again. Tykes versus Tynedale at Tynedale. The game has been switched to the northeast ostensibly because there is wind damage to the Carnegie stand. To anyone sitting in the Carnegie on Sunday this must have been quite worrying. The real reasons are probably to do with preserving the turf and the lack of advanced ticket sales for the game.
Northumbrian rugby always conjures up, for me, memories of huge flinty eyed farmers’ sons yomping down from the Cheviots, speaking a strange Nordic tongue and playing a brand of rugby which only required ten men at most. Will Tynedale be such an outfit? Certainly they will not fear Leeds. As things stand they are second in Division Three North, two divisions and more than thirty places below Leeds in the tables. The professional era will have seen their more talented players migrate south to find fame and fortune where the money is.
All five of the top sides in National one will look at the weekend fixtures and the coaches will think about a trip to Twickers. Those thoughts, however, will be rapidly put aside by the smarter ones who will see the fixture differently to those who oppose them. Leeds, Plymouth and Doncaster have all stuttered in the drive for promotion in recent weeks. For Stuart Lancaster this game is an opportunity to either give some of his squad players a run out, a chance to rest some of his battle weary troops and perhaps to blood some youngsters, or to unleash the puppies en masse.
Last season the Tyklets put Wharfedale to the sword in the Yorkshire Cup final. Will Lanny do the same again this time against Tynedale, putting out his development side? He may be tempted as he knows what his requirements are and he will have one eye on a home fixture with Bedford which is coming up early in February. With this in mind he will certainly rest key players. Do not expect to see the familiar figures of Dunbar, Oakley and Schusterman run out on Saturday. Nor will you see Hepworth, Edwards or Snyman. No, the younger players at the club will, once again, be asked to step up to the plate and represent the Tykes in the National Trophy, probably reinforced with a couple of gnarlies who need game time.. Is this the romance of the cup? To the players who don the shirts before the game – yes it is . Will Leeds win? On paper Tynedale should not be as strong as Wharfedale were last year. In practice they will be up for it, on their home turf with a partisan crowd baying them on. An upset is on the cards.
When the final of this competition comes around I do not think we will see any of the top five National One teams at Twickenham chasing silverware. This trophy is destined for one of the middle order clubs who are already effectively out of the promotion race. Tykes also have two huge fixtures in the fortnight following the National Trophy final.
For Leeds, this season there is only one prize worth chasing. Those of you who want to see them in a cup final should get down to the Brickfield Stadium on Saturday April 28th for the last, and possibly deciding, league game of the season. I for one would not swap promotion to the Guinness Premiership for a gold pig.