Tykes Aim For First Twickenham Appearance

Appeal for Calm!
By apb
March 4 2005

So, here we are again, at a Powergen Semi-Final weekend for the second time in as many years. Until last year, this was a free weekend for Tykes fans, where we ended up trying to remember what it is we do when there isn't a rugby match on.

Last year, however, all that changed, when we all headed over the pennines to take on Sale in their own back yard. Talk of Twickenham and silverware was rife. We were, after all, going to prove that there is no such thing as a "bogey team"; never having beaten Sale before in our history was not going to influence the result at all. Oh no. The cup was as good as ours.

And then - OUCH! On live, national television (if you can call the BBC's sports coverage that), the Tykes capitulated utterly in the first half, and dispite a semi-revival in the second, we were sent home with our collective proverbial tails between our legs.

This season of course is completely different. We are all really worried about the spectre of relegation from the top flight. Propping up the ZP is never a pleasant experience, and the thought of being there when the trap-door opens is enough to make anyone miserable. So its good to know that we have a small interlude to lighten our hearts. Win this one, and we have a nice little jolly down the M1 to look forward to.

And who would it be in our way of that pleasant little outing? London Irish!

Now, if there is such a thing as "bogey team", then perhaps this time it'll work in our favour. Tykes did the double over our illustrious green opposition in the premiership, and the record since joining the premiership has been pretty good as well - not to mention the 41-16 pasting we game them here at Headingley a couple of seasons back.

Leeds Tykes Team

Leeds have named a strong line-up, and its clear that for Leeds RUgby, this cup is as important as ever. Welcoming back our internationals again this week, Gordon Ross slots straight back into the pivotal fly-half position, this time partnering his compatriot Mark McMillan. Mark has struggled to secure a first team start this year dispite early promise, so its a particularly brave choice from Mr. Davies. However, he's the man that trains them, and I'm confident he's seen something that can be used. Be sure, though, that Alan Dickens will be sitting on the bench and champing at the bit, together with the new signing Craig McMullen who will be keen to show us what he can do!

Much welcomed also is Mike Shelley who has been out injured for a month since the Worcester game, and his strength and shrewdness at loosehead is precisely what the Tykes will need on Sunday. Ronnie Regan also makes a start, and the rest of the front row is made up by ever reliable, strong scrummaging, broken-play rampaging, TykesRugby's Rayno Gerber. Rayno keeps Scottish international Gavin Kerr on the bench, although Kerr has returned from Murrayfield with a slight hamstring strain that may yet require him to relinquish even this spot to Mick Cusack.

The second row is as strong as ever, with Murph providing the beef, and Palmer the athletism, and the back row of Morgan, Parks and Rigney is as good a threesome as you are likely to find. The back line too contains all the usual suspects, with Iain Balshaw at full-back, and David Doherty making another start at no. 11. Snyman and Stimpson are still injured. Phil Christophers resumes his partnership at centre with Chris Bell, and David Rees takes on the left winger's role.

London Irish Team

As you'd expect from a premiership side, London Irish is stuffed with quality from 1 to 22. A speedy back-line of Horak, Staniforth, Penney, Catt and Armitage will look to capitalise on quick ball fed from talismanic fly-half Mark Mapletoft. Much has been made of Mapletoft's kicking this season, and indeed just looking at statistics alone would suggest that the Irish have a one dimensional kicking game. However in the last encounter at Headingley, dispite the excellent win for the Tykes, Staniforth finished off a particularly swift move involving all the backs that left the Tykes defence standing. Write these off at your peril.

Your author knows less about the Irish pack, other than it has to be pretty good otherwise they wouldn't be this far along in the competition! Tykes have been struggling in their forward play of late, and its possible that the Irish big men may try to instill FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) into the minds of the Tykes players. We also welcome Douggie Wheatley back to Headingley. Douggie was loaned to Tykes last season as a cover prop, and it was hoped that he could be lured to make the move full-time. However he politey declined, and has since been a regular in the Irish line-up.

Irish have changed and evolved their game plan since last we met. The four try beating they gave Sarries two weeks ago shows that they can adapt, and if the Leeds coaches haven't recognised this, then there will be smiling green faces come two o'clock on Sunday. The blue and amber brigade need something to be happy about. The Leeds fans have a big part to play in the result of both this match, and the Tykes season. Raise the roof off the South Stand, and it'll give that lift that is so welcomed by home teams. Get on their backs at every knock-on or infringement, and it could drain the confidence away so much that we'll be playing ND1 rugby next year.

As I stated at the top of the article, this is the Tykes second semi-final in as many years. The experience against Sale last year wasn't desparately pleasant, and the team will not want to repeat a performance like that again in front of the nation. Irish, by contrast, are past winners of this tournament, and will be looking to get back to HQ and get their name on the cup again.

Its going to be close. Its going to be hard. Its going to be a bit muddy! Its going to be a Tykes win by the odd three points.

GO TYKES!

Teams:

Leeds 15. Iain Balshaw 14. David Rees 13. Phil Christophers 12. Chris Bell 11. David Doherty 10. Gordon Ross 9. Mark McMillan 1. Mike Shelley 2. Mark Regan 3. Rayno Gerber 4. Chris Murphy 5. Tom Palmer (c) 6. Scott Morgan 7. Richard Parks 8. Colm Rigney 16. Gavin Kerr or Michael Cusack 17. Rob Rawlinson 18. Jon Dunbar 19. Dan Hyde 20. Stuart Hooper 21. Craig McMullen 22. Alan Dickens

London Irish 15. Michael Horak 14. Scott Staniforth 13. Rodd Penney 12. Mike Catt 11. Delon Armitage 10. Mark Mapletoft 9. Darren Edwards 1. Neal Hatley 2. Robbie Russell 3. Rob Hardwick 4. Nick Kennedy 5. Bob Casey 6. Paul Gustard 7. Kieron Dawson (c) 8. Roland Reid 16. Doug Wheatley 17. Adrian Flavin 18. Ryan Strudwick 19. Phil Murphy 20. Justin Bishop 21. Barry Everitt 22. Paul Hodgson

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