Biggs is Mortal and Hooper is our Saviour!

Biggs' injury opesn the door for David Rees to make his 50th start for the Tykes - I bet you didn't think he'd made that many starts for Tykes, did you? Since joining in 2003, I think that's a pretty impressive record. He's not someone that sticks in my mind as starting every week, but he must have done and always puts in a performance. Of course, he is ex Bristol, just to add to the fun on Sunday!

Or maybe it's all a scam and actually Biggs will appear off the bench at 60 mins to scamper his way to a hat trick for a Tykes victory and bonus point?!?

In terms of the game, I don't profess to be an expert on the opposition, but I was encouraged by some of the signs last weekend. When Tykes had the ball, there was signs of penetration in the midfield (no, really, but maybe that's what you get for playing South Africa's most capped centre, in the centre. Madness I know but maybe just maybe …). Just a shame that we seem to find it so hard to win the ball this season. How hard can it be? I make the following observations:

Kees Lensing looked good last week and now's he's had another week to get over the jet lag and get to know everyone's names, he can only improve our scrumming and loose play. Did anyone else notice Tom Palmer telling Lensing what to do at kick off last week? "Lift me up, that bloke over there will help you …". By the way, whatever happened on the messageboard to Lala(?), his girlfriend? Are you still out there?

The possession key for me from here on in is the line out. As I said, when we had the ball against Sale, we looked like we might be able to do something with it. However we had it so little, we panicked when we had that egg shaped thing in our hands. More possession, a bit more confidence … who knows what might happen. A win perhaps? Maybe even a run of wins, including a try scoring bonus? Woah, calm down dear!

Anyway, how hard can it be to win the line out? Forget the poncing around, running forward and backward, in and out. If you need the ball, throw it to the tall fat bloke at the front. And if you need some variety, throw it to the less tall but really fat bloke just in front of him. We won good quick ball last week when threw the ball to no2 in the line out; we lost the ball when we aimed further back. It's not rocket science.

And why don't teams use the short flat throw to the prop more? Imagine this once per game … Bulloch throws to Lensing who turns and thunders down the touchline, or uses deft hands to pass back to Bulloch who quickly feeds Marshall. Brilliant. Simple. Can't fail. (Unless of course you don't throw the ball the required 5m, like Sale did on a number of occassions last Saturday. But they got away with it …)

This week Stuart Hooper returns from injury. Could Tykes have been missing Hooper more than we realise? Will the young athelete's introduction to the line out solve all our problems? I hope so, but admit it is unlikely to solve ALL Tyke's problems. But come on, please, win your own ball at least boys! Fresh legs, fresh ideas, fresh timing. It can't make matters any worse and maybe just maybe Hoops can provide what we need to get possession. And whatever happened on the messageboard to his sister?? Are you still out there?

Of course to win this weekend, Tykes must overcome the curse of Regan. Mark Regan has never lost to a former club - how we need him to break >that record now! But then Tykes are good at nevers … never supposed to survive in the Premiership ... never supposed to win the Powergen Cup ... never supposed to sign someone like Justin Marshall ... never supposed to win the league (OK getting carried away there!). But put Tykes in adversity and it does seem to produce the best of us. So I invite Mr Regan to really get in our faces on Sunday, to bring out the best in the Tykes (and then get himself sent off!).

The back row battle should be fiercely special. Richard Parks is on good form and whoever accompanies him for Tykes (from Dunbar, Crane, Hyde, Reid,Morgan) should be more than a match for a Bristol back row of ex Tyke Salter, El Abd and Lewis. The breakdowns and battles for possession should be tasty.

Another note from the Sale match was the lack of confidence amongst Tykes players' in taking players on … on 3 or 4 occassions Tykes had one on one situations and instead of backing themselves to sidestep/speed up/shimmy/whatever it is you backs do, they slowed down and almost waited for the tackle. It must be hard when you've been starved of ball and running all season, but if you're gonna get over that and score, you've got to back yourselves at some point. I feel if we can get a well worked try on the board early in the match, then the confidence should flow.

A match against a team from the bottom half of the leauge during the international period must be a must win for the Tykes. If we can win our own line out, compete well at the breakdown and break the Regan curse, then this should be a win for the Tykes.

Please?

Pretty please?