Grapple in the Gardens....
By Mrs Oxenhoper
January 31 2006
Forget Rumble in the Jungle today let me present to you the….er.. GRAPPLE IN THE GARDENS! OK it needs some work but you think no-one laughed when they first suggested the rumble?
So without further adue,ladies and gentlemen let me introduce,on my left in the blue corner from Headingley the LEEDS TYKES.Today at light heavyweight recently elevated after a stunning Powergen cup final win last season but unfortunately for most of this season have found themselves near or at the bottom of the table.
And on my right,in the red corner from the Gardens the NORTHAMPTON SAINTS former heavyweight champions but lighter of late and for most of their season have been at or near the foot of the table.
Weighing in at hooker for the Tykes,none other than Bully former Lion with a multitude of international caps under his belt,top class player,slightly askew at the lineout early on in the season but with 76 throws won to his name and 31 carries for 81 meters(stats courtesy of Saints programme).
Weighing in for the Saints Tommo again former
Last season the Tykes narrowly defeated the drop by playing some astounding get out of jail rugby at the death..…..whereby Saints laughed relegation in the face on the last day of the season with their own get out of jail card-Shane Drahm!
On a recent foray into Europe the Tykes found themselves frozen off (and brassed off) in the north of
…...the Saints however on their recent European venture found themselves out manoeuvred by the weather in the north of Italy and without even playing returned to the Gardens with all 5 points thank you very much!
In an effort to really pepper things up at Headingley ,
Now wait a cotton pickin’ minute,is this some strange parallel universe we’ve stepped into here?Seemingly not,just the eerily similar run of fortunes over the past season and a half of two very different clubs.Is it any wonder then that just weeks ago we stood together in the south of France,side by side sharing a game of rugby,a few beers and a chorus or two of each others song-well we’re neither of us the most well versed clubs in rugby but I’m a firm believer that it’s not just what you sing ,it’s how often and how loud you sing it that really counts.But today is where all the how do you does,the hand shakes and back patting stop,for 80 minutes at least as today we stand face to face as our teams go head to head in a basement battle in the gritty reality that is the Guiness Premiership.This is ‘Strictly Rugby’ and points mean prizes or in our case SURVIVAL.
The first round or two were battled out by the fans as they tested the water (and slightly stronger liquids) in the bars around the ground neither side being over confident of the win or expecting heavy defeat,the conclusion was that it was always going to be a close encounter and as we jostled for the best viewing points on the terraces the tension really started to mount as the players took centre stage to take on the challenge and get this scrap under way.
The next few rounds saw a few jabs,a couple of cute combinations but the first telling blow came from Saint Lamont as he crossed the tryline tagging onto the end of a lovely cross field kick from Spencer but the conversion rubbed the post and 5 it stayed.Leeds counterpunched with a cracking solo effort from Biggs as he tagged onto the end of a kick and went over in the corner for 5 but this time it was Ross who rubbed the post with his conversion attempt and at 5 a piece was there anything to separate these teams?As the rest of the afternoon unfolded,apparantly not!
Both teams played some rugby moving the ball the full width and length of the pitch but Leeds were the first to be rewarded this time around as a Ross penalty was the opening act for the second part of the Tom Biggs show.After some crafty play on the touchline to keep the ball in play Biggs regathered and the Saints defence was no match for the blistering pace of Biggs as he touched down for his second try of the day.Leeds enjoyed the lions share of possession for a time but just before halftime Saints new Engalnd A call up Jon Clarke finished a well worked try for Northampton,Reihana added an extra two and the teams reached the halfway point of the fight with Leeds 13 -12 to the good.
Now,if this was indeed a real fight you lads would now be treated to some blonde bombshell parading the ring in high heels with legs as high as the hills,but seeing as I don’t have any of those attributes(or any high heels(,tho’ Stephen did offer to lend me his but that’s a tale for another day!)I didn’t bother and we all had to amuse ourselves instead.As the teams returned for the last few rounds it would seem that maybe Leeds fortunes were somehow linked to the weather as the first 40 played in wonderful winter sunshine were so promising but as the sun dipped out of view and the cold started to dig in so did the Saints and the game seemed to slowly ebb away.Early doors Marshall was marched to the bin for 10 for punching Cohen who was all over the scrum half but as real fighting is not allowed Justin had to sit it out and watch the pressure mount on his team mates.Justin has obviously been earmarked this season as a danger man and rightly so but it means his patience has been severely tested as teams cling to him ,hold on,even sit on and dish out the cheap shots and today I guess that patience just ran out.
Reihana once again slotted over the ensuing penalty and Saints took a 15-13 lead and really turned up the heat on the Leeds defence which fought heroically to deny wave after wave of green shirts coming at them.the first drive was held up over the line ,the second drive came up short as once again Leeds got bodies behind the ball in fact the Tykes had hardly moved off their line when Marshall re-entered the fray and somehow Leeds finally managed to turnover the ball and take a breather.This dogged,stubborn defence had held out the 10 conceiving just three points and just when you thought they must be absolutely shot at a flurry of changes and Leeds were suddenly back on the attack and as the famous prophet Billy Ocean once said ‘when the going gets tough the tough get going’ and get going the Tykes certainly did (and now not only have you realised that I’ve completely lost my marbles you also know that I’m really old!).
The changes saw Danny Care replace
Dunbar,Lensing and Doherty all take their place with Vickerman having to leave the pitch injured.Doherty immediately made his mark as he scared the living daylights out of the Saints defense with his pace but unfortunately on a beautiful angled run he out paced his team mates too and the try line was left beckoning Both teams had chances, Spencer converted a longer range penalty but it was Care for Leeds who went over next but sadly Ross couldn’t convert and the teams were locked at 18 all and it looked like a tie was going to be a fair result when, with the ball within kickable range Care went down with the ball and was blown for holding on.However it looked like Care had stumbled trying to avoid the outstretched leg of Spencer with a blatant deliberate attempt at tripping.Credit to Reihana for getting the 3 points under such pressure especially having missed a couple of easier attempts earlier.
But as we all know it’s not the first display of pettiness we’ve seen from Spencer and the phrase ‘true colours’ spring to mind here.Maybe it’s the old Auckland Canterbury rivalry re-visited and maybe he feels he has a point to prove as Marshall has taken most of the headlines but there are more savoury ways of doing it.Tommo was superb today taking the ball forward if not in the line out and Budgen was so strong in the tackle breaking up crucial plays and with the final score 21-18 to the Saints I can honestly say we did not deserve to lose that game but with such a spirited performance of their own how can you say that Saints did not deserve to win? Their fans were superb today and just a word of thanks for making us feel so welcome especially the blokes in front of us,one of whom is now deaf and not just because they shared their port!
No doubt it was a vicious blow so late on in the last round but there have to be some positives to take from this game such as travelling away and getting a bonus point(true,4 of 5 even would have been better) and the performances of Biggs who was phenomenal again today and of Care who showed why he is in the England 7’s.We wish all the best to Vickerman and hope the injury which will cast a shadow over his England under 21 call up,is not as bad as it appeared.Today the breakdown was our downfall it just wasn’t clean enough to provide the platform for that slick,expansive game we like to play.
I look at the Leeds corner and I see a real strong unit.a tight knit group working hard for each other who just do not know how to throw in the towel and no matter how many blows they take or how often they are on the ropes or the canvas they pick themselves up,dust themselves down and come back stronger for the experience.They never lose the conviction to play the kind of rugby that they believe in and today may have seemed like a count of 8 but it wasn’t k.o.It’s not over till the fat lady sings and I can’t hear her yet and as far as I’m concerned she can keep her big mouth shut
Once again we are in the midst of the fight of our lives and I believe we are up for it,do you?Good,then tell your friends,your friends friends,even your friends friends friends and their dogs that if they want to see one hell of a fight you know exactly where it’s at.Drag people off the streets if you have to but lets get behind the lads let them know we’re all in this together……..and if all else fails we’ll have a whipround and send the heavies to pay the RFU a visit!!!
COME ON YOU TYKES!
P.S. thanks for the wave Justin, not only did it make my day but it caused a bit of banter in the crowd too!