Northampton Saints vs Sedgley Park - Match Preview

By osb
January 25 2008

For a change, this is not Saints’ journey into the unknown. It is the visitors’. Coming to Franklins Gardens is a new experience for nearly all of them. In front of a crowd in excess of 10,000 – that is five times the biggest crowd they have seen so far this season – it could be quite an experience.

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS vs. SEDGLEY PARK

NL1 – Saturday, 26^th January 2008, 3pm

FRANKLIN’S GARDENS

MATCH PREVIEW

Journey Into The Unknown – The Return

With a glance at the two records so far, Saints will be red-hot favourites. A perfect record of wins and 14 try bonus points already banked. No rational person is going to bet against a home win. The race for promotion may be showing the first signs of a procession. As I write, the ether is hot with news of two fresh faces at Franklins Gardens next season. It is not only the arrogance of the fans that reckons we will be in the top flight come September.

The questions to ask are, is this juggernaut now unstoppable? And, is this the day that a team with nothing to lose, no pressure as relegation is only a remote possibility, can come to Franklins Gardens and enjoy itself?

Can Sedgley Park Tigers come and play with a freedom borne of the thought that their best chance of getting something from the game is to score four tries? Can they come with the cussedness of Newbury and play to a game-plan that flummoxes the Saints?

Is this the day that the cocks of the walk believe their own publicity and forget to turn up and take care of business?

There have been relatively few changes at Sedgley Park. In the pack form and injury has seen quite a bit of rotation in the second row. Player-coach, Tim Fourie, plays mainly from the bench now. This week’s pairing of Ed Newton and Juan Crous will definitely want to have a say in the line-out battle. The back row is as consistent a unit as you will find in this division – expect to see Jon Skurr organising things from the base of the scrum. Jimmy Ponton and Adam Newton will be real pains in the neck if we do not take steps to clear them away from the breakdown.

Jamie Albinson has been ever present at scrum half and his regular partner, Phil Jones, will relish the chance of playing on Piggy’s Patch. The midfield pairing of Burrell and Craig is intriguing. Luther Burrell has just signed for a loan spell from Leeds Carnegie. He is raw strength and talent – he was impressive in bursting through tackles to score for Carnegie in the A League fixture before Christmas – and the level head and class of former Scottish international Andy Craig. Expect Burrell to probe the gaps between defenders with his power and pace and Craig to create openings for those around him.

Two phrases that have kept creeping into statements by Jim Mallinder since he has been at Saints are, “keen and fresh,” and, “the next game is the most important.” Both are designed to keep the Saints performing to a high standard no matter the respective league position of their opponents. Because of this, I expect to see a few changes from the relatively consistent selection we have seen over the Christmas and New Year period – certainly on the bench. Will Jon Clarke be rested? Will Neil Starling start with Joe Ansboro on the bench? Will Phil Hoy or Joe Gray get a start?

Affirmative answers to these questions would certainly fit the keen and fresh bill and would be the most important match of their careers so far for the young men concerned.

Reihana, Spencer and Tupai have all played a lot of rugby in the current campaign. It would be something of a surprise to see them all continue this week. With a new Number Eight on the way, it might just be the time to give the two Marks a go in the same side.

Whatever side Jim Mallinder selects, it will have the same steely pride in its defence that it has displayed of late. The front five has learned that it has to scrummage well to gain respect in this league and earn the right for its backs to play. The firepower that has already delivered 109 tries in the campaign will be in evidence.

My view is that, having arrived at the second half of the season, the enormity of taking on the Saints is dawning on sides. Saints meanwhile are just getting into their stride and are set to continue their march

The Saints shall go marching on with a performance that will be hard for these Tigers to match. A big score – maybe as much as our October meeting – and a fifteenth bonus point.

Sedgley Park have published their team in the preview on their web-site. The Northampton Saints team is the product of my own fevered imagination.

Northampton Saints		Sedgley Park
Myler	15	Nutt
Diggin	14	Hall
Starling	13	Craig
Downey	12	Burrell
Reihana	11	Briers
Spencer	10	Jones
Robinson	9	Albinson
Smith	1	Gazzola
Gray	2	Roddam
Stewart	3	Du Plessis
Short	4	Norris
Hoy	5	Crous
Hopley	6	Newton
Fox	7	Ponton
Easter	8	Skurr

arw

25.01.08

Northampton Saints vs Sedgley Park - Match Preview

Posted by: ComeOnYouSaints.com (IP Logged)

Date: 25/01/2008 13:24

Northampton Saints vs Sedgley Park - Match Preview