NORTHAMPTON SAINTS vs LEICESTER TIGERS

GP: Saturday 27^th February, 2010 – 6pm

FRANKLIN’S GARDENS

MATCH PREVIEW

In recent weeks I have thoroughly enjoyed young Pip’s literary match previews and as imitation is the best form of flattery I’ve decided to continue in the same vein. As many of you know it’s not my style to pile into the opposition, to use derogatory nicknames or to generally dwell on the unsavoury. So the next quote from Terry Pratchett’s discworld is rather fitting:

"If you don't stop being so cheerful, I shall give you such a ding around the ear with the flat of my hand." Granny Weatherwax (Witches Abroad)

I also try to be a bit more balanced in my previews, which I imagine is a bit annoying and might not be a stranger to another glorious Pratchett line:

"You are being reasonable again! You're deliberately seeing everybody's point of view! Can't you try to be unfair even once?"  Corporal Angua (Feet of Clay)

However, this is the East Midlands derby. The proper one this time, not the Loved-Up Cup but the Guinness Premiership and despite the powers that be habitually robbing both sides of their best players, this for me, is the benchmark of our season. We could win the treble and frankly I’d still be a bit miffed if my Saints lost at home to that lot up the road. So let’s abandon the king of humorous fantasy and wheel out the master, J.R.R. Tolkein:

Arise, arise, Supporters of Northampton!
Fell deeds awake: offside and holding on!
Defences shall be shaken, tackles be splintered,
a try-day, a gold, black and green day, ere the sun rises!*
March now, march now! March to the Gardens!

As we know Tigers are currently in their habitual position in the league, well, they are after all free to concentrate on just the one prize (unless of course Osprey’s are chucked out of the HC.) Clearly they got there by cheating but what would you expect from a county where they celebrate their long history of fox hunting by plastering it all over their flags and emblems. The Tigers nickname of course probably comes from hunting those magnificent creatures too.

Adding spice to this already sizzling fixture, it is once again first plays second.  Tigers fans no doubt see this as the natural order of things. They are bigger, they have won more, they have more internationals and whilst we have Des O’Connor they have Englebert Humperdink. It’s really no fun being the smaller brother.

To add insult to injury Martin Johnson, born the wrong side of the border in Market Harborough, has picked Ben Foden as a replacement for England on Saturday. Saints supporters everywhere know full well that air Ben will get nothing but splinters as the red rose flounders once more. At least Declan Kidney has decided to even this out by picking Geordan Murphy in place of Rob Kearney. Murphy, for me, is the most consistent performer in the Guinness Premiership and has been for some time. To put it bluntly he is the only player I would ever consider swapping for Bruce Reihana.

Time to guess the teams. I wonder about the point of this exercise but it’s traditional so here goes:

Saints

14 Diggin

13 Clarke

12 Downey

11 Ashton

10 Myler

9 Dickson

1 Tonga’uiha

2 Sharman

3 Mujati

4 Lobbe

5 Kruger

6 Lawes

7 Dowson

8 Easter

Tigers

15 Amarosino

14 Hamilton

13 Cusworth

12 Allen

11 Tuqiri

10 Vesty

9 Youngs

1Ayerza

2 Davies

3 White

4 Kay

5 Parling

6 Newby

7 Woods

8 Crane

Earlier this month the Tigers came to the Gardens and were marmalised by a rampant Saints side whose opening score was that coaches dream, the first phase try. The only thing that checked Northampton’s progress was that big geezer Billy Twelvetrees and Amarosino’s slippy legs. On this I suspect yet more skulduggery because I’ve never seen Joe Ansbro miss a tackle before. Two in quick succession simply isn’t natural. I suppose I should also give credit to the Tigers pack, which as you would expect, did the basics very well. Anyway it was a case of job done and into the last four of the Anglo-welsh cup and dreams of Sixways glory.

Saturday’s game is likely to be more hard fought and I envisage a thunderous derby with no quarter asked or given. Home advantage is perhaps the key. So I’m going to tone down the optimism and predict Saints by 8, denying the LBP being perhaps as important as winning.

To the players, management, support staff and supporters of Leicester Tigers, we say welcome to Franklin’s Gardens, enjoy your stay but leave us with the points! (It worked last time – not that I’m suspicious or anything)

*Fear not it will be well below the Churches stand by kick off

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