LV= Cup Round 3

Northampton Saints v Sale Sharks

Friday 29th January, 2010

Edgeley Park KO 7:45

  The biggest news of the week is that Soane Tonga'uiha has signed for the Saracens.

So what's that got to do with Friday's match at Sale you have to ask? Well it's a bit disrupting isn't it! The LV Anglo Welsh cup is confusing enough with it's bizarre pool system that sees teams play teams that they're not actually competing against for qualification to the knock out stages. So this week top of the table Sale play erm...top of the table Saints. There is also a feeling that not all the teams are taking this competition seriously. The Saints, however, are not one of those sides. With everything that has happened this week and the massively different team that will run out at Stockport this really is a test of Jim Mallinder's man management skills.

Sale though have similar disruptions. For them the big news of the week is that have lost Wigglesworth, also to the fez heads. They also have international commitments and a few injury issues to add

It's traditional in these previews to have a crack at team prediction. This week I purposely waited for the official team announcements and I'm glad I did because I'm really surprised by the quality of the match day squads both teams are able to field. For Saints, in the pack, only three of the starting 8 against Munster remain and in the backs only Reihana and Ashton get a start. Very sensible too. Downey, Wilson, Dickson and Tonga'uiha were well overdue for a rest but with the exception of Downey can make an impact from the bench. Even those this is a side two thirds changed, I really feel confident they can maintain the style of rugby synonymous with Northampton this season

As for Sale, well I honestly don't enough about them not to believe the club's press release that this is their strongest side available. There are two very familiar faces in their squad in Cohen and Ripol and many of their bigger names are available. At 10 they retain the man keeping Gillette in business, Hodgson. He's kicked us to death in the past and will be served by the highly rated Wigglesworth. Perhaps the key to the match will be shutting down that pair.

Saints

15 Bruce Reihana

14 Chris Ashton

13 Joe Ansbro

12 Chris Mayor

11 Paul Diggin

10 Stephen Myler

9 Alan Dickens

1 Brian Mujati

2 Brett Sharman

3 Euan Murray

4 Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe

5 Juandre Kruger

6 Neil Best

7 Scott Gray

8 Mark Easter

16 Andy Long

17 Soane Tonga'uiha

18 Alex Waller

19 Owen Giles

20 Roger Wilson

21 Lee Dickson

22 Barry Everitt

23 Nick Greenhalgh

Sale

15 Nick Macleod,

14 Ben Cohen,

13 Jonny Kennedy,

12 David Bishop,

11 David Doherty,

10 Charlie Hodgson,

9 Richard Wigglesworth,

1 Eifion Roberts,

2 Marc Jones,

3 Jack Forster,

4 Dean Schofield,

5 Sean Cox,

6 Chris Jones,

7 David Seymour,

8 Sisa Koyamaibole

Replacements: Mahonri Schwalger, Gavin Kerr, Martin Halsall, James Gaskell, Carl Fearns, Chris Leck, Marika Vakacegu, Oriol Ripol

So what sort of match can we expect? To be honest I haven't a clue! Usually Friday nights in Stockport have not gone our way. So history is not on our side, however these are the 2009-10 Saints so I believe we can travel with more confidence than in recent seasons. The ten match, winning streak, was brought to a halt in Limerick and I'd hope that this becomes match one of a new successful sequence.

I'll get down off the fence and predict Saints by 8 points, or maybe less oh I don't know perhaps we'll get one of those draws that are so fashionable this season, then again I suppose we could lose. This one is too hard to call!

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