By Leipziger & Mark H
September 1 2006

Just for a change, a double preview this week. Leipy looks ahead to the game in general, whilst Mark looks at the things that lay in wait at Franklin's Gardens.

Come Sunday all the talking stops and we can all finally get back into some good hard aggressive action in a rugby stadium.  Never mind those fumbles with the Glaswegians, this is the whole hog, as we meet Northampton in the Gardens.

 

It’s been a long and short four months (for me anyway) since we destroyed relegated Leeds at Kingston Park, we’ve missed watching the lads yet it doesn’t seem five minutes since Anthony Elliott’s hat-trick in an all-English XV.  It must have been a long summer though, as it’s been about the most turbulent at KP since 1995.

 

First, five experienced international forwards were allowed to leave, including Stuart Grimes and last year’s captain Colin Charvis, who recently became a Dragon.  The biggest departure, until a couple of weeks ago of course, was new Wasps fly-half Dave Walder, who bade an emotional farewell seven years since making his Falcons debut.

 

No preview would be complete without mentioning that Sunday sees John Fletcher’s first competitive match as Falcons Director of Rugby.  Rob Andrew’s first match in charge was also against the Saints, on October 21^st 1995 at Kingston Park, when former Northampton centre Fletcher was in the squad but didn’t play.  The XV for the 52-9 defeat did include players named Long, Elliott and Jon Wilkinson however!

 

The Falcons have former Franklin’s Gardens men John Rudd and Jon Golding ready for their debuts on Sunday, as well as other signings Brent Wilson and Jason Oakes.  Mathew Tait and Tom May are the major doubts amongst the regular players, however Jonny Wilkinson, Toby Flood and Jamie Noon have looked good as a midfield triangle in the friendly matches.

 

Northampton have had a mixed pre-season, losing to Llanelli Scarlets before hammering Treviso and beating Leeds last Friday night.  Their major signings of the summer are former Bristol lock Christian Short from Connacht and Harlequins’ Ian Vass, though several experienced players have left, John Rudd being followed out the door by Ross Beattie, Grant Seely, Mark Soden, Luke Harbut, Andy Vilk and Colin Noon.

 

Both sides are looking for revenge after last season, when Dave Walder inspired the Falcons to a 16-9 win in September at Franklin’s Gardens, before Carlos Spencer took Newcastle apart at KP in a fabulous display in March.  In the Premiership, we have only won twice at Franklin’s Gardens, 1997/98 and 2005/06, therefore history suggests we can’t expect very much there this weekend, and neither do the critics as we have been often tipped for a relegation battle.  However, who’d have expected the result last season after our first two games?

 

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In this room, John Fletcher will make the most important team talk of his life.  The away dressing room at Franklin's Gardens will see Fletch setting the tone for the season minutes before the first Sky game of the season takes place.

 

But what's going to go on just down the corridor, in the more palatial home area?  Saints won eight and drew one of their last twelve league games, with two of the three defeats coming in the last two home games against Leicester and Sale.  Pre-season has seen a home defeat to Llanelli (22-14), followed by wins over Italian champions Treviso (68-0) and Leeds (19-3).  You can never read too much into supposed "friendlies", but of particular pleasure for head coach Paul Grayson will be the fact that several of his name players have got off to flyers.

 

Carlos Spencer scored the first three Northampton tries of the season, and looks to be a yard quicker of leg than last time round, whilst his speed of thought has always been up there with the greatest to have ever played the game.  After demonstrating the overhead kick and chase against Saracens last season, he premiered the backheel kick onto a post pad last Friday against the Tykes.  On fire, he's a genius.  Even slightly off his game, he's immensely watchable.

 

Aside from Spencer's treble, ten of the remaining twelve tries scored in pre-season have come from the back three - Ben Cohen with six, and two each for Sean Lamont and Bruce Reihana.  Cohen looks rested and refreshed and glad to have been out of the mess that was the England tour of Australia.  He's always popped up around the pitch, but now looks like he wants the ball to power through a gap rather than into a contact, as he has been guilty of at times since the World Cup.  Lamont looks dangerous every time he gets the ball now, and with the boost of that Saracens match where he scored four tries coming just after he's got a double against France, it's encouraged the club to extend his contract to 2009.  Reihana is now club captain on his own, having shared the role with Steve Thompson last season, and remains one of the best full backs in the Premiership.  Add the growing reputation of Jon Clarke and the solidity of David Quinlan in the centres, and you have a backline where the threats are everywhere.  Indeed, it appears that it's only at scrum half where there's been some debate, with Johnny Howard taking the starting slot over Mark Robinson and the returning Ian Vass.

 

In the pack, the age-old Northampton focal point is the lineout.  In Friday's game, Saints tried to get as many lineouts as they could to try a few moves.  They needed practice, and they didn't all go right - it appeared on some of the ones in the corner of the ground I was sat that the movement along the line was off position, and Steve Thompson was throwing to where his jumpers should have been rather than where they were.  A few things to iron out, but they will come.

 

Elsewhere, it's pretty much the same names as last season with a couple of new ones in the aforementioned Short and prop Soane Tonga'uiha from Bedford.  If the giant Tongan can get going (and he's in the A League fixture this week), his 22 stone frame will be hard to stop, and it will be interesting to see whether he'll be used from the bench as an impact player or will grab a starting role as the season goes on.

 

Last time here, Falcons produced their first win at the Gardens since January 1998 as Dave Walder outshone Spencer and inspired that 16-9 victory.  Traditionally though, it's been one of the harder grounds that Falcons go to, with memories still fresh of 57-16 and 37-5 reverses in successive seasons, and that Powergen Cup semi-final thrashing in 2002.  The last two seasons have shown promise though; before the drought ending win came a 23-22 loss in a game that Falcons had to chances - a Walder drop goal and Wilkinson penalty - to win in the closing stages.

 

For those driving to the ground, (a) you're mad and (b) be careful where you park.  The streets around the ground are now, like Kingston Park, no-go areas.  That of course depends on whether you can get to the ground in the first place.  The St James area of Northampton struggles with normal day to day traffic, so rugby and football matchdays become one long wait in a queue.  The new car park at the ground is £4 per car and accessible from the Sixfields end of town (junction 15A of the M1), but expect a long wait to get out.

 

All of the bars at the Gardens are now no-smoking, whilst inside them you'll find (as of last Friday night prices) Coke at £2.40 per pint, Tetleys at £2.45, Guinness about 40p more and a bottle of Magners at £3.20.  Pork rolls (truly excellent pork rolls) are £3.50, whilst there are the usual burgers and pasties in the village area, as well a tuck shop selling sweets for the little ones and those with a jelly fetish.

 

After the main game comes the A League fixture originally scheduled for Monday night, and Ian Peel's side will be looking for a first success in Northampton in the league, after 47-3 and 31-10 reverses in the past two seasons.  It kicks off at 4pm, and with the bars remaining open throughout the game, is a nice diversion from hitting the M1.  We'll have reports from both games at the start of next week.

 

Me?  I'll be hiding, wishing the match was over whilst trying to takes as many photos as possible and praying that Mathew can sleep through the match.  His success rating is watched two, lost two.  A third defeat coming up?

 

Right, now I've done the media stuff, i'm going to throw up that last bottle...