By Mark H
February 20 2004

Well, it’s been an interesting week. First Budge’s unfortunate retirement, a thrilling (somewhat unlikely) victory at Sarries, then confirmation of the worst kept secret with the departure of Smudger, and then the second worst-kept one with the naming of Alan Solomons as our new leader. Right, anyone else need a breather? Well, you ain’t going to get one yet. Saturday brings the arrival of Sale Sharks to the Gardens, and we’ll all be hoping for as good a match as we had on 12th September, when the ZP season got off to a flier with a 37 all draw in a nine try classic. I’ll take nine tries again on Saturday, but to try and keep any sort of pressure on Wasps and Bath, and also to fend off the advancing Gloucester (away to Rotherham on Sunday), Saints must, must, must come away with at least four points.

Define the words “crisis club”. Well you could say it about Tigers, who seem to have taken last season’s malaise to extremes this time around. You could say it about Sarries, so much promise but not enough points. Ditto Newcastle, who seem shot of all confidence. You could certainly say it about Rotherham, shortly to be mathematically confirmed of filling the bottom place in the Premiership.

For me though, the crisis club term seems to sum up Sale 2003/04 vintage perfectly. Tipped by some observers, notably Peter Jackson in the Daily Mail, as champions this season, things just don’t seem to have gone right for them. Owner Brian Kennedy said that he had high expectations; they haven’t lived up to them. It hasn’t helped that the Sharks started off by showing the sort of home form more usually displayed by their co-habitees, my beloved Stockport County - Edgeley Park really did become the place where “win” was a four letter word across two sports - and it took until 8th November and the visit of Leeds to break the duck. Even County had a win by then!

(Unfortunately, County haven’t won much since…)

To make matters worse, key players have picked up long term injuries - for example on Saturday there will be no Redpath, Hodgson or Van Straaten to name but three - whilst others have suddenly found that a combination of growing ability and injuries elsewhere have catapulted them to international recognition (Chris Jones and Alex Sanderon both being in Edinburgh this weekend). With their established internationals in Jasons Robinson and White also Calcutta Cupping, it is very much an under strength side coming down the M6.

Add to this the departure of Steve Diamond on gardening leave before he takes up a new post as forwards coach at Saracens, and growing uncertainty regarding the future of Jim Mallinder in the head coach role (two interviews at LeicesterNil? Owner unsure of whether he still has faith in him?), and you’ve got a club that if it’s not strong could quite easily be buried under the weight of pressure. The big question is why on earth has Mallinder got the pressure on him? There are only so many trophies each season, he’s missed his best players due to either the World Cup or injury, and still they play a brand of free-flowing rugby which brings in the crowds. Give him a full season with his full team, and they will always be adjacent to the play offs. It just doesn’t make sense, but then given that Tigers got rid of a legend, what is sensible anyway?

That they haven’t buckled says much for Mallinder’s skills as a coach, and the ability that runs through the team. If Saints are not wary, then we could be suffering from a severe case of shark bite come Saturday evening (and no, I’m not referring to Kevin Yates yet!). They’ve still got their try machines on each wing. They’ve still got their playmaking Aussie centre. The electric full back and the brick wall in the front row haven’t moved. With players like Hanley, Cueto, Bond, Going and Sheridan, you really can’t underestimate them.

The Sale supporters though were looking forward to seeing their international fly half back intheir starting line up after the World Cup and injuries were out of the way. Well, he’s an international, but I’m sure Mike Hercus isn’t the name that was expected to be in the number ten shirt. The USA fly half, out of Australia, had a good World Cup in the American side, and when Charlie Hodgson unfortunately pulled up injured in the Edgeley encounter with Leinster, Mallinder wasted no time in getting a short term replacement. The beleagured coach must have hoped that he’d have better luck than losing Bryan Redpath as well for the rest of the season, but ex-Tyke Scott Benton has stepped back up from Cleckheaton and taken the scrum half’s shirt, making a scoring return to another of his old clubs, Gloucester, last weekend.

And so to the front row. If I’ve got my maths right, Andy Titterrell will be serving the last week of his six week suspension for stamping, so ex-Sarrie Matt Cairns will probably be hooking, and no doubt he’ll have been in touch with his old team-mates for the lowdown on Saints after last weekend. Joining him in the front row will probably be two of Andrew Sheridan, Stuart Turner, and our friend Kevin Yates. Sheridan started the game in September, and is likely to again, given that he came off the bench at Kingsholm last weekend - which will probably mean that Yates will appear at some point during the game. Much as AB is trying to play it down, there is no doubt that there will be memories of late in the game at Edgeley Park, when Yates put AB out for three weeks and earned himself a week off, and these are sure to push the big Kiwi on to get his revenge in the best way - earning five points for the home faithful.

Saints pipped Sale to the third spot last season by one try - literally - as the Sharks capitulated late on in the season from the second spot that they held onto for most of the season to ultimately fail to score four tries in a hammering at Saracens on the last day. That still took them into Europe automatically, where they sound themselves in a group with Leinster, Biarritz and Cardiff. Ultimately it was the home form that cost them, for despite getting a fantastic win in Dublin, they couldn’t repeat the trick nine days later and were then nilled by Biarritz. They do still have a decent chance of Powergen Cup glory, with a home quarter-final to come against the inconsistent Sarries, and a potential home semi-final against Leeds or Bath, but that seems to be their best chance of getting back into the Heineken Cup next year at the moment.

As for Saints, eight wins in the last ten games probably covers up the fact that the two defeats have come in what could prove to be the biggest games come May. Ironically though, if Saints can fend off the growing challenge from Castle Grim, the fact that they have so few games left could well prove to be a blessing. The following 23 names came out of the ProZone viewing for this week on Wednesday afternoon:-

15 Bruce Reihana
14 Mark Tucker
13 Chris Hyndman
12 John Leslie (captain)
11 Oriol Ripol
10 Shane Drahm
9 Mark Robinson
1 Chris Budgen
2 Dan Richmond
3 Robbie Morris
4 Matt Lord
5 Rob Hunter
6 Andrew Blowers
7 Darren Fox
8 Grant Seely

16 Matt Miles
17 Brett Sturgess
18 Steve Williams or Ed O’Donoghue
19 Mark Soden
20 Johnny Howard
21 Paul Diggin
22 Andy Vilk

Rob Hunter returns for the suspended Mark Connors, whilst prop cum winger Robbie Morris races his way back into the front row as we all wait to see if he can repeat his charge of last week. Steve Williams hopefully makes a welcome return to the bench; if not, it’s first appearances for Academy products Ed O’Donoghue and Paul Diggin. Youth has its chance, it’s now up to them to take it.

The game in September was fantastic; I’d take a copy. The result was ultimately a disappointment, but at the time a great relief; we need better. I sense a boat being pushed out from the Lumbertubs area - Saints by 12 and a bonus point.


****STOP PRESS****

Sharks team, Friday AM

15 Vaughan Going
14 Mark Cueto
13 Chris Mayor
12 Graeme Bond
11 Steve Hanley
10 Mike Hercus
9 Scott Benton

1 Andrew Sheridan
2 Matt Cairns
3 Barry Stewart
4 Dean Schofield
5 Iain Fullarton
6 Ben Lloyd
7 Hugh Perrett
8 Phil Davies

Replacements:
16 Johnny Roddam
17 Kevin Yates
18 Stuart Turner
19 Adam Newton
20 Pete Anglesea
21 Jos Baxendell
22 Mark Simpson-Daniel





.