By Mark H
April 30 2004

Remember the ad “say the Leeds and you’re smiling”? Well, hopefully by around 4.15 on Sunday a minimum of eleven coaches and many more carloads of Saints supporters making the most of the bank holiday weekend will be wearing silly grins. Because in the preceeding 80 minutes the Saintsmen will try and take another step forward towards the play-offs and the shot at the title.

Indeed, it could all be over by 4.15 on Sunday, with Gloucester entertaining a Wasps team now surely desperate to finish first to get a week off before the Heineken Cup final in the Sky match on Saturday. No points for Glaws and a Saints win will wrap up third place; one point and the ball is very firmly in our court.

It’s not going to be easy though. Two weeks ago, Leeds came very close to beating the albeit under strength Wasps, which means that they must not be written off. Last season, Saints went to Headingley and were on the end of a 26-19 defeat that until the last twenty minutes was a lot more emphatic than the scoreline suggests. And Leeds may be only tenth in the table, but what a lot of people have failed to point out is that they were one of the more heavily affected sides during the World Cup, with Mark Regan, Diego Albanese, Aaron Persico, and Gordie Ross among others missing in action. Add to that a nine week ban for Colm Rigney, and it’s not surprising that the Tykes couldn’t repeat their flying start of twelve months ago.

In fact, it’s been a strange season for the Tykes, with league form going down the drain in the main, and an ultimately disappointing showing in what proved to be a tougher than expected Heineken Cup pool, only having a solitary win over the Neath/Swansea Ospreys to show for their efforts, whilst Toulouse and Edinburgh ran away with the pool. There was a run to the Powergen Cup semi-finals though, with wins over Harlequins and Bath giving them an all-northern match up against Sale, before eventually being downed by 33 points to 20.

The supporters would have hoped to be at least pushing for a Heineken Cup place, but unless there are some strange results over the last two weekends, then even a place in the Wildcard semi-finals is beyond them - two maximum point wins might not even be enough for that now crucial seventh position.

They’re also one of the early movers in setting up a squad for next season, with signings from two ends of the spectrum in Iain Balshaw from Bath and Chris Bell from Harlequins. It remains to be seen which one of the two makes a greater impact next season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Bell, so impressive at centre for Quins A team at FG on Tuesday night, ends up being the better value for money. Through the out door goes Clive Stuart-Smith, the England Under 21 scrum half going to Worcester, and full back Dan Scarbrough joining the annual complete squad turnover at Sarries. Scabs is still Leeds top try scorer this season with seven, despite having missed part of the season through injury and illness.

South African centre Andre Snyman is out for the rest of the season with elbow and calf injuries, and will be a big miss in their midfield, but there still looks to be a lot of pace in their three-quarters, with Phil Davies naming the following side on Thursday morning:-

15. Matt Cardey
14. David Rees
13. Phil Christophers
12. Tristan Davies
11. Dan Scarbrough
10. Gordon Ross
9. Alan Dickens
1. Gavin Kerr
2. Rob Rawlinson
3. Matt Holt
4. Phil Murphy
5. Tom Palmer (c)
6. Colm Rigney
7. Aaron Persico
8. Alix Popham
16 Michael Cusack
17. Mark Regan
18. Scott Morgan
19. Dan Hyde
20. Clive Stuart-Smith
21. Duncan Hodge
22. David Doherty

Interestingly that Mark Regan is named on the bench, as you’d have thought that given Saints’ supposed “weakness” in the front row (because it was very weak against Bath, of course…), Davies would be putting out his most experienced front row player available. He’s a very useful player to come off the bench of course, as are Hyde, Stuart-Smith and Hodge. Only time will tell.

After the win against Bath, I don’t think many of us expected massive change in the Saintly line-up - and there’s not, with only Matt Dawson dropping out with his hamstring injury for the returning John Leslie. Other than that, it’s play it again in the first XV:-

15 Bruce Reihana
14 John Clarke
13 Ben Cohen
12 John Leslie (captain)
11 Nick Beal
10 Paul Grayson
9 Mark Robinson
1 Tom Smith
2 Steve Thompson
3 Tevita Taumoepeau
4 Matt Lord
5 Mark Connors
6 Andrew Blowers
7 Darren Fox
8 Grant Seely

Replacements:
16 Dan Richmond
17 Robbie Morris
18 Jon Phillips
19 Mark Soden
20 Johnny Howard
21 Andy Vilk
22 Shane Drahm

Chris Budgen is missing from the bench, being otherwise occupied at Twickenham in the Army-Navy game, so for the first time since the Sale game back in February, the bench is a four-three split in favour of the forwards rather than five-two.

Referee for Sunday’s bunfight is our old friend Steve Lander, taking charge of only his fourth ZP game this season after being missing due to World Cup commitments and injury. Any suggestions that he injured himself tripping over his ego are purely mischievous…

Back on World Cup Final day, a rampant Saints team danced between the raindrops in a 48-24 victory, scoring six tries and securing a bonus point by half time whilst conceding three in the process. On Sunday, the weather may be different, the teams may be different, but hopefully the entertainment value will be the same.

Four Saintly points? Yes. Four tries? Possibly not.