By Ben Dover
April 14 2006

When William Webb Ellis first picked up an association football and ran with it or was clever enough to allow his name to be associated with the act, I suspect that he was wholly unaware of the implications.

Since then and in a typically English tradition the game has been shared with the colonies and improved upon by generation after generation of Rugby gurus.

 

Throughout that time the heart of the domestic game in England has resided only few miles up the road from Rugby School, at Leicester. Whilst many other sides have graced the upper echelons of League and Cup Rugby there remains an air of superiority about our East Midlands neighbours that permeates English Rugby. Everyone loves to beat the Tigers. Few succeed.

 

This season however it could be argued that the Tigers have lost their stripes. On a number of occasions it’s been down right obduracy rather than skill that has seen them through encounters. Their away form has been patchy with loses at Bristol, Worcester and Gloucester to name but three and it’s not just away fixtures either. Newcastle and more recently Leeds have shown that Welford Road isn’t necessarily the killing field it once was.

 

A quick glance at the Tigers squad reveals instantly recognisable forces in Premiership and International Rugby. Varndell, as yet unlucky not to be serving his country fulltime, has a searing pace about him that Dick Turpin might well have traded for Black Bess. Ollie Smith another class performer who requires only a sniff of a gap to expose defences, Tuilagi who needs no invitation to take contact, and proven finishers like Leon Lloyd and Geordan Murphy. Quality players that you would expect to put them top of the pile, especially when coupled with the coaching skills of Pat Howard, one of the aforementioned modern day gurus.

 

But Leicester rarely play the full 80 minutes these days, either romping ahead only to allow the opposition back into the game or snatching last gasp victories from under disjointed noses.

 

It’s hard to put a finger on how or why this has been a less than average season for Tigers, but there is a suggestion that the blend isn’t quite right and as their Heineken Cup game against Bath exposed, there appears to be a Six Nations hangover for Corry, who is still struggling to fill the chasm left by Johnson. Link that with the half back pairing of Ellis and Goode who’s variable international performances have served only to emphasise the current shortage of skill at nine and ten in England and maybe you have your reason.

 

Having said that and without being unfair to a Saints side who have excelled since the turn of the year and the arrival of Paul Tupai, when you compare like for like in each position you might conclude that Tigers have the upper hand, particularly in the forwards.

 

Despite being the form team of the Premiership the Saints have problems of their own. In recent conflicts the forwards have begun to look a tad battle weary. Damien Browne who’s exceptional performances have epitomised the forward effort, went down with cramp in the last ten against Bath and at least three players went to ground at the final whistle. A sure sign that the team were playing close to the edge of their physical envelope.

 

Some observers of the game are also coming away from the Gardens more than a little anxious about defensive patterns, or should I say the complete lack of them. The midfield area certainly has shown some worrying flimsiness and teams that have succeeded in getting over the gain line and securing quick ball, have been offered significant opportunities to score out wide. Something that I’m sure won’t have gone unnoticed.

 

On the flip side of the coin any team that contains a trio of beauties like Robinson, Spencer and Reihana always has a chance. Spencer’s massive flat miss-passes that fly like bullets along the line are certainly asking questions of the opposition. Whilst Robinson and Reihana’s natural footballing instincts are following where Spencer leads. Securing time and space for these guys to work their magic will be the key against a Tigers side that are sure to press hard in the middle of the park.

 

Looking back at the two previous meetings between these two, Tigers must be the favourites. They have been denied the opportunity to exorcise their home defeat in the Heineken Cup and thanks to Wasps Powergen Cup Final appearance, have had the advantage of a week away from the Premiership. Add to that the fact that they can call on players like Daryl Gibson from the bench and it’s difficult to be openly optimistic about this particular derby.

 

But derby games are curious affairs and quite often promise more than they deliver. Saints fans looking for signs could easily cite Leicester’s poor away form, their failure to live up to their usual high standards and rather oddly, that they appear to struggle with Friday night fixtures.

 

This is however the pointy end of the season and with the Saints threatening to steal fourth place and a crack at the Championship from under their noses, the Tigers might just be stirred into action. For any self respecting Saints supporter fourth place will not be an issue on Good Friday evening. Tweaking the tail of the old enemy on the other hand might well sustain them throughout the summer.

 

 

Northampton Saints:-

 

15 BRUCE REIHANA (co-capt)
14 SEAN LAMONT
13 Jon Clarke
12 DAVID QUINLAN
11 BEN COHEN
10 CARLOS SPENCER
9 MARK ROBINSON
1 TOM SMITH
2 STEVE THOMPSON (co-capt)
3 Pat Barnard
4 Damien Browne
5 Matt Lord
6 PAUL TUPAI
7 Darren Fox
8 Daniel Browne

16 Dan Richmond
17 Chris Budgen
18 DAVID GERARD
19 Ben Lewitt
20 SAM HARDING
21 Johnny Howard
22 Robbie Kydd

 

 

Leicester Tigers 

 

G Murphy
T Varndell
D Hipkiss
S Vesty
Alex Tuilagi
A Healey
S Bemand
G Rowntree
G Chuter
J White
L Cullen
B Kay
L Deacon
L Moody
M Corry (capt)

Reps: J Buckland, M Holford, J Hamilton, S Jennings, A Goode, D Gibson, O Smith.