Northampton Saints
News: AP: Northampton Saints vs London Wasps - Match Preview
By Daventry Saint
March 24 2011
After returning to winning ways last time out, Northampton Saints welcome London Wasps to Franklin's Gardens this Sunday lunchtime in yet another vital Aviva Premiership fixture. Writing for the first time for COYSDC, Daventry Saint looks ahead to the game...
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS vs LONDON WASPS
AP: Sunday, 27th March 2011 - 1.45pm
FRANKLIN'S GARDENS
MATCH PREVIEW
After what seems like half a season, but is in reality a mere seven weeks, Round 18 of the Aviva Premiership is upon us. And for the Saints, those seven weeks could not have passed any slower – or so it seems. In 2011, we have seen the Saints’ Premiership form slump dramatically, however, it looks as if they may be turning the corner, and could well be back on target to reach the promised-land of a top four finish. But, are Saints out of the water yet? Not by a long stretch of even the most optimistic supporter’s imagination.
We on ComeOnYouSaints.com have varying opinions on reasons for the Saints’ recent demise, however what cannot be disputed is the fact that Northampton are a good team, with the potential to be great. At present, the Saints are not playing well, and not even a hard-fought win over Leeds on the 12th of March has done enough to deter some pessimists around the board and club in general. Although the win does bring a certain amount of confidence and belief back into the squad, there is still a long way to go for the Saints this season.
This Sunday sees the return of Premiership rugby to Franklin’s Gardens, and also sees the welcome return of Ben Foden, Chris Ashton, Tom Wood, Joe Ansbro, and probably most importantly, the club captain Dylan Hartley. Undoubtedly, the Saints have missed all of their international stars, but the loss of Hartley has debatably been the biggest, both for his ball-carrying abilities, his aggressive approach to the game, and his leadership at the centre of the pack. The debate that is to be had concerning this week’s game then, is: should the internationals come straight back into the team? Being brutally honest, have any of the replacements played well enough to warrant retaining their place in the starting line-up? Perhaps Brett Sharman and Calum Clarke have, however, Tom Wood and Dylan Hartley have played so well for England, that it would be foolish to not start them. As for Foden and Ashton, they are so crucial in injecting pace into the Saints’ attack, that they are an essential component of the team. Joe Ansbro is another returnee, however after leaving the field early in Scotland’s encounter with Italy at the weekend, it remains to be seen whether he will be fit or not for Sunday’s encounter.
As a team on the whole, it can be said that the Saints are lacking in confidence. However, realistically, in front of what should be a near sell-out crowd, they have nothing to lose this weekend. They must attack with pace and power, and be ruthless in defence, challenging at every ruck and line-out, whilst also making sure that the scrum is up to speed. If James Downey and Roger Wilson can get over the gain-line in attack, and the forwards can produce quick ball, then there should be spaces out wide for Ben Foden and Chris Ashton to exploit. As we have seen before last season and in the early games this season, there are few teams in Europe that can cope with the Saints playing at full speed, and that should be no different against Wasps.
And so, what of Wasps? Their season has been distinctly mediocre, with some good results sprinkled in with some disappointing ones. In Saints’ previous encounter with Wasps, the Jimmies put in probably their most complete performance of the season, beating their opponents in a comprehensive 10-37 victory at Adams Park. Since then, Wasps have beaten Leeds, London Irish, Exeter Chiefs, Newcastle Falcons and Sale Sharks – however they also went on a losing streak similar to that of their Northampton counterparts, losing to Harlequins, Gloucester, Leicester Tigers and Saracens. Don’t let that fool you tough, the London Wasps are still a formidable team on their day. With a new interim Director of Rugby in Leon Holden in charge, as well as the returning Shaun Edwards in the backroom, Wasps will be well up for a battle at the Gardens. With the experience and bulk of Simon Shaw back in the team, as well as Riki Flutey returning to full fitness, Wasps may well be an entirely different beast, and one with a point to prove, when they arrive at the Gardens come Sunday. Expect to see Wasps to hold on to the ball for as long as they can, making yards through their beefy pack, and then exploiting gaps around the fringe with bursts of pace from Joe Simpson at 9, while also bringing David Lemi into the game from the wing. Penalties will also be key to Wasps game, with the metronomic boot of Dave Walder in the ranks, Saints will need to keep the penalty count to as low as possible.
With that in mind, the game on Sunday should be an interesting encounter, with both teams desperate for a win in order to reignite their playoff hopes. Putting my Saints supporter’s hat on though, it is time to go for broke. After our dip in form, we now need every single point available to us in order to close the gap on not only Saracens and Leicester, but now Gloucester as well. We may have slipped down the table, but with a good run of wins, we could see ourselves right back in the play-off dogfight. And so, it is time for the cup-final team to show their worth. Personally, I am not a believer in the ‘fatigue’ issue, and thus from now on, we need to look to put out our best team in every single game. That isn’t to say that other players can come into the team if others are playing badly, or even if it is an issue of ‘horses for courses’. The pitch should have firmed up, as no doubt Piggy will have been hard at work to repair it after some tough summer months. It may be about time to put our running/offloading game back into action. To put it simply, we cannot lose another game at home, nor can we afford to be careless away from home, so now is time to lay down a marker for the rest of the season.
We have the ability, we have the talent, we may not have the form, but we have the belief.
With that being said, it is time for the boys to front up, pull out a much improved performance, and start to lay the foundations of a build that will see Fortress Franklins return to its former glory. I firmly believe that it is possible for us to not only get a bonus-point victory here, but also possible for us to challenge and cement our place in the top four.
Oh, and let’s not forget to sing our hearts and souls out in support of the lads.
Come on you Saints.
DaventrySaint’s Predicted Team:
15 Ben Foden
14 Chris Ashton
13 Jon Clarke
12 James
Downey
11 Paul Diggin
10 Stephen Myler
9 Lee Dickson
1 Soane
Tonga’uhia
2 Dylan Hartley
3 Brian Mujati
4 Courtney Lawes
5
Christian Day
6 Phil Dowson
7 Tom Wood
8 Roger Wilson
Replacements:
16 Brett Sharman
17 Alex Waller
18 Tom
Mercey
19 Calum Clark
20 Mark Easter
21 Stuart Commins
22 Shane
Geraghty
23 Bruce Reihana/Joe Ansbro (injury pending)
Saints by 10.
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Stumbleupon24/03/2011 11:33
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Quote:Daventry Saint
Saints by 10.
Quote:dawson9
And we may have Josh Lewsey in our team!
Better make that 'Saints by 15' then.
Saint til I die
woody will balance the back row which has been poor by our standards.
wasps will "dig in" worsley in the 12 channel like a machine gun emplacement to take out downey ; it's always been what he does best and is now pretty much what he can do , but it is like the maginot line- if it is bypassed by the attack it ceases to be a factor. in this instance, if we get it right tactically, we are playing against 14 men.
my main hope is that we give courtney some special plays early on - whether defence or attack - to get him involved in the game in positions advantageous to saints.the pack must get back to what it does- rampaging , with dicko driving them on.
Shaw, assuming he plays, will make all the difference from the game at theirs I think. Single-handed maul-stopper.
Expecting a close, tense game . . . . . .
Just hope it will be a closer game than the one at AP. Could not bear another chorus of "can we play you every week" again ;-)
Expecting a close/tight game.
Josh to come on and score the winning try....(it's written in the script. You just know it is...)
Have a good day and Come on Wasps!
And nice try Sussexwasp, unfortunately the script has been reserved for Ben Foden and Chris Ashton.
REALLY looking forward to seeing Dicko reuniting with the back three....
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