By KevT
September 12 2002

After losing their two opening games of the season NEC Harlequins take on Leeds Tykes at the Stoop Memorial Ground (kick off 3.00pm) on Saturday. Leeds have won their opening two games against champions Leicester and London Irish and will be brimming with confidence Quins make five changes to the side that lost 30-6 to Leicester. Keith Wood replaces Ace Tiatia at hooker, Tiatia moves to blind side flanker (where the management feel he operates best) to replace Luke Sherriff. In the backs, top point scorer Paul Burke replaces David Slemen and Bill Satala replaces the injured Chris Bell who will be out for three to four weeks. Matt Powell has a sore joint in his back and is replaced by Scott Bemand. Alex Codling misses out again but will almost certainly be ready for the London Irish match the following week. Karl Rudzki (last week’s Man of the Match) continues in the second row.

Quins were disappointed with their inability against Leicester to convert pressure into points. Mark Evans Quins coach explained “Rugby is a game of momentum and when you have the momentum or favour you have to put points on the board and we didn’t do that.” They have been working on the crucial set piece areas of scrum and line out and on their defence during the week.

This looks a much stronger side than the one that started against Leicester. New father Keith Wood’s presence in the scrum was sorely missed and his throwing against Gloucester was more accurate than Tiatia’s. If Quins can steady the scrum and win good line out ball then Paul Burke should find it easier to operate than David Slemen did last week at Leicester. Bill Satala made a promising start against Leicester last week and it will be interesting to see if his presence this week gives more space to Will Greenwood. Look for a few of the Paul Turner trademark moves that we saw against Gloucester.

After two wins on the trot Leeds are not resting on their laurels as coach Phil Davies explains “I think we are a little bit away. We’ve got a long way to go in terms of the way we want to play the game. We are not panicking as much as we did last year, there is a lot more composure and shape about the team.”

This summer’s signings appear to be paying off. “There are a few more leaders who have been brought into the club and I am really pleased with where we are at the moment. We are only two games in and it will get harder not easier, but there is still more to come.”

During the summer Leeds acquired the services of ex Bath coach John Callard and he appears to have had an excellent influence on the Leeds backs. Leeds have a fast and exciting back three including Diego Albanese at wing and the cutting edge of Dan Scarborough at Full Back. London Irish Director of Rugby Conor O’Shea described the trio as one “to die for”. Gordon Ross is a new arrival and has added another dimension at Fly Half. Braam Van Straaten successfully converted 11 penalties from eleven against London Irish so Quins cannot afford to lose their discipline.

Leeds Tykes suffered no injuries following their defeat of London Irish last week and are likely to announce their third unchanged starting line up in a row. The summer signing of Mark (Ronnie) Regan from Bath has strengthened Leeds’ pack as has the return from long term injury of England candidate Tom Palmer at second row.

In the corresponding fixture last season Quins staved off the threat of relegation with a 40 – 16 win. Tries from Matt Moore, Will Greenwood, Keith Wood and Nick Greenstock confirmed their place in the Premier League where they were eventually to finish 9th. Leeds were reprieved from relegation by the fact that Rotherham did not meet the requirements to enter the Premier League.

I think we are likely to see more of a kicking game from Quins today as they will want to test out the suspect defence of Dan Scarborough. In both matches this season they have managed to put pressure on Gloucester and Leicester with the boot and will try to do the same with Leeds. Quins are likely to have an advantage in the scrum and line out against Leeds and will try to use this solid platform to pin Leeds back in their own half. Only when they are in the Leeds half will we likely see them unleash Greenwood, Satala, Gollings, Moore and Williams. Greenwood and Satala look a much stronger pairing than the Leeds centres and their ability to create chances in midfield will be crucial. The loss of Matt Powell and continuing absence of Nick Duncombe at scrum half is a blow for Quins.

Quins appear to have the edge in the back row where Gloucester man of the match Ace Tiatia returns. Tony Diprose has been a bit of an unsung hero this season at number eight and Quins supporters will be hoping he can continue with his run of form. One area of the game that will require improvement is rucking which was disappointing against Leicester. This may have had something to do with Leicester’s ability to get themselves round the wrong side in the tackle area but will be something that the management will have been working on.

If Quins can produce the type of performance that they gave against Gloucester then they should be able to record their first win of the season. Last week Quins were ravaged by injuries and absence in key positions. The return of Wood and Burke should make an enormous difference. It’s too early in the season for this to be a “must win” match but a third defeat in a row would herald cries of anguish from the harbingers of doom. This is a good Quins team who have demonstrated in their first two matches that they can mix it with the two best teams in the league. The advantage that they have up front and their ability to put pressure on the opposition should see them home with their first victory of the season.

NEC Harlequins

15. N. Williams 14. M. Moore 13. W. Greenwood 12. V. Satala 11. B. Gollings 10. P. Burke 9. S Bemand 1. J. Leonard 2. K. Wood 3. L. Gomez 4. B. Davison 5. K Rudzki 6. A. Tiatia 7. P. Sanderson 8. T. Diprose


Leeds (probable)

15. D. Scarborough 14. G. Harder 13. T. Davies 12. B. Van Straaten 11. D. Albanese 10. G. Ross 9. A. Dickens 1. M. Shelley (Capt.) 2. M. Regan 3. G. Kerr 4. C. Murphy 5. T. Palmer 6. C. Mather 7. D. Hyde 8. I. Feaunati

Referee Rob Dixon (Scotland)