By Chris G
January 10 2003

It's those two words again! Too often this season we've heard the tags 'pivotal' and 'defining' tagged to games. This week those terms are an understatement as the biggest game so far in Saints looms on the horizon with the visit of Biarritz in The European Cup. Now I need your concentration.............

Pool Six hangs in the balance and a victory including a positive try count would all but see Saints through. The permutations however are many and half an eye must be kept on Cardiff where a win for the home side could hamper rather than aid Saints qualification for the quarter finals.

Should Ulster lose in Wales the possibility of three teams tying the group disappears and ALL games would then be taken into consideration. Given that, it would mean that Cardiff have to travel to France with Biarritz knowing exactly how many tries they have to score to qualify.

Should Ulster prevail at the Arms Park and Saints beat the Biarrots at the Gardens then the possibility is that three teams may indeed end on eight points each. ERC have made it quite clear that should this happen ONLY the games between those THREE teams will count in deciding the group winners.

With the second criteria being tries scored if Saints win and score two more clear tries against Biarritz tomorrow (and Ulster win) the Basque team cannot win the group. In all effects they are out.

The games against Cardiff would become null and void and Saints could indeed then look forward to travelling to Ravenhill knowing that Ulster would have to win by five or six clear tries to topple us from the top of the group.

For those of you thinking 'surely it's easy, Saints win both games'. Yes you're right in an ideal world but in the topsy turvy world of Euro qualification every avenue must be covered, a point I'm sure is not wated on Wayne Smith.

But of course first we must beat Biarritz, a loss (bar the miracle of Cardiff winning in France) would certainly see us out at the group stage for the third season in a row.

Okay you can relax now.

BIARRITZ

The team from the Basque country are, on their day, a class act. They are not champions of France for nothing and have already taken the spoils in the return encounter at the Stade Aquilera earlier this season. (see below).

With the likes of Serge Betsen, Christophe Milheres and old warhorse Olivier Roumat in a very mobile pack and Dmitri Yachvili, Nicholas Brusque and (love him or hate him) Pip Bernat-Salles in the backs the Basques are having another successful season.

Currently sitting at the top of their Top 16 group they are on the top of their game however they have not played a competitive match since December 14th and may be either raring to go or somewhat rusty. Lets hope it's the latter.

TEAMS NEWS

Some good and some bad news for Saints.

Influential flankers Budge Pountney and Andy Blowers both miss out but there is a massive boost in the return of internationals Mark Connors, Ben Cohen and Matt Dawson to the starting lineup.

Deso Connors starts in the back row at 8 flanked by another returnee Grant Seeley and Mark Soden, who moves to the openside from the central position.

The injury doubts over Steve Williams were unfounded and he partners Rob Hunter in the back row, however with Deso returning we should see an overall more commanding presence in the lineout this weeek, something that at times against the Irish was being left to Big Swilly on his own.

The front row sees the return Mattie Stewart in an all international three alongside Steve Thompson and Tom Smith.

The back row may be a stop gap but overall the Saints should regain some composure after last weeks blip and edge this area of the game.

In the backs we see the long awaited return at scrumhalf of Matt Dawson and a big game is expected of him. Larry continues at ten, looking for a confidence boost after last weeks indifferent game.

Raspberry Ripol keeps his place on the wing as Bruce Reihana is cup tied while the other wing sees the welcome return of Ben Cohen. Chris Hyndman, a real relevation this season, partners Long John Leslie in the centre all ably backed up at fifteen by Nick Beal.


15 NICK BEAL
14 ORIOL RIPOL
13 Chris Hyndman
12 JOHN LESLIE
11 BEN COHEN
10 PAUL GRAYSON
9 MATT DAWSON

1 TOM SMITH
2 STEVE THOMPSON
3 MATT STEWART
4 STEVE WILLIAMS
5 Rob Hunter
6 Grant Seely
7 Mark Soden
8 MARK CONNORS

Subs:
Dan Richmond, Chris Budgen, Robbie Morris, Matt Miles, Johnny Howard, James Brooks, Mark Tucker and PETER JORGENSEN.

At the time of writing Biarritz (now lounging in the Milton Keynes Hilton) have released no team details.

HISTORY

The clubs have played each other three times, all in the European Cup. Two seasons ago we started our defence down in the Basque country and fell at the first hurdle in what was Biarritz's very first European Cup game. Later in the season the Saints got ample revenge with a commanding win at the Gardens with Ben Cohen picking up a stormer of a hatrick.

Earlier this season the Saints lost a very competitive game with the very last kick as Yachvili slotted over a penalty after an 84th minute lineout infringement.

You can find links to reports of these three games at the base of this page.

AND SO...............

A big, big game for the Saints and certainly in many ways the 'defining' and 'pivotal' one of the season. A huge task but by no means out of reach and given the returnees Saints must go in as favourites.

Forget last week. It was no more than a blip. We all know that the team can play much much better than that and I expect them to shake off the doubts and errors of last week and to take this by a score (or hopefully two!).

COME ON YOU SAINTS!!!!!!