Northampton Saints
News: Amlin Final - Bath v Northampton Saints - Preview
By bonso
May 21 2014
Northampton Saints face two finals in the space of eight days as the 2013/4 domestic season hurtles towards a dramatic conclusion. First up it's a trip to Cardiff to face Bath Rugby in the final of the Amlin Challenge Cup. COYSDC stalwart, bonso, looks ahead to Friday evening's game...
BATH RUGBY vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP FINAL
Friday, 23rd May 2014 - 8pm (Sky)
CARDIFF ARMS PARK, CARDIFF
MATCH PREVIEW
Here we are then at the business end of the season still in the Amlin and the Premiership, all in all not too shabby, so far the boys have done well. However the next two matches particularly the Premiership final will define for many this squad and its place in the pantheon of Saintly sporting prowess. Friday’s match will though have the potential to set the tone and lay a marker for the challenge of Saracens. Win on Friday and carry the momentum to Saturday, lose and just shrug the shoulders and say well it’s the Prem we really want. The latter should not be an option.
The events surrounding this match and its organisation have for me underlined the way in which the outgoing ERC have from their Ivory Tower missed the point. In the strategy they have applied on ticketing for this game they have shown the error of their ways in that they are too frightened of failure for them to succeed. They have pre-selected a stadium too small for many of the clubs regular supporter base and placed the match on an awkward date for travel; further they have ticketed the game for neutrals prepared to buy blind, or even worse sell high at a profit on StubHub. I could go on but we have a game of rugby to talk about.
Our opponents on Friday have had a mixed season but slowly Bath have built and cemented themselves as a top five side again, narrowly missing the playoffs. Bath are a solid side with no overriding weakness, they have a good scrum and lineout, the Bath backs are quick and tackle well with a good mixture of experience and youth, with the likes of Devoto and Watson rubbing shoulders with Banahan and Abendanon. In the front row the likes of James and Wilson are strong, however, particularly for James, Mr Garces interpretation of scrummaging law might have a negative impact if he doesn’t bind well and drive straight. I hope Bath have brought some more spare hookers this time - just joking loike. At the time of writing I have I can only speculate what front row Saints will field, the only certainties will be that it won’t feature Ma’afu and Hartley for differing reasons. A possible front row might be Mercey McMillan and Waller, but then again maybe Corbs will start. I am glad I don’t have to pick the team for this one.
The selection for Saints at second row always intrigues me and sometimes we suffer there in an effort to shoehorn too much talent into 5 back row players. For me though Daisy must play, we look so much better with him than without him. For the other 4 of the back five of the pack I guess that fitness fatigue and character will influence selection and for me we will suffer no dip in quality whoever plays. (Just my gut feeling but I reckon Dowse will be benched and Clark skipper for this one). Bath after a week off will be fresh and raring to go and will expect big games from Hooper and Attwood and Fearns to show his usual dog at flanker.
At half back Saints have a dilemma, the quick efficient Dickson or the mercurial King Khan. Opting out of that one as well, Jim earn your corn. I think Myler will start, initial field position might be an important consideration, but how long he might get on the pitch might be open to some conjecture. For Bath, a lot rests on young shoulders and not just the scrum-half. This will be Fords biggest test so far and the young 10 has the opportunity in this game, which I think will be fairly open, to post his credentials to Mr Lancaster in a very forceful way.
Now the backs, wow this could be stonking - Foden, Burrell, Stephenson, Collins and North (My possibles) against the likes of Abendanon, Watson, Joseph, Devoto, and at some point Henson and others is going to be scintillating and points will be scored as will tackles made. There are some serious wheels in that little lot.
Will the week off hinder or help Bath, on one hand they will be rested and fit, but on the other hand will it happen that they will have lost the cohesion that regular rugby brings? How will Saints be after fearsome Friday at Franklins forcing those fraudulent felines to fall? Will Saints still be on a high, will it be after the Lord Mayors show? Tune in to the show on Friday night.
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Stumbleupon21/05/2014 10:46
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Once a scrum half .... always a scrum half
Saint 'til I die
In years gone by I've watched Saints lose too many times in the Pilkington cup etc at HQ. I wish you guys all the very best NEXT week.
Agree on all fronts this one is ALL about physicality if we can show the b##%€¥€s we did last week this could be the start of an historic double COYS
Per Ardua Ad Astra
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