By Mark H
December 4 2003

7th May 2000. It’s 28 all. Ian Boobyer sticks out a foot, knocks the ball out of Dom Malone’s hands, and Alan Lewis gives the penalty. The coolest man in the ground slots the kick over from 41 metres, and Northampton Saints are going to the Heineken Cup final at the first attempt. History. And as much as they deny it, that is what will be driving Llanelli on Friday night. The chance to right a wrong. The chance to avenge a defeat (or two). The Welsh versus the English (plus assorted Aussies and Kiwis).

If the ERC wanted to provide fixtures with spice for the first weekend of the ninth European Cup, then they did a decent job. Big spenders and runners up last time out Perpignan going to Wasps. French champions Stade Francais entertaining Leicester in a repeat of the 2001 final, with both sides showing somewhat ropey form at the moment. And, at Stradey Park, the semi final repeat from 2000 with the best side in Wales (and I include the national team) taking on the most entertaining, frustrating, and inconsistent team from the other side of the Severn.

You only have to look at the Scarlets’ record over the last four seasons in this competition to realise just how close they have been to the ultimate prize. After our win came eviction in the group stages to Gloucester in 2001, a late semi-final defeat to Tigers (the eventual winners) thanks to Tim Stimpson’s 58 metre penalty that went over via bar, post, David McHugh’s backside, the Trent Bridge Tavern, and little Austin’s thatch in 2002, followed by their quarter final defeat to Perpignan last season. As with Munster, they must be feeling that eventually, one year, this cup will have their name on it.

Part of the reason for their success is that Stradey Park effect. If the Millennium Stadium is the new cathedral of Welsh rugby, then Stradey is the Colusseum, where the local gladiators come to fight the lions in front of a baying crowd and more often that not send their populous away happy. Three defeats in their twenty two home European ties, and only two since 1998, the first to Gloucester in the opening round of 2000/01, the second as a result of being reduced to fourteen men in that Perpignan match (plus Air Renaud making Martyn Madden look a novice), have made this one of the most intimidating arenas in Europe, and certainly one of the hardest to get a result in. The numbers may say that the ground holds 10,800, but if they get a head of steam up, it will seem like many thousands more are in there.

So how will Saints go about putting the mute button on? Well, job number one will be to not give many kickable penalties away, or Stephen Jones will just step up and slot away kick after kick. It seems ironic that such a consistent accumulator of points should have missed the vital kicks when it mattered most in the semi-final against Leicester, and cost his side a spot in the final. Mark Taylor makes his debut at outside centre, and coach Gareth Jenkins has already said that he intends to play in a similar style to the way that Wales did in the World Cup quarter final, so Taylor will fit into the Scarlets’ game pattern perfectly. It’ll be a credit to Mark Tucker and Chris Hyndman if they manage to keep the shackles on him.

Tongan wing Salesi Finau will relish his battle against Bruce Reihana, and that should be one of the highlights of the evening, as will Dwayne Peel’s battle at scrum half against Sharky. Peel is the up and coming scrum half in Wales, and would no doubt have wanted to test himself against Matt Dawson having only had three minutes against him in the World Cup, but you can’t dispute the selection of Sharky given the form he showed at Castle Grim last Saturday.

And as for the Llanelli pack? Well, as seems to be the norm for every pack that Saints seem to play against recently, they’re a big bunch, packed with international experience - only prop John Davies did not go to the World Cup, and the back row of Jones, Easterby and Quinnell look formidable. The side named by Jenkins on Wednesday afternoon is:-

15 Barry Davies
14 Garan Evans
13 Mark Taylor
12 Matthew Watkins
11 Salesi Finau
10 Stephen Jones
9 Dwayne Peel
1 Iestyn Thomas
2 Robin McBryde
3 John Davies
4 Vernon Cooper (captain)
5 Chris Wyatt
6 Dafydd Jones
7 Simon Easterby
8 Scott Quinnell

Replacements
16 Phil John
17 Aled Gravelle
18 Adam Jones
19 Ian Boobyer
20 Mike Phillips
21 Gareth Bowen
22 Tal Selley

There are 8 survivors from the 2000 semi-final starting line up (Finau, Stephen Jones, McBryde, Davies, Wyatt, Easterby, Quinnell and Boobyer), but captain Vernon Cooper was on the bench that day. In the Saints 22, there’s just the five - Beal, Cohen, Grayson, Thompson and Phillips, and somewhat ironically, that man Grayson starts from the bench again, no doubt waiting to come on and kick the winning points again. With injured wing Mark Jones saying at the competition launch that the Scarlets had come to “mediocre ends” in previous years, the “mediocre” Saints 22 is:-

15 Nick Beal (co-captain)
14 Bruce Reihana
13 Chris Hyndman
12 Mark Tucker
11 Ben Cohen
10 Shane Drahm
9 Mark Robinson
1 Tom Smith
2 Dan Richmond
3 Robbie Morris
4 Jon Phillips
5 Rob Hunter
6 Grant Seely
7 Darren Fox
8 Andrew Blowers (co-captain)

Replacements
16 Steve Thompson
17 Chris Budgen
18 Mark Connors
19 Mark Soden
20 Johnny Howard
21 Paul Grayson
22 Jon Sleightholme

So, two personnel changes in the starting line-up - the returning Ben Cohen in for Brooks (on England 7s duty) and Hyndman in for Leslie (bicep injury), but it’s bench spots for Wally and Grays, whilst Daws will travel as a non-playing reserve. With such a wealth of talent at scrum half this season, it was inevitable that one would miss out; how many of us would have guessed that it would be Daws?

Saints’ record in Wales in Europe is reasonable, with wins at Neath in the cup winning season and at Cardiff just under a year ago, and a solitary defeat at the Arms Park in the second of the two seasons that the team made ineptitude in Europe look like an art form. There’s no doubt that Stradey will provide the toughest test yet.

It is the first meeting of Welsh and English sides since the national team outscored the world champions by three tries to one just over four weeks ago, but this is club rugby, so why should that matter? Indeed, why am I even mentioning it? Well, Gareth Jenkins started it…

“Northampton are a huge threat in our group and we are going to have to make home advantage count. They are a quality side - but having an Anglo-Welsh game for our starter will certainly spice things up.”

This may be Jenkins’ last stab at European glory, with him being one of the favourites for the soon to be vacant national job. After the disappointments, he will want his team to make up for them this time around.

Looking slightly farther afield, Agen should get past Borders comfortably. Of the three fancied teams in our pool, Llanelli are the bookies’ favourites, and seem to have the best of the fixtures, having their home matches against Saints and Agen before having to travel to them. Indeed, Saints are in probably the trickiest position of the three clubs. In the four previous seasons, Saints have started with two home matches and two away. In the seasons with the home matches, Saints won their group. With the away starts, qualification for the last eight was a mile away.

The importance of a good start, this season in particular, can’t be underestimated. Lose on Friday night and the pressure is on for round two, where a win would be absolutely imperative to have any realistic chance of progress. Win, and the group is there to be topped. I fully expect Borders to end their six games with no wins, therefore if any of the supposed “big three” can pick up an away win against their rivals, they would be in pole position. Any bonus points that can be gleamed, either through tries or narrow defeats, will be vital.

A thought to ponder. Under the new points system, Saints would have picked up points in every game last season, and would have finished with 19 points (and won the group thanks to that late Jorgy try). I would anticipate that it will take an absolute minimum of 19 to qualify again, and to get a home draw, 23 or 24 from the six games. It will certainly be a fairer way of organising the rankings for the quarter final.

Much as I would like to be coming away from west Wales four or five points nearer that goal on Friday night, I think we’re only going to get one, for coming within seven. One thing that is undeniable is that it will be a night of passion and pride - the sort of night that only European rugby can bring.