By Behindthebench
October 31 2014

In the same way that Trigger's broom in "Only Fools and Horses" was technically the same one, despite having 17 new heads and 14 handles, the LV= Cup is technically the same knock-out competition which Saracens won in its inaugural year as the Tetley's Bitter Cup in 1998, and indeed has its roots in the 1971 Club Competition. It was announced earlier this week that the Final will be at Franklins Gardens on Sunday 22 March, and tickets are on sale already, if you're feeling confident.

In the late 1990s, this was more like the equivalent of the FA Cup, with the Heineken Cup nowhere near its profile of recent years, and with a customary Twickenham final, Since then, the profile of the tournament has gradually eroded to its present role of a development tournament, This is perhaps caused by a quartet of factors: the introduction of the Premiership final in 2001, to a lesser extent the greater use of Twickenham for club fixtures by Harlequins, Wasps and London Irish, as well as the double header, the gradual improvement in the competitiveness of the Celtic League and the rise in the importance of Europe. Up until 2005, the Championship sides were involved in the competition, the most notable result being in 2004 when Pertemps Bees, as Birmingham-Solihull were then known, beat Wasps in a Quarter Final. 

A new format saw the Championship sides replaced by the four Welsh regions, as the Championship sides were spun into a new National Trophy in 2006, whilst in the 2009/2010 season, the British and Irish Cup was introduced, with its intriguing mix of Championship sides, Welsh and Scottish clubs and reserve sides from the Irish provinces. Now known as the Anglo-Welsh Cup, there was a finals day at Twickenham, and a double headed semi-final at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, but, the Welsh regions' participation almost caused their exclusion from the Celtic League due to "double bookings", Wasps were the first winners in 2006, followed by back to back finals between Leicester and Ospreys in 2007 and 2008, Leicester taking the first and Ospreys getting revenge in the second. EDF Energy's sponsorship ended in 2009 as Cardiff Blues claimed a thumping 50-12 win against Gloucester.

LV=, the then recently rebranded Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society, took over the sponsorship, and, most notably, the semi-finals and final were taken away from Cardiff and Twickenham, changing the profile of the competition significantly, although it's only in the last two seasons that the tournament has openly promoted itself as an opportunity to see the stars of the future. Saracens form in the competition has been excellent since then, reaching the Semi Finals in three of the last five seasons, beaten by Northampton in 2010 and 2014, and at Sale in 2013. The first competitve match at Allianz Park was a 19-11 win against Cardiff in this competition on 27 January 2013

So that's the history. In terms of line ups, the LV= Cup takes place during key international weekends, and dovetails with the Aviva Premiership A League, so it is logicak that Maro Itoje captains the side, adding to his experience not only with the Storm, but the World Championship winning England Under 20 side. In the A League, the Storm won 27-3 at the Stoop earlier this season, shortly after the demolition job in the Aviva Premiership. Harlequins have also lost to London Welsh 40-5, at Ealing, and at home to Exeter. Their only A League success has been at home to Wasps. In contrast, the Storm have a perfect record of four wins, boasting a 50-24 demolition of Exeter alongside wins at Bath and London Irish.

With squads not announced yet, there's a fair bit of guesswork. In that win at the Stoop, Will Edwards was full back, with Mike Ellery and Jack Wilson on the wings, and Nick Tompkins partnering Max Wilkins in the centres. The 9-10 combination featured Ben Spencer and Nils Mordt. Aaron Morris and Nathan Earle could feature in the backs. In the forwards, Jack Culverhouse, Scott Spurling and Biyi Alo formed the front row, with Hayden Smith and Mouritz Botha in the second row - this combination seems likely to change, so there could be an appearance for Eoin Sheriff. Itoje, Matt Hankin and Nick De Jager completed the eight. 

Harlequins could well field the trio of Chisholm brothers. Back row James captains the A side, with Ross at full back, and brother Ali also in the backs. In the defeat to Exeter, Charlie Walker and Jordan Burns were on the wings, with Jordan Turner-Hall and Harry Sloan at centre. Sam Stuart was at scrum half, with Louis Grimoldby filling the fly half berth. The front row consisted of Darryl Marfo, Rob Buchanan and Seb Adeniran-Olule, whilst George Merrick and Sam Twomey were at lock, and the back row was formed of Joe Trayfoot and Henry Cheeseman alongside the captain. A number of the squad are members of the successful England under 20 squad alongside Sarries' Itoje and Tompkins.