By Japie
September 8 2005

Saracens’ first home game of the season and it seems the key question for fans and media alike is “will he, won’t he?”. After the Sarries team announcement, Andy Farrell won't play - still the fans and media wait for him to make his union debut, the toe injury keeping out of action this week. But there’s more to this match than the focus on one man. In some eyes, Farrell is one of two men to command particular attention this Sunday: Justin Marshall, the much-capped All Black scrum-half, arrived in Leeds with a golden tan and huge reputation to defend. A five-time Super 12 champion with his former Canterbury Crusaders, he is sure to bring a huge influence behind the Leeds’ scrum and excite great interest from the scribes and fans in the stands.

Intriguing match-ups will take place all over the park. Former Saracen Stuart Hooper has been chosen to captain the Tykes this year and forms a strong second-row partnership with Tom Palmer. Sarries’ new hooker Shane Byrne in particular is likely to relish coming up against his Lions rival Gordon Bulloch, another high-profile new signing arriving over the summer at Headingley. Scrum-half Alan Dickens moved from Leeds to Saracens in the summer and he starts against his former team-mates. Balshaw, impressively sharp at Twickenham last week, will enjoy running against Scarborough (moved to full back from wing). Sarries played against Leeds’ Italian-international fly-half/centre/full-back Roland De Marigny when he turned out against them for Overmach Parma in the European Challenge Cup last season. Andre Snyman and particularly young Tom Biggs are talented wingers that will match up well against our speedsters Richard Haughton (did you see that try-saving tackle on Sackey – the boy’s got wings!) and Tevita Vaikona, who returns from the injury that kept him out of the Twickenham line-up. The hairstyle match up between Biggs and Haughton will also be a tough battle!

But one man is definitely not going to make the match. Over the summer Leeds pipped Sarries for the signature of Kees Lensing, the powerful Namibian prop and star of last season’s Super 12 competition – fortunately he doesn’t arrive in the UK until after the Currie Cup.

Leeds had a mixed experience in pre-season with defeats to Clermont-Auvergne and Gloucester followed by a narrow win against Edinburgh. Their “home” defeat to London Irish at Twickenham was a set-back, but their Head Coach Phil Davies has said his players will learn the lessons of defeat against London Irish quickly. They had plenty of possession but failed to convert that into significant attacks on a well-defended Irish try-line.

Saracens have been tipped by many commentators in season previews to finish in this year’s top four Guinness Premiership play-off positions. Clearly if they are to fulfil that expectation they will not be helped by beginning the season with two defeats. So expect Sarries’ significant power in the scrum to be charged with seeking sufficient advantage for the backs to profit from. Glen Jackson’s first season as fly-half at Vicarage Road was by his own admission disappointing, and in many ways his performance at Twickenham last week did not command great confidence that this season will be different. But Diamond clearly likes what he sees and after giving him a two-year contract over the summer will be expecting Jackson to repay that faith (and silence the several doubters that could be heard around where I was sitting in the East Stand at Twickenham!) – class will out.

If predictions were called for I’d go for a tight three tries to two Sarries win. But I’m sitting in last place in the current Prediction League!

Saracens : Dan Scarborough, Richard Haughton, Thomas Castaignede, Kevin Sorrell, Tevita Vaikona, Glen Jackson, Alan Dickens, Kevin Yates, Matt Cairns, Cobus Visagie, Kris Chesney, Hugh Vyvyan, Alex Sanderson, David Seymour, Ben Skirving.
Replacements : Shane Byrne, Nick Lloyd, Simon Raiwalui, Taine Randell, Kyran Bracken, Ben J Russell, Dan Harris.

Leeds Tykes: to be announced.