Northampton Saints
News: AP: Leicester Tigers vs Northampton Saints - Preview
By Bonso
December 1 2011
Northampton Saints travel to the roundabout that is Pooh Corner this Saturday to face Leicester Tigers in another crucial Aviva Premiership match. Heeding a last-minute cry, bonso picks up the baton and looks ahead to a fascinating encounter...
LEICESTER TIGERS vs. NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
Saturday, 3rd December 2011 - 2.15pm (ESPN)
THE ROUNDABOUT, POOH CORNER, LEICESTERSESTERSHIRE
MATCH PREVIEW
Tiger Hunting Out In Welford Rd
Well it’s off to Hundred Acre Wood again to see them Tiggers again. So what are we going to get this time?
Previous encounters have been everything that games of Rugby between two local rivals should be full of passion, fire, and no little skill. Who can forget the controversy last year between Tuilagi and Ashton (Mr Barnes take note), Saints beating Tigers on the way to the Pilkington Cup Final, the drop goal that Bealer scored from The Granby Hall or was it The De Montford Hall, and the Gypsy Try.
If this match doesn’t get the juices flowing you must be clinically dead.
Tiggers league position belies their potential and despite some injuries they are still formidable upfront and more than useful at half-back. Thing is, unlike last year Saints will have as much depth as our bouncy chums in the tight. Personally, this war within a war has the potential to cause derision at the officials from both sets of Rugby connoisseur’s. One thing is for sure there will be blood and it won’t be pretty in there. The second row and line-out will also be one for students of the dark-side as I believe both clubs will field a mixture of youthful exuberance and hard edged old fashioned nous. Whoever wins the lineout may well be decided by which back-row has the best day, step up Croft and Woody that also will be more than a little tasty mon bonviveurs.
The back rows are very evenly matched but Saints seem to be more mobile where as the Stripey Wipey ones are more solid.
Eventually the big boys will let the others have a go and there is some good stuff there as well, despite him captaining the AA Milne’s Endangered Species XV Geordan Murphy is a consummate full-back who I have always admired, obviously more than Eddie O’sullivan anyway. Match him and his mates Tuillgi and Agulla against whichever back three Saints field and there is every good facet of back three play you can think of.
As concerns the selection of the centres for Saints I think we might see the Downey Pisi show again injuries permitting and I will certainly be interested to see how “36” fares in this match up.
The half backs will have a massive say in this one and I think whoever kicks better from hand might well win the day. Flood and Lamb might well end the year as Englands two stand-offs and when they are hot they are both very good fun to watch. Speed of pass and quality of pass might well make the difference between how the generals play. Advantage Saints for me in this area.
It is rather strange for me to say that Saints for once have a stronger bench however I really hope Jim doesn’t use it as much as he has been for this one, but hey, “In Jim We Trust”.
Prediction time then, I’m going for Tiggers by 49 just so we can be underdogs, Mr Cockerill.
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No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.
Dryathlon
I hope we get the honey, but it will be close.
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