Northampton Saints
News: HC: Northampton Saints vs Castres - Match Preview
By St Dormouse
January 10 2013
Northampton Saints' thoughts turn to Europe once again this weekend as they welcome Castres Olympique to Franklin's Gardens under the lights this Friday evening. It's a must win game if Saints want to have any chance of keeping their European ambitions alive and COYSDC contributor St Dormouse looks ahead to the game...
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS vs. CASTRES OLYMPIQUE
HC: Friday, 11th January 2013 - 8pm (Sky)
FRANKLIN'S GARDENS, NORTHAMPTON
MATCH PREVIEW
And so it comes, the end. My final hours on this planet, lying abed with my faithful hound Bobby across my knees. The ever Saintly Mrs Dormouse has left for work, saying goodbye, possible for the last time, with a cup of tea, a kiss and the necessary drugs to make my demise more comfortable. For I have succumbed to that most vile and spiteful of viruses. That incurable, debilitating evil that the good lord saw fit to send to punish his flock. Those that have suffered and recovered will have sympathy. To the unbeliever and the female of the species it is known simply as....Man flu!!!
And so not knowing if I have time enough left to complete this work, let alone watch the match, and instead of spending my final hours dictating my last will and testament, may I humbly present to you, my fellow Rugby fans, a match preview. Surely greater love has no man.
A New Year is upon us and a feeling of hope springs from the terraces. The last Rounds of the Heineken Cup brought us a dismal thrashing at home by Ulster followed by a heart-warming and spirited performance in Belfast. That win, however, proved to be a false dawn as shortly afterwards we were once again treated to a lacklustre and dare I say unworthy performance at the Gardens against Quins, followed a week later by a disappointing loss against...well that lot again. Discipline once again seems to be the team’s downfall, again and again, along with players that don’t seem to know, or don’t seem to care, how to play rugby any more.
Then comes the New Year and at last we were treated to a full 80 minutes of Rugby. 3 tries to 1, backs, forwards, tackling and good discipline. Against a team who have not lost at home in the league since we did the same thing last year. Players like Waldouck and especially GJ Van Velze at last playing to their potential, Myler confident and kicking well, Foden doing what he does best. If we can get the Pisi Boys back up to scratch then tries will come, especially with Foden breaking the line like he has done recently. Every time Callum Clark starts we seem to have a more competitive edge at the breakdown and he seems to draw Dowson with him. What wonderful impact substitutions in Wood and Samu. Mercey back in the mix at last. Now if we can just get Dickson to stop kicking the flippin ball away we might be able to conjure up some wins.
There is a distinctly French feel around at the moment. Passion, romance, tears of joy and tears of grief, emotions of all extremes running high. Moments of extreme violence, moments of skilful wonderment, brute force next to subtle compassion. Crowds pushing against the barricades and spontaneously bursting into song. You can almost smell the garlic. No not the opening night of Les Miserables at the Kettering Odeon but the annual visit of Olymipique Castres to Franklins Gardens.
Yet another Friday night game and the Heineken cup returns to the Gardens. I think this may be the third this year and although I enjoy the Friday night atmosphere I’m afraid that even if I were to shake off this plague I would still be unable to attend. There is only so much time a bloke can take off work. I know he who pays the piper and all that however I wish this particular piper would tell Sky where to stick his tune. We seem to be getting an unfair share of the Friday games and particularly after the Christmas break I can see other people with commitments or travel arrangements to make will miss this game and we will have a half empty stadium. Once again the poor fans of Castres have to travel hundreds of miles on a Friday night. Poor show, Sky.
To the game then, on the basis of what I saw last week, I would put exactly the same team out against Castres. No need to change in my opinion. Maybe swap Lawes and Samu but that’s just being picky. French teams are always tough up front and relish a good old fashioned scrap so our forwards will need to be up for the challenge in all aspects. Discipline once again will need to be a top priority and if we can hold the defensive line, keep our heads and take our opportunities when they arise, which they surely will, then this match is definitely winnable.
** Newsflash just in. Ken Pisi picked up an ankle injury last week so expect to see Armstrong, vas or ‘notnow’ Cato in the squad, probably one of them to start, leaving May on the bench. In my opinion Armstrong is the better option but others will beg to differ. **
And now to Castres. We seem to play them so often it’s like an old fashioned Mobbs match. Usually with both teams winning their home fixture. They are a difficult team to comment on as like most French teams they appear to be content to win their home games and grab what may be offered away. They were poor away in Belfast and only beat us by 5 in France. Unconvincing home and away against Glasgow they still find themselves with 3 wins and 12 points.
They have also lost their last 2 domestic fixtures at home against Toulouse and away at Grenoble. They still sit in 4th however, not too dissimilar to our position. Their squad rotation system seems chaotic, swapping between Pierre Bernard and Remi Tales at fly half and Thiery lacrampe and South African Rory Kockott at scrum half. In the back 3 they have any combination of top points scorer Romain Teulet, Brice Dulin, Romain Martial, Marcel Garvey( once of Worcester and Gloucester) and French international wing Marc Andreu. French international Seremaia Bai is a regular at centre and Flanker Yannick Caballero is a probable especially with fellow French international Ibrahim Diarra on the naughty step. Like a lot of French teams they have a Romanian Prop in Mihai Lazar along with Frenchman, Yannick Forestier, Georgian international Anton Peikrishvili and a New Zealander Saimone Taumoepeau. Bet you wish you had the job of ironing the names on the shirts of that lot.
I have no idea who will start. I don’t know their best team but at least by writing down a load of names it looks like I’m making and effort on my deathbed. Judging by the previous 2 matches and the Glasgow fixtures I predict something along the lines of
15 Teulet
14 Garvey
13 Bai
12 Lemerat
11 Andrey
10/9 whoever comes out of the bag first
1/3 Ditto
2 Bonello
4 Rolland
5 Tekori
6 Bornman
7 Caballero
8 Wannenburg.
Castres have actually got something to play for here. 9 or 10 points from the last 2 matches should see them qualify for the first time since 2002. Same can’t be said of our position as even 20 points won’t guarantee anything. Saints have to get 5 points out of this game to stand any chance of the next stage and tries, as we know, have been scarce of late. On the positive side, and I may be wrong, but I have yet to see anything from this or any other Castres side to suggest that they give a damn about the Heineken cup. Although I in no way see a repeat of last year’s 45-0, 5 try demolition, let’s hope that they play to type and our boys give them a jolly good thrashing.
The Heineken cup is still there for the taking. Upon these stones can we build the barricade and bring him home? Can we dream the dream?
Now where was I, oh yes Mrs D will be home soon so just time to nip down to the Oliver Twist for a swift half....purely medicinal of course. What do you reckon Bobby?
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Ps well done that mouse
No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.
Dryathlon
Great read sir!
“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
Benjamin Franklin
Tetleys Block F E143
Thanks, St D - really enjoyed reading your article!
Tissue, Sir?
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