Northampton Saints
News: LV=: Northampton Saints vs Gloucester Rugby - Preview
By Edward Phelan
November 6 2013
Aviva Premiership rugby takes a back seat for the next couple of weeks as the 2013/14 LV= Cup swings in action. Northampton Saints welcome Gloucester Rugby to Franklin's Gardens for a Saturday evening match and COYSDC contributor Edward Phelan taks a look at what to expect from the game...
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS vs GLOUCESTER RUGBY
LV= Cup: Saturday, 9th November 2013 - 5pm
FRANKLIN'S GARDENS, NORTHAMPTON
MATCH PREVIEW
This Saturday sees the return of the Cup which divides the opinions of many fans. Some see it as a good route into the Heineken Cup, others as the perfect opportunity to give the youngsters their chance in the limelight and then there are those that see it as a complete waste of time! I see it as an early chance to get revenge following the defeat to Gloucester (and Martin Fox) at Castle Grim. Although I think it is fairly safe to say that both the 2010 and 2011 winners of this competition will field very different sides to that late summer’s day.
As their recent success (and final failures) suggests, both teams have taken this competition seriously in recent years and I have no doubt that both Jim Mallinder and Nigel Davies will have ambitions to get their hands on the first piece of silverware of the season. The two teams met at Franklin’s Gardens at a similar stage of last season’s competition with Gloucester fielding a very youthful and inexperienced side. This led to Northampton running out worthy 26-7 winners following some disastrous results in the preceding weeks of Heineken cup action. The story could not be more different going into this weekend’s match as Northampton’s strength in depth and, dare I say it, rotation system keeps the players fresh and their appetites strong. We go into the match on the back of two very different, but equally pleasing, league results having followed up the demolition of Saracens by grinding out a narrow victory at London Irish. Gloucester, on the other hand, are having a torrid time of things and will be glad of a break from Aviva Premiership action.
So to the Northampton team, and it is probably easier to tell you who won’t be there. After a fairly non-descript showing from Twelvetrees at HQ on Saturday there followed Luther’s performance on Sunday so I expect us to be without the following;
Corbisiero
Hartley
Lawes
Wood
Manoa
Dickson
Foden
Burrell
North
Pisi (G)
Fotoluali’i
The team I am hoping for (probably wildly incorrect) is as follows:
15 Wilson
14 K Pisi
13 Stephenson
12 Waldouck
11 Collins
10 G Dickson
9 Glynn
8 Van Velze
7 Dowson (Capt.)
6 Nutley
5 Clark
4 Day
3 Denman
2 MacMillan
1 E Waller
This will be my son’s first match so I am hoping for a convincing win. However, him being only four years old and more interested in Bernie than the players, I don’t expect to see much of it!
Come on you Saints!
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It's in his power to lock you up for the next 10 years in "Can I go to The Saints?" or "Let's do something else, purlease!"
I would keep the material benefits flowing throughout!
"Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it."
-- Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161-180 A.D.
Not sure if Verbaekel is ready(?) or if we could get away with Harrison alongside Nutters?
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