Lowly Leeds to topple Sorry Sarries?

Not this week Goggsy!
By Peter Creek
March 28 2008

Anyone looking at the Guinness Premiership league table would think that Leeds is dead and buried. However those fans who turned out on Good Friday to see the ‘Negies beat Newcastle will still be harbouring hopes of a last minute reprieve. The Carnegie boys were good value for their win following the hard fought draw at Worcester the previous week.

What made last week’s result remarkable was the fact that Newcastle sent out a team bristling with star names whereas Stuart Lancaster had to make seven changes forced on him by injuries. For once there was no discernible difference to the side’s performance. The lads merely took up where they had left off against Wuss and dug deep for a well earned victory. Clearly they wanted to win more than a Falcons side who seemed to be merely going through the motions for much of the game. This week’s opponents, Saracens, were also on the television last week and the Leeds coaching staff will have been making careful notes on the way that the Ospreys took them apart. Tries came from out wide plus one special one up the middle. Saracens are still involved in the Heineken Cup and are well placed in the GP. They may well see Sunday’s fixture as an easy win and a chance to rest key players. They will be making a big mistake if they do that. After months of struggling to come to terms with the pace, power and speed of thought required to compete in the GP the Leeds club is showing that, despite its lowly league position, it can match many of the teams in the division. It is certainly, on Friday’s performance, not the worst team in the premiership – that dubious honour goes to Newcastle in my opinion.

One of the many high points of last week’s game was the improvement in the performance of the threequarters. Their defensive qualities have been honed by the incessant backs-to-the-wall stuff that has become a feature of their game. Now we have seen some effective crash ball stuff against two current international centres. Lee Blackett has always shown glimpses of his potential. His try last week could inspire him to further high calibre performances. Lee Hinton and Tom Biggs continue to use the ball to good effect with direct- purposeful running at the opposition. Of the forwards Stewart Lancaster must be delighted with the form of Hendray Fourie since he returned from his long lay-off. This plus the return of Mark Lock, Rob Rawlinson and Kearnan Myall gives Lanny some strength in depth at a time when it is most needed.

The number of injuries sustained in the last two games may well be a problem, particularly as we finished the Falcons game without any fit props. Mike MacDonald is punching above his weight at the moment and would be sorely missed at Sarries. Scott Freer played for the A team on Monday and may well feature at Watford on Sunday. I do not think Lanny will want to make too many changes to last week’s side so only injury will stop the lads who defeated Newcastle from getting their chance to take the fight to Saracens.

We had a seasonal miracle against the Falcons. If the good work is to continue and the team to have any chance of staying up then this weekend’s “cup final” will be won through honest endeavour, guts and sheer determination. Who wants it most will probably get it and the Leeds lads certainly want it.