Whither The Wildcards

By Chris Chaplin
May 13 2003

Will we manage to salvage anything from this - our “seasonus horribilus” by getting into Europe or will it be the Parker Pan for us?

Whither The Wildcards
By Chris Chaplin

On Saturday one of those wags in The Shed called out to Johnno “want to
borrow my Parker Pen” and to his eternal credit the great man managed
to force a rueful smile. Perhaps he knew how close such ignominy lay.
It would be extraordinarily tedious for you all were I to produce
reviews for each of the games in this coming week so for what will probably
be my last preview of the season I will confine myself to considering
the semi-finals of the competition.

Firstly the home and away fixture between Sarries and Leeds.
After another indifferent season Sarries have staged a bit of revival
of late with an impressive win over those eternal bridesmaids, Sale
(although I am reminded that they did win the Parker Pen last year) Leeds
on the other hand have drifted off form, seeing their league position
plummet from that of strong contenders for that other nightmare
competition, the “Championship” play-offs to join us in the losers’
consolation bun-fight.

Of course if Wasps beat Bath in the Parker Pen then Leeds are playing
for the sake of it as they’ll qualify for Europe anyway - I think. Or
maybe not. What a mess!

Leeds remain strangely limited in their style of play and that will not
change now so they will rely on their big pack, Ross keeping the game
moving and the boot of van Straaten. This will work OK at Headingley and
I can see them winning at home, the problem is that they don’t score
enough points via tries so a sizeable defeat at Vicarage Road in the
first leg could make things interesting, as they’d have to come out of
their shell and go for maximum points, as well as a win, to progress. I
don’t see them beating Sarries at Vicarage Road as they are a very
different team away from home to when they are at Headingly and the men in
black will be feeling pretty chipper at present having, with one giant
Shelfordesque bound, freed themselves from the shackles of being
relegation candidates to inhabit the relatively sunlit uplands of being
potential HEC participants next year.

However having watched the awful spectacle of their match with Bristol
it is clear that they can get overcome by big packs and prevailing over
Sale’s lightweight outfit and Leeds eight will be very different
matters. Still I see the two semi-finalists each winning at home with Sarries
going through on points or tries or whatever deciding factor the
organisers decide upon. Let’s just hope that they don’t leave it until after
injury time is completed before deciding what the tie break is to be!!!
The other semi-finalists are of course Tigers and that perennial thorn
in the Tigers’ side, Quins who we seemed destined to meet at every
turn.

Our pals from The Stoop will also be feeling pretty pleased with
themselves after mounting a close run upset over the form team of the second
half of the season, Wasps.

However before getting too excited this was something of a “Wasps Lite”
side, with Howley and Leota not starting, that turned out at Adams
Park, as apart from it always being nice to win they were already secure in
second spot and they have the Championship semi-final against Saints
and the Parker Pen final still ahead of them at least, probably
concluding surely with the Championship final against Glaws, so they have had to
exercise discretion in both using and risking their big guns.
Nevertheless Quins did win thanks to the boot of Paul Burke (no change
there then) and two tries from winger Monye so all credit to them.
Tigers on the other hand didn’t and are now in a real slough of despond
and didn’t they look it at Kingsholm last Saturday.

Dispirited, disorganised and despondent I’m afraid. The pack actually
played pretty well and dominated the line-out in particular and could
well do so again against Quins. Josh looked in good shape on his return
and let’s hope he stays in place in the back-row and that Corry is
restored. Back/Corry and Josh could be hugely influential against the
Quins pack, which while very mobile can be overcome.

The problem will again come behind the pack as it has all season. Now
I know that I’ll not be popular in saying so but the combination of
Hamilton and McMullen must be the most pedestrian I’ve seen and I hope
that Harry or Tom come in. How Deano could put Harry on the wing and Tom
on the bench and prefer Jamie to start against the league champions
will remain one the greatest mysteries in this season of selection
obscurities.

While with Sam injured McMullen is the only recognised #10 available
I’d be sorely tempted to play Rod there against Quins , play Glenn
Gelderbloom at #12 and give them something to think about by playing Geordan
at outside centre. He has the hands, feet and pace and can defend
well. I know it’s radical but nothing else has worked. Desperate times
and all that. If the same set up as used at Kingsholm opposes Mel Deane
and Will Greenwood or Chris Bell we’ll be in trouble. Fred should
return to the wing with the utmost despatch where his single string guitar
can play to full effect and leave young Holtby on the other side.
Hopefully Stimmo will be back.

If we make changes we can win home and away. If the order remains as
we’ve seen it over the past few weeks we’ll lose at The Stoop and by
enough to render unimportant a possible win at Welford Road. But even
that looks far from assured if the personnel and their form against Irish
and Glaws is repeated. I can’t see the Quins pack besting us but as
we’ve seen time after time, after time this season seemingly no matter
how much ball the pack manages to get we can’t get the tries through the
backs with the rolling maul now our one form of attack and these days
they have to be very close in to stand much chance of success

History sadly tells us that if he’s nothing else Deano is stubborn so I
expect little to change and to see a Quins vs. Sarries Final and, if
it’s at The Stoop as planned, a place in the HEC for the spangled ones and
in the Parker Pen for us. If it’s at a neutral ground then Sarries
could edge it as I think their pack could well be too good for Quins and
with Horan, Haughton, Goode, Johnson and O’Mahoney behind the pack they,
unlike Tigers, should be in a position to make the most of the
possession secured.

If we do get through to the final I shall return but I rather suspect
that this will be my last preview of the season. So thanks for reading
all this guff. Thanks for the kind comments from home and away
(Munster being the notable exception) and here’s to a better 2003/4.
Mind you with my record of getting it wrong I could be back before
then, let’s hope so for it’ll mean Tigers are in the Wildcard Final and
surely enduring another of my previews is a price worth paying..