Quins v Saints Preview
By KevT
May 1 2003
NEC Harlequins take on Northampton Saints at The Stoop Memorial Ground on Friday 2nd May 2003 (Kick off 7.45pm) in their last home league game of the season. Quins are aiming for a place in the Heineken Cup play offs and Northampton are looking for automatic HC qualification
Quins make three changes to the team that lost to Gloucester at Kingsholm 29 – 11 last Saturday. Billy Fulton has dislocated his wrist and has played his last game before heading back to Wellington. Billy is replaced by Scott Bemand. Ace Tiatia has picked up his second suspension of the year after receiving six yellow cards and is replaced by Roy Winters. At Prop, Jason Leonard is rested and Jon Dawson starts.
Northampton Saints are will make changes to the team that beat Sale Sharks last Saturday. Mattie Stewart will be playing in the Army and Navy game. Tom Smith and John Phillips were definitely out injured. Bruce Reihana has had to pull out after failing to recover from a knee injury he suffered against The Sharks last weekend. Fly-half Paul Grayson, lock Matt Lord and flanker Grant Seely all passed their fitness tests this morning
Northampton Saints have had a mixed season. Up to a couple of weeks ago they had a lot to look forward to with a Heineken Cup Quarter Final and a Powergen Cup Final to play. They lost both of these matches and some criticism has been given and accepted of the England players, Steve Thompson, Matt Dawson and Ben Cohen who did not perform to the levels expected in these matches. It is something of a compliment to the high regard that Wayne Smith, the Saints coach, is held in that he received little or no criticism of these defeats. That said Northampton have flattered to deceive this season. They have been very inconsistent, two weeks ago they lost a large lead to Newcastle and last week they beat Sale Sharks, one of the best team in the country.
In the forwards, the injuries up front have taken their toll and Saints will give a start to 21-year-old prop Brett Sturgess. He played against Quins at Franklyn’s gardens earlier in the season and scored a try. Steve Thompson has been rated one of the best hookers in the world on his England form. His is a formidable presence in the loose but has come in for some criticism for getting in the way of his backs. England international Robbie Morris who is a very promising player completes the Saints Front Row. In the second row, Matt Lord and Mark Connors are a pretty aggressive pairing. Lord is a New Zealander who played for North Harbour and Connors is the Australian international who had originally signed for Bath. He can play back row and has given the Saints pack a tougher edge this season. The Saints back row is possibly the strongest in the League. Andrew Blowers has had a majestic season. Our own Luke Sherriff told me that Blowers was the toughest player he has had to play against this season. He is very good at turning over ball but can also make the hard yards when necessary. Budge Pountney has had a difficult season at open side for personal and professional reasons but I rate him very highly. He is always in the thick of the action. Grant Seely is doubtful for the match and if he cannot play then 22 year old Darren Fox is likely to complete the back row.
At scrum half, Saints have Matt Dawson. He has been a key player for England over the past few seasons. He is very quick, has a great step and gets his backs with a quick pass. If there is a criticism of him it is that his pass can be a bit wayward when he is not playing well, he is a good kicker both with ball in hand and as a points scorer. He is also a top class referee to rank alongside his England colleagues Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio. England reserve fly half Paul Grayson also passed a late fitness test. The result of this test could be crucial for Quins. Grayson always seems to play well against us. He controls the game with his wonderful boot and is a great decision maker. A lack of pace and his ability to tackle have sometimes raised questions about him but I’m a great admirer of his game.
Last week John Leslie and Bruce Reihana played centre but Jorgensen plays this week. Leslie is a strong tackling New Zealand / Scottish centre. I’ve always wondered about his handling but his tackling and straight running may provide a perfect foil for Peter Jorgensen. Australian international Jorgensen is a wonderful player. He has real pace and is a great broken field runner. He is Saints second highest try scorer this year.
Oriel Ripol is a quick Spanish International who has been playing on the wing. On the other side Northampton have the excellent Ben Cohen who is a very strong runner and very difficult to stop if given any space. He has proved himself to be one of the top finishers in the world. At Full Back Northampton have Nick Beal who is a leggy and elusive runner and is a former British Lion and England International.
All in all, Northampton Saints have a pretty formidable team. The key to their performance is the ability of their half backs Grayson and Dawson to dictate the game. Quins have to stem the flow of ball to them and disrupt the quality of their possession. If you can put pressure in Northampton up front then this can be done. Expect to see Quins aggressively challenging Northampton in the tackle area and trying to get a push on the Saints scrum. Quins will miss Billy Fulton’s swift pass and must make sure that their kicking game is sound. Misplaced kicks will only release Messrs Beal, Cohen, Ripol and Jorgensen.
The battle in the back row will be intriguing. I expect to see Vos, Winters and Diprose give the Northampton back row a real run for their money. Miall and Davison have also been in good form recently. Although I have praised Reihana’s abilities he is inexperienced at centre and Greenwood is the man to take advantage of that.
Quins’ home form has been excellent this season and I know that the players enjoy playing in front of a packed Friday night crowd. If the Quins forwards can really impose themselves on Northampton and cut down the Saints’ Half Backs’ space then they can win but it will be close.
NEC Harlequins: - 15. Nathan Williams 14. Dan Luger 13, Will Grenwood; 12. Mel Deane; 11. Ben Gollings; 10. Paul Burke; . Scott Bemand 1. Ceri Jones, 2. Tani Fuga, 3. Jason Leonard, 4. Bill Davison, 5. Simon Miall, 6. Roy Winters, 7. Andre Vos, 8. Tony Diprose
Replacements:16. James Hayter; 17. Bruce Starr; 18. Karl Rudzki; 19. Luke Sherriff; 20. Laurent Gomez
21. Matthew Powell; 22. Rob Jewell
Northampton Saints – 15. Beal; 14. Ripol, 13.Jorgensen, 12. Leslie (capt), 11. Cohen: 10. Grayson, 9. Dawson; 1. Sturgess, 2. Thompson, 3. Morris, 4. Lord, 5. Connors, 6. Fox, 7. Pountney, 8.Blowers.
Replacements:16 Matt Miles; 17 Kelvin Todd; 18 Rob Hunter; 19 Grant Seely; 20 James Brooks; 21 Mark Tucker
22 Jon Sleightholme