News: AP: Northampton Saints vs London Irish - Match Preview

After the two opening rounds of this season’s Aviva Premiership, Northampton sit in 8^th position with one win and one loss. To many, that wouldn’t seem like such a calamity, however such is the success of the Saints in recent seasons that there are murmurs of discontent within the supporter base. Do Northampton have the strength in depth? Are we creative enough? Does our defence have weaknesses in the outside channels? All valid and pertinent questions. On the other hand, are these questions that should be arising merely two games into a very long and enduring season? Probably not. This weekend however, may provide the opportunity for Northampton to quash talk of play-off failure, and bat away discussions about a lack of strength in depth.

The performance against Harlequins did leave something to be desired, with the back division distinctly lacking in creativity and a cutting edge – something the team has often be criticised for in the past, particularly when Ben Foden and Chris Ashton are absent. Nevertheless, the defence was solid through the middle, but perhaps leaky down the wide channels, whilst the forwards held their own against a near full strength Quins front 5, plus impressive captain Chris Robshaw. The result was largely due to both Harlequins impressive ferocity at the breakdown - with the Saints struggling to hold onto the ball for sustained periods of time, as well as the metronomic and enviably precise boot of fly-half Nick Evans. Northampton weren’t necessarily out-classed, merely the inferior team on the occasion – not to mention the Saints didn’t have the pace, strength, guile and form of Ugo Monye on their team. Individually, the Saints didn’t outplay their direct counter-parts, and thus, fell to the mercy of the Harlequins pace and power, particularly in the backline. On a positive note, Noah Cato showed glimpses of what he has to offer in a Northampton shirt, with a few neat breaks, offloads, tackles and passes that were one bright light in the Saints otherwise disappointing back-division. One would hope that Northampton learn from this experience and realise that it is not enough to simply compete at the breakdown and set-pieces, but that they also need to send the ball wide and attack with pace and accuracy when necessary.

Looking forward to Saturday afternoon’s encounter, the Saints may see the game as a chance to display a decidedly more attacking game, putting more pace on the ball and attacking with flair, pace and precision against an almost entirely second-string London Irish backline. Despite many of the new signings at Irish having not made their debuts yet due to the World Cup, it may be reasonable to assume that the likes of Shontayne Hape and former Saint Joe Ansbro are likely to be the starting centre partnership, or perhaps one of the pair combined with Daniel Bowden in the midfield. With this in mind, the Saints may wish to exploit the lack of Premiership experience in the Exiles backs – particularly in the likely centre partnership of Jonathan Josephs and Steve Shingler. Entering his second season with Irish, Josephs is a talented youngster, with pace to burn and a strong hand-off, proven by his impressive score against Sale Sharks in their previous game. Shingler on the other hand, has only 2 Premiership appearances to his name, following his move to the Exiles from Welsh province Llanelli Scarlets over the summer. Shingler is a fly-half-come-centre with good distribution and an impressive kicking game, however he may well face a stiff defensive task when attempting to prevent James Downey from crashing over the gain-line come Saturday. The centre channel is where Northampton may wish to focus their attack, with ball carriers testing the resolve of Shingler and Josephs, as well as Kiwi Daniel Bowden at 10 or 12 – depending on which way around he and Shingler are positioned.

The Exiles have lost their two opening games this season, albeit by small margins. It could even be said that their performances have been more promising and more assured than those of Northampton – whom have yet to look fully relaxed and in control of their game. The Exiles pack has also looked assured and settled, with captain Clarke Dermody leading by example in his demolition of the Sale scrum during Round 2 of the competition. The Irish line-out will as always pose a stern test for Northampton, with Nick Kennedy looking to continue a solid start to the season against Christian Day, who has as of yet failed to hit top form for the hosts. The line-out is one of the Exiles most potent weapons, with a lot of their attacking ball coming off the top and spread out to the wide channels. In previous seasons, Irish have had the highly regarded Sailosi Tagicakibau attacking from the wing and often making good ground with his footwork – however this season, with Tagicakibau missing with Samoa, Irish must rely on the pace of Topsy Ojo and the in-form Marland Yarde to attack out wide. Noah Cato and the returning Paul Diggin are likely to be called into action in defence on regular occasions – provided that Irish get parity at the breakdown and scrum, and distribute well through Shingler and Bowden. The kicking from hand and tee from Tom Homer is also a threat to Northampton, with Homer boasting an enviable kicking percentage from the first two games. With that being said, Northampton’s own Stephen Myler is also in great form with the boot – thus the contest from the tee may be the deciding factor during Saturday’s encounter.

Northampton are likely to field an almost unchanged side to that which faced Harlequins at the Stoop. However, it may be interesting to see which centre partnership is selected, and how Tom May fits into the side. In week one, the Saints were without Jon Clarke – Tom May filled in. In week two they were without Paul Diggin – Tom May filled in. With Diggin hopefully returning against Irish, will May drop to the bench, or will he perhaps usurp a current shirt occupant? It is not inconceivable that May could start in the 15 shirt, with the flaky Greig Tonks dropping to the bench. Although Tonks has been impressive going forward with ball in hand, his kicking from hand has been disappointing, although his defence and positioning has improved over the summer. However, May’s superior kicking, experience and marginal advantage in the speed department may see him preferred to Tonks come Saturday. Another issue facing Northampton is the possibility of losing prop Paul Doran-Jones to the World Cup following Andrew Sheridan’s injury. Is Doran-Jones available? Will he start ahead of the impressive Alex Waller in the No.1 jersey? There are many possibilities and opportunities for rotation in the front row, and that is without the might of Soane Tonga’uiha – who may be returning within the next month, given Tonga’s poor start to the World Cup.

One thing that is for certain, as ever, if Northampton are to win then they must dominate the breakdown, scrum and possession. Irish have a pacey backline, with Ojo a particular threat. Add to that a solid scrum and a dominant line-out, and you will find that Irish lack a distinct weakness. Perhaps mentally Irish can crumble under pressure – however Northampton’s mental strength has often been called into question when captain Dylan Hartley (the team’s heartbeat when on form) is missing. If Roger Wilson is fit to return then he must start, not only to take the weight off of Phil Dowson’s shoulders in terms of back-row carrying, but also gain-line success that is usually James Downey’s priority. A fully fit and functioning back-row of Dowson, Wilson and Clark is enough to trouble anyone in Europe, let alone London Irish who have lost influential Steffan Armitage over the summer months. Nevertheless, the Exiles always pose a stiff contest whenever they come to the Gardens – thus it may be sensible to assume that a win is the main aim, above an improved, glossy performance.

Sat 17 Sept, 3.00pm: London Irish
DaventrySaint’s Predicted Team:

15 Tom May
14 Paul Diggin
13 Jon Clarke
12 James Downey
11 Noah Cato
10 Stephen Myler
9 Martin Roberts
1 Alex Waller
2 Brett Sharman
3 Brian Mujati
4 Samu Manoa
5 Christian Day
6 Calum Clark
7 Phil Dowson
8 Roger Wilson

Replacements:
16 Andy Long
17 Paul Doran-Jones
18 Tom Mercey
19 Mark Sorenson
20 Ben Nutley
21 Stuart Commins
22 Ryan Lamb
23 Greig Tonks

Saints by 8.