News: HC: Scarlets vs Northampton Saints - Match Preview
By Jon in Alaska
January 12 2012
Unbeaten since early December, Northampton Saints travel West this weekend looking to continue their good form as they face Scarlets in Match Five of Pool One in the Heineken Cup. Regular COYSDC contributor Jon in Alaska looks forward to the trip to Parc y Scarlets...
SCARLETS vs. NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
Saturday, 14th January 2012 - 1.30pm (Sky)
HC: POOL ONE - MATCH FIVE
PARC Y SCARLETS
MATCH PREVIEW
Another weekend, another competition. This weekend sees Saints take on Llanelli in the Heineken Cup. Following on from my success with a fully fluent French preview for Castres last season, I’m going to break out my Welsh for this one, having lived in REAL Wales (i.e. north of the M4) for several years. I’m going to use the correct spelling of Llanelli.
So, where to start for the preview? A review of the H Cup games so far? OK. Munster first. Duw da… 41 ffases, 1 ROG drop goal. Zero nerves left. Next game, Lllllanelllllli round one. The start by Saints was, as the road markings in Snowdonia tend to say, ARAF. Slow. Some half asleep defending led to several well taken opportunities by Llllllanellllllli, and they were out of sight before Saints could scrap back and snag another LBP. Maybe a Munster hangover? Who knows. The next two games were the Castres double header. Some sloppy defending and discipline help Castres win in France, but Saints still scored 4. Another BP, this time with a T in front. As for the home fixture, dim problem. 5 tries, 45 points. Saints managed to break their European duck, while giving Castres their own, but was it too little, too late? Saints sit third in their pool, and will need results to go our way if we want to climb to second and stand a chance of dropping down in to the ET Cup. Wait that was Amblin. Sorry, wrong company… A win this weekend will certainly help, as Llllllllanelllllli are on 11 point, Saints on 8.
Llllllllllanelllllllli have a 50% record in the pool, losing to Munster twice, beating us and Castres. Even though they have the extra W, the Scarlets have still got less points in their FOR column than Saints, by a whopping 25 points. Saints have also scored more tries than Lllllllllllllllanellllllllllllllllllllli, 13 to 9. The danger comes from Rhys Priestland, who made a habit of pinning Saints in to the corner, and then letting his team take advantage. This time, however, is won’t be as easy-Pisi at the back, with Foden being recovered. Try kicking there again, Rhys bach, and Fodes will be right back at you, with interest!
Momentum clearly seems to be with the Saints at the moment. Llllllllllllllanellllllllllllli are LLWWW in their last five games, but those two losses are against Munster, who can say what is really going on there. Before those 2 defeats there, there was another loss at Ulster, then you have to go back to the beginning of October for the next loss (not counting a draw on Bonfire Night), against the mighty Benetton Treviso. Nestled in the W column so far this season though, Llllllllllanelllllllllllllli have managed to tame the Tiggers from Pooh Corner, with a 31-3 victory at Parc y Scarlets. Not going to be easy!
Saints fare better in the recent games, getting LWWWW – the only loss coming away at Castres. However, according to some, Saints have struggled in other areas – the TBP. However, looking at the last five games, we got TBPs in 3 out of 5 of them. Should we have got one against Bath? Is Carlsberg the best lager in the world? Probably. Anyway, what’s done is done. Should we get one this week? Who knows. We need to keep it simple, and the fancy stuff will work itself out. Win the game first, then go for the TBP. That’s why it is a BONUS point. Play like we did against Quins – play at our pace, don’t let them dictate the game, keep the scoreboard ticking over. Do that, keep discipline, and we could win this. We SHOULD win this.
Will we? Heart says yes, obviously, but head says no. Head says that Jim may rest players for the Munster match next week, and may swap players out early for the same reason, letting Lllllllllllllllllanelllllllllllli back in to the game. Sorry to say it, but my prediction is Llllllllllllllllllllllanellllllllllllllllllli by less than 7. Again.
Nos da.
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“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
Benjamin Franklin
Tetleys Block F E143
Saint til I die
I am now awaiting an early hours missive explaining that Saints are playing Scarlets, not Llllllllanelllllli...
David L
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
- Live wrong and preposterously
