News: AP: Worcester Warriors vs Northampton Saints - Preview
Saints off bunny hunting
By Rob Leach
November 27 2013
After a hard-fought win over Falcons last time out, Northampton Saints travel west this weekend to face Worcester Warriors in Round Nine of their Aviva Premiership campaign. Regular COYSDC contributor Rob Leach (Bleach) takes an in depth look at what to expect at Sixways...
WORCESTER WARRIORS vs. NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
AP: Saturday, 30th November 2013 - 3pm
SIXWAYS STADIUM, WORCESTER
MATCH PREVIEW
Recently, I was able to help a fellow COYS member in his hour of need and take off his hands a large collection of programs. I haven’t actually bought a program for a number of years and even when I did buy them, Mrs Bleach was quick to recycle them in the appropriate bin ahead of the weekly collection. The programs in question now occupy several shelves in the book case in my ‘ man room ‘ and provide me with a fascinating insight into Saintly goings on from days gone by.
I think what fascinates me the most is looking at the weekly articles about the Academy and Wanderers fixtures. Its enlightening to read an article about the Academy looking at a fresh faced Dylan Hartley, not old enough to grow bum fluff at that time let alone a glorious Movember inspired moustache – in just a few years, he has grown into one of the country’s leading hookers and as captain leads by example. (99.99% of the time)
When you compare and contrast to the current Academy and Wanderers squad, life is certainly rosy in the Saints nursery with an appearance in this years A league final so richly deserved. Those players have certainly stepped up to the mark during this wretched Autumn International period which is testament to the current coaching team and overall ‘good feeling’ that runs through Franklins Gardens. Buried away deep in this collection of programs are several from Saints travels on the road (boy Rich, you have seen a lot of games), in particular and of relevance are those purchased at Sixways.
I suppose it was ironic that I should randomly open one to read an article with a headline that read “Gillies wants to end his Career at Sixways “ (January 7th 2006 ) – nearly eight years later the same player has chosen this weekend’s fixture to sit down for lunch as part of his testimonial year. Gillies was ‘iconic’ back in the Warriors heyday and for me represented everything that Worcester were doing right at the time. Cecil Duckworth was full of confidence in his program notes “ The players are an exceptional bunch and I have significant faith in them, and I am sure they will respond by showing their resilience and record our first win of 2006”. As it happened, Saints went on to win that game 15 – 11 with a fine Steve Thomson try – Saints finished that season in a credible 6th Place whilst Worcester ended up 8th which I believe is there highest finish in the top division.
Ever since that fixture, our opponents on Saturday have flirted with relegation and despite the presence of Dean Ryan find themselves stranded at the bottom of the table. The Worcester program was void of any features about academy or reserve team performances, I wonder if that is part of the problem they are now faced with as they do seem to have spent a lot of Cecil Duckworth’s hard earned cash on ‘ star names ‘ – much like we did in the past. Ok, we still sign the occasional ‘marquee’ player but this author doesn’t lose any sleep when those big names are away playing illegal games in Wales etc. Of course, one of the Saints most impressive signings in recent years and one that had such an impact was that of Nick Johnson. Nick’s work at Saints is easy to see – the players are strong, fit and can play for 80+ minutes – unlike other Saintly exports to Sixways, Nick Johnson will definitely make a difference, whether he achieves that via a spell in the Championship or a lengthy ‘pre-season’ remains to be seen, It was interesting to pop across to the Worcester Message board and read an article by Mailman.
“Lots of comments on our lack of fitness. Whose fault is that? I know the new guy is coming in, but it seems far too late. DR should be given time, but not preparing a professional rugby team that's fit enough borders on negligence. When you haven't got a squad that's as talented as your rivals, fitness becomes paramount. It's the one area you CAN compete in and gain an edge. The worst cricket sides often focus on fielding because it's the one area where pure talent isn't so important. Bangladesh will never having the batsmen and bowlers Australia have, but they CAN look just as good in the field. Fitness is the one area within DR's control where we could gain an edge over our rivals. Putting out teams that are neither talented, nor fit enough, is absolutely criminal.
I suppose the trading between the two clubs is a little unbalanced, how would Worcester be playing now had they held on to the likes of Hartley and Woods?
It makes interesting reading when you look at the previous fixtures between the two clubs – 17 games in all competitions with Saints running out winners 10 times and Worcester 7 times – Saints scoring 39 tries with Worcester crossing the Saints line 26 times:-
Previous Encounters
Sat 20th Nov 04 Northampton Saints 6 - 17 Worcester Warriors
Sat 30th Apr 05 Worcester Warriors 21 - 19 Northampton Saints
Sat 26th Nov 05 Northampton Saints 21 - 22 Worcester Warriors
Sat 7th Jan 06 Worcester Warriors 11 - 15 Northampton Saints
Sat 11th Nov 06 Worcester Warriors 18 - 23 Northampton Saints
Mon 1st Jan 07 Northampton Saints 9 - 10 Worcester Warriors
Sun 7th Sep 08 Northampton Saints 21 - 13 Worcester Warriors
Sat 7th Mar 09 Worcester Warriors 12 - 22 Northampton Saints
Sun 6th Sep 09 Northampton Saints 20 - 17 Worcester Warriors
Sat 26th Dec 09 Worcester Warriors 6 - 26 Northampton Saints
Fri 30th Sep 11 Worcester Warriors 12 - 3 Northampton Saints
Sat 5th May 12 Northampton Saints 42 - 14 Worcester Warriors
Sat 22nd Sep 12 Northampton Saints 37 - 31 Worcester Warriors
Sat 16th Feb 13 Worcester Warriors 18 - 27 Northampton Saints
If my stats are right, there have been 14 league games between the two sides with 8 away wins!
Worcester’s start to the season has been varied – they are yet to record a win with just a few losing bonus points to show for their endeavours . The games against Falcons and Irish could have gone either way and lifted the side, not just in the table but in confidence. Narrow defeats are hard to accept emotionally.
Leicester Tigers 32 - 15 Worcester Warriors
Worcester Warriors 18 - 20 London Irish
Worcester Warriors 13 - 37 Harlequins
London Wasps 32 - 16 Worcester Warriors
Worcester Warriors 11 - 16 Newcastle Falcons
Exeter Chiefs 40 - 6 Worcester Warriors
Worcester Warriors 6 - 21 Bath Rugby
Sale Sharks 26 - 10 Worcester Warriors
The Worcester team has changed a lot this season and it appears that they have a a number of injuries in the back row – the team that faced up to Sale recently comprised:-
Chris Pennell - Pennell is one of the star performers at Sixways and the Warriors
James Stephenson – Former Bedford winger
Alex Grove - Scottish star Alex Grove has been one of the key performers at Worcester Warriors
Ravai Fatiaki – Fijian international
Dean Hammond -
Ignacio Mieres - Argentinean international fly half
Jonny Arr - Warriors centurion
Ofa Fainga'anuku - Powerhouse prop Ofa Fainga’anuku signed fron Glasgow
Chris Brooker – Hooker signed from Quins
Rob O'Donnell – Prop signed from Rotherham
James Percival – Lock signed rejoined from Quins
Mike Williams – Signed from Blue Bulls
Jonathan Thomas - Vastly experienced back row signed from Ospreys
Sam Betty – Signed from Cornish Pirates
An inside source ( all credible journalistic efforts have to say that ) suggests that the team might be something like ofa,shervington,o'donnell, Williams, percy, betty,de carpentier, thomas, hodgson, mierres, josh d, groves, ravi, Howard, pennell.
I guess only Dean Ryan has a clue of the team he might field against the Saints , however, a recent article suggests “Argentine number eight Leo Senatore joins, Semisi Taulava and Jake Abbott on the sidelines, leaving director of rugby Ryan with just Jonathan Thomas, Sam Betty and Richard de Carpentier as recognised back-rowers.”
It would be wrong to wax lyrical about the Saints performances so far this season and even try and second guess the squad that Jim Mallinder selects for Saturday. I have a habit of writing these previews several days ahead of the fixture so who knows what might unfold during the week ahead, we know that George North will be playing an illegal game in Wales and we are likely to be fined because of it ( I don’t understand the logic ) , we know that George Pisi is serving a sentence for a crime he committed and there are a few injuries around the camp. Bend Foden is tweeting that he will learn his fate Tuesday evening. What we also know is that whoever puts on the Green Black and Gold understands the significance of the shirt and will leave nothing on the pitch. The Academy, Wanderers and Saints act and play as one these days which is wonderful to see. I suppose sometimes you need a bit of a reality check and remember where we were a few years ago prior to dropping into the championship – the COYS message board was flooded ( by me mostly ) with postings of doom and gloom. Whilst glancing around the Warriors site I could not help notice the following by Villa Warrior:-
“I won't enjoy the championship. I won't enjoy battering Ealing and Moseley and as for the B & I Cup, I'd actually have to be paid to go. i won't enjoy 0 media coverage, i won't enjoy watching games played on little more than a field and i won't enjoy paying high prices (which will remain at sixways) for championship rugby. i will miss playing the best players in the world and having the chance for little worcester to get a massive upset, i will miss being able to watch highlights every sunday and i will miss the buzz at sixways on match day (ok this has declined in recent seasons), i won't enjoy watching us play with 4,000 people in sixways and i won't enjoy other fans of tin pot clubs mocking us when we lose 1 game. there are simply no positives about being relegated.”
I would disagree completely, probably the best thing that ever happened to Northampton Saints was spending some time down in the Championship, and the same could probably be said for Quins. Prior to the drop I probably shared Villa’s sentiment but I enjoyed the Championship but have enjoyed the recovery better. I personally think Dean Ryan and his players will turn it around but will only achieve this with the 15 on the field behaving like Mr Gillies who thoroughly deserves his testimonial lunch which is where I believe this preview started.
I expect the match to be very physical, I expect Dean Ryan would have watched the spoiling tactics used by the Falcons last week, he’s a wise man. It looks like Worcester have a problem in the Back Row which is an area that the Saints have done well in this year. Worcester have a gem at full back who will need to be contained – if we aimlessly kick ball away then Worcester will punish us. Saints, in my opinion, need to play some percentage rugby and get back to basics before trying to accelerate the scoreboard which happened against the Falcons. History suggests that the ‘away’ team do well in this fixture and I see no reason for that trend to change although it will be close.
One significant thing I haven’t mentioned for those making the journey – latest news on the drinking front:-
Thanks to the Warriors site:- http://www.rugbynetwork.net/boards/read/s130.htm?129,14448991
“The large beer tent at the ground is welcoming and serves excellent real ale straight out of the barrels. At £3.40 a pint it's a bit expensive but it is good. You'll be very welcome and hope you enjoy the day. No doubt you will also collect all the points but we're sadly used to that this season. Make the most of it - you almost certainly won't be visiting Sixways in the Prem next season.”
“I know that I have a bee in my bonnet - but I would caution against parking on or near the motorway island. There were a considerable number of pedestrians making their way up to the island after the last game, admittedly on a Friday night, and cars parked all along Pershore Lane. It did not look particularly safe as walkers dodged amongst the traffic and risked misjudging the speed of vehicles coming off the M5 and the A449. The park and ride scheme seems to be working fairly well and is recommended.”
“There is the Coliseum that I know a few of you visited last year. I think now they also have entertainment before the game as well as afterwards in there. They have quite a few real ales there for you to try. There is a new food village behind the northstand which has pulled pork, pasties etc”
“Visited the coliseum last season and it was like a good beer festival Well organised service good proper beer ok me be 20/30 pence a pint more than a pub but way better than many in ground bars I have drunk at. Bravo Wuss!” Bob Stainsby
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Many thanks.
David L
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
- Live wrong and preposterously
“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
Looking forward to saturday
.
Safe journey to those who are coming along. Hopefully meet up with those who we know after the game in the Eaststand bar
Perhaps you should pass your newly acquired programmes on to the next match previewer!!
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