News: HC: Leinster vs Northampton Saints - Match Preview
By Claire Jones
December 11 2013
This may come as a surprise but I am going to make Saturday’s trip to Dublin with the same optimism that I give to every game. I trust the players and coaches will have done the soul searching, faced their demons, kicked themselves around the car park or done whatever they needed to, to vent, accept and work out what to do about this week’s match.
LEINSTER RUGBY vs. NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
HC: Saturday, 14th December 2013 - 6pm (Sky)
AVIVA STADIUM, DUBLIN
MATCH PREVIEW
I am sure the training pitch will have been a tough old place this week, the analysts’ keyboards and mice will have suffered as the players’ watched and learned what happened on Saturday and I wouldn’t have liked to be one of the bits of kit in the gym as the players vented their anger on inanimate objects (ouch!). The players will have individually given themselves and each other both the hard time and support they needed to have to move on from last week’s events and build for this weekend’s game.
Why do I say that?
After 30 years of riding the Saintly rollercoaster, I know there will be a reaction. I trust the team and coaches as individuals and a collective, to do the right thing. My optimism is that reaction will happen and the team will deliver a performance that is worthy of them and us.
Will we win?
I have no flippin’ idea.
What I do know is we weren’t supposed to win at Ravenhill; we weren’t supposed to win at Allianz Park in the sem-final (DrT still hasn’t forgiven Ian Payne of Radio 5Live who declared three hours before kick off: “Saints have no chance of winning this one!”); and we weren’t supposed to take five points off Saracens earlier this season. I could go on but you get my drift…
I also, know that Leinster, whilst having played a great game of rugby, aren’t the perfect team who will always win because no team is. “BOD is a god” one of my colleagues at work told me on Monday – well he might be but I am sure he will not have the freedom he had on Saturday. The men in GB&G will have thought long and hard about dealing with him and the rest of the ‘boys in blue’.
My preparation as a photographer is well under way. The accreditation is sorted. My travel arrangements were sorted out in August. My bag is almost packed with the cameras charging and the red hat in determined mood to get back out there and support the lads. It’s another international stadium to tick off although in my heart of hearts, I would have preferred a trip to the RDS.
The lovely thing about rugby is I know, as we experienced last year, that the banter before, during and after the game will be brilliant. The Ulster supporters may have seen their team win at the Gardens, they were also gracious in defeat at Ravenhill. I will have a Guinnae or two post match (taking photos under the influence would be very unwise) and share a rugby story or two with the locals.
In these previews, it is customary to predict a team for the weekend – I will but if there are any players reading this, I am rubbish at predictions and I haven’t seen/ heard anything about this week and I am working on the basis that those who were injured on Saturday, still are. It’s a guess but here goes (and I am bring really hard on Sam Dickinson):
15 Glenn Dickson
14 Ken Pisi
13 Dom Waldouck
12 Luther Burrell
11 George North
10 Stephen Myler
9 Lee Dickson
8 Samu Manoa
7 Tom Wood
6 Calum Clark
5 Christian Day
4 Courtney Lawes
3 Tom Mercey
2 Dylan Hartley (Captn)
1 Alex Waller
And the bench:
16 Mikey Haywood
17 Ethan Waller
18 Gareth Denman
19 GJ Van Velze
20 Phil Dowson
21 Kahn Fotuali’I (he was on the pitch during the warm up on Saturday so I am assuming he is fit)
22 Tom Stephenson
23 Jamie Elliott
So safe travels to everybody whether it’s a trip to Dublin or the sofa in front of the TV. I will be pitchside in my bright yellow ‘away’ jacket and red hat. I will try and gather photos of the lads giving their all.
Stockers predicted that I would preview the match with a photo so I couldn’t possibly let him down. So here’s hoping the end of the match on Saturday sees this happening:
Come on you Saints!
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Great preview!
David L
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
- Live wrong and preposterously
Safe journey to all of those travelling over. Hope you enjoy your trip, not too much though.
Here's a map of the area around Lansdowne Road listing pubs, restaurants and hotels. Hopefully you'll find it useful.
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