By Barfly
December 1 2006

EDF: It's a chance for the Saints fringe players to stake their claim for the shirt as they take on Tigers in a "dead rubber". Barfly looks ahead to what should be a fascinating encounter...

 

NORTHAMPTON SAINTS vs. LEICESTER TIGERS

                                 EDF CUP
SATURDAY 2nd DECEMBER, 2006 - 3pm

 

 

Nothing But Pride

 

Budge Pountney always came out on top in East Midlands derbies. Not always on the scoreboard but in the personal battle with Neil Back. Back is still at Tigers bringing his intensity from the touchline; Pountney has left the Saints this week to start a new life on the South Coast.

 

Why do I begin a preview of what it, quite frankly, a non-event of a match – a dead rubber in a competition of them? It is because no matter who is playing in the gold, black and green or red, white and green, whether Academy, A teams or Fat Bloke Sevens, Northampton and Leicester teams carry with them a little bit extra that they would not otherwise have against Newport or Worcester.

 

Budge and Back are two recent legends who always gave everything in East Midlands derbies. This Saturday 22 Saintsmen have the opportunity to do the same in our last EDF Energy Cup game of the season.

 

For some of them it is the chance to make their point – Sam Harding, for example. Soane Tonga’uiha, Seamus Mallon, Dan Richmond. To this point of the campaign these four players have had precious little game time in the first team. So they will be wanting to show that little bit extra.

 

For the likes of Vaughan Going, Paul Diggin, David Gerard and the rest there is the hurt to rid themselves of from last Sunday’s debacle at the Madejski. I have bitten my tongue this week but it was as bad as everyone has said. In fact, it was worse.

 

I hadn’t seen as bad a performance since the 2002 Cup Final. And when at the final whistle we hadn’t conceded 50 points – not to mention score a try – I breathed something of a sigh of relief. Because for the most part we did not look like being able to deal with what Irish threw at us in attack and defence.

 

For the most part this was because we have not fielded the same backline for two matches running. We have had scrum-halves on the wing and full-back, full-backs in the centre and a fly-half who can’t do everything on his own.

 

So when I saw the Saints squad that will take to the Gardens pitch on Saturday I was mildly stunned.

 

“My God,” I thought. “We’ve actually got a side in which players might know what their positions are about.”

 

In fact, the only player who could be construed as playing in a wrong shirt is Mark Easter at 6. Ben Lewitt is on the bench and is unlucky to not get a start. But that is it – some kind of record I think in this most depressing of seasons.

 

Northampton: Going; Bourret, Mallon, Kydd, Diggin; Myler, Vass; Tonga'uiha, Richmond, Barnard, Lord (capt), Gerard, Easter, Harding, Daniel Browne.
Replacements: Hartley, Budgen, Damien Browne, Lewitt, Howard, Myring, Wyles.

 

My two players to watch are obvious – Stephen Myler and Mattieu Bourret. Myler has his first start at fly-half and will be able to show his skills in the way he couldn’t against Saracens. His distribution skills are good and his understanding of the game excellent considering he only came to us a couple of months ago.

 

The Bourret saga finally finished last week when he signed from Perpignan. But, as I’ve already alluded to, last Sunday wasn’t the most auspicious day to make your debut. Nevertheless he has pace and, more importantly (and here’s that word again), understanding of defensive priorities for the back three – his movement and communication with Going impressed me greatly from my vantage point up in the gods (the only good thing about the Madejski being the view from the press box).

 

What both will have when the whistle blows on Saturday is an understanding of what it means to be a Saint facing a Tiger.

 

"There will be no league points or cup qualification to play for on Saturday, but bragging rights are worth just as much," head coach Paul Grayson has said. "It's about us against them."

 

Speaking of which, Pat Howard hadn’t named his side at the time of writing late on Thursday evening, but he had assured us that the likes of Julian White, George Chuter, Ben Kay, Martin Corry, Lewis Moody and Andy Goode wouldn’t be likely to play.

 

"Our English players had a very torrid time and have been through a massive amount of pressure," he said. "I am happy for them to go away and not read a newspaper and get back with their families.

 

"Going to Bourgoin next week in the Heineken Cup I will play the strongest and freshest team that I have got."

 

Quite frankly, however, Saturday is not about Tigers. It’s not really about Saints either. It’s about the players on each side standing up and making their cases for inclusion in both clubs’ Heineken Cup returns next week.

 

So I think that the near-full house anticipated at Franklin’s Gardens could be in for a treat of entertainment this weekend; something we have had on Monday nights but not on Saturday afternoons for the most part this season.

 

But if I had one message for the 22 Saintsmen this weekend it would be this:

 

“Go out and enjoy it. Play for yourselves. Win as a team.”