HEADINGLEY CARNEGIE

MATCH PREVIEW

Easter Egg Chase Leeds Saints To Yorkshire

If we can fight through all the “My niece’s best mate’s boyfriend heard Tiny’s barber tell Dewi Morris he’s definitely staying”, and avoid the plague of “classic” films and chocolate eggs over the Bank Holiday weekend, Saints actually have a game to play!

Though still grinning from the LV Cup victory, and with the Heineken Cup quarter final in Limerick on the horizon, Saints can’t afford to be complacent in their first visit to Headingley since November 2005. Following on from the hard fought win against Wasps, Saints head to Yorkshire for another tricky game. Leeds have won three of their last four league fixtures – beating Sale, Wasps and Saracens before they were nilled at Kingsholm – so they are not to be taken lightly.

The opposition

They are one place off the bottom of the Premiership table, one of four teams covered by only three points, so the relegation place is as tight as it has been since Saints survived the drop on the last day of the 2004/5 season. With Sale playing Worcester on Good Friday, and Leeds having to host the Warriors in the penultimate league match, there is still all to play for.

Form

Other than the bonus point win at FG in September, we’ve not played Leeds since the 2005/6 season - as we’ve been exchanging places between the Premiership and Division One – and Leeds have won the last two matches at Headingley, and three of the five there so far. Three tries apiece in November 2005 saw Leeds win out 28-25. Only three Saints – Bruce Reihana, Jon Clarke, and Dylan Hartley –playing that day are still with the club, while Rob Rawlinson is the only one left at Leeds.

Premiership head to head: Played 11, Saints won 8, drawn 0, Leeds won 3, Saints scored 301, Leeds 183.

Stat Attack – GP 2009/10 (from statbunker.com)

Points scored: Saints 342 Leeds 227

Tries scored: Saints 33 Leeds 13

Tries scored in first 10 mins: Saints 5 Leeds 3

Tries scored in last 10 mins: Saints 7 Leeds 0

Penalties scored: Saints 45 Leeds 43

Overall kicking %: Saints 64 Leeds 75

Points conceded: Saints 236 Leeds 368

Tries conceded: Saints 17 Leeds 32

Tries conceded in first 10 mins: Saints 0 Leeds 2

Tries conceded in last 10 mins: Saints 3 Leeds 5

Penalties conceded: Saints 39 Leeds 47

Teams

I’d expect Leeds to stick with the same side from the Gloucester game, which was identical to the side that overpowered Sarries:

Leeds

15 Leigh Hinton

14 Henry Fa'afili

13 Seru Rabeni

12 Scott Barrow

11 Lee Blackett

10 Ceiron Thomas

9 Scott Mathie

1 Mike MacDonald

2 Andy Titterrell

3 Juan Gomez

4 Erik Lund

5 Marco Wentzel

6 Kearnan Myall

7 Hendre Fourie

8 Rhys Oakley 

I’d like Saints to rotate a couple of players to ease the pressure ahead of the Munster game, giving other players a chance of some game time heading towards the three games in a week in mid-April. Here’s my team, with Tonga’uiha, Long, Mujati, Cannon, Easter, Dickens, Downey and Mayor on the bench:

Saints

15 Bruce Reihana

14 Chris Ashton

13 Joe Ansbro

12 Shane Geraghty

11 Paul Diggin

10 Stephen Myler

9 Lee Dickson

1 Regardt Dreyer

2 Dylan Hartley

3 Euan Murray

4 Courtney Lawes

5 Juandre Kruger

6 Phil Dowson

7 Neil Best

8 Roger Wilson

Result

I’d hope for Saints by 10, with fingers crossed for a possible bonus point and maybe Bruce to get the 6 he needs to get to 1,000 Saints points. Then again, maybe he can save that one for Thomond Park...