BORDER REIVERS vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

MATCH PREVIEW

SUNDAY, 14th JANUARY 2007 - 2pm

Actually the moniker attached to the Scottish district based in Galashiels could, by 4pm on Sunday, prove to be an accurate summation if our former magician Gregor Townsend can overcome the predicted conditions to make our Heineken Cup progression a great deal more difficult.

Borders have nothing but pride to play for tomorrow afternoon in Pool 6 and that is always a more difficult proposition for the team needing the result – witness the game against Glasgow two seasons ago. Saints made hard work of achieving the necessary bonus point that Friday night and the task tomorrow is by no means easier.

This is despite Borders having a worse – if that’s possible – winning record this season than our good selves. In the Heineken Cup they beat Parma with a bonus point in their first game before being soundly beaten by Saints and Biarritz. In the Magners League their only victory has come at home against a full-strength Leinster. And though they have been beaten by a single point at Thomond Park and at home to Glasgow there have been hidings dealt out to the Reivers by Ulster, the Dragons and, in their last outing, Cardiff.

Their line-up tomorrow also includes six players called up into the Scotland squad during the week as well as guys like Townsend, Stuart Grimes and Brendan Daniel who have plenty of Premiership experience.

Of course being out of a competition before it’s over can have its downsides, such as a shrugging of the shoulders and those same six players not wanting to get injured so close to the Six Nations.

Head coach Steve Bates was suitably bland: “We have really enjoyed the experience of this competition and learned a good deal about ourselves and about the skills and conditioning required to be really competitive,” he said a couple of days ago.

The Heineken Cup could also prove to be a double-edged sword for our Northampton Saints. A bonus-point victory at Netherdale tomorrow could not only see us through to the quarter finals, but also reiterate our abilities to win in adverse circumstances – something highly necessary in our Guinness Premiership run-in. However, by being in the last eight we hand ourselves an extra punishing 80 minutes in an arena such as San Sebastien. Not exactly what we need when wanting to preserve our players for the Premiership.

Given the recent injuries it is something of a minor miracle that Paul Grayson has been able to name two – yes, TWO – replacement backs on the bench in Chris Wyles and Rob Laird. Having said that, Paul Diggin, the only player to come out of the Worcester debacle with credit and again named at full-back, faces a late fitness test on his hamstring and could miss out. Given that the pitch is likely to be something of a bog and Digger’s history with his hamstring most of us would rather he sat out the match than knacker his muscle and miss the next few weeks.

Elsewhere the extra week off thanks to the abandonment of the Bristol match has worked its wonders by allowing David Gerard to recover from chicken pox. Sharky Robinson, who was scheduled to miss the Bristol match anyway, starts at scrum-half and Johnny Howard comes onto the wing as Mathieu Bourret is not registered for the Heineken Cup.

Grayse is typically phlegmatic about the Borders challenge. “Last weekend’s game could not have been played so it has given us an opportunity to rest a few players,” he said. “But then playing in the mud may have been an equaliser and given us a chance. But the break has given some achy bodies some time to have some positive recovery and to turn our minds quickly to Borders.

“The forecast for Sunday is high winds on a boggy pitch so it makes the scrum a bit more of a lottery and slows the game down, but we know we have to do a lot of things right to get what we want.”

What they want – a good win with no injuries.

What I want – the above, but not necessarily a result that sends us straight into the quarter finals. I don’t mind missing out on an away match in the south of France – although a weekend away in April would be nice! – if it meant guaranteeing our Premiership place next season.

Just one last word. Our 152^nd centre combination of Robbie Kydd and Ben Cohen plays at 12 and 13 respectively. Let’s hope it works!

Teams:

Border Reivers: C MacRae (capt); S Danielli, N De Luca, B Rennie, B Daniel; G Townsend, R Chrystie; G Kerr, R Ford, B Douglas, S Grimes, O Palepoi, S Newlands, A Miller, K Brown.
Replacements: S Scott, E Kalman, R Vernon, J Dalziel, B McKerchar, S Jones, G Law.

Northampton Saints: P Diggin; S Lamont, B Cohen, R Kydd, J Howard; C Spencer, M Robinson; T Smith, S Thompson (capt), P Barnard, D Gerard, C Short, P Tupai, D Fox, D Browne.
Replacements: D Hartley, C Budgen, M Lord, M Easter, B Lewitt, R Laird, C Wyles.

Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)