After 22 rounds of electric action it is time for the
Semi Final knockouts... these two fixtures do not need a lengthy introduction as the word knockout says it all. It is sink or swim time for four giants of the Aviva Premiership and as spectators we are in for an almighty treat.
The first Aviva Premiership Semi Final kicks off at
7.45pm on Friday Night at Franklin’s Gardens as the Northampton Saints welcome
the Leicester Tigers to town. Within the Aviva Premiership there are rivalries
between sides that date back for centuries and local Derby Days were well known
for their incomparable levels of drama and action, a Derby Day victory means that little bit more to all of the players
and tastes just a touch sweeter than a usual Premiership win and the East
Midlands Derby is one of the most intense rivalries of them all.
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| Image Claire Jones |
Last weekend the Northampton Saints ran in 11 tries and
obliterated London Wasps and they will need every ounce of that precision and confidence on Friday Night. In recent years the Tigers’ have been their ‘bogey’ team;
indeed they have lost their last three derbies at Franklin’s Gardens and then there was the small matter of what happened at last year's Aviva Premiership
Final. Therefore the question must be asked does this make Northampton underdogs? In my eyes not necessarily, the Saints have a few new weapons in their armoury and some of their older ones have been given a new lease of life this year. The added fire power that George North and Kahn Fotulali’i provide should not be underestimated, they have the ability to win games single handedly and are experienced at delivering on big occasions. Stephen Myler is a different man this season, now he oozes confidence, albeit in a quiet unassuming manner, and has been instrumental in everything that has been brilliant about the side this year. The dependability and talent of their Old Guard should not be forgotten; the likes of Tom Wood, Phil Dowson and Ben Foden will lead the side and whilst the loss of Dylan Hartley to injury is a blow it is not necessarily a killer one. All in
all Saints are different prospect to the one that they were almost 12
months ago, over the last 8 months they have made other Premiership sides look like child's play and on Friday night Franklin's Gardens will be rocking and Mallinder's men will feel believe that they are more than capable of winning the most important Derby Day of the season.
Last weekend at Welford Road the Leicester Tigers were
finally able to field an almost fully fit squad for the first time in an
extremely long time, their season, like others, has been decimated by injuries
and it has pushed their resilience almost to breaking point. There were moments
during the year when we doubted that they would even reach the playoffs however they have fought harder than they have ever done before to
be in with a shot of retaining their Aviva Premiership Title. In The Rugby
Paper this week the Tigers’ pack were described as ‘gnarly’ and for me that is
an extremely fitting description of Cockers' forwards. The forward battle on Friday night will be gigantic and personally I cannot wait to see it, now for those of you that know me well that is a big statement, as normally my focus is a little biased towards the beauty of the backs!! Tigers' back line flair will be delivered by the dynamic Manu Tuilagi, whose battle with Luther Burrell makes me almost giddy with excitement and the insatiable Vereniki Goneva. Tigers’ season may have been difficult
however right now they will have confidence in themselves and believe that they can continue their
stranglehold over their East Midlands Rivals and progress forwards into yet
another Aviva Premiership Final.
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| Premiership Final place please! |
The second Semi Final is on Saturday afternoon in High
Barnet between the league leaders, Saracens and the big finishers, Harlequins at Allianz Park. Saracens have dominated proceedings since September
and I believe that they only relinquished the top spot of the Aviva Premiership Table for one week
in the entire year. They have delighted us with their progression from a
slightly one dimensional team to a team that is truly exciting and exhilarating to watch. In
Europe they delivered one of the best performances from an English side that we
have seen in years and if they do that again on Saturday afternoon then boy are we in for a treat and a
half! Just why are Saracens so good!? In my eyes it is the blend of
brute power and strength coupled with their hunger to score tries and run the ball, the leadership of
Steve Borthwick, the fineness of Owen Farrell, the feet of Chris Ashton and
David Strettle and the all around awesomeness (I believe that, that is a word) of Schalk
Brits and Jacques Burger are just some of their major assets. The question of
emotional wear out will not raise its head just yet for Saracens, this Semi
Final the start of the biggest month in the club’s history and it is vital that
they begin it with a win.
Harlequins’ season, like Leicester’s, has been absolutely
ravaged by injuries and just a month ago many fans believed that their playoff
dreams were down and out however the players had other ideas. In my eyes
Harlequins are the team with the greatest momentum going into these knockout
matches and the confidence that they gained beating Bath last weekend should
not be underestimated. Harlequins have their own outrageously brilliant talents
and assets and that makes them an extremely exciting team to watch. Quins rarely play a
boring game of rugby and instead treat us all to scintillating games filled
with excitement and the odd heart in mouth moment when they choose to run from extremely deep!! Chris Robshaw’s leadership
and work-rate is just one of the critical elements they will need this weekend,
the others are the experience and vision of Nick Evans, the enforcing nature of
Nick Easter, the spectacular hands and feet of Danny Care and of course every element of Mike Brown! Will their pack have enough to fight the
Wolfpack!? Who knows... however I can tell you one thing and that is that they
will put up an almighty fight at Allianz Park. If Quins take the lead early and
continue to ride on their wave of momentum and confidence we could see one of
the biggest upsets in the history of the knockouts... who knows!?!
As you can probably tell I am like a child at Christmas ahead of these two immense Semi Final fixtures, we have 4 sides that are filled to bursting point with
World Class talent and just 2 tiny spaces in the Aviva
Premiership Final. Now is not the time for the fainthearted, the rugby will be fast paced and brutal and the players must be fearless in their quest for victory. It is time to brace yourselves because these matches will be unlike anything that we have seen this season, why? Because it's a knockout!
Northampton Saints Photos © Claire Jones RedHatPhoto.com all proceeds supporting Restart, the rugby players' charity.
