Preview: Carlos Whispers - Saints Anglo/Welsh Cup

Being a Saints supporter could be a frustrating exercise these days.  Having completed four Premiership games their side sit second from bottom of the table with six points collected to date. Last season ended with Saints Premier status being preserved at the eleventh hour thanks largely to late developments in games at the Stoop and The Rec following that mother of all nail biters at Sixways.

Of course it has not always been that way. Northampton is a big big rugby club with a rich tradition and proud history.  The Clubhouse bar at Franklins’ Gardens proudly displays the Heineken Cup that Saints won only five years ago in a closely fought final against Munster at Twickenham and the role call of former players reads like a Who’s Who of domestic and international rugby greats.

In Keith Barwell Northampton has a patron who has provided the financial strength to compete with the best in the transfer market and who has overseen the development of Franklin’s Gardens into arguably the best club rugby stadium in Britain. This all makes their relative lack of success over recent years a bit of a mystery. 

This Saturday sees us welcome Saints back to Sixways in a reconstituted Powergen Cup.  Few of us will ever forget the events of that afternoon back in late April especially when news of the other significant results finally filtered back to us via mobile phones and transistor radios and both sets of supporters could relax, share a few pints and look forward to less frenetic finales to the following season.  This weekend may not witness quite the levels of unbridled emotion but we can still look forward to a fascinating encounter.

One name we’ll all looking forward to seeing on the team sheet is Carlos Spencer.  Much has been written about the enigmatic New Zealander in the rugby press and it may be fair to say that his form to date has not quite met with expectations..…but hey, when has he ever done the expected?  One thing is for sure, there are few more capable and influential players in world rugby and it is surely only a matter of time before he is hitting the headlines again. Players such as Bruce Reihana will also pose a significant threat to the Warriors line and England Internationals Ben Cohen and Steve Thompson add experience as well as bite to their line up

It remains to be seen whether both sets of coaches will see this competition as a vital part of their respective seasons and this may well reflect in a little tinkering with established starting line ups and providing the opportunity for  a number of fringe players such as Blaze, Whatling, MacDonald, O'Duoza and Tucker to gain valuable first team game time and remind the coaches and supporters of what they have to offer. 

Despite Warriors impressive start to the season it is realistic to see this competition as both clubs’ most probable means of accessing next season’s Heineken Cup, so there is every prospect of an open and competitive afternoon’s rugby.

See you there!!

Veston Pants