Premiership Big Match Preview - Northampton Saints v Exeter Chiefs

There have been some frankly ludicrous claims this week that the football transfer window Deadline Day should become a national holiday.  Personally, I'd rather shave my face with a cheese grater than be forced into a day of celebration to acknowledge the fact that some dweeb with 2 brain cells and an offensively poor haircut will earn more in one week than I will in several years.  It got me thinking – thank goodness the rugby public doesn't have to suffer all this melodrama. 

Although, if you look a little closer, you can see that the real beautiful game is edging ever closer to our diamond earring-wearing cousins, certainly in terms of transfers anyway.  Gone are the days where entire sides would be made up exclusively of blokes from the local area, with the only transfers coming when someone decided to move house.  No, these days, club transfers are increasingly common place, and every now and again there is a real jaw-dropper of a move – and Northampton, casting themselves as Real Madrid in the process, have pulled off 3 of them in one summer.

Saints picked themselves up from an average mid-season period with a couple of tremendous showings, in particular against Saracens in the semi-final, where their physicality was utterly brutal.  But there still remained occasional questions on their creativity and firepower out wide – and these have been answered rather emphatically with the signings of George North, the gargantuan, Aussie-hurling winger who has shone for Wales and the Lions, and Kahn Fotuali'I, the Samoan half back who spent last season winning games by himself for the Ospreys.  The latter in particular could prove to be the signing of the season.  And then there's Alex Corbisiero, who returned after a nightmare spell with injuries to lead the way to a Lions test victory with a superbly powerful and mobile performance – and his availability will be critical for given the departures of Soane Tonga'uiha and Brian Mujati.  Add these guys into a side that was already pretty impressive, and you have a fair few Saints fans who genuinely feel that this will be their year.

 

The Chiefs, in typical Rob Baxter fashion, have flown under the radar in pre-season and look to be putting their faith in the squad that has proven so reliable over the last two seasons, as well as looking to several promising youngsters in the form of Henry Slade, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jack Nowell.  Exeter may not have the out-and-out star factor, but they have a pack that hits anything that moves, a backline that has real brains and a determination to not back down from anyone.  That's not to say they don't have useful blokes in their ranks – guys like Tom Johnson, Gareth Steenson and apparent part-times Sireli Naqelevuki could walk onto most Premiership sides.  Baxter has put his faith in the tried and trusted to take that next step into the playoffs.

Of course, the main reason I detest transfer Deadline Day is because people get more worked up over it than the games themselves – thankfully, that hasn't been passed on to rugby just yet.  Instead, we'll get down to the real business of the real beautiful game.  A new season begins – I can't wait to see what it brings.

Northampton Saints Team News

Jim Mallinder starts his new Lions George North and Alex Corbisiero but Kahn Fotauli'i will have to be content with a spot on the bench. Sam Dickinson will also make his debut for the Saints having missed last season through injury. Elsewhere, the team has a familiar look with England's Dylan Hartley, Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood and Ben Foden all starting.

Starting Line up: Foden; K. Pisi, G. Pisi, Burrell, North; Myler, Dickson; Corbisiero, Hartley, Mercey, Lawes, Day, Wood, Dowson, Dickinson.

Subs: Haywood, Waller, Denman, Manoa, Clark, Fotuali'i, Wilson, Elliott.

Key Player

George North.  Well it would have to be wouldn't it?  I mean, Alex Corbisiero is arguably a more important signing given the rather large holes left by the departures of Soane Tonga'uiha and Brian Mujati, but if you wanted attention, Alex, you should have avoided playing prop and stuck with rapping.  There's no doubting North's ability and performance levels on the biggest stages – he is up there as one of the best wingers in the world at international level – but there have been times domestically for the Scarlets where he's gone missing.  He has to make sure that he starts his career at Franklins Gardens with a bang and works hard to get off his wing and create havoc.

Exeter Chiefs Team News

Exeter have handed out just one debut with Tom James taking his spot on the flanks. Dean Mumm skippers the Chiefs for the first time in the Premiership while Dave Ewers is named at No.8. Luke Arscott is sidelined, so Phil Dollman takes over at full-back in his absence. On the bench, centre Sam Hill is included in a Premiership squad for the first time while Dave Lewis is also named after moving to the club from Gloucester.

Starting Line up: Dollman; Jess, Whitten, Shoemark, James; Steenson, Thomas; Sturgess, Yeandle, Tui, Mumm (capt), Welch, Johnson, Scaysbrook, Ewers.

Subs: Whitehead, Moon, Rimmer, Hayes, White, Lewis, Slade, Hill.

Key Player

Gareth Steenson.  "Steeno" may look like he's just finishing his GCSEs, but don't be fooled – the Exeter stalwart has nerves of steel when kicking of the tea and a razor sharp mind when it comes to attacking with the ball in hand.  His form at the latter end of last season was simply sensational as he helped the Chiefs cement their place in the top 6 once again with virtuoso displays, most notably against Harlequins.  Exeter's success will most likely depend on how quick his brain and feet are at the beginning of a new season – Saints will be sending that friendly welcoming committee of Courtney Lawes and Manu Samoa out to ensure he has a rough day at the office.

Key Battle

Tom Johnson v Tom Wood.  The battle of the 2 Toms promises to be worth the price of admission alone, although I'm fairly sure that has also been said about the mere sight of George North and Alex Corbisiero in Saints shirts.  Both of these guys can play across the backrow, but their natural call is at 6, where they can bring their limitless energy and first-rate athleticism out into the wider channels.  Of the two, Wood is probably the more comfortable sticking his head in the dark areas of rucks and mauls, but the battle to get the upper hand in the close exchanges might be key to whether or not this vaunted Saints backline sees any of the ball.

Prediction

Northampton will be going in to this game with all the hype, whilst the majority of pundits seem to have almost written Exeter off this season, with relatively low key recruitment.  However, having their backs to the wall and being cast as the underdog generally brings out the best in the Chiefs and I can see them staying disciplined throughout.  If they're still in touch at half time, it could well go down to the wire…but Saints just look a class apart and have too many mouth-watering combinations – and I think there's a decent chance they'll explode out of the blocks and not look back.  Saints by 12.

 

Let's see what else is happening on the opening weekend of the Aviva Premiership...

Newcastle Falcons v Bath – Bath are the first club to make the fabled trip up to Mordor  Newcastle on a Friday night – a notoriously hard place to win.  Falcons will be competitive but it will take them a while to adjust to life in the top flight.  Bath by 9.

London Irish v Saracens – The first game of the London double header sees one of the favourites for the title taking on one of the favourites for the drop.  Saracens look very strong and Irish look very weak, having lost half their starting line up to other clubs.  Easy call.  Saracens by 25.

Gloucester v Sale Sharks – The Cherry and Whites are another side with playoff ambitions and may have pulled off one of the signings of the season in young Matt Kvesic.  The Sharks won't struggle as badly as they did last year but a trip to Kingsholm will be too much at this stage.  Gloucester by 11.

London Wasps v Harlequins – The second of the double headers should be a much tighter affair, with Quins not looking quite as strong as previous years and Wasps looking to break into the top 6 again.  If it's anything like last year we'll be in for a treat.  Quins by 6.
 

Leicester Tigers v Worcester Warriors - The Warriors, under Dean Ryan, will be a stubborn and abrasive side to play against, but Leicester still have bags of quality despite having the likes of Ben Youngs, Manu Tuilagi and Mathew Tait injured.  Too strong.  Tigers by 22.