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Northampton Saints v Edinburgh

Teh Mite

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Northampton Saints v Edinburgh
Franklin's Gardens
Northampton, England
Fri Jan 14 2011
at 20:00 (local)​
 
<table class="contentpaneopen"><tbody><tr><td class="contentheading" width="100%">EDINBURGH SEEK TO FLOWER AGAIN IN GARDENS </td> <td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%">
</td> <td class="buttonheading" align="right" width="100%">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table class="contentpaneopen"><tbody><tr> <td colspan="2" class="createdate" valign="top"> Wednesday, 12 January 2011 </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" valign="top">
dblairsaints120111.jpg

Edinburgh's bid for a strong finish to their Heineken Cup pool campaign begins with a trip to a ground where they recorded one of the best results in the club's history the last time they visited.
Rob Moffat's men head to Franklin's Gardens on Friday night (kick-off 8pm) to take on Northampton Saints in a re-enactment of the October 2000 encounter that saw them win 23-22 against an outfit who were reigning European champions.
The Edinburgh side that will run out this time around shows one survivor, Chris Paterson, from the original clash. Overall, the starting line-up bears six changes from that which began the 21-16 Magners League loss to Scarlets at Murrayfield last Saturday.
In the backs, Jim Thompson replaces Lee Jones on the wing, while Ben Cairns comes in for John Houston and will form a centre partnership with Nick De Luca for the first time since the trip to Leinster in May 2010.
In the pack, meanwhile, Kyle Traynor gets a start at loose-head prop, Esteban Lozada replaces Fraser McKenzie at lock and Roddy Grant comes in at No.8 and will captain the team. Fellow back-row player Netani Talei is suffering from a virus and misses out this week. Ross Rennie comes in for Stuart McInally, with Alan MacDonald moving to blindside.
Head coach Moffat today challenged his charges to repeat the level of attacking ambition they showed in the narrow 31-28 defeat in the first meeting between the teams at Murrayfield last October, a match Edinburgh graced with three outstanding tries.
He said: "We played well in a lot of areas last time out against Northampton, and with a little bit more composure at crucial times, could certainly have won the game.
"Franklin's Gardens is known throughout Europe as one of the toughest away grounds to go and get a positive result, but we've named a side that we feel is more than capable of rising to the challenge.
"The guys have already shown that they can live with a team with the sort of quality Northampton have, and we'll be asking them to really front up again and make sure we do ourselves justice.
"When you go to a place like Northampton, it's always nice to look back through the history books and see you've won there before, but that game [in season 2000/2001] was a long time ago and I'm sure that everyone in this team wants to register an achievement of their own.
"What the last few weeks have underlined is that we need our set-piece to be more consistent if we're to fully exploit the potential we have in attack. That's the message we've been hammering home all week: do the basics well and give ourselves the platform to push on and win the game.
"We've still got a lot to play for in this competition, and we know that a couple of wins in these two games [Edinburgh face Cardiff Blues at Murrayfield next Saturday in their final Pool 1 fixture] would give us a chance of more European rugby in the second half of the season.
"Friday will be one of the biggest tests we'll face in the entire campaign, but it's the sort of game that everyone relishes being involved in and we'll travel in positive mood."
A decision has yet to be made on who will occupy the final front row berth on the Edinburgh replacements bench.
EDINBURGH TEAM TO PLAY NORTHAMPTON SAINTS IN HEINEKEN CUP POOL 1 AT FRANKLIN'S GARDENS ON FRIDAY 14 JANUARY (KICK-OFF 8PM, LIVE ON SKY SPORTS)
15 Chris Paterson
14 Jim Thompson
13 Ben Cairns
12 Nick De Luca
11 Tim Visser
10 David Blair
9 Mike Blair
1 Kyle Traynor
2 Ross Ford
3 Geoff Cross
4 Scott MacLeod
5 Esteban Lozada
6 Alan MacDonald
8 Roddy Grant (captain)
7 Ross Rennie
SUBSTITUTES
16 TBC
17 Lewis Niven
18 David Young
19 Craig Hamilton
20 Stuart McInally
21 Greig Laidlaw
22 James King
23 Simon Webster
</td></tr></tbody></table>
 
15 Ben Foden
14 Joe Ansbro
13 Jon Clarke
12 James Downey
11 Paul Diggin
10 Stephen Myler
9 Ryan Powell
1 Soane Tonga'uiha
2 Dylan Hartley (capt)
3 Brian Mujati
4 Calum Clark
5 Christian Day
6 Phil Dowson
7 Tom Wood
8 Roger Wilson

Replacements
16 Brett Sharman
17 Alex Waller
18 Tom Mercey
19 Mark Sorenson
20 Mark Easter
21 Stuart Commins
22 Joe Ford
23 Bruce Reihana
 
big win for saints by at least 15 points

I hope you're right. There were definite signs of improvement at Welford Road last week, but I think they still need a kick up the arse for the performance on new years day.
 
I hope you're right. There were definite signs of improvement at Welford Road last week, but I think they still need a kick up the arse for the performance on new years day.

your boys will be fine so much talent, reckon your gonna get some silverwear this season in one competition, maybe not the heineken but they have made a good start
 
your boys will be fine so much talent, reckon your gonna get some silverwear this season in one competition, maybe not the heineken but they have made a good start

It's nice to have some depth in the squad (for once), however with Lawes and Ashton out saints are suddenly starting to look like they're being spread pretty thin. Callujm Clark is yet to really impress as a stand in for Lawes, while Sorrenson will always remain a reasonably solid but never spectacular lock. In the backs I'm worried as to the reasons why Mallender is opting for Ansbro as his starting winger when Reihana is supposedly fit, Tonks is putting in good performances regularly and Elliott is breaking through - Ansbro is a good centre, but I've never been convinced when he's the last man over. Is Reihana just out of favour or is there a more deep routed injury there which we're not being told about?
 
Myler flattened by a late hit only 20seconds in...looks like he's staying on, despite appearing to get knocked out, though
 
Last 5 minutes didn't make up for the first 75.

What's this about the QF being played in Milton Keynes?
 
Edinburgh were terrible. Saints were great.

God i would love Munster vs Saints in MK!!!!!!!!!
 
**** me, what a humping

Only good things about this match is that Joe Ansbro played well, and that Mike Blair got a lot of game time
 

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