Where are they now?

Twelve months ago we had a huge crashball centre from Fiji. Irrespective of what you thought about his defensive capabilities Seru Rabeni was an absolute handfull when he had the ball in hand. Although he was very much a one-trick pony Seru's trick was to smash into the opposition defence and break tackles. He was also adept at offloading which made him a handy weapon to have.

At the end of last season Seru wanted to stay at Leeds. Sadly the club was not forthcoming with a contract so Seru's agent got him one at Stade Rochelais, newly promoted to the French top tier.
He signed for the French club and then Leeds realised what an asset he was and tried to get him out of his French contractual obligations - to no avail. Stade are currently 13th in the French league & show every sign of going back down.

If Seru came back to Leeds it could be said that he was yo-yoing between yo-yo clubs!

The Good News and the Good News!

Sources close to the club suggest that some of the players who are out of contract  soon have offered to re-sign on reduced salaries. Among the names being bandied about are players who I would be happy to see re-signing for the club. The flip side is that there may be some who I would rather see go.

Steve Thompson appears to be heading south - his comments in the press this week do not suggest that he will be hanging around. ( and I for one do not blame him).

Oh - and the other good news is that I confidently predict that we will not get thrashed this weekend!

Quo Vadis Marco?

I hear that our "Captain Fantastic" has not decided whether or not he is staying at Leeds next season. Certainly his actions when he was taken off on Sunday were somewhat strange. His form has also dipped of late and Steve Thompson has proved to be a better leader on the pitch when he has had the chance.

Wentzel also has a big say in team selection these days. This may account for the strange selections in the backs that we have had most of the season & why some players, who would be obvious alternatives seem to get overlooked on a regular basis.

Perhaps if Marco moved on we could spend his undoubtedly large salary on a number 10.

Money for old rope

In an article for the Guardian yesterday Gary Hetherington was talking about the finances of Leeds Carnegie rugby club. Alongside the sum of £2.6 million that the club will receive as a parchute payment if and when they go down at Franklins Gardens in a fortnight, a second figure was mentioned. £2 million has already been committed to players' contracts for next season!

Now we have not announced the signing of anyone who would command a large chunk of that money so by my reckoning it could be 40 players at £50k or 20 at £100k each. The reality will be a spread with some players earning up to £200k and the squad players getting £70-80k. The squad is not 40 players yet so presumably the bill will go up as other players commit for another season.

Revenue will be seriously reduced if we are in the Championship plus there is also a large debt to service so, to me, it looks as though we will not have fiscal solidity nor anything like that for at least another 12 months.

Leeds Carnegie slips meekly into obliivion

Another no-show match put paid to Leeds' chances of staying in the top flight of English rugby. On a hot sunny afternoon Harlequins did not have to break sweat as Leeds let them score five unanswered tries in a 3-38 route at Headingley.

Despite recent poor displays over 5000 people turned up to watch a gutless, clueless performance. Hopefully this was the last time that many of the players will be playing for Leeds. Time for a clearout - including some of those who still have a year to run on their contracts.

Time to stand up and yell!

Tykes fans need to make the effort to get to "Fortress Headingley" on Sunday afternoon. This will be the last occasion that you can see Premiership rugby at HC for at least four months and quite possibly for a lot longer.

It will also be the last time that Kearnan Myall steps out for Leeds. A loyal product of our academy he is moving over the hill in an attempt to enhance his international prospects. Good luck Kearnan.

Last roll of the dice

Neil Back has named his team for Sunday's last home game of the season. Realistically this is also the last chance to secure points which might/may not help the club avoid the drop into the murky waters of the Championship.

In comes Lewis-Pratt, underused to my mind, at fullback and "Sicknote" Mackay starts at 12 in place of the departing Burrell. There is a welcome return to the starting pack for Rhys Oakley but Dan Browne retains his place at lock in a front five which looks a little on the light side.

Do we have a chance? A slim one. Quins are quite capable of ripping us apart if they are on song. The weather is doing us no favours as won't Danny Care who will be returning to his old stomping grounds yet again.

Hangover from Sunday

Following the Tykes beating as dished out by Wasps on Sunday I have had a bit of a reality hangover. I had been seduced, like so many others, into believing that Leeds could miraculously avoid the drop following successive wins againt the Cheifs and Falcons. On Sunday teatime reality bit me on the bum yet again. Now I do not really know what to expect on Sunday.

People are talking about a puncher's chance but I have a feeling that Quins will get their retaliation in first and the Tykes will, as so often this season, be chasing the game when it is too late.

Leeds Crash and Burn in Bucks

Despite going into today's game as favourites the Tykes got a nasty shock as a make-shift Wasps team ran in a shedload of tries and dicked the lads by a whacking 51-18. Today the fragile "recovery bubble" burst good and proper leaving Leeds rock bottom with two difficult fixtures left to play.

The fat lady, residing at Scotch Corner for the last week, has moved down the A1 to Boroughbridge. Next week is the last home fixture of the season - Harlequins - who, on their day, are capable of dishing out a serious beating to the Tykes. Only time will tell.

Day Dawns Dark

Right the rollercoaster is off to Adams Park this afternoon. The Tykes are looking for a third straight win to help secure Great Escape III. Wasps form has been indifferent of late and they have a number of injuries which means that there are several very young players in their squad. As a result the bookies have made Leeds favourite to win this game. So why do I feel so nervous?

We won at Adams Park last year. The boys are starting to have some self-belief. We are selecting ( Marco Wentzel excepted) from a full squad. I feel nervous.

Wasps will love being the underdogs on their own turf. The young lads all have something to prove. They still have some gnarly old players who know what is what. It is another cupfinal for Leeds. The Falcons put in a spirited performance on Friday evening aagainst the Saints. They will not go quietly. The future of our club is in the hands of the players. Today is another big day.

Tykes kickstart revival at Kingston.

Leeds Carnegie ensured that the relegation battle continues for at least two more weeks with a one point victory away at Newcastle Falcons. This means that Falcons are now bottom of the table with 4 games to play. The Tykes have 3 games left.

Trailing by 20 points to 7 just before the break Leeds scored a crucial 2nd try through Whackett to go in 6 points behind. Gareth Hardy, in a rich vein of form, put Leeds ahead & then Jarvis and Gopperth exchanged kicks with AJ dropping the winning goal in the last minute.

The team is now scoring two or more tries every game. They must secure another win to make things hard for the Falcons so next week's trip to Wasps will be interesting.

The fat lady, who has been parked on Leeds ring road all season, is reported to have driven off in the direction of Scotch Corner.

The Rollercoaster Ride

Today, Saturday 8th April Leeds Carnegie plays yet another "Cup final" when the team travels to Kingston Park. A win could mean that the lads will once again dodge the drop into the abyss that is the second tier of English rugby. A defeat would leave them once more on the brink of relegation.

It is certainly a rollercoaster ride for the fans with as much excitement and terror as any big dipper! Will it end in tears? We will know tonight at 5p.m.

Back from the Brink

Leeds Carnegie saw off a huge Exeter Chiefs team at HC yesterday and did enough to persuade me that it is possible for them to stay up this season. Defeat yesterday would have left them with too much to do.  The victory was never certain but with the scores close the Leeds pack put in a 20 metre drive which resulted in a try at the scoreboard end and the lads had enough in reserve to wind the clock down and finish up victors by 27-22.

Now there is just the small matter of a return fixture at Newcastle following the team's failure to "turn up" for the home fixture. A win at Kingston Park will lift Leeds off the bottom of the table. Is this likely? - no. Is it possible? - yes!

Last Chance.

The Tykes team for Sunday has been announced on Friday. there is only one change from last week's team at Sale.Fortunately the one change is the return of Marco Wentzel to replace Hoeneck in the second row. Last week the backs outscored Sale by 2 tries to nil and were only beaten by the boot of Charlie Hodgson.

The maths suggest that it is still possible to avoid relegation but another poor display on Sunday will spell the end of  Premiership rugby at Headingley for at least one season. Exeter will not be a pushover - they are a big strong side - but a win on Sunday would sent the lads up to Newcastle the following weekend with a bit of confidence - and survival firmly in their sights.