Another Stiff Test for the Kids

Two defeats on the trot for the kids. Bristol are up this weekend enjoying the sort of form that their long-suffering fans could only dream about last year at this time. The Tykes were given a torrid time in the set piece last weekend. Will they fare any better this time around?

It is too soon to expect a win with tries flying in from all corners of the ground. What we do need to see, however, is improvement in those areas where we have been lacking. That plus some leadership from the older players otherwise we could be bottom of the heap on Monday morning.

Green Shoots as Leeds go down on Day One

Who would have predicted that  Gordon Ross would have a 100% kicking day at HC? Well not me for starters. London Welsh are a workman-like side who will be there or thereabouts at the end of the season. Today they just about deserved their win but were hanging on at the end as the Leeds youngsters attacked with vigour and showed that things will get better the more that they play together.

McColl and Wilson looked sharp whenever they got the ball. Denman was feisty in the scrums. Hampson & White will be vying for the 9 shirt all season & Ryan Burrows scored a decent try after a quiet first half. There was enough potential there today to leave the fans surprisingly upbeat when the final whistle went.

Cry Havoc and let slip the Dogs of War!

The weekend is upon us. The wait is over. Diccon Edwards has named his side for the opening fixture of the season. The team is peppered with young hopefuls, eager to make their mark and establish themselves in the 1st XV: Craig Hampson at 9, Ollie Richards at outside centre and Curtis Wilson on the wing. Add to them newcomers Ryan Burrows, Davie Young and Stevie McColl and the Tykes fans will not recognise half the team. Diccon Edwards stated that his teams will always have a winning mentality when they go onto the pitch. This starts tomorrow when he lets slip the puppies!

Now is the Time....

Well we are on the home straight this week. September beckons on Thursday and with it the start of the Championship, which for Leeds, is a jump into the unknown, despite the fact that we seem to be there every other season. This time we have to negotiate several familiar hurdles ( being the relegated team we are the scalp to take, we have lost most of our squad again & hence have no real idea how the new boys will get on)  plus the rugby equivalent of Beechers Brook which is the play-offs.

Already I am filled with trepidation, not just because Bristol got tonked in the play offs & Wuss nearly came a cropper last time round but because we have no experience of this phenomenon. Do we come out of the blocks like a whippet on speed or do we build slowly for the main event in the new year. Both strategies have their merits. I would settle for a first day win and then a nice steady progression climaxing in a play-off final win. Well you can dream!

Where's the Beef Martin?

So Martin Johnson has announced his squad for the coming World Cup. Am I filled with eager anticipation, waiting to see if England's finest can bring home the silverware? No I am puzzling over some of his selections, wondering at his omissions & thinking that his squad has a lot of similarities to the Leeds squad for the coming season.

Injuries at 9 or 10 will leave them exposed & the squad is still 2 or 3 players short to have any chance of success. It applies to both squads! England will have a lacklustre World Cup and Leeds will misfire throughout the autumn. You heard it hear first.

World Cup - a minor distraction?

The close season has really dragged. I have suffered withdrawal symptoms & even dreamt that I had started playing again after 17 years! Now we are a couple of weeks from the start of the season and I am getting quite excited. But wait. In 3 weeks time we have the World Cup starting in New Zealand. ( If there was any justice it would be starting in Japan.) I have been so preoccupied with the domestic game I haven't really given much thought to the WC.

Presumably the Chokers will start as favourites which should suit everyone else. Who will knock them out this time around? It would be nice if it was one of the unfancied sides. Can England win it? A big ask I think.

Which would I prefer: England to win the WC or Leeds to get promoted? That is a no-brainer for me as the cup is just a minor distraction.

Time to dust down the yellow hat!

Leeds Carnegie got their pre-season underway last night with a defeat up at Kingston Park. The scoreline reflected the fact that Leeds had 10 players making their debuts for the Tykes. Despite the heavy defeat the match gave Diccon Edwards a good marker to how effective  training has been. The season proper starts 2 weeks tomorrow. The lads have another run out at Rodney Parade on Tuesday and then the real event starts on 4th Sept. First up is London Welsh & you do not need a long memory to remember the opening day when the Exiles won at Headingley. Time to exact revenge methinks.