Saints .. a force in 13/14 ?

[rdracup]

Alex King on coaching team + a 23 of:

Corbisiero Hartley Ma'afu
Lawes C. Clark
Nutley Manoa Wood

Fotuali'I
Myler

Elliot
G. Dickson
Pisi
North
Foden

Bench:
Mercey
Day
Dowson
McMillan
L. Dickson
Waldouck
Diggin

Should do quite well IMHO. Solid Top 4 if not more....

[retsilnai]

Bothered I am not.!!!!

[Richard]

Its their back up where they have struggled and I can't see that improving..they will be struggling to make the top 6 next year

[sam16111986]

Saints first team squad for next season:

1) Corbs/Waller
2) Hartley/Haywood
3) Ma'afu/Mercey
4) Lawes/Samoa
5) Day/Clark
6) Dowson/Nutley
7) Wood/Harrison
8) Van Zelze/Oakley
9) Kahn/L Dickson
10) Myler/A N Other
11) K Pisi/Artymiev
12) G Dickson/Burrell
13) Pisi/Waldouck
14) North/Elliot
15) Foden/Wilson

Not really that impressive particularly in the forwards. A bruising second row should be a priority.

[drc_007]

Has Corbisiero passed his medical?

There were rumours his career may be curtailed due to a chronic knee injury.

[FrontRowUnionMember]

At full strength it looks vaguely tidy, but not awe inspiring. From the teams listed above, there is a lack of locks, Clark is not a second row. Also a lack of depth at prop, and given Corbisiero's injury record, they'll need some depth. Ma'afu is steady, but not in the Dan Cole class as a first choice tighthead. To make it more club specific to Saints, he is not an upgrade on Mujati or even Doran-Jones. No depth at ten either? I believe they picked up a lock and a (goal kicking) utility back from Otago last week, so maybe working on some depth, but still need to do some post Tonga'uiha, Mujati and Doran-Jones shopping.

[youngtiger]

FrontRowUnionMember has some inevitable interets and I agree with him. Being a back I look at that and honestly am not afraid: wasps have lots of strike runners and pace, but without a brilliant 10/12 axis there simply isn't enough there to threaten. They are the basis on which the rest of the backs play, you could put anyone outside, for example, Owen Farrell and they would start to look poor. They will have flashes, and Fotuali'i will work some magic, but it is still lacking.

[MurphysLaw]

At the start of this season Mallinder was reported in the media as saying that he had a strong squad with no gaps.
Now, with a new backs coach and these high profile signings, and the possible rumoured kiwis, arriving for next season, I think he will be under increasing pressure to bring home the bacon. He will certainly be running out of excuses if they don't perform.

[MrPartridge]

I'd have George North off them any day!

Fair play to the Saints board - they are strengthening the team and North will bring real quality.

Whether that puts them ahead of us next season, I have my doubts. But Tigers board really do need to bring in a 'star turn' like North ahead of next season.

I know quite a lot of people don't like the football analogy... but Tigers recruitment seems to follow the Man City approach, i.e. last season MCFC brought in lots of squad players. Man Utd signed Van Persie and the rest is history. I can't see any of our recent signings improving our starting XV. Say what you like about Northampton but the arrival of North immediately makes them better IMHO!

[FrontRowUnionMember]

It's all very well having a winger of North's quality, but if the Saints front five struggles to maintain any quantity/quality of possession, he is no more than just another tackler.
Wasps have one of the better wing parterships in the league in Wade and Varndell, but I saw the highlights of their game against Saints, and they were cut off at source when Wasps pack were on the back foot so much.
Now Saints did that with the likes of Tonga'uhia and Mujati in the matchday squad, next season they won't be there.
If you look at where we dominate sides, it is the power of our pack laying the platform, strangling the life out of the opposition. Looking at England's most succesful side, 2003, same thing. There may be a couple of clubs in the premiership I believe, that on their day has a starting front row that comes close to ours, but nobody else has the power coming off the bench we have.
Saint's have relied heavily in recent times on the power of Tonga'uiha and Mujati. Mercey has taken over Mujati of late, but I do wonder if that is with an eye on next season.

[mol2]

Not convinced.
Corbisiero will if fit be on England duty and may well miss many Saints games when not fit.
Lack of discipline will hurt them too.

Mid table.

[tommo]

Mujati came off the bench for Mercey at Wasps and had a stinker.

Mercey also held his own in the HC final against Leinster. A very good prop, who may be 1st choice next year.

Time will tell though. Thats's why we coming back each year i guess!

[rocktop51]

Corbeseiro won't make a difference - remember how Balmain had him on toast earlier in the season. Having a great winger in North isn't a match winner if he won't get the ball !

[Jay C]

It's all very well having a winger of North's quality, but if the Saints front five struggles to maintain any quantity/quality of possession, he is no more than just another tackler.
Wasps have one of the better wing parterships in the league in Wade and Varndell...

...and those two are the top try scorers in the Prem (22 between them - next highest is Thompstone with 6 !) and have won many games for Wasps over the last two seasons !

Some previous topics on here bemoan the lack of finishers in the Tigers side, but North is a proven try scorer and still getting better & better ..... who wouldn't want him in their team ?

Saints will be a better side with him in it - & I know they are not the finished article (especially at 10/12), but they will be as competitive next year as they are this and are only 3 or 4 signings away from challenging the top 3 again, IMO.

[amazing tiger]

I reckon solid top 6 and probable top 4 not enough in depth when players go on six nations duty though