February 7, 2007

The script for the EDF Energy Trophy Round Five tie at Headingley Carnegie on Friday night (7.45) could hardly be more compelling.

Leeds Tykes, top of National Division One by a whisker and battling to regain their Guinness Premiership status. Visitors Cornish Pirates in second place and fighting to be in position to take advantage of any slip by the pace-makers.

Previous games this season finished in a 21-21 draw in Penzance before Christmas, when the home side scored at the death to share the points, and a 21-20 win to Leeds in September, when the Yorkshiremen scored in the last minute to take the spoils.

Add the fact that the Tykes are offering a cut-price ticket deal and free entry for schoolchildren if tickets are pre-booked and the package looks to be as good as it gets, even in a division which this season has been exhilaratingly competitive.

"We were very excited when we heard we had drawn the Pirates because in order to do well in the Cup you have to play the best teams so we are pleased to have got them after two really good games this season between the sides." Said Tykes Director of Rugby Stuart Lancaster. "I have got a lot of respect for the work of their coaching staff, who have gathered a talented squad together down there with quality across the board. They also showed in both previous meetings that they will go all the way with us.

"The Cup gives everyone a break from the league this week. The players are looking forward to being able to express themselves without the pressure of chasing league points and a Friday night match has given the week a different feel. Nonetheless, as always the performance comes first for us and we take the season one week at a time and this is an important game for us.

"Playing on a Friday night also gives players the chance to have a weekend off. That may seem like a small matter, but there are few competitions in world rugby that do not have a break at some point in their season. However, if we want to achieve our goals it means we will be playing every weekend from September through to April. That could mean 35 weeks of non-stop competitive rugby. I am sure the players will benefit from a weekend off and come back on Monday refreshed and keen to get going again for the challenge of Doncaster next week."

The South Yorkshire club are also on the EDF Trophy Twickenham trial on Saturday (2.30) when they have a home tie with London Welsh.

They would be full of optimism on the strength of their comparative league placings were it not for the fact that The Exiles turned round a 29-8 home defeat by the Knights in September to share the points with a 20-20 draw recently when they came to South Yorkshire.

Even that result stemmed from a last-gasp rescue act by the Knights, who scored a try in the eighth minute of added time that Ben Gollings converted from wide out the steal a draw.

The Knights went into that game as league leaders, only for the draw and other results to deprive them of top spot. Now Doncaster have slipped down the table a couple of places, but in the topsy-turvy world of National One, nothing seems permanent.

Regardless of the league form-lines, the temptations of another trip to Twickenham for the South Yorkshire club are sure to guarantee whole-hearted support from their growing band of supporters.

Ironically, there would certainly have been a bigger percentage of the current fan base at head-quarters for their Twickenham trip in 1997. Then Doncaster were in North Division Two and went down 21-13 to Thanet Wanderers.

Not a lot of the current players probably know that, such has been the progress the club has made in a decade.

But now the Yorkshire pair are only three wins from a place in the final, with all the attendant benefits that come from a day in the spotlight. A glance at the remaining clubs suggests that if the results are favourable this weekend and the draw is kind next week, both could go all the way.

The long-term prospects are as mouth-watering as this weekend’s games.

EDF Energy National Trophy, round five:

Bedford v Exeter, Birmingham & Solihull v Nuneaton, Bridgwater & Albion v Newbury, Coventry v Nottingham, Doncaster v London Welsh, Leeds Tykes v Penzance & Newlyn, North Walsham v Lydney, Plymouth Albion v Cambridge.