SecondBy his own admission, Northampton’s director of rugby Phil Dowson is a history buff. This week he invited the club’s Irish fitness coach Eamonn Hyland to give his players an “extremely powerful” lesson on what it means to be the first team to play at Croke Park. The cultural and historical significance of the English football team. The challenge against Leinster gets tougher on Saturday and the players are left with goosebumps.
It’s been 104 years since the Croke Park Massacre, when 14 spectators were shot dead by the Royal Irish Constabulary, and as Dawson points out, Croke Park is “ [Irish] independent”. Dawson recently spoke to former Ireland and Munster second-row player Donncha O’Callaghan and he is well aware of the outcome when England played at Croke Park in 2007 “It’s almost a foregone conclusion.” Ireland swept England by 30 points and while Leinster have played there before, against Munster in 2009, Saturday marked the first time an English rugby club has set foot at the Gaelic Athletic Association headquarters.
Dawson was less interested in other aspects of history. Incredible comeback – Leinster went on to dominate 33-22. In that game he scored and received a yellow card, but Dawson decided this week was not the right time to relive the day.
Likewise, there are reminders around Franklin Gardens that Northampton’s last major piece of silverware came a decade ago when they beat Saracens in the Premier League final, which Dawson would rather not be present. They haven’t been as capable of ending that slump as they have been this season, although it’s widely believed that they have a better chance than champions of the league as they sit top of the league with two rounds of the regular season remaining. , such is the difficulty of this game.
“I always thought this game had a chance to be a romantic game,” Dawson said. “It’s a great opportunity to tell big stories, travel and do different things and this weekend is a great example of that, to be the first English club team to play in Croke Park is epic. This is something you can really go all out for.
Dawson disagrees with the theory that both Northampton and Harlequins are flying the Premier League flag because they have been the most attacking teams in the league in recent years, the theory being that the elite competition now rewards ambition more, But there is no doubt that if silver medal is to be taken either way, they will be relying on the performance of their star in tenth place, their fly-half metalworker. Smith-Finn and Marcus will be in the spotlight at the weekend, but Northampton’s 21-year-old No. Taste for important occasions.
In fact, it was Finn Smith’s first appearance for England after another impressive game against Exeter and ahead of the Six Nations. “We had a good win against Exeter, where I felt I played well, and a good win away at Munster, where I felt I played well. A real season momentum builder for me,” Smith said. “But from then on, there was actually a lot to do and the way I played in those games, I would have a good spell, some good touches and then I would make a mistake, actually it was about A little more I’m happy to stay at a 7 or 8 out of 10 for 80 minutes and trust that there’s enough quality around me to bring about those magic moments that I don’t need to chase them I think I’ve learned from that. Arrived a lot.
“You can only take it as a compliment, teams notice you and you’re someone they have to look at. But I think it all has to do with what I said and it’s great to be seven out of 10 and Being consistent and knowing that if I do my job we have enough quality to be relevant, those guys can inject speed or get people into space elsewhere.
Newsletter Promotion Post
“Teams are always going to try to apply pressure and I need to try and find solutions. I guess you could say it’s a free game but it’s an important game and we’re only one game away from the European finals, although We’re at a disadvantage, but we’re going to go out there and win the game.
Rest assured, Smith has high hopes of continuing his progress with England this summer, and you can be equally certain that Steve Borthwick will be keeping a close eye on both England halves this weekend, given the quality of the opposition. Performance. Dawson firmly believes that Finn can cope with the coming disaster in Dublin.
“You forget how young he is because of his demeanor and drive,” Dawson said. “While he’s not outside the core group, he’s still as much a part of it as the other lads. His demeanor and demeanor and his maturity are really incredible. And he’s also very coachable, in terms of how he wants to change. Even better, he has a great relationship with all of our coaching staff and he doesn’t sit back and think he’s successful.
Clearly Northampton will not be intimidated by what awaits them. They tried Gaelic football and hurling on Friday and if they’re looking for a sign of good luck, the groundskeeper at Croke Park is a Northampton fan and Dawson has printed a shirt for him . “The world is a small place,” he added. “The first English club team to go there, the groundsman was a Saints fan from Leighton Buzzard. You can’t write it.
