Twickenham casts inviting lure

It has been intimated that the Powergen Cup is not quite what it used to be, that it no longer has the standing it once commanded. Proponents of this school of thought will point the finger at careless team selection, with big name players rested by certain Premiership clubs; they will quote the success of the European Cup, and the season-long intensity of the Premiership.

But should they shout it in The Shed that Gloucester have reached the last four of a Mickey Mouse tournament they would leave Kingsholm deafened for life. If they whispered to Northampton, who lost out to London Irish in last year's final, that it is a meaningless competition, the Saints would march all over them.

If they suggested it to Leicester Tigers, the original cup kings with the knock-out competition's first hat-trick of victories from 1979 to 1981, they would not leave Welford Road without the mother and father of a mauling. And were they to tell London Irish that it lacks drama and passion they would never be served a Guinness again.

All four of these clubs enter the semi-final stages this weekend with one aim in mind – to reach Twickenham and win the April final. The only people for whom the Powergen Cup is of little or no import are all those who did not make it this far. "The Cup is something we have always wanted to win," said Dean Richards, the Leicester director of rugby, whose team has lifted the cup on five occasions, most recently in 1997.

"It is as competitive to the players as the league and the European Cup, and although perhaps to be crowned kings of Europe means a little more to the players, we think it is still a great competition.

"And the fact that we have not won it for some time is not through a lack of effort or desire on our part. It is certainly not a thorn in our fixture list." What is uncomfortable for them is the fact that they have so many injuries in key positions, especially since they are taking on Gloucester at Franklin's Gardens, Northampton today.

There is no Neil Back, no Lewis Moody, no Austin Healey, and, ominously for Tigers' fans, there is a worry over their captain Martin Johnson, who tweaked a hamstring in training on Wednesday and not a peep has been heard of his progress since. Richards has not named a team, although he called up 19-year-old academy open-side flanker Will Skinner into the squad.

Gloucester are not much better off. They are waiting anxiously on Terry Fanolua's ankle injury, have already lost their other centre Robert Todd through a 21-day ban and have their captain Phil Vickery out for the rest of the season with a back injury. Nigel Melville, their director of rugby, has recalled full-back Chris Catling from a loan spell with National League One title challengers Worcester, while the prop Trevor Woodman features in Gloucester's 23-man squad for the first time since suffering neck and shoulder trouble last November which subsequently required surgery.

Every meeting between London Irish and Northampton these days is spiced by the memories of their controversial Premiership clash at the end of December 2001 when there were citings and accusations of foul play by the Exiles player-coach Brendan Venter.

The fact that Saints, who are without the England wing Ben Cohen (thigh strain), lost last season's Cup final to the Irish merely adds to the stew of tension, and while "grudge" match would be stretching things a bit, nevertheless tomorrow's semi-final at Oxford's Kassam Stadium should see sparks fly.

Matt Dawson, Northampton's England scrum-half is optimistic that the players' attention will be directed more to graft than grudge. "It is time to move on, the players have to stay focused on the game."

It is not easy picking a winner between these two since they have each beaten the other away from home. Wayne Smith, Saints' director of rugby, said: "This competition is really important to us, the events of last year making it more so. There are a lot of players still carrying some hurt around from the final and I am certain that will motivate them to make the most of this chance."

Further motivation might well come with the knowledge that on all three occasions that Saints have marched on Twickenham for the final, in 1991, 2000 and 2002 they have lost. "Our supporters have made the trek to Twickenham for the cup final three times so far, and have always seen us leave empty-handed. To do it at the fourth attempt would be a great achievement for the club and, more importantly, the supporters," said Northampton co-captain Budge Pountney.

Unfortunately the Leicester and Gloucester supporters are not in trekking mode. Some 8,000 of Franklin's Gardens 12,500 capacity have been sold for today's tie. The stayaways are likely to miss a thumping good game, but maybe the winners' fans will flock to Twickenham in their hordes.