About v2AP Round 11
+7
CJB
Sgt_Pooly
dammit_chris
LukeLovesLuka
Driver
Steven_Sharks
SirJohnnyEnglish
11 posters
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AP Round 11
by SirJohnnyEnglish Sun 18 Dec 2011, 5:12 pm
First topic message reminder :
Team Sheets and tactics due by COB Thur
Predictions open Fri. Results due Sun/Mon
Sale Sharks v Newcastle Falcons
Heavy Rain Shower, 10 Degrees, 18mph Winds
Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE
16. Imolek 17. Guirado 18. Tialata 19. Day 20. Kvesic 21. Spencer 22. Cruden 23. Abendanoon
General Game Plan
On attack, we will look to play the conditions and look to Sexton to put us in the right area. When in Newcastle territory we will look to control possession with our strong carrying game. We will look to our big carriers to get over the gain line and where possible offload to support runners breaking the defensive line and keeping our forward momentum going.
On defence, we will use a blitz defence coming up at pace looking to isolate the ball carrier before he gets to the gain line stopping any momentum and allowing us to hit the breakdown hard. Danny Care will act as a sweeper to cover any grubbers behind the line while our back three will sit deep ready to run back any loose kicks.
At the breakdown, if the ball looks available we will look to seriously commit numbers to clear the ruck allowing Thomson and Quedragao to come in and secure us turnover ball. At all other times we will commit 1 or 2 to the breakdown and look to counter ruck legally slowing down opposition ball allowing our defensive line more time to set.
We will look to use the set piece as a weapon throughout. We will target the scrum with a technically strong front row looking to get under and disrupt. With 5 jumping options and a reliable thrower at hook we will look to attack from the lineout. We will look to mix things up bringing the ball down into the maul or playing the ball of the top and spreading it through the backs.
Key Points
• Home Advantage
Unbeaten at home since season 2. We have a fantastic record here at Edgeley park and really play our best rugby at home!
• Form
We are of the back of 2 impressive wins in the Heino and have some fantastic in game and real life form.
Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly
1. Andrew Hore 17. Paul Doran-Jones 18. Alex Waller 19. Geoff Parling 20.Juan Smith 21. Heinrich Brussow 22. Jonny Arr 23. Toby Flood
Tactics:
Gameplan – Simple rugby.......With the game away and in extremely wet conditions we’ll be looking to control the set piece, pack and look to play in the right areas of the pitch. Evans will dictate play and will look to clear his lines from our own 22. We’ll look to put pressure on the Sale set piece throughout the game and we think we can get the upperhand in both scrum & lineout. We'll look to keep pressure on the Sale back 3 with Evans & JOC kicking for territory.
Set piece – Wet conditions usually means plenty of knock on which means plenty of scrums. We’ve went for a hefty scrummaging unit to really tear into Sale from the off. Franks & Barcella will look to get a strong hit on then look to drive through the Sale props. We foresee plenty of pens coming our way so will look for the corners in our own half where POC lead the line and secure safe ball.
We’ll look for the take and drive on our own ball with Servat being the key man here, he is the master at the drive. With 5 good jumpers and POC pulling the strings we’ll keep things solid on our own throw using the banker at the front and middle more often, whilst also looking to target Sale’s throw all game with POC the key man.
Pack – We’ve went for numerous carrying options in the pack and will look to use short pick and drives and keep things simple. McCaw will lead the assault and will also look to make a bit of a mess of the breakdown. With the poor conditions they’ll be plenty of opportunity to get hands in rucks and force turnover ball which will be used to force Sale retreating back.
Backs – We’ve named a very defensive unit that will look to keep Sale under wraps whilst also giving us kicking options and power in the contact. Benjamin, Barritt and AAC will look to take contact and give us potential line breaking options. JOC will float around the backline and look to pop up at 12 giving us a strong kicking option alongside Evans with AAC also giving a strong kicking game to go to. On centre scrums (they’ll be plenty!) we’ll look to pair Benjamin/AAC & JOC/Barritt giving us power/kicking/pace options on either side.
Defence - We'll look for the rush defence and put pressure on the Sale 9/10/12 axis with Barritt leading the charge. McCaw will look to put pressure on Sale's HB pairing with both flanks looking to take down Picamoles (if he plays) early and wrap him up as he has a tendency to get isolated.
Subs – we’ll look to keep the pack refreshed and have named 3 top draw front row options to turn the screw in the second half. 6/2 forwards to keep forwards fresh with the two SA lads bring huge intensity in the final 3rd of the game.
KEY POINTS:
- SCRUM – Look to dominate throughout with strong starting & bench, feel a weakness and scrum the life out of the opposition
- LINEOUT – Dominate our own ball whilst targeting opposition throw
- Set Piece control is key in the wet conditions
- James O’Connor – To come in at second receiver on attacking ball to give us extra kicking option
- Pack subs – Keep pack fresh and high intensity in the contact
- Confidence – We’re in great form and more importantly we’re playing winning rugby. Home and wins wins at Clermont plus sitting top of the AP, we are Quins!
London Irish v Exeter Chiefs
Heavy Rain, 12 Degrees, 16mph Winds
London Irish
Manager – stnick88
16. Soane Tonga'uhia 17. Neil Briggs 18. Darren Fearn 19. Mouritz Botha 20. Richard Baxter 21. Julien Dupuy 22. Matthew Tait 23. Daniel Bowden
Tactics
- Target the scrum, Castro and Poux will look to destroy their opponents and win us penalties.
- Play in the right areas, use the boots of Pienaar and Hernandez to get us in the right areas of the pitch.
- Use the big ball carriers like Garvey, Kaino, Rush to get us over the gain line and tire Exeters defence.
- Kennedy will target Hudson on opposition lineout. On our own ball, use Kendo, Kaino and Garvey as jumpers.
- Clean out quick and fast at the breakdown to secure fast ball. Any turnover ball to be countered.
- Keep the ball tight, use the carriers and work the phases. Only spread the ball once space appears.
- Tonga'uhia, Botha on at 55 to add power and freshen up the pack.
- JMH to kick all pens for goals and drop goals if are play slows down
Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Driver
16.Neil Clark 17.Brett Sturgess 18.Hoani Tui 19.Simon Shaw 20.Lewis Moody 21.Haydn Thomas 22.Colin Slade 23.Adam Powell
Tactics
*Keep the ball in the tight channels with runners off Kelleher and working the phases in the tight and rring ecyle possention.
* Keep Irish in there own halfs through the boots of Kelleher/ROG/Tindall/Fitz/Toeava/Byrne playing a territory game.
* Easter/Kelleher/ROG to control the tempo and inject pace and take it away from the game when they see fit.
* Use Crockett/Varley/Wilson/FVM/Skirving/Easter/Tindall to get us over the gainline
* Put the ball in behind Tagi and JP and test there kicking games out.
* Use Hudson as banker ball and to put pressure on Them at there throw.
* Bring the Likes of Sturgess/Tui/Shawsy on to add power to the pack.
* Jennings to look to steal and disrupt as much as he can at the breakdown.
Harlequins v Saracens
Heavy Rain, 12 Degrees, 16mph Winds
Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks
16. Matthew Rees 17. Joe Marler 18. Brian Mujati 19. George Skivington 20. Jamie Gibson 21. Karl Dickson 22. Quade Cooper 23. Jonathan Joseph
Tactics
Game Plan
Conditions dictate that this game won’t be a feast of running rugby but will be won by the side able to stick to a suitable game plan . We have strong pack to compete at the set piece and the breakdown as well as a set of half backs that will control our game and play it at the speed we want and the area of the pitch we want.
Our general game plan will be to retain the ball when we are in the Saracens half and remain patient until we can create gaps or cause Saracens fall foul of the referee. To do this we will look for our big carriers to cross the gain line and for us to generate some quick ball when doing this. We will look to have numerous runners coming off 9, 10 and 12 at different angles to keep the Saracens defence guessing.
Forwards
Up front we have a strong set of forwards which we will try to really get at Saracens with. We have a very experienced front 5 which will be very busy carrying of 9 and 10 and getting us some much needed go forward. As ever we will be carrying in numbers and at pace with the aim to win the collisions and then stay on our feet and keep driving forwards. Our back row is going to look to really get on top of the opposition back row and half backs. In Dowson, Warbs and Heaslip we have a back row which covers all bases in attack and defence and will look to link our play in attack and halt Saracens in defence. At the breakdown we are going to really compete for Saracens ball either by getting the first man their and over the ball or by having members of our pack adapt a low body position and ruck Saracens players off the ball and at least slow down the quality of their ball.
Backs
Half backs are key in these conditions and we have two of the best wet weather half backs as well as two brilliant game managers. Dickson will be controlling our tempo game whether we want it to be slow or to be fast paced. He is also key in marshalling our forwards and directing them and does this incredibly well. Contepomi will look to stand flat and feed runners of his shoulders when we are looking to run the ball. So as to shift the point of attack we will look to have Burns standing as a 10 on one side of each breakdown and Contepomi on the other side. This will allow us to attack either side and continually switch the point of attack. Our outside backs will look to run at gaps and cut different angles. With the exception of George Lowe, each of our backs has an excellent kicking game and we will use these boots to really try and dominate field position if we need to.
Set Piece
We really want to put pressure on at both the scrum and lineout. Sharpe is our main lineout man but we have 4 other options to use with Thion being the banker at the front. On the Saracens throw we will look to compete for everything and not give them anything easy. At the scrum we have vastly experienced tight head who will look to get underneath the Sarries loosehead and disrupt their scrum by doing this. We have two strong props coming off the bench as well who will look to continue to turn the screw.
Defence
In defence we will look to be aggressive with a quick line speed and really look to pressure the Saracens decision makers at half back. Dowson and Flutey are in charge of our defensive organisation. We will look for our back 3 to remain deep in defence with Dickson or Brits sweeping up behind. We have some very big hitters in Brits, Sharpe, Warbs, Heaslip, Flutey, Lowe and Kearney who will look to put in some bit hits.
Key Points
- Play a patient game controlled by our half backs. Play our way in the Saracens half, play according to Saracens in our own half.
- Work hard to disrupt Saracens ball at the breakdown and set piece. We have the players to do this and really make life hard for Morgan Parra. Warburton is going to be a massive asset at the breakdown for us. We will compete hard at the breakdown but not by over committing numbers and leaving ourselves vunerable defensively.
- With 3 players comfortable playing full back in the back 3. This will leave us well prepared for Saracens tactical kicking (Note Kearney listed in most places as a Full Back/Wing, Conditions allow him to work well on the wing).
- Use our forwards to get us across the gain line. I feel we have the better carriers in the pack and we will look to build on this.
- Home Advantage: In these conditions I feel a crowd is really important. We want the share of the spoils in this London derby and so do the fans.
- We have a strong bench and it will be introduced during the 2nd half. We have some very talented players who can add to our game.
- I stress the patient game play means we aren't throwing miracle balls and are aware the conditions will not allow barbarians rugby.
[]Opposition Points[/u]
- Brits left SA as he was behind BDP, Brits first choice ahead of Smit. who himself was first choice for SA in the World Cup ahead of BDP therefore Brits>BDP. Can prove anything we want with those sorts of things Pete so I don't buy to much by those points. Also Brits throwing has been magnificent this season.
- We will look to kick behind Digby Ioane if he is out of position, we don't feel that these conditions will enable him to play to his strengths and will test his skills if we can.
- With Saracens playing a Blitz defence we know it is crucial for out players to run at different angles and pick different lines to work against this defesive style
Saracens
Manager – Ozzy3213
16. George Chuter 17. Tendai Mtwarira 18. Jannie du Plessis 19. Dave Attwood 20. Luke Narraway 21. Alex Gray 22. Francois Hougaard 23. Owen Farrell
Tactics
Our generic gameplan revolves around a high intensity attacking and defensive game.
In attack our primary gameplan is always to control possession and run the ball, utilising big carriers attacking gaps in the line, and looking to offload to support runners to continue getting over the gainline and keep the ball alive. If the offload is not on, we will take the contact and look to recycle quickly at the breakdown. If running the ball is not on we will uitilise the kicking game of one of our backs to take us into the right area of the pitch.
In defence we will look to blitz, with our scrum half sweeping behind the defensive line. Key for us is line speed, getting up to make the tackle before the ball carrier hits the gainline, and confidence and trust in the man next to you in the defensive line, meaning we will not jump out or get pulled to far away from the next defender leaving gaps that can be exploited.
At the breakdown, we will not overcommit players. If the ball is not there to be won, then we will commit 1 or 2 players to legally slow it down whilst maintaining a strong defensive line across the pitch. If the ball looks like it is there to be won, we will look to get more numbers there quickly, with the first 1 or 2 players immediately rucking past the ball to clear the opposition players who are trying to get hands on it, and the next man in will then look to get it out quickly for us to counter attack on turnover ball.
We will look to really attack the scrum, both in attack and defence. We will not be looking to drop the scrum at all, and Joe van Niekerk in his role as captain will be talking to the referee constantly to ensure that he is aware that we want to scrummage. We will look to be aggressive in this area throughout.
Game Specific Tactics
Key Points
Gloucester Rugby v London Wasps
Light Rain, 11 Degrees, 15mph Winds
"Gloucester
Manager – anonmattyt
16 steenkamp 17 George 18 Harden 19 Palmer 20 bonnaire 21 Lewis 22 May 23 Gear
Tactics
We welcome wasps to fortress kingsholm with great conditions for rugby.
We want to play high intensity and really outmanouver wasps but we know we need to earn the right to.
We have gone with a big mobile ball carrying pack that we
Want to ProVide quick ball.
Set piece
As ever a hard scrummaging pack backed with a back 5 to add grunt. We are aiming to get a nudge on their ball and get a wheel on our ball to launch our
Back row off.
Lineout
We have 5 jumpers and see ourselves as being able to profit here on their ball. This will get even better for us when palmer and bonnaire come
On.
On our ball we will be catching and driving to start with to suck them in and tire their players out. As game progresses we will be using quick off the top ball and looking to put pace on the game.
General. The aim is to use our dynamic carriers p
Punch and win the collisions. We want to get
Past the gainline and create quick ball to go to the backs. We see Our pack as having lots more ball carriers and this will help us dictate the play.
Backs
As ever they want front foot ball to attack but we will not be adverse to carter Barnes and dagg kicking in behind them. We have the lineout to pressure theirs so in initial stages we will look to play percentages. This is easier to do with quick front foot ball from a pack going over the gain line.
Carter will look to hit forwards or strike runners into the rOberts banahan channel and create quick ball to then strike wide.
The up and under will be utilised but as the game starts to break up we will start tO play looser. Quick throw ins and the introduction of
May will see us trying to utilise mismatches
Key points
Lineout advantage and pressure on wasps tpn throw
Mobile ball carriers
3 wc kicking options out of hand
Stronger bench to empty to close out match
Glaws have serious momentum and at home
London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry
16. Andy Titterell 17. Charlie Beech 18. CJ Van Der Linde 19. Richard Birkett 20. John Hart 21. Nick Phipps 22. Steven Myler 23. Luke McAlister
Tactics
We head to Gloucester with a clear and direct game plan. We intend to use the power we have in our team to set out a platform for our backs to be able to attack from. Winning the collisions will be very important to us so we will be looking to be physically relentless and carry the ball hard and dominate the contact area.
We will look to use the set piece as a platform for attacks. Our front row is a very good scrummaging unit and we will hopefully be able to build attacks from there and earn some penalties for Jones to make use of. Our pack will be physical and relentless up front, we will play with controlled aggression. Early on we will keep it tight and look to keep the ball in the forwards. As the game goes on we will look to get our offloading game going and bring our strike runners into the game.
We will look to our forwards to get us onto the front foot by attacking in groups with some grunt and powerful carrying, getting us over the gain line. We will start as we mean to go on with a high intensity, hitting the collision area hard and driving our players over the gain line. We will look to recycle the ball efficiently within the pack taking the ball through plenty of phases to wear the Gloucester down.
At the breakdown we will look to make a real nuisance and disrupt as much Gloucester ball as we can. We will counter ruck and try to ensure any ball Genia does have is scrappy. We will work really hard at rucks and look to isolate the Gloucester carriers and dominate the tackle/breakdown area, by remaining strong and staying on our feet to compete.
We will look to our half backs to really control our game and dictate the play. Claassens will look to get our forwards running onto the ball at different angles to pierce the Gloucester defensive line. We will look to play in the right areas of the field. Jones will look to kick in behind the Gloucester wingers and keep them pinned back in their own half where we can exert pressure upon them and look to win turnovers/force mistakes.
With the ball in hand we will look for Roberts and Banahan to run hard and get us over the gain line, targeting the inside shoulders of the Gloucester players and attacking gaps and half gaps. If we win the collisions we intend to offload and keep the ball moving, if not our support players will look to keep them on their feet, and drive them over the gain line building up momentum and speed within our attacks. With our big, crash ball centers we will look to suck in plenty of Gloucester defenders to create space elsewhere for us to exploit.
At scrums if we get a nudge on we will look to keep Gloucester going back and get Wilson picking up off the base looking to suck in Gloucester defenders. At lineouts we will look to use Wentzel as our go to man but will mix it up by using Hooper, Burger, Haskell and Wilson. From there as always, we will look to use the maul to suck in Gloucester defenders testing their discipline and strength.
Northampton Saints v Bath Rugby
Heavy Rain, 11 Degrees, 16mph Winds
Northampton Saints
Manager – Dammit_Chris
16 Mikey Haywood 17 Matt Mullan 18 Carl Hayman 19 Patricio Albacete 20 Calum Clark 21 Liam Messam 22 Joe Simpson 23 Danny Cipriani
TacticsThe heavy rain is the predominant feature of this fixture and the team that is best prepared for the conditions will win the game. This is why we have selected a team that is predominantly European and used to these conditions and have ensure that we have three good kickers in the backline and a defensively solid backthree. Our pack is also well rested over the last two weeks (espc the front row), which will ensure that they are able to last in the horrible conditions that will be heavy under foot.
The gameplan will revolve around working our way through the phases and a dominant kicking game that will give us territorial superiority and put us in key areas of the pitch to force Bath into mistakes that will be punished with points.
The Pack and set pieceA lot of focus will be upon the pack and we will play a game based around working through the phases, going through the forwards and making the hard yards. This is why a 6-2 split has been called on the bench and when we need more gas in the engine room we can bring on some very experienced players. We will work around the fringes of rucks and mauls and keep everything simple by playing sensible, no risk rugby. We will work through the phases with the pack and work on sucking in Bath defenders and tiring out tacklers before Phillips supplies the ball to Beauxis or Giteau to kick the ball for territory and keep the Bath pack going backwards.
We have a solid set piece at both the scrum and lineout - Davies, Lawes, Elsom and Parisse will add a lot at scrum time and lineouts will be kept very simple due to the conditions. Hartley's lineout throwing in recent games has been first rate and we will look for Lawes and Davies to secure us a good platform here. With the conditions as they are we will bring Mullan and Hayman on early in the second half to keep power in the scrum.
Backline and taking pointsPhillips is the perfect scrum half for the conditions and his power around the fringes will give us a very good platform to build our game plan around. The backs will bide their time with the ball staying largely with the forwards and Siviatu and Tuilagi will offer themselves as support runners off the midfield axis to get over the gainline and support the forwards in this area. Siviatu and Tuilagi will be asked to run at the Hodgson/Allen axis.
The main work of the backs will be when Beauxis, Giteau and Halfpenny kick the ball to gain territory and will see a good chase from Siviatu, Foden and Tuilagi to put pressure on the Bath backthree, particularly Medard. We will very rarely look to run the ball in the backline unless we are well into the Bath half - its no risk rugby from Saints as these games are often decided by a single mistake.
We've chosen Beauxis to really compliment our kicking game in these conditions, he's got one of the biggest boots in France and is an incredibly accurate goal kicker - therefore every opportunity we have we will kick for 3 points from any penalties conceded. Beauxis' kicking is a very large part of our game. Simpson and Cipriani will only come on if the heavy rain subsides or there is an injury.
DefenceWe've picked a defensively strong team - we will need to put the Bath strike runners down first time and then guard around the fringes at any breakdown with a well organised and strong defenisve line - there isn't going to be much quick ball and we will defend strongly around rucks and mauls and force Bath into mistakes.
We will also be looking to apply a lot of pressure to the Bath halfback combination - Phillips is going to look to drag Wigglesworth into a physical battle, which is not his natural game. We will also look to try and keep one of our backrow or Courtney Lawes to line up opposite Hodgson and put some big early hits on him. Phillips pressure should result in poor/slow ball for Hodgson and we will pressurise him every time he is in possession. We will look to force Bath into mistakes and if we are able to get Beauxis keeping the scoreboard ticking over then this will require Bath to force the game more than they should do in the conditions.
Backs will play a rush/blitz defence to put pressure on 10/12 channel and Phillips will sweep behind to prevent any breaks.
Key Tactical Points
* A lot more focus on our kicking game in the conditions than Bath - Beauxis, Giteau and Halfpenny all excellent kickers and will allow us to win the tactical kicking and territory battle, which is key for the conditions. Territory is key and with stronger kicking game we can get into the key areas of the pitch to score points.
* Will look to test Medard early on with some aerial bombs and see how he handles the conditions. With Beauxis and Giteau we've got an excellent opportunity to move Medard all over the pitch here.
* Focus on placing Hodgson under pressure whether that be on getting backrow to target him and put him under pressure in the tackle area or sending runners like Tuilagi and Siviatu into his channel. Put Hodsgon off his game and we can cut off the Bath backline and also ruin the Bath kicking game, which would need to get the ball to Steyn (neither 12 or 13 for Bath has a notable kicking game).
* Use Phillips as an extra backrow forward in the game and use his physical presence to place Wigglesworth under pressure.
* Saints have a team that has players in all the key areas to win a game in wet weather 2 - Hartley, excellent line out throwing and displayes in recent weeks 4-5 Lawes and Davies excel in these conditions, with Albacete from the bench 8 - Parisse great control from bench 9 - Phillips, best no9 in the world in these conditons 10 - Beauxis big kicking game and 15 Foden - solid under the high ball.
* 6-2 split on the bench, will see Mullan and Hayman come on after 45-50mins, with Albacete, Clark and Messam to come on when players show any signs of fatigue. Saints bench has better players for the conditions in the pack, which will be very helpful in final 20-30minutes.
Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane
16 Richard Skuse 17 Joe Ward 18 Euan Murray 19 James Cannon 20 Tom Guest 21 Fourie Du Preez 22 Ben Williams 23 Kurtley Beale
Tactics
Psychological
Six wins on the trot has left the team energized and very confident. We feel there is no one that can beat us at the moment and that has really spread all over the team. Also we feel our team is in top form in real life while most of the Saints are struggling.
Overall
Our game plan is based on winning territory through kicking. Use our front five as a base to push Saints around wherever we want. We will look to use the kicking of Hodgson + Steyn + Medard + Monye to put the ball behind the Saints. We will be chasing the ball down and looking to force Saints into mistakes. As well as that we will be looking to kick into corners. We will use our big carrying team to force ourselves over gain line when the chance shows itself.
Set Piece
All of our starting forwards were rested over the two Amlin Cup weekends so they will be fresh to go. We have an experienced front row who will look to put Saints under pressure in the scrum. Our front row is also on great form with Healy and Kubrashvilli especially two of the form props in the Northern Hemisphere. Domingo has no real form to speak of, while we think Stevens has shown he isn’t a world class scrummager. We will look to get a good hit and keep the ball in the scrum if Saints are struggling. Lobbe will control it at the back. If we are dominant in the scrum we will look to take it as penalty option to really use our advantage. At the lineout we have options with Whitelock, Lobbe and O’Brien all capable of taking opposition ball. At the front we have Deacon offering the banker ball if the conditions become too treacherous for accurate throwing. We feel Saints offer no lineout leader so we will look to target the lineout.
Kick and Chase
Our game plan revolves around our good kicking options that will look to get the ball behind the Saints back three. With Medard, Hodgson, Steyn and Monye we have players capable of this kinda kicking. Steyn especially is capable of monster kicks meaning he will be able to relieve pressure on our back three. We will be looking to put Saints under pressure with good chases. JMF Lobbe will lead the chase and is one of the best chasers in the world so we are confident we will experience some success. With the wind how it is we will not be going for drop goals and even penalties we will only take a kick on if it’s fairly easy. We will also be looking to get the ball deep in the corner where we feel confident we can take the lineout.
Ball in Hand
With the ball in hand we will be looking for big carries to get over the gain line. Our team is full of players capable of making big gains and we will look to use this to our advantage in these conditions. We will be looking for players like SOB, Deacon, Lobbe and Rougerie to get their hands on the ball. In these conditions we will not be looking to play offloads.
Defence
We will look for a quick defensive line to put pressure on the key Saints decision makers. Simpson’s pass can be fairly erratic at times as can Beauxis’s form so we will look to get at the two of them. Lydiate is known as a huge tackler so we will look to get him chasing down Beauxis. Our defense will leave Steyn trailing to get any deep kicks. He will be able to either return with interest or make a bit of a gain.
Replacements
Off the bench we have good front row options who we feel can continue our dominance. Haywood hasn’t looked amazing in his 7 appearances and Carl Hayman is on a shocking decline while we have Murray who is one of the fiercest scrummagers around. Cannon, Guest both provide good quality from the bench. In the backs we have FDP who can come on early in the second half and really control the game. He is a brilliant box kicker and has good experience in close matches. Also Ben Williams is a big carrier, someone that Chris really rates as seen by his constant enquiries who we will look to strong carrying to see out the game. Kurtley Beale is another great option who offers a brilliant boot as well as a good running option.
Worcester Warriors v Leicester Tigers
Light Rain Shower, 12 Degrees, 14mph Winds
Worcester Warriors
Manager – prop_lyd
16. Chris Fortey 17. George Porter 18. Chris Budgen 19. Ollie Kohn 20. Sebastian Chabal 21. Craig Newby 22. Jimmy Cowan 23. Sam Vesty
Tactics
Forwards
Winning our ball is key here and we have a front 5 used to playing together who will secure ball for us to allow the backs space and time. We will look to target their lineout with some effective lineouts jumpers and stealer's in our starting line up. In the back 3 we have players who are able to win turnover ball, both will be told to play as 6.5's as we expect the match to get quite messy and be quite negative rugby. Our 2nd rows will look to impose themselves on the opposition and cause a fiesty atmosphere. Budgen, when he comes on rarely gets beaten by opposition (see Saints last year) and Fortey is experienced enough to hold up Porter who will only learn in these situations. McCalman will look to make ground whenever he has the ball and be stood off 12-13 quite alot. Chabal will change the match with strong, forceful running.
Backs
Negative rugby here, kicking for touch and putting pressure on the opposition. Steyn will look to make touch and not kick it down their throats. When the ball goes to McCabe we will look to drag it back into the 9-10 channel before quick ball to release our pacy and dangerous backline. Steyn will be controlling the backs and Peel is known for his quick service and will look to snipe when any space appears. Clarke will do his usual hard running and look to offload to a supporting forward. We have a backline who are comfortable under the high ball but we won't look for a kicking duel when we know we can gain an upper hand in the lineouts.
Defence
Hard and fast blitz defence with our back 3 hanging back a bit to prevent any kick throughs. The back row will look to be at least 2nd to each ruck to look to slow ball down or turn it over. If we win turnover in our half we will kick for touch, if we win in their half we will look to spin it out wide.
Overall
*We have had 3 great wins and confidence is high,
*Look to dominate the lineouts,
*Drag them down to a scrappy match,
*Steyn to kick for corners,
*3 points is key and we won't leave their half without that or 7 points so a drop goal is allowed!
*Peel to give quick ball,
*Backs to run hard at the opponents and seek for offloads to release back 3,
*We may end up playing scrappy, negative rugby but that's what wins matches for us and we have the crowd behind us here
Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka
16. Andrew Sheridan 17. Stephen Moore 18. Cencus Johnston 19. Pascal Pape 20. Tom Croft 21. Jordan Crane 22. Micky Young 23. Rob Miller
Tactics
GENERAL:
- Play a game suited for the conditions - a structured gameplan where we look to utilise our big carriers, kicking options and set piece specialists. If this turns into a kicking contest, we believe our back three have the upper hand.
- Defensively we will look to blitz, with Yachvili sweeping behind the defensive line to deal with any short kicks.
- If the game is tight and the ball isn't coming quickly, Wilkinson will look to drop into the pocket and keep the scoreboard ticking over with drop goals.
- Yachvili to kick all penalties in range.
- We will bring on a fresh front row after 50 mins. Sheridan, Moore and Johnston to carry on our set-piece dominance up against Fortey, Porter and Budgen - a complete mismatch. Pape, Croft and Crane to carry on the lineout threat and carrying game that we began the game with.
FORWARDS:
- Look to Bruno and Cole to get after Flatman and Strauss right from the first scrum. If we are dominating as expected, we will call for scrums every time we can.
- At the lineout we will have A.Brown calling the shots, supported by Horwill and Hines. We will look to exert as much pressure as possible on the Worcester throws with A.Brown looking to steal as many opposition throws as possible, especially if deep in Worcester's half.
- We have selected a massive pack for wet conditions. Led by Waldrom, and supported by Horwill, Pocock, Hines, Jenkins, Bruno and Cole, we want our carriers running straight lines and not taking risks with the offload with the wet ball.
- Target the breakdown massively with Worcester having no out and out 7 - Pocock is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first, securing first phase possession for us and pilfering the possession of Worcester. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball.
BACKS:
- In general attacking play, we will play off 9 with Yachvili as our little general pulling the strings.
- Yachvili, Wilkinson and Twelvetrees will look to get us winning the territory battle and test Worcester's back three with their kicking game. We won't be kicking aimlessly - in the wet conditions we will use low raking kicks to pen Worcester back in their half and force them into making mistakes by kicking behind their back three. We will also use box-kicks and the up and under, with the target of landing it outside Worcester's 22.
- Twelvetrees can act as our second receiver and take the pressure off Wilkinson. He can also hit the gain line hard to make yards. BOD to play his natural game, be the leader in our midfield, and look to get our back three into the game.
- We have selected a back three that all are very comfortable under pressure and receiving kicks. All three are flyers, and we will look to the intelligence and passing ability in Twelvetrees and BOD to unleash them at the right time.
- Jane and Nacewa encouraged to come into midfield and influence the game with their pace and skill.
KEY POINTS:
- Massive pack for wet conditions. Our starting pack weighs in at just under 18st per player, and we have just as much power to bring on from the bench.
- Attack the scrum relentlessly using Bruno - call for scrums whenever we can.
- Use our advantage of having a 9, 10 and 12 combo with exceptional kicking games - keep Worcester penned back in their own half and force their back three into making mistakes.
- Target the breakdown massively with Worcester having no out and out 7 - Pocock is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first, securing first phase possession for us and pilfering the possession of Saints.
- We will bring on a fresh front row after 50 mins. Sheridan, Moore and Johnston to carry on our set-piece dominance up against Fortey, Porter and Budgen - a complete mismatch. Pape, Croft and Crane to carry on the lineout threat and carrying game that we began the game with.
Team Sheets and tactics due by COB Thur
Predictions open Fri. Results due Sun/Mon
Sale Sharks v Newcastle Falcons
Heavy Rain Shower, 10 Degrees, 18mph Winds
Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE
| 01. Ayerza | 09. Care |
| 02. Paice | 10. Sexton |
| 03. Ducalcon | |
| 04. Millo-Chluski | 11. Strettle |
| 05. Bekker | 12. Turner-Hall |
| 06. Thomson | 13. Freuen |
| 07. Quedragao | 14. Earls |
| 08. Picamoles | 15. Rooney |
16. Imolek 17. Guirado 18. Tialata 19. Day 20. Kvesic 21. Spencer 22. Cruden 23. Abendanoon
General Game Plan
On attack, we will look to play the conditions and look to Sexton to put us in the right area. When in Newcastle territory we will look to control possession with our strong carrying game. We will look to our big carriers to get over the gain line and where possible offload to support runners breaking the defensive line and keeping our forward momentum going.
On defence, we will use a blitz defence coming up at pace looking to isolate the ball carrier before he gets to the gain line stopping any momentum and allowing us to hit the breakdown hard. Danny Care will act as a sweeper to cover any grubbers behind the line while our back three will sit deep ready to run back any loose kicks.
At the breakdown, if the ball looks available we will look to seriously commit numbers to clear the ruck allowing Thomson and Quedragao to come in and secure us turnover ball. At all other times we will commit 1 or 2 to the breakdown and look to counter ruck legally slowing down opposition ball allowing our defensive line more time to set.
We will look to use the set piece as a weapon throughout. We will target the scrum with a technically strong front row looking to get under and disrupt. With 5 jumping options and a reliable thrower at hook we will look to attack from the lineout. We will look to mix things up bringing the ball down into the maul or playing the ball of the top and spreading it through the backs.
Key Points
• Home Advantage
Unbeaten at home since season 2. We have a fantastic record here at Edgeley park and really play our best rugby at home!
• Form
We are of the back of 2 impressive wins in the Heino and have some fantastic in game and real life form.
Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly
| 01. Fabien Barcella | 09. Ben Youngs |
| 02. William Servat | 10. Nick Evans |
| 03. Owen Franks | |
| 04. Dean Schofield | 11. Miles Benjamin |
| 05. Paul O’Connell | 12. Brad Barritt |
| 06. Chris Robshaw | 13. Conrad Smith |
| 07. Richie McCaw(c) | 14. James O’Connor |
| 08. Kieran Read | 15. Adam Ashley-Cooper |
1. Andrew Hore 17. Paul Doran-Jones 18. Alex Waller 19. Geoff Parling 20.Juan Smith 21. Heinrich Brussow 22. Jonny Arr 23. Toby Flood
Tactics:
Gameplan – Simple rugby.......With the game away and in extremely wet conditions we’ll be looking to control the set piece, pack and look to play in the right areas of the pitch. Evans will dictate play and will look to clear his lines from our own 22. We’ll look to put pressure on the Sale set piece throughout the game and we think we can get the upperhand in both scrum & lineout. We'll look to keep pressure on the Sale back 3 with Evans & JOC kicking for territory.
Set piece – Wet conditions usually means plenty of knock on which means plenty of scrums. We’ve went for a hefty scrummaging unit to really tear into Sale from the off. Franks & Barcella will look to get a strong hit on then look to drive through the Sale props. We foresee plenty of pens coming our way so will look for the corners in our own half where POC lead the line and secure safe ball.
We’ll look for the take and drive on our own ball with Servat being the key man here, he is the master at the drive. With 5 good jumpers and POC pulling the strings we’ll keep things solid on our own throw using the banker at the front and middle more often, whilst also looking to target Sale’s throw all game with POC the key man.
Pack – We’ve went for numerous carrying options in the pack and will look to use short pick and drives and keep things simple. McCaw will lead the assault and will also look to make a bit of a mess of the breakdown. With the poor conditions they’ll be plenty of opportunity to get hands in rucks and force turnover ball which will be used to force Sale retreating back.
Backs – We’ve named a very defensive unit that will look to keep Sale under wraps whilst also giving us kicking options and power in the contact. Benjamin, Barritt and AAC will look to take contact and give us potential line breaking options. JOC will float around the backline and look to pop up at 12 giving us a strong kicking option alongside Evans with AAC also giving a strong kicking game to go to. On centre scrums (they’ll be plenty!) we’ll look to pair Benjamin/AAC & JOC/Barritt giving us power/kicking/pace options on either side.
Defence - We'll look for the rush defence and put pressure on the Sale 9/10/12 axis with Barritt leading the charge. McCaw will look to put pressure on Sale's HB pairing with both flanks looking to take down Picamoles (if he plays) early and wrap him up as he has a tendency to get isolated.
Subs – we’ll look to keep the pack refreshed and have named 3 top draw front row options to turn the screw in the second half. 6/2 forwards to keep forwards fresh with the two SA lads bring huge intensity in the final 3rd of the game.
KEY POINTS:
- SCRUM – Look to dominate throughout with strong starting & bench, feel a weakness and scrum the life out of the opposition
- LINEOUT – Dominate our own ball whilst targeting opposition throw
- Set Piece control is key in the wet conditions
- James O’Connor – To come in at second receiver on attacking ball to give us extra kicking option
- Pack subs – Keep pack fresh and high intensity in the contact
- Confidence – We’re in great form and more importantly we’re playing winning rugby. Home and wins wins at Clermont plus sitting top of the AP, we are Quins!
London Irish v Exeter Chiefs
Heavy Rain, 12 Degrees, 16mph Winds
London Irish
Manager – stnick88
| 01. Jean Baptiste Poux | 09. Ruan Pienaar |
| 02. James Buckland | 10. Juan Martin Hernandez |
| 03. Martin Castrogiovanni | |
| 04. Matt Garvey | 11. Sailosi Tagicakibau |
| 05. Nick Kennedy | 12. Sonny Bill Williams |
| 06. Jerome Kaino | 13. Jaque Fourie |
| 07. Hendrie Fourie | 14. J.P Pieterson |
| 08. Xavier Rush | 15. Delon Armitage |
16. Soane Tonga'uhia 17. Neil Briggs 18. Darren Fearn 19. Mouritz Botha 20. Richard Baxter 21. Julien Dupuy 22. Matthew Tait 23. Daniel Bowden
Tactics
- Target the scrum, Castro and Poux will look to destroy their opponents and win us penalties.
- Play in the right areas, use the boots of Pienaar and Hernandez to get us in the right areas of the pitch.
- Use the big ball carriers like Garvey, Kaino, Rush to get us over the gain line and tire Exeters defence.
- Kennedy will target Hudson on opposition lineout. On our own ball, use Kendo, Kaino and Garvey as jumpers.
- Clean out quick and fast at the breakdown to secure fast ball. Any turnover ball to be countered.
- Keep the ball tight, use the carriers and work the phases. Only spread the ball once space appears.
- Tonga'uhia, Botha on at 55 to add power and freshen up the pack.
- JMH to kick all pens for goals and drop goals if are play slows down
Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Driver
| 01. Wyatt Crockett | 09. Byron Kelleher |
| 02. Damian Varley | 10. Ronan O'Gara |
| 03. Dave Wilson | |
| 04. James Hudson | 11. Luke Fitzgerald |
| 05. Flip Van Der Merwe | 12. Mike Tindall |
| 06. Ben Skiring | 13. George Pisi |
| 07. Shane Jennings | 14. Isia Toeava |
| 08. Nick Easter (c) | 15. Lee Byrne |
16.Neil Clark 17.Brett Sturgess 18.Hoani Tui 19.Simon Shaw 20.Lewis Moody 21.Haydn Thomas 22.Colin Slade 23.Adam Powell
Tactics
*Keep the ball in the tight channels with runners off Kelleher and working the phases in the tight and rring ecyle possention.
* Keep Irish in there own halfs through the boots of Kelleher/ROG/Tindall/Fitz/Toeava/Byrne playing a territory game.
* Easter/Kelleher/ROG to control the tempo and inject pace and take it away from the game when they see fit.
* Use Crockett/Varley/Wilson/FVM/Skirving/Easter/Tindall to get us over the gainline
* Put the ball in behind Tagi and JP and test there kicking games out.
* Use Hudson as banker ball and to put pressure on Them at there throw.
* Bring the Likes of Sturgess/Tui/Shawsy on to add power to the pack.
* Jennings to look to steal and disrupt as much as he can at the breakdown.
Harlequins v Saracens
Heavy Rain, 12 Degrees, 16mph Winds
Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks
| 01. Tony Woodcock | 09. Lee Dickson |
| 02. Schalk Brits | 10. Felipe Contepomi (K) |
| 03. John Afoa | |
| 04. Jerome Thion | 11. Rob Kearney |
| 05. Nathan Sharpe | 12. Riki Flutey |
| 06.Phil Dowson | 13. George Lowe |
| 07. Sam Warburton (c) | 14. Peter Hynes |
| 08. Jamie Heaslip | 15. Freddie Burns |
16. Matthew Rees 17. Joe Marler 18. Brian Mujati 19. George Skivington 20. Jamie Gibson 21. Karl Dickson 22. Quade Cooper 23. Jonathan Joseph
Tactics
Game Plan
Conditions dictate that this game won’t be a feast of running rugby but will be won by the side able to stick to a suitable game plan . We have strong pack to compete at the set piece and the breakdown as well as a set of half backs that will control our game and play it at the speed we want and the area of the pitch we want.
Our general game plan will be to retain the ball when we are in the Saracens half and remain patient until we can create gaps or cause Saracens fall foul of the referee. To do this we will look for our big carriers to cross the gain line and for us to generate some quick ball when doing this. We will look to have numerous runners coming off 9, 10 and 12 at different angles to keep the Saracens defence guessing.
Forwards
Up front we have a strong set of forwards which we will try to really get at Saracens with. We have a very experienced front 5 which will be very busy carrying of 9 and 10 and getting us some much needed go forward. As ever we will be carrying in numbers and at pace with the aim to win the collisions and then stay on our feet and keep driving forwards. Our back row is going to look to really get on top of the opposition back row and half backs. In Dowson, Warbs and Heaslip we have a back row which covers all bases in attack and defence and will look to link our play in attack and halt Saracens in defence. At the breakdown we are going to really compete for Saracens ball either by getting the first man their and over the ball or by having members of our pack adapt a low body position and ruck Saracens players off the ball and at least slow down the quality of their ball.
Backs
Half backs are key in these conditions and we have two of the best wet weather half backs as well as two brilliant game managers. Dickson will be controlling our tempo game whether we want it to be slow or to be fast paced. He is also key in marshalling our forwards and directing them and does this incredibly well. Contepomi will look to stand flat and feed runners of his shoulders when we are looking to run the ball. So as to shift the point of attack we will look to have Burns standing as a 10 on one side of each breakdown and Contepomi on the other side. This will allow us to attack either side and continually switch the point of attack. Our outside backs will look to run at gaps and cut different angles. With the exception of George Lowe, each of our backs has an excellent kicking game and we will use these boots to really try and dominate field position if we need to.
Set Piece
We really want to put pressure on at both the scrum and lineout. Sharpe is our main lineout man but we have 4 other options to use with Thion being the banker at the front. On the Saracens throw we will look to compete for everything and not give them anything easy. At the scrum we have vastly experienced tight head who will look to get underneath the Sarries loosehead and disrupt their scrum by doing this. We have two strong props coming off the bench as well who will look to continue to turn the screw.
Defence
In defence we will look to be aggressive with a quick line speed and really look to pressure the Saracens decision makers at half back. Dowson and Flutey are in charge of our defensive organisation. We will look for our back 3 to remain deep in defence with Dickson or Brits sweeping up behind. We have some very big hitters in Brits, Sharpe, Warbs, Heaslip, Flutey, Lowe and Kearney who will look to put in some bit hits.
Key Points
- Play a patient game controlled by our half backs. Play our way in the Saracens half, play according to Saracens in our own half.
- Work hard to disrupt Saracens ball at the breakdown and set piece. We have the players to do this and really make life hard for Morgan Parra. Warburton is going to be a massive asset at the breakdown for us. We will compete hard at the breakdown but not by over committing numbers and leaving ourselves vunerable defensively.
- With 3 players comfortable playing full back in the back 3. This will leave us well prepared for Saracens tactical kicking (Note Kearney listed in most places as a Full Back/Wing, Conditions allow him to work well on the wing).
- Use our forwards to get us across the gain line. I feel we have the better carriers in the pack and we will look to build on this.
- Home Advantage: In these conditions I feel a crowd is really important. We want the share of the spoils in this London derby and so do the fans.
- We have a strong bench and it will be introduced during the 2nd half. We have some very talented players who can add to our game.
- I stress the patient game play means we aren't throwing miracle balls and are aware the conditions will not allow barbarians rugby.
[]Opposition Points[/u]
- Brits left SA as he was behind BDP, Brits first choice ahead of Smit. who himself was first choice for SA in the World Cup ahead of BDP therefore Brits>BDP. Can prove anything we want with those sorts of things Pete so I don't buy to much by those points. Also Brits throwing has been magnificent this season.
- We will look to kick behind Digby Ioane if he is out of position, we don't feel that these conditions will enable him to play to his strengths and will test his skills if we can.
- With Saracens playing a Blitz defence we know it is crucial for out players to run at different angles and pick different lines to work against this defesive style
Saracens
Manager – Ozzy3213
| 01. Alex Corbisiero | 09. Morgan Parra |
| 02. Bismarck du Plessis | 10. Francois Trinh-Duc |
| 03. Adam Jones | |
| 04. Lionel Nallet | 11. Digby Ioane |
| 05. Steve Borthwick | 12. Ma'a Nonu |
| 06. Thierry Dusautoir | 13. Henry Trinder |
| 07. George Smith | 14. Mark Cueto |
| 08. Joe van Niekerk (c) | 15. Alex Goode |
16. George Chuter 17. Tendai Mtwarira 18. Jannie du Plessis 19. Dave Attwood 20. Luke Narraway 21. Alex Gray 22. Francois Hougaard 23. Owen Farrell
Tactics
Our generic gameplan revolves around a high intensity attacking and defensive game.
In attack our primary gameplan is always to control possession and run the ball, utilising big carriers attacking gaps in the line, and looking to offload to support runners to continue getting over the gainline and keep the ball alive. If the offload is not on, we will take the contact and look to recycle quickly at the breakdown. If running the ball is not on we will uitilise the kicking game of one of our backs to take us into the right area of the pitch.
In defence we will look to blitz, with our scrum half sweeping behind the defensive line. Key for us is line speed, getting up to make the tackle before the ball carrier hits the gainline, and confidence and trust in the man next to you in the defensive line, meaning we will not jump out or get pulled to far away from the next defender leaving gaps that can be exploited.
At the breakdown, we will not overcommit players. If the ball is not there to be won, then we will commit 1 or 2 players to legally slow it down whilst maintaining a strong defensive line across the pitch. If the ball looks like it is there to be won, we will look to get more numbers there quickly, with the first 1 or 2 players immediately rucking past the ball to clear the opposition players who are trying to get hands on it, and the next man in will then look to get it out quickly for us to counter attack on turnover ball.
We will look to really attack the scrum, both in attack and defence. We will not be looking to drop the scrum at all, and Joe van Niekerk in his role as captain will be talking to the referee constantly to ensure that he is aware that we want to scrummage. We will look to be aggressive in this area throughout.
Game Specific Tactics
- Lineout - On our ball we will take a safety first lineout approach ensuring that we secure our own possession, even if this means just taking banker ball at the front more often than not. On Quins ball we will really target Brits throwing in the poor conditions and look to disrupt at every opportunity.
- Offloading game - With a slippery ball and wet pitch, we will really shorten up our offloading game and look to take contact and recycle quickly by ensuring that our support runners are right on the ball carriers shoulder when he goes to ground and can hit the ruck quickly getting past the ball and freeing it up for Morgan Parra.
- Kicking game - In Quins last 4 AP matches they have looked to get up with quick line speed in defence (blitz) whilst in two of those matches leaving their back three deep. If they follow the same tactics they have been playing, we will look to use plenty of skiddy grubber kicks off the wet surface, into the space behind the upcoming line and in front of the back three. This type of ball will will be very difficult for them to handle cleanly and will cause their defensive line to continually have to turn and go back, which is generally very tiring.
Key Points
- Momentum/Confidence - We come into this game off the back of 7 straight wins in the AP and HC, which include in our last two AP outings TBP wins at home to London Irish and away to Northampton Saints. We have momentum and confidence, which are huge in a game of rugby.
- Like for Like Comparisons - BDP/Brits - Brits left SA as he was below BDP in the international pecking order. JDP/Mujati - See comment about BDP/Brits. Nallet/Thion - Thion below Nallet in the French pecking order. Ioane/Hynes - See comments about Nallet/Thion and change France to Australia.
- Key Players - If you want to win the scrum and lineout battle and have a platform to play from then the hooker is a key man - 2. Bismarck du Plessis. In terms of controlling the game and dictating the tempo, you would look at the 8,9,10 axis - 8. Joe van Niekerk 9. Morgan Parra 10. Francois Trinh-Duc. We have real top quality in these positions which will allow us to control the game.
- Real Life Form/Injuries - None of the players in our starting XV are injured in real life, and all are in good form, with some in absolutely excellent form. Without getting into slating oppostion players, in the Quins backline there are number of players struggling a bit for form this year.
- Conditions - We have selected a team capable of playing in the conditions, and adjusted our gameplan slightly to compensate for the wet weather. This includes our bench where we have some solid players to bring on, including the tactical kicking game of Owen Farrell should it be required.
Gloucester Rugby v London Wasps
Light Rain, 11 Degrees, 15mph Winds
"Gloucester
Manager – anonmattyt
| 01. Wood | 09. Genia |
| 02. Dawadiuk | 10. Carter |
| 03. Mas | |
| 04. Bakkies | 11. Sharples |
| 05. Robson | 12. Barnes |
| 06. Ferris | 13. Kahui |
| 07. Burger | 14. Dagg |
| 08. Hari | 15. May |
16 steenkamp 17 George 18 Harden 19 Palmer 20 bonnaire 21 Lewis 22 May 23 Gear
Tactics
We welcome wasps to fortress kingsholm with great conditions for rugby.
We want to play high intensity and really outmanouver wasps but we know we need to earn the right to.
We have gone with a big mobile ball carrying pack that we
Want to ProVide quick ball.
Set piece
As ever a hard scrummaging pack backed with a back 5 to add grunt. We are aiming to get a nudge on their ball and get a wheel on our ball to launch our
Back row off.
Lineout
We have 5 jumpers and see ourselves as being able to profit here on their ball. This will get even better for us when palmer and bonnaire come
On.
On our ball we will be catching and driving to start with to suck them in and tire their players out. As game progresses we will be using quick off the top ball and looking to put pace on the game.
General. The aim is to use our dynamic carriers p
Punch and win the collisions. We want to get
Past the gainline and create quick ball to go to the backs. We see Our pack as having lots more ball carriers and this will help us dictate the play.
Backs
As ever they want front foot ball to attack but we will not be adverse to carter Barnes and dagg kicking in behind them. We have the lineout to pressure theirs so in initial stages we will look to play percentages. This is easier to do with quick front foot ball from a pack going over the gain line.
Carter will look to hit forwards or strike runners into the rOberts banahan channel and create quick ball to then strike wide.
The up and under will be utilised but as the game starts to break up we will start tO play looser. Quick throw ins and the introduction of
May will see us trying to utilise mismatches
Key points
Lineout advantage and pressure on wasps tpn throw
Mobile ball carriers
3 wc kicking options out of hand
Stronger bench to empty to close out match
Glaws have serious momentum and at home
London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry
| 01. Perry Freshwater | 09. Michael Claassens |
| 02. Tatafu Polota-Nau | 10. Stephen Jones |
| 03. Carlos Nieto | |
| 04. Stuart Hooper | 11. Lachie Turner |
| 05. Marco Wentzel (c) | 12. Jamie Roberts |
| 06. James Haskell | 13. Matt Banahan |
| 07. Jacques Burger | 14. Tom Williams |
| 08. Roger Wilson | 15. Geordan Murphy |
16. Andy Titterell 17. Charlie Beech 18. CJ Van Der Linde 19. Richard Birkett 20. John Hart 21. Nick Phipps 22. Steven Myler 23. Luke McAlister
Tactics
We head to Gloucester with a clear and direct game plan. We intend to use the power we have in our team to set out a platform for our backs to be able to attack from. Winning the collisions will be very important to us so we will be looking to be physically relentless and carry the ball hard and dominate the contact area.
We will look to use the set piece as a platform for attacks. Our front row is a very good scrummaging unit and we will hopefully be able to build attacks from there and earn some penalties for Jones to make use of. Our pack will be physical and relentless up front, we will play with controlled aggression. Early on we will keep it tight and look to keep the ball in the forwards. As the game goes on we will look to get our offloading game going and bring our strike runners into the game.
We will look to our forwards to get us onto the front foot by attacking in groups with some grunt and powerful carrying, getting us over the gain line. We will start as we mean to go on with a high intensity, hitting the collision area hard and driving our players over the gain line. We will look to recycle the ball efficiently within the pack taking the ball through plenty of phases to wear the Gloucester down.
At the breakdown we will look to make a real nuisance and disrupt as much Gloucester ball as we can. We will counter ruck and try to ensure any ball Genia does have is scrappy. We will work really hard at rucks and look to isolate the Gloucester carriers and dominate the tackle/breakdown area, by remaining strong and staying on our feet to compete.
We will look to our half backs to really control our game and dictate the play. Claassens will look to get our forwards running onto the ball at different angles to pierce the Gloucester defensive line. We will look to play in the right areas of the field. Jones will look to kick in behind the Gloucester wingers and keep them pinned back in their own half where we can exert pressure upon them and look to win turnovers/force mistakes.
With the ball in hand we will look for Roberts and Banahan to run hard and get us over the gain line, targeting the inside shoulders of the Gloucester players and attacking gaps and half gaps. If we win the collisions we intend to offload and keep the ball moving, if not our support players will look to keep them on their feet, and drive them over the gain line building up momentum and speed within our attacks. With our big, crash ball centers we will look to suck in plenty of Gloucester defenders to create space elsewhere for us to exploit.
At scrums if we get a nudge on we will look to keep Gloucester going back and get Wilson picking up off the base looking to suck in Gloucester defenders. At lineouts we will look to use Wentzel as our go to man but will mix it up by using Hooper, Burger, Haskell and Wilson. From there as always, we will look to use the maul to suck in Gloucester defenders testing their discipline and strength.
Northampton Saints v Bath Rugby
Heavy Rain, 11 Degrees, 16mph Winds
Northampton Saints
Manager – Dammit_Chris
| 01. Thomas Domingo | 09. Mike Phillips |
| 02. Dylan Hartley (c) | 10. Lionel Beauxis |
| 03. Matt Stevens | |
| 04. Bradley Davies | 11. Leigh Halfpenny |
| 05.Courtney Lawes | 12. Matt Giteau |
| 06. Rocky Elsom | 13. Manu Tuilagi |
| 07. Alexander Lapandry | 14. Siti Siviatu |
| 08. Sergio Parisse | 15. Ben Foden |
16 Mikey Haywood 17 Matt Mullan 18 Carl Hayman 19 Patricio Albacete 20 Calum Clark 21 Liam Messam 22 Joe Simpson 23 Danny Cipriani
TacticsThe heavy rain is the predominant feature of this fixture and the team that is best prepared for the conditions will win the game. This is why we have selected a team that is predominantly European and used to these conditions and have ensure that we have three good kickers in the backline and a defensively solid backthree. Our pack is also well rested over the last two weeks (espc the front row), which will ensure that they are able to last in the horrible conditions that will be heavy under foot.
The gameplan will revolve around working our way through the phases and a dominant kicking game that will give us territorial superiority and put us in key areas of the pitch to force Bath into mistakes that will be punished with points.
The Pack and set pieceA lot of focus will be upon the pack and we will play a game based around working through the phases, going through the forwards and making the hard yards. This is why a 6-2 split has been called on the bench and when we need more gas in the engine room we can bring on some very experienced players. We will work around the fringes of rucks and mauls and keep everything simple by playing sensible, no risk rugby. We will work through the phases with the pack and work on sucking in Bath defenders and tiring out tacklers before Phillips supplies the ball to Beauxis or Giteau to kick the ball for territory and keep the Bath pack going backwards.
We have a solid set piece at both the scrum and lineout - Davies, Lawes, Elsom and Parisse will add a lot at scrum time and lineouts will be kept very simple due to the conditions. Hartley's lineout throwing in recent games has been first rate and we will look for Lawes and Davies to secure us a good platform here. With the conditions as they are we will bring Mullan and Hayman on early in the second half to keep power in the scrum.
Backline and taking pointsPhillips is the perfect scrum half for the conditions and his power around the fringes will give us a very good platform to build our game plan around. The backs will bide their time with the ball staying largely with the forwards and Siviatu and Tuilagi will offer themselves as support runners off the midfield axis to get over the gainline and support the forwards in this area. Siviatu and Tuilagi will be asked to run at the Hodgson/Allen axis.
The main work of the backs will be when Beauxis, Giteau and Halfpenny kick the ball to gain territory and will see a good chase from Siviatu, Foden and Tuilagi to put pressure on the Bath backthree, particularly Medard. We will very rarely look to run the ball in the backline unless we are well into the Bath half - its no risk rugby from Saints as these games are often decided by a single mistake.
We've chosen Beauxis to really compliment our kicking game in these conditions, he's got one of the biggest boots in France and is an incredibly accurate goal kicker - therefore every opportunity we have we will kick for 3 points from any penalties conceded. Beauxis' kicking is a very large part of our game. Simpson and Cipriani will only come on if the heavy rain subsides or there is an injury.
DefenceWe've picked a defensively strong team - we will need to put the Bath strike runners down first time and then guard around the fringes at any breakdown with a well organised and strong defenisve line - there isn't going to be much quick ball and we will defend strongly around rucks and mauls and force Bath into mistakes.
We will also be looking to apply a lot of pressure to the Bath halfback combination - Phillips is going to look to drag Wigglesworth into a physical battle, which is not his natural game. We will also look to try and keep one of our backrow or Courtney Lawes to line up opposite Hodgson and put some big early hits on him. Phillips pressure should result in poor/slow ball for Hodgson and we will pressurise him every time he is in possession. We will look to force Bath into mistakes and if we are able to get Beauxis keeping the scoreboard ticking over then this will require Bath to force the game more than they should do in the conditions.
Backs will play a rush/blitz defence to put pressure on 10/12 channel and Phillips will sweep behind to prevent any breaks.
Key Tactical Points
* A lot more focus on our kicking game in the conditions than Bath - Beauxis, Giteau and Halfpenny all excellent kickers and will allow us to win the tactical kicking and territory battle, which is key for the conditions. Territory is key and with stronger kicking game we can get into the key areas of the pitch to score points.
* Will look to test Medard early on with some aerial bombs and see how he handles the conditions. With Beauxis and Giteau we've got an excellent opportunity to move Medard all over the pitch here.
* Focus on placing Hodgson under pressure whether that be on getting backrow to target him and put him under pressure in the tackle area or sending runners like Tuilagi and Siviatu into his channel. Put Hodsgon off his game and we can cut off the Bath backline and also ruin the Bath kicking game, which would need to get the ball to Steyn (neither 12 or 13 for Bath has a notable kicking game).
* Use Phillips as an extra backrow forward in the game and use his physical presence to place Wigglesworth under pressure.
* Saints have a team that has players in all the key areas to win a game in wet weather 2 - Hartley, excellent line out throwing and displayes in recent weeks 4-5 Lawes and Davies excel in these conditions, with Albacete from the bench 8 - Parisse great control from bench 9 - Phillips, best no9 in the world in these conditons 10 - Beauxis big kicking game and 15 Foden - solid under the high ball.
* 6-2 split on the bench, will see Mullan and Hayman come on after 45-50mins, with Albacete, Clark and Messam to come on when players show any signs of fatigue. Saints bench has better players for the conditions in the pack, which will be very helpful in final 20-30minutes.
Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane
| 01. Cian Healy | 09. Richard Wigglesworth |
| 02. Kevin Mealamu | 10. Charlie Hodgson |
| 03. Davit Kubrashvilli | |
| 04. Louis Deacon | 11. Ugo Monye |
| 05.Sam Whitelock | 12. Anthony Allen |
| 06. Dan Lydiate | 13. Aurelien Rougerie |
| 07. Sean O'Brien | 14.Maxime Medard |
| 08. JMF Lobbe | 15. Francois Steyn |
16 Richard Skuse 17 Joe Ward 18 Euan Murray 19 James Cannon 20 Tom Guest 21 Fourie Du Preez 22 Ben Williams 23 Kurtley Beale
Tactics
Psychological
Six wins on the trot has left the team energized and very confident. We feel there is no one that can beat us at the moment and that has really spread all over the team. Also we feel our team is in top form in real life while most of the Saints are struggling.
Overall
Our game plan is based on winning territory through kicking. Use our front five as a base to push Saints around wherever we want. We will look to use the kicking of Hodgson + Steyn + Medard + Monye to put the ball behind the Saints. We will be chasing the ball down and looking to force Saints into mistakes. As well as that we will be looking to kick into corners. We will use our big carrying team to force ourselves over gain line when the chance shows itself.
Set Piece
All of our starting forwards were rested over the two Amlin Cup weekends so they will be fresh to go. We have an experienced front row who will look to put Saints under pressure in the scrum. Our front row is also on great form with Healy and Kubrashvilli especially two of the form props in the Northern Hemisphere. Domingo has no real form to speak of, while we think Stevens has shown he isn’t a world class scrummager. We will look to get a good hit and keep the ball in the scrum if Saints are struggling. Lobbe will control it at the back. If we are dominant in the scrum we will look to take it as penalty option to really use our advantage. At the lineout we have options with Whitelock, Lobbe and O’Brien all capable of taking opposition ball. At the front we have Deacon offering the banker ball if the conditions become too treacherous for accurate throwing. We feel Saints offer no lineout leader so we will look to target the lineout.
Kick and Chase
Our game plan revolves around our good kicking options that will look to get the ball behind the Saints back three. With Medard, Hodgson, Steyn and Monye we have players capable of this kinda kicking. Steyn especially is capable of monster kicks meaning he will be able to relieve pressure on our back three. We will be looking to put Saints under pressure with good chases. JMF Lobbe will lead the chase and is one of the best chasers in the world so we are confident we will experience some success. With the wind how it is we will not be going for drop goals and even penalties we will only take a kick on if it’s fairly easy. We will also be looking to get the ball deep in the corner where we feel confident we can take the lineout.
Ball in Hand
With the ball in hand we will be looking for big carries to get over the gain line. Our team is full of players capable of making big gains and we will look to use this to our advantage in these conditions. We will be looking for players like SOB, Deacon, Lobbe and Rougerie to get their hands on the ball. In these conditions we will not be looking to play offloads.
Defence
We will look for a quick defensive line to put pressure on the key Saints decision makers. Simpson’s pass can be fairly erratic at times as can Beauxis’s form so we will look to get at the two of them. Lydiate is known as a huge tackler so we will look to get him chasing down Beauxis. Our defense will leave Steyn trailing to get any deep kicks. He will be able to either return with interest or make a bit of a gain.
Replacements
Off the bench we have good front row options who we feel can continue our dominance. Haywood hasn’t looked amazing in his 7 appearances and Carl Hayman is on a shocking decline while we have Murray who is one of the fiercest scrummagers around. Cannon, Guest both provide good quality from the bench. In the backs we have FDP who can come on early in the second half and really control the game. He is a brilliant box kicker and has good experience in close matches. Also Ben Williams is a big carrier, someone that Chris really rates as seen by his constant enquiries who we will look to strong carrying to see out the game. Kurtley Beale is another great option who offers a brilliant boot as well as a good running option.
Worcester Warriors v Leicester Tigers
Light Rain Shower, 12 Degrees, 14mph Winds
Worcester Warriors
Manager – prop_lyd
| 01. David Flatman | 09. Dwayne Peel |
| 02. Richardt Strauss | 10. Morne Steyn |
| 03. John Andress | |
| 04. Jim Hamilton | 11. Marcel Garvey |
| 05. Danie Russouw | 12. Pat McCabe |
| 06. Kearnen Myall | 13. Jon Clarke |
| 07. Scott Higginbotham | 14. Shane Williams |
| 08. Ben McCalman | 15. Ollie Morgan |
16. Chris Fortey 17. George Porter 18. Chris Budgen 19. Ollie Kohn 20. Sebastian Chabal 21. Craig Newby 22. Jimmy Cowan 23. Sam Vesty
Tactics
Forwards
Winning our ball is key here and we have a front 5 used to playing together who will secure ball for us to allow the backs space and time. We will look to target their lineout with some effective lineouts jumpers and stealer's in our starting line up. In the back 3 we have players who are able to win turnover ball, both will be told to play as 6.5's as we expect the match to get quite messy and be quite negative rugby. Our 2nd rows will look to impose themselves on the opposition and cause a fiesty atmosphere. Budgen, when he comes on rarely gets beaten by opposition (see Saints last year) and Fortey is experienced enough to hold up Porter who will only learn in these situations. McCalman will look to make ground whenever he has the ball and be stood off 12-13 quite alot. Chabal will change the match with strong, forceful running.
Backs
Negative rugby here, kicking for touch and putting pressure on the opposition. Steyn will look to make touch and not kick it down their throats. When the ball goes to McCabe we will look to drag it back into the 9-10 channel before quick ball to release our pacy and dangerous backline. Steyn will be controlling the backs and Peel is known for his quick service and will look to snipe when any space appears. Clarke will do his usual hard running and look to offload to a supporting forward. We have a backline who are comfortable under the high ball but we won't look for a kicking duel when we know we can gain an upper hand in the lineouts.
Defence
Hard and fast blitz defence with our back 3 hanging back a bit to prevent any kick throughs. The back row will look to be at least 2nd to each ruck to look to slow ball down or turn it over. If we win turnover in our half we will kick for touch, if we win in their half we will look to spin it out wide.
Overall
*We have had 3 great wins and confidence is high,
*Look to dominate the lineouts,
*Drag them down to a scrappy match,
*Steyn to kick for corners,
*3 points is key and we won't leave their half without that or 7 points so a drop goal is allowed!
*Peel to give quick ball,
*Backs to run hard at the opponents and seek for offloads to release back 3,
*We may end up playing scrappy, negative rugby but that's what wins matches for us and we have the crowd behind us here
Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka
| 01. Gethin Jenkins | 09. Dimitri Yachvili (k) |
| 02. Sebastian Bruno | 10. Jonny Wilkinson |
| 03. Dan Cole | |
| 04. James Horwill (c) | 11. Vincent Clerc |
| 05. Alex Brown | 12. Billy Twelvetrees |
| 06. Nathan Hines | 13. Brian O'Driscoll |
| 07. David Pocock | 14. Cory Jane |
| 08. Thomas Waldrom | 15. Isa Nacewa |
Tactics
GENERAL:
- Play a game suited for the conditions - a structured gameplan where we look to utilise our big carriers, kicking options and set piece specialists. If this turns into a kicking contest, we believe our back three have the upper hand.
- Defensively we will look to blitz, with Yachvili sweeping behind the defensive line to deal with any short kicks.
- If the game is tight and the ball isn't coming quickly, Wilkinson will look to drop into the pocket and keep the scoreboard ticking over with drop goals.
- Yachvili to kick all penalties in range.
- We will bring on a fresh front row after 50 mins. Sheridan, Moore and Johnston to carry on our set-piece dominance up against Fortey, Porter and Budgen - a complete mismatch. Pape, Croft and Crane to carry on the lineout threat and carrying game that we began the game with.
FORWARDS:
- Look to Bruno and Cole to get after Flatman and Strauss right from the first scrum. If we are dominating as expected, we will call for scrums every time we can.
- At the lineout we will have A.Brown calling the shots, supported by Horwill and Hines. We will look to exert as much pressure as possible on the Worcester throws with A.Brown looking to steal as many opposition throws as possible, especially if deep in Worcester's half.
- We have selected a massive pack for wet conditions. Led by Waldrom, and supported by Horwill, Pocock, Hines, Jenkins, Bruno and Cole, we want our carriers running straight lines and not taking risks with the offload with the wet ball.
- Target the breakdown massively with Worcester having no out and out 7 - Pocock is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first, securing first phase possession for us and pilfering the possession of Worcester. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball.
BACKS:
- In general attacking play, we will play off 9 with Yachvili as our little general pulling the strings.
- Yachvili, Wilkinson and Twelvetrees will look to get us winning the territory battle and test Worcester's back three with their kicking game. We won't be kicking aimlessly - in the wet conditions we will use low raking kicks to pen Worcester back in their half and force them into making mistakes by kicking behind their back three. We will also use box-kicks and the up and under, with the target of landing it outside Worcester's 22.
- Twelvetrees can act as our second receiver and take the pressure off Wilkinson. He can also hit the gain line hard to make yards. BOD to play his natural game, be the leader in our midfield, and look to get our back three into the game.
- We have selected a back three that all are very comfortable under pressure and receiving kicks. All three are flyers, and we will look to the intelligence and passing ability in Twelvetrees and BOD to unleash them at the right time.
- Jane and Nacewa encouraged to come into midfield and influence the game with their pace and skill.
KEY POINTS:
- Massive pack for wet conditions. Our starting pack weighs in at just under 18st per player, and we have just as much power to bring on from the bench.
- Attack the scrum relentlessly using Bruno - call for scrums whenever we can.
- Use our advantage of having a 9, 10 and 12 combo with exceptional kicking games - keep Worcester penned back in their own half and force their back three into making mistakes.
- Target the breakdown massively with Worcester having no out and out 7 - Pocock is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first, securing first phase possession for us and pilfering the possession of Saints.
- We will bring on a fresh front row after 50 mins. Sheridan, Moore and Johnston to carry on our set-piece dominance up against Fortey, Porter and Budgen - a complete mismatch. Pape, Croft and Crane to carry on the lineout threat and carrying game that we began the game with.
Last edited by SirJohnnyEnglish on Fri 23 Dec 2011, 12:37 pm; edited 3 times in total
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Re: AP Round 11
by Sgt_Pooly Sat 24 Dec 2011, 12:10 pm
London Irish 15–15 Exeter Chiefs
If this was in the dry I’d have this too Irish by 10. I think Exeter are really set out well for the wet conditions with a competitive pack (although Irish edge scrum but see Exeter putting pressure on in the lineout) and halfbacks to really put pressure on Irish. Irish midfield is awesome but won’t be as effective in the wet and Tindall & Pisi’s defence is rock solid. Exeter back 3 is also perfect for conditions and in great form. Overall better side for Irish but Exeter set out really well for the conditions.
Harlequins 17–15 Saracens
Funny one this game. I think Pete has got his tactics wrong with looking to offload and keep the ball alive, can see Sarries giving away a lot of possession to scrums with knock ons etc. Luckily for him his scrum is a class above and I think in general his front 5 shade it. Great backrow battle but I think Quins are just set out a little stronger especially for the conditions. Parra & TD in great form for Pete and will dictate play somewhat although in the backs I think Farrell & Homer could have added something. I like Quins balance and kicking options all over the park. Another game where if dry I think Sarries would win by a score. Strong set piece for Sarries see them really make it tight but I think tactics and key selections in the backs see Quins through at home.
Gloucester 20–17 Wasps
Not so effected by the conditions this one and a bit more for running rugby. See both teams holding set piece in a good contest but Gloucester engine room bringing a bit more grunt around the park. Quality backrow from Gloucester but the Wasps unit has everything and will put up a great contest, Bit of class advantage for Gloucester in the backs but I agree with previous that I can see Wasps really making this a hard for Gloucester and although a win it won’t be a high scorer.
Northampton Saints 16–18 Bath
I see Bath getting a nudge on in the scrum with Domingo hard to rate up against Kubs is a serious scrummager. I love the grunt and balance in the Saints engine room but not sure who would lead the line and could see Saints struggle aginst Whitelock/Deacon/Lobbe. Cracking 8 battle and both would thrive in conditions but Bath have flanks sorted with the stronger pair, cracking pack battle. Good boot options from Saints and I agree kicking options are key in the wet but Bath are not weak here either with Wiggles/Medard and Steyn giving solid options for Saints. Real tussle but Saints set piece could really struggle until Mullen & Albacete come on to sure things up. Sorry Chris but Bath have too much behind an excellent set piece. Good tactics form both sides.
Worcester 18-22 Leicester
Bit more quality in the Tigers front row but I like the physicality in the Worcester engine room. Cracking backrow battle and see Worcester adding some serious physicality whilst Leicester front up well with Hines at 6 and Pocock will be disruptive at OS. Both sets of halfbacks set out really well for conditions but think Tigers have a little more in the backs. See Worcester as a tough tough team to break down but Tigers sneak this one.
Merry Christmas everyone
If this was in the dry I’d have this too Irish by 10. I think Exeter are really set out well for the wet conditions with a competitive pack (although Irish edge scrum but see Exeter putting pressure on in the lineout) and halfbacks to really put pressure on Irish. Irish midfield is awesome but won’t be as effective in the wet and Tindall & Pisi’s defence is rock solid. Exeter back 3 is also perfect for conditions and in great form. Overall better side for Irish but Exeter set out really well for the conditions.
Harlequins 17–15 Saracens
Funny one this game. I think Pete has got his tactics wrong with looking to offload and keep the ball alive, can see Sarries giving away a lot of possession to scrums with knock ons etc. Luckily for him his scrum is a class above and I think in general his front 5 shade it. Great backrow battle but I think Quins are just set out a little stronger especially for the conditions. Parra & TD in great form for Pete and will dictate play somewhat although in the backs I think Farrell & Homer could have added something. I like Quins balance and kicking options all over the park. Another game where if dry I think Sarries would win by a score. Strong set piece for Sarries see them really make it tight but I think tactics and key selections in the backs see Quins through at home.
Gloucester 20–17 Wasps
Not so effected by the conditions this one and a bit more for running rugby. See both teams holding set piece in a good contest but Gloucester engine room bringing a bit more grunt around the park. Quality backrow from Gloucester but the Wasps unit has everything and will put up a great contest, Bit of class advantage for Gloucester in the backs but I agree with previous that I can see Wasps really making this a hard for Gloucester and although a win it won’t be a high scorer.
Northampton Saints 16–18 Bath
I see Bath getting a nudge on in the scrum with Domingo hard to rate up against Kubs is a serious scrummager. I love the grunt and balance in the Saints engine room but not sure who would lead the line and could see Saints struggle aginst Whitelock/Deacon/Lobbe. Cracking 8 battle and both would thrive in conditions but Bath have flanks sorted with the stronger pair, cracking pack battle. Good boot options from Saints and I agree kicking options are key in the wet but Bath are not weak here either with Wiggles/Medard and Steyn giving solid options for Saints. Real tussle but Saints set piece could really struggle until Mullen & Albacete come on to sure things up. Sorry Chris but Bath have too much behind an excellent set piece. Good tactics form both sides.
Worcester 18-22 Leicester
Bit more quality in the Tigers front row but I like the physicality in the Worcester engine room. Cracking backrow battle and see Worcester adding some serious physicality whilst Leicester front up well with Hines at 6 and Pocock will be disruptive at OS. Both sets of halfbacks set out really well for conditions but think Tigers have a little more in the backs. See Worcester as a tough tough team to break down but Tigers sneak this one.
Merry Christmas everyone
Sgt_Pooly- Posts : 36294
Join date : 2011-04-27
Re: AP Round 11
by Ozzy3213 Sat 24 Dec 2011, 12:19 pm
Can I just point out something as a couple of people have picked up on tactics in my generic gameplan and seem to presume that I am chucking the ball around and offloading willy nilly in this game, which if you look at my game specific tactics is not really the case.....
No qualms with the prediction results, just wanted to clear that up.
Ozzy3213 wrote:Offloading game - With a slippery ball and wet pitch, we will really shorten up our offloading game and look to take contact and recycle quickly by ensuring that our support runners are right on the ball carriers shoulder when he goes to ground and can hit the ruck quickly getting past the ball and freeing it up for Morgan Parra.
No qualms with the prediction results, just wanted to clear that up.
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- Posts : 18500
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Age : 48
Location : Sandhurst
Re: AP Round 11
by Guest Sat 24 Dec 2011, 12:31 pm
prop_lyd wrote:Sale 18-15 Falcons
Great match here with the Sharks half-backs just edging the S.A subs for Newcastle and home advantage nicking it.
Irish 20-16 Chiefs
Irish's pack takes this, I feel if Chiefs had started their grunt up front instead of bringing them on the could have nicked this match.
Quins 16-22 Saracens
Love Quins back row but feel that Sarries pack will make this a massive battle upfront. Think the Sarries half-backs will take this one.
Glos 21-20 Wasps
Glos would have ran away with this but having May playing and on the bench makes it difficult for me to see this as a rout. Think Wasps' centres will make inroads and get a couple of tries.
Saints 18-21 Bath
Strong Bath side travelling here. Like Saints tactics but feel that the balance with Bath's centres will take this game.
Dagg is my full back. I
Could not
Post my team in format as on phone so sje has done it for me and mistakenly put may at fb although he is good there !
Guest- Guest
Re: AP Round 11
by LukeLovesLuka Sat 24 Dec 2011, 12:32 pm
I'm predoing that game now, can you post your back 3? (5 EQ...)
LukeLovesLuka- Posts : 5865
Join date : 2011-04-19
Age : 40
Location : London
Re: AP Round 11
by Guest Sat 24 Dec 2011, 12:37 pm
1. Wood
2. Dawiduik
3. Mas
4. Bakkies
5. Robson
6 Ferris
7 burger
8 harinordoqouy
9 genia
10 carter
11 sharples
12 Barnes
13 kahui
14 Jsd
15 dagg
16 steenkamp
17 George
18 Harden
19 Palmer
20 bonnaire
21 Lewis
22 May
23 Gear
2. Dawiduik
3. Mas
4. Bakkies
5. Robson
6 Ferris
7 burger
8 harinordoqouy
9 genia
10 carter
11 sharples
12 Barnes
13 kahui
14 Jsd
15 dagg
16 steenkamp
17 George
18 Harden
19 Palmer
20 bonnaire
21 Lewis
22 May
23 Gear
Guest- Guest
Re: AP Round 11
by LukeLovesLuka Sat 24 Dec 2011, 12:45 pm
Sale 18 - 23 Newcastle
For me Newcastle win every area of the pack battle, but the carrying aspect is the closest with Picamoles' form. HB's would be worth the entrance fee alone, but I see Youngs and Evans having better ball to work with. Newcastle's back three much better as well. Tough on Sale, but Pooly has a pack that is difficult to compete with.
Irish 15 - 12 Exeter
Pack goes to Irish except 7 and 8, which are crucial positions which helps Exeter, but the set-piece goes to the home side. Really interesting HB battle, and I think I edge it to the away side with ROG in the these conditions. Tindall at 12 hinders Exeter a bit. Exeter's 8, 9, 10 keeps them close but Irish a bit too strong at home.
Harlequins 20 - 19 Saracens
Jeez what a pack battle. I'm giving the slight edge to Quins with small advantage in key positions - 7 for me most crucial player on the pitch, and Warburton is sensational right now - Smith is not. Sarries' HB's are the better IMO, and Nonu to get the better of Flutey. See what Quins are trying to do in back three, good defensively, but nore sure about attacking. Quins' pack takes this by a whisker.
Gloucester 27 - 18 Wasps
Not many temas compete with Gloucester at home. Wasps physicality does give them a fright though, with a horrible back row and Wentzel in the lineout is in great form. But Hari and Burger will come out on top still. With better ball, that backs division will ahve some joy today I feel. Roberts aside, not much going on for me in Wasps back line. Comfortable win.
Saints 19 - 21 Bath
Easy vote for manager of the season goes to ITFL. That pack would beat most on this game. Wonderful balance and unbelievable form. I see them winning every battle here aginst Saints, who have a great pack themseleves which tells you something. Add Hodgson to that, and you have a winnign formula in this weather. Do like Saints back division them, which keeps it very tight.
For me Newcastle win every area of the pack battle, but the carrying aspect is the closest with Picamoles' form. HB's would be worth the entrance fee alone, but I see Youngs and Evans having better ball to work with. Newcastle's back three much better as well. Tough on Sale, but Pooly has a pack that is difficult to compete with.
Irish 15 - 12 Exeter
Pack goes to Irish except 7 and 8, which are crucial positions which helps Exeter, but the set-piece goes to the home side. Really interesting HB battle, and I think I edge it to the away side with ROG in the these conditions. Tindall at 12 hinders Exeter a bit. Exeter's 8, 9, 10 keeps them close but Irish a bit too strong at home.
Harlequins 20 - 19 Saracens
Jeez what a pack battle. I'm giving the slight edge to Quins with small advantage in key positions - 7 for me most crucial player on the pitch, and Warburton is sensational right now - Smith is not. Sarries' HB's are the better IMO, and Nonu to get the better of Flutey. See what Quins are trying to do in back three, good defensively, but nore sure about attacking. Quins' pack takes this by a whisker.
Gloucester 27 - 18 Wasps
Not many temas compete with Gloucester at home. Wasps physicality does give them a fright though, with a horrible back row and Wentzel in the lineout is in great form. But Hari and Burger will come out on top still. With better ball, that backs division will ahve some joy today I feel. Roberts aside, not much going on for me in Wasps back line. Comfortable win.
Saints 19 - 21 Bath
Easy vote for manager of the season goes to ITFL. That pack would beat most on this game. Wonderful balance and unbelievable form. I see them winning every battle here aginst Saints, who have a great pack themseleves which tells you something. Add Hodgson to that, and you have a winnign formula in this weather. Do like Saints back division them, which keeps it very tight.
LukeLovesLuka- Posts : 5865
Join date : 2011-04-19
Age : 40
Location : London
Re: AP Round 11
by Driver Sat 24 Dec 2011, 5:22 pm
Sale 9 Falcons 12
Quins 3 Saracens 9
Glos 18 Wasps 20
Saints 10 Bath 13
Worcester 18 Tigers 18
Quins 3 Saracens 9
Glos 18 Wasps 20
Saints 10 Bath 13
Worcester 18 Tigers 18
Driver- Posts : 11038
Join date : 2011-04-20
Age : 32
Location : Hartlepool
Re: AP Round 11
by stnick88 Sat 24 Dec 2011, 6:07 pm
Sale 14-17 falcons
Quins 20-18 saracens
Glos 24-19 wasps
Worcester 15-18 tigers
Saints 19-19 bath
Quins 20-18 saracens
Glos 24-19 wasps
Worcester 15-18 tigers
Saints 19-19 bath
stnick88- Posts : 5345
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Re: AP Round 11
by 'Arry Spurs Sat 24 Dec 2011, 7:02 pm
Sale 12 - 15 Newcastle
Quins 15 - 18 Saracens
London Irish 12 - 10 Exeter
Saints 13 - 12 Bath
Worcester 13 - 16 Leicester Tigers
Quins 15 - 18 Saracens
London Irish 12 - 10 Exeter
Saints 13 - 12 Bath
Worcester 13 - 16 Leicester Tigers
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Re: AP Round 11
by Guest Sat 24 Dec 2011, 11:04 pm
London Irish 12 - 12Exeter I agree with pooly on this. Driver is lucky that all of his players are hitting some form where Irish have some issues noticeably in back row and half backs. Hernandez plays full back every game I see and Fourie and rush lacking.
Think o gara in the wet and great defensive backline secures draw. Tagi not done owt for ages. Nick also unlucky with tait etc. great front row from nick but think lacks control for conditions
Saints 11- 12 Bath think bath pack strangle the life
Out of this
Worcester 13 - 16 Leicester Tigers Leicester have the class Worcester the ability to mess the game up completely
Guest- Guest
Re: AP Round 11
by Guest Sat 24 Dec 2011, 11:11 pm
Quins 6-6 Saracens. Great game and hard to work out. Packs about even and sarries with better backs but light on kicking options in the centres. Think dry conditions sarries win easily. In these conditions Kearney thrives.
Never seen nonu or ioane have a good game in the wet and Stevens tactic of targeting him
Works.
Any other day sarries win but conditions and home equals draw.
Never seen nonu or ioane have a good game in the wet and Stevens tactic of targeting him
Works.
Any other day sarries win but conditions and home equals draw.
Guest- Guest
Re: AP Round 11
by Ozzy3213 Mon 26 Dec 2011, 9:59 am
What's the predo cut off time today? I am home until about 2 so can do the results if SJE is not around and the cut off is before that.
Only SJE and ITFL to predict I think.
Only SJE and ITFL to predict I think.
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Re: AP Round 11
by Steven_Sharks Mon 26 Dec 2011, 6:03 pm
The cut off time was 5 Pete according to SJE earlier in this thread.
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Re: AP Round 11
by Ozzy3213 Mon 26 Dec 2011, 9:31 pm
Just in from the outlaws. Seems as if cut off for predos has passed. I'll do results if SJE's not around once I've got the kids to bed.
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Re: AP Round 11
by Ozzy3213 Mon 26 Dec 2011, 10:36 pm
RESULTS
Sale Sharks 14 Newcastle Falcons 21
Harlequins 18 Saracens 18
London Irish 22 Exeter Chiefs 14
Gloucester 28 London Wasps 20
Northampton Saints 18 Bath Rugby 22
Worcester Warriors 17 Leicester Tigers 25
Sale Sharks 14 Newcastle Falcons 21
Harlequins 18 Saracens 18
London Irish 22 Exeter Chiefs 14
Gloucester 28 London Wasps 20
Northampton Saints 18 Bath Rugby 22
Worcester Warriors 17 Leicester Tigers 25
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Re: AP Round 11
by Ozzy3213 Mon 26 Dec 2011, 10:58 pm
I'll let SJE do the scorers, and will update the league table after that.
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Re: AP Round 11
by Ozzy3213 Wed 28 Dec 2011, 8:02 am
Have done the scorers as it looks like SJE may be having a bit of difficulty getting on
Results
Sale Sharks 14 Newcastle Falcons 21
Tries: Strettle (2)
Conversations: Sexton (2)
Tries: Read, Ashley-Cooper
Conversations: Evans
Penalties: Evans (3)
Harlequins 18 Saracens 18
Tries: Heaslip, Brits
Conversations: Contepomi
Penalties: Contepomi (2)
Tries: Cueto, Trinder
Conversations: Parra
Penalties: Parra (2)
Drop Goals:
London Irish 22 Exeter Chiefs 14
Tries: Armitage, Kaino, J.Fourie
Conversations: Hernandez (2)
Penalties: Hernandez
Tries: Easter, Crockett
Conversations: O'Gara (2)
Gloucester 28 London Wasps 20
Tries: May, Ferris, Genia
Conversations: Carter (2)
Penalties: Carter (3)
Tries: Roberts, Haskell
Conversations: Jones (2)
Penalties: Jones (2)
Northampton Saints 18 Bath Rugby 22
Penalties: Giteau (6)
Tries: O'Brien, Healy
Penalties: Hodgson (4)
Worcester Warriors 17 Leicester Tigers 25
Tries: Higginbotham
Penalties: Steyn (4)
Tries: Twelvetrees, Waldrom, Nacewa
Conversations: Yachvili (2)
Penalties: Yachvili (2)
Results
Sale Sharks 14 Newcastle Falcons 21
Tries: Strettle (2)
Conversations: Sexton (2)
Tries: Read, Ashley-Cooper
Conversations: Evans
Penalties: Evans (3)
Harlequins 18 Saracens 18
Tries: Heaslip, Brits
Conversations: Contepomi
Penalties: Contepomi (2)
Tries: Cueto, Trinder
Conversations: Parra
Penalties: Parra (2)
Drop Goals:
London Irish 22 Exeter Chiefs 14
Tries: Armitage, Kaino, J.Fourie
Conversations: Hernandez (2)
Penalties: Hernandez
Tries: Easter, Crockett
Conversations: O'Gara (2)
Gloucester 28 London Wasps 20
Tries: May, Ferris, Genia
Conversations: Carter (2)
Penalties: Carter (3)
Tries: Roberts, Haskell
Conversations: Jones (2)
Penalties: Jones (2)
Northampton Saints 18 Bath Rugby 22
Penalties: Giteau (6)
Tries: O'Brien, Healy
Penalties: Hodgson (4)
Worcester Warriors 17 Leicester Tigers 25
Tries: Higginbotham
Penalties: Steyn (4)
Tries: Twelvetrees, Waldrom, Nacewa
Conversations: Yachvili (2)
Penalties: Yachvili (2)
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