About v2AP Round 13
+7
LukeLovesLuka
stnick88
dammit_chris
Sgt_Pooly
Driver
Steven_Sharks
SirJohnnyEnglish
11 posters
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AP Round 13
by SirJohnnyEnglish Mon 2 Jan - 21:45
First topic message reminder :
Team Sheets and tactics due by COB Thur
Predictions open Fri. Results due Sun/Mon
Newcastle Falcons v Exeter Chiefs
White Cloud, 8 Degrees, 11mph Winds
Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly
16.Tom Lindsay 17. Owen Franks 18. Alex Waller 19. Geoff Parling 20. Heinrich Brussow 21. Jonny Arr 22. Frans Steyn 23. Miles Benjamin
Tactics
Game plan...Fast paced, dynamic rugby. We’ll look to hit the ground running and hit the opposition fast from the off. We’ll be aiming to control possession and go through the phases. Flood will look to get our backline into the game whenever possible and keep the high tempo going throughout.
Set piece:
Control the set piece and use it as a focal point of attacks. We see a slight advantage in the scrum that will be targeted especially in opposition half. We’ll look to get the squeeze on and keep the Exeter back row tied into the scrum giving Youngs and Flood more space to work in. POC will marshal the lineout and look to get fast ball off the top with 5 strong jumpers.
If a weakness is seen in the set piece McCaw will go for the jugular.
Pack & Breakdown:
Look for strong carries from our pack, tying in the Exeter forwards. We’ll be looking to keep the ball alive and look for the offload when on. McCaw will target the breakdown and look to get in a second tackler to tie up the Exeter carrier. Youngs will wait for the call and look to sweep up any turnover ball getting us on the front foot. Youngs to tidy up behind the backs/pack and look out for grubber from ROG. McCaw & Brown will look to tie Tindall up at 12 as we expect him to run more often than pass.
Backs:
Basically get the backs into play whenever possible with Youngs and Flood the spark. Smith will mashall the back 3 and we’ll look to get JOC in as 2nd receiver now and again to mix things up. Bowe will go looking for the ball in midfield and AAC will come into the line to give us a direct hard runner. Youngs will eye the gaps and look for the taps to keep us moving.
POINTS:
SCRUM & LINEOUT – Target throughout, if weakness seen go for the jugular
MOBILE FRONT 5 – Look to move the ball around and tire out the Exeter front 5
BREAKDOWN – Richie to work his magic and Youngs to monitor to attack on turnover ball
FORM – We are unbeaten at home in 18 month and are currently top of the pile playing some magic rugby
BACK 3 – Look to get our back 3 into the game as much as possible
CARRYING BACK 3 - Big carrying options and link play to keep the ball moving and change the focal point of attack
"Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Driver
16.Damian Varley 17.Wyatt Crockett 18.Dave Wilson 19.Simon Shaw 20.Lewis Moody 21.Jimmy Cowen 22.Rory Clegg 23.Andrea Masi
- Physical front 5 who will look to pressure Falcons heavily at Scrum time and take advantage of our grizzled front row and let Perugini have a good crack of the wip at PDJ
- ROG to play the percentages and retain more of the ball the closer we get to the Falcons line.
- Tindall to be our target in the midfield with Fitzy , Smith and Byrne looking to come find work.
- Pisi to give us some attacking spark and run the ball at Smith and test the Falcons defense line with his fast footwork and probing kick and chases.
- Easter , Thomas and ROG to dictate the tempo and move the point of attack.
- Switch front row early in 2nd half and bring Shawsy on for Hudson as a power play and take the game to falcons.
- Masi for Byrne at 60 mins
Leicester Tigers v London Wasps
White Cloud, 8 Degrees, 11mph Winds
Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka
16. Andrew Sheridan 17.Stephen Moore 18. Cencus Johnston 19. Alex Brown 20. Ersnt Joubert 21. Micky Young 22. Billy Twelvetrees 23. Topsy Ojo
Tactics
GENERAL:
- We are looking to get our backs into the game as much as possible by attacking the scrum, lineout and the breakdown. We will look to get our back three on the ball causing Wasps problems defensively. We will be physical and relentless up front and pacey and clinical in attack.
- Defensively we will look to blitz, with Yachvili sweeping behind the defensive line to deal with any short kicks.
- Early on Yachvili to kick all penalites within range, but we won't necessarily go for the 3 points as the game progresses. Horwill to make the call dependant on the success of the lineout.
- Look to use our bench to win the game in the last 30 mins. New front row to come on at 50 mins to impact the game, and Brown and Joubert to come on at 60 mins to strengthen our pack and set piece. Ojo and 36 to freshen back line too.
FORWARDS:
- Attack the lineout as a weapon using the tactical kicking of Yachvili and Wilkinson. Croft to be our banker ball, supported by Horwill and Hines. We will relentlessly target Wasps' throws.
- At the scrum Bruno selected to give us real advantage, supported be Jenkins and Cole. All three to go flat out for 50 mins and then bring new front row on.
- Pack full of carriers, led by Waldrom, and with Horwill, Pocock, Croft, Jenkins and Hines, look to get real go-forward with our carrying. With the ball in hand we want to attack together in groups so as not to become isolated, and if it is on we will look to offload in or just before the tackle.
- Pocock is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first, securing first phase possession for us and pilfering the possession of Wasps. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball.
BACKS:
- In general attacking play, we will play off 9 with Yachvili our general pulling the strings.
- 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.
- We have selected Jauzion and Fritz to give us creativity in midfield, and to keep us solid in defence.
- Our back three are encouraged to do what comes naturally to all of them - counter attacking and running the ball back. The weather is good for running rugby, and we hope to see some great breaks. All are well versed to play full back, so have good boots to rely on if it isn't on or they are isolated, but the counter is what we ask them to look for.
KEY POINTS:
- Home Advantage - Unbeaten at Welford Road in 2 years.
- Form and Momentum - we have won 8 of our last 9 games, and are flying right now. Confidence is high right throughout the squad, with competition for places extremely high.
- Attack the lineout as a weapon using the tactical kicking of Yachvili and Wilkinson.
- Target the breakdown - Pocock is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first, securing first phase possession for us and pilfering the possession of Wasps.
- Use our bench to win the game in the last 30 mins. New front row to come on at 50 mins to impact the set piece, plus the likes of Joubert and Ojo.
London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry
16. Tatafu Polota-Nau 17. Charlie Beech 18. CJ Van Der Linde 19. Richard Birkett 20. John Hart 21. Nick Phipps 22. Steven Myler 23. Ugo Monye
Tactics
After last weeks hard fought victory against Worcester we head to Welford Road where we face a monumental challenge of facing the in form Leicester Tigers. We do not fear them and will be looking to really stand up and assert ourselves physically. We will look to start with a really high intensity with plenty of big carrying and push Leicester firmly onto the back foot.
Our game plan revolves around powerful, dynamic carrying in the pack which will hopefully get us onto the front foot. We have selected McAlister and Mortlock who’s kicking games along with that of Jones’s will keep Leicester pinned back in their own half where we can exert pressure upon them and stop them from building any momentum.
We are intent upon controlling the pack and the set piece. Stephen Jones will control our play and look to put us in the right areas of the pitch where we can exert pressure upon Leicester. We'll look to maintain plenty of pressure upon the Leicester back three throughout the game with Jones, Mortlock and McAlister kicking in behind them. We will look to play in the right areas of the field and keep Leicester in their own half, where we can frustrate them into making mistakes.
We will look to our forwards to carry the ball for a number of phases recycling the ball efficiently wearing Leicester down each time we take the ball into the contact. We have several carrying options in the pack and will look to get over the gain line. We will ensure our carriers have plenty of support players to secure the ball at the breakdown. We will look to really assert ourselves physically and hit the contact area hard. Claassens will look to get our forwards running onto the ball with pace so we can win the collisions.
With the ball in hand we will look for McAlister, Mortlock and Banahan to carry hard and get us over the gain line, targeting the inside shoulders of the Leicester players and attacking gaps and half gaps. If we win the collisions we intend to offload to 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. Mortlock and Banahan will look to suck in plenty of Leicester defenders to create space elsewhere for us to exploit.
At the breakdown we will look to counter ruck when possible, we will look to make a real nuisance of ourselves at the breakdown and compete when possible. We will work really hard at rucks and look to isolate the Leicester carriers and dominate the tackle/breakdown area, by remaining strong and staying on our feet to compete. We will look to the set piece for a platform and get our big carriers in the back line to get us over the gain line.
At the set piece we will look to exert real pressure on Leicester and earn some penalties for Stephen Jones to make use of. We will keep things simple at the lineout. Wentzel is the key man for us, we will look to employ the maul and drive Leicester backwards which will really test their discipline. As we gain ground, hopefully more and more Leicester defenders will be drawn in which will create space elsewhere for us to exploit and make use of.
London Irish v Sale Sharks
White Cloud, 9 Degrees, 9mph Winds
London Irish
Manager – stnick88
16. Jean Baptiste Poux 17. Neil Briggs 18. Darren Fearn 19. Mouritz Botha 20. Hendrie Fourie 21. Julien Dupuy 22. Juan Martin Hernandez 23. Matthew Tait
Tactics
- In decent conditions we want to play the game at quite a fast pace and keep the ball alive. We will constantly be looking for quick ball to get to Bowden and SBW.
- When it does come to the set piece, we will look for Tonga and Castro to ruthlessly target their men and win us penalties or gain us strong attacking platforms. We want to also use the lineout as a platform with Kennedy our main go to man. We will look for quick ball off the top and use Pienaar to vary the attacks with SBW either being a carrier with runners loooking for the offload or SBW as a decoy runner as options.
- We will use our big ball carriers, Rush Kaino Tonga'uhia Castro Garvey to smash us over the gain line and gain momentum before spreading the ball early. We want to work the Sale defence and spread them and create space and gaps for our runners.
- At the breakdown we will look for quick ball and will look for the big men to clean out and stop Ouedrago getting in a position to turnover. Kaino and Daniel will almost play as a left and right flanker and both look to get to the breakdowns and secure quick ball as well as making the big hits in defence.
- Pienaar to take all pens for goal. Out of range or if wind is too high, kick for touch and use lineout to good effect.
- We will not look to kick loose ball to Abendanon or Strettle, and kicks from our 22 we will ensure we find touch, loose kicks to us will be run back by Armitage, JP.
- Subs as and when but JMH to come on and control the game and hopefully see it out for us at 10.
Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE
16. Imolek 17. Sharman 18. Tialata 19. Jones 20. Kvesic 21. Care 22. Sexton 23. Earls
General Game Plan
On attack, 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. If running the ball is not on we will look to the boots of Spencer and Cruden to put us in the right areas.
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. Ben Spencer 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 Irish 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.
Saracens v Bath Rugby
White Cloud, 8 Degrees, 5mph Winds
Saracens
Manager – Ozzy3213
16. George Chuter 17. Alex Corbisiero 18. Adam Jones 19. Steve Borthwick 20. Luke Narraway 21. Francois Hougaard 22. Owen Farrell 23. Rene Ranger
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.
Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane
16. Jon Golding 17. Joe Ward 18. Davit Kubrashvilli 19. Rob Simmons 20. Will Skinner 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Maxime Mermoz 23. Richard Haughton
Tactics
Psychological
Eight wins on the trot has giving the team great momentum and the winning attitude is really spreading. We feel there is no one that can beat us at the moment and that has really spread all over the team. Saracens last week lost to Gloucester and are losing track of leaders Newcastle and we feel the camp could be disheartened.
Overall
Our game plan is based on simple rugby. We will be looking for lots of big carries. We will be looking to keep the ball as much as possible. With the players in our team we have the chance to kick to win possession if needed.
Set Piece
Our formidable front row has been picked to win scrums. Murray and Healy will be looking to get a strong hit and drive through the front row. 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, Haskell and O’Brien all capable of taking opposition ball. At the front we have Deacon offering the banker ball.
Kicking
Despite it not being my main plan we do have the boots to put Sarries to the sword. Hodgson and FDP are both brilliant kickers and if necessary we will look to put the ball behind James Short. JMF Lobbe especially is one of the best chasers in the world and he will lead the chase.
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 to constantly make carries and get up and make another one. Haskell, Lobbe and SOB are just some of our bigger carriers that we will use.
Defence
We will look for a quick defensive line to put pressure on the key Irish decision makers. Our defense will leave Beale trailing to get any deep kicks. He will be able to either return with interest or able to make a good run.
Replacements
Up front we have picked subs who we feel can really continue our dominance in the scrum. Kubrashvilli is a big scrummager who can really put us in a dominant position. Rob Simmons is someone who can really provide added grunt in the engine room. Will Skinner will be looking to disrupt Sarries ball late on. In the backs we have Wigglesworth who can help control the game. Mermoz is able to come on and really affect the game.
Northampton Saints v Harlequins
White Cloud, 8 Degrees, 10mph Winds
Northampton Saints Team
Manager – Dammit Chris
16. Chris Whitehead 17. Matt Mullan 18. Carl Hayman 19. Calum Clark 20. Rocky Elsom 21. Joe Simpson 22. Lionel Beauxis 23. Chris Ashton
Tactics
GeneralFollowing a string of disappointing results in the AP Saints have opted to place focus on strenthening the pack and improving upon its set piece. The general approach is to build a strong platform for the backline to attack from, control the game and get the ball to our main ball carriers to break through & over the Quins defensive line.
We will look to work through the phases in the forward, keep hold of the ball and drag Quins into a forwards battle where they need to keep defenders sucked around the fringes of rucks&mauls etc and tie up as many forwards as possible. As we suck in defenders we will look to then play expansive rugby and let Matt Giteau dictate play and use de Villiers and Tuilagi as dummy runners to bring in the back three making it very hard for the Quins defence to reallign.
All about changing the tempo and point of attack at the right time and taking the game to Quins from the outset.
Pack & Set PieceThe pack has been broken down to have a fast, mobile front row and a very solid back five to give a big shunt at scrum time. Williams and Davies will be a big boost to the team, which has been criticised at scrum time previously. Powerful backrow unit of Lawes, Qera and Parisse adds to the scrum.
On our own scrum we will not look for the usual quick put in (e.g. how the Reds do in s15) and instead focus on using the set piece as a platform to launch attacks from. On defensive scrums we will look at causing Quins some problems by using the power from 4-5-6-7-8 to get our pack moving forwards. To freshen up our front row we will be looking to bring on Mullan and Hayman on 50mins.
Lineout - Lawes moves to no6 shirt, which gives us an additional lineout option as Elsom was not the biggest asset here. This provides us with four good lineout options - Davies, Williams, Lawes and Parisse - in our own half we will play safe and secure our own ball but due to the conditions we will look for off the top ball to get the ball to Giteau as fast as possible and either use de Villiers and Tuilagi as crash ball or spread the ball wide. Will see the lineout as a point of attack as opposed to just looking to secure it this time.
BreakdownHave a much more balanced backrow and will look to compete for turnover ball and slowing any Quins attack from developing any speed. If we are able to slow down the ball for Cooper then we can cut of Quins and play the game on our terms. The addition of Phillips, de Villiers and Tuilagi gives us a very competive edge at the breakdown at first contact in backline because it provides us with an additional three players who are strong in this area and will look to steal ball from any Quins players caught in contact. Again this is an area where we have not always been able to always compete.
BacklineWe will be looking to adopt a similar way of attacking as Wales do - two big centres who are very apt at taking the ball over the gainline and also very defensively sound - and around them a lot of attacking options that will look to take any offloads from de Villiers and Tuilagi to run at Quins and put them under pressure. Giteau will of course look to send runners between the Cooper/Contepomi channel and see what joys we can get there.
With a strong pack we will be able to secure the ball our backline needs and Foden, Halfpenny and Benvenutti are all on very good form, espc Foden and Benvenutti - so will look for any gaps and attack. These options allow us to play it two ways, either crashing up the middle, or attacking out wide quickly - should give Quins plenty of defensive headaches.
We will look to keep the ball in hand as much as possible, but Giteau will look to test out the Quins backthree who have not played that many games together - we will also not look to play any risky rugby within 30metres of our own tryline.
DefenceFeel that the Saints defensive abilities have been overlooked in recent weeks, as have a team that is defensively very sound and all good tacklers. A key target for us this week will be shutting down Cooper and stopping him working his magic, this is why we have chosen Lawes at no6, as we want a player that can put in big hits and has the speed to reach Cooper.
We will play our usual blitz defence, looking to place pressure on the Quins ball carriers and force them into mistakes - Mike Phillips will sweep behind our defensive line for any linebreaks, but with de Villiers and Tuilagi in midfield we have a very solid channel for Quins to break through.
Key Points * Much stronger pack and set piece than usual, so will be able to provide backline with a platform to attack.
* Will replace both props on 50mins to ensure we have a thresh front row for whole game.
* Four good jumpers in lineout, Williams, Davies, Parisse and Lawes - will look to attack from lineouts
* Compete at breakdown & use Phillips, de Villiers and Tuilagi's power to steal ball from Quins backs who take it into contact
* Use backline same way that Wales attack with - two powerful ball carrying centres who you can build attacks off of.
* Look to suck in Quins defence and then spread the ball wide to put backthree in space.
* Defensive - close down Cooper with Lawes, Qera and Phillips looking to scrag him and pull him into contact. Want to stop Cooper playing and have chosen a very mobile, defensively sound pack to close him down (Qera & Lawes).
* Bench to change the shape of the game as see fit - Simpson to come on if need a bit of spark at base of scrum, Beauxis if we need someone to close out the game with his kicking and Ashton returns after scoring something like 6 tries in 5/6 games for Saints in real life so far this season.
* Will look to push Lawes into the second row at around 60mins and bring on Clark and Elsom to up the tempo for our backrow - Elsom's last game for us so he will look to have a big final impact for us.
Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks
Quins give a debut to loan signing Zac Guildford as they visit Franklins Gardens after what they consider to be a very poor result at Exeter Chiefs. The conditions are less of a surprise to Quins this week and they have picked a side which will enjoy the dry conditions.
16. Matthew Rees 17. Joe Marler 18. John Afoa 19. Nathan Sharpe 20. Carl Fearns 21. Karl Dickson 22. Freddie Burns 23. Riki Flutey
Tactics
We have chosen what we consider to be capable of retaining the ball for long periods and playing at both a quick and slow tempo.
Game Plan
We are going to look to concentrate our game upon patient attacking play but more importantly on limiting the amount of quality ball which Northampton have and we will aim to do this in a number of ways.
-We will look to retain the ball for long periods of the game and will look to up the tempo once we get quick ball which will come from the strong running of our attackers breaking the gain line. We will also be looking to move the point of our attack rather than being predictable for Saints to organise against.
- We will only look to kick when we are able to kick the ball straight out from our 22 or when the saints back 3 are not sufficiently positioned and there are gaps.
-If our game plan works then Saints will only have limited amounts of ball in attacking positions and we will really look to affect the quality of this ball with Louw and Warburton key to this when it comes to the breakdown.
Forwards
We are looking for our forwards to do lots of carrying today as our game plan resolves around this. We want them to carry in numbers and to aim to win the collisions and drive the legs to get them over the gain line. At the breakdown we want to put at most 4 into our own rucks but 2 or 3 should be plenty. On opposition rucks we would like to have at least one guy competing at each breakdown when we can either by getting there first and getting over the ball or by adopting a low body position and rucking Saints off the ball. This should slow down the Saints ball and therefore affect the quality of the ball. At the set piece we want to put Saints under big pressure at the scrum and tyr to steal a few lineouts. On our own Lines we will look to shorten the lineout.
Backs
In the backs we have the axis of Dickson, Cooper and Contepomi to control our play. They will look to keep hold of the ball and feed runners in the midfield. When we get the quick ball we desire they will look to up the tempo and Cooper and Contepomi will try to stand flatter and put runners into gaps. Moving the point of the attack when we are looking for the quick ball is important and these 3 will control this. George Lowe is going to be doing a lot of carrying for us today and we are intent on him attacking the gaps and looking to step the two Saints centres rather than trying to go through them. Out wide we have some very very exciting runners who will look for work of the wing when they are on the blindside. Kearney will also look to pick lines in the midfield and inject pace onto the game when he can.
Defence
In defence we are going to be aggressive with Saints and rush up as a line and put pressure on their decision makers in particular Giteau who has the whole of the Saints creative and kicking game resting on his out of form soldiers. We will look to make his game a misery. We shall move Cooper to the wing in defence and Move Joseph to 13 with Lowe and Contepomi moving in one. We will look for two of our 3 defensive back 3 players to remain deep in anticpation of the kick.
Key Points
- Ball Retention - We need to keep hold of the ball to cause Saints to get impatient and concede penalties. This will also prevent Saints attacking qualities being so influtential. We also need to keep switching the point of attack to test Saints defensive organisation.
- Tempo - When we get quick ball we want to play a quicker game and have our playmakers stand flatter. We will run with intent when we see a disorganised defence.
- Breakdown - We want to really control the battle at the breakdown and feel that we have the players to do this particularly with know really breakdown expert playing for Saints.
Opposition Points
- Don't see Lawes being effective in the back row. Work rate good for a lock but against Louw and Warburton I think you need legitimate Flankers playing.
- Don't see a natural fetcher in the Saints pack so will look to really put pressure on the breakdown with Warburton, Brits and Louw all working on this.
- Big runners can easily be chopped down in the midfield with sufficient numbers and we woner where the Plan B in the midfield is for Saints.
Worcester Warriors v Gloucester Rugby
White Cloud, 9 Degrees, 9mph Winds
Worcester Warriors
Manager – prop_lyd
16. Chris Fortey 17. George Porter 18. Chris Budgen 19. Danie Russouw 20. Richard Thorpe 21. Byron Kelleher 22. Sam Vesty 23. Chris Paterson
Tactics
Forwards
We have picked a mobile pack who will be able to get to breakdown's quickly and sustain the pressure on Glos at the rucks. We will look to front up in the scrums and Flatman knows enough dark arts to hold his own, in Strauss we have an extra back rower around the park. We also have strong scrummagers to bring on off the bench if stuggling and we will do this at any point if required. Lineouts have jumpers all over the back 5 and will look to challenge all of their throws or at least get the front jumper up. We know it will be a hard battle up front and quite a few of our pack have been rested in previous weeks due to this.
Backs
We've picked a quick set of backs who can make space in the centres and we will look to use Malzieu as a battering ram with wingers and flankers running off of him where possible. Williams and Garvey will look to come in off the wings and hunt for the ball in what looks like it's going to be a scrappy match. Steyn will be his usual controlling self when it comes to kicking for corners and making sure Glos have no time to run the ball back or take a quick lineout. Forwards will look to always be on the backs shoulders to provide the go-forward we have been missing and Reddan will snipe when possible from the base of rucks which has brought him a few trys in recent matches. On the bench we have game-changers in Kelleher and Paterson who will bring a new kicking game to the back line and we will bring them on for newfound energy and to continue to test Glos. Again, we are not scared to try at home and test Gloucester's limits having beaten them in pre-season.
Defence
We will have a flanker on the shoulder of McCabe because we know Glos are dangerous with their centres running and will look to stop this happening quickly. Blitz defence be used in a banana form to stop the ball going out quickly. At the breakdown we will not commit too many if we can see them already lined up in the backs however, if there is an opportunity we have players in the pack who can get good turnover ball to clear our lines.
Overall
*Test their centres,
*Use runners off centres and Malzieu as a battering ram,
*Steyn to control and kick for corners when needed,
*Forwards to look to dominate using physical presence and speed,
*Bring on powerful front row,
*Use Kelleher and Paterson to change the match,
*Steyn/Vesty to take the points when possible,
*We have beaten Glos before,
*Give our home crowd something to cheers about!!
Gloucester
Manager – anonmattyt
16. Guthro Steenkamp 17. Jamie George 18. Rupert Harden 19. George Robson 20. Julien Bonnaire 21. Connor Murray 22. Ryan Lamb 23. James Simpson-Daniel[/quote]
Glaws tactics
Glaws travel to Worcester as one of the form teams in the league. We beat sarries away last week where no teams have won in years.
We have picked a dynamic side and bought in some fresh faces to combat fatigue. We will also be resting many of our players next week in Europe.
We are planning at playing a high pace game and targetting the bonus point in good conditions.
Forwards
We believe we have a more dynamic ball carrying pack with the mobility to play a super fast game. Richie gray and Andy saull are will increase the mobility in our pack greatly.
Set piece
As ever we will target the scrum we have a hard scrummaging unit and will target Worcester front row. We will aim to get the nudge on and disrupt their ball and use the wheel on attack to launch our attacks off the back off the scrum. We will aim to get Worcestershire bench front row on as we see ourselves as having stronger bench.
Lineout
We see this as an area for great joy for us. Worcester have 2 front jumpers whereas we have lineout specialists such as Hari, gray,palmer and saull.
We will look to starve and disrupt their ball whilst on attack we will be looking to go off the top and launch runners off ten.
Near their line we will look to drive the ball and pop Alberts off the backs.
Generally forwards will be looking to use our big ball carriers to get over the gainline and create quick ball. Saull will aid this continuity. We will use runners like Alberts, gray, wood etc to make inroads and either offload or create quick ball for genia to launch the backs.
Backs
We will be looking to play a very high tempo. Obviously the forwards have to give them the right ball. Genia will be hitting carter who will vary his game accordingly. He will look to kick in behind quite a bit first half and force the Worcester back 3 to kick. We think we can pressure this and gain territory and then win lineout to launch attacks from inside their half.
Carter will also look to get runners off his shoulder and put big forwards into the centre channels to occupy the Worcester centres and then create quick ball to go wide.
Carter will also look to hit kahui on the outside angle to target malzieus defence which may be shaky as he is playing out of position.
With such short wingers carter will also employ the highball and cross kick.
As the game breaks up we will go wide often and try and create Mis matches. We think our packs extra mobility will really come to the fore in creating quick ball and also getting to breakdown quicker.
We will use the bench with new front row at 50 and bonnaire on. Others as required with murray to get the last minutes or when we have the try bonus point.
Key points
More mobile pack
Gloucester have better lineout options and will target Worcester heavily. Bonnaires intro will further exploit this
More ball carrying options
Dynamic bench
Serious momentum
More ways to play the game with people like carter genia barnes etc able to play the game several ways.
Team Sheets and tactics due by COB Thur
Predictions open Fri. Results due Sun/Mon
Newcastle Falcons v Exeter Chiefs
White Cloud, 8 Degrees, 11mph Winds
Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly
| 01. Fabien Barcella | 09. Ben Youngs |
| 02. William Servat | 10. Toby Flood |
| 03. Paul Doran-Jones | |
| 04. Dean Schofield | 11. James O’Connor |
| 05. Paul O’Connell | 12. Brad Barritt |
| 06. Kelly Brown | 13. Conrad Smith |
| 07. Richie McCaw(c) | 14. Tommy Bowe |
| 08. Kieran Read | 15. Adam Ashley-Cooper |
16.Tom Lindsay 17. Owen Franks 18. Alex Waller 19. Geoff Parling 20. Heinrich Brussow 21. Jonny Arr 22. Frans Steyn 23. Miles Benjamin
Tactics
Game plan...Fast paced, dynamic rugby. We’ll look to hit the ground running and hit the opposition fast from the off. We’ll be aiming to control possession and go through the phases. Flood will look to get our backline into the game whenever possible and keep the high tempo going throughout.
Set piece:
Control the set piece and use it as a focal point of attacks. We see a slight advantage in the scrum that will be targeted especially in opposition half. We’ll look to get the squeeze on and keep the Exeter back row tied into the scrum giving Youngs and Flood more space to work in. POC will marshal the lineout and look to get fast ball off the top with 5 strong jumpers.
If a weakness is seen in the set piece McCaw will go for the jugular.
Pack & Breakdown:
Look for strong carries from our pack, tying in the Exeter forwards. We’ll be looking to keep the ball alive and look for the offload when on. McCaw will target the breakdown and look to get in a second tackler to tie up the Exeter carrier. Youngs will wait for the call and look to sweep up any turnover ball getting us on the front foot. Youngs to tidy up behind the backs/pack and look out for grubber from ROG. McCaw & Brown will look to tie Tindall up at 12 as we expect him to run more often than pass.
Backs:
Basically get the backs into play whenever possible with Youngs and Flood the spark. Smith will mashall the back 3 and we’ll look to get JOC in as 2nd receiver now and again to mix things up. Bowe will go looking for the ball in midfield and AAC will come into the line to give us a direct hard runner. Youngs will eye the gaps and look for the taps to keep us moving.
POINTS:
SCRUM & LINEOUT – Target throughout, if weakness seen go for the jugular
MOBILE FRONT 5 – Look to move the ball around and tire out the Exeter front 5
BREAKDOWN – Richie to work his magic and Youngs to monitor to attack on turnover ball
FORM – We are unbeaten at home in 18 month and are currently top of the pile playing some magic rugby
BACK 3 – Look to get our back 3 into the game as much as possible
CARRYING BACK 3 - Big carrying options and link play to keep the ball moving and change the focal point of attack
"Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Driver
| 01. Salvator Perugini | 09. Haydn Thomas |
| 02. John Smit | 10. Ronan O'Gara |
| 03. Davit Zirkashvilli | |
| 04. James Hudson | 11. Luke Fitzgerald |
| 05. Juilian Pierre | 12. Mike Tindall |
| 06. Ben Skirving | 13. George Pisi |
| 07. Shane Jennings | 14. Matt Smith |
| 08. Nick Easter (c) | 15. Lee Byrne |
16.Damian Varley 17.Wyatt Crockett 18.Dave Wilson 19.Simon Shaw 20.Lewis Moody 21.Jimmy Cowen 22.Rory Clegg 23.Andrea Masi
- Physical front 5 who will look to pressure Falcons heavily at Scrum time and take advantage of our grizzled front row and let Perugini have a good crack of the wip at PDJ
- ROG to play the percentages and retain more of the ball the closer we get to the Falcons line.
- Tindall to be our target in the midfield with Fitzy , Smith and Byrne looking to come find work.
- Pisi to give us some attacking spark and run the ball at Smith and test the Falcons defense line with his fast footwork and probing kick and chases.
- Easter , Thomas and ROG to dictate the tempo and move the point of attack.
- Switch front row early in 2nd half and bring Shawsy on for Hudson as a power play and take the game to falcons.
- Masi for Byrne at 60 mins
Leicester Tigers v London Wasps
White Cloud, 8 Degrees, 11mph Winds
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. Isa Nacewa |
| 05. Nathan Hines | 12. Yannick Jauzion |
| 06. Tom Croft | 13. Florian Fritz |
| 07. David Pocock | 14. Cory Jane |
| 08. Thomas Waldrom | 15. Rob Miller |
Tactics
GENERAL:
- We are looking to get our backs into the game as much as possible by attacking the scrum, lineout and the breakdown. We will look to get our back three on the ball causing Wasps problems defensively. We will be physical and relentless up front and pacey and clinical in attack.
- Defensively we will look to blitz, with Yachvili sweeping behind the defensive line to deal with any short kicks.
- Early on Yachvili to kick all penalites within range, but we won't necessarily go for the 3 points as the game progresses. Horwill to make the call dependant on the success of the lineout.
- Look to use our bench to win the game in the last 30 mins. New front row to come on at 50 mins to impact the game, and Brown and Joubert to come on at 60 mins to strengthen our pack and set piece. Ojo and 36 to freshen back line too.
FORWARDS:
- Attack the lineout as a weapon using the tactical kicking of Yachvili and Wilkinson. Croft to be our banker ball, supported by Horwill and Hines. We will relentlessly target Wasps' throws.
- At the scrum Bruno selected to give us real advantage, supported be Jenkins and Cole. All three to go flat out for 50 mins and then bring new front row on.
- Pack full of carriers, led by Waldrom, and with Horwill, Pocock, Croft, Jenkins and Hines, look to get real go-forward with our carrying. With the ball in hand we want to attack together in groups so as not to become isolated, and if it is on we will look to offload in or just before the tackle.
- Pocock is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first, securing first phase possession for us and pilfering the possession of Wasps. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball.
BACKS:
- In general attacking play, we will play off 9 with Yachvili our general pulling the strings.
- 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.
- We have selected Jauzion and Fritz to give us creativity in midfield, and to keep us solid in defence.
- Our back three are encouraged to do what comes naturally to all of them - counter attacking and running the ball back. The weather is good for running rugby, and we hope to see some great breaks. All are well versed to play full back, so have good boots to rely on if it isn't on or they are isolated, but the counter is what we ask them to look for.
KEY POINTS:
- Home Advantage - Unbeaten at Welford Road in 2 years.
- Form and Momentum - we have won 8 of our last 9 games, and are flying right now. Confidence is high right throughout the squad, with competition for places extremely high.
- Attack the lineout as a weapon using the tactical kicking of Yachvili and Wilkinson.
- Target the breakdown - Pocock is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first, securing first phase possession for us and pilfering the possession of Wasps.
- Use our bench to win the game in the last 30 mins. New front row to come on at 50 mins to impact the set piece, plus the likes of Joubert and Ojo.
London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry
| 01. Perry Freshwater | 09. Michael Claassens |
| 02. Benjamin Kayser | 10. Stephen Jones |
| 03. Carlos Nieto | |
| 04. Stuart Hooper | 11. Matt Banahan |
| 05. Marco Wentzel (c) | 12. Luke McAlister |
| 06. Tom Johnson | 13. Stirling Mortlock |
| 07. Jacques Burger | 14. Tom Williams |
| 08. Roger Wilson | 15. Geordan Murphy |
16. Tatafu Polota-Nau 17. Charlie Beech 18. CJ Van Der Linde 19. Richard Birkett 20. John Hart 21. Nick Phipps 22. Steven Myler 23. Ugo Monye
Tactics
After last weeks hard fought victory against Worcester we head to Welford Road where we face a monumental challenge of facing the in form Leicester Tigers. We do not fear them and will be looking to really stand up and assert ourselves physically. We will look to start with a really high intensity with plenty of big carrying and push Leicester firmly onto the back foot.
Our game plan revolves around powerful, dynamic carrying in the pack which will hopefully get us onto the front foot. We have selected McAlister and Mortlock who’s kicking games along with that of Jones’s will keep Leicester pinned back in their own half where we can exert pressure upon them and stop them from building any momentum.
We are intent upon controlling the pack and the set piece. Stephen Jones will control our play and look to put us in the right areas of the pitch where we can exert pressure upon Leicester. We'll look to maintain plenty of pressure upon the Leicester back three throughout the game with Jones, Mortlock and McAlister kicking in behind them. We will look to play in the right areas of the field and keep Leicester in their own half, where we can frustrate them into making mistakes.
We will look to our forwards to carry the ball for a number of phases recycling the ball efficiently wearing Leicester down each time we take the ball into the contact. We have several carrying options in the pack and will look to get over the gain line. We will ensure our carriers have plenty of support players to secure the ball at the breakdown. We will look to really assert ourselves physically and hit the contact area hard. Claassens will look to get our forwards running onto the ball with pace so we can win the collisions.
With the ball in hand we will look for McAlister, Mortlock and Banahan to carry hard and get us over the gain line, targeting the inside shoulders of the Leicester players and attacking gaps and half gaps. If we win the collisions we intend to offload to 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. Mortlock and Banahan will look to suck in plenty of Leicester defenders to create space elsewhere for us to exploit.
At the breakdown we will look to counter ruck when possible, we will look to make a real nuisance of ourselves at the breakdown and compete when possible. We will work really hard at rucks and look to isolate the Leicester carriers and dominate the tackle/breakdown area, by remaining strong and staying on our feet to compete. We will look to the set piece for a platform and get our big carriers in the back line to get us over the gain line.
At the set piece we will look to exert real pressure on Leicester and earn some penalties for Stephen Jones to make use of. We will keep things simple at the lineout. Wentzel is the key man for us, we will look to employ the maul and drive Leicester backwards which will really test their discipline. As we gain ground, hopefully more and more Leicester defenders will be drawn in which will create space elsewhere for us to exploit and make use of.
London Irish v Sale Sharks
White Cloud, 9 Degrees, 9mph Winds
London Irish
Manager – stnick88
| 01. Soane Tonga'uhia | 09. Ruan Pienaar |
| 02. James Buckland | 10. Daniel Bowden |
| 03. Martin Castrogiovanni | |
| 04. Matt Garvey | 11. Paul Sackey |
| 05. Nick Kennedy | 12. Sonny Bill Williams |
| 06. Jerome Kaino | 13. Jaque Fourie |
| 07. Keegan Daniel | 14. JP Pieterson |
| 08. Xavier Rush | 15. Delon Armitage |
16. Jean Baptiste Poux 17. Neil Briggs 18. Darren Fearn 19. Mouritz Botha 20. Hendrie Fourie 21. Julien Dupuy 22. Juan Martin Hernandez 23. Matthew Tait
Tactics
- In decent conditions we want to play the game at quite a fast pace and keep the ball alive. We will constantly be looking for quick ball to get to Bowden and SBW.
- When it does come to the set piece, we will look for Tonga and Castro to ruthlessly target their men and win us penalties or gain us strong attacking platforms. We want to also use the lineout as a platform with Kennedy our main go to man. We will look for quick ball off the top and use Pienaar to vary the attacks with SBW either being a carrier with runners loooking for the offload or SBW as a decoy runner as options.
- We will use our big ball carriers, Rush Kaino Tonga'uhia Castro Garvey to smash us over the gain line and gain momentum before spreading the ball early. We want to work the Sale defence and spread them and create space and gaps for our runners.
- At the breakdown we will look for quick ball and will look for the big men to clean out and stop Ouedrago getting in a position to turnover. Kaino and Daniel will almost play as a left and right flanker and both look to get to the breakdowns and secure quick ball as well as making the big hits in defence.
- Pienaar to take all pens for goal. Out of range or if wind is too high, kick for touch and use lineout to good effect.
- We will not look to kick loose ball to Abendanon or Strettle, and kicks from our 22 we will ensure we find touch, loose kicks to us will be run back by Armitage, JP.
- Subs as and when but JMH to come on and control the game and hopefully see it out for us at 10.
Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE
| 01. Marcos Ayerza | 09. Ben Spencer |
| 02. Guillerme Guirado | 10. Aaron Cruden |
| 03. Luc Ducalcon | |
| 04. Romain Millo Chluski | 11. David Strettle |
| 05. Alun Wyn Jones | 12. Jordan Turner Hall |
| 06. Adam Thomson | 13. Yann David |
| 07. Fulgence Quedragao | 14. Tom Brady |
| 08. Wycliffe Palu | 15. Nick Abendanoon |
16. Imolek 17. Sharman 18. Tialata 19. Jones 20. Kvesic 21. Care 22. Sexton 23. Earls
General Game Plan
On attack, 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. If running the ball is not on we will look to the boots of Spencer and Cruden to put us in the right areas.
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. Ben Spencer 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 Irish 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.
Saracens v Bath Rugby
White Cloud, 8 Degrees, 5mph Winds
Saracens
Manager – Ozzy3213
| 01. Tendai Mtwarira | 09. Morgan Parra |
| 02. Bismarck du Plessis | 10. Francois Trinh-Duc |
| 03. Jannie du Plessis | |
| 04. Dave Attwood | 11. Digby Ioane |
| 05. Lionel Nallet | 12. Ma'a Nonu |
| 06. Tom Wood | 13. Henry Trinder |
| 07. Thierry Dusautoir | 14. James Short |
| 08. Joe van Niekerk (c) | 15. Tom Homer |
16. George Chuter 17. Alex Corbisiero 18. Adam Jones 19. Steve Borthwick 20. Luke Narraway 21. Francois Hougaard 22. Owen Farrell 23. Rene Ranger
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.
Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane
| 01. Cian Healy | 09. Fourie du Preez |
| 02. Kevin Mealamu | 10. Charlie Hodgson |
| 03. Euan Murray | |
| 04. Louis Deacon | 11. Tom Varndell |
| 05.Sam Whitelock | 12. Anthony Allen |
| 06. James Haskell | 13. Aurelien Rougerie |
| 07.Sean O’Brien | 14.Maxime Medard |
| 08. JMF Lobbe | 15. Kurtley Beale |
Tactics
Psychological
Eight wins on the trot has giving the team great momentum and the winning attitude is really spreading. We feel there is no one that can beat us at the moment and that has really spread all over the team. Saracens last week lost to Gloucester and are losing track of leaders Newcastle and we feel the camp could be disheartened.
Overall
Our game plan is based on simple rugby. We will be looking for lots of big carries. We will be looking to keep the ball as much as possible. With the players in our team we have the chance to kick to win possession if needed.
Set Piece
Our formidable front row has been picked to win scrums. Murray and Healy will be looking to get a strong hit and drive through the front row. 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, Haskell and O’Brien all capable of taking opposition ball. At the front we have Deacon offering the banker ball.
Kicking
Despite it not being my main plan we do have the boots to put Sarries to the sword. Hodgson and FDP are both brilliant kickers and if necessary we will look to put the ball behind James Short. JMF Lobbe especially is one of the best chasers in the world and he will lead the chase.
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 to constantly make carries and get up and make another one. Haskell, Lobbe and SOB are just some of our bigger carriers that we will use.
Defence
We will look for a quick defensive line to put pressure on the key Irish decision makers. Our defense will leave Beale trailing to get any deep kicks. He will be able to either return with interest or able to make a good run.
Replacements
Up front we have picked subs who we feel can really continue our dominance in the scrum. Kubrashvilli is a big scrummager who can really put us in a dominant position. Rob Simmons is someone who can really provide added grunt in the engine room. Will Skinner will be looking to disrupt Sarries ball late on. In the backs we have Wigglesworth who can help control the game. Mermoz is able to come on and really affect the game.
Northampton Saints v Harlequins
White Cloud, 8 Degrees, 10mph Winds
Northampton Saints Team
Manager – Dammit Chris
| 01. Thomas Domingo | 09. Mike Phillips |
| 02. Dylan Hartley | 10. Matt Giteau(k) |
| 03. Matt Stevens | |
| 04. Bradley Davies | 11. Tomassi Benvenuti |
| 05. Ali Williams | 12. Jean de Villiers |
| 06. Courtney Lawes | 13. Manu Tuilagi |
| 07. Akapusi Qera | 14. Leigh Halfpeny |
| 08. Sergio Parisse(c) | 15. Ben Foden |
16. Chris Whitehead 17. Matt Mullan 18. Carl Hayman 19. Calum Clark 20. Rocky Elsom 21. Joe Simpson 22. Lionel Beauxis 23. Chris Ashton
Tactics
GeneralFollowing a string of disappointing results in the AP Saints have opted to place focus on strenthening the pack and improving upon its set piece. The general approach is to build a strong platform for the backline to attack from, control the game and get the ball to our main ball carriers to break through & over the Quins defensive line.
We will look to work through the phases in the forward, keep hold of the ball and drag Quins into a forwards battle where they need to keep defenders sucked around the fringes of rucks&mauls etc and tie up as many forwards as possible. As we suck in defenders we will look to then play expansive rugby and let Matt Giteau dictate play and use de Villiers and Tuilagi as dummy runners to bring in the back three making it very hard for the Quins defence to reallign.
All about changing the tempo and point of attack at the right time and taking the game to Quins from the outset.
Pack & Set PieceThe pack has been broken down to have a fast, mobile front row and a very solid back five to give a big shunt at scrum time. Williams and Davies will be a big boost to the team, which has been criticised at scrum time previously. Powerful backrow unit of Lawes, Qera and Parisse adds to the scrum.
On our own scrum we will not look for the usual quick put in (e.g. how the Reds do in s15) and instead focus on using the set piece as a platform to launch attacks from. On defensive scrums we will look at causing Quins some problems by using the power from 4-5-6-7-8 to get our pack moving forwards. To freshen up our front row we will be looking to bring on Mullan and Hayman on 50mins.
Lineout - Lawes moves to no6 shirt, which gives us an additional lineout option as Elsom was not the biggest asset here. This provides us with four good lineout options - Davies, Williams, Lawes and Parisse - in our own half we will play safe and secure our own ball but due to the conditions we will look for off the top ball to get the ball to Giteau as fast as possible and either use de Villiers and Tuilagi as crash ball or spread the ball wide. Will see the lineout as a point of attack as opposed to just looking to secure it this time.
BreakdownHave a much more balanced backrow and will look to compete for turnover ball and slowing any Quins attack from developing any speed. If we are able to slow down the ball for Cooper then we can cut of Quins and play the game on our terms. The addition of Phillips, de Villiers and Tuilagi gives us a very competive edge at the breakdown at first contact in backline because it provides us with an additional three players who are strong in this area and will look to steal ball from any Quins players caught in contact. Again this is an area where we have not always been able to always compete.
BacklineWe will be looking to adopt a similar way of attacking as Wales do - two big centres who are very apt at taking the ball over the gainline and also very defensively sound - and around them a lot of attacking options that will look to take any offloads from de Villiers and Tuilagi to run at Quins and put them under pressure. Giteau will of course look to send runners between the Cooper/Contepomi channel and see what joys we can get there.
With a strong pack we will be able to secure the ball our backline needs and Foden, Halfpenny and Benvenutti are all on very good form, espc Foden and Benvenutti - so will look for any gaps and attack. These options allow us to play it two ways, either crashing up the middle, or attacking out wide quickly - should give Quins plenty of defensive headaches.
We will look to keep the ball in hand as much as possible, but Giteau will look to test out the Quins backthree who have not played that many games together - we will also not look to play any risky rugby within 30metres of our own tryline.
DefenceFeel that the Saints defensive abilities have been overlooked in recent weeks, as have a team that is defensively very sound and all good tacklers. A key target for us this week will be shutting down Cooper and stopping him working his magic, this is why we have chosen Lawes at no6, as we want a player that can put in big hits and has the speed to reach Cooper.
We will play our usual blitz defence, looking to place pressure on the Quins ball carriers and force them into mistakes - Mike Phillips will sweep behind our defensive line for any linebreaks, but with de Villiers and Tuilagi in midfield we have a very solid channel for Quins to break through.
Key Points * Much stronger pack and set piece than usual, so will be able to provide backline with a platform to attack.
* Will replace both props on 50mins to ensure we have a thresh front row for whole game.
* Four good jumpers in lineout, Williams, Davies, Parisse and Lawes - will look to attack from lineouts
* Compete at breakdown & use Phillips, de Villiers and Tuilagi's power to steal ball from Quins backs who take it into contact
* Use backline same way that Wales attack with - two powerful ball carrying centres who you can build attacks off of.
* Look to suck in Quins defence and then spread the ball wide to put backthree in space.
* Defensive - close down Cooper with Lawes, Qera and Phillips looking to scrag him and pull him into contact. Want to stop Cooper playing and have chosen a very mobile, defensively sound pack to close him down (Qera & Lawes).
* Bench to change the shape of the game as see fit - Simpson to come on if need a bit of spark at base of scrum, Beauxis if we need someone to close out the game with his kicking and Ashton returns after scoring something like 6 tries in 5/6 games for Saints in real life so far this season.
* Will look to push Lawes into the second row at around 60mins and bring on Clark and Elsom to up the tempo for our backrow - Elsom's last game for us so he will look to have a big final impact for us.
Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks
Quins give a debut to loan signing Zac Guildford as they visit Franklins Gardens after what they consider to be a very poor result at Exeter Chiefs. The conditions are less of a surprise to Quins this week and they have picked a side which will enjoy the dry conditions.
| 01. Tony Woodcock | 09. Lee Dickson |
| 02. Schalk Brits | 10. Quade Cooper |
| 03. Brian Mujati | |
| 04. Jerome Thion | 11. Zac Guildford |
| 05. George Skivington | 12. Felipe Contepomi (k) |
| 06. Francois Louw | 13. George Lowe |
| 07. Sam Warburton (c) | 14. Jonathan Joseph |
| 08. Phil Dowson | 15. Rob Kearney |
16. Matthew Rees 17. Joe Marler 18. John Afoa 19. Nathan Sharpe 20. Carl Fearns 21. Karl Dickson 22. Freddie Burns 23. Riki Flutey
Tactics
We have chosen what we consider to be capable of retaining the ball for long periods and playing at both a quick and slow tempo.
Game Plan
We are going to look to concentrate our game upon patient attacking play but more importantly on limiting the amount of quality ball which Northampton have and we will aim to do this in a number of ways.
-We will look to retain the ball for long periods of the game and will look to up the tempo once we get quick ball which will come from the strong running of our attackers breaking the gain line. We will also be looking to move the point of our attack rather than being predictable for Saints to organise against.
- We will only look to kick when we are able to kick the ball straight out from our 22 or when the saints back 3 are not sufficiently positioned and there are gaps.
-If our game plan works then Saints will only have limited amounts of ball in attacking positions and we will really look to affect the quality of this ball with Louw and Warburton key to this when it comes to the breakdown.
Forwards
We are looking for our forwards to do lots of carrying today as our game plan resolves around this. We want them to carry in numbers and to aim to win the collisions and drive the legs to get them over the gain line. At the breakdown we want to put at most 4 into our own rucks but 2 or 3 should be plenty. On opposition rucks we would like to have at least one guy competing at each breakdown when we can either by getting there first and getting over the ball or by adopting a low body position and rucking Saints off the ball. This should slow down the Saints ball and therefore affect the quality of the ball. At the set piece we want to put Saints under big pressure at the scrum and tyr to steal a few lineouts. On our own Lines we will look to shorten the lineout.
Backs
In the backs we have the axis of Dickson, Cooper and Contepomi to control our play. They will look to keep hold of the ball and feed runners in the midfield. When we get the quick ball we desire they will look to up the tempo and Cooper and Contepomi will try to stand flatter and put runners into gaps. Moving the point of the attack when we are looking for the quick ball is important and these 3 will control this. George Lowe is going to be doing a lot of carrying for us today and we are intent on him attacking the gaps and looking to step the two Saints centres rather than trying to go through them. Out wide we have some very very exciting runners who will look for work of the wing when they are on the blindside. Kearney will also look to pick lines in the midfield and inject pace onto the game when he can.
Defence
In defence we are going to be aggressive with Saints and rush up as a line and put pressure on their decision makers in particular Giteau who has the whole of the Saints creative and kicking game resting on his out of form soldiers. We will look to make his game a misery. We shall move Cooper to the wing in defence and Move Joseph to 13 with Lowe and Contepomi moving in one. We will look for two of our 3 defensive back 3 players to remain deep in anticpation of the kick.
Key Points
- Ball Retention - We need to keep hold of the ball to cause Saints to get impatient and concede penalties. This will also prevent Saints attacking qualities being so influtential. We also need to keep switching the point of attack to test Saints defensive organisation.
- Tempo - When we get quick ball we want to play a quicker game and have our playmakers stand flatter. We will run with intent when we see a disorganised defence.
- Breakdown - We want to really control the battle at the breakdown and feel that we have the players to do this particularly with know really breakdown expert playing for Saints.
Opposition Points
- Don't see Lawes being effective in the back row. Work rate good for a lock but against Louw and Warburton I think you need legitimate Flankers playing.
- Don't see a natural fetcher in the Saints pack so will look to really put pressure on the breakdown with Warburton, Brits and Louw all working on this.
- Big runners can easily be chopped down in the midfield with sufficient numbers and we woner where the Plan B in the midfield is for Saints.
Worcester Warriors v Gloucester Rugby
White Cloud, 9 Degrees, 9mph Winds
Worcester Warriors
Manager – prop_lyd
| 01. David Flatman (c) | 09. Eoin Reddan |
| 02. Richardt Strauss | 10. Morne Steyn (k) |
| 03. John Andress | |
| 04. Jim Hamilton | 11. Shane Williams |
| 05. Ollie Kohn | 12. Pat McCabe |
| 06. Kearnen Myall | 13. Julien Malzieu |
| 07. Scott Higginbotham | 14. Marcel Garvey |
| 08.Ben McCalman | 15. Ollie Morgan |
16. Chris Fortey 17. George Porter 18. Chris Budgen 19. Danie Russouw 20. Richard Thorpe 21. Byron Kelleher 22. Sam Vesty 23. Chris Paterson
Tactics
Forwards
We have picked a mobile pack who will be able to get to breakdown's quickly and sustain the pressure on Glos at the rucks. We will look to front up in the scrums and Flatman knows enough dark arts to hold his own, in Strauss we have an extra back rower around the park. We also have strong scrummagers to bring on off the bench if stuggling and we will do this at any point if required. Lineouts have jumpers all over the back 5 and will look to challenge all of their throws or at least get the front jumper up. We know it will be a hard battle up front and quite a few of our pack have been rested in previous weeks due to this.
Backs
We've picked a quick set of backs who can make space in the centres and we will look to use Malzieu as a battering ram with wingers and flankers running off of him where possible. Williams and Garvey will look to come in off the wings and hunt for the ball in what looks like it's going to be a scrappy match. Steyn will be his usual controlling self when it comes to kicking for corners and making sure Glos have no time to run the ball back or take a quick lineout. Forwards will look to always be on the backs shoulders to provide the go-forward we have been missing and Reddan will snipe when possible from the base of rucks which has brought him a few trys in recent matches. On the bench we have game-changers in Kelleher and Paterson who will bring a new kicking game to the back line and we will bring them on for newfound energy and to continue to test Glos. Again, we are not scared to try at home and test Gloucester's limits having beaten them in pre-season.
Defence
We will have a flanker on the shoulder of McCabe because we know Glos are dangerous with their centres running and will look to stop this happening quickly. Blitz defence be used in a banana form to stop the ball going out quickly. At the breakdown we will not commit too many if we can see them already lined up in the backs however, if there is an opportunity we have players in the pack who can get good turnover ball to clear our lines.
Overall
*Test their centres,
*Use runners off centres and Malzieu as a battering ram,
*Steyn to control and kick for corners when needed,
*Forwards to look to dominate using physical presence and speed,
*Bring on powerful front row,
*Use Kelleher and Paterson to change the match,
*Steyn/Vesty to take the points when possible,
*We have beaten Glos before,
*Give our home crowd something to cheers about!!
Gloucester
Manager – anonmattyt
| 01. Nick Wood | 09. Will Genia |
| 02. Darren Diawiduik | 10. Dan CArter (k) |
| 03. Nicola mas | |
| 04. richie Gray | 11. Charlie Sharples |
| 05. Tom Palmer (C) | 12. Berrick Barnes |
| 06. Willem Alberts | 13. Richard kahui |
| 07. Andy Saull | 14. Hosea Gear |
| 08. Immanol Harinordoqouy | 15. Israel dagg |
16. Guthro Steenkamp 17. Jamie George 18. Rupert Harden 19. George Robson 20. Julien Bonnaire 21. Connor Murray 22. Ryan Lamb 23. James Simpson-Daniel[/quote]
Glaws tactics
Glaws travel to Worcester as one of the form teams in the league. We beat sarries away last week where no teams have won in years.
We have picked a dynamic side and bought in some fresh faces to combat fatigue. We will also be resting many of our players next week in Europe.
We are planning at playing a high pace game and targetting the bonus point in good conditions.
Forwards
We believe we have a more dynamic ball carrying pack with the mobility to play a super fast game. Richie gray and Andy saull are will increase the mobility in our pack greatly.
Set piece
As ever we will target the scrum we have a hard scrummaging unit and will target Worcester front row. We will aim to get the nudge on and disrupt their ball and use the wheel on attack to launch our attacks off the back off the scrum. We will aim to get Worcestershire bench front row on as we see ourselves as having stronger bench.
Lineout
We see this as an area for great joy for us. Worcester have 2 front jumpers whereas we have lineout specialists such as Hari, gray,palmer and saull.
We will look to starve and disrupt their ball whilst on attack we will be looking to go off the top and launch runners off ten.
Near their line we will look to drive the ball and pop Alberts off the backs.
Generally forwards will be looking to use our big ball carriers to get over the gainline and create quick ball. Saull will aid this continuity. We will use runners like Alberts, gray, wood etc to make inroads and either offload or create quick ball for genia to launch the backs.
Backs
We will be looking to play a very high tempo. Obviously the forwards have to give them the right ball. Genia will be hitting carter who will vary his game accordingly. He will look to kick in behind quite a bit first half and force the Worcester back 3 to kick. We think we can pressure this and gain territory and then win lineout to launch attacks from inside their half.
Carter will also look to get runners off his shoulder and put big forwards into the centre channels to occupy the Worcester centres and then create quick ball to go wide.
Carter will also look to hit kahui on the outside angle to target malzieus defence which may be shaky as he is playing out of position.
With such short wingers carter will also employ the highball and cross kick.
As the game breaks up we will go wide often and try and create Mis matches. We think our packs extra mobility will really come to the fore in creating quick ball and also getting to breakdown quicker.
We will use the bench with new front row at 50 and bonnaire on. Others as required with murray to get the last minutes or when we have the try bonus point.
Key points
More mobile pack
Gloucester have better lineout options and will target Worcester heavily. Bonnaires intro will further exploit this
More ball carrying options
Dynamic bench
Serious momentum
More ways to play the game with people like carter genia barnes etc able to play the game several ways.
Last edited by SirJohnnyEnglish on Thu 5 Jan - 22:38; edited 4 times in total
SirJohnnyEnglish- Posts : 8536
Join date : 2011-05-10
Age : 36
Location : Limerick
Re: AP Round 13
by Ozzy3213 Sat 7 Jan - 9:48
Newcastle Falcons 25 Exeter Chiefs 21
Leicester Tigers 27 London Wasps 21
London Irish 25 Sale Sharks 24
Northampton Saints 25 Harlequins 23
Worcester Warriors 15 Gloucester 21
Leicester Tigers 27 London Wasps 21
London Irish 25 Sale Sharks 24
Northampton Saints 25 Harlequins 23
Worcester Warriors 15 Gloucester 21
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- Posts : 18500
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Age : 48
Location : Sandhurst
Re: AP Round 13
by Guest Sat 7 Jan - 10:03
Leicester 21-17 wasps
Leicester most improved side in the league and tough to beat at home. Good lineout options that will bother arry.
Bruno's having a poor season and a more accurate hooker would help Leicesters attacking lineout. Huge Bruno fan but he is not going great.
Good tactics but Leicesters much stronger bench sees them beat a good defensive wasps team with a great backrow balance
Leicester most improved side in the league and tough to beat at home. Good lineout options that will bother arry.
Bruno's having a poor season and a more accurate hooker would help Leicesters attacking lineout. Huge Bruno fan but he is not going great.
Good tactics but Leicesters much stronger bench sees them beat a good defensive wasps team with a great backrow balance
Guest- Guest
Re: AP Round 13
by SirJohnnyEnglish Sat 7 Jan - 10:04
Guys im on wedding duty for a few hours so results and scorers will be up this evening sometime 
SirJohnnyEnglish- Posts : 8536
Join date : 2011-05-10
Age : 36
Location : Limerick
Re: AP Round 13
by CJB Sat 7 Jan - 10:10
Newcastle 21-15 Exeter
Tigers 23-20 Wasps
Irish 18-14 Sale
Northampton 24-25 Quins
Worcester 12-18 Gloucester
Tigers 23-20 Wasps
Irish 18-14 Sale
Northampton 24-25 Quins
Worcester 12-18 Gloucester
CJB- Posts : 5762
Join date : 2011-04-24
Age : 30
Location : Croydon
Re: AP Round 13
by Guest Sat 7 Jan - 10:16
London Irish 25-24 closest game of day and two well set out tactics.
If sje had started his bench half backs would have won
If sje had started his bench half backs would have won
Guest- Guest
Re: AP Round 13
by Guest Sat 7 Jan - 10:21
Saracens 21-18 bath Saracens will control breakdown against a bath backrow full of dynamism but maybe light on guile.
Home advantage sees Saracens beat bath who will be contenders soon.Think north makes their back 3 look so much better.
Home advantage sees Saracens beat bath who will be contenders soon.Think north makes their back 3 look so much better.
Guest- Guest
Re: AP Round 13
by Guest Sat 7 Jan - 10:26
Saints 25-24 quins.
Saint hold on here despite being beaten at the breakdown. Scrums even. Saints backline has more form. Lowe and jj been out a while and not senior enough to hold rating
Saint hold on here despite being beaten at the breakdown. Scrums even. Saints backline has more form. Lowe and jj been out a while and not senior enough to hold rating
Guest- Guest
Re: AP Round 13
by LukeLovesLuka Sat 7 Jan - 11:04
Newcastle Falcons 26 - 20 Exeter Chiefs
London Irish 21 - 18 Sale Sharks
Saracens 27 - 26 Bath
Northampton Saints 25 - 23 Harlequins
Worcester Warriors 9 - 14 Gloucester
London Irish 21 - 18 Sale Sharks
Saracens 27 - 26 Bath
Northampton Saints 25 - 23 Harlequins
Worcester Warriors 9 - 14 Gloucester
LukeLovesLuka- Posts : 5865
Join date : 2011-04-19
Age : 40
Location : London
Re: AP Round 13
by 'Arry Spurs Sat 7 Jan - 11:27
Newcastle 15 - 12 Exeter Chiefs
Irish 20 - 18 Sale
Sarries 23 - 21 Bath
Saints 21 - 20 Quins
Worcester 15 - 18 Gloucester
Irish 20 - 18 Sale
Sarries 23 - 21 Bath
Saints 21 - 20 Quins
Worcester 15 - 18 Gloucester
'Arry Spurs- Posts : 1051
Join date : 2011-11-02
Sgt_Pooly- Posts : 36294
Join date : 2011-04-27
Re: AP Round 13
by prop_lyd Sat 7 Jan - 11:56
Do you want to leave mine and Matt's to save embarrassment?!
prop_lyd- Posts : 10387
Join date : 2011-01-28
Age : 36
Location : Rogerstone, Wales
Sgt_Pooly- Posts : 36294
Join date : 2011-04-27
Re: AP Round 13
by Sgt_Pooly Sat 7 Jan - 12:07
RESULTS
Newcastle Falcons 31-17 Exeter Chiefs
Leicester 35-21 London Wasps
London Irish 33-21 Sale Sharks
Saracens 31-20 Bath Rugby
Northampton Saints 29-23 Harlequins
Worcester Warriors 17-32 Gloucester
Newcastle Falcons 31-17 Exeter Chiefs
Leicester 35-21 London Wasps
London Irish 33-21 Sale Sharks
Saracens 31-20 Bath Rugby
Northampton Saints 29-23 Harlequins
Worcester Warriors 17-32 Gloucester
Sgt_Pooly- Posts : 36294
Join date : 2011-04-27
prop_lyd- Posts : 10387
Join date : 2011-01-28
Age : 36
Location : Rogerstone, Wales
Sgt_Pooly- Posts : 36294
Join date : 2011-04-27
Re: AP Round 13
by Guest Sat 7 Jan - 12:09
Looks like 6 nations teams will decide top 4. Glad I have so many SH players
Guest- Guest
Re: AP Round 13
by Ozzy3213 Sat 7 Jan - 12:15
I'll try to get the league table updated with this week and last weeks results later chaps.
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Re: AP Round 13
by SirJohnnyEnglish Sat 7 Jan - 15:18
Cheers Pooly
Half bonus for ITFL, Luke, Arry and Pete. Full bonus for everyone else.
Half bonus for ITFL, Luke, Arry and Pete. Full bonus for everyone else.
SirJohnnyEnglish- Posts : 8536
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Re: AP Round 13
by SirJohnnyEnglish Sat 7 Jan - 15:35
Newcastle Falcons 31-17 Exeter Chiefs
Tries: Read, Youngs, Bowe, Brown
Conversations: Flood
Penalties: Flood (3)
Tries: Pisi
Conversations:
Penalties: O'Gara (4)
Leicester Tigers 35-21 London Wasps
Tries: Jenkins, Horwil, Miller, Jane
Conversations: Yachvili (3)
Penalties: Yachvili (3)
Tries:
Conversations:
Penalties: Jones (5)
Drop Goals: Jones, McAllister
London Irish 33-21 Sale Sharks
Tries: Tonga'uhia, Fourie, Armitage, Daniel
Conversations: Pienaar (2)
Penalties: Pienaar (3)
Tries: Brady (2), Thomson
Conversations: Cruden (3)
Penalties:
Saracens 31-20 Bath Rugby
Tries: Attwood, Trinder, Wood (2), Short
Conversations: Parra (3)
Penalties:
Tries: Medard, O'Brien
Conversations: Hodgson (2)
Penalties: Hodgson (2)
Northampton Saints 29-23 Harlequins
Tries: Halfpenny, Qera
Conversations: Giteau (2)
Penalties: Giteau (5)
Tries: Joseph
Conversations:
Penalties: Contepomi (6)
Worcester Warriors 17-32 Gloucester Rugby
Tries: Williams
Conversations:
Penalties: Steyn (4)
Tries: Dagg, Grey, Kahui, Alberts
Conversations: Carter (3)
Penalties: Carter (3)
Tries: Read, Youngs, Bowe, Brown
Conversations: Flood
Penalties: Flood (3)
Tries: Pisi
Conversations:
Penalties: O'Gara (4)
Leicester Tigers 35-21 London Wasps
Tries: Jenkins, Horwil, Miller, Jane
Conversations: Yachvili (3)
Penalties: Yachvili (3)
Tries:
Conversations:
Penalties: Jones (5)
Drop Goals: Jones, McAllister
London Irish 33-21 Sale Sharks
Tries: Tonga'uhia, Fourie, Armitage, Daniel
Conversations: Pienaar (2)
Penalties: Pienaar (3)
Tries: Brady (2), Thomson
Conversations: Cruden (3)
Penalties:
Saracens 31-20 Bath Rugby
Tries: Attwood, Trinder, Wood (2), Short
Conversations: Parra (3)
Penalties:
Tries: Medard, O'Brien
Conversations: Hodgson (2)
Penalties: Hodgson (2)
Northampton Saints 29-23 Harlequins
Tries: Halfpenny, Qera
Conversations: Giteau (2)
Penalties: Giteau (5)
Tries: Joseph
Conversations:
Penalties: Contepomi (6)
Worcester Warriors 17-32 Gloucester Rugby
Tries: Williams
Conversations:
Penalties: Steyn (4)
Tries: Dagg, Grey, Kahui, Alberts
Conversations: Carter (3)
Penalties: Carter (3)
SirJohnnyEnglish- Posts : 8536
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Age : 36
Location : Limerick
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