Saracens vs Leicester

First topic message reminder :

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Sam-Harrison-miss-Leicester-Tigers-key-clash/story-15242608-detail/story.html

Latest news on the Saracens-Leicester clash - Looks like Sam Harrison will miss the crunch game against Saracens.

With Micky Young banned,Harrison injured and Youngs on England duty does this mean Grindal will start at scrum half?

With Cole with England,Castro injured and White banned for 1 week who will be playing at tighthead? Brookes?


Saracens have all their fearsome frontrow options intact. Gill,Stevens,Brits,Smit,Nieto and George are all available for selection.

Expect line ups in my opinion:

Saracens

1.Gill
2.Brits
3.Nieto
4.Kruis
5.Smith
6.Melck
7.Saull
8.Wray

9.De Kock/Spencer/Stringer
10.Mordt
11.Taylor
12.Powell
13.Wyles
14.Short
15.Goode



Leicester

1.Ayerza
2.Hawkins/Chuter
3.Mulipola
4.Slater/Kitchener
5.Skivington
6.Mafi
7.Salvi
8.Waldrom
9.Grindal
10.Flood
11.A.Tuilagi
12.Allen
13.M.Tuilagi
14.Agulla
15.Murphy

great kick from Flood at the edge of his range.

don't agree with ryans about flood having a bad game.

Good carries by Slater & Mulipola to get Tigers forward at start of 2nd half, but pen awarded to Sarries just 10m from their line

Leicester win the pen at the scrum.

pen to sarries, Leicester offside after a good counter-attack from sarries.

13-12 to sarries

surely if thats a delib knock on it, it's a yellow? it would of been a simple run in?

nice to hear the sarries fans clapping as the injured waldrom gets up.

Leicester's lineout is worrying

didnt look like a straight lineout from leic but they get away with it.

still makes me laugh seeing a hooker running down the wing.

sarries scrum not doing too well. pen to Leicester again

WHy was Manu told to release!!! grrrrrrr

Flood isnt playing too well in this half.

Leicester can't really play against a rush defence.

try for ed slater!!

Flood misses convertion, sarries fans jeering.

Grindal is back to his usual self!!! lol

Brit's having a few issue's dropping the gary owens.

pen to sarries and Goode gets it. Sarrie lead 19-17 with 4 mins left.

lol there was about 8 sarries players off side then!

attendance 7,200

why leicester are no going for the drop goal!!!!!

how slow is grindal....

Done

lol, well done murphey!!! gets the drop goal!

Barnes resumes his leicester hatred by mentioning it's a weakened sarries team straight away.

Well done Tigers but...

From an England point of view, I don't like the way Flood bottled that.

Cumbrian wrote:Well done Tigers but...

From an England point of view, I don't like the way Flood bottled that.

i know what you mean!! But to be fair, murphey did what a captain should do!

That's not a great hand up from Flood for the England shirt. He needed to back himself for that drop goal to start against Wales next week.

All in all a very scrappy even game. Leicester's hope's still live.

niwatts wrote:That's not a great hand up from Flood for the England shirt. He needed to back himself for that drop goal to start against Wales next week.

I'd be more concerned with his all round game instead of just a drop goal. He did ok in the first half but second half i thought he was poor. We kept on doing the same plays which made it easy for sarries to defend against.

Was pleased with Manu though, hopefully he'll get in.

What a nail biter of a game that was, I personaly thought that Sarries would win, but lets be honest you can never witer off Leicester.

Well played Leicester, a well deserved win.

Very impressed with Slater today, he has come on so much this season. Also, shocked at the dominance we had at the scrum, an area I thought we would struggle in without Castro and Cole but Mulipola had a great game.

nathan wrote:

niwatts wrote:That's not a great hand up from Flood for the England shirt. He needed to back himself for that drop goal to start against Wales next week.

I'd be more concerned with his all round game instead of just a drop goal. He did ok in the first half but second half i thought he was poor. We kept on doing the same plays which made it easy for sarries to defend again.

Was pleased with Manu though, hopefully he'll get in.

I could see the England midfield shifting in one to accommodate Manu or Farrell dropping to the bench:

10. Hodgson
12. Barrritt
13. Tuilagi

or

10. Farrell
12. Barritt
13. Tuilagi

On the game, I thought it was funny that toady gave MOTM to Kruis when his opposite number Slater seemed to outplay him.

nathan wrote:attendance 7,200

Is a terrible reflection on the state of English rugby. These two teams battled out the playoffs last year.

Dire game. And was won by attritional rugby.

And ironically won by a squeaky dg by a foreign player.

Why can't the Jeff be played outside the IWs?

No two teams can be fairly compared over a season without their best available sides.

It's an effin mockery of sport.

Cumbrian wrote:On the game, I thought it was funny that toady gave MOTM to Kruis when his opposite number Slater seemed to outplay him.

Hanging around Barnes too long :p

Portnoy wrote:

nathan wrote:attendance 7,200

Is a terrible reflection on the state of English rugby. These two teams battled out the playoffs last year.

Dire game. And was won by attritional rugby.

And ironically won by a squeaky dg by a foreign player.

Why can't the Jeff be played outside the IWs?

No two teams can be fairly compared over a season without their best available sides.

It's an effin mockery of sport.

I hear those people snoring again... Wonder what put them to sleep?

Over the moon with that. It wasn't pretty, but the Tigers fought very hard for that win. The backs still lacking an attacking edge, but everyone worked very hard. Did enough to grind out the win. Great composure and bravery to work the position at the end considering they were in the shadow of their own posts.

Not surprised Murpy eventually took the droppy. Flood has never liked drop goals. I can't recall ever seeing him land one. Leave it to the captain.

Also, great first start for Mulipola! He looks a cracking player!

Great work to dominate the scrums with a weakened pack against a pretty strong Sarries' one

What did people make of Flood's performance?

Personally thought he had a poor game, tactical kicking was at best atrocious - can't see him making the match day 22 for the Wales game.

dammit_chris wrote:What did people make of Flood's performance?

Personally thought he had a poor game, tactical kicking was at best atrocious - can't see him making the match day 22 for the Wales game.

It depends. Grindal was back to his usual self in the second half, so the poor service to flood wouldn't of helped. But his last 40 mins wasnt that good so i'd say it's 50 - 50.

Having said that, i don't think his game was that far behind Hodgeson's for England and at least we know Flood can get the back line moving for England.

Cumbrian wrote:

nathan wrote:

niwatts wrote:That's not a great hand up from Flood for the England shirt. He needed to back himself for that drop goal to start against Wales next week.

I'd be more concerned with his all round game instead of just a drop goal. He did ok in the first half but second half i thought he was poor. We kept on doing the same plays which made it easy for sarries to defend again.

Was pleased with Manu though, hopefully he'll get in.

I could see the England midfield shifting in one to accommodate Manu or Farrell dropping to the bench:

10. Hodgson
12. Barrritt
13. Tuilagi

or

10. Farrell
12. Barritt
13. Tuilagi

I think Lancaster will leave out Barritt rather than Farrell, which I feel is the wrong move. I'd rather see Farrell, Barritt, Tuilagi than Hodgson, Farrell, Tuilagi. My selection would be Hodgson, Barritt, Tuilagi.

I'd not bring Flood right now. But Barritt and Tuilagi have to start. Whether Hodgson or Farrell plays 10, I do not care

ChequeredJersey wrote:I'd not bring Flood right now. But Barritt and Tuilagi have to start. Whether Hodgson or Farrell plays 10, I do not care

yeah i agree, just not sure what to do about the 10 slot. On one hand Farrell might get the back line moving better, but on the other hand he's pretty inexperienced.

We won't beat Wales playing conservative rugby this 6N. Better to go out guns blazing

But Hogson CAN play like that, he just isn't. I assume it's been a deliberate tactic, possibly by Farrell senior. Saracen's have a plan B when it's needed, I hope England do too

Not used to being in this thread - perhaps we should move this now th International, but less risk of Welsh WUMs here

I agree the centres have to be Barritt and Tuilagi (something for Leicester and Saracens fans to agree on).

Then who to play FH?

I thought trying to quantify it might help with marks out of 5, but I wasn't a flyhalf and haven't seen all these players at club level. (I added Wilkinson (pre RWC2011) and Cipriani for comparison)

................... TF/OF/CH/JW/DC
Place Kicking... 4 / 5 / 3 / 5 / 4
Tactical Kicking 3 / 3 / 4 / 3 / 4
Distribution...... 4 / 3 / 5 / 4 / 4
Threat ........... 4 / 3 / 2 / 3 / 5
Defence ......... 4 / 4 / 2 / 5 / 1
TOTAL .......... 19/18/16/20/18

Alex_Germany wrote:Not used to being in this thread - perhaps we should move this now th International, but less risk of Welsh WUMs here

I agree the centres have to be Barritt and Tuilagi (something for Leicester and Saracens fans to agree on).

Then who to play FH?

I thought trying to quantify it might help with marks out of 5, but I wasn't a flyhalf and haven't seen all these players at club level. (I added Wilkinson (pre RWC2011) and Cipriani for comparison)

................... TF/OF/CH/JW/DC
Place Kicking... 4 / 5 / 3 / 5 / 4
Tactical Kicking 3 / 3 / 4 / 3 / 4
Distribution...... 4 / 3 / 5 / 4 / 4
Threat ........... 4 / 3 / 2 / 3 / 5
Defence ......... 4 / 4 / 2 / 5 / 1
TOTAL .......... 19/18/16/20/18

Unfair on CH's defence nowdays.

Flood has to be in. He wasn't that bad and I'm usually very critical of him.

He uses his backs well and is a good runner/kicker. Lancaster will be mad not to pick him, i'll cry if Hodgson or Farrell starts there.

I didn't see the game, so I was relying on what I was told, but he sounded OK, kicked goals well but not amazing (and the commentators were very pro-Leicester biased) but I think people are being unfair on Hodgson and we have no idea what Farrell will be like there. Hopefully whoever is at 10 will get faster ball to use anyway

Flood's distribution was top notch, and on that note, whenever he offloaded to Tuilagi all hell broke loose. So I look forward to seeing him start next week.

I actually thought Leicester were excellent today, and I was rooting for Sarries so that Glaws would stay in 5th.