Fantasy Aviva Premiership Round 21

Team Sheets and tactics due by 23:59 hours on Thursday
Predictions open at 00:01 hours on Friday. Predictions Close at 12:00 hours on Saturday

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Newcastle Falcons v Saracens
Light Rain, 10 degrees, 13 mph winds.

Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly

01. Fabien Barcella	09. Ben Youngs
02. Rory Best	10. Nick Evans
03. Paul Doran-Jones
04. Brad Thorn	11. Miles Benjamin
05. Geoff Parling	12. Fran Steyn
06. Chris Robshaw	13. Jaque Fourie
07. Richie McCaw(c)	14. Tommy Bowe
08. Kieran Read	15. James O’Connor

16. William Servat 17. Owen Franks 18. Alex Waller 19. Ed Slater 20. Toby Faletau 21. Jonny Arr 22. Toby Flood 23. Brad Barritt

Tactics

Tactics:

Gameplan – Simple rugby, High intensity.......With the game home and in damp conditions we’ll be looking to control the set piece, pack and look to play in the right areas of the pitch. Steyn/Evans will dictate play and will look to clear his lines from our own 22. We’ll look to put pressure on the opposition set piece throughout the game and we think we can get the upperhand in both scrum & lineout.

Defence – We’ll be deploying the rush defence and targeting the Sarries 10/12 channel. McCaw will look to put pressure on Lambie throughout and force him to rush his game.

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 Sarries from the off. PDJ & Barcella will look to get secure a good platform and Franks on at TH early in the second to carry this on.

We’ll look for the take and drive on our own ball with Best/Thorn being the key men here. With 5 good jumpers and Parling pulling the strings we’ll keep things solid on our own throw whilst looking to target Sarries throw all game.

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 Sarries retreating back.

Backs – Massive defensive unit with JOC coming in to the line to add spark. Look to get back 3 into play and target opposite numbers.

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.

KEY POINTS:

HOME ADVANTAGE - Huge this one, esp at this satge in the season. Sarries have been on the road for 2 weeks so will be jaded. We are unbeaten at home in nearly 2 SEASONS

ENGINE ROOM - Thorn is a huge scrummager and Thorn/Parling give us so much quality around the park. We see a massive advantge here and will look to show this around the field.

BREAKDOWN - Target the breakdown and destroy Sarries tempo.

KICKING OPTIONS - Evans/Steyn axis gives us huge boots that will be vital in the damp conditions

CONFIDENCE - We've just got top spot back and nearly bear the form team in the league away

SUBS - Franks, Servat, Falateu, Flood give us great impact from the bench and abilty to see out a game

BACK 3 - We'll be looking to get our back 3 into the game at every oppertunity and get at opposite numbers. See a big advantage here and Evans is the man to get them involved.

Saracens
Manager – Ozzy3213

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Morgan Parra
02. Bismarck du Plessis	10. Patric Lambie
03. Adam Jones
04. Rynhardt Elstadt	11. Andrew Trimble
05. Steve Borthwick	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. Tom Wood	13. Jonathon Davies
07. Thierry Dusautoir	14. Mark Cueto
08. Joe van Niekerk (c)	15. Alex Goode

16. George Chuter 17. Max Lahiff 18. Jannie du Plessis 19. Dave Attwood 20. Tom Johnson 21. Paul Hodgson 22. Francois Trinh-Duc 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. However, We recognise that the ball will be damp in this game so 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.

At the scrum we will look to keep it up and scrummage. On our ball we will look to get a scrum turning legally to take the Falcons back row out of the defensive equation before launching attacks.


Game Specific Tactics

• Carry close to the rucks - The ball will be greasy in damp conditions so we will look to carry close to rucks and suck defenders in playing a tight game to open up space out wide and tire the oppositions defence.
  
  
• Exploit gaps - Lambie to look to run the ball from 10 when it is on with a support runner on his shoulder to keep the attack moving forward.
  
  
• Kick for touch - When employing the kicking game we will look for touch in the corners and contest the lineout deep in Falcons territory. We will not kick direct to their back three.
  

Key Points

• Form/Momentum - Our recent form is exceptional, especially away from home where we have recently faced Sale Sharks and London Irish who are fighting for the play offs, neither of whom managed to beat us. We have massive momentum going into this game.
  
  
• Mental - As Pooly has said, the defeat in last years play off final hurt us, and the boys are using that to focus them going into this game. Coupled with having beaten Falcons twice already this season we are mentally very well prepared for this one. Falcons having lost to us twice this year are maybe less so.
  
  
• Records - Falcons have a fantastic home record, but all records of that nature have to come to an end, and some might say that they are in danger territory now, being long overdue a defeat. We have the tools to inflict that defeat.
  
  
• Impact Bench - Impact players are more and more important in the game and we have them to bring on. The likes Lahiff, JDP, Attwood and Johnson all bring dynamism and massive ball carrying options, and FTD and Ranger can bring a touch of individual magic to the backline off the bench (FTD in the World Cup Final was sensational from the bench.)
  

Exeter Chiefs v Northampton Saints
Very Light Rain, 9 degrees, 23 mph winds.

Exeter Chiefs

Manager – Driver

01.Wyatt Crockett	09.Haydn Thomas
02.John Smit	10.Ronan O'Gara(K)
03.Werner Kruger
04.Dean Schofield	11.Luke Fitzgerald
05.James Hudson	12.Andrea Masi
06.Declan Danahar	13.George Pisi
07.Shane Jennings	14.Iain Balshaw
08.Nick Easter(C)	15.Damian Traille

16.Lee Mears 17.Brett Sturgess 18.Hoani Tui 19.Juilian Pierre 20.David Wallace 21.Rob Coote 22.Nick McLeod 23.Matt Smith

- Play the percentages and use a combination of a solid set piece and ROG's boot to put us in a position to punish Saints.
- Hudson is the best lineout operator on show and will have a field day securing our own ball and taking Saints ball against the head.
- Thomas and ROG to play what is in front of them.
- Jennings to target the break down and make a mess of it and steal plenty of ball on the deck.

Northampton Saints
Manager – Dammit Chris

01.Thomas Domingo09.Mike Phillips
02.Rob Webber 10. Danny Cipriani
03.Carl Hayman
04.Bradley Davies 11. Siti Siviatu
05.Courtney Lawes 12. Jean de Villiers
06.Dan Lydiate 13. Manu Tuilagi
07.Liam Gill 14. Leigh Halfpenny(k)
08.Sergio Parisse(c)15.Ben Foden

16.Chris Whitehead 17. Matt Mullan 18. Henry Thomas 19. Joe Launchbury 20. Liam Messam 21. Charlie Davies 22. Matt Giteau 23. Weslie Fofana

Tactics

Overall – Saints continued their impressive recent form by securing another BP win against Leicester Tigers and have now scored 24 tries in just 6 games. We see our main opportunity for victory against a very tough Exeter team is to continue playing attacking rugby and maneuvering their less attack minded team around the park. We will keep the ball in hand, work through phases and stretch Exeter’s defence whenever possible.

Again we will look to get over the gainline with powerful ball runners in both the pack and midfield and look to put Exeter on the backfoot – we will try and up the tempo from the previous week and let Cipriani dictate play from the 10 shirt. Defensively we are build around Lawes and Lydiate in the pack who will look to stop Exeter’s runners from getting over the gainline.

Attack - we will continue to play our structured game that evolves working through the phases, getting our big ball carriers on the ball and over the gainline (Davies, Lawes, Parisse, de Villiers, Tuilagi and Siviatu) and then going wide to stretch the defence and create space for our backthree.

We see we have an advantage in terms of attacking options and will look to get as much ball going through Cipriani as possible, use de Villiers and Tuilagi to get us over the gainline and then go wide to our backthree.

We will not be afraid to attack from deep as the conditions are perfect for our backline. This is especially if Exeter decide to play a kicking game with O’Gara and kick the ball to our backthree.

Defence - we build our defensive patterns around Dan Lydiate and Courtney Lawes in the pack, two of the best tacklers in world rugby and will aim to use them to stop Exeter runners getting over the gainline, with special attention to Nick Easter. As normal we will play an aggressive defence, putting our opposition under pressure, using Phillips to get at Thomas and trying to get our forwards getting at O’Gara when possible. With de Villiers and Tuilagi in midfield it will be hard for Exeter to run through us.

We feel that if we can stop Exeter forwards getting over the gainline then we can win this game - with Lawes, Davies, Lydiate and Parisse we certainly have the defensive players to do this and put in the big hits that force errors and mistakes to exploit, this is where our backline can also capitalise – attacking from turnovers, knock ons etc.

Set Piece – Exeter have a very good set piece and some strong players in their front five, but due to the conditions being very encouraging for running rugby we feel that the set piece wont be as much of an issue as it would have been in heavy rain, muddy pitches etc.

We’ve opted to start Domingo and will give him 40mins to prove his fitness, will then bring on Mullan for the whole second half. Wanted this option so we have two mobile props playing. We will look to secure steady ball at the scrum, with Parisse controlling possession at the base of the scrum. On Exeter put in we will get Phillips to try and fluster Thomas and put him under a lot of pressure and give bad ball to O’Gara.

Our lineout has three main jumpers, Parisse, Lawes and Davies - we will look to secure good attacking ball on our own throw. Defensively we will look to make sure that we stop any Exeter drives early on and.

Breakdown – We’ve picked Liam Gill specifically for his breakdown work and allowing us to have a genuine no7, who can keep us getting quick ball and maintaining our tempo, which is something Messam would not have done. With quicker pack, we should get to the breakdown quicker and both de Villiers and Tuilagi in midfield we have another two good options there. Will be aggressive in contact area and force Exeter into mistakes.

Key Points
* Great form, 24 tries in just 6 games – will look to make best use of conditions and attack Exeter with a view to scoring tries.
* Will look to play at high tempo, use the ball carriers in the pack to get us over the gainline and then get Cipriani and backthree to attack.
* Exeter do have advantage in front row, but we wont be looking to spend much of the game in the set piece, keeping ball in hand and going through the phases – take the game away from Exeter’s strengths and play to ours.
* Halfpenny's boot is a three-point machine - any penalties and we will go for goal and build up the score.
* Defensively we will play very aggressively, try to stop Exeter getting over the gainline with Lawes, Davies, Parisse and Lydiate in the forwards - whilst de Villiers and Tuilagi will create a brick wall in midfield for Exeter to get through.
* Target Thomas and O’Gara specifically in aggressive defence, try and put them off their game and make them kick to our backthree or take the ball into contact.
* Have three top class players on the bench who can make a huge impact Messam, Giteau and Fofana - will use to up the tempo against Exeter in second half and try and turn the screw if possible in final 20minutes.


Gloucester Rugby v Sale Sharks
Light Rain, 9 degrees, 16 mph winds.

Gloucester team

Manager – mat

01. Wood	09. Will genia
02. Grey	10. Johan goosen
03. Nicola mas
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Charlie sharples
05. Tom palmer	12. Berrick barnes
06. Steven ferris	13. Richard Kahui
07. Schalk Burger	14. JSD
08. immanol harinordoqouy	15. Israel Dagg

16. Coonie 17. Darren diawiduik 18. Julian white 19. Richie Grey 20. Saull 21. Dave Lewis 22. Dan Carter 23. Jonny May

Glaws tactics


High tempo carrying game
Win the battle up front first through relentless carrying and winning the collisions
Focus on the lineout as attacking weapon and also to steal ball. We have 5 jumpers and
In hari the best lineout forward on world rugby after bonnaire.
Focus on scrum.
Play at High tempo with genia controlling game and only giving when on.
Goosen to kick any pens which is about 65metre range.
Test sale back 3 out with high ball
Look to really quicken game in 2nd half and create mismatches
Intro our superior bench like carter grey and may
If conditions go really wet Barnes will add extra kicking option

Glaws at home and form team in league

Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Jerome Schuster	09. Ben Spencer
02. Guilleme Guirado	10. Aaron Cruden
03. Luc Ducalcon
04. Stephen Sykes	11. David Strettle
05. Christian Day	12. Jordan Turner Hall
06. Adam Thomson	13. Yann David
07. Fulgence Quedragao	14. Lelia Masaga
08. Wycliffe Palu	15. Nick Abendanon

16. Lee Imolek 17. David Paice 18. Neemia Tialata 19. Chris Jones 20. Victor Vito 21. Nicholas Bezy 22. Olly Barkley 23. Tom Brady

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General Game Plan:

We will use our strong carriers to attack gaps and half gaps in the Glaws line, looking to offload in contact to support runners thus changing the point of attack and keeping our forward momentum going. Cruden will look to attack from fly half and inject pace to the proceedings committing the Glaws defence and leaving space in wider channels to exploit. If running the ball is not on our halfbacks will look to the boot to put us in the right areas.

At scrum time we will look to contest each and every engagement. On our own feed we will look to get the wheel on and create extra room for our 8-9-10 axis to work in. While on Gloucester’s feed we will disrupt the put in looking for penalties or to create rushed, poor ball for the Glaws halfbacks. With 5 jumping options and a reliable thrower at hooker we will look to attack from the lineout mixing things up by bringing the ball down into the maul and using the physicality of our pack or else playing the ball of the top and injecting serious pace into the play.

On defence, we will use a blitz defence coming up at pace looking to isolate the Gloucester ball carriers before they can get to the gain line stopping any momentum and allowing us to hit the breakdown harder. Spencer will act as a sweeper to cover any grubbers or chips behind the line while our back three will sit deep ready to cover any kicks down the touch lines and counter attack at pace.

With the blitz defence in operation we will look to be at the breakdown first hitting it fast and hard. The first two players on the scene will look to ruck past the ball and clear out the Gloucester players providing quick counter attacking ball to be cleared and used against a disorganised defensive line. If the ball does not look available we will not commit to the ruck and look to strengthen the defensive line instead.


Harlequins v Leicester Tigers
Very Light Rain, 11 degrees, 11 mph winds.

Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

After completing phase one of operation play off place by getting a bonus point win at home to London Wasps, Quins now welcome Leicester Tigers to the Stoop knowing that nothing but a win will do against their play-off rivals. There isn’t too many changes to the Quins line up for this week’s game but Schalk Brits, Jerome Thion, Felipe Contepomi and Jonathan Joseph come into the starting XV.

01. Tony Woodcock	09. Lee Dickson
02. Schalk Brits	10. Rhys Priestland
03. Brian Mujati
04. Jerome Thion	11. Zac Guildford
05. George Skivington	12. Felipe Contepomi
06. Carl Fearns	13. George Lowe
07. Sam Warburton (c)	14. Jonathan Joseph
08. Jamie Heaslip	15. Rob Kearney

16. Matthew Rees 17. Matias Aguero 18. Kieran Brookes 19. James Gaskell 20. Phil Dowson 21. Karl Dickson 22. Quade Cooper 23. Shontayne Hape

Tactics


Game Plan

Conditions allow good rugby which is what we want to play. Our attacking game will be based upon ball retention, aggressive carrying and quick ball which will allow us to raise the tempo. Our defensive game will be based upon physicality and aggression in the contact and at the breakdown as well as a quick linespeed.

When carrying we will look to win the collisions and keep our legs pumping in contact to get us across the gainline. We will always look to carrying in numbers and looking to offload when it is on. We will always be looking for quick ball and we will then increase the tempo and look to get the ball wider once we have tied in Leicester defenders.

As a side we will be looking to run at different angles off our 9, 10 and 12 and to only look for the offload when it’s on. Discipline across the board is key as it means that we don’t give anything to Leicester easily.

Forwards

It all starts upfront and we are happy that we have a pack which will be a presence around the park as well as being strong in the tight areas and the set piece. The job of the front 5 away from the set piece is too hit rucks to get us the quick ball and to carry in and around 10 and 12. Our back row is going to be everywhere. It will be physical in attack and defence as well as a presence at the breakdown. They will look to do there carrying around 10 and 12 along with Brits.

At the set piece we will look to win the hits at the scrum and then force Leicester backwards. It is vital to us to not give away penalties at the scrum. At the lineout we have 5 good jumpers which will will vary in throwing two. We will often shorten the lineouts between the two 22m lines and give ourselves carriers (Fearns or Heaslip usually) in the backline. On the Leicester lineout we will look to compete heavily and will look to mark their key jumpers.

Backs

We have picked a 9, 10 and 12 combo which we think can really control the game best for us. Dickson will keep us ticking and will control the tempo throughout the game. Priestland will control the direction of our game and will always be looking for the gaps and where the Leicester defence is disorganised. Contepomi at 12 will interchange and come in as first receiver. One move we will use frequently will for Lowe to cut a line back towards the ruck as a dummy runner and Contepomi to receive the ball going behind him and he can then feed on of our back 3. When we get quick ball we will look for Lowe to stay in the wide channels as he is so dangerous in the open spaces.

Defence

As stated in our game plan we are going to be aggressive and look to target the decision makers for Leicester. We expect them to try and play everything off 9 so we will be looking to really slow down the ball and make it messy at the back of the rucks. If we haven’t got the first man there then we will look to have our guy to look to ruck through the middle of the ruck. We will keep our back 3 deep all game with Dickson sweeping up behind as we expect Leicester to do a lot of kicking. We will look to counter attack all loose kicks but we have a very strong kicking backline to return the ball with a bit more on it.

Key Points (game specific)

- Quick ball and quick tempo. That is what we are looking for and we will be patient with our play until we get it.
- We will look to keep the ball for long periods unless there is territory or another advantage to be easily gained by kicking. We have some brilliant kickers in our side.
- Aggression and physicality upfront and across the side. In both attack and defence this is something which can really benefit us throughout the game.
- Look to really make a mess of the Leicester rucks. Stop there 9 from getting any sort of momentum going.

Key Points (Other)

- We have 15 players starting who are all currently fit and most are playing well IRL.
- We have picked players which we think can really execute our game plan. We feel we have a pack which can be dynamic and physical whilst being strong in the tight and across the park. We have a back line which can control the tempo and field position whilst still being exciting across the park.

Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Gethin Jenkins	09. Dimitri Yachvili (k)
02. Stephen Moore	10. Jonny Wilkinson
03. Dan Cole
04. Pascal Pape	11. Vincent Clerc
05. James Horwill (c)	12. Billy Twelvetrees
06. Tom Croft	13. Brian O'Driscoll
07. David Pocock	14. Cory Jane
08. Thomas Waldrom	15. Isa Nacewa

16. Andrew Sheridan 17. Tom Youngs 18. Cencus Johnston 19. Simon Shaw 20. Samu Manoa 21. Chris Cusiter 22. Rob Miller 23. Topsy Ojo

Tactics

We will play a structured game built around tactiacal HB's, the strength in our set piece and flying back three.

- Attack the scrum as a weapon - and call when we can. A front three all in great form, and to look to really get the shove on.

- Strong lineout with Croft, Pape and Horwill as our main jumpers rotating the target. We will relentlessly target the opposition's throws.

- Massive line-breakers right throughout the side that will look to tire down Quins' defence.
The likes of Waldrom and Horwill used off the shoulder crashing through the Quins defence.

- Pocock is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first and look to turnover possession. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball.

- In general attacking play, we will play off 9 with Yachvili our general pulling the strings.

- Box kicks from Yachili and up and unders from Wilkinson to give the opposition problems in the air.
Lightning back three to really get the chase on.

- Look to play attacking rugby in the backs, getting the our 11-15 on the ball when we can. Croft to look to get into space and join our backs to cause trouble out wide.

- Our back three are encouraged to do what they do best - counter attacking and running the ball back. If isolated all have good kicking games, but the counter is what we ask them to look for.

- Yachvili to kick all penalites.

- Use our powerful bench to see the game out in the last 20 minutes.


Bath Rugby v London Wasps
Light Rain, 9 degrees, 16 mph winds.

Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Cian Healy	09. Richard Wigglesworth
02. Kevin Mealamu	10. David Skrela
03. Dave Wilson
04. Louis Deacon	11. George North
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Maxime Mermoz
06. James Haskell	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. SOB	14. Olly Woodburn
08. JMF Lobbe	15. Isiah Toeava

16. Jon Golding 17. Joe Ward 18. Davit Kubrashvilli 19. Rob Simmons 20. Tom Guest 21. Chris Cook 22. Kurtley Beale 23. Tom Varndell

Key points:
Look for an edge in the lineout
Try to play some good running rugby using the forwards and creative backs

London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry

01. Perry Freshwater	09. Michael Claassens
02. Tatafu Polota-Nau	10. Stephen Jones (k)
03. Carlos Nieto
04. Mouritz Botha	11. Christian Wade
05. Dan Tuohy	12. Dan Bowden
06. Rocky Elsom (c)	13. Jamie Roberts
07. Deon Stegmann	14. Matt Banahan
08. Luke Narraway	15. Mike Brown

16. Andy Titterell 17. Benn Robinson 18. James Slipper 19. Richard Birkett 20. Roger Wilson 21. Nick Phipps 22. George Ford 23. Noah Cato

Tactics
To come...


Worcester Warriors v London Irish
Light Rain, 9 degrees, 17 mph winds.

01. David Flatman 09. Dwayne Peel
02. Richardt Strauss 10. Morne Steyn (k)
03. BJ Botha
04. Jim Hamilton 11. Bryan Habana
05. Ollie Kohn 12. Pat McCabe
06. Ryan Jones 13. Regan King
07. Craig Newby (c) 14. Marcel Garvey
08. Ben Morgan 15. Ollie Morgan


16. Michael Mayhew 17. George Porter 18. Chris Budgen 19. Scott Higginbotham 20. Mamuka Gorgodze 21. Byron Kelleher 22. Tom Heathcote 23. Greig Tonks

Tactics
We come into this match with a fresh side and a must win attitude. We make 2 changes to the side that won there with Jones bringing a bit more grunt and King the added spark rather than the confrontation which Malzieu would have. Confidence is high after our good win against Exeter and we are looking to fully secure our safety and also cause an upset. The squad we have picked is our strongest squad possible and we will be pushing for a good win to secure our safety. This match will be decided by forwards to we have selected a big pack with a back row who are all able to make an aimpact carrying the ball or at the breakdown. In the backs we have certain positions ‘bedded in’ and will use Steyn to kick us territory and McCabe/King to make the dents in the centre. Our bench is full of talent and impact subs and we will use them throughout the match to run at tired legs.

Forwards
*A front row who know each other well and will look to gain the advantage on the hit. Botha will lead from the front here and Budgen will be brought on in the last 20 to scrummage Irish off the park.
*Our 2nd row will look to dominate the lineouts and are quite a heavy partnership as we look to dominate the scrum. Hamilton will keep his head and look to wind up a few characters in the Irish side and impose himself at the breakdown whilst Kohn will look to carry the ball up off 9 to make quick yards.
*Back-row will be key at the breakdown and with Jones and Newby we have 2 players who are more than capable of doing this well. They will look to hit every other ruck each to gain turnover ball or slow down their possession. The other player will be looking to hit 10 constantly to put him off his game. Morgan will pick from some scrums when a gap is possible and he always gets over the gainline when carrying so we have guaranteed forward advantage when he has his hands on the ball.
*The bench will be used wisely with Budgen coming on for the last 20 and Higginbotham and Gorgodze being used as and when to add hard ball carrying and an extra lineout option.

Backs
*Quick ball is key here when we get it (we are expecting a hard slog up front) and Peel will be looking for gaps or forwards running to make the hard yards. Steyn will use his boot when we are under pressure but; if we are in the opposition’s half most of the time we will look to get the ball out to the centres. He will take the points when possible and use drop goals to keep the board ticking.
*McCabe will simply be given the role of playmaker with Malzieu and Habana running lines off of him and through the defence. Malzieu will be sued as a battering ram in the first 20 minutes and we will look to release the wingers off 3rd ball phase to make it quick ball and give them the space required (1st ball will be forwards, 2nd ball will be King/forwards, 3rd ball to the backs).
*Wingers and Morgan are to go looking for work and to stay sturdy in defence. They will all be comfortable under the high ball and have the pace to take the oppostion on the outside shoulder.
*Bench will be used wisely with Kelleher bringing a fast impact game to Heathcote who likes to take the ball on the front foot. Tonks can cover quite a few positions and will be looking to impress having been given this chance.

Defence
*Hard blitz banana defence lead by McCabe who will call it up.
*Peel/Kelleher will look to sweep and snipe any loose ball.
*Newby/Jones to alternate hitting rucks and hitting 10 to stop quick ball and look for the turnover opportunities.
*If we get a turnover we will look to run it, if nothing is on Steyn will pin them back with long distance touch finders.


London Irish
Manager – stnick88

01. Soane Tonga'uhia	09. Ruan Pienaar
02. Andrew Hore	10. Juan Martin Hernandez
03. Martin Castrogiovanni
04. Matt Garvey	11. Paul Sackey
05. Nick Kennedy	12. Sonny Bill Williams
06. Jerome Kaino	13. Conrad Smith
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Sailosi Tagicakibau
08. Keegan Daniel	15. Delon Armitage

16. WP Nel 17. James Buckland 18. Duncan Bell 19. Stuart Hooper 20. Hendrie Fourie 21. Julien Dupuy 22. Luke McAllister 23. Marland Yarde

Tactics

- In good conditions, play an attacking, running game, similar to the recent victories. We will run back loose kicks and not look to give away possession. We will however look to dominate the territory and play in the right areas of the pitch.
- We use the scrum as a an attacking platform, with two good scrummaging props we will look to turn the screw and win penalties or use Daniel to pick up and carry or Pienaar to get the ball out to the backs. Castro and Tonga'uhia will look to get us on the front foot and drive Warriors back, looking to win penalties.
- We will look to win the contact area and the collisions. With Castro, Garvey, Daniel, Steffon, Kaino, SBW in the side, we have some big, powerful units who will look to smash over the gain line and put Worcester on the backfoot. We will look for quick ball for Pienaar to use and create opportunities with.
- Kennedy will be our main lineout target and we willl look for quick ball off the top on most occasions, if not use Garvey at the front to create a maul.
- We willl look to dominate possession and tire the Warriors defence. Kaino, Armitage, Garvey, Tonga'uhia etc will carry hard and look to make inroads. We will look for Pienaar and JMH to play what is infront of them and put SBW and co into gaps and space. Our wingers, especially Tagicakibau, will come inside and along with Smith, look to gather the offloads from SBW, which he will only do when it is on.
- At the breakdown, we will look to use our powerful flankers and the breakdown skills of Steffon to secure quick ball and slow down opposition ball. Any turnover ball will be counter attacked.
- Pienaar will kick all pens for goal in range. If not we will go for touch and use the lineout as a platform to attack.
- If any attacks become slow and we are in danger of being turned of making a mistake, we will look for JMH to pop over a drop goal to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
- We have plenty of impact off the bench to keep things fresh and hopefully see out the game.
- We see this as a must win to stand any chance of making the playoffs. The boys are fired up!

wow quite windy in Exeter this week - better pack the windbreakers!

Rain again!!

ROG's back this week!

Thought it always rained up north Pooly

good job leigh halfpenny has a boot on him! might need to pack the midfield with carriers too!

Be nice to be back at home anyway lol

Exeter Chiefs

Manager – Driver

01.Wyatt Crockett	09.Haydn Thomas
02.John Smit	10.Ronan O'Gara(K)
03.Werner Kruger
04.Dean Schofield	11.Luke Fitzgerald
05.James Hudson	12.Andrea Masi
06.Declan Danahar	13.George Pisi
07.Shane Jennings	14.Iain Balshaw
08.Nick Easter(C)	15.Damian Traille

16.Lee Mears 17.Brett Sturgess 18.Hoani Tui 19.Juilian Pierre 20.David Wallace 21.Rob Coote 22.Nick McLeod 23.Matt Smith

Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

After completing phase one of operation play off place by getting a bonus point win at home to London Wasps, Quins now welcome Leicester Tigers to the Stoop knowing that nothing but a win will do against their play-off rivals. There isn’t too many changes to the Quins line up for this week’s game but Schalk Brits, Jerome Thion, Felipe Contepomi and Jonathan Joseph come into the starting XV.

01. Tony Woodcock	09. Lee Dickson
02. Schalk Brits	10. Rhys Priestland
03. Brian Mujati
04. Jerome Thion	11. Zac Guildford
05. George Skivington	12. Felipe Contepomi
06. Carl Fearns	13. George Lowe
07. Sam Warburton (c)	14. Jonathan Joseph
08. Jamie Heaslip	15. Rob Kearney

16. Matthew Rees 17. Matias Aguero 18. Kieran Brookes 19. James Gaskell 20. Phil Dowson 21. Karl Dickson 22. Quade Cooper 23. Shontayne Hape

Tactics


Game Plan

Conditions allow good rugby which is what we want to play. Our attacking game will be based upon ball retention, aggressive carrying and quick ball which will allow us to raise the tempo. Our defensive game will be based upon physicality and aggression in the contact and at the breakdown as well as a quick linespeed.

When carrying we will look to win the collisions and keep our legs pumping in contact to get us across the gainline. We will always look to carrying in numbers and looking to offload when it is on. We will always be looking for quick ball and we will then increase the tempo and look to get the ball wider once we have tied in Leicester defenders.

As a side we will be looking to run at different angles off our 9, 10 and 12 and to only look for the offload when it’s on. Discipline across the board is key as it means that we don’t give anything to Leicester easily.

Forwards

It all starts upfront and we are happy that we have a pack which will be a presence around the park as well as being strong in the tight areas and the set piece. The job of the front 5 away from the set piece is too hit rucks to get us the quick ball and to carry in and around 10 and 12. Our back row is going to be everywhere. It will be physical in attack and defence as well as a presence at the breakdown. They will look to do there carrying around 10 and 12 along with Brits.

At the set piece we will look to win the hits at the scrum and then force Leicester backwards. It is vital to us to not give away penalties at the scrum. At the lineout we have 5 good jumpers which will will vary in throwing two. We will often shorten the lineouts between the two 22m lines and give ourselves carriers (Fearns or Heaslip usually) in the backline. On the Leicester lineout we will look to compete heavily and will look to mark their key jumpers.

Backs

We have picked a 9, 10 and 12 combo which we think can really control the game best for us. Dickson will keep us ticking and will control the tempo throughout the game. Priestland will control the direction of our game and will always be looking for the gaps and where the Leicester defence is disorganised. Contepomi at 12 will interchange and come in as first receiver. One move we will use frequently will for Lowe to cut a line back towards the ruck as a dummy runner and Contepomi to receive the ball going behind him and he can then feed on of our back 3. When we get quick ball we will look for Lowe to stay in the wide channels as he is so dangerous in the open spaces.

Defence

As stated in our game plan we are going to be aggressive and look to target the decision makers for Leicester. We expect them to try and play everything off 9 so we will be looking to really slow down the ball and make it messy at the back of the rucks. If we haven’t got the first man there then we will look to have our guy to look to ruck through the middle of the ruck. We will keep our back 3 deep all game with Dickson sweeping up behind as we expect Leicester to do a lot of kicking. We will look to counter attack all loose kicks but we have a very strong kicking backline to return the ball with a bit more on it.

Key Points (game specific)

- Quick ball and quick tempo. That is what we are looking for and we will be patient with our play until we get it.
- We will look to keep the ball for long periods unless there is territory or another advantage to be easily gained by kicking. We have some brilliant kickers in our side.
- Aggression and physicality upfront and across the side. In both attack and defence this is something which can really benefit us throughout the game.
- Look to really make a mess of the Leicester rucks. Stop there 9 from getting any sort of momentum going.

Key Points (Other)

- We have 15 players starting who are all currently fit and most are playing well IRL.
- We have picked players which we think can really execute our game plan. We feel we have a pack which can be dynamic and physical whilst being strong in the tight and across the park. We have a back line which can control the tempo and field position whilst still being exciting across the park.

Northampton Saints team versus Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Dammit Chris

01.Thomas Domingo09.Mike Phillips
02.Rob Webber 10. Danny Cipriani
03.Carl Hayman
04.Bradley Davies 11. Siti Siviatu
05.Courtney Lawes 12. Jean de Villiers
06.Dan Lydiate 13. Manu Tuilagi
07.Liam Gill 14. Leigh Halfpenny(k)
08.Sergio Parisse(c)15.Ben Foden

16.Chris Whitehead 17. Matt Mullan 18. Henry Thomas 19. Joe Launchbury 20. Liam Messam 21. Charlie Davies 22. Matt Giteau 23. Weslie Fofana

Tactics

Overall – Saints continued their impressive recent form by securing another BP win against Leicester Tigers and have now scored 24 tries in just 6 games. We see our main opportunity for victory against a very tough Exeter team is to continue playing attacking rugby and maneuvering their less attack minded team around the park. We will keep the ball in hand, work through phases and stretch Exeter’s defence whenever possible.

Again we will look to get over the gainline with powerful ball runners in both the pack and midfield and look to put Exeter on the backfoot – we will try and up the tempo from the previous week and let Cipriani dictate play from the 10 shirt. Defensively we are build around Lawes and Lydiate in the pack who will look to stop Exeter’s runners from getting over the gainline.

Attack - we will continue to play our structured game that evolves working through the phases, getting our big ball carriers on the ball and over the gainline (Davies, Lawes, Parisse, de Villiers, Tuilagi and Siviatu) and then going wide to stretch the defence and create space for our backthree.

We see we have an advantage in terms of attacking options and will look to get as much ball going through Cipriani as possible, use de Villiers and Tuilagi to get us over the gainline and then go wide to our backthree.

We will not be afraid to attack from deep as the conditions are perfect for our backline. This is especially if Exeter decide to play a kicking game with O’Gara and kick the ball to our backthree.

Defence - we build our defensive patterns around Dan Lydiate and Courtney Lawes in the pack, two of the best tacklers in world rugby and will aim to use them to stop Exeter runners getting over the gainline, with special attention to Nick Easter. As normal we will play an aggressive defence, putting our opposition under pressure, using Phillips to get at Thomas and trying to get our forwards getting at O’Gara when possible. With de Villiers and Tuilagi in midfield it will be hard for Exeter to run through us.

We feel that if we can stop Exeter forwards getting over the gainline then we can win this game - with Lawes, Davies, Lydiate and Parisse we certainly have the defensive players to do this and put in the big hits that force errors and mistakes to exploit, this is where our backline can also capitalise – attacking from turnovers, knock ons etc.

Set Piece – Exeter have a very good set piece and some strong players in their front five, but due to the conditions being very encouraging for running rugby we feel that the set piece wont be as much of an issue as it would have been in heavy rain, muddy pitches etc.

We’ve opted to start Domingo and will give him 40mins to prove his fitness, will then bring on Mullan for the whole second half. Wanted this option so we have two mobile props playing. We will look to secure steady ball at the scrum, with Parisse controlling possession at the base of the scrum. On Exeter put in we will get Phillips to try and fluster Thomas and put him under a lot of pressure and give bad ball to O’Gara.

Our lineout has three main jumpers, Parisse, Lawes and Davies - we will look to secure good attacking ball on our own throw. Defensively we will look to make sure that we stop any Exeter drives early on and.

Breakdown – We’ve picked Liam Gill specifically for his breakdown work and allowing us to have a genuine no7, who can keep us getting quick ball and maintaining our tempo, which is something Messam would not have done. With quicker pack, we should get to the breakdown quicker and both de Villiers and Tuilagi in midfield we have another two good options there. Will be aggressive in contact area and force Exeter into mistakes.

Key Points
* Great form, 24 tries in just 6 games – will look to make best use of conditions and attack Exeter with a view to scoring tries.
* Will look to play at high tempo, use the ball carriers in the pack to get us over the gainline and then get Cipriani and backthree to attack.
* Exeter do have advantage in front row, but we wont be looking to spend much of the game in the set piece, keeping ball in hand and going through the phases – take the game away from Exeter’s strengths and play to ours.
* Halfpenny's boot is a three-point machine - any penalties and we will go for goal and build up the score.
* Defensively we will play very aggressively, try to stop Exeter getting over the gainline with Lawes, Davies, Parisse and Lydiate in the forwards - whilst de Villiers and Tuilagi will create a brick wall in midfield for Exeter to get through.
* Target Thomas and O’Gara specifically in aggressive defence, try and put them off their game and make them kick to our backthree or take the ball into contact.
* Have three top class players on the bench who can make a huge impact Messam, Giteau and Fofana - will use to up the tempo against Exeter in second half and try and turn the screw if possible in final 20minutes.

London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry

01. Perry Freshwater	09. Michael Claassens
02. Tatafu Polota-Nau	10. Stephen Jones (k)
03. Carlos Nieto
04. Mouritz Botha	11. Christian Wade
05. Dan Tuohy	12. Dan Bowden
06. Rocky Elsom (c)	13. Jamie Roberts
07. Deon Stegmann	14. Matt Banahan
08. Luke Narraway	15. Mike Brown

16. Andy Titterell 17. Benn Robinson 18. James Slipper 19. Richard Birkett 20. Roger Wilson 21. Nick Phipps 22. George Ford 23. Noah Cato

Tactics
To come...

Saracens make 6 changes to the starting XV for this weeks visit to Kingston Park to take on Newcastle Falcons. In the pack Bismarck du Plessis, Rynhardt Elstadt and Steve Borthwick replace George Chuter, Dave Attwood and Lionel Nallet, whilst in the backs Jonathon Davies, Mark Cueto and Alex Goode replace Francois Trinh-Duc, Rene Ranger and Henry Trinder, with Patric Lambie moving from full back to outside half.

Head coach Ozzy3213 had this to say…

"We come into this game off the back to two fantastic wins, against an in form London Irish last week, and against this weeks opponents Newcastle falcons the week before. As a result the boys are full of confidence, and keen to continue that run. Newcastle are the current champions and will be a huge test for us, but we have beaten them twice already this season, so we know that we have it in us to get a result again this week."

Saracens
Manager – Ozzy3213

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Morgan Parra
02. Bismarck du Plessis	10. Patric Lambie
03. Adam Jones
04. Rynhardt Elstadt	11. Andrew Trimble
05. Steve Borthwick	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. Tom Wood	13. Jonathon Davies
07. Thierry Dusautoir	14. Mark Cueto
08. Joe van Niekerk (c)	15. Alex Goode

16. George Chuter 17. Max Lahiff 18. Jannie du Plessis 19. Dave Attwood 20. Tom Johnson 21. Paul Hodgson 22. Francois Trinh-Duc 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. However, We recognise that the ball will be damp in this game so 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.

At the scrum we will look to keep it up and scrummage. On our ball we will look to get a scrum turning legally to take the Falcons back row out of the defensive equation before launching attacks.


Game Specific Tactics

• Caryr close to the rucks - The ball will be greasy in damp conditions so we will look to carry close to rucks and suck defenders in playing a tight game to open up space out wide and tire the oppositions defence.
  
  
• Exploit gaps - Lambie to look to run the ball from 10 when it is on with a support runner on his shoulder to keep the attack moving forward.
  
  
• Kick for touch - When employing the kicking game we will look for touch in the corners and contest the lineout deep in Falcons territory. We will not kick direct to their back three.
  

Key Points

• Form/Momentum - Our recent form is exceptional, especially away from home where we have recently faced Sale Sharks and London Irish who are fighting for the play offs, neither of whom managed to beat us. We have massive momentum going into this game.
  
  
• Mental - As Pooly has said, the defeat in last years play off final hurt us, and the boys are using that to focus them going into this game. Coupled with having beaten Falcons twice already this season we are mentally very well prepared for this one. Falcons having lost to us twice this year are maybe less so.
  
  
• Records - Falcons have a fantastic home record, but all records of that nature have to come to an end, and some might say that they are in danger territory now, being long overdue a defeat. We have the tools to inflict that defeat.
  
  
• Impact Bench - Impact players are more and more important in the game and we have them to bring on. The likes Lahiff, JDP, Attwood and Johnson all bring dynamism and massive ball carrying options, and FTD and Ranger can bring a touch of individual magic to the backline off the bench (FTD in the World Cup Final was sensational from the bench.)
  

Falcons look to make a few changes after an impressive performance against possibly the form side in the AP in Gloucester. We've looked to freshen up the pack, bringing in Rory Best & PDJ after a titanic scrummaging performance from Owen Franks last week. Nick Evans comes in at 10 despite Toby Flood's excellent form and Fran Steyn & Jaque Fourie continue their partnership in midfield in the poor conditions. Pooly:

"Big game for us this one as we get to cement our position in the top 2. We've got great home form, winning every game for nearly 2 seasons but Saracens cannot be underestimated after a good win away to a tidy Irish side last week. We always seem to do well against Sarries and I'm sure they're still hurting after the AP final loss last year. This is fortess Kingston Park though and we certainly won't be going easy, we want that top spot and what better way then to turn over the team at number 2.

Looking at weather reports it's likely to be a bit damp so we'll look to put a marker down in the pack and have some big guns to come on in the 2nd to nail this home. Should be a cracker."

Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly

01. Fabien Barcella	09. Ben Youngs
02. Rory Best	10. Nick Evans
03. Paul Doran-Jones
04. Brad Thorn	11. Miles Benjamin
05. Geoff Parling	12. Fran Steyn
06. Chris Robshaw	13. Jaque Fourie
07. Richie McCaw(c)	14. Tommy Bowe
08. Kieran Read	15. James O’Connor

16. William Servat 17. Owen Franks 18. Alex Waller 19. Ed Slater 20. Toby Faletau 21. Jonny Arr 22. Toby Flood 23. Brad Barritt

Tactics

Tactics:

Gameplan – Simple rugby, High intensity.......With the game home and in damp conditions we’ll be looking to control the set piece, pack and look to play in the right areas of the pitch. Steyn/Evans will dictate play and will look to clear his lines from our own 22. We’ll look to put pressure on the opposition set piece throughout the game and we think we can get the upperhand in both scrum & lineout.

Defence – We’ll be deploying the rush defence and targeting the Sarries 10/12 channel. McCaw will look to put pressure on Lambie throughout and force him to rush his game.

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 Sarries from the off. PDJ & Barcella will look to get secure a good platform and Franks on at TH early in the second to carry this on.

We’ll look for the take and drive on our own ball with Best/Thorn being the key men here. With 5 good jumpers and Parling pulling the strings we’ll keep things solid on our own throw whilst looking to target Sarries throw all game.

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 Sarries retreating back.

Backs – Massive defensive unit with JOC coming in to the line to add spark. Look to get back 3 into play and target opposite numbers.

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.

KEY POINTS:

HOME ADVANTAGE - Huge this one, esp at this satge in the season. Sarries have been on the road for 2 weeks so will be jaded. We are unbeaten at home in nearly 2 SEASONS

ENGINE ROOM - Thorn is a huge scrummager and Thorn/Parling give us so much quality around the park. We see a massive advantge here and will look to show this around the field.

BREAKDOWN - Target the breakdown and destroy Sarries tempo.

KICKING OPTIONS - Evans/Steyn axis gives us huge boots that will be vital in the damp conditions

CONFIDENCE - We've just got top spot back and nearly bear the form team in the league away

SUBS - Franks, Servat, Falateu, Flood give us great impact from the bench and abilty to see out a game

BACK 3 - We'll be looking to get our back 3 into the game at every oppertunity and get at opposite numbers. See a big advantage here and Evans is the man to get them involved.

Some tasty match ups there alright Pooly, I sense that if this was in rela life there could well be some handbags at some point!

Imagine Steyn/Fourie and Nonu/JD running at each other.....Jesus!

Great matchups mate, should be a cracker.

[quote="anonmattyt"]Gloucester team

Manager – mat

01. Wood	09. Will genia
02. Grey	10. Johan goosen
03. Nicola mas
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Charlie sharples
05. Tom palmer	12. Berrick barnes
06. Steven ferris	13. Richard Kahui
07. Schalk Burger	14. JSD
08. immanol harinordoqouy	15. Israel Dagg

16. Coonie 17. Darren diawiduik 18. Julian white 19. Richie Grey 20. Saull 21. Dave Lewis 22. Dan Carter 23. Jonny May

You seen Fourie has turned his back on the Boks....

https://www.606v2.com/t27887-jaque-fourie-decides-to-walk-away-from-the-boks-until-2014

London Irish
Manager – stnick88

01. Soane Tonga'uhia	09. Ruan Pienaar
02. Andrew Hore	10. Juan Martin Hernandez
03. Martin Castrogiovanni
04. Matt Garvey	11. Paul Sackey
05. Nick Kennedy	12. Sonny Bill Williams
06. Jerome Kaino	13. Conrad Smith
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Sailosi Tagicakibau
08. Keegan Daniel	15. Delon Armitage

16. WP Nel 17. James Buckland 18. Duncan Bell 19. Stuart Hooper 20. Hendrie Fourie 21. Julien Dupuy 22. Luke McAllister 23. Marland Yarde

Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Marcos Ayerza 09. Danny Care
02. David Paice 10. Johnny Sexton
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. Alun Wyn Jones 11. David Strettle
05. Andries Bekker 12. James Hook
06. Adam Thomson 13. Robbie Freuen
07. Peter O’Mahony 14. Luke Rooney
08. Louis Picamoles 15. Nick Abendanon
ff the fringes
With no real running threat from the Bath scrumhalf our defensive line can neglect the fringes somewhat and concentrate on wider areas.

•Target the flyhalf
With no back up 10 on the bench we will look to target Skrela mercilessly throughout the game. We will look play on the edge of the offside line and hit him early with our well drilled blitz. The boys have been told not to hold back in the tackle. This is made easier with the lack of a running option at 9. With Skrela off the pitch, Kurtley Beale is left to fill in at 10 and we will be happy to send big runners down his channel

•Familiarity
Fatigue shouldnt be an issue for Care, Hook, POM and Bendy after being well rotated this season but a big advantage for us is the familiarity this team have together. This is the side that has just secured Sale Sharks their first Heiniken Cup semi final appearance and they know each other inside out. None of Baths side have started together for 2 weeks now and surely rustiness will be an issue as they have been thrown together and they will need time to get back into the run of things

•Turnover Ball
With both POM and Thomson adept at securing turnover ball we will look to take full advantage. With Beale in the line looking to take the ball on at 1st receiver Sexton and Hook will look to take full advantage of the space left behind with no fullback home and use clever chip and chases and kicks deep and central into Bath territory.

Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Cian Healy 09. Richard Wigglesworth
02. Kevin Mealamu 10. David Skrela
03. Davit Kubrashvilli
04. Louis Deacon 11. George North
05. Sam Whitelock 12. Maxime Mermoz
06. Sean O’Brien 13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. Will Skinner 14. Olly Woodburn
08. Tom Guest 15. Kurtley Beale

16. Jon Golding 17. Joe Ward 18. Dave Wilson 19. Rob Simmons 20. JMF Lobbe 21. Chris Cook 22. Isiah Toeava 23. Tom Varndell

Tactics

Psychological
16 wins in 20 games is a brilliant record to have and our players are all brimming with confidence. We also feel we are the more rested team. Not one of our players starting today has played the last two games. The Sale team was exactly the same for a hard fought Heineken Cup Quarter Final last week. Care, POM, Hook, and Bendy have all played for four consecutive weeks.

Overall
We will be looking to play attacking running rugby off our set piece superiority.

Set Piece
Our formidable front row has been picked to play well at scrum time and to have a big impact in the loose as well. We will look to target the scrum as we feel in these conditions there will be a lot of scrums and it is somewhere we can really dominate. At the lineout we have options with Whitelock and SOB capable of taking opposition ball. At the front we have Deacon offering the banker ball.

Kicking
We will look to put the ball behind the Sale back three and put pressure on them in their own 22 with Whitelock leading the chase. We will not be looking to kick to their back three but making them turn round in order to keep pressure on. Beale will be our main kicker looking to take on anything in range. Skrela is another option who can kick the ball and if need be will kick.

Ball in Hand
Our game plan is based around our attacking skills with the ball in hand. With Healy, SOB, Mealamu etc we have some of the best forwards who can real make inroads with their running. We will look to make sure runners aren’t isolated with good tracking and will offload if there is minimal risk.

Our backs will be looking to get their hands on the ball and make attacking inroads. Wigglesworth will look to control the tempo of the backs. Skrela is a good attacking option and which French centres Mermoz and Rougerie outside him he has familiarity and good crash ball options. Both will be looking to make big runs through holes pulling defenders into them. North and Woodburn are also big runners who will look to get their hand on the ball and cause problems. Beale will look to join attacks late, offering a good running option who can take opposition defenders and ` run through gaps. We will look to target the Sexton-Hook channel which we feel can be taken advantage of defensively.

Defence
We will look for a quick defensive line to put pressure on the key Sale decision makers. Our defence 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.

We will be looking to isolate runners and force a turnover by getting bodies into the breakdown when we see an opportunity and use Skinners skill in the ground. We feel this is somewhere we can really get an advantage so will look to go for a turnover whenever there is a chance.

Substitutions
We really feel our substitutes can come on and maintain dominance. We have three good props able to come on from the bench and keep the scrum solid. Simmons will come on and look to put in big yards and make his impact felt. Similarly Lobbe will offer solid running options as well as having an effect in the set piece. Chris Cook is someone who can come on and inject some inventiveness into the game. Toeava and Varndell are good runners who can really change games against tired defenders.


Gloucester vs. Newcastle Falcons
Light rain , 10 degrees , wind 7mph

Gloucester
Manager – mat

01. Nick wood 09. Will genia
02. Grey 10. Johan goosen
03. Nicola mas
04. Bakkies Botha 11. Charlie sharples
05. Tom palmer 12. Berrick barnes
06. Steven ferris 13. Richard Kahui
07. Schalk Burger 14. JSD
08. immanol harinordoqouy 15. Israel Dagg

16. Coonie ousthuizen 17. Darren diawiduik 18. Julian white 19. Richie grey 20. Willem Alberts 21. Dave Lewis 22. Ryan lamb 23. Johnny may
Tactics


Glaws welcome falcons to fortress kingsholm where they get the chance to play the form team in the league !
We have won at Leicester and sarries away where falcons lost last week so will be looking to continue our run of form which is the best in the league at the citadel that is kingsholm.

Conditions are suited to running rugby and Gloucester will be looking to play high intensity game with ball carrying forwards taking it to the opposition before getting the ball out wide to our devestating strike runners.


Pack

Glaws have gone for a dynamic mobile ball carrying pack. Nick wood and grey are there to do a 40 minute blast before unleashing coonie and dawiduik to add to the dynamic ball carrying pack and keep up the pressure.

We also plan to get richie gray and Alberts on early in the second half to reap further damage. Big games like
This are won after 50 minutes so we are making sure our bench makes an impact.

Set piece

We are not anticipating that many scrums but when they happen we are aiming to get under the falcons and get a nudge on to allow our backrow to pick up our for genia to clear quickly to goosen. Our front row is not very tall and will be very awkward to scrummage against especially with bakkies and palmer driving behind.

On opposition ball we will look to disrupt and have genia sniping to get at falcons 8 or trying to collar youngs.


Lineout

As ever we have 5 jumpers and 5 very good
Ones we will be looking to vary our throw and to start with will be looking to drive through the middle and hit runners off the side to take it to the heart of Newcastle and also to keep the ball and control tempo.


Tactics

- In good conditions, play an attacking, running game, similar to the recent victories. We will run back loose kicks and not look to give away possession. We will however look to dominate the territory and play in the right areas of the pitch.
- We use the scrum as a an attacking platform, with two good scrummaging props we will look to turn the screw and win penalties or use Daniel to pick up and carry or Pienaar to get the ball out to the backs. Castro and Tonga'uhia will look to get us on the front foot and drive Warriors back, looking to win penalties.
- We will look to win the contact area and the collisions. With Castro, Garvey, Daniel, Steffon, Kaino, SBW in the side, we have some big, powerful units who will look to smash over the gain line and put Worcester on the backfoot. We will look for quick ball for Pienaar to use and create opportunities with.
- Kennedy will be our main lineout target and we willl look for quick ball off the top on most occasions, if not use Garvey at the front to create a maul.
- We willl look to dominate possession and tire the Warriors defence. Kaino, Armitage, Garvey, Tonga'uhia etc will carry hard and look to make inroads. We will look for Pienaar and JMH to play what is infront of them and put SBW and co into gaps and space. Our wingers, especially Tagicakibau, will come inside and along with Smith, look to gather the offloads from SBW, which he will only do when it is on.
- At the breakdown, we will look to use our powerful flankers and the breakdown skills of Steffon to secure quick ball and slow down opposition ball. Any turnover ball will be counter attacked.
- Pienaar will kick all pens for goal in range. If not we will go for touch and use the lineout as a platform to attack.
- If any attacks become slow and we are in danger of being turned of making a mistake, we will look for JMH to pop over a drop goal to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
- We have plenty of impact off the bench to keep things fresh and hopefully see out the game.
- We see this as a must win to stand any chance of making the playoffs. The boys are fired up!

01. David Flatman 09. Dwayne Peel
02. Richardt Strauss 10. Morne Steyn (k)
03. BJ Botha
04. Jim Hamilton 11. Bryan Habana
05. Ollie Kohn 12. Pat McCabe
06. Ryan Jones 13. Regan King
07. Craig Newby (c) 14. Marcel Garvey
08. Ben Morgan 15. Ollie Morgan


16. Michael Mayhew 17. George Porter 18. Chris Budgen 19. Scott Higginbotham 20. Mamuka Gorgodze 21. Byron Kelleher 22. Tom Heathcote 23. Greig Tonks

Tactics
We come into this match with a fresh side and a must win attitude. We make 2 changes to the side that won there with Jones bringing a bit more grunt and King the added spark rather than the confrontation which Malzieu would have. Confidence is high after our good win against Exeter and we are looking to fully secure our safety and also cause an upset. The squad we have picked is our strongest squad possible and we will be pushing for a good win to secure our safety. This match will be decided by forwards to we have selected a big pack with a back row who are all able to make an aimpact carrying the ball or at the breakdown. In the backs we have certain positions ‘bedded in’ and will use Steyn to kick us territory and McCabe/King to make the dents in the centre. Our bench is full of talent and impact subs and we will use them throughout the match to run at tired legs.

Forwards
*A front row who know each other well and will look to gain the advantage on the hit. Botha will lead from the front here and Budgen will be brought on in the last 20 to scrummage Irish off the park.
*Our 2nd row will look to dominate the lineouts and are quite a heavy partnership as we look to dominate the scrum. Hamilton will keep his head and look to wind up a few characters in the Irish side and impose himself at the breakdown whilst Kohn will look to carry the ball up off 9 to make quick yards.
*Back-row will be key at the breakdown and with Jones and Newby we have 2 players who are more than capable of doing this well. They will look to hit every other ruck each to gain turnover ball or slow down their possession. The other player will be looking to hit 10 constantly to put him off his game. Morgan will pick from some scrums when a gap is possible and he always gets over the gainline when carrying so we have guaranteed forward advantage when he has his hands on the ball.
*The bench will be used wisely with Budgen coming on for the last 20 and Higginbotham and Gorgodze being used as and when to add hard ball carrying and an extra lineout option.

Backs
*Quick ball is key here when we get it (we are expecting a hard slog up front) and Peel will be looking for gaps or forwards running to make the hard yards. Steyn will use his boot when we are under pressure but; if we are in the opposition’s half most of the time we will look to get the ball out to the centres. He will take the points when possible and use drop goals to keep the board ticking.
*McCabe will simply be given the role of playmaker with Malzieu and Habana running lines off of him and through the defence. Malzieu will be sued as a battering ram in the first 20 minutes and we will look to release the wingers off 3rd ball phase to make it quick ball and give them the space required (1st ball will be forwards, 2nd ball will be King/forwards, 3rd ball to the backs).
*Wingers and Morgan are to go looking for work and to stay sturdy in defence. They will all be comfortable under the high ball and have the pace to take the oppostion on the outside shoulder.
*Bench will be used wisely with Kelleher bringing a fast impact game to Heathcote who likes to take the ball on the front foot. Tonks can cover quite a few positions and will be looking to impress having been given this chance.

Defence
*Hard blitz banana defence lead by McCabe who will call it up.
*Peel/Kelleher will look to sweep and snipe any loose ball.
*Newby/Jones to alternate hitting rucks and hitting 10 to stop quick ball and look for the turnover opportunities.
*If we get a turnover we will look to run it, if nothing is on Steyn will pin them back with long distance touch finders.



Hasn't Bell just retired?!

He's announced that he is retiring at the end of the season

Ah ok, thought it was immediate

Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Cian Healy	09. Richard Wigglesworth
02. Kevin Mealamu	10. David Skrela
03. Dave Wilson
04. Louis Deacon	11. George North
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Maxime Mermoz
06. James Haskell	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. SOB	14. Olly Woodburn
08. JMF Lobbe	15. Isiah Toeava

16. Jon Golding 17. Joe Ward 18. Davit Kubrashvilli 19. Rob Simmons 20. Tom Guest 21. Chris Cook 22. Kurtley Beale 23. Tom Varndell

Key points:
Look for an edge in the lineout
Try to play some good running rugby using the forwards and creative backs

[quote="anonmattyt"]

anonmattyt wrote:Gloucester team

Manager – mat

01. Wood	09. Will genia
02. Grey	10. Johan goosen
03. Nicola mas
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Charlie sharples
05. Tom palmer	12. Berrick barnes
06. Steven ferris	13. Richard Kahui
07. Schalk Burger	14. JSD
08. immanol harinordoqouy	15. Israel Dagg

16. Coonie 17. Darren diawiduik 18. Julian white 19. Richie Grey 20. Saull 21. Dave Lewis 22. Dan Carter 23. Jonny May

Glaws tactics


High tempo carrying game
Win the battle up front first through relentless carrying and winning the collisions
Focus on the lineout as attacking weapon and also to steal ball. We have 5 jumpers and
In hari the best lineout forward on world rugby after bonnaire.
Focus on scrum.
Play at High tempo with genia controlling game and only giving when on.
Goosen to kick any pens which is about 65metre range.
Test sale back 3 out with high ball
Look to really quicken game in 2nd half and create mismatches
Intro our superior bench like carter grey and may
If conditions go really wet Barnes will add extra kicking option

Glaws at home and form team in league

Good luck SJE

Sgt_Pooly wrote:
KEY POINTS:

HOME ADVANTAGE - Huge this one, esp at this satge in the season. Sarries have been on the road for 2 weeks so will be jaded. We are unbeaten at home in nearly 2 SEASONS

Not looking to get into a battle or slanging match here but as a point of order, we were away last week, and beat Falcons at home the week before in the Heino, so we have only been away for one week, and I am sure that the massive 41 mile (less than an hours journey) trek will have affected us a bit less than Newcastles minimum 530 mile round trip to face Gloucester.

Our away win has kept us in good spirits as well.

We got the plane to Gloucester Pete, McCaw has a private jet

Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Jerome Schuster	09. Ben Spencer
02. Guilleme Guirado	10. Aaron Cruden
03. Luc Ducalcon
04. Stephen Sykes	11. David Strettle
05. Christian Day	12. Jordan Turner Hall
06. Adam Thomson	13. Yann David
07. Fulgence Quedragao	14. Lelia Masaga
08. Wycliffe Palu	15. Nick Abendanon

16. Lee Imolek 17. David Paice 18. Neemia Tialata 19. Chris Jones 20. Victor Vito 21. Nicholas Bezy 22. Olly Barkley 23. Tom Brady

---

General Game Plan:

We will use our strong carriers to attack gaps and half gaps in the Glaws line, looking to offload in contact to support runners thus changing the point of attack and keeping our forward momentum going. Cruden will look to attack from fly half and inject pace to the proceedings committing the Glaws defence and leaving space in wider channels to exploit. If running the ball is not on our halfbacks will look to the boot to put us in the right areas.

At scrum time we will look to contest each and every engagement. On our own feed we will look to get the wheel on and create extra room for our 8-9-10 axis to work in. While on Gloucester’s feed we will disrupt the put in looking for penalties or to create rushed, poor ball for the Glaws halfbacks. With 5 jumping options and a reliable thrower at hooker we will look to attack from the lineout mixing things up by bringing the ball down into the maul and using the physicality of our pack or else playing the ball of the top and injecting serious pace into the play.

On defence, we will use a blitz defence coming up at pace looking to isolate the Gloucester ball carriers before they can get to the gain line stopping any momentum and allowing us to hit the breakdown harder. Spencer will act as a sweeper to cover any grubbers or chips behind the line while our back three will sit deep ready to cover any kicks down the touch lines and counter attack at pace.

With the blitz defence in operation we will look to be at the breakdown first hitting it fast and hard. The first two players on the scene will look to ruck past the ball and clear out the Gloucester players providing quick counter attacking ball to be cleared and used against a disorganised defensive line. If the ball does not look available we will not commit to the ruck and look to strengthen the defensive line instead.

---

dont know what iv done pete but managed to copy loads of wrong stuff accross.

either way could u take my tactics from the bottom and update page?
having real problems with this site!!

Tactics

- In good conditions, play an attacking, running game, similar to the recent victories. We will run back loose kicks and not look to give away possession. We will however look to dominate the territory and play in the right areas of the pitch.
- We use the scrum as a an attacking platform, with two good scrummaging props we will look to turn the screw and win penalties or use Daniel to pick up and carry or Pienaar to get the ball out to the backs. Castro and Tonga'uhia will look to get us on the front foot and drive Warriors back, looking to win penalties.
- We will look to win the contact area and the collisions. With Castro, Garvey, Daniel, Steffon, Kaino, SBW in the side, we have some big, powerful units who will look to smash over the gain line and put Worcester on the backfoot. We will look for quick ball for Pienaar to use and create opportunities with.
- Kennedy will be our main lineout target and we willl look for quick ball off the top on most occasions, if not use Garvey at the front to create a maul.
- We willl look to dominate possession and tire the Warriors defence. Kaino, Armitage, Garvey, Tonga'uhia etc will carry hard and look to make inroads. We will look for Pienaar and JMH to play what is infront of them and put SBW and co into gaps and space. Our wingers, especially Tagicakibau, will come inside and along with Smith, look to gather the offloads from SBW, which he will only do when it is on.
- At the breakdown, we will look to use our powerful flankers and the breakdown skills of Steffon to secure quick ball and slow down opposition ball. Any turnover ball will be counter attacked.
- Pienaar will kick all pens for goal in range. If not we will go for touch and use the lineout as a platform to attack.
- If any attacks become slow and we are in danger of being turned of making a mistake, we will look for JMH to pop over a drop goal to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
- We have plenty of impact off the bench to keep things fresh and hopefully see out the game.
- We see this as a must win to stand any chance of making the playoffs. The boys are fired up!

Pete can you add these if you have a spare 5 minutes

- Play the percentages and use a combination of a solid set piece and ROG's boot to put us in a position to punish Saints.
- Hudson is the best lineout operator on show and will have a field day securing our own ball and taking Saints ball against the head.
- Thomas and ROG to play what is in front of them.
- Jennings to target the break down and make a mess of it and steal plenty of ball on the deck.

As no predictions have been made I will add these, but these tactics should have been in before midnight yesterday guys.

Cheers dude , My bad thought i'd done them

will do predo's this evening - got football this lunch and then meetings til 8ish or so.

Newcastle 19 - 19 Saracens

Front row to Saracens, 2nd row to Newcastle. back rows are pretty even with McCaw being out for a while now. Overall I think Saracens will edge the scrum with the lineout being pretty even . I think Saracens offer more in terms of carrying and mobility around the park with Newcastle perhaps having that bit more on the deck at the breakdown. Overall I think there is marginal advantage to Saracens upfront. Half backs are close and can't really call them, form issues with both sets I think. Centres are a great battle with Saracens slightly on top. Back 3 to Newcastle. I don't think the light rain will affect the game to much and I think Newcastle will be stronger off the bench. Can't call this one.

Exeter 20 - 24 Northampton

Front row goes to Exeter but the rest of the pack is all Saints. Good carriers in both packs and the set piece will be pretty even with Exeter having a marginal advantage at both. Backs however are all Saints and they will score some tries here in slick conditions.

Gloucester 22 - 20 Sale

Front row to Sale but the back 5 of the scrum goes to Gloucester as it usually does. Two dynamic packs and I think the lineout will go to Sale aswell as the scrum marginally. Half backs are Gloucester's as are the centres with the back 3's being a little closer with Masaga a real dangerman. It's a tough game which I think would be a real battle.

Bath 25 - 22 Wasps

Bath have the edge across the board I think but it will be a close game. Bath side very strong but still has weaknesses which fastlane is addressing by the looks of his deals.

Worcester 18 - 17 London Irish

Front row to Irish but I give the 2nd row to Worcester. it's a big nasty unit which will be a presence in the tight and at the lineout. back rows are pretty even and I can't really seperate the packs. Half backs are pretty even with perhaps the slight edge to Worcester. Centres a well matched but Irish a little stronger. Back 3's have some players in good form with the slight edge to Irish. Good game which is tough to call and home advantage and parity in the pack gives the narrowest win to a fighting Worcester.

Sorry guys was doing a performance all yesterday and went out in the evening so I couldn't get tactics in. Apologies

Newcastle 21-21 Saracens
Think Corbs'll do PDJ at this scrum which just edges the front row. Thorn's just hit incredible form and the back rows are even I'd say. Looking at the backs it is hard to split and I have to take in home advantage. Really can't split this one guys with both teams nullifying each other in attack and it coming down to kicks.

Exeter 20-21 Northampton
Think Saints'll nick the scrum here but looking at the 2nd rows then Exeter will have the lineout dominance. In the backs I prefer the Chiefs' half backs but looking at the back 3 I can see more dominance from the Saints. A tremendous effort from Exeter but think Saints'll just take it with their backs running the gaps.

Gloucester 20-18 Sale
Sale will take the lineout but Glos will win the scrums and the breakdown with Spencer struggling off slow ball. JTH will get through the gaps well for Sale and they have the right wins in for the offloads but I feel that when Glos are in space they will be more dangerous and their bench will gain more impact.

Quins 18-17 Leicester
Front 5 to Quins but Tigers will slow down the ball and have the running options in the back row. 9-10 is even but think Yachvilli will be a bit more successful in sniping. Bench goes to Quins and the Tigers win the backs attacking options. Home advantage will be added to this so I feel the front 5 gaining a couple more penalties will nick it. Hardest one to split!!

Bath 26-22 Wasps
No tactics so just onto the squads. Bath will take the front 5. Backrows are even with the breakdown being pretty slow. North will get the better of Banahan and just, just prefer the Bath pairing, prefer Roberts at 12 to be honest. Bath more dangerous on the bench.

Newcastle Falcons 23-23 Saracens

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Not an awful lot of give in the pack with Sarries maybe just shading the scrum and Falcons the breakdown. Better form from the Sarries halfbacks while Falcons have more danger men in the back 3. Very good game on show and really difficult to call. Opting for the draw here

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Exeter Chiefs 18-22 Northampton Saints

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Not a lot in it set piece wise but Saints have more carrying wise and around the park in the pack. ROG will provide better control from flyhalf but outside of that more form and class from the Saints back line and they should put enough on the board to overcome a resilient Chiefs side.

---

Harlequins 19-22 Leicester Tigers

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Edge to Tigers with a massive engine room backing up the front row but not much else where in the pack. Both sides setting out to control the pace of the game but the Tigers halfbacks look the better operators for the job. Bit more power from the Tigers bench as well should see them tie up a very good game in the final quarter

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Bath Rugby 25-19 London Wasps

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Wasps can get control at the scrum here. Bath backrow will give good momentum going forward. Wasps edge the halfback battle but Bath have more outside the flyhalf and at home should get enough ball for the win.

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Worcester Warriors 18-23 London Irish

---

Irish can get a real edge at the set piece but the back row battle will be a right scrap. Good half back battle but Irish with some serious form in midfield will get good momentum. Irish have too much of a platform in the game for Worcester to overcome and get a decent win.

---

I preface all of my predictions this week by saying that at this stage of the season as well as the usual criteria that I apply to working out a result, I am also looking at consistency of selection and momentum as I believe that they are key issues during the run in.


Exeter Chiefs 19 Northampton Saints 23

The Chiefs have some in form players and will be nuggety and tough to beat with a solid game plan. Can see them dominating the lineout here. Saints are on a good run in this game, and have real quality throughout, although they do have some form issues in a couple of jerseys. At Sandy Park Exeter will scrap for their lives, and this will be close, but I can just see int eh final quarter Saints pulling away as they have some real quality to bring off the bench and maje a difference.


Gloucester 27 Sale Sharks 23

I can see a few points in this one with some great attacking players on show for both sides. Gloucester have a the bigger names and more star quality, but slight form issues around one or two, whereas Sharks have some real form players but also one or two are just workmanlike in their team. Momentum is with Gloucester a bit, and they have some massive impact players to come off the bench which I can see giving them the win in the end.


Harlequins 20 Leicester Tigers 20

Have gone over this one about 5 times now, and no matter which way I look at things I am struggling to seperate them. I have the Quins starting XV on top, but the Tigers forwards replacements can give them real impact and I think will see the away side cling on for a hard earned draw.

Bath Rugby 17 London Wasps 16

Whilst both teams have good packs and outside backs I don't see this being a classic as for me there are issues with both sets of half backs with none of the 4 of them having any real form whatsoever. Overall I have Bath as marginally stronger and with Skrela as the pick of the 9/10's so have them just edging this one.


Worcester Warriors 22 London Irish 24

Another tough call, but I can see Irish just edging this one. Worcester pretty much guaranteed their safety last week,a dn Irish are still scrapping for a play off spot, so I would see them being a little more fired up here, and with their pack I can see them gaining just enough of an edge to pinch an away win.

Newcastle 24 Saracens 20
Gloucester 26 Sale 24
Harlequins 20 Leicester 20
Bath 30 Wasps 23
Worcester 18 London Irish 23


Sorry for lack of description but i am absolutely shagged and ready for bed.


Also Pete , i do believe Pooly is on a stag do this weekend so i'm not sure if he'll be around to predict.

Falcons v Sarries - Close game with plenty of class on show. good sarries front row but think at home falcons edge the pack overall. prefer the falcons back 3 and think that gives them the edge in the pack. think nonu will cause problems and jd is very useful. good impacts from both benches but at home falcons take it.
26-23

Chiefs v Saints - like the blend in chiefs pack. good set piece and experienced and gritty back row. think rog will give better control than cips. but apart from that prefer the saints backs. saints on a roll and chiefs a little deflated from last week. narrow away win
17-18

Glos v Sale - glos at home so strong. they get the nudge on upfront to give their backs a good platform. not a massive spencer fan for sale but cruden on great form.
25-21

quins v tigers - quins on a bit of a roll towards the playoffs, which isnt great for me! their pack will be heavily tested here by powerful tigers unit. good control from tigers half backs keep them in the game. 12T and BOD need a bit more form but is a decent combo.
19-19

bath v wasps - wasps can get a nudge on in scrum but think in the loose and backs bath can control the game at home. powerful side with some hard runners that will seal a close victory.
22-20

Newcastle 23-22 Sarries
Overall prefer the Newcastle forwards. Think the lineout goes to Falcons while the scrum goes to Sarries however think the Newcastle back row will have a bigger impact on the game. I think the half backs are hard to call prefering Parra and Evans respectively. Not much in the centres but see the Falcons back three as better. With home advantage, an edge in forwards and marginally better subs I edge to Newcastle.

Exeter 23-26 Saints
I think Exeter have the tiniest edge in the scrum and lineout but in the loose I feel the Saints forwards will have a much bigger impact. Not sure about Cipriani playing at FH but prefer the Saints backs except for that. Think the Saints bench gets him the win.

Gloucester 28-22 Sale
Think Gloucester have too much magic and momentum to lose this. Think their half backs between them for Gloucester lack either form or experience.

Quins 20-19 Tigers
Think Tigers have the biggest advantage in the forwards with the second row pairing although I think the rest of the forwards I'd slightly edge towards Quins. Overall give it to Tigers. Prefer the Quins backs though overall. Both have good benches although slight edge to Tigers. Terribly hard to call

Warriors 25-27 Irish
Prefer the Irish front fibve think they will get some joy but in the back row find it hard to seperate. Not much in the halfbacks combo or anywhere else in the backs for that matter. Think McCallister could have a huge influence from the bench to win it for Irish

Newcastle 19 Saracens 19
The Sarries pack is going to cause Newcastle some issues in both set pieces, think Pete has got the best pack in the league in terms of how it would all click together - can see them being very disruptive and stopping Newcastle from getting any real rhythm to their game - more form with Sarries in this, but home performance of Newcastle very important. Both benches have a lot of impact players for different reasons. Just can't split it - as think both teams defences can nullify others attacks very well.

Gloucester 31 - 27 Sale
This one has try fest written all over it - the Sharples, JSD, Dagg backthree is going to be perfect for the conditions and Barnes might have been the best signing for Mat's backline as he will pull all the strings from12. Do really like the Sale lineup but a key factor is going to be the mismatch between Spencer and Genia at no9 and when Gloucester bring on their bench.

Harlequins 27 - 26 Leicester
Really close game, two very strong packs with some really on form forwards and the battle between Warburton and Pocock is worth the admission fee alone! Home advantage probably just and only just edges it towards a Quins win, the control at 10-12 for me is big factor and would like Tigers to have a bit more creativity in the 9-10 shirts.

Bath 24 - 22 Wasps
Didn't really see many tactics from either, so not sure how Bath or Wasps will set out to play this game. More go forward in the Bath pack, but Wasps very disruptive tacklers, prefer Wasps midfield and Wade will be a constant threat, but Bath will see it through just.

Worcester 19 - 20 London Irish
Very confrontational in the forwards and both teams will probably even themselves out here, always like the backline Nick puts out, has a lot of power and running threat in it, which makes it difficult to breakdown and for me Conrad Smith is the game changer, adds guile from 13 and will be the difference between the two.

Newcastle 24 Saracens 23 home advantage in titanic game. Fourie holds his rating but for how long now he is staying in Japan
Exeter 18-22 saints form of saints is great Exeter will make it difficult but Chris is on fire and the backline is sheer class and all on form.
Harlequins 20 Leicester 20 can't separate great game. Cancel each other out

Bath 30 Wasps 29 tries a plenty bath struggle with English And wasps not enough to put them away

Worcester 18 London Irish 19 Irish too much class but Worcester are a difficult side well set out with great halfbacks


Sorry for briefness

Necastle 25 - 23 Saracens
Exeter 20 - 22 Northampton Saints
Gloucester 28 - 26 Sale
Harlequins 23 - 20 Leicester Tigers
Worcester 20 - 22 London Irish

Does anyone know if luke is back off holiday?

According to stats his last post was 2nd april

And he said he was away for three weeks, so guessing not. Pooly is only a possible for predictions so if he doesn't get on then we're done.

Think I've sneaked a massive win there.

You have some team Steve you are massively unlucky that some players like jj and Lowe have been missing most of the year. You have been super unlucky with real life injuries affecting form ratings.

A decent 12 and your team will be in the mix for trophies next year. Brits was a quality buy so consistent and available all the time