Your Team this Coming Season

Hey all,

Bored on Monday so thought I'd do a little table thing to see how people think their team is shaping up for the season coming. So copy and paste the yoke below and then I am sure that will create some discussion!!!

TEAM:

Scrum: /10
Lineout: /10
Kicking game: /10
Breakdown: /10
Defence: /10
Attack: /10
Squad Depth: /10
Coaching: /10

Expectations this season:

Players to watch:

New signings:

Other:



Ok so type it in and see if people think your team should be better or worse at certain things and you can do the same to other teams. Obviously be respectful.

10 - Absolute perfection
09 - Excellent
08 - Very Good
07- Good
06 - Above Average
05 - Average
04 - Below Average
03 - Bad
02 - Very Bad
01 - Apalling

TEAM:Saracens

Scrum:6 /10 - not the strongest scrum by a long shot but can generally hold their own. The likes of Gill and Nieto aren't bad at all.
Lineout:8 /10 - very underrated facet of play. Borthwick is still one of the finest lineout operators around. Joubert is also very good. Just look at the stats.
Kicking game:8 /10 - it's what Saracens specialise in. Kick chase is also generally very good. Place kicking is excellent - with numerous players as options.
Breakdown:8 /10 -Generally very good in this area - even with injuries the backrow has mostly held their own except for against the top sides.
Defence:8 /10 - Again normally very good except against the very best.
Attack:5 /10 - This stat is low because Saracens rarely try to score tries. When they try they can cut defences open. Ask Exeter,Leicester and Sale.
Squad Depth:7 /10 - Good in this area but still find it tough to replace certain players like Barritt,Burger,Brown etc when they are injured.
Coaching:7 /10 - need to work more on the attacking game but in generally they've done a decent job. I feel there's more work to do because we aren't the best in Europe.


Expectations this season:Win back AP title and get HC semi.

Players to watch:Plenty but to narrow it down - Joel Tomkins,

New signings:Lorenzo Romano,Alistair Hargreaves, Chris Ashton, Nick Fenton Wells

Other: Strong domestically and only beaten by the toughest sides in Europe. Will need to go up another level in scrummaging stakes and develop a more attacking ruthlessness to progress further in Europe though.

Beating Leinster or Clermont would be a real feat.

TEAM: BATH

Scrum: 5/10 (improvement from 3/10 with James at LH)
Lineout: 5/10
Kicking game: 6/10
Breakdown: 7/10
Defence: 7/10 (ford and gold to do a job here)
Attack: 6/10
Squad Depth: 4/10
Coaching: 9/10 (you'd bloody hope so, we've got 100s of them!)

Expectations this season:
Minimum top 6, maybe sneak into top 4 if we get some good results during international window

Players to watch:
Kyle Eastmond, Tom Heathcote, Olly Woodburn

New signings:
Paul James, Dominic Day, Horacio Agulla, Rob Webber
Other:

Pete good article. Really nice to see personal views on one's own side.

Are you going to put down some ratings?

TEAM: Leinster

Scrum: 7/10
Lineout: 8/10
Kicking game: 8/10
Breakdown: 9.5/10
Defence: 9/10
Attack: 9/10
Squad Depth: 8/10
Coaching: 9/10

Expectations this season: I think we should be expecting to win the HCup again this year. That is what we should aim for. If we can get the double that would be the light at the end of the tunnel.

Players to watch: Healy is playing out of his skin at the moment and hopefully will continue to improve. Dominic Ryan could have a big season this year with O'Brien and Ruddock out. Toner I expect to now be the leading lock in Leinster and to continue his upward trend in form. Madigan is a live wire and can light up the pro12 and will most likely make a good impact at HCup level be it at 10 or 12. Dave Keareny although injured at the moment looks like he could be a great Leinster winger in time.

New signings: Bent (prop), Denton (lock), Roux (lock), Goodman (centre/flyhalf)

Other: While we have a lot of depth at lock, it is somewhat unproven. Leo is getting older and looks to be getting slower, I think the engine room could be an issue for us in terms of muscle and physical grind. Toner is a good player but that isn't really his game. Ross is slow enough in this area too. It is one of the main reasons I believe Strauss will continue to start ahead of Cronin, and I can see Heaslip having to spend more time in the trenches.

Yeah did this on the old 606 so thought I'd so one here too.

Do you reckon Ashton will be the guy to transform your attack? I assume he should get into the starting XV????

Having a strong lineout, kicking game and being good at the breakdown will really stand to you against Munster. If you are able to rob lineout ball and keep their attack limited that is half the battle to beating them in my eyes.

Bathite-
Agualla for one is a serious signing in my opinion. I really rate the guy both on attack and defence.
If your scrummaging is average (5=average) then you should be ok realistically. Will you guys lose less players to the international teams in the windows?

TEAM:
Tigers:

Scrum: 9.5/10 (sometimes get caught on the big hit, especially if the ref is a bit soft on the oppositions bindings)
Lineout: 8/10 (very good but has not been at it's destructive best since 2010)
Kicking game: 7.5/10 (improving nicely though so that may go up this season)
Breakdown: 8/10 (good but a tad naive at times, Waldrom, and could do with being a bit more nasty at times, que the return of Louis Deacon)
Defence: 5/10 (we gave some incredibly soft tries away last season)
Attack: 9.5/10 (we scored tries everywhere and were top of the try scoring charts as well, just need to be a little more clinical at times and off the tee)
Squad Depth: 8/10 (glaring weakness at hooker and some inexperience at half back but looking good and cannot complain with recruitment)
Coaching: 7/10 (a lack of tactical nous with the subs at times and no defence coach)

Expectations this season:

HEC knock outs, AP Final

Players to watch:

Matt Tait, Dan Cole and the half backs (we have some really good ones this season. Also interesting to see how the midfield combinations go)

New signings:

Mulipola (long term deal), Andrew (lock), Brett Deacon (6/8), Phibbs (short term deal, 9), Bowden (10/12), Goneva (11,13,14,15), Benjamin (wing), Thompstone (wing).

Other:

Must be more clinical and exert more control over games rather than trying simply to weather the opposition storm and out gun them late on.

Pete my ratings are based on last season. Look at our try count. It's pretty woeful. The Saracens backline on paper is very strong but I can't give them a high rating until they start scoring tries. If Saracens are given the license to attack they can be lethal - it's down to the coaches' tactics.

It's up to that centre partnership - if Tomkins can make the 13 shirt his own it will unleash the back three - the likes of Goode,Wyles,Strettle,Short,Ashton etc.

I wholeheartedly agree with your Leinster ratings though wouldn't squad depth be a 8.5 or 9?

TEAM: Exeter Chiefs

Scrum: 7.5/10
Lineout: 5.5/10
Kicking game: 7/10
Breakdown: 7.5/10
Defence: 7.5/10
Attack: 7/10
Squad Depth: 7/10
Coaching: 8.5/10

Expectations this season: Objectives = qualify for HC again in Prem, enjoy our first 'proper' European experience in Heino

Players to watch: All! In the words of Aristotle, "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts"

New signings: Carl Rimmer (Loosehead, Cornish Pirates), Jack Yeandle (Hooker, Doncaster), Alex Brown (Tighthead, Doncaster), Damian Welch (Lock, Scarlets), Dean Mumm (Lock, Waratahs), Kai Horstmann (No8, Worcester), Will Chudley (Scrumhalf, Newcastle), Ian Whitten (Centre, Ulster)

Other: As long as we keep progressing both on and off the field, I'll be happy. Particularly hoping that we continue a more ambitious playing style that we adopted in the latter half of last season

With a completely new coaching team, completely new centre and two international backrows retiring at Munster I don't think I can call many of these accurately.

However we do have excellent squad depth in most places. I would rate depth as 8/10. The scrum is much improved due to our South African prop and I would say 6/10 which is a big step up from the 3/10 I would have given it in 2010. I think our lineout is weaker than people think. They assume Munster has a top class lineout but I would say its only around 7/10.

Its a lot of speculation but I would say:

Scrum: 5/10
Lineout: 7/10
Kicking game: 8/10
Breakdown: 6/10
Defence: 7/10
Attack: 7/10
Squad Depth: 8/10
Coaching: 7/10

I think our breakdown is average but the team pack mentality we seem to produce pushes it above average.

Pete I think that Leinster are good but thats some serious optimism. For example is Leinster lineout really an 8/10 if 5 is average. Not in my book.

10 - Absolute perfection
09 - Excellent
08 - Very Good
07- Good
06 - Above Average
05 - Average
04 - Below Average
03 - Bad
02 - Very Bad
01 - Apalling

TEAM: LONDON IRISH

Scrum: 5/10 - Corbs at LH is vital, without him we have Lahiff who is a beast in the loose but struggles at scrum time. No destructive TH could be a problem, Halavatu and Aulika can do a job but both average scrummagers.
Lineout: 8/10 - Although Kennedy has left, Skivington is a good operator and Bryn Evans is good in the air. Jamie Gibson is also an excellent option and Hala'ufia and Gray are both good options.
Kicking game: 8/10 - Geraghty is an average out of hand kicker, iHumph is hit and miss, but Homer is awesome from the tee. O'Leary can box kick well at time.
Breakdown: 6/10 - Treviranus looks a very good breakdown operator, whilst Hala'ufia and Gibson are quite handy there too. Since Steffon left we have lacked a turnover specialist, but Treviranus looks a good option.
Defence: 6/10 - Leaked too many tries last season, expect that to be firmed up this season with Shaun Edwards as defence coach.
Attack: 9/10 - Geraghty, Humphreys, Tagicakibau, Ojo, Yarde, Joseph, Ansbro, Sa. All very good attacking threats. We always score a lot of tries and expect more of the same this season. so much pace in the backs.
Squad Depth: 6/10 - Better than last season. But still could be improved especially the props.
Coaching: 8/10 - Booth going is a good thing. Smith will get more out of the players, and Shaun Edwards is an unbelievable addition for Irish.

Expectations this season: Top 6 is a requirement. A decent LV cup run or Amlin cup run would be good, a semi final at least would be nice.

Players to watch: Geraghty - If he gets good ball, he can be magical. Sa - Could be the replacement for Mapusua, strong and big runner, be interesting to see how he adapts. Yarde - Expect him to take Ojo's spot on the wing, looks one for the future. Tagicakibau - If he can stay fit, will score hatfuls of tries. Always gives his opposite winger a nightmare game.

New signings: Geraghty, Humphreys, O'Leary, Skivington, Sa, Lawson, Gaston, Aulika, Griffiths.

Other: Need to be more powerful upfront and give the backs better ball. Not many better backlines than this one, but the pack needs to deliver.

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Yeah did this on the old 606 so thought I'd so one here too. :OK:

Bathite-
Agualla for one is a serious signing in my opinion. I really rate the guy both on attack and defence.
If your scrummaging is average (5=average) then you should be ok realistically. Will you guys lose less players to the international teams in the windows?

Yep, Agulla will be a great addition, although it seems a bit of a silly signing in my opinion. The issue with our bluntness lies in the centres and distrubution. Woodburn, Biggs and Abendanon all had great seasons in the back three, but did it with very little ball and had to do it all on their own really. Personally think that the money would have been better spent on a 12 or 13, especially as our best centre Carraro has gone to Montpellier.

We won't lose many during 6Ns at all and think we have lucked out with fixtures, getting some of the bigger teams during this time. Only Webber (Mears will cover his loss brilliantly) will be a certainty and he won't definitely be in every England 22, not by a long way. Some of the lads in the Saxons, Fearns, Bendy, Catt and Biggs, but I think this lot will miss less Prem games than the full EPS

Is this just premiership or can anyone join in....

GeordieFalcon wrote:Is this just premiership or can anyone join in....

Reckon anyone can join in, Geordie - you do one for Falcons and I'll do one for London Scottish

Of course you can join in Geordie... got to keep an eye on Tigers future signings .

Bathite I wonder if Bath will he tempted to use Agulla in the centres. He played a couple of games there for Tigers when we had a lot of injuries and did alright. To be fair to him he was up against it with Smith at IC (meaning no passes from IC) but he held the line in defence and made a couple of breaks.

TEAM: Gloucester

Scrum: 8/10 (with Nick Wood) 5/10 (without Nick Wood!)
Lineout: 7/10
Kicking game: 8/10
Breakdown: 6/10
Defence: 6/10
Attack: 9/10
Squad Depth: 7/10
Coaching: ?/10

Expectations this season: Return to the top 6; complete a hatrick of doubles over

Players to watch: Tom Savage at lock/6, he should be our next generation of enforcer and is already a very good ball carrier; Sione Kalamafoni, hopefully he'll show the potential we think he has, maybe the next Junior Paramore?; Ben Morgan, a player is always happier when he's home ; Jonny May, he needs to fight 2nd season syndrome, but the signs are promising so far. Has the potential to be one of the best ever Glaws backs!

New signings: Huia Edmonds (HK), Sione Kalamafoni (6/8), Ben Morgan (8), Jimmy Cowan (SH), Billy Twelvetrees (guaranteed starting IC!), Drew Locke (OC), Shana Monahan (Wing), Rob Cook (FB), Martyn Thomas (FB)

Other: This will be a very interesting year for Glaws following a huge upheaval of lots of players coming and going and more importantly a new coaching set up. Much has been said about the Glaws backs and as long as the learn not to just throw it wide as quickly as possible, they have the ability to cause real problems. The issue is whether they get (good) ball in the first place! For the first half of last season the Glaws forwards were performing incredibly well, but they then fell off appallingly (coincidentally when Nick Wood got injured). Tony Windo has come home to carry on the work of the sorely missed John Brain, so hopefully we'll see some improvements there. Nigel Davies seems to be saying the right things about the breakdown, but only time will tell if the players can truly become competitive here - hopefully Mr Moriarty will pass on some of his fire!

All in all a very exciting season ahead, but could be a transitional year.

TEAM: London Scottish

Scrum: 6/10
Lineout: 5/10
Kicking game: 5/10
Breakdown: 5/10
Defence: 3.5/10
Attack: 5/10
Squad Depth: 4/10
Coaching: 5/10

Expectations this season: Objective = avoid relegation battle and consolidate in the Championship

Players to watch:

New signings: James Love (Fullback, Plymouth Albion), Andy Reay (Centre, Moseley), Chevvy Pennycook (Backrow, Moseley), James Ngan (Backrow, Barking), Mark Irish (Loosehead, Bristol), Jim Thompson (Fullback, Edinburgh), 'World Class' Phil Godman (Standoff, Edinburgh), Richard Bolt (Scrumhalf, Harlequins), Ross Samson (Scrumhalf, London Irish), Tyler Hotson (Lock, Plymouth Albion)

On loan: Sam Twomey (Lock, Quins), Joe Trayfoot (Flanker, Quins), Harry Allen (Hooker, Quins) and Miles Mantella (Winger, Quins)

Other: This is an important season for Scottish. They struggled to adjust to the pace and physicality of the Championship after promotion from ND1, and it took a last day TBP to avoid relegation. Coaching duo Simon Amor and Alex Codling will be hoping for much more this time around, and for a season much freer of injuries.

formerly known as Sam wrote:Of course you can join in Geordie... got to keep an eye on Tigers future signings :thumbsup: .

Bathite I wonder if Bath will he tempted to use Agulla in the centres. He played a couple of games there for Tigers when we had a lot of injuries and did alright. To be fair to him he was up against it with Smith at IC (meaning no passes from IC) but he held the line in defence and made a couple of breaks.

Have wondered if Agulla is an option at 13, would make a lot more sense. I'd prefer him there than Banahan, but hoping that a full pre season from Hipkiss and he'll have a good season. Be good to have someone able to crash it up and be a focal point in attack.

Thanks for posting this Stag, this is something people overlook IMO

10 - Absolute perfection
09 - Excellent
08 - Very Good
07- Good
06 - Above Average
05 - Average
04 - Below Average
03 - Bad
02 - Very Bad
01 - Apalling

Bathite wrote:TEAM: BATH

Players to watch:
Kyle Eastmond, Tom Heathcote, Olly Woodburn

Bathite, what happened to Eastmond for the 7s? Was he injured, will he be back for the final? I was really looking forward to seeing him in action.

Also, do you think Heathcote will surpass Donald this year?

Sam you are really harsh on your defence in my opinion. Certainly when other sides have rated their teams higher. I suppose it's tougher standards.

Some of these ratings are very interesting.

Everyone is welcome here no matter the team.

Jesus Exeter have recruited like MAD! Got some good guys there. Will be looking to kick to touch a lot based on your estimation of the lineout.

Agree with Stag on his Munster summary, tis complex but I think it bucks the trend people have adopted over years. Munster lineout used to be sick now not so much, same with breakdown. Would have given you a 6 in the scrum though I think maybe even a 6.5.

Leinster depth......yeah it is good maybe worth the 8.5 but our quality of depth at lock is quite poor and Hagan at TH isn't a world beater at all and we have yet to see Bent.

Also right now back 3 appears a bit of an issue but that will be remedied when the internationals are back.

Great to see everyone contributing and debating. Good work gang

HongKong-

Didnt realise that Glaws recruited so many either! Cowen should be good. Is there something of an unknown quality due to the amount of change in personel? Could there be a need for some bedding in time?

Pete the reason I said our scrum is average is that our two South African props are quite good but outside of that the cupboard is bare. We hold our own in the scrums. Some days we do well. Other days we don't.

Its average at best. I was considering a 4 but I think 5 is fair.

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Everyone is welcome here no matter the team.

Jesus Exeter have recruited like MAD! Got some good guys there. Will be looking to kick to touch a lot based on your estimation of the lineout.

Agree with Stag on his Munster summary, tis complex but I think it bucks the trend people have adopted over years. Munster lineout used to be sick now not so much, same with breakdown. Would have given you a 6 in the scrum though I think maybe even a 6.5.

Leinster depth......yeah it is good maybe worth the 8.5 but our quality of depth at lock is quite poor and Hagan at TH isn't a world beater at all and we have yet to see Bent.

Also right now back 3 appears a bit of an issue but that will be remedied when the internationals are back.

Great to see everyone contributing and debating. Good work gang

Yup, didn't go well last year, and hence the signings of Welch and Mumm

HongKongCherry wrote:

Bathite wrote:TEAM: BATH

Players to watch:
Kyle Eastmond, Tom Heathcote, Olly Woodburn

Bathite, what happened to Eastmond for the 7s? Was he injured, will he be back for the final? I was really looking forward to seeing him in action.

Also, do you think Heathcote will surpass Donald this year?

HKC, didn't catch any of the 7s, Eastmond was down to be in the squad, did he not play in the end? That happened 3/4 times last year for Cup and A league games, very strange.

Regarding Donald, I think with a proper coaching team in place, a full pre season and being fully fit, I think he'll earn his wages this year. I saw glimpses of great stuff from him last year. On another note, I expect Heathcote to keep progressing and to push him hard for the shirt. Great to have 2 good FH options as well. Some fans suggesting that Donald 10, Heathcote 12 might be an option as well.

A lot of our season will depend on the likes of Donald, Hipkiss, Barkley and Banahan stepping up to be the players that they are paid the big money to be. All of these guys were lacking match fitness and practice last year, so were very poor. If they start the season well, we might surprise a few.

Sam you are really harsh on your defence in my opinion. Certainly when other sides have rated their teams higher. I suppose it's tougher standards.

Well Beshocked I think it comes from us using a slightly out of date drift defence. In the day when he won everything it was a suffocating blanket that the opposition struggled to escape. Now with teams packing big ball carriers and our tackling around the fringes and blind side not up to scratch it is becomming easy for teams with big ball carriers and a decent 9 to make easy yardage. Look at the game at Ravenhill, our organisation in defence was shoite and Ulster made yardage easily of nearly every carry. That is the problem with a dirft defence in the modern game it MUST be well organised. If we had used the more common rush defence we could have maybe got away with a missed tackle hear and there because the missed tackle would have at least disrupted the call carriers momentum before the gainline and the sweeping defender making an easier covering tackle closer to the gainline.

I like the drift defence but we have to get it right, particularly on the blindside of the defence.

Also, do you think Heathcote will surpass Donald this year?

HKC, didn't that happen last year?

Also, good options for London Scottish As, Bolt/Godman should flourish at Championship level.

TEAM: BATH

Scrum: 10/10
Lineout: 10/10
Kicking game: 10/10
Breakdown:10/10
Defence: 10/10
Attack: 10/10
Squad Depth: 9.5/10
Coaching: 10.5/10

Expectations this season: Win every game

formerly known as Sam wrote:

Sam you are really harsh on your defence in my opinion. Certainly when other sides have rated their teams higher. I suppose it's tougher standards.

Well Beshocked I think it comes from us using a slightly out of date drift defence. In the day when he won everything it was a suffocating blanket that the opposition struggled to escape. Now with teams packing big ball carriers and our tackling around the fringes and blind side not up to scratch it is becomming easy for teams with big ball carriers and a decent 9 to make easy yardage. Look at the game at Ravenhill, our organisation in defence was shoite and Ulster made yardage easily of nearly every carry. That is the problem with a dirft defence in the modern game it MUST be well organised. If we had used the more common rush defence we could have maybe got away with a missed tackle hear and there because the missed tackle would have at least disrupted the call carriers momentum before the gainline and the sweeping defender making an easier covering tackle closer to the gainline.

I like the drift defence but we have to get it right, particularly on the blindside of the defence.

Also, do you think Heathcote will surpass Donald this year?

HKC, didn't that happen last year?

Also, good options for London Scottish As, Bolt/Godman should flourish at Championship level.

I think so, Sam - presumably this means that Amor will focus solely on coaching, but I hope that Godman's arrival doesn't blunt Dan Mugford's progress. I was surprised that we let Matt Heeks go tbh

Hersh only 9.5 squad depth? That's poor.

TEAM: ULSTER

Scrum:9 /10
Lineout:9 /10
Kicking game: 5/10
Breakdown:7.5 /10
Defence:8.5 /10
Attack: 10/10 top try scorers in league by a distance
Squad Depth: 7/10
Coaching: ?/10

Expectations this season: Play offs, H-cup Quarter final (home)

Players to watch:P Jackson, a lot of hope on this guy our main out half, but young and inexperienced

New signings: Williams, return of Ulster players, Bowe, Wilson and NOC, and Payne can count as a new signing having only played 3 games before being injuried for th ewhole of last season.

Other:
New coach, and young outhalf could make for an intresting season, first XV is as good as anyones, depth is getting better, new coach talks about bringing player through so it will get better.

True Beshocked but he did give the coaching team a 10.5/10, clearly they are "the best evar!!!", well until Bath suffer a slow start as the tactics take time to bed in.

I think Godman will be an asset As, he has played at the top level in Scotland so he should be a rich source of experience and advice for the younger players. He should also help fashion the attack and tactics of the side. Mauger showed at Tigers, sometimes the big name experienced players is worth more off the field than his appearences on it.

My own views and scores for Leinster:

TEAM:

Scrum: 8/10
Lineout: 7/10
Kicking game: 7/10
Breakdown: 9/10
Defence: 8/10
Attack: 9.5/10
Squad Depth: 8/10
Coaching:9 /10

I think our lineout will be even better this year if Toner continue his good form from last year, honestly, I’d like to see us taking the captaincy from Cullen this year, it’s making him undroppable for big games and those hard decisions might have to be made. I gave our kicking game a 7 because it’s pretty good when it needs to be, but we don’t lean on it too often. Our attack is excellent at times, and we seem to have a good attacking philosophy across the entire squad, not just the first team. squad depth is an 8, very good in general but we may struggle with so many players being rested at the start of the season and there are some long term injuries to deal with, (Fitz and DK injured, BOD/Darcy/McFadden/Sexton to be rested). Couching gets a 9, can’t really fault them for anything, we play the right game tactically, any short comings have been on the player side (slack defense in the last few mins against the Os).

Should be looking to at least retain the HC, at a minimum. Not winning the league is becoming a pain in d’arse at this stage.

I think Brendan Macken could have his breakthrough season this year, and will be keeping a close eye on Andrew Conway who’s going to get plenty of exposure early on.

As for the new signings, no big marquee names, fair enough, this fella Goodman sounds like a Shaun Berne type which would be ok but he’s not arriving till November which seems really pointless to me. Denton has been impressing Schmidt in preseason, would love to see him form a good partnership with Toner.

HERSH wrote:TEAM: BATH



Expectations this season: Win every game

Except for the 3 games when you play Glaws as it has now been scientifically proven Bath are physically incapable of beating us

HongKong-
Jaysus forgot about Mumm, he is quality.

Stag-
Yeah good point I guess.

Kingsu-
You'd really give the Ulster scrum that much? Also the attack was great in the league but was it as good in the HCup? Think that is a bit far fetched. Tooting our own horn and all but it is generally accepted that Leinster/CLermont have the best attack in Europe. Don't mean to be offensive, sorry if it comes across that way. Your lineout is very good in all fairness as is your defence for the most part.

Mick-
Yeah I agree with you re: Cullen and the captaincy. He could well lose his place to Denton or Roux this year. Hope it is Denton obviously. Think the captaincy should go to Heaslip as next in line. Jennings will be in the team til Novemeber as well. Kearney is another option.

TEAM: Newcastle Falcons

Scrum: 5.5/10
Lineout: 7/10
Kicking game: 3/10 - Its all we feckin did...and badly!!!!
Breakdown: 5.5/10
Defence: 6/10
Attack: 3/10
Squad Depth: 4/10
Coaching: 2/10

Expectations this season: We have to be looking to bounce straight back up. Teams like Bristol, Leeds and Pirates will look to make that difficult.

Players to watch: Fitzpatrick, MArk Wilson, Joe Robinson, Tui'fua, Catterick, Scott Wilson, George McGuigan. Chris York. Can Jon Golding return to the form that got him England recognition

New signings: Oliver Tomasczyk, Carlo Del Fava, Scott Macleod, Chris York, Rory Lawson, Waisea Luveniyali, Tane Tu'ipulotu - Resigned, Andrew Higgins
Alex Crocket, Tom Bedford

Other: A whole raft of academy players who were maybe too young last year, but should all get blooded this season. Some with real expectations like TH prop Scott Wilson, back rower Joe Robinson, Catterick at FH and Hodgson.
The new coaching set up looks fantastic aswell.

BIg bright future for the Falcons....we'll come back stronger than we ever were....

Bathite wrote:

HKC, didn't catch any of the 7s, Eastmond was down to be in the squad, did he not play in the end? That happened 3/4 times last year for Cup and A league games, very strange.

Regarding Donald, I think with a proper coaching team in place, a full pre season and being fully fit, I think he'll earn his wages this year. I saw glimpses of great stuff from him last year. On another note, I expect Heathcote to keep progressing and to push him hard for the shirt. Great to have 2 good FH options as well. Some fans suggesting that Donald 10, Heathcote 12 might be an option as well.

A lot of our season will depend on the likes of Donald, Hipkiss, Barkley and Banahan stepping up to be the players that they are paid the big money to be. All of these guys were lacking match fitness and practice last year, so were very poor. If they start the season well, we might surprise a few.

Eastmond was a no show, not sure why.

You definitely need your centres to step up and provide a bit of creativity. Despite his doomed spell with us, I've always rated Barkley, but he just doesn't look the player he was a few years ago. I wasn't overly impressed by Banahan in the 7s, as he seemed to get stopped by people he really should be steamrolling, although he did do some nice offloads. He also proved he won't be a kicking centre for you!

Donald-Barkley-Hipkiss-Banahan

That is a serious amount of potential right there and actually really well balanced when all are on form.

Pete, I rate Woodburn, Biggs and Agulla as better wingers for Bath. All have more pace, better footwork and I'll bet that Agulla sits down more players per game next year than Banahan.

Pete/Leinster fans - where do you see Dominic Ryan ending up this season? 6 or 7? Or even 8 maybe? He is one of the top players to watch for this season, from all the provinces. I think he is maybe at least as good as O'Mahony.

The guy seems a bit big for a 7 though. 6 foot 4, 106kg. Bigger than any other 7 in world rugby.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Pete/Leinster fans - where do you see Dominic Ryan ending up this season? 6 or 7? Or even 8 maybe? He is one of the top players to watch for this season, from all the provinces. I think he is maybe at least as good as O'Mahony.

The guy seems a bit big for a 7 though. 6 foot 4, 106kg. Bigger than any other 7 in world rugby.

Gordgodze might beg to differ....

Gorgodze just wears 7, doesn't actually play there.

TEAM: ULSTER

Scrum: 8.5/10
Lineout: 8/10
Kicking game: 5/10
Breakdown: 6/10
Defence: 8/10
Attack: 7.5/10
Squad Depth: 7/10
Coaching: I'll get back on this one

Expectations this season: League Play-offs, H-cup Semi-Final

Players to watch: Luke Marshall, Iain Henderson & Payne

New signings: Bowe, Wilson, O'Connor, Williams, Herring, Doyle (these are the main ones)

Other: It will be interesting to see how the team performs under the new head coach, Mark Anscombe. The noises coming out of Ravenhill so far are positive. His forte is is in coaching the breakdown so this is an area where I expect to see an improvement from last season. Good quick service to our backs and we could see some try fests this season.
A positive start in the Rabo without the senior internationals is a must.

rodders wrote:

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Pete/Leinster fans - where do you see Dominic Ryan ending up this season? 6 or 7? Or even 8 maybe? He is one of the top players to watch for this season, from all the provinces. I think he is maybe at least as good as O'Mahony.

The guy seems a bit big for a 7 though. 6 foot 4, 106kg. Bigger than any other 7 in world rugby.

Gordgodze might beg to differ....

Gorgodze isn't an openside Rodders, he plays for a french team who play a left-right flanking partnership rather than open/blind.

Harlequins:

Scrum: 7.5/10- By the end of last season we were probably the best scrummaging team in the Prem (or at least joint top). But depth is poor and it all relies on Johnston getting the hit.
Lineout: 7/10- Very solid and secure on our ball, we don't disrupt enough though.
Kicking game: 8/10- As you'd expect with Nev and Brown it's good, but Monye and Care have come on well too.
Breakdown: 8/10- Last season was a watershed for Robshaw as a breakdown player Marler, Gray, Monye, Robson and Wallace are all very effective too.
Defence: 8/10- We're well known for our attacking game but throughout the second half of the season it was the defence which kept us top.
Attack: 8.5/10- Second highest number of tries and a comprehensive attacking game based on offloading. We are probably the smartest team in the league here.
Squad Depth: 5/10- We rely almost completely on our academy and crossed fingers.
Coaching: 10/10- Connor O'Shea is a smart man, and the group around him are brilliant. They all quality gents as well and never mind me pestering them in their own time.

Expectations this season: HC and Prem knockouts are a must. Rotate the squad well and build more depth. Find a reserve 10 and locks.

Players to watch:
Nick Evans, James Johnston, Joe Marler, Ross Chisholm.

New signings: TBC

Other: TBC

You say tom-ah-to, I say tom-ay-to Rory

Good assessment Rava.

Tommy Bowe, Jarod Payne and Paddy Jackson are my boyos to watch .

Rory_Gallagher wrote:

rodders wrote:

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Pete/Leinster fans - where do you see Dominic Ryan ending up this season? 6 or 7? Or even 8 maybe? He is one of the top players to watch for this season, from all the provinces. I think he is maybe at least as good as O'Mahony.

The guy seems a bit big for a 7 though. 6 foot 4, 106kg. Bigger than any other 7 in world rugby.

Gordgodze might beg to differ....

Gorgodze isn't an openside Rodders, he plays for a french team who play a left-right flanking partnership rather than open/blind.

Steffon Armitage is pretty big, but I guess you weren't measuring guts...

Yeah I was talking about height. Armitage is small but bulky, which is a great combination for getting over the ball. The best 7s are all small(ish) in height, with a low centre of gravity to stay over the ball. 6 foot 4 seems a little tall, and would make it harder to stay over the ball. That is generalising a bit though.

HongKongCherry wrote:

Bathite wrote:TEAM: BATH

Players to watch:
Kyle Eastmond, Tom Heathcote, Olly Woodburn

Bathite, what happened to Eastmond for the 7s? Was he injured, will he be back for the final? I was really looking forward to seeing him in action.

HKC - Word is that Eastmond got a knock in training and didn't want to be risked. He will be fit for the 7s final though

Has Eastmonds XV aside position been finalised yet...or is it a work in progress..try him in a few positions and see where he fits best.....