Fantasy Aviva Premiership Round Four

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Newcastle Falcons vs. Saracens
Cloudy, 11 degrees, 11mph winds.

Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly

01. Fabien Barcella	09. Ben Youngs
02. Rory Best	10. Toby Flood
03. Clement Ric
04. Brad Thorn	11. Alex Cuthbert
05. Geoff Parling	12. James O’Connor
06. Kelly Brown	13. George Lowe
07. Chris Robshaw(c)	14. Tommy Bowe
08. Toby Faletau	15. Jared Payne

16. Lee Mears 17. Scott Wilson 18. Alex Waller 19. Paul O'Connell 20. Heinrich Brussow 21. Luke Burgess 22. Miles Benjamin 23. Ben Williams

Tactics

HIGH TEMPO, POSSESION, BIG CARRIES.....GAME CHANGERS IN BACKLINE IN JOC, YOUNGS, BOWE

HOME ADVANTAGE - WON EVERY GAME IN OVER 2 YEARS

Game plan...Fast paced, high intensity, offloading, dynamic rugby. We’ll look to hit the ground running and hit the opposition fast from the off. We’ll be aiming to control possession and go through the phases. Flood will play flat and look to get our backline into the game whenever possible and keep the high tempo going throughout.

Set piece:

In the decent conditions look to get the ball in and out for Youngs/Flood to attack with. Look for fast ball off the top of the lineout with Parling making the calls. If weakness seen in either set piece we’ll look to exploit.

Pack & Breakdown:

Look for strong carries from our pack, tying in the opposition forwards. We’ll be looking to keep the ball alive and look for the offload when on. Our backrow will target the breakdown and look to get in a second tackler to tie up the opposition carriers. Youngs will wait for the call and look to sweep up any turnover ball getting us on the front foot.

DEFENCE:

Look to neutralise the opposition early on and allow out backrow to dominate affairs. Thorn/Brown in particular will look to hit the ruck hard and remove attempted turnovers from the equation allowing us to ruck over the ball and control the breakdown. Robshaw will look to target the opposition fly half early on and pressure his kicking. Youngs to sweep in behind the defensive line.

Backs:

Basically get the backs into play whenever possible with Flood & JOC the spark. JOC will act as second playmaker and alternate 10/12 with Flood to keep Sarries guessing. Look to get Bowe & Cuthbert into the game whenever possible. Youngs to play on instinct around the fringes and look to get JOC in on the draw and release to use his gas through the middle.


POINTS:

SCRUM & LINEOUT – Target throughout, if weakness seen go for the jugular
PHYSICAL PACK – Win the collosion and target rucks to drive through opposition
BREAKDOWN – Brussow/Robshaw to work their magic and Youngs to monitor to attack on turnover ball
FORM – We are in great form 3 from 3
BACKS – World class running options and finishers, big game players and finishers to see us through at home
ROLLING MAUL – With our big front 5 look to get the rolling maul going off selected lineouts and eat up the ground
ALTERNATE FH - Look to keep Sarries guessing and change 1st reciever with JOC offering more direct running option between Sarries 10/12 axis


Saracens
Manager –  Driver

01. Matt Mullen	09. Dewaldt Duvenage
02. John Smit	10. Francois Trinh-Duc
03. Craig Mitchell
04. Lionel Nallet	11. Mark Cueto
05. Ali Williams	12. Yannick Jauzion
06. Phil Dowson	13. Chris Bell
07. Ross Rennie	14. Ben Smith
08. Joe Van Niekerk(C)	15. Freddie Burns(K)

16. George Chuter 17.Max Lahiff 18.Hoani Tui 19.Tim Swinson 20.Luke Narraway 21.Will Chudley 22.Iain Humphreys 23.Tim Visser


Saracens travel to Newcastle with a game plan based around territory and a strong work ethic in defence combined with a strong team effort to help each other win the games ahead.

- Big pack to get us on front foot as much as possible with plenty of work in the loose and a big front 5 to anchor the scrum and secure our own lineout ball as well as pressure the opposition throw.

- Rennie to target the breakdown and look to disrupt any real flow to the Falcons game.

- DD and FTD to dictate the tempo and where we play the game with a educated kicking game and hard running midfield.

- Back 3 built for the conditions and have the top try scorer and form wing in NH rugby ready to come from the bench and run havoc.

- Absorb the play and force the mistakes from Falcons in attack with big hits round the fringes and in most tackles.

- Choke tackle , if the chance is on wrap the man up and force a maul and tie the ball in leading to our put in at the scrum.

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Gloucester vs. London Wasps
Cloudy, 14 degrees, 5mph winds.

Gloucester
Manager - Mat

01. Gurthro Steenkamp	09. Will Genia
02. Joe Gray	10. Ryan Lamb
03. Nicholas Mas
04. Tom Palmer	11. Zac Guildford
05. Richie Grey	12. Matt Scott
06. CJ Stander	13. Richard Kahui
07. Alexandre Lapandry	14. Charlie Sharples
08. Imanol Harinordoquoy (c)	15. Ian Balshaw

16. Nick Wood 17. Jamie George 18. Rupert Harden 19. George Robson 20. Jamie Heaslip 21. Dan Robson 22. Rob Horne 23.James Simpson-Daniel


Tactics

- Target Scrum with our world class front 5 which is also significantly heavier
- Target lineout with gray, hari, palmer,Lapandry
- Control the ball through relentless carrying to get over the game line
- Look to maul the ball off the lineout to suck in pack to wear down oppostion
- Genia to keep backrow interested and dictate play
- Look to win forward battle first before earning the right to go wide
- lamb to hit kahui on straight angle to occupy barritt and pisi
- Start to go wide and look to get oyur back 3 involved and try and id mismtches
-aim to raise tempo and break the game up for our broken field runners
- Impact bench to further raise tempo


London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry

01. Ben Daley	09. Mike Blair
02. Sean Cronin	10. Rhys Preistland (k)
03. CJ Van Der Linde
04. Mouritz Botha	11. Jamie Elliott
05. Marco Wentzel (c)	12. Brad Barritt
06. Steve Mafi	13. George Pisi
07. Jonathan Poff	14. Matt Banahan
08. Ben Mowen	15. Mike Brown

16. Nathan Morris 17. Charlie Beech 18. Shaun Knight 19. Dan Tuohy 20. Jackson Wray 21. Haydn Thomas 22. Dan Bowden 23. Simon Zebo

Tactics
We will look to play at a high tempo with pace and intensity. Our forwards will look to carry hard, attacking gaps in the Gloucester defensive line, getting us over the gain line and onto the front foot. We will ensure our carriers have plenty of support to offload to, so we can continue our attacks.

We will look to recycle the ball quickly by getting good numbers to the breakdown, with the first few players rucking past the ball to clear out the Gloucester players, allowing Blair to get quick, clean ball for us to get out wide and attack the space on offer. We will look to create mismatches in midfield and will target the outside shoulder of the Gloucester players.

Line speed and aggression is key for us in defence, we will try and prevent Gloucester from having time on the ball by having quick line speed and tackling their carriers before they reach the gain line, knocking them back and forcing them into mistakes, where we can exert pressure and try and get turnovers.

Preistland will look to kick in behind the Gloucester wingers and put us deep into their territory where we will look to pressurize their lineout. Wentzel will be our main go to man, we will also look to use Mafi and Mowen at the tail of the lineout where we can launch attacks from and get our big centers running at the Gloucester fly half channel. We will look to target Lamb relentlessly, our back row will look to be in his face and our big centres will also look to run at him.

With the ball in hand, we will look to win the collisions and get our offloading game going. Barritt will look to take the contact and give us line breaking options with Pisi running good outside lines, we will attack gaps and half gaps in the Gloucester defensive line. We will use Banahan as another crash ball option, coming in off his wing, looking to suck in Gloucester defenders before spreading the ball and making use of the space.

At the scrum, on our own ball, we will look to turn the scrum legally to erase the Gloucester back row from helping out in defence before starting our own attacks. We will look to control possession and be patient, recycling the ball through several phases with Blair controlling our play. We aim to move the ball around, changing the point of attack to tire out the Gloucester pack.

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Leicester Tigers vs. Harlequins
Heavy Rain, 12 degrees, 6mph winds.

Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Gethin Jenkins	09. Dimitri Yachvili
02. Tom Youngs	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. Dan Cole
04. Pascal Pape	11. Ugo Monye
05. James Horwill (c)	12. Billy Twelvetrees
06. Sean O'Brien	13. Brian O'Driscoll
07. Jacques Burger	14. Vincent Clerc
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Isa Nacewa

16. Andrew Sheridan 17. Christopher Tolofua 18. Brian Mujati 19. Simon Shaw 20. Tom Croft 21. Micky Young 22. Dominic Waldouck 23. Rene Ranger

Tactics:

In heavy rain we will play to our strengths and play a game built around our intelligent HB's moving us into the right areas and our huge line breakers.

- Target Quins back three - with Yachvili and Wilkinson, we will look to get the ball deep in Quins territory and test their back three with a mixture of kicks.

- No ambitious passing - In heavy rain we will either look to kick to gain territory or look to keep ball in hand and take it through the middle. All players told not to offload or attempt long passes.

- Attack the scrums - Cole and Jenkins to look to really get the shove on against Marler and Afoa. Sheridan and Mujati to attack Vunipola and Brookes in the second half too.

- Attack at all lineouts. Our lineout is led by Horwill, using Joubert as our banker ball, and with Pape and SOB as our other options. Croft to join the action in the 2nd half to be our banker ball for the last quarter.

- Use massive line-breakers in the tight to tire down the Quins defence. The likes of SOB, Burger, Joubert, Youngs, Pape and Horwill used off the shoulder at pace of 9/10 crashing through the Quins defence.

- Burger is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first and look to turnover possession. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball. With Burger, Cole and Jenkins, we feel our breakdown play will be crucial today.

- In general attacking play, we will play off 9 with Yachvili our general pulling the strings. We want Yach and Wilko to control the game, mixing up the point of our attack and looking for where the gaps are.

- We will look to employ a blitz defence, focusing on a quick line speed to hit the ball carrier before he gets to the gainline. We have aggressive forwards to carry out this instruction.

- Unload our powerful bench to impact the game in the last 20/30 minutes.

- Wilkinson to kick all penalites.


Key Points:

Home Advantage
Our home record is sensational, and we always feel we will win games at Welford Road. We feel we have the players to control the game, and in front of our own fans, Welford Road is a fortress.

Weather Conditions
In heavy rain, our side is at its best. Controlling, tactical HB's with 36 outside them, and a massive pack full of carriers. Play to our strenghts, and play to the weather, and force Quins into mistakes for Wilko to take the points.

Target Quins Back Three
In heavy rain, we will really test the opposition with a our kicks. Yachvili, Wilko and 36 to pepper Quins' back three with a mixture of kicks to force them into mistakes when going for the slippy ball.


Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

01. Joe Marler	09. Lee Dickson
02. Matthew Rees	10. Greg Laidlaw (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Luke Morahan
05. Steve Borthwick	12. Jamie Roberts
06. Carl Fearns	13. Jonathan Joseph
07. Sam Warburton (C)	14. Yoann Huget
08. Dave Denton	15. Andre Taylor

16. Rob Hawkins 17. Mako Vunipola 18. Kieran Brookes 19. Jerome Thion 20. Tom Wood 21. Chris Henry 22. Karl Dickson 23. Felipe Contepomi

Tactics

Game Plan

Big carries from our players and retaining possession. Looking to tie in Defenders before looking to use the ball in wider channels.

Look to clear the rucks out effectively with players rucking past the ball. We want to play at a quick tempo controlled by Dickson. Good rucking needed for quick ball and tempo.

Look for Warburton and Fearns to dominate breakdown

Forwards

Very physical and mobile pack picked. Strong carries in numbers taking the ball at pace off 9 and 10. Always looking to win the collision and keep the legs pumping after contact.

Borthwick to run lineout. Lots of jumpers to aim for. Look to scrummage hard and get underneath Jenkins and Cole. Target Youngs throw.

Defence

Quick line speed and attempt to double up in the tackle. Win collisions and knock back carriers.

Key Points

We have a back 3 who are all comfortable at full back so no issues if Leicester go towards negative play. Lineout also very strong so we will have no trouble at lineout.

Feel we have a few more guys who can mke the gain line (Marler, Afoa, Botha, Fearns, Denton, Roberts, Huget, Morahan)

Kick all points. We want to take as many match points from this game as possible.

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London Irish vs. Bath Rugby
Cloudy, 15 degrees, 4mph winds.

London Irish
Manager – stnick88

01. Jean Baptiste Poux	09. Julien Dupuy
02. James Buckland	10. Nick Evans
03. Martin Castrogiovanni
04. Matt Garvey	11. Marland Yarde
05. Johann Muller	12. Sireli Naqalevuki
06. Keegan Daniel	13. Max Evans
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Sailosi Tagicakibau
08. Pierre Spies	15. Delon Armitage

16. Matt Stevens 17. Motu Ma'tu 18. Grant Shiells 19. Stuart Hooper 20. Hendrie Fourie 21. Neal De Kock 22. Shane Geraghty 23. JP Pieterson

Tactics

- Target the set piece, we will look to turn the screw at scrum time with two big scrummaging props. Any pens won will be kicked by Evans for goal if in range.
- Muller is our main go to guy at the lineout. He will also try to disrupt opposition ball. Spies, Garvey and Daniel are our other options to keep Bath guessing. We will look for quick ball off the top to get the ball to Evans to release our quick backline.
- We are looking to attack and run all game long. Evans will manage from 10 and look to put our runners in gaps and get us in the right areas of the pitch. The forwards will make the hard yards and create as much space as possible to get the backs in.
- If for any reason our attacking play isnt working, we have Geraghty and JP on the bench who can change the game and give us a different option in attack.
- With Armitage on such good form, we will look to target the breakdown and seek turnovers. We will look to get to the rucks fast, drive back any opposition and allow Armitage to go for the turnover. We will be careful about this though and not look to give away easy penalties.
- Tagicakibau will come off his wing and look to work off Naqa's shoulder. Naqa is very good at breaking through the first tackle and is a good offloader, so Losi will look to track his runs and take any offloads.


Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Cian Healy	09. Richard Wigglesworth
02. Chris Brooker	10. David Skrela
03. Davit Kubrashvilli
04. Jarrad Hoeata	11. Nopolioni Nalaga
05. Graham Kitchener	12. Anthony Allen
06. James Haskell	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. Akapusi Qera	14. George North
08. Tom Guest	15. Stuart Hogg

16. Kane Palmer Newport 17. Will Tanner 18. Jon Golding 19. Tom Donnelly 20. Jamie Gibson 21. Fourie Du Preez 22. Rob Miller 23. Michael Harris

Overall: Look to dominate in the scrum and use that as a platform to really bring our backs in who will be looking to run at the defence with bad intentions.

Forwards: We will really look to attack and come out on top of the scrum. We have two of the best props in Europe in Kubrashvilli and Healy and we feel we can really punish the Irish scrum, pushing them backwards. With our second row partnership we are looking at Jarrad Hoeata to provide the grunt necessary and offering the banker ball while Graham Kitchener will be trying to retain our lineout something we feel he is very capable of doing.

We will be looking for big carries from the forwards with the likes of Guest, Haskell and Healy dangerous runners who can really create gaps for our backs. At the breakdown we will look for Akapusi Qera and James Haskell to win turnover ball or manage to slow down opposition ball by going through opponents.. They will both be looking to cause as much trouble as possible. We will be looking for lots of energy from our forwards to open up holes to be exploited.

Backs: We will be looking to play running rugby with the ball in our hands. Using our forwards to create space we will look for quick ball and get the likes of Nalaga, Hogg and North who are all deadly runners, running at the Worcester defences. Wigglesworth will control the tempo of the backs and will look to keep the backs calm and composed.. Skrela will also be looking to get involved in the play along with Allen + Rougerie all of who can dangerously run.

Defence: Look to wrap the defensive line and stop them running in from deep

Substitutes: We have some really good options on the bench who we feel can really add to the game. Golding and Palmer Newport can come in and help strengthen our front row. Donnelly will look to come on and shore up the lineout. Jamie Gibson is a quality player who can really cause trouble around the park. FDP will look to control our tempo late in the game. Harris is another option who can come on and use his boot effectively to put the ball in good positions. Rob Miller is another dangerous runner who can use his boot.

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Northampton Saints vs. Worcester Warriors
Light Rain, 13 degrees, 7mph winds.

Northampton Saints
Manager: Dammit Chris

01. Logovi'i Mulipola	09. Joe Simpson
02. Dylan Hartley	10. Matt Giteau
03. Carl Hayman
04. Joe Launchbury	11. Leigh Halfpenny (k)
05. Courtney Lawes	12. Ashley Beck
06. Dan Lydiate	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. Julian Salvi	14. Chris Ashton
08. Sergio Parisse (c)	15. Ben Foden

16. Rob Webber 17. Thomas Domingo 18. Henry Thomas 19. Alyn Wyn Jones 20. Julien Bonnaire 21. Mike Phillips 22. George Ford 23. Siti Siviatu

Tactics

Overview - To play a game based on power, speed, pressure and aggression and forcing mistakes to exploit. To work the ball through the phases with our forwards who will use the setpiece to gain an upper hand and then launch our backline on Worcester, looking to spread the ball wide, keep the ball in play and get Tuilagi over the gainline. Playing an aggressive defence, led by Launchbury, Lawes&Lydiate in the pack. Halfpenny to take all of the points on offer and with our backline we will be looking to score tries.

Pack/SetPiece

- strong front row selected - will aim to target Nathan Catt in this area and exert some dominance, especially as Hartley, Mulipola and Hayman are in good form in real life. two internationals on the bench to strengthen the team and will look to use the scrum as an attacking platform and place Warriors under pressure.

- opted to rely on the lineout ability of Lawes, Launchbury&Parisse as we do not see a true world class lineout operator in the Warriors pack. If we struggle at all we will bring on Bonnaire. Again place pressure on the Warriors throw&force errors/turnovers.

- we have the best breakdown specialist in the AP in Salvi, who has been on great form in real life. He will look for turnovers whenever they are on, and we have chosen a very quick second row to help clear the breakdown area for our backrow. We have a faster pack and will use this here, as turnover ball is a key part of our gameplan.

Attack -

- the conditions are very good for our style of play, we want to attack Warriors from the off and play at a high tempo, which goes through the phases and will see Simpson sniping around the fringes and giving Giteau that extra bit of time to dictate play.

- will specifically send our big runners (Mulipola, Launchbury, Lawes, Parisse) down the throat of Barkley to get us over the gainline and then look for quick ball again. Tuilagi is key and we will look to isolate Hooper for one on one mismatches.

- should have a bit more quality in the backline to outscore Warriors and take the chances that come our way.

Defence -

- aggressive defence that is led by Lawes, Launchbury&Lydiate as a key part of our gameplan is stopping guys like Morgan and Gorgodze getting over the gainline&exerting influence on the game. Lydiate's tackling is essential and as soon as they are grounded we use our faster pack to get over the ball and force the turnovers.

- will implement a blitz defence, targeting Barkley and using Tuilagi to put in big hits in the midfield.

- Giteau to make use of the grubber kick and putting kicks into the corners of the field as we have an excellent kick chase with Ashton&Halfpenny where we will aim to force penalties.

Key points -

- home advantage, have a lot of attacking threat from 9-15 so will score tries.

- strong set piece, secure platform to attack.

- strong bench, impact players, all internationals bar Thomas&Ford.

- great form in real life - Hartley, Launchbury, Lydiate, Mulipola, Hayman, Simpson, Giteau, Tuilagi and all back three!


Worcester Warriors
Manager - prop_lyd

01. Nathan Catt	09. Eoin Reddan
02. Richardt Strauss	10. Olly Barkley (k)
03. BJ Botha
04. Jim Hamilton (c)	11. Julien Malzieu
05. Luke Charteris	12. Fergus McFadden
06. Mamuka Gorgodze	13. Matt Hopper
07. Justin Tipuric	14. James Short
08. Ben Morgan	15. Cameron Shepherd

16. Dave Ward 17. Paul James 18. Chris Budgen 19. Tom Savage 20. Ryan Jones 21. Kerr-Barlow 22. Sam Vesty 23. Rob Cook


Tactics:

We have a squad full of experienced internationals who will look to control the game and we have barkley who will look to control the game and take options infront of him. Hamilton takes the regins as captain.

Forwards

*strong front row who will look to get the edge with Botha going up and who will look to dominate the set piece and we have youngsters and Budgie who have proven their worth prior to come on and do similar, Hayman has started 2 games all season with Kubs being consistently selected infront of him and we feel that Catt will hold his own and Botha and Strauss can help out here easily, we also have James to come on if required.

*2nd rows are two players who will look to dominate the lineouts and with Gorgodze we can control these lineouts and ruffle a few feathers.

*Backrow has Tips for the breakdown and Gorgodze and Morgan providing brute strength off the back of the scrum and off the backs, again the bench provides more breakdown control with Jones who will also look to steal lineout ball.

*we will look to slow down as much of their ball as possible as we know they have dangerous runenrs in the game. If we keep Salvi quiet then they won't have as much quick ball. Our forwards will look to control the tempo of the game and take on ball at the sides of the ruck to get us into better positions.

Backs

* Reddan to marshall and Barkley to aim for corners when under pressure but to release McFadden when possible,we will go for goal when in range,

* McFadden to release Hopper who is an exciting runner and who will have a winger on his shoulder at all times and also look for Morgan to break through the defence, Whitten is an exciting runner and will look to take it close and Gorgodze off McFadden then drag the defence wide,

* A fast back 3 here who will always look for work and are strong in defence and under the high ball, on the bench we have Vesty and Cook to come on to steady the ship.

* we will send runners to Giteau's channel and look to put pressure on his tackling, tuilagi is a strong tackler so we will send hamilton and gorgodze down his channel a few times to 'test' him and place him under strain.

Defence

*McFadden to lead this,

*Tips to be on 10’s shoulder looking to wrap the ball up,

*Contest at the breakdown and all set piece,

* we will slow their ball down and Gorgodze will target Giteau to put him under pressurew and put in a few questionable challenges. We are looking to bully Saints but within the laws! Two men will watch Tuilagi so there will be a forward on Hopper's shoulder meaning our backline will not be stretched.

*we come here after a very good performance against a strong gloucester squad and the boys know they need to perform well with the rc coming to a close.

*No silly penalties anymore!

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Sale Sharks vs. London Welsh
Cloudy, 11 degrees, 9mph winds.

Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Vasil Kakovin	09. Danny Care
02. Guilleme Guirado	10. Johnny Sexton
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. David Attwood	11. Keith Earls
05. Christian Day	12. James Hook
06. Peter O'Mahony	13. Robbie Freuen
07. Fulgence Quedragao	14. David Strettle
08. Louis Picamoles	15. Nick Abendanon

16. Lee Imolek 17. Darren Dawdiuk 18. Luc Ducalcon 19. Stephen Sykes 20. Matt Kvesic 21. Ben Spencer 22. Yann David 23. Kyle Eastmond

Key Points

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Breakdown

• We will look to attack the breakdown with two flankers who specialise here on show. Turnover ball is the best form of attack!

Playing the blitz

• After analysing the game tapes we have noticed no sweeper covering behind the Welsh blitz and we will look to exploit this with Sexton putting chips and grubbers in behind the Welsh midfield looking to take advantage of our extra pace in midfield.

Game Plan

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Attack

• We will look to play a fast paced attacking game using big carriers running of the 9/10/12 axis to get us over the gain line and generate quick ball.

• Keeping the ball alive is crucial so our carriers will be looking for support runners to hit on the offload to keep the ball moving and get us further over the gain line.

• Our back three will look to get involved as much as possible running support lines of the halfbacks and midfield looking for the inside ball or offload.

• If for whatever reason we aren’t getting quick ball, we will look to take control of territory with the boots of Sexton & Hook and force Welsh to come at us from deep.

Set Piece

• With a powerful front 5 on show we will look to keep the scrum up and use it as a weapon. On our own feed we will look to get the wheel on and give our 8-9-10 axis as much more room as possible to attack from.

• In Welsh territory, with 5 jumping options to use, we will look to play off the top and move the ball out to Sexton and the backs.

• In our own territory, we will look to take the ball down into the maul and drive ourselves into the right areas.

Defense

• We will look to blitz aggressively, playing on the edge of the offside line and coming up at pace, looking to isolate the ball carrier and stop any Welsh momentum before it can get going.

• Danny Care will play sweeper and cover any chips or grubbers behind the defensive line.

• We will leave two players sitting deep to cover any kicks and they will look to counter attack of any loose kicks.

Breakdown

• With the blitz in operation, we will look to be at the breakdown first hitting it hard and fast. If the ball looks available we will flood the breakdown with POM and Quedragao looking to get their hands on the ball.

• If the ball is not immediately available we will only commit 1 or 2 players to legally slow the ball down and instead look to strengthen the defensive line.

London Welsh
Manager – Ozzy3213

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Morgan Parra
02. Bismarck du Plessis	10. Butch James
03. Dave Wilson
04. Nathan Hines	11. Christian Wade
05. George Skivington	12. Jonathan Davies
06. Maurie Fa’asavalu	13. Darren Cave
07. Thierry Dusautoir ©	14. Matt Jess
08. Sione Kalamafoni	15. Louis Ludik

16. Chris Whitehead 17. Steven Kitschoff 18. Adam Jones 19. James Hanks 20. Kevin McLaughlin 21. Charlie Davies 22. Owen Farrell 23. Ross Chisholm

Tactics

Basic Game Plan

Basic tactical premise for us to control possession and be solid defensively. Focus will be on winning the gainline collisons in both attack and defence. In order to do this we have picked a very big pack to try to physically dominate this area of the game. We will look to apply pressure to Sale by keeping the ball for long periods and wearing them down defensively, and also by maintaining a solid defence and denying them opportunities to get on the score board. Pressure forces mistakes, and we will look to capitalise on any that the Sharks make. Fa’asavalu and Dusautoir will play right/left on the flanks as opposed to open and blindside.

Attacking specifics

• Butch James to play what is front of him, looking to move the Sharks defence around and create gaps.
  
• Big carriers to run hard and stright in midfield off early phase ball to suck defenders in and create space out wide for Wade, Jess and Ludik, who will look to exploit the fact that Sale play with their wingers sat deep behind the defensive line to field kicks.
  
• Carriers to look to hit gaps rather than defenders and keep the ball alive by offloading to support runners.
  
• Support runners to ruck past the ball quickly if the carrier goes to ground in order to secure quick ball to go again.
  
• All opportunities for points with the boot to be taken by Parra (penalties or drop goals).
  
• If at any time we feel that we are in danger of conceding a turnover then Parra or James will use their boot to kick for touch deep in Sharks territory.
  

Defensive specifics

• Darren Cave will be defensive captain.
  
• We will look to play a blitz defence with quick line speed to hit the ball carrier before he gets to the gainline and knock him back even further. Parra will sweep in behind.
  
• We will not overcommit to the breakdown. If a turnover is on, we will go for it, otherwise we will legally slow the ball and maintain a solid defensive line to blitz from.
  
• Maintain discipline and do not give away penalties.
  

Key Points

• Gameplan is ideally suited to the players we have selected. Our pack is well balanced with carriers, tacklers and players who are good in the set piece.
  
• Solid defensively in midfield with real attacking threat out wide (Jess and Wade scoring for fun so far this season).
  
• We have no traditional fetcher, but with BdP in the side the balance of our pack is good as he is better at the breakdown than most opensides.
  

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Northampton Saints team versus Worcester Warriors
Manager: Dammit Chris

"Last week was a tough game away to Bath and we've opted to make a few changes to keep the squad fresh and target back-to-back wins for the first time this season" stated Dammit Chris, who continued "we know what Worcester will bring and we've got to match their physicality. Mulipola will give us a great ball carrying option, and we'll look to use Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes and Dan Lydiate to stop Warriors getting over the gainline.

Joe Simpson has been looking very sharp these last few weeks, and his try last week really warranted his first start of the season and we'll certainly looking to attack around the breakdown with his pace".

01. Logovi'i Mulipola	09. Joe Simpson
02. Dylan Hartley	10. Matt Giteau
03. Carl Hayman
04. Joe Launchbury	11. Leigh Halfpenny (k)
05. Courtney Lawes	12. Ashley Beck
06. Dan Lydiate	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. Julian Salvi	14. Chris Ashton
08. Sergio Parisse (c)	15. Ben Foden

16. Rob Webber 17. Thomas Domingo 18. Henry Thomas 19. Alyn Wyn Jones 20. Julien Bonnaire 21. Mike Phillips 22. George Ford 23. Siti Siviatu

Tactics

Overview - To play a game based on power, speed, pressure and aggression and forcing mistakes to exploit. To work the ball through the phases with our forwards who will use the setpiece to gain an upper hand and then launch our backline on Worcester, looking to spread the ball wide, keep the ball in play and get Tuilagi over the gainline. Playing an aggressive defence, led by Launchbury, Lawes&Lydiate in the pack. Halfpenny to take all of the points on offer and with our backline we will be looking to score tries.

Pack/SetPiece

- strong front row selected - will aim to target Nathan Catt in this area and exert some dominance, especially as Hartley, Mulipola and Hayman are in good form in real life. two internationals on the bench to strengthen the team and will look to use the scrum as an attacking platform and place Warriors under pressure.

- opted to rely on the lineout ability of Lawes, Launchbury&Parisse as we do not see a true world class lineout operator in the Warriors pack. If we struggle at all we will bring on Bonnaire. Again place pressure on the Warriors throw&force errors/turnovers.

- we have the best breakdown specialist in the AP in Salvi, who has been on great form in real life. He will look for turnovers whenever they are on, and we have chosen a very quick second row to help clear the breakdown area for our backrow. We have a faster pack and will use this here, as turnover ball is a key part of our gameplan.

Attack -

- the conditions are very good for our style of play, we want to attack Warriors from the off and play at a high tempo, which goes through the phases and will see Simpson sniping around the fringes and giving Giteau that extra bit of time to dictate play.

- will specifically send our big runners (Mulipola, Launchbury, Lawes, Parisse) down the throat of Barkley to get us over the gainline and then look for quick ball again. Tuilagi is key and we will look to isolate Hooper for one on one mismatches.

- should have a bit more quality in the backline to outscore Warriors and take the chances that come our way.

Defence -

- aggressive defence that is led by Lawes, Launchbury&Lydiate as a key part of our gameplan is stopping guys like Morgan and Gorgodze getting over the gainline&exerting influence on the game. Lydiate's tackling is essential and as soon as they are grounded we use our faster pack to get over the ball and force the turnovers.

- will implement a blitz defence, targeting Barkley and using Tuilagi to put in big hits in the midfield.

- Giteau to make use of the grubber kick and putting kicks into the corners of the field as we have an excellent kick chase with Ashton&Halfpenny where we will aim to force penalties.

Key points -

- home advantage, have a lot of attacking threat from 9-15 so will score tries.

- strong set piece, secure platform to attack.

- strong bench, impact players, all internationals bar Thomas&Ford.

- great form in real life - Hartley, Launchbury, Lydiate, Mulipola, Hayman, Simpson, Giteau, Tuilagi and all back three!

Saracens
Manager –  Driver

01. Matt Mullen	09. Dewaldt Duvenage
02. John Smit	10. Francois Trinh-Duc
03. Craig Mitchell
04. Lionel Nallet	11. Mark Cueto
05. Ali Williams	12. Yannick Jauzion
06. Phil Dowson	13. Chris Bell
07. Ross Rennie	14. Ben Smith
08. Joe Van Niekerk(C)	15. Freddie Burns(K)

16. George Chuter 17.Max Lahiff 18.Hoani Tui 19.Tim Swinson 20.Luke Narraway 21.Will Chudley 22.Iain Humphreys 23.Tim Visser


Saracens travel to Newcastle with a game plan based around territory and a strong work ethic in defence combined with a strong team effort to help each other win the games ahead.

- Big pack to get us on front foot as much as possible with plenty of work in the loose and a big front 5 to anchor the scrum and secure our own lineout ball as well as pressure the opposition throw.

- Rennie to target the breakdown and look to disrupt any real flow to the Falcons game.

- DD and FTD to dictate the tempo and where we play the game with a educated kicking game and hard running midfield.

- Back 3 built for the conditions and have the top try scorer and form wing in NH rugby ready to come from the bench and run havoc.

- Absorb the play and force the mistakes from Falcons in attack with big hits round the fringes and in most tackles.

- Choke tackle , if the chance is on wrap the man up and force a maul and tie the ball in leading to our put in at the scrum.

Might need to pick another 9 Driver

Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Gethin Jenkins	09. Dimitri Yachvili
02. Tom Youngs	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. Dan Cole
04. Pascal Pape	11. Ugo Monye
05. James Horwill (c)	12. Billy Twelvetrees
06. Sean O'Brien	13. Brian O'Driscoll
07. Jacques Burger	14. Vincent Clerc
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Isa Nacewa

16. Andrew Sheridan 17. Christopher Tolofua 18. Brian Mujati 19. Simon Shaw 20. Tom Croft 21. Micky Young 22. Dominic Waldouck 23. Rene Ranger


Tactics:

In heavy rain we will play to our strengths and play a game built around our intelligent HB's moving us into the right areas and our huge line breakers.

- Target Quins back three - with Yachvili and Wilkinson, we will look to get the ball deep in Quins territory and test their back three with a mixture of kicks.

- No ambitious passing - In heavy rain we will either look to kick to gain territory or look to keep ball in hand and take it through the middle. All players told not to offload or attempt long passes.

- Attack the scrums - Cole and Jenkins to look to really get the shove on against Marler and Afoa. Sheridan and Mujati to attack Vunipola and Brookes in the second half too.

- Attack at all lineouts. Our lineout is led by Horwill, using Joubert as our banker ball, and with Pape and SOB as our other options. Croft to join the action in the 2nd half to be our banker ball for the last quarter.

- Use massive line-breakers in the tight to tire down the Quins defence. The likes of SOB, Burger, Joubert, Youngs, Pape and Horwill used off the shoulder at pace of 9/10 crashing through the Quins defence.

- Burger is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first and look to turnover possession. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball. With Burger, Cole and Jenkins, we feel our breakdown play will be crucial today.

- In general attacking play, we will play off 9 with Yachvili our general pulling the strings. We want Yach and Wilko to control the game, mixing up the point of our attack and looking for where the gaps are.

- We will look to employ a blitz defence, focusing on a quick line speed to hit the ball carrier before he gets to the gainline. We have aggressive forwards to carry out this instruction.

- Unload our powerful bench to impact the game in the last 20/30 minutes.

- Wilkinson to kick all penalites.


Key Points:

Home Advantage
Our home record is sensational, and we always feel we will win games at Welford Road. We feel we have the players to control the game, and in front of our own fans, Welford Road is a fortress.

Weather Conditions
In heavy rain, our side is at its best. Controlling, tactical HB's with 36 outside them, and a massive pack full of carriers. Play to our strenghts, and play to the weather, and force Quins into mistakes for Wilko to take the points.

Target Quins Back Three
In heavy rain, we will really test the opposition with a our kicks. Yachvili, Wilko and 36 to pepper Quins' back three with a mixture of kicks to force them into mistakes when going for the slippy ball.

Just waiting for conditions for my side Luke.

i thought Driver had done conditions?

Pete hasn't put them on this thread so will wait and see

Back in UK, have team in by tonight hopefully

London Welsh make 2 changes to the starting XV that narrowly lost to champions Newcastle Falcons last week. Dave Wilson and Butch James step up from the bench, swapping places with Adam Jones and Owen Farrell. In the only other change to the matchday 23 Irish international Kevin McLaughlin replaces Luke Wallace on the bench. Head coach Ozzy3213 had this to say.

"We have been in every game that we have played so far, coming away with a losing bonus point three weeks running. What we need to do is to start winning these tight matches, and with tried to make changes this week that we think will give us the best chance of doing so. Butch (James) has been training fantastically well in recent weeks, and comes in at 10 to help steer the ship and get our backs moving. He's a world cup winning out half and as well as bringing great skill to the jersey he also brings enormous experience, which is vital in tight situations. We know it will be tough as always against Sale, but the boys are determined to get our first win on the board this week."

London Welsh
Manager – Ozzy3213

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Morgan Parra
02. Bismarck du Plessis	10. Butch James
03. Dave Wilson
04. Nathan Hines	11. Christian Wade
05. George Skivington	12. Jonathan Davies
06. Maurie Fa’asavalu	13. Darren Cave
07. Thierry Dusautoir ©	14. Matt Jess
08. Sione Kalamafoni	15. Louis Ludik

16. Chris Whitehead 17. Steven Kitschoff 18. Adam Jones 19. James Hanks 20. Kevin McLaughlin 21. Charlie Davies 22. Owen Farrell 23. Ross Chisholm

Tactics

Basic Game Plan

Basic tactical premise for us to control possession and be solid defensively. Focus will be on winning the gainline collisons in both attack and defence. In order to do this we have picked a very big pack to try to physically dominate this area of the game. We will look to apply pressure to Sale by keeping the ball for long periods and wearing them down defensively, and also by maintaining a solid defence and denying them opportunities to get on the score board. Pressure forces mistakes, and we will look to capitalise on any that the Sharks make. Fa’asavalu and Dusautoir will play right/left on the flanks as opposed to open and blindside.

Attacking specifics

• Butch James to play what is front of him, looking to move the Sharks defence around and create gaps.
  
• Big carriers to run hard and stright in midfield off early phase ball to suck defenders in and create space out wide for Wade, Jess and Ludik, who will look to exploit the fact that Sale play with their wingers sat deep behind the defensive line to field kicks.
  
• Carriers to look to hit gaps rather than defenders and keep the ball alive by offloading to support runners.
  
• Support runners to ruck past the ball quickly if the carrier goes to ground in order to secure quick ball to go again.
  
• All opportunities for points with the boot to be taken by Parra (penalties or drop goals).
  
• If at any time we feel that we are in danger of conceding a turnover then Parra or James will use their boot to kick for touch deep in Sharks territory.
  

Defensive specifics

• Darren Cave will be defensive captain.
  
• We will look to play a blitz defence with quick line speed to hit the ball carrier before he gets to the gainline and knock him back even further. Parra will sweep in behind.
  
• We will not overcommit to the breakdown. If a turnover is on, we will go for it, otherwise we will legally slow the ball and maintain a solid defensive line to blitz from.
  
• Maintain discipline and do not give away penalties.
  

Key Points

• Gameplan is ideally suited to the players we have selected. Our pack is well balanced with carriers, tacklers and players who are good in the set piece.
  
• Solid defensively in midfield with real attacking threat out wide (Jess and Wade scoring for fun so far this season).
  
• We have no traditional fetcher, but with BdP in the side the balance of our pack is good as he is better at the breakdown than most opensides.
  

(May add or amend these once I see the Sale Sharks team)

London Irish
Manager – stnick88

01. Jean Baptiste Poux	09. Julien Dupuy
02. James Buckland	10. Nick Evans
03. Martin Castrogiovanni
04. Matt Garvey	11. Marland Yarde
05. Johann Muller	12. Sireli Naqalevuki
06. Keegan Daniel	13. Max Evans
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Sailosi Tagicakibau
08. Pierre Spies	15. Delon Armitage

16. Matt Stevens 17. Motu Ma'tu 18. Grant Shiells 19. Stuart Hooper 20. Hendrie Fourie 21. Neal De Kock 22. Shane Geraghty 23. JP Pieterson

Tactics

- Target the set piece, we will look to turn the screw at scrum time with two big scrummaging props. Any pens won will be kicked by Evans for goal if in range.
- Muller is our main go to guy at the lineout. He will also try to disrupt opposition ball. Spies, Garvey and Daniel are our other options to keep Bath guessing. We will look for quick ball off the top to get the ball to Evans to release our quick backline.
- We are looking to attack and run all game long. Evans will manage from 10 and look to put our runners in gaps and get us in the right areas of the pitch. The forwards will make the hard yards and create as much space as possible to get the backs in.
- If for any reason our attacking play isnt working, we have Geraghty and JP on the bench who can change the game and give us a different option in attack.
- With Armitage on such good form, we will look to target the breakdown and seek turnovers. We will look to get to the rucks fast, drive back any opposition and allow Armitage to go for the turnover. We will be careful about this though and not look to give away easy penalties.
- Tagicakibau will come off his wing and look to work off Naqa's shoulder. Naqa is very good at breaking through the first tackle and is a good offloader, so Losi will look to track his runs and take any offloads.
-

London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry

01. Ben Daley	09. Mike Blair
02. Sean Cronin	10. Rhys Preistland (k)
03. CJ Van Der Linde
04. Mouritz Botha	11. Jamie Elliott
05. Marco Wentzel (c)	12. Brad Barritt
06. Steve Mafi	13. George Pisi
07. Jonathan Poff	14. Matt Banahan
08. Ben Mowen	15. Mike Brown

16. Nathan Morris 17. Charlie Beech 18. Shaun Knight 19. Dan Tuohy 20. Jackson Wray 21. Haydn Thomas 22. Dan Bowden 23. Simon Zebo

Tactics
We will look to play at a high tempo with pace and intensity. Our forwards will look to carry hard, attacking gaps in the Gloucester defensive line, getting us over the gain line and onto the front foot. We will ensure our carriers have plenty of support to offload to, so we can continue our attacks.

We will look to recycle the ball quickly by getting good numbers to the breakdown, with the first few players rucking past the ball to clear out the Gloucester players, allowing Blair to get quick, clean ball for us to get out wide and attack the space on offer. We will look to create mismatches in midfield and will target the outside shoulder of the Gloucester players.

Line speed and aggression is key for us in defence, we will try and prevent Gloucester from having time on the ball by having quick line speed and tackling their carriers before they reach the gain line, knocking them back and forcing them into mistakes, where we can exert pressure and try and get turnovers.

Preistland will look to kick in behind the Gloucester wingers and put us deep into their territory where we will look to pressurize their lineout. Wentzel will be our main go to man, we will also look to use Mafi and Mowen at the tail of the lineout where we can launch attacks from and get our big centers running at the Gloucester fly half channel. We will look to target Lamb relentlessly, our back row will look to be in his face and our big centres will also look to run at him.

With the ball in hand, we will look to win the collisions and get our offloading game going. Barritt will look to take the contact and give us line breaking options with Pisi running good outside lines, we will attack gaps and half gaps in the Gloucester defensive line. We will use Banahan as another crash ball option, coming in off his wing, looking to suck in Gloucester defenders before spreading the ball and making use of the space.

At the scrum, on our own ball, we will look to turn the scrum legally to erase the Gloucester back row from helping out in defence before starting our own attacks. We will look to control possession and be patient, recycling the ball through several phases with Blair controlling our play. We aim to move the ball around, changing the point of attack to tire out the Gloucester pack.

Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

01. Joe Marler	09. Lee Dickson
02. Matthew Rees	10. Greg Laidlaw (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Luke Morahan
05. Steve Borthwick	12. Jamie Roberts
06. Carl Fearns	13. Jonathan Joseph
07. Sam Warburton (C)	14. Yoann Huget
08. Dave Denton	15. Andre Taylor

16. Rob Hawkins 17. Mako Vunipola 18. Kieran Brookes 19. Jerome Thion 20. Tom Wood 21. Chris Henry 22. Karl Dickson 23. Felipe Contepomi

Tactics

Game Plan

Big carries from our players and retaining possession. Looking to tie in Defenders before looking to use the ball in wider channels.

Look to clear the rucks out effectively with players rucking past the ball. We want to play at a quick tempo controlled by Dickson. Good rucking needed for quick ball and tempo.

Look for Warburton and Fearns to dominate breakdown

Forwards

Very physical and mobile pack picked. Strong carries in numbers taking the ball at pace off 9 and 10. Always looking to win the collision and keep the legs pumping after contact.

Borthwick to run lineout. Lots of jumpers to aim for. Look to scrummage hard and get underneath Jenkins and Cole. Target Youngs throw.

Defence

Quick line speed and attempt to double up in the tackle. Win collisions and knock back carriers.

Key Points

We have a back 3 who are all comfortable at full back so no issues if Leicester go towards negative play. Lineout also very strong so we will have no trouble at lineout.

Feel we have a few more guys who can mke the gain line (Marler, Afoa, Botha, Fearns, Denton, Roberts, Huget, Morahan)

Kick all points. We want to take as many match points from this game as possible.

01. Nathan Catt	09. Eoin Reddan
02. Richardt Strauss	10. Olly Barkley (k)
03. BJ Botha
04. Jim Hamilton (c)	11. Julien Malzieu
05. Luke Charteris	12. Fergus McFadden
06. Mamuka Gorgodze	13. Matt Hopper
07. Justin Tipuric	14. James Short
08. Ben Morgan	15. Cameron Shepherd

16. Dave Ward 17. Paul James 18. Chris Budgen 19. Tom Savage 20. Ryan Jones 21. Kerr-Barlow 22. Sam Vesty 23. Rob Cook


Tactics:

We have a squad full of experienced internationals who will look to control the game and we have barkley who will look to control the game and take options infront of him. Hamilton takes the regins as captain.



Forwards

*strong front row who will look to get the edge with Botha going up and who will look to dominate the set piece and we have youngsters and Budgie who have proven their worth prior to come on and do similar, Hayman has started 2 games all season with Kubs being consistently selected infront of him and we feel that Catt will hold his own and Botha and Strauss can help out here easily, we also have James to come on if required.

*2nd rows are two players who will look to dominate the lineouts and with Gorgodze we can control these lineouts and ruffle a few feathers.

*Backrow has Tips for the breakdown and Gorgodze and Morgan providing brute strength off the back of the scrum and off the backs, again the bench provides more breakdown control with Jones who will also look to steal lineout ball.

*we will look to slow down as much of their ball as possible as we know they have dangerous runenrs in the game. If we keep Salvi quiet then they won't have as much quick ball. Our forwards will look to control the tempo of the game and take on ball at the sides of the ruck to get us into better positions.

Backs

* Reddan to marshall and Barkley to aim for corners when under pressure but to release McFadden when possible,we will go for goal when in range,

* McFadden to release Hopper who is an exciting runner and who will have a winger on his shoulder at all times and also look for Morgan to break through the defence, Whitten is an exciting runner and will look to take it close and Gorgodze off McFadden then drag the defence wide,

* A fast back 3 here who will always look for work and are strong in defence and under the high ball, on the bench we have Vesty and Cook to come on to steady the ship.

* we will send runners to Giteau's channel and look to put pressure on his tackling, tuilagi is a strong tackler so we will send hamilton and gorgodze down his channel a few times to 'test' him and place him under strain.

Defence

*McFadden to lead this,

*Tips to be on 10’s shoulder looking to wrap the ball up,

*Contest at the breakdown and all set piece,

* we will slow their ball down and Gorgodze will target Giteau to put him under pressurew and put in a few questionable challenges. We are looking to bully Saints but within the laws! Two men will watch Tuilagi so there will be a forward on Hopper's shoulder meaning our backline will not be stretched.

*we come here after a very good performance against a strong gloucester squad and the boys know they need to perform well with the rc coming to a close.

*No silly penalties anymore!

Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly

01. Fabien Barcella	09. Ben Youngs
02. Rory Best	10. Toby Flood
03. Clement Ric
04. Brad Thorn	11. Alex Cuthbert
05. Geoff Parling	12. James O’Connor
06. Kelly Brown	13. George Lowe
07. Chris Robshaw(c)	14. Tommy Bowe
08. Toby Faletau	15. Jared Payne

16. Lee Mears 17. Scott Wilson 18. Alex Waller 19. Paul O'Connell 20. Heinrich Brussow 21. Luke Burgess 22. Miles Benjamin 23. Ben Williams

Tactics

HIGH TEMPO, POSSESION, BIG CARRIES.....GAME CHANGERS IN BACKLINE IN JOC, YOUNGS, BOWE

HOME ADVANTAGE - WON EVERY GAME IN OVER 2 YEARS

Game plan...Fast paced, high intensity, offloading, dynamic rugby. We’ll look to hit the ground running and hit the opposition fast from the off. We’ll be aiming to control possession and go through the phases. Flood will play flat and look to get our backline into the game whenever possible and keep the high tempo going throughout.

Set piece:

In the decent conditions look to get the ball in and out for Youngs/Flood to attack with. Look for fast ball off the top of the lineout with Parling making the calls. If weakness seen in either set piece we’ll look to exploit.

Pack & Breakdown:

Look for strong carries from our pack, tying in the opposition forwards. We’ll be looking to keep the ball alive and look for the offload when on. Our backrow will target the breakdown and look to get in a second tackler to tie up the opposition carriers. Youngs will wait for the call and look to sweep up any turnover ball getting us on the front foot.

DEFENCE:

Look to neutralise the opposition early on and allow out backrow to dominate affairs. Thorn/Brown in particular will look to hit the ruck hard and remove attempted turnovers from the equation allowing us to ruck over the ball and control the breakdown. Robshaw will look to target the opposition fly half early on and pressure his kicking. Youngs to sweep in behind the defensive line.

Backs:

Basically get the backs into play whenever possible with Flood & JOC the spark. JOC will act as second playmaker and alternate 10/12 with Flood to keep Sarries guessing. Look to get Bowe & Cuthbert into the game whenever possible. Youngs to play on instinct around the fringes and look to get JOC in on the draw and release to use his gas through the middle.


POINTS:

SCRUM & LINEOUT – Target throughout, if weakness seen go for the jugular
PHYSICAL PACK – Win the collosion and target rucks to drive through opposition
BREAKDOWN – Brussow/Robshaw to work their magic and Youngs to monitor to attack on turnover ball
FORM – We are in great form 3 from 3
BACKS – World class running options and finishers, big game players and finishers to see us through at home
ROLLING MAUL – With our big front 5 look to get the rolling maul going off selected lineouts and eat up the ground
ALTERNATE FH - Look to keep Sarries guessing and change 1st reciever with JOC offering more direct running option between Sarries 10/12 axis

Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Cian Healy	09. Richard Wigglesworth
02. Chris Brooker	10. David Skrela
03. Davit Kubrashvilli
04. Jarrad Hoeata	11. Nopolioni Nalaga
05. Graham Kitchener	12. Anthony Allen
06. James Haskell	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. Akapusi Qera	14. George North
08. Tom Guest	15. Stuart Hogg

16. Kane Palmer Newport 17. Will Tanner 18. Jon Golding 19. Tom Donnelly 20. Jamie Gibson 21. Fourie Du Preez 22. Rob Miller 23. Michael Harris

Overall: Look to dominate in the scrum and use that as a platform to really bring our backs in who will be looking to run at the defence with bad intentions.

Forwards: We will really look to attack and come out on top of the scrum. We have two of the best props in Europe in Kubrashvilli and Healy and we feel we can really punish the Irish scrum, pushing them backwards. With our second row partnership we are looking at Jarrad Hoeata to provide the grunt necessary and offering the banker ball while Graham Kitchener will be trying to retain our lineout something we feel he is very capable of doing.

We will be looking for big carries from the forwards with the likes of Guest, Haskell and Healy dangerous runners who can really create gaps for our backs. At the breakdown we will look for Akapusi Qera and James Haskell to win turnover ball or manage to slow down opposition ball by going through opponents.. They will both be looking to cause as much trouble as possible. We will be looking for lots of energy from our forwards to open up holes to be exploited.

Backs: We will be looking to play running rugby with the ball in our hands. Using our forwards to create space we will look for quick ball and get the likes of Nalaga, Hogg and North who are all deadly runners, running at the Worcester defences. Wigglesworth will control the tempo of the backs and will look to keep the backs calm and composed.. Skrela will also be looking to get involved in the play along with Allen + Rougerie all of who can dangerously run.

Defence: Look to wrap the defensive line and stop them running in from deep

Substitutes: We have some really good options on the bench who we feel can really add to the game. Golding and Palmer Newport can come in and help strengthen our front row. Donnelly will look to come on and shore up the lineout. Jamie Gibson is a quality player who can really cause trouble around the park. FDP will look to control our tempo late in the game. Harris is another option who can come on and use his boot effectively to put the ball in good positions. Rob Miller is another dangerous runner who can use his boot.

Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Vasil Kakovin	09. Danny Care
02. Guilleme Guirado	10. Johnny Sexton
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. David Attwood	11. Keith Earls
05. Christian Day	12. James Hook
06. Peter O'Mahony	13. Robbie Freuen
07. Fulgence Quedragao	14. David Strettle
08. Louis Picamoles	15. Nick Abendanon

16. Lee Imolek 17. Darren Dawdiuk 18. Luc Ducalcon 19. Stephen Sykes 20. Matt Kvesic 21. Ben Spencer 22. Yann David 23. Kyle Eastmond

Key Points

---

Breakdown

• We will look to attack the breakdown with two flankers who specialise here on show. Turnover ball is the best form of attack!

Playing the blitz

• After analysing the game tapes we have noticed no sweeper covering behind the Welsh blitz and we will look to exploit this with Sexton putting chips and grubbers in behind the Welsh midfield looking to take advantage of our extra pace in midfield.

Game Plan

---

Attack

• We will look to play a fast paced attacking game using big carriers running of the 9/10/12 axis to get us over the gain line and generate quick ball.

• Keeping the ball alive is crucial so our carriers will be looking for support runners to hit on the offload to keep the ball moving and get us further over the gain line.

• Our back three will look to get involved as much as possible running support lines of the halfbacks and midfield looking for the inside ball or offload.

• If for whatever reason we aren’t getting quick ball, we will look to take control of territory with the boots of Sexton & Hook and force Welsh to come at us from deep.

Set Piece

• With a powerful front 5 on show we will look to keep the scrum up and use it as a weapon. On our own feed we will look to get the wheel on and give our 8-9-10 axis as much more room as possible to attack from.

• In Welsh territory, with 5 jumping options to use, we will look to play off the top and move the ball out to Sexton and the backs.

• In our own territory, we will look to take the ball down into the maul and drive ourselves into the right areas.

Defense

• We will look to blitz aggressively, playing on the edge of the offside line and coming up at pace, looking to isolate the ball carrier and stop any Welsh momentum before it can get going.

• Danny Care will play sweeper and cover any chips or grubbers behind the defensive line.

• We will leave two players sitting deep to cover any kicks and they will look to counter attack of any loose kicks.

Breakdown

• With the blitz in operation, we will look to be at the breakdown first hitting it hard and fast. If the ball looks available we will flood the breakdown with POM and Quedragao looking to get their hands on the ball.

• If the ball is not immediately available we will only commit 1 or 2 players to legally slow the ball down and instead look to strengthen the defensive line.

---

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[/i]

01. Steenkamp	09. Will genia
02. Grey	10. Ryan lamb
03. Nicholas mas
04. Tom palmer	11. Zac guildford
05. Richie grey	12. Matt Scott
06. CJ stander	13. Richard kahui
07. Lapandry	14. Charlie sharples
08. Harinordoquoy (c)	15. Balshaw

16. Nick wood 17.George18. Harden 19. George Robson20. Jamie heaslip 21. Dan Robson 22. Rob horne23.Jsd


Tactics

- Target Scrum with our world class front 5 which is also significantly heavier
- Target lineout with gray, hari, palmer,Lapandry
- Control the ball through relentless carrying to get over the game line
- Look to maul the ball off the lineout to suck in pack to wear down oppostion
- Genia to keep backrow interested and dictate play
- Look to win forward battle first before earning the right to go wide
- lamb to hit kahui on straight angle to occupy barritt and pisi
- Start to go wide and look to get oyur back 3 involved and try and id mismtches
-aim to raise tempo and break the game up for our broken field runners
- Impact bench to further raise tempo

That's fine, as I won't be around to update the match thread until about half ten ish tomorrow. Predos can stay open a bit longer until 20:00 hours on Saturday.

Match thread updated. Predictions are OPEN

Newcastle 25 - 22 Saracens

Not a lot in the front row battle, neither side dominating particularly. Similar story in the 2nd rows with two pretty strong units. Front fives tough to split. Not much in the back rows either really, I like both units and think both will win good ball for the HB's. Slight edge to Newcastle with both Youngs and FTD off form. Home side win the centre battle, and much more quality in the back three too. Sarries have enough to really frustrate the home side, but in the end Newcastle have enough to win.

Gloucester 19 - 18  Wasps

Slight edge to the home side in the scrum. Tough to split 2nd rows - both sides should be strong on their own line out. I don;t see much in the back row battle. Mafi for me the standout form wise. HB's are really tough to call. Not much form for either side on display. Give Wasps the advantage in the centres, and Glaws the advantage in the back three. There isn't much at between these sides, home advantage about all that splits them. 

Irish 24 - 22 Bath

4 top props mean not much give in the scrum. Give the edge to the home side in the 2nd row - think Hoeata is out of his depth right now. Tough to decide on the back rows - I edging to the home side but not a lot in it. two strong HB units that Irish just edge, beyond there think it's all Bath' and they will be so dangerous with the ball. Edge to Irish in the pack, edge to Bath in the backs - home advantage decides this one.

Guys will have to do my predos tonight/tomorrow morning as might have just hospitalised a colleague in 5-a-side football after hitting the ball a little too hard into the crotch area...video soon to appear on Youve been Framed.

Did he diss Hartley Chris?!

No he said parisse was not a lineout leader !!!

Arrrgghhh!!!!

Deserved what he had coming to him them I reckon

Falcons 23-20 Sarries
Strong front rows from both with Falcons maybe just edging it here. 2 even combo's in the 2nds rows. Falcons with the stronger back row with Faletau gaining some form now. Half-backs even, Youngs' ratings will increase when he's back to full fitness imo. Falcons have a lot more in the centres and out wide and Burns may struggle at FB having not palyed there for a while. Good front row bench for Sarries but Falcons home advantage included take the win.

Glos 15-12 Wasps
Front row to Glos with Daley getting found out here. 2 good 2nd rows and can see Wasps controling the lineout well. Big hitting back row from Wasps will stop Glos in their tracks but they have the back row to win the breakdown. Like the balance of Wasps hb's but Glos can turn it on when needed. Think Pisi will have a stormer here and a very strong Wasps defence not letting anything through. Glos take the back 3 and the bench to take the win but Wasps do well and stop the tries coming, won on kicks.

Tigers 22-20Quins
Giving the front rows even with 2 top class ones here. 2nd rows goes to Quins. Again a back row to Quins who are simply stronger there but only just. Prefer the 9-10-12 of Tigers but 12t may have his handsful with Roberts running at him! Outside backs to Tigers and a better bench sees them gain a good home win against an impressive Quins side.

Irish 20-19 Bath
Not sure how Bath'll do defending against Worcester here!! 2 good front rows even each other out. Prefer the Irish 2nd row pairing who will get quite a bit of joy in the air. Bath have a good back row but Irish have that bit extra quality. Think Evans'll control the hb's better here with Wiggelsworth just coming back to form. Outside backs go to Bath who will run Irish very very close, however, it's the added quality in the Irish back 5 in the pack which see's them over for a good win.

Sale 20-21 Welsh
I feel Welsh have it right with the right players for the blitz defence, and they do mention Parra as a sweeper. Front row goes to Welsh and I haven't heard of the Sale loosehead! Think Sharks may get some gain at the lineout but Welsh will take it in the scrums. Can't split 2 inform back rows here. Prefer the Care-Sexton link here but Welsh will stop the play with good defensive centres who will attack the turnover. Back 3 goes to Welsh just with Strettle struggling against Wade but Abendanon won't let many through them. So looking back overall I'd say that Sale will get points for home advantage but Welsh have the tactics right.......so hard to split, I'm going to have to stick my neck out and go with the front row (bit biased being a prop) who will secure a good set piece. Sorry SirJ.

Yeah it's a bit of a concern the guy said 'I think one of my testicles is inside me' - just sitting in the medical room now, not really sure how to apologise to the guy, though to be fair he broke my nose about 6 months ago with a shot, so it is retribution of sorts.

Could be worse, his testicle could be inside you. That would take some explaining

That would have had to have been one heck of a powerful shot there Pooly - worst bit is that the guy is the Chief Legal Officer at a place I am doing some consultancy work with and is meant to be offering new terms next week, can't help but feel that the terms might not be so good for me now!

Newcastle 18-15 Saracens

2 teams with some form issues players wise yet with some awesome names. Falcons just take front row due to best. Ric and barcella no form and Mitchell and smit same for Exeter.

SecOnd rows even one a piece.

Backrows even Rennie the form horse here. Is brown back? If so has a lot to prove.

Halfbacks 1 a piece with duvenage on form and flood better than td on form. If duvenage ineligible for Saracens due to being on loan pooly wins by 2 more point. Duvenage a top player

Backs even with smith and cuthbert the only players with form. Pooly has huge names and if this was based on paper would win easy bit with Payne, bowe, Joc, youngs etc with little form it makes game more difficult

However pooly has a great home record and big names do figure out how to win and they have enough nous to continue a great start to season by falcons.


Good game


Leicester 25-24 quins

Game of round 2 super teams and title challengers

Quins take front row with form. Marler immense and a match for cole
And afoa shading Jenks. Jury out on youngs


Second row fairly even but bakkies the star.

Back row even also. Burger lacking form though. Both lineouts would struggle against a proper set up. Steve would have won had he played wood.

Half backs hard to separate although wilko in form. Leicester win this in centres Easily with 36 being great for glos and jj looking lost although it maybe due to playing in terrible team without a proper 12.

Home advantage wins this. 2 top 4 challenging teams Steve would have won this at home

Gloucester 22-21 Wasps

Bit of an edge up front for Gloucester, been impressed with Gray this season and he slots nicely between 2 strong scrummaging props. Little more mobility for Gloucester engine room but strong unit for Wasps. Lineout will be tight with Wentzal/Mafi against Gray/Hari/Lapandry but see both securing good fast ball. Surprised to say this but Gloucester backrow a little light on the hard yards, Wasps a little stronger on the flanks but Hari a step up on Mowen despite lacking a bit of form with been out a while.

Bit stronger for Wasps in the halfbacks as a pairing and one a piece in the centres with Kahui starting to lose rating with injury although just shading Pisi still. Gloucester a step up on the wings despite Sharples struggling for form he's a step ahead of Elliott. Brown in great form though and not a fan of Balshaw.

Really tight game but Gloucester have a cracking bench to see them through, Wasps just miss out the front 5 battle or they'd have sneaked this one.

Leicester 25-23 Harlequins

Where to start on this one. Two sides in serious form in this league and players I love throughout each team.

Front 5 battle is HUGE. Two great mobile front rows, Marler has been outstanding this season and will really push Cole. Quins just lack a bit of form with Rees to really dominate here and I really rate Youngs. His throwing is steady enough this season imo. Bakkies/Pape is immense battle and tbh pretty even although Bakkies can step up a bit more if needed. Horwill starting to lose a bit of rating but ahead of Borthwick who sticks out a little in Steve's pack. Some slight form issues for both teams in the backrow but two v good units and not much in it.

Bit more fizz for the Quins Halfbacks but utter control for Tigers and Wilko in good nick this season, fan of Laidlaw though and he's a good foil for Dickson. Two great centre combo's on paper although slight form issues, more so for the Quins combo with Roberts out for a while and JJ struggling, 36 has started ok for Quins and I think Tigers just edge here (so close). Tigers back 3 stronger, especially the wings. Massive Taylor fan though and he'll really give Quins spark.

Game of round and titanic battles throughout, Tigers just have enough at home to see the through and an amazing bench to see out the game. Can see both teams in top 4/5 this season.

Newcastle 21 - 18 Saracens

Not too much in the packs. Newcastle have a little more in each row but Saracens certainly combative. Think the Saracens backrow would work well, maybe look for someone a little more doggish than Dowson for winter months.

Backs to Newcastle in each position bar 10. Think Sarries will be okay defensively in backs though just not as much in attack.

Good contest but you need to play well to win up North

Gloucester 27 - 25 Wasps

Gloucester have a little more in the front 5. Good in setpiece and loose although feel Wasps will edge the lineout. Backrows pretty even with slight edge to Gloucester.

Halfbacks to Wasps with a better unit. Little more to Wasps in centres but Gloucester stronger in the back 3. Real tough call this one. Just to Gloucester in the end.

London Irish 28 - 24 Bath

Good front row battle just going to Irish. Locks also to Irish. I feel that Irish will dominate the lineout in a big way. In the loose the backrows are a good contest with perhaps more carrying in the Bath back row.

Halfbacks to Irish but prefer the Bath outside backs although Irish not weak here. Some huge collisions going in but Bath stronger outwide.

Irish have enough at home here to get a decent win.

Northampton 29 - 26 Worcester

Front row to Saints but back 5 of the packs go to Worcester with what is a quality unit with plenty in the loose and the tight. Saints not weak but Warriors stronger.

Backs however are a different story. Saints ooze class and Worcester will really struggle to hold them. This advantage gives Saints the win.

Sale 24 - 21 London Welsh

Front 5 advantage goes to Welsh although Wilson much poorer than Adam Jones. Backrow to Sale with a great unit. In the loose Sale are no mugs but not as strong as welsh, front 5 in particular.

Backlines to Sale in all positions. Good combos and a nice balance well controlled by strong halfbacks. I think these players will make the difference and the back row advantage gives Sale enough ball for these backs to do their thing.

Steve says it all for this game. 100% agree.



Northampton 29 - 26 Worcester

Front row to Saints but back 5 of the packs go to Worcester with what is a quality unit with plenty in the loose and the tight. Saints not weak but Warriors stronger.

Backs however are a different story. Saints ooze class and Worcester will really struggle to hold them. This advantage gives Saints the win.

Irish 26-25 bath

Battle of power backs. Irish stronger pack and lineout dominance see them squeak it.

Bath much better back 3 and will
Score for fun

Falcons 18 - 15 Sarries
Falcons definitely have a more world class players on show and putting Parling in their starting lineup is a big plus for me, as havent been keen on POC's form. The way that Sarries can play though can stiffle a team and stop the game from flowing and if more Falcons players were on form then score would have been 5+ points, but a dogged performance by Sarries keeps the game close. Amazing home record of Falcons also key.

Glos 27 - 24 Wasps
Potentially a lot of tries here, like both teams - not sure about Elliot on the wing as he's been injured at Saints in real life and isn't the same quality (yet) as the Gloucester wingers. Both teams are going to get a lot of quick ball off the top, but perhaps a little more attacking flair for Gloucester will see them through.

Tigers 12-9 Quins
It's the conditions that spoil this game for me and ultimately sways it the home teams way as in heavy rain you want Wilko as your no10 more than any other flyhalf in the world. Isn't going to be pretty, decided by the boot, but I think Tigers just have a few more players for the conditions, although I feel Tom Youngs could come under a fair bit of pressure.

Irish 26 - 24 Bath
Nick Evans' form for me is the thing that sways it, think he is an awesome player and in real life wins games for Quins week after week and he is probably the form player in Europe right now. Very even all over the pitch, in the conditions both teams are going to be good at attacking and getting over the gainline, it is very even throughout but for me Evans and home advantage are key.

Sale 31-30 Welsh
Great game this one, both teams should get a try BP as looking at the squads they are both going out to attack and I do like James at no10. For me a key area is looking at the players who can control a game, 2, 8, 9 and 10 and in all honesty I need to see more of the Tongan no8 for Welsh in real life, as I think he is currently a little behind other no8s in this game, but has huge potential. High scoring game, both spot on with tactics, but I do love the Care/Sexton combo, which has got to be up there with best in the game.

Sale 23-20 welsh

Tight in pack with welsh front 5 very good. Sale
Back row take honours and sale
Half backs win the game. Great combo.

Similar story in outside backs.

Pete has built a good side
Already

Gloucester 28 Wasps 22

Glaws smash Wasps in front 5 , Grey has two big scrummagers next to him. Not seen enough of Stander to rate him , especially aginst Mafi who is pretty handy at 6. Lapandy seriously underated and leaps above Poff. Hari way past Mowen. Half backs to Wasps but both on back foot. Genia just edges blair but think Wasps 9/10 better balance. Centres just wasps but Glaws back 3 step above.

Tigers 9 Quins 3

Tigers have right game plan and better better at 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 in pack and have better set piece and build win from here. Dickson is poor mans yachvilli whilst Wilko class in these conditions with Laidlaw better on dry. 12T solid in defence but Roberts still gets joy but not enough to make massive impact. JJ poor first few games of season and Drico is most skilled player in world and would school JJ. good back 3 batter with clerc and Taylor stand outs.

Are predos open till 8.00 tomorrow night?

Newcastle 23-19 Sarries
Gloucester 21-16 Wasps
Tigers 27-26 Quins
Saints 26-20 Warriors
Sale 24-23 Welsh

Newcastle Falcons 25 - 19 Saracens
Leicester Tigers 15 - 12 Harlequins
London Irish 23 - 20 Bath Rugby
Northampton Saints 26 - 22 Worcester Warriors
Sale Sharks 23 - 21 London Welsh

Falcons 26-22 Saracens
Leicester 18-15 quins
Glos 30-26 wasps
Saints 27-24 worc
Sale 24-23 welsh

Irish 27-25 Bath

Two strong sides, home advantage swings it.

Saints 26-23 Worcester

Two cracking packs, Worcester would tear up lineout but too much attacking threat for Saints

Sale 28-25 Welsh

Strong looking Welsh side but Sale strong throughout and tasty at home. Like the Welsh 9-12 axis but back 3 not great.

Newcastle Falcons 29-23 Saracens

Set piece battle goes to Falcons with a decent front 5. Back row is fairly even though on current form. Halfbacks tight but the real life combo shades it for Falcons. 11-15 though Falcons are stronger and with home advantage they should see this one through.

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Gloucester 20-16 London Wasps

Glaws with a strong front 5 on show and can see them really getting at the set piece here. Nothing between the flanks but Hari at 8 gives Gloucester the advantage. Halfbacks one a piece while the midfield is fairly even. Elliot is the weakest link in the back threes but Brown in tremendous form for Wasps. Backs fairly even but Gloucester have the pack to take control of possession and territory.

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Leicester Tigers 17-15 Harlequins

Can’t see anything in it overall in the packs. Both front 5s will get the job done at the set piece and good balance to both backrows. Both halfbacks will be abe to control the tempo of the game when in possession. Bit more form in midfield for Tigers though and bit more quality on show in the back three. Tigers bench could really get on top at scrum time in the last quarter. At home with a little more in the backs Tigers win out.

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London Irish 20-13 Bath Rugby

Good scrum battle but fancy Irish to cause a few problems at the lineout. Backrow fairly even but Armitage will turn a bit of ball over. Halfbacks to Irish. Again the Bath pair won’t get the attacking game going as wanted in tactics. Back threes fairly even overall but Bath with a bit more in midfield. Don’t see Bath getting the attacking game going and with home advantage Irish take the victory.

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Northampton Saints 24-18 Worcester Warriors

Little edge at scrum time to Saints but Worcester can get at the lineout. Backrow battle goes to Worcester. Both sets of flankers will disrupt but much more of a carrying game for Worcester and they can get some good go forward here. Halfbacks are fairly even but there’s a bit more quality for Saints from 11-15. Not sure on the defense for Worcester at 10-12-13. Good bench options from Saints. Worcester will make this a real dogfight but Saints at home have just enough quality.

Irish 27 Bath 21
Saints 23 Worcester 17
Sale 23 Welsh 22

Saints 25 - 21 Worcester

SLight advantage to Saints in the front row with a powerful unit in good form. Probably just edge to Worcester in the 2nd row with their grizzly duo. Great back row battle with two strong combos, no clear winner. SLight edge to Saints in the HB's, but Chris not sure how much longer Giteau can play 10 for you - he hasn't played there in so long. Centres to Saints, but the back threes are tight - I like Worcester's unit. SLight edge to Saints throughout.


Sale 19 - 18 Welsh

Advantage Welsh in the front row with their powerful unit. Give them the advantage in the 2nd row too with Hines the standout on display. Slight edge to Sale in the back row but not a lot in it. One apiece in the HB's, but Sale's combo slightly stronger overall. Similar story in the centres with Hook in good form fiving Sale the advanatge. Better form for Welsh in the back three. Really tight game, with some great battles. Home advanatge sways it.

Newcastle Falcons 20 Saracens 16

Falcons have more quality but some form issues and a number of players have not laced up a pair of boots this season in real life. JOC at 12 great in attack, but being shifted around means defensive issues for him at present. Saracens pack good in scrum and lineout, but heavily reliant on JvN for carrying in tight areas. Not enough physicality from 4 - 8 to look for the choke tackle (don't see Dowson or Rennie being effective at it) and not quite enough throughout to win away from home.


Gloucester 25 London Wasps 23

Not much in it in the pack battles for me. Possibly some bigger names for Gloucester, but form issues for people like Richie Grey. Less superstars in the Wasps pack, but well balanced with decent carrying, and good set piece and Jonathan Poff's breakdown work is very good. Issues with both 10's, with Lambs flakiness costing him the starting shirt at Saints in real life, and Priestland having problems off the tee this season. Like both centre combos, Wasps being very solid defensively. Gloucester have a bit more threat in the back three. Close, but you have to really win the pack battle to win away, and I have this one even, so it's a narrow win for the home side.


Leicester Tigers 22 Harlequins 18

Good balance to the Tigers pack. Only slight issue for me is Burger who hasn't played for a while so loses a bit of rating. Quins pack also good and well balanced. Prefer Laidlaw at 9 than 10, and would prefer the Tigers back three to the Quins one in the rain. Tigers halfbacks ideal for conditions. I like the Quins tactic of doubling up in the tackle, which could be very effective at isolating the ball carrier as Tigers are not looking for the offload. Tough call, but in most areas I give Tigers a very small advatntage, which at home mounts up to a comfortable enough win.


London Irish 39 Bath Rugby 32

Think Irish get the nudge on at scrum time here, and also an advantage in the lienout with Muller the standout. Prefer Keegan Daniel at 8 where he gets a bit more space to run into and is more effective for me. Evans the standout in class and form in the halfbacks, and behind a pack with set piece dominance could cause some real problems for Bath. Both backlines havve tries in them, and likewise I can see both teams defences having holes in them at times, so this is a high scorer for me. At home and with the better platform and outside half, I have to make Irish comfortable in this one, although both teams could end up with a TBP.


Northampton Saints 27 Worcester Warriors 23

Two good packs, with Nathan Catt the standout weakness across both in terms of playing ability. As a result I see Saints winning the scrum battle here. Lineouts look messy to me in this game, with both teams possibly struggling a bit. I can see this being one were neither team gets greta ball from that area to be honest. In the half backs I have to go with Saints. Simpson is in really good form this season and is causing defences loads of problems. Barkley, whilst having been good off the tee has made some poor tactical decisions in the bits I've seen of him this season so far. Tries in both backlines, with Worcester also having a real carrying threat in the back row. Slightly better defence in the backs for Saints in this one though. Worcester will cause Saints some problems here, but the home side should see this one out with the quality that they have both starting and on the bench.