Aviva Premiership Round Seven

First topic message reminder :

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Team Sheets and tactics due by Saturday (20:00)
Predictions due till Tuesday (23:00)

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Bath v Exeter Chiefs
Location - The Rec
-Sunny, 7 Degrees, 16mph Winds

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Bath Rugby
Manager – Bathite

01. C.Healy	09. M.Classens (c)
02. L.Mears	10. O.Barkley (k)
03. A.Perenise
04. S.Hooper	11. K.Eastmond
05. D.Attwood	12. F.Steyn (lk)
06. S.O'Brien	13. C.Laulala
07. F.Louw	14. T.Biggs
08. S.Kalamafoni	15. R.Chisholm

16. O.Franks 17. R.Batty 18. N.Catt 19. R.Caldwell 20. C.Fearns 21. C.Cook 22. M.Banahan 23. I.Dagg

TACTICS TBC

General
- Key players rested last week to be a full fitness this week. SOB, Fearns, Attwood, Claasens, Steyn, Biggs all fresh. Franks and Dagg to come off the bench to make a real impact with Banahan

- We want to make sure that we play rugby in the opposition half and force handling errors, where we can attack the scrum. Use the physicality of our pack to our advantage, keeping the ball tight in the middle section of the pitch to retain possession and build a platform to attack from. In our third clear to touch and challenge for the ball at lineout.

- With slow ball, look to mix up first receiver between Steyn and Barkley and then look for back row runners on inside shoulder
- Steyn to ensure we play sensible rugby in the right areas, kicking long for touch in our 22, using the up and under in the centre of the pitch and delicate grubbers in behind centres to chase and force kickable penalties.

- Steyn leads the rush defence, with SOB flying up to cramp 10 for time and space and ensuring he takes the ball deep behind the gainline and starving their outside backs of ball. Classens sweeps up behind for counter attacks

- Big impact bench, with the likes of Franks, Catt, Fearns, Caldwell providing ball carrying options up front. Banahan, Donald and Dagg will wreak havoc in the last 20 minutes, as the space opens up. Real advantage over the opposition in terms of bench options

Forwards
* Louw and SOB released to play as out and out flankers, linking play. Kalamafoni provides the physicality off the back of the scrum in defence and attack
* Picked a very physical pack to make sure that we defend strongly and smash over the gainline.
* At the lineout, Hooper will lead the calls as in real life and look to pressurise opposition hooker and compete at every throw.
* Use ball carriers of Franks, Attwood, O'Brien, Kalamafoni to make hard yards up the pitch and draw defenders into the ruck area, looking to create space around the fringes for Laulala to exploit

Backs
* Chisholm given free rein in attack, looking to come into the line either side of Laulala. Laulala to look for the half gap with power and offload (only if on), with the pace of Biggs and Woodburn on their shoulder to make the break
* Barkley to take the ball flat on the gainline, drawing defenders and buying time and space for Steyn. Steyn often used as dummy runner to keep it unpredictable
* Use the inside pass with forward runners of SOB, Attwood, Fearns to keep the inside shoulder honest and force the 10 to make tackles.
* Get Laulala on the ball early on and encourage a very pacy back three to run off his shoulder. Only offload if it is on, otherwise, crash it up and use SOB and Healy to clear out and Fearns to secure.
* Eastmond to get free rein in attack, looking to pop up as second receiver. Can interchange with Banahan on the wing

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Exeter Chiefs

Manager – Luke

01. Tendai Mtawarira	09. Sam Harrison
02. Rob Webber	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Loius Deacon	11. Gonzalo Camacho
05. James Horwill (c)	12. Sireli Naqelevuki
06. Steve Mafi	13. Richard Kahui
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Paul Sackey
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Isa Nacewa

16. Brett Sturgess 17. Neil Clark 18. Hoani Tui 19. James Hanks 20. James Scaysbrook 21. James Lightfoot-Brown 22. Ian Humphreys 23. Luke Arscott

Tactics

We will play a structured game built around our massive ball carriers, the strength of our set piece and getting our lightning backline into space.

- Attack the scrum as a weapon - and call when we can. Look to really get the shove on.

- Use Wilkinson's boot to attack our strong lineout with Horwill, Joubert, Mafi and Deacon all massive jumpers. We will relentlessly target the opposition's throws.

- Massive line-breakers right throughout the side that will look to tire down the opposition defence. We will use our big carriers consistently to tire down the opposition.
The likes of Afoa, Mafi, Armitage, Beast, Horwill, Joubert and Naqelevuki used off the shoulder crashing through the opposition defence.

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

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

- Look to play attacking rugby in the backs, getting the likes of Kahui, Camacho and Nacewa on the ball when we can.

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

- Wilkinson to kick all penalties.

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Gloucester v Leicester Tigers
Location - Kingsholm
-Sunny, 7 Degrees, 14mph Winds

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Gloucester

Manager – prop_lyd

01. Nick Wood	09. Dimitri Yachvilli
02. Darren Dawiduk	10. Pat Lambie (k)
03. Adam Jones
04. Jim Hamilton	11. JSD
05. Will James	12. Jamie Roberts
06. Alisdair Strokosch	13. Henry Trinder
07. Akapusi Qera	14. Shane Monahan
08. JVN (c)	15. Jonny May

16. Korree Britton 17. Dan Murphy 18. Shaun Knight 19. Alex Brown 20. Sam Cane 21. Dan Robson 22. Mike Tindall 23. Iain Balshaw

Tactics

We are aiming to hit the ground running this season with a new and exciting brand of confrontational forwards with pace and flair in the backs. Wood and Hamilton will lead the side from the front. Our game will want to get the ball to a set of backs who can make a lot of inroads. And our back row will get a lot of turnover ball. Cane will look to make a huge impact with Tindall on the hour.



Forwards

*Experienced front row who will look to dominate the set piece and Jones will be the anchor, we will go up on Jones' side and won't go backwards....we go up, forward and down but not backwards.

*2nd rows are two strong players who will look to control the lineout and to put pressure on their back 5 in the scrum with confrontational play.

*Backrow are breakdown specialists with Strokosch and Qera both terrorising here and JVN providing brute strength off the back of the scrum and off the backs, again the bench provides more go forward with Cane.



Backs

* Yachvilli to snipe when space but to release Lambie and Roberts when possible, he will go for goal when in range,

* Roberts and Trinder to hit hard and will have a winger on his shoulder at all times and also look for JVN to break through the defence,

* Exciting backs here who will link well and look to constantly run at and through the Wasps defence,

* A fast back 3 here who will always look for work and are strong in defence and under the high ball.



Defence

*Roberts to lead this,

*Strokosch/Qera to be on 10’s shoulder looking to wrap the ball up,

*Contest at the breakdown and all set piece.

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Leicester Tigers

Manager – Sgt_Pooly

01. Thomas Domingo	09. Ben Youngs
02. Bismark Du Plessis	10. Toby Flood
03. Martin Castrogiovani
04. Joe Launchbury	11. Miles Benjamin
05. Geoff Parling	12. Berrick Barnes
06. Willam Alberts	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. Sam Warburton(c)	14. James O’Connor
08. Sergio Parisse	15. Rob Kearney

16. Jamie George 17. Dan Cole 18. Alex Corbisiero 19. Ed Slater 20. Luke Wallace 21. Karl Dickson 22. Danny Cipriani 23. Jordan Turner-Hall

Tactics

We will base our game around high tempo, high intensity rugby. We’ll look to use the set piece as a foundation to work from and turn the screw on the opposition if a weakness is seen. We’ll look for big carries from our pack to give us go forward ball which Youngs thrives upon.

We’ll look to target the lineout throughout with 5 top draw options. Launchbury, Parling and Parisse will look to mark the front, middle and back and put intense pressure on throughout the game.

Flood/Barnes will dictate tempo and look to get Manu running angles to either punch holes in the opposition midfield or draw the decoy and allow our back 3 into the game.

When the 3 is on in front of the posts we’ll take and the captain will make the call on set piece if an advantage is seen.



- Turn screw in set piece if weakness seen
- High intensity & keep the ball alive
- Youngs to attack the gaps and allow Flood time to hit the line
- Manu to be used as crash and decoy with back 3 coming into the line
- Target lineout with world class operators
- Warburton/Alberts to marshal breakdown and slow/turnover opp ball

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London Irish v Harlequins
Location - Kingsholm
-Sunny Intervals, 7 Degrees, 14mph Winds

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London Irish

Manager – Pullthestrings

01. Gethin Jenkins	09. Joe Simpson
02. James Buckland	10. Quade Cooper
03. Euan Murray
04. Tom Palmer	11. Tom Homer (k)
05. Simon Shaw	12. Daniel Bowden
06. Jerome Kaino	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. David Pocock (c)	14. Sailosi Tagicakibau
08. Tom Guest	15. Delon Armitage

16. Rob Herring, 17. Max Lahiff, 18. Leo Halavatau, 19. Bryn Evans, 20. Declan Danaher, 21. Darren Allinson, 22. Brock James, 23. Regan King

Tactics
- Back from two good wins in the HC and we're ready to build upon a good start in the AP. Some big players back for us, fresh and raring to go.

- Really have a go at Quins in the scrum. Set a decent platform to attack from and gain some confidence. Quick ball to Quade if we're stable, Guest to pick and go if it's messy.

- In the lineout, we'll dominate. So many options. Opt for full lineouts mostly in their half to tie in their pack, leaving more space out wide. Compete for their ball.

- Play in their half all day - there are few sides that can score against us from 60+ metres so it limits their threat straight away.

- Target the breakdown for possible turnovers, with Pocock staying strong on his feet. When they arise, lets use them to our advantage. If the back three are sparse, look to kick for territory. If there are mis-matches, lets have a go.

- Be disciplined at the breakdown, with a guard and bodyguard at every breakdown to stop those easy yards around the fringes. No excuses here.

- Simpson to keep the tempo high, getting the ball quickly away from the breakdown and releasing the backs. The back three to be hungry and look to get involved.

- Quade's back in and also will be looking to keep the tempo high. Bowden can slot in as first receiver if necessary to get the ball moving.

- Big efforts in defence, particularly from Bowden and Rougerie. Pocock to work his socks off getting across and chopping them down before they get momentum.

- For slow ball, look to get outside their guards and bodyguards to suck in more and more forwards at each breakdown. This will give more time to the backs.

- Homer to go for points at every opportunity.We can have a pop from anywhere in their half. Make them scared to give away penalties in their half, thus giving us more time at the breakdown.

- Bench is full of impact players to keep the intensity high and have a run at the Quins tired legs.

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Harlequins

Manager – Driver

01.Matt Mullen	09.Richard Wrigglesworth
02.Joe Grey	10.Tom Heatcote
03.James Johnstone
04.Eben Etzebeth	11.George North
05.Mauritz Botha	12.Hudson Tonha'uhia
06.Tom Croft	13.Jared Payne
07.Chris Robshaw (c)	14.James Short
08.Dave Denton	15.Nick Abendonan

16.Marcos Ayerza 17.John Smit 18.Chris Budgen 19.Alistair Hargreaves 20.Hienrich Brussouw 21.Henry Taylor 22.Andy Short 23.Ollie Lindsey Hague.


Tactics

Big pack to get ontop the Irish front 5 and put them under the cosh at the Scrum and rucks with plenty of impact from the bench.

Scrummage for 80 minutes with Ayerza coming on at about 50ish to up the anty in the scrum.

Heathcote to test Irish backs 3s position game with Kicks in behind with North and Short chasing with neither being on the small side.

Tonga'uhia to take the ball flat and look to feed payne by pulling defenders in.

Croft to run our lineout which Robshaw works hard in the tight.

Denton and Wiggles to keep the tempo high with tap and goes and making Irish work hard in defense making tackles and tireing them out.

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Northampton Saints v Saracens
Location - Kingsholm
-Sunny, 7 Degrees, 16mph Winds

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Northampton Saints

Manager – SirJohnnyEnglish

01. Steven Kitshoff	09. Lee Dickson
02. Richardt Strauss	10. Stephen Myler
03. Brian Mujati
04. Courtney Lawes	11. Chris Ashton
05. Andries Bekker	12. Sonny Bill Williams
06. Stephen Ferris	13. George Pisi
07. Tom Wood	14. Vasily Artemiev
08. Roger Wilson	15. Ben Foden

16. S. Tonga'uiha 17. D. Hartley 18. P. Doran-Jones 19. S. Manoa 20. P. Dowson 21. M. Roberts 22. R. Lamb 23. J. Elliot

Key Points

• Look to dominate proceedings in the final quarter. Sarries will be making a lot of positional switches with the bench coming on and this will lead to disruption to attacking and defensive patterns. Fatigue and jet lag will be an issue for their Blesidoe cup players as well.

Tactics

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 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 Dickson & Myler and force Sarries to come at us from deep.

• 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 room as possible to attack from.

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

• We will play an aggressive blitz on defence, playing on the edge of the offside line and coming up at pace, looking to isolate the ball carrier and stop any Sarries momentum before it can get going.

• Lee Dickson will act as a 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 ball.

• 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 Wood looking to get his 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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]Saracens

Manager – ChequeredJersey

01. Mako Vunipola	09. Morgan Parra (k.)
02. Schalk Brits	10. Charlie Hodgson
03. Carlos Nieto
04. George Kruis	11. Tom Williams
05. Donnacha Ryan	12. Anthony Allen
06. Kelly Brown (c.)	13. Vereniki Goneva
07. Will Fraser	14. Chris Wyles
08. Billy Vunipola	15. Alex Goode

16. Jared Saunders 17. Rob Buchanan 18. Sekope Kepu 19. Charlie Matthews 20. Jackson Wray 21. Richie McCaw 22. Jordan Burns 23. Conrad Smith

Sub cover- McCaw 1st choice in 6,7,8. Burns 9/Wing, Goode or Parra 10, Smith 12/13, Goneva or Wyles FB

Tactics- It's sunny again, so time for running rugby. Very traditional back row today, I want Fraser focusing at winning/slowing ball at the breakdown, supported by Brown or Kruis when he can't get there, and Brown and Billy V clearing out. Quick ball will be shipped mostly to the backs, with occasional carries in the pack to keep the defence on their toes. Hodgson to play flat and spread the ball quickly , with Allen as the focal point of the attack, with Brits on his inside shoulder to use as a weapon. Goneva look to support and run or get the ball to the wings in a broken field. Goode join the line to change the direction of attack.

Slower ball kicked if appropriate (must be chased) but rather kept in mauls or picks by the forwards (pods of 3). If the forwards aren't needed in a ruck, try and get carriers like the Vunipolas ready at the fringes or off the shoulders of backs to make an impact and not waste men in attack.

Defence- blitz led by Allen unless C Smith comes on. Fraser to harry Myler, put him under pressure, make sure Wyles tracks Ashton and Brown makes life hard for Dickson

Scrum-should be strong with Mako in particularly strong form, use it to play back row moves, and get Billy to test Myler and the blindside wing.

Lineout- mix it up with lots of options, called by Ryan. Have Billy act as a dummy half sometimes- he can use this position to run onto tap downs or set up a maul


Other- just be calm. We are away in a difficult place but have gotten used to playing attacking rugby recently and have some gamechangers and deep experience on the bench. If we need to replace 10, Parra can go their to slow the game down if need be but otherwise play Goode

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London Wasps v London Welsh
Location - Kingsholm
-Sunny Intervals, 7 Degrees, 11mph Winds

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London Wasps

Manager – CF

01. Tim Payne	09. Danny Care
02. Dimitri Swarzeski	10. Shane Geraghty
03.Matt Stevens
04.George Skivington	11.Tom Varndell
05. Marco Wentzel	12. Billy Twelvetrees
06. Thierry Dusautoir	13. Jacque Fourie
07. Julien Salvi	14. Ugo Monye
08.Thomas Waldrom	15. Mark Cueto

16. Boris Stankovich 17. George Chuter 18. Nicolas Mas 19. Jacques Burger 20. Micky Young 21. Jimmy Gopperth 22. Joe Ansbro 23. Richard Haughton

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London Welsh

Manager – Fluxy

01. Rhys Gill	09. Ruan Pienaar (K)
02. Chris Whitehead	10. Nick Evans
03. David Wilson
04. Paul O'Connell (C)	11. Topsy Ojo
05. Dean Mumm	12. Brad Barritt
06. Tom Johnson	13. George Lowe
07. Will Welch	14. Horacio Agulla
08. Nick Easter	15. Ben Ransom

16. Paul James 17. Craif Mitchell 18. David Paice 19. Steve Borthwick 20. Ashley Johnson 21. Will Chudley 22. Dominic Waldlouck 23. Adam Thompstone

Tactics
We look to impose ourselves from the off and let the opposition know how we are going to play the game and how we want to dictate the pace of the game. Our brand of rugby is physical and fast, however we won't just run the ball at every opportunity. We will only play in the right areas of the paddock, and Evans knows when to attack and when we need to clear the lines. We will look to go through simple phases to reproduce quick ball to cut the defence open. We have brilliant leaders all other the pitch in POC, Easter and Evans, and they know what will be required to get we want from the game - a win. After last weeks god win, we will look to build some momentum for the season.

• Gill and Mitchell are solid technicians and will secure our own feed, to provide first phase possession for our backs. Gill will look to put pressure on the Sharks feed. With James and Wilson to come on, our scrummaging should remain a threat throughout the game.
  
  
• POC will look to get a line out dominance over the Saracens jumpers. He will look to use himself at the front of the line, as well as Mumm, Johnson, Easter and Borthwick off the bench to maintain dominance in the area.
  
  
• Our whole pack is mobile and capable of snaffling ball at the breakdown. Collectively we will look to (legally!) slow down Saracen ball as much possible, only committing men to rucks if the turnover is on.
  
  
• The backrow will target the Saracens halfbacks, allowing them no time on the ball. The impetus and control will come through this unit, shutting them down quickly will lead to them rushing and making mistakes.
  
  
• Evans will look to have forward runners of his outside shoulder to puncture the Saracens defensive line and tie in numbers, so we can maintain numbers in our backline to exploit short missing defenders.
  
  
• We will target the relatively new partnership in the Saracens midfield.
  
  
• Chudley coming we will keep the game plan simple; he was a player under my management last season and will know the game plan from his time previously under my coaching. He will allow Evans to control the attack or to look for forwards standing in pods for slow ball.
  
  
• Look to use our strong bench for impact later in the game.
  
  
• Evans will kick all points, unless POC dictates we have a dominate set piece at the moment in time.

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Worcester Warriors v Sale Sharks
Location - Kingsholm
- Sunny, 7 Degrees, 14mph Windss

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Worcester Warriors

Manager – InTheFastLane

15. Kurtley Beale

01. Joe Marler	09. Will Genia
02. Stephen Moore	10. George Ford
03. Tevita Taumeopeau
04. George Robson	11. David Strettle
05. Graham Kitchener	12. Jordan Turner Hall
06. James Haskell
13. Matt Hopper
07. Matt Kvesic	14. Marcel Garvey
08. Ben Morgan

16. Ed Shervington 17. George Porter 18. Kyle Sinckler 19. Gerhard Mostert 20. Michael Hooper 21. Shaun Perry 22. Dan Carter 23. Maa Nonu

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Sale Sharks

Manager – LondonIrishOllie

01.Logovoi Mulipola	09.Hadyn Thomas
02.Gary Botha	10.Johan Goosen
03.Davit Kubriashvilli
04.Yoann Maestri	11.Charlie Amesbury
05.Matt Garvey	12.Jonathan Davies
06.James Gaskell	13.Jonathan Joseph
07.Dave Seymour	14.Tom Brady
08.Jordan Crane	15.Rob Miller

Subs 16.Nathan Charles 17.Andrew Sheridan 18.Henry Thomas 19.Dean Schofield 20.Schalk Burger 21.Scott Mathie 22.Aaron Cruden 23.Luther Burrell

Tactics
We are going to play a game that revolves around our big front 5. We beleive we can get an advantage at scrum time not only because of our front row but because of our bulky 2nd row which compared to their lightweight 2nd row will give us a big advantage.

When we have got some go forward ball we will release our exciting backline, with Davies being used as a mixture of a decoy runner and a big basher. JJ will look to utilise the space and take advantage of Hopper's defensive frailties.

Amesbury and Brady will both come of their wings on occasion and look to run supporting lines.

Lineout. Gaskell is our lineout leader, and will call the lineout. Other jumpers include Maestri, Garvey and Crane.

Defence - We are going to use a blitz defence to put Ford under as much pressure as possible. We will also use our big ball carriers to run at him early on to unsettle him.

Subs - We have some great impact from the bench most of which has been in the country for atleast 2 weeks so are more than ready to play. Subs will be used as and when needed. We have picked a bench that can make an impact and we will use it.

Bath 21 Exeter 19
Very close game between two teams aiming for playoffs. I think home advantage will be key here and i think Bath have a little more explosiveness in the backs with Halfbacks even with 9 to Bath 10 to Chiefs. Fearns will also make an impact from the bench.

Glaws 27 Leicester 32
Glaws push Leicester close but I see Leicester just about edging the forwards, backs and bench. Not a lot in it, but Leicester will come away from Kingsholm with a very tough victory. With Kearney injured and Warburton seriously lacking form, they are marked down slightly, but still Glaws have too much.

Irish 22 Quins 22
Irish take front row, Quins take backrow, 2nd rows even. Cooper and Heathcote haven't played for ages. Cooper is a liabilty in defence and this will be exploied by Quins big ball carriers. Quins to get a slight advantage in lineout but Buckland is one of most underrated hookers in league, unfortunately he is injured IRL which demotes his rating slightly.

Saints 26 Sarries 24
Saints are stronger throughout but Sarries have a look of a team that won't go away. Hodgson wins battle of 10's but Saints pack give enough of a platform to ensure a close home win. I think Goneva can be got a defensively with the clever lines Pisi can run off of SBW, and this will cause Sarries problems.

Wasps 19 Welsh 23
Another very close game. For me if Wasps had a few tactics it would be a draw/win for them but with Geraghty yet to have played all season IRL against Evans who was good until his injury and a lack of direction from coaching staff lead me to think Welsh will sneak a tough away victory.

Bath 18 - 20 Exeter Chiefs

London Irish 16 - 17 Harlequins

Northampton Saints 24 - 22 Saracens

Worcester Warriors 23 - 27 Sale Sharks

Gloucester 27 - 25 Leicester Tigers

Results:

Bath Rugby 25-23 Exeter Chiefs
Gloucester Rugby 23-28 Leicester Tigers
London Irish 21-24 Harlequins
Northampton Saints 27-21 Saracens
London Wasps 16-25 London Welsh
Worcester Warriors 19-25 Sale Sharks

Bonus:

Full: SJE, CJ, Pooly, Bathite, Prop, Driver, Pull, Luke & Ollie
Half: CF & Fluxy

Deligted with that win , tough team to beat London Irish got a great pack and decided to go with the monster front 5 to combat it and it seems to have payed off.