Fantasy Anglo Welsh Cup Round Four

Cardiff Blues vs. London Irish

Cardiff Blues

01. Sam Hobbs	09. Lewis Jones
02. Rhys Williams	10. Gareth Davies
03. Taufa'ao Filise
04. Lou Reed	11. Tom James
05. James Down	12. Gavin Evans
06. Luke Hamilton	13. Owen Williams
07. Josh Navidi (c)	14. Tom Williams
08. Robin Copeland	15. Dan Fish

16. Marc Breeze 17. Nathan Trevett 18. Ryan Harford 19. Macauley Cook 20. Thomas Young 21. Rob Lewis 22. Ceri Sweeney 23. Dafydd Hewitt


London Irish

01. Grant Shiells	09. Julien Dupuy
02. Hika Elliott	10. Lionel Beauxis
03. Brok Harris
04. Matt Garvey	11. Marlande Yarde
05. Johann Muller	12. Luke McAlister
06. Marcel Coetzee	13. Conrad Smith
07. Will Fraser	14. JP Pietersen
08. Alex Grey	15. Tom Homer

16. Tom Lindsay 17. WP Nel 18. Matt Stevens 19. Nick Kennedy 20. Ross Rennie 21. Ruan Pienaar 22. Shane Geraghty 23. Henry Trinder

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Gloucester vs. Bath Rugby

Gloucester
Manager – Mat

01.Guthro Steenkamp	09.Dan Robson
02.Adriaan Strauss	10.Johan Goosen
03.Juan Figallo
04.James Percival	11.Steph Reynolds
05.Tom Palmer	12.Ryan Millsl
06.Steven Ferris	13.Juan de Jongh
07.Schalk Burger	14.Jonny May
08.Immanol Harinordoquoy(c)	15.Israel Dagg

16. Jamie George 17. Dan Murphy 18. Rupert Harden 19. George Robson 20. Willem Alberts 21. Will Genia 22. Iain Balshaw 23. Hosea Gear


Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Jon Golding	09. Fourie Du Preez
02. Chris Brooker	10. Mike Harris
03. Carl Rimmer
04. Luke Romano	11. Olly Woodburn
05. Tom Donnelly	12. Luther Burrell
06. Brad Shields	13. JJ Engelbrecht
07. Rhys Ruddock	14. Maxime Medard
08. Luke Narraway	15. Tim Nanai Williams

16. Charlie Faumuania 17. Kevin Mealamu 18. Kane Palmer-Newport 19. Graham Kitchener 20. David Pocock 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Cory Jane 23. Rob Miller

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London Wasps vs. Sale Sharks

London Wasps
Manager – Fluxy

01. Charlie Beech	09. Haydn Thomas
02. Huia Edmonds	10. Brock James
03. James Slipper
04. Samoa Manoa	11. Matt Banahan
05. Marco Wentzel (C)	12. Dan Bowden
06. Dave Dennis	13. Dan Hipkiss
07. Jonathan Poff	14. Topsy Ojo
08. Ben Mowen	15. Geordan Murphy

16. Tatafu Polota-Nau 17. Alec Hepburn 18. Shaun Knight 19. Mouritz Botha 20. jordan Crane 21. Nick Phipps 22. George Pisi 23. Tom Varndell


Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Jerome Schuster	09. Ben Spencer
02. David Paice	10. Beauden Barrett
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. Brodie Retalick	11. Kyle Eastmond
05. Andries Bekker	12. Francois Steyn
06. Alex Tulou	13. Robbie Freuen
07. Matt Kvesic	14. Jean-Marcellin Buttin
08. Wycliffe Palu	15. Nick Abendanon

16. Marcos Ayerza 17. Tommy Taylor 18. Ross Harrison 19. Dave Attwood 20. Iain Henderson 21. Nathan Fowles 22. JJ Hanrahan 23. Will Addison

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Worcester Warriors vs. Saracens

Worcester Warriors
Manager - prop_lyd

01. Nathan Catt	09. Dwayne Peel
02. Richardt Strauss	10. Pat Lambie (k)
03. Samson Lee
04. Juan Cruz Guillemain	11. Eli Walker
05. Luke Charteris	12. Tom Casson
06. Tom Savage (c)	13. Matt Hopper
07. Shane Jennings	14. James Short
08. Scott Higginbotham	15. Marcelo Bosch

16. Korree Britton 17. Beast 18. Chris Budgen 19. Dom Barrow 20. Kearnen Myall 21. Kerr-Barlow 22. Morne Steyn 23. Ollie Barkley

*big pack to get over gainline,
*look to control lineouts,
*backrow to slow down their ball,
*strong impact forwards bench,
*backs to run with good ball and lambie to stick it in corners if not on,
*run back all of their kicks,
*use exciting centre combo to bring bosch into the game,
*use bench for extra impact and to seal off game.

The boys are out to win and enjoy themselves. Currently 3 good wins from 3 including Irish so confidence is high.


Saracens Football Club
Manager – DHLS07

01. Max Lahiff	09. Dewaldt Duvenage
02. George Chuter	10. Gareth Steenson
03. Phil Swainston
04. Lionel Nallet	11. Luke Fitzgerald
05. Ali Williams	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. Phil Dowson	13. Ben Smith
07. Keegan Daniel	14. Adam Thompstone
08. Billy Vunipola	15. Mark Cueto

16. John Smit 17. Matt Mullan 18. Werner Kruger 19. Rob Simmons 20. Steffon Armitage 21. Will Chudley 22. Ian Humphreys 23. Jean de Villiers

Tactics

- Very much a traditional South African game plan as adopted by Heyneke Meyer.

- Big emphasis on the forwards dominating their opponents with their physicality.

- Tight forward dominated game with big carriers punching holes in the opposition defence.

- Kick/Chase game using our wingers to hunt the ball as it drops and if the opposition winger takes it to wrap him up in the tackle and isolate him to either win us the turnover or the penalty.

- Really go for it on turnover ball and get the ball through the hands and exploit the disorganised defence.

- Play in the right areas, territory over possession.

- Solid defensive line with Keegan Daniel either stealing or slowing the ball at the breakdown.

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Newcastle Falcons vs. Northampton Saints

Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Driver

01.Alex Waller	09.Jimmy Cowen
02.Agustin Creevy	10.Aaron Cruden
03.Paul Doran Jones
04.Ed Slater	11.Miles Benjiman
05.Juandre Kruger	12.Luke Marshall
06.Chris Masoe	13.George Lowe
07.Hienrich Brussouw	14.Tommy Bowe
08.Kieron Read (c)	15.Jared Payne

16.Lee Mears 17.Soane Tonga'uhia 18.Clerment Ric 19.Tom Croft 20.Joel Conlon 21.Joel Hodgson 22.James O'Connor 23.Sam Jones

High tempo game plan from Falcons , keeping the ball using our carriers in the pack to get us over the gain line and using our exciting backs to move the ball and stretch the Saints defense.

Target the scrum , Waller and PDJ are renowned for being top draw scrummagers , Domingo has struggled in the top 14 this season , Webber has only returned to playing last week and Big Ben isn't as good as a scrummager as Waller and with Ed Slater and Juandre Kruger packing down behind we have plenty of power in the front 5. Our back row is well balanced with Masoe playing some fantastic rugby at the moment and will get through plenty of dog work whilst Brussouw will look to target the break down whilst Read controls the tempo.

Half backs Cowen will look to feed Aaron Cruden on the gainline and use our backs coming from deep with Luke Marshall playing some top rugby for Ulster and is capable of smashing it up at Botica or using his skills to move the ball.

Cruden will use his educated boot to put us in behind Wade and Imohoff and test there kicking games. Target Wade with the high ball with Miles Benjiman , Kieron Read and Chris Masoe giving chase.

- Cowen to have sly words in players ears such as Davies , Clark and Tuilagi and really test there bite to win the penalties to allow Cruden to kick the goals.


Northampton Saints
Manager – Dammit Chris

01.Thomas Domingo	09.Joe Simpson
02.Rob Webber	10. Ben Botica(k)
03. Ben Teimana
04.Bradley Davies	11.Juan Jose Imhoff
05.Alun Wyn Jones	12. Ashley Beck
06.Dan Lydiate(c)	13.Manu Tuilagi
07.Sam Cane	14. Christian Wade
08.Ashley Johnson	15.Ben Foden

16.Mike Haywood 17. Sona Taumalola 18. Henry Thomas 19. Calum Clark 20. Liam Messam 21. Sam Harrison 22. George Ford 23. Elliot Daly

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Scarlets vs. Leicester Tigers

Scarlets

01.Shaun Hopkins	09.Aled Davies
02.Kirby Myhill	10.Aled Thomas
03.Jacobie Adriaanse
04.Jake Ball	11.Lee Williams
05.Johan Snyman	12.Adam Warran
06.Craig Price	13.Garath Maule
07.Dan Thomas	14.Kristian Phillips
08.Kieran Murphey	15.Andy Fenby

16. Emyr Phillips 17. Peter Edwards 18. Rhodri Jones 19. Joel Galley 20. Richie Pugh 21. Rhodri Williams 22. Jordan Williams 23. Dale Ford


Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Jonny Harris	09. Michael Claasens
02. Sebastian Bruno	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. Cencus Johnston
04. Nathan Hines	11. Ugo Monye
05. James Horwill (c)	12. Dominic Waldouck
06. Francois Louw	13. Rene Ranger
07. Jacques Burger	14. Vincent Clerc
08. Thomas Waldrom	15. Clement Poitreanud

16. Jared Saunders 17. Jimmy Stevens 18. Ryan Bower 19. Pieter-Steph du Toit 20. Roger Wilson 21. Micky Young 22. Rory Clegg 23. Alex Lewington

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London Welsh vs. Newport Gwent Dragons

London Welsh
Manager – Ozzy3213

01. Brett Sturgess	09. Paul Hodgson (c)
02. Chris Whitehead	10. Butch James
03. Fraser Balmain
04. Rynhardt Elstadt	11. Anthony Watson
05. James Hanks	12. Pat McCabe
06. Maurie Fa'asavalu	13. Darren Cave
07. Ofisa Treviranus	14. Harry Robinson
08. Sione Kalamafoni	15. Jack Nowell

16. Rob Hawkins 17. Steven Kitschoff 18. Ben Alexander 19. Ruan Botha 20. Luke Wallace 21. Nicolas Bezy 22. Joel Tomkins 23. Andrew Trimble


Newport Gwent Dragons

01. Tim Ryan	09. Jonathan Evans
02. Sam Parry	10. Lewis Robling
03. Dan Way
04. Ian Nimmo	11. Hallam Amos
05. Adam Jones	12. Pat Leach
06. Ieuan Jones	13. Ashley Smith
07. Jevon Groves	14. Will Harries
08. Nic Cudd	15. Dan Evans

16. Steve Jones17. Nathan Buck 18. Owen Evans 19. Josh Tyler 20. Lewis Evans 21. Liam Davies 22. Steffan Jones 23. Ross Wardle

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Ospreys vs. Harlequins

Ospreys

01. Marc Thomas	09. Rhys Webb
02. Matthew Dwyer	10. Matthew Morgan
03. Joe Rees
04. Lloyd Peers	11. Will Price
05. James King	12. Jonathan Spratt
06. George Stowers	13. Ben John
07. Sam Lewis (c)	14. Tom Grabham
08. Morgan Allen	15. Ross Jones

16. Scott Otten 17. Nicky Smith 18. Nicky Thomas 19. Rhodri Hughes 20. Arthur Ellis 21. Tom Habberfield 22. Sam Davies 23. Nathan Edwards


Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

01. Will Collier	09. Karl Dickson
02. Rob Buchanan	10. Quade Cooper (c)
03. Kieran Brookes
04. Charlie Matthews	11. Ross Chisholm
05. James Gaskell	12. Anthony Faainga
06. George Kruis	13. Matt Smith
07. Jamie Gibson	14. Andre Taylor
08. Will Welch	15. Olly Lindsey-Hague

16. Schalk Brits 17. Wyatt Crockett 18. Ben Franks 19. George Merrick 20. Sam Jones 21. Ryan Glynn 22. Felipe Contepomi 23. Anders Mogensen

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Driver - will do my team as soon as the international teams have been confirmed as not really sure who I will have available at this rate...though looks as though Tuilagi might be needing some match time!

My team will be up in the next hour. Like my players to know where they will be playing and what not rather than just a day before

Newcastle Falcons

Manager – Driver

01.Alex Waller	09.Jimmy Cowen
02.Agustin Creevy	10.Aaron Cruden
03.Paul Doran Jones
04.Ed Slater	11.Miles Benjiman
05.Juandre Kruger	12.Luke Marshall
06.Chris Masoe	13.George Lowe
07.Hienrich Brussouw	14.Tommy Bowe
08.Kieron Read (c)	15.Jared Payne

16.Lee Mears 17.Soane Tonga'uhia 18.Clerment Ric 19.Tom Croft 20.Joel Conlon 21.Joel Hodgson 22.James O'Connor 23.Sam Jones

High tempo game plan from Falcons , keeping the ball using our carriers in the pack to get us over the gain line and using our exciting backs to move the ball and stretch the Saints defense.

Target the scrum , Waller and PDJ are renowned for being top draw scrummagers , Domingo has struggled in the top 14 this season , Webber has only returned to playing last week and Big Ben isn't as good as a scrummager as Waller and with Ed Slater and Juandre Kruger packing down behind we have plenty of power in the front 5. Our back row is well balanced with Masoe playing some fantastic rugby at the moment and will get through plenty of dog work whilst Brussouw will look to target the break down whilst Read controls the tempo.

Half backs Cowen will look to feed Aaron Cruden on the gainline and use our backs coming from deep with Luke Marshall playing some top rugby for Ulster and is capable of smashing it up at Botica or using his skills to move the ball.

Cruden will use his educated boot to put us in behind Wade and Imohoff and test there kicking games. Target Wade with the high ball with Miles Benjiman , Kieron Read and Chris Masoe giving chase.

- Cowen to have sly words in players ears such as Davies , Clark and Tuilagi and really test there bite to win the penalties to allow Cruden to kick the goals.

Glaws rotate their team again and make sure some players are getting game time ahead of next weeks big league game

Glaws

Manager – Mat

01.Guthro steenkamp	09.Dan Robson
02.Adriaan Strauss	10.Johan goosen
03.Juan Figallo
04.James Percival	11.Steph Reynolds
05.Tom Palmer	12.Ryan Millsl
06.Steven Ferris	13.Juan de Jongh
07.Schalk Burger	14.Johnny May
08.Immanol Harinordoquoy(c)	15.Israel Dagg

16.Jamie George 17.Dan Murphy18.Rupert Harden19.George Robson20.Willem Alberts21.Will Genia 22 Iain balshaw 23.Hosea gear [/quote]

Mark

Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

Quins pick a predominantly English side to take on the Ospreys in what is a dead rubber. Quins give some game time to Quade Cooper who might be required to start against Wasps in next week's AP game. He also captains the side.

01. Will Collier	09. Karl Dickson
02. Rob Buchanan	10. Quade Cooper (c)
03. Kieran Brookes
04. Charlie Matthews	11. Ross Chisholm
05. James Gaskell	12. Anthony Faainga
06. George Kruis	13. Matt Smith
07. Jamie Gibson	14. Andre Taylor
08. Will Welch	15. Olly Lindsey-Hague

16. Schalk Brits 17. Wyatt Crockett 18. Ben Franks 19. George Merrick 20. Sam Jones 21. Ryan Glynn 22. Felipe Contepomi 23. Anders Mogensen

Tactics

London Wasps

Manager – Fluxy

01. Charlie Beech	09. Haydn Thomas
02. Huia Edmonds	10. Brock James
03. James Slipper
04. Samoa Manoa	11. Matt Banahan
05. Marco Wentzel (C)	12. Dan Bowden
06. Dave Dennis	13. Dan Hipkiss
07. Jonathan Poff	14. Topsy Ojo
08. Ben Mowen	15. Geordan Murphy

16. Tatafu Polota-Nau 17. Alec Hepburn 18. Shaun Knight 19. Mouritz Botha 20. jordan Crane 21. Nick Phipps 22. George Pisi 23. Tom Varndell

London Welsh
Manager – Ozzy3213

01. Brett Sturgess	09. Paul Hodgson (c)
02. Chris Whitehead	10. Butch James
03. Fraser Balmain
04. Rynhardt Elstadt	11. Anthony Watson
05. James Hanks	12. Pat McCabe
06. Maurie Fa'asavalu	13. Darren Cave
07. Ofisa Treviranus	14. Harry Robinson
08. Sione Kalamafoni	15. Jack Nowell

16. Rob Hawkins 17. Steven Kitschoff 18. Ben Alexander 19. Ruan Botha 20. Luke Wallace 21. Nicolas Bezy 22. Joel Tomkins 23. Andrew Trimble

01. Nathan Catt	09. Dwayne Peel
02. Richardt Strauss	10. Pat Lambie (k)
03. Samson Lee
04. Juan Cruz Guillemain	11. Eli Walker
05. Luke Charteris	12. Tom Casson
06. Tom Savage (c)	13. Matt Hopper
07. Shane Jennings	14. James Short
08. Scott Higginbotham	15. Marcelo Bosch

16. Korree Britton 17. Beast 18. Chris Budgen 19. Dom Barrow 20. Kearnen Myall 21. Kerr-Barlow 22. Morne Steyn 23. Ollie Barkley

*big pack to get over gainline,
*look to control lineouts,
*backrow to slow down their ball,
*strong impact forwards bench,
*backs to run with good ball and lambie to stick it in corners if not on,
*run back all of their kicks,
*use exciting centre combo to bring bosch into the game,
*use bench for extra impact and to seal off game.

The boys are out to win and enjoy themselves. Currently 3 good wins from 3 including Irish so confidence is high.

Northampton Saints team to play Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Dammit Chris

01.Thomas Domingo	09.Joe Simpson
02.Rob Webber	10. Ben Botica(k)
03. Ben Teimana
04.Bradley Davies	11.Juan Jose Imhoff
05.Alun Wyn Jones	12. Ashley Beck
06.Dan Lydiate(c)	13.Manu Tuilagi
07.Sam Cane	14. Christian Wade
08.Ashley Johnson	15.Ben Foden

16.Mike Haywood 17. Sona Taumalola 18. Henry Thomas 19. Calum Clark 20. Liam Messam 21. Sam Harrison 22. George Ford 23. Elliot Daly

Tactics Will play a fast paced, high intensity game based on power and a focus on getting over the gainline and securing front foot ball to attack with.

• Attack: We have a team of gainline breakers and our tactics are about being patient, going through the phases and working the Falcons defence. Tuilagi, Imhoff and Foden will be the go to men and will look to send them at Lowe's channel.

Inform Simpson to add spark around the fringes. Will be playing the Clermont style of power rugby in the backline and attack off turnover ball.

Take points when they are on offer, espc with Botica's boot.

• Defence: We’ve picked a very solid defensive team – defence in the pack led by Lydiate. Rock solid defensive unit in midfield and will play a blitz defence and force Falcons into mistakes/turnovers. Simpson sweeping behind defensive line. Aim to pressure Cowan.

• Set piece: Aim for a strong setpiece to set the platform - also rely on the understanding of the Welsh trio in the pack - Lydiate, Davies and Wyn-Jones. Good understanding. Two powerful scrummagers in the props and good options off the bench to keep this strong.

• Breakdown: Cane starts to provide Saints with a genuine openside to attack the breakdown. Will use more dynamic second row as a way of getting numbers to breakdown early and clearing out Falcons, have selected Beck and Tuilagi at 12/13 due to their work&power at the breakdown too. Look to challenge at every opportunity and force Falcons into committing numbers into this area if they want the ball.

• Power: Will be playing a game based on power, keeping hold of the ball and getting ourselves over the gainline. Will aim for linebreaks to provide the backthree with try scoring chances.

Saracens Football Club
Manager – DHLS07

01. Max Lahiff	09. Dewaldt Duvenage
02. George Chuter	10. Gareth Steenson
03. Phil Swainston
04. Lionel Nallet	11. Luke Fitzgerald
05. Ali Williams	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. Phil Dowson	13. Ben Smith
07. Keegan Daniel	14. Adam Thompstone
08. Billy Vunipola	15. Mark Cueto

16. John Smit 17. Matt Mullan 18. Werner Kruger 19. Rob Simmons 20. Steffon Armitage 21. Will Chudley 22. Ian Humphreys 23. Jean de Villiers

Tactics

- Very much a traditional South African game plan as adopted by Heyneke Meyer.

- Big emphasis on the forwards dominating their opponents with their physicality.

- Tight forward dominated game with big carriers punching holes in the opposition defence.

- Kick/Chase game using our wingers to hunt the ball as it drops and if the opposition winger takes it to wrap him up in the tackle and isolate him to either win us the turnover or the penalty.

- Really go for it on turnover ball and get the ball through the hands and exploit the disorganised defence.

- Play in the right areas, territory over possession.

- Solid defensive line with Keegan Daniel either stealing or slowing the ball at the breakdown.

Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Jon Golding	09. Fourie Du Preez
02. Chris Brooker	10. Mike Harris
03. Carl Rimmer
04. Luke Romano	11. Olly Woodburn
05. Tom Donnelly	12. Luther Burrell
06. Brad Shields	13. JJ Engelbrecht
07. Rhys Ruddock	14. Maxime Medard
08. Luke Narraway	15. Tim Nanai Williams

16. Charlie Faumuania 17. Kevin Mealamu 18. Kane Palmer-Newport 19. Graham Kitchener 20. David Pocock 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Cory Jane 23. Rob Miller

Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Jerome Schuster	09. Ben Spencer
02. David Paice	10. Beauden Barrett
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. Brodie Retalick	11. Kyle Eastmond
05. Andries Bekker	12. Francois Steyn
06. Alex Tulou	13. Robbie Freuen
07. Matt Kvesic	14. Jean-Marcellin Buttin
08. Wycliffe Palu	15. Nick Abendanon

16. Marcos Ayerza 17. Tommy Taylor 18. Ross Harrison 19. Dave Attwood 20. Iain Henderson 21. Nathan Fowles 22. JJ Hanrahan 23. Will Addison

Just waiting for a Tigers team and then predos can open.

Sorry had my team up tuesday - cant have pressed send.
2 seconds.

I thought I had seen your team up mate, not sure what's happened to it.

Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Jonny Harris	09. Michael Claasens
02. Sebastian Bruno	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. Cencus Johnston
04. Nathan Hines	11. Ugo Monye
05. James Horwill (c)	12. Dominic Waldouck
06. Francois Louw	13. Rene Ranger
07. Jacques Burger	14. Vincent Clerc
08. Thomas Waldrom	15. Clement Poitreanud

16. Jared Saunders 17. Jimmy Stevens 18. Ryan Bower 19. Pieter-Steph du Toit 20. Roger Wilson 21. Micky Young 22. Rory Clegg 23. Alex Lewington

Predictions are OPEN

Cardiff 12 - 36 London Irish

Good win for Irish. Much stronger across the park really.

Gloucester 27 - 25 Bath

Great contest. Two good sides. Think Gloucester are a little stronger in the pack with the backs much more even. Bath stronger on the bench but think Gloucester have enough to win the game.

Wasps 18 - 19 Sale

Front row to Sale, back 5 pretty even but the slightest edge to Sale. half backs to Wasps with the outside backs to Sale and benches even. Not easy to call this one. Gut says Sale edge it.

Worcester 24 - 23 Saracens

Can't call the packs they are excellent and will have a fine battle. Half backs to Worcester by a distance but Saracens stronger in the outside backs. Home advantage gives Worcester a narrow win.

Newcastle 26 - 23 Northampton

Pack to Newcastle. Stronger in most positions. Prefer the Saints backs but won't get good enough ball to do much with it. Newcastle get a good win.

Scarlets 14 - 35 Leicester

Comfortable win for Leicester, Scarlets have a few handy backs who will score tries but won't trouble Leicester to much.

London Welsh 36 - 12 Dragons

More of the same. Not entirely London Welsh's way but they have plenty in the tank and cruise through here in 3rd gear continuing there excellent form.

Cardiff Blues 12-25 London Irish

Not much of an explanation needed here. Blues not in the best of form and Irish with a strong team out particularly in midfield and the row and should really get an edge in all facets of the game.


Gloucester 25-18 Bath Rugby

Scrum: Big front 5 from Glaws will cause all sorts of problems.
Lineout: More quality for Glaws of attacking ball but both sides should hold their own ball
Breakdown: Evens here. Some massive names for Glaws but big form issues while Bath aren’t very well balanced
HB's: Edge to Glaws with Du Preez not holding any rating
Attack: Glaws will get an edge in contact with some dynamic pack carriers. Both sides have the spark to open the defence at times
Defence: Few issues for Glaws head on tackling in the backs but Baths back 3 can be flaky under the ball
Bench: Good impact for both sides but back up 10s may struggle.
Tactics: N/A. Glaws pack gets them on the front foot in this one


Worcester Warriors 17-20 Saracens

Scrum: Decent even battle with the youngsters matching up well
Lineout: Both sides should hold their own ball
Breakdown: Jennings will be a menace here and disrupt Sarries ball
HB's: Nothing between the 9s but Lambie a class above at 10
Attack: Both sides with spark but Sarries with more players capable of getting over the gain line
Defence: Questions over how the Worc 11,12,13 will do up against their opposite numbers. Not sure on Boschs positioning at 15.
Bench: Little more impact for Sarries in the pack.
Tactics: Worcester right to look and slow down Sarries ball but see them struggling against the Sarries kick chase game today.


Newcastle Falcons 32-27 Northampton Saints

Scrum: Edge to Saints with Waller struggling against Ben T a little
Lineout: Falcons to have a field day with stronger options and lack of a Saints lineout leader
Breakdown: Slight edge to Falcons. Form issues for Lydiate & Brussow
HB's: Cruden a class above at 10
Attack: Dangerous runners and enough power to get over the gain line for both sides
Defence: Both sides should hold up alright although Falcons will get through the Botica-Beck channel a few times
Bench: Evens. Both sides have options to change the game up
Tactics: Plus to Falcons but not an awful lot of a game plan in there. Looking to kick in behind the wings with a dominant lineout is the right way to go though


Scarlets 15-35 Leicester Tigers

Not much of an explanation needed here. Serious class in the Tigers pack and they will be on the front foot all day long and should see a very big win. Defensive issues in midfield though that would be shown up more against English opposition in this competition.


London Welsh 25-13 Newport Gwent Dragons

Not much of an explanation needed here. Dragons are a poor side at the best of times and bereft of their best players they will struggle against a very industrious Welsh side.


Ospreys 19-24 Harlequins

Quins using the LV as a chance to get the youngsters out in the pack and they have enough to get a slight edge over the Ospreys pack and to give Cooper the room needed to open up the defence with his passing game.

Tactics: Plus to Falcons but not an awful lot of a game plan in there. Looking to kick in behind the wings with a dominant lineout is the right way to go though

Didn't need much of one SJE

SJE, your score and comments in the Welsh v Dragons game don't add up.

Cardiff Blues 10 London Irish 42

Irish much stronger across the board , Especially in the backs with a All black combo.

Gloucester 26 Bath 20

Bath better in the pack with Golding in Champ , Donnelly lost to the earth? and a massive cut above in the back row. Half backs to Glaws. Centres De Jong makes up for Mills inexperience. Back 3 and Benchs to Glaws

London Wasps 20 Sale Sharks 21

More from the Sale front 5 , with a better lineout seeing them take ball from Wasps at key moments. Half backs a draw. Outisde backs and bench to Sale see them snatch a win against a good Wasps side.

Worcester 25 Saracens 19

Wuss take the front 5 with a better player in 1 , 2 and drawing at 3. Wuss locks have more about them in the loose and Jennings at 7 does a lot of there dog work. better at 7/8 but Dows better 6. Half backs Wuss , Centres Sarries. back 3 to wuss. Bench to Sarries but Wuss at home and Lambie smashing the goals gives them the win.

Scarlets 3 Leicester Tigers 24

Lee Williams 0 Vincent Clerc 4 if this was a football game. Better from 1-23.

London Welsh 36 Dragons 3

Welsh smash Dragons off the park , good youngsters in welsh back 3.

Ospreys 12 Quins 24

Quins better 1-7 , not sure Welch has the all round game to play 8 Steve. better in backs by country mile

Apologies Pete have the score wrong way around changing now

Blues 10-30 Irish
Blues backs will be ripped apart by Irish

Glos 26-20 Bath
Good pack from Glos with edges Bath's (which isn't a bad pack), Glos backs have it all and a good bench. Bath's bench brings them into it.

Wasps 18-22 Sale
Wasps field a great side but feel Sharks may get edge on in scrum and have a more potent attack out wide.

Falcons 25-20 Saints
Falcons have tactics which will help here. Think Saints will take the scrum but Falcons the lineout. Bit of defensive issue's from Saints backline which Falcons will exploit for the win.

Scarlets 10-34 Tigers
Routine win here with Tigers all over the Scarlets.

Welsh 34-6 Dragons
Welsh have too much and I love their backline here!

Ospreys 14-26 Quins
Not a bad O's side but they won't be able to cope with Quins' backs and bench.

Cardiff Blues 15 - 31London Irish

Blues haven't been in the best the form and robbed of their star players will struggle against the strong Irish side that has been put out. Strong controlling backline will direct traffic and see Irish pick up a bonus point away win.

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Gloucester 28 - 19 Bath Rugby

A big front five will overshadow the week Bath front row, depsite the strong second partnership of Bath. Glos overall will take the forward battle with their star studded backrow. Outwide Bath will continue to struggle against such a class back line. Both have strong benches, but I can see Glos winning this one well.

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Worcester Warriors 18 - 17 Saracens

I reckon the Warriors front row have a slight advantage, but with the power of the Sarries second row it would be even, same with the lineout. I reckon Warriors will have an edge at the breakdown however and will control the game a little better with Peel at the base. Steenson will steer Saracens into good positions and get Nonu and Smith running good lines. But I like the look of the Warriors centres and they will score some tries from their speed. backthrees and bench are close but I can see Lambie at home kicking some big points to seal the win.

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Newcastle Falcons 32-27 Northampton Saints

The front four of Saint will edge them the scrum battle, but the back four of the Falcons will give them a breakdown and lineout advantage however. But there wouldn't be complete domination over each as both have strong units. The Falcons halfbacks will control the game better than their Saints opponents and will get the most out of their decent backline. Saints probably have the better backs but will struggle with Simpson being under the cosh and leading to mistakes. Both have strong benches, but Falcons will secure victory despite Saints creativity late on.

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Llanelli Scarlets 9 - 34 Leicester Tigers

Tigers 1-10 will literally maul and control the Scarlets. This will lead to the Tigers back having room and space to accumulate a big win away from home.

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London Welsh 23 - 18 Newport Gwent Dragons

This dragons side is hard to put away and will make an absolute fight out of the game. But in the end there is a little more clinical ability for welsh to pull away at the end.

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Ospreys 20 - 23 Harlequins

Ospreys have a decent side, and the young Quins side will make this a close game. However the experience from Cooper and Contepomi along with some good leaders like Gaskell and Welch, Quins will nick it late on.

Blues 17-34 Irish
Irish have a huge advantage over what is a poor Blues team.

Wasps 22-25 Sale
Sale front five gets on top. Not much difference all over

Worcester 19-20 Sarries
Not much in the front five battle. Back row, half backs and centres to Sarries.

Newcastle 24-22 Saints
Scarlets 9-23 Leicester
Welsh 41-9 Dragons
Spreys 16-23 Quins

Blues 17-50Irish
Irish so much better and no form for blues. They lost to sale this year which says it all. In real life welsh or Worcester to go down if I had a choice.

Wasps 22-28Sale
Good battle but outside backs and front 5 secure away win. Sale dangerous and carry more. Butin and centres way above wasps

Worcester 20-19Sarries
Home advantage and breakdowns for Worcester. Lack of balance for sarries. Sarries centres run riot but control of Worcester take it. Lambie quality signing
Newcastle 24-23Saints closer than I thought. Good match ups but falcons hbs win it. A few form issues all round as we all have. Simpson on fire but cruden a way above. Beck tuilagi smash Marshall lowe but don't think they can beat home advantage. At home a saints win. Average falcons front row but read would humiliate Bv who i am a massive fan.

Scarlets 9-29Leicester class vs rubbish
Welsh 41-9 Dragons same again could be 70 but dragons plucky
Spreys 16-23 Quins bench and general side make it easy. Ospreys always competitive. Great Quins bench

Blues 19 - 47 Irish
Simple win for Irish.

Gloucester 28 - 23 Bath
See the front row being a bit of a mismatch here and Mat has put out his strongest team in the competition here, espc the backrow. Really like Ryan Mills in the team too, could be top quality.

Wasps 24 -27 Sale
Very even in the pack, good balance by Wasps but Sale have more quality in the backline and that gets the win here.

Worcester 24-23 Sarries
Really tough to call, I think Warriors just about have enough at home with some quite young props on display for Sarries here. Backline of Sarries has had some big improvements and will make this game very close.

Scarlets 15-38 Leicester
Easy win.

Welsh 40-5 Dragons
Easy win.

Ospreys 19-27 Quins
Tougher team than Scarlets and Dragons, but Quins have too much here.

Cardiff Blues 11 - 28 London Irish

Domination from Irish with much more quality in every facet of the game.


Gloucester 24 - 20 Bath Rugby

Think Gloucester get the edge up front. But think Bath have a bit more about them in the 2nd row. Home side lacking form in the back row, but quality wise have the advantage. Slight edge to Gloucester in the HBs whilst centres are fairly even. Two decent back threes too. Think Gloucester have enough at home to get the win.


London Wasps 23 - 25 Sale Sharks

Up front edge to Sale, the 2nd row is a great battle though. Great form for wasps but int quality for sale. Give the edge to sale in the back row with extra bit of class. Slight edge to wasps in the HBs, but prefer sale's centre combo. Decent back three contest with great options. I think sale's pack have just enough to get a good win.


Worcester Warriors 24 - 23 Saracens

Not a lot in it up front, but prefer Sarries seasons 2nd row duo. Two good back row units with not a lot in it. Prefer the Worcs HB combo, but Sarries much stronger at centre. Not a lot in the back threes. Really tough to call this - home advantage sways it.


Newcastle Falcons 28 - 26 Northampton Saints

Little bit more for Saints up front, and as a duo prefer their locks too. Great back row battle, why falcons should win, although not sure on Masoe playing at 6. Falcons to dominate at HB, but saints have stronger centres. Great back three contest, tries galore. Falcons back row and HBs sneak them this.


London Welsh 29 - 12 Newport Gwent Dragons

Horribly one sided.


Ospreys 16 - 33 Harlequins

Horribly one sided.

Gloucester 23 Bath Rugby 21
London Wasps 22 Sale Sharks 25
Worcester Warriors 24 Saracens 24
Newcastle Falcons 26 Northampton Saints 21
Scarlets 5 Leicester Tigers 32
Ospreys 19 Harlequins 26