Fantasy Aviva Premiership Round Fourteen

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Bath Rugby vs. Worcester Warriors
Cloudy, 5 degrees, 10 mph winds.

Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Charlie Faumuania	09. Aaron Smith
02. Kevin Mealamu	10. Charlie Hodgson
03. Davit Kubrashvilli
04. Graham Kitchener	11. Cory Jane
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Anthony Allen
06. Tom Guest	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. David Pocock	14. Nopolini Nalaga
08. JMF Lobbe	15. Rob Miller

16. Jon Golding 17. Chris Brooker 18. Carl Rimmer 19. Luke Romano 20. Rhys Ruddock 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Luther Burrell 23. Tim Nanai Williams

Overall: Look to play flowing rugby with Hodgson pulling the strings. We will be looking for big carries all over to get over the gainline.

Scrum: We will look to be competitive at scrum time with Lobbe controlling it from the back. Lobbe will control the scrum from number eight. Apply pressure and look to get nudge on throughout. Look to play the ref and if not going our way use as a restart.

Lineout: Our second row partnership is where we really feel we can have advantage. We will look to hammer this advantage home. We have Whitelock and Lobbe leading our lineout whilst Kitch offers a good banker ball. We will look to actively pressure the opposition throw. If we see any weakness we will look to slightly alter the game plan, looking for corners in order to put more pressure on the throw.

We will be looking for big carries from the forwards with the likes of Faumuania, Mealamu, Lobbe and Guest dangerous runners who can really create gaps for our backs. We will be looking for lots of energy from our forwards to open up holes to be exploited. Our carrying is somewhere we feel we have a distinct advantage.

Breakdown: Look to clear hard and fast with Pocock and Lobbe looking to make a real nuisance of themselves and get their hands on the ball

Backs: We will be looking to use the backs in order to create or go through holes. Smith and Hodgson will look to really get the backs going with a good tempo. Smith will attack fringes and try to keep the defence guessing. Look to get our big runners involved as early as possible with Allen, Rougerie, Jane and Nalaga seeing lots of the ball.

Defence: Use a blitz defence in order to put pressure on Warriors key decision makers and prevent them from playing. Aaron Smith to sweep in behind.

Substitutes: Our subs will look to keep a high tempo. Golding, Brooker and Rimmer will look to keep the scrum strong. Romano will look to add grit late as well as another quality lineout operator. Ruddock can look to really get involved in all facets of the game against tired legs. Wigglesworth will prove a composed head to control tempo late. TNW + Burrell will come on early in the second half and will look to get their hands on the ball for big carries against tired legs.


Worcester Warriors

01. Beast	09. Kerr Barlow
02. Richardt Strauss	10. Pat Lambie (k)
03. BJ Botha
04. Dean Schofield	11. Eli Walker
05. Luke Charteris	12. Tom Casson
06. Tom Savage	13. Marcelo Bosch
07. Scott Higginbotham	14. James Short
08. Mamuke Gorgodze (c)	15. Rob Cook

16. Korree Britton 17. Nathan Catt 18. Chris Budgen 19. Kearnen Myall 20. Shane Jennings 21. Dwayne Peel 22. Morne Steyn 23. Matt Hopper

Key Points

Momentum
We are 4 from 4 in our recent matches having defied the odds and gotten into the knockout stages of Europe and only just being edged out on the last day in the LV cup.

Bedded In Big Players
Lambie, Bosch, Schofield have all had time to bed in and lead by example. Our front row have played together for a while now and this is a major advantage as they know how each will work. Gorgodze takes the captaincy to lead by example playing a confrontational game.

Silence Pocock
The first 20 minutes of Gorgodze's match will be to put Pocock off his game in any way possible. Savage has been brought in to carry ball for the first 20 for Gorgodze. Pocock likes to drift around the sides of rucks so we will look to hold down and slow their backrow as much as possible.

Attacking

• We want to force errors from Bath and will be targetting Allen by sending big runners down his channel.

• Kerr Barlow and Lambie to play what's in front of them and look to release Casson or snipe as much as possible. If it isn't on then Lambie will stick it in the corners and, with Charteris, Schofield, Higs, Savage and Gorgodze we have a number of jumpers to gain the ball back.

• Look for runners off of 10 and 12 channel to make the initial break before sending the ball out wide to Bosch and Walker.

• We will look to use our big pack to carry alot of ball and, if it isn't on then run off of 9 and take a couple of 'up the jumper' phases to drag defenders in.

• Our back three will look to come off their wings and hit the right angles.

• Control to come off the bench in Steyn and Peel to shore up our victory and to keep the scoreboard ticking, Myall brings extra grunt and Jennings will have a field day against tired legs at the breakdown.

Set Piece

• Strong scrum which will get the edge up on the tighthead side and a good bench to come on as well to continue the pressure, 8-9-10 is a move we will use alot.

• We will use the maul to get ourselves up the pitch quickly and power over from short distance.

• Lineout has been mentioned previously where we have many strong jumpers here who will look to control attacking and defensive ones.

Defending

• Banana blitz defence targetting Hodgson so he has no time to kick or give quick ball to the centres, we will protect the channels to stop Smith sniping.

• Kerr Barlow will look to sweep and counter attack off any kick through's.

• We will hit the breakdown quick to give Higginbotham time to get over the ball and obliterate any protection they have in place.

• If the turnover isn't on we won't commit and will fan out defending inside-out.

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Harlequins vs. London Wasps
Cloudy, 5 degrees, 7 mph winds.

Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

01. Tony Woodcock	09. Lee Dickson
02. Schalk Brits	10. Freddie Burns (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Zac Guildford
05. Steve Borthwick (c)	12. Anthony Faainga
06. George Kruis	13. Jonathan Joseph
07. Michael Hooper	14. Luke Morahan
08. Nick Easter	15. Andre Taylor

16. Rob Buchanan 17. Wyatt Crockett 18. Ben Franks 19. Jamie Gibson 20. Carl Fearns 21. Francois Houghard 22. Quade Cooper 23. Matt Smith

Tactics

Game plan revolves around strong carriers making yards and being put into gaps by our more creative players. We will look to retain possession when we are in the Wasps half and tie in their defenders before we look to move the ball into the wider channels. We have deliberately packed our pack with strong ball carriers who will get over the gain line but can also play rugby and bring others into the game with their offloads. We are looking for Freddie Burns to stand flat and look to put others or himself through gaps with Faainga always offering a hard line of his shoulder as well as JJ out in wider channels once we have tied in defenders. Lee Dickson will control his pack and the tempo of the game. To play at a quick tempo we need to be effective at the rucks and clear out the Wasps players, thus the use of Kruis at 6 to add bulk to the pack.
Forwards
Carry at pace, in numbers and with the intention of winning the collisions, and if they can put others into space with offloads. Support lines are key to this as well as communication. We will look to control the set piece and look to dominate the scrum and utilise the short lineout between the 22m lines, with Easter and Hooper offering carriers in the midfield. Botha, Borthwick and Kruis will look to nick ball of Wasps at the lineout.

Backs
Dickson and Burns to control our game. In our own half we will assess whether a kick would be more beneficial than running it, but in the Wasps half the ball stays in hand and we back ourselves. Faainga will look to run hard lines and JJ will look to exploit the 13 channel and use his outside break. Our blindside wing will come in and look for work and Andre Taylor will join the line with his devastating speed.

Defence
Faainga captains this. We have a quick line speed and look to double up when we have the numbers with one man taking the legs and the other looking to dislodge the ball. Key to win collisions in both attack and defence. Hooper to make a nuisance of himself as the first man there. We will always look to run off turnover ball outside our 22.


London Wasps

Manager – Fluxy

01. Benn Robinson	09. Haydn Thomas
02. Tatafu Polota-Nau	10. Brock James
03. James Slipper
04. Mouritz Botha	11. Tom Varndell
05. Marco Wentzel (C)	12. Dan Bowden
06. Dave Dennis	13. George Pisi
07. Jonathan Poff	14. Topsy Ojo
08. Jordan Crane	15. Geordan Murphy

16. Huia Edmonds 17. Alec Hepburn 18. Shaun Knight 19. Samoa Manoa 20. Gus Jones 21. Nick Phipps 22. Dan Hipkiss 23. Jamie Elliot

Tactics
Adams Park is our fortress and we want to make it difficult for anyone that wants to come and even look for a LBP. 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, therefore James will look to keep us penned in the Quins 22. If the Quins are to score against us they will have to run the ball 80+ metres. We will look to go through simple phases to reproduce quick ball to cut the defence open. Slow ball we will look to set up pods and runners off James , as this will drag Quins defenders further apart and produce wholes or mismatches. We have a physical pack and will look to dominate from 1-10, so we will to set quick rucks to tie in their boys to allow time and space for our backs. We have experienced players all other the pitch in Wentzel, James and Muprhy, and they will lead the team. With the changeable conditions, they also know how we will want to play our game.

Tactics

• Solid scrummagers on and off the bench, we will look to secure our own ball and at least pressure the Harlequins feed. Sometimes look to legally wheel their feed to cut of the scrum-half from the backline.
  
  
• With a strong lineout, Wentzel will lead the lineout and use himself as banker ball at the front of the line with Botha jumping in the middle. Look to run full number lineouts to tie in the opposing pack.
  
  
• Our whole pack is mobile and capable of snaffling ball at the breakdown. Collectively we will look to (legally!) slow down Quins' ball as much possible, only committing men to rucks if they only have two or less men in the ruck. Otherwise we will pull men out into the line to prevent them any front foot ball for their big carriers.
  
  
• The backrow will target the halfbacks, allowing them no time on the ball, which will lead to them rushing and making handling errors and mistakes.
  
  
• We will look to keep the ball alive, preventing them from setting any defensive lines and moving the point of attack. They have some very big boys and some good fetchers, so constantly moving the ruck will tire them out and prevent them from snaffling any possession. James will direct traffic with the use of quick pods systems outside the guards of the rucks.
  
  
• Off any first phase possession, the blindside winger will come in to create options off James so that it can keep the defence guessing to whether we will go wide, or cut against the grain.
  
  
• James to use Pisi and Dennis to get over the gainline, quick ball will be span out to the backs in the next phase.
  
  
• We will look to angle runners between the shoulders of Faainga and Joseph as these two are not the best defensively.
  
  
• We will run a slow drift line in defence, with Thomas sweeping. We won't look to blitz, as with the line the Quins carriers then have to go through us. If they begin to look to kick, a blitz can be deployed later on.
  
  
• Look to use our strong bench for impact later in the game. To get an advantage in the scrum, and collisions with big impact players.
  
  
• James kick all points, he can kick from within their half, so this indicates that Quins should be wary of giving away penalties.
  
  
• We might lack quality, but you can do anything with hard work, effort and 100% commitment. These lads would lie their bodies on the line for the cause lead by Wentzel.

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Leicester Tigers vs. London Welsh
Cloudy, 4 degrees, 7 mph winds.

Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Andrew Sheridan	09. Dimitri Yachvili
02. Stephen Moore	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. Cencus Johnston
04. Pascal Pape (c)	11. Ugo Monye
05. Nathan Hines	12. Dominic Waldouck
06. Steve Mafi	13. Rene Ranger
07. Francois Louw	14. Vincent Clerc
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Kurtley Beale

16. Sebastian Bruno 17. Lee Imiolek 18. Brian Mujati 19. Simon Shaw 20. James Scaysbrook 21. Micky Young 22. Isa Nacewa 23. Paul Sackey


Play to our strengths and play a game built around our intelligent HB's controlling the game, the power of our pack and look to get our lightning quick backline into space.

Key Points:

Form and Momentum
12 wins out of 13 in the league, we are absolutely flying at the minute sitting top of the pile. Welford Road is a fortress and in front of our fans we are always confident that we'll beat anyone.

Target the Welsh HB's/Centres
The likes of Louw and Mafi to really get stuck into Hodgson, and Jantjies in particular. Especially as Welsh are short of HB replacements in their 23. McCabe is playing his 3rd game for Welsh, with his 3rd different centre partner in Ioane - who has not played 13 the entire season. Rush defence on both centres.

Control at 8, 9, 10
With the have huge amounts of experience we have in these key roles, we will aim to really control the game. Joubert to control the base of the scrum, and Yach and Wilko to control the tempo of the game and also where it is played.

General Tactics:

- Yachvili and Wilko to control proceedings - but we're not here to kick the ball away. We have the personnel in our side to play a mixture of different styles, and we will play the game as we see it.

- In attacking play, we will play with the option of 2 first recievers in Wilko and Beale. Gives us the options of a controller and an off-the-cuff player. Keep Welsh guessing with our attacking options.

- Attack all scrums with our huge front 5 - Two out-and-out scrummaging props in Johnston and Sheridan - look to really get the shove on.

- Attack all lineouts. Use safe option of Mafi/Joubert at the front, and also use Hines/Pape in the middle or at the back.
Shortened lineouts with Louw in midfield as crash/decoy option.

- Physical, abrasive pack made up of massive line-breakers. The likes of Mafi, Louw, Hines, Pape and Moore to be used to win the collisions in attack. Play an offloading game.

- Look to win battle at 7 with Louw vs Fa'asavalu - look to Louw to win the battle on the floor as he up against no genuine 7 in the Welsh back row.

- Serious runners in the back line in the dry conditions. In Ranger and Beale alone, we have some serious options to attack Welsh and test their back line defensively. Look to target Ioane and JSD defensively in particular.

- 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, and look to win the collisions in defence. Yachvili to sweep behind with an eye on short kicks.

- Focus for the defence in midfield is key. Rush up on both McCabe and Ioane to do one thing - stop them getting any pace up. Neither has a brilliant pass, so should stop any dangers there.

- Wilkinson to kick all penalites.


London Welsh
Manager – Ozzy3213

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Paul Hodgson
02. Bismarck du Plessis	10. Elton Jantjies
03. Ben Alexander
04. Sitaleki Timani	11. James Simpson-Daniel
05. George Skivington	12. Pat McCabe
06. Tom Johnson	13. Digby Ioane
07. Maurie Fa'asavalu	14. Bryan Habana
08. Duane Vermeulen (c)	15. Jaco Taute

16. Chris Whitehead 17. Brett Sturgess 18. Fraser Balmain 19. James Hanks 20. Luke Wallace 21. Nicolas Bezy 22. Darren Cave 23. Andrew Trimble

Tactics

Key Points

• Form/Momentum. We have won 10 matches on the trot, and come into this match in form and with confidence.
  
• Tigers defensive issues. Who leads their defence? Waldouck and Ranger not renowned in that aspect of the game.
  
• Welsh defensive strength. Solid defenders throughout the team mean that it will take something special to score points against us.
  
• Mobile, Dynamic Pack. We have selected a pack that can hold their own in the set piece, but will be good in open play, as the conditions are set to allow decent running rugby.
  
• Lack of support for Wilkinson. At Toulon Wilko has a playmaker either side of him at 9 (Michalak) and 12 (Giteau). Here he does not, and could become very predictable as a result.
  
• We are playing to control possession and not give Tigers any counter attack opportunities.
  
  

Basic Game Plan
Basic tactical premise for us to control possession and be solid defensively. Focus will be on winning the gainline collisions in both attack and defence. In order to do this we have picked a dynamic, physical and mobile pack to dominate this area of the game. We will however be looking for gaps rather than contact and looking to offload to support runners. We will look to apply pressure to Tigers 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 Tigers make.

Specifics

• Support runners to ruck past the ball quickly if the carrier goes to ground in order to secure quick ball to go again.
  
• Target midfield defence with big carriers looking to hit gaps..
  
• Keep the scoreboard ticking over by taking all penalties on offer.
  
• 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. Hodgson will sweep in behind.
  
• We will not overcommit to the breakdown. If a turnover is on, we will go for it, counter rucking and hitting on the break. If it is not on to win the ball, we will send in a couple of players to legally slow it, and get our defensive line set quickly and strongly a la France in the World Cup. We want to control the gainline in defence and attack.
  
• Look to play quick from the scrum and lineout, going off the top and quickly into midfield as our default option. We will mix it up dependant on the situation though.
  

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London Irish vs. Saracens
Light rain showers, 4 degrees, 8 mph winds.

London Irish

01. Matt Stevens	09. Ruan Pienaar
02. Andrew Hore	10. Nick Evans
03. Brok Harris
04. Matt Garvey	11. Marlande Yarde
05. Nick Kennedy	12. Luke McAlister
06. Marcel Coetzee	13. Conrad Smith
07. Will Fraser	14. JP Pietersen
08. Pierre Spies	15. Zane Kirchner

16. Tom Lindsay 17. Grant Shiells 18. WP Nel 19. Kieran Low 20. Alex Gray 21. Julien Dupuy 22. Shane Geraghty 23. Tom Homer


Saracens Football Club
Manager – DHLS07

01. Matt Mullan	09. Dewaldt Duvenage
02. John Smit (c)	10. Gareth Steenson
03. Jannie du Plessis
04. Flip van der Merwe	11. Luke Fitzgerald
05. Louis Deacon	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. Keegan Daniel	13. Jean de Villiers
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Adam Thompstone
08. Joe van Niekerk	15. Ben Smith

16. George Chuter 17. Max Lahiff 18. Sekope Kepu 19. Rob Simmons 20. Phil Dowson 21. Will Chudley 22. Ian Humphreys 23. Mark Cueto

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 Steffon Armitage either stealing or slowing the ball at the breakdown.

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Northampton Saints vs. Gloucester
Cloudy, 4 degrees, 9 mph winds.

Northampton Saints

01. Thomas Domingo	09. Joe Simpson
02. Rob Webber	10. Juan Martin Hernandez(k)
03. Carl Hayman
04. Bradley Davies	11. Julian Savea
05. Calum Clark	12. Matt Giteau
06. Julian Bonnaire(c) [td][td]13. Elliot Daly
07. Sam Cane	14. Juan Jose Imhoff
08. Liam Messam	15. Ben Foden

16. Mike Haywood 17. Sona Taumalolo 18. Henry Thomas 19. Patricio Albacete 20. Dan Lydiate 21. Sam Harrison 22. Danny Cipriani 23. Christian Wade

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. We have genuine pace from Simpson, Daly and our back three and aim to make the most of this.

• Attack: We have strong carriers in the pack and our tactics are about being patient, going through the phases and working the Gloucester defence. We have two experienced internationals controlling the game at 10/12 who will speed up the tempo when the time is right and we will be using the strike runners in our backthree who will run off Giteau.

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.

• Defence: We’ve picked a very solid defensive team in the forwards and will look to will look hit the rucks in numbers, espc with Clark, Messam and Cane. Compete at all opportunities and disrupt quick service for Gloucester.

Will be playing a blitz defence to give Carter as little time on the ball as possible and attempt to force a kicking game where we can use our backthree to counter. Simpson sweeping behind defensive line.

• Set piece: Target the scrum as an attacking weapon with two top scrummagers in Domingo and Hayman, aim to get good front foot ball and place Gloucester under pressure. With Bonnaire in the Lineout we have chance to generate quick attacking ball.

• Breakdown: Cane starts to provide Saints with a genuine openside to attack the breakdown. Clark picked in second row for his breakdown ability and will get numbers to the breakdown. Look to challenge at every opportunity and force Gloucester into committing numbers into this area if they want the ball.

• Hernandez/Giteau/Elliot: Can mix the game up with very good kicking options.

Key Points:
• Clermont Style: Will copy Clermont style, based on power and getting over the gainline.
• Physical/Mobile Pack: Look to get to breakdowns/rucks fast and commit numbers.
• Scrum: Aim to place pressure on Gloucester scrum.
• Impact/Experience on bench
• High on confidence: First team to beat Newcastle away from home look to build momentum from this


Gloucester

01. Nick Wood	09. Will Genia
02. Joe grey	10. Dan Carter (k)
03. James Johnstone
04. Eben Etzbeth	11. Johnny May
05. George Robson	12. Berrick Barnes
06. Willem Alberts	13. Richard Kahui
07. Alexander Lapandry	14. Charlie Sharples
08. Immanol Harinordoquoy	15. Israel dagg

16. Dan Murphy 17. Rupert harden 18. Adriaan strauss19. Tom Palmer 20. Steven Ferris 21. Dan Robson22. Hosea Gear 23. Iain Balshaw
[/quote]

Key points

-Look to play a possession game and control the ball and field position.
-We see our side as having more ball carriers able to get us on front foot to provide a great platform.
-We have gone for a side packed with lineout options and see it as being key to dominating possession with saints lacking options and having webber throwing in
-Spine of team at 2,8,9,10,12 of glos better to control game and determine influence.
-Impact bench
-Form front 5 to dominate

Attacking

Looking to attack every set piece and breakdown where quick ball not available.giving saints poor ball.
Carter to kick all pens
Look to send Kahui down dalys channels and support with runners either side
AIM to control ball with relentless carrying and then look for territorial domination when time is right kicking in behind Savea and then looking to pressure lineout when saints clear.
Look to bring on bench players like Strauss just after 50.
Look to counter with back 3 and look for mismatches
Bring Dagg in to game

Defending

Blitz with Genia sweeping
Challenge every lineout to target webber and bonnaire as only key jumper
Send numbers in to breakdown to target the ball and disrupt
Look to pressure the saints centre pairing physically

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Sale Sharks vs. Newcastle Falcons
Sunny intervals, 5 degrees, 9 mph winds.

Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Marcos Ayerza	09. Ben Spencer
02. David Paice	10. Beauden Barrett
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. Dave Attwood	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. Jerome Schuster 17. Tommy Taylor 18. Neemia Tialata 19. Christian Day 20. Victor Vito 21. Kahn Fotuali'i 22. Tommy Bell 23. Will Addison

Key Points

Momentum
Form and confidence are high in the Sale camp with 10 consecutive wins. Newcastle have crashed out of the Heineken & Anglo Welsh cup in recent weeks following their first home defeat for two years!

Decision makers lacking form
Question marks over the form of Burgess, SBW and Lowe. Lots of pressure on Cruden to get this misfiring back line going.

Target Benjamin
Benjamin has no form to speak off currently. We will look to bombard him with the tactical kicking game today with Eastmond, Buttin & Kvesic looking to chase.

Attacking

• Emphasis on playing the game in the right areas of the field and forcing errors from Newcastle.

• Spencer, Barrett & Steyn to play sensible rugby and ensure we win the tactical battle, kicking long for touch in our 22, using the up and under in the centre of the pitch and little grubbers in behind the defensive line.

• Ball in hand, look to use our big line breakers to make the hard yards and tie defenders up creating space in wider channels for Barrett to exploit.

• We see the offload as a crucial weapon and our carriers will all be looking to offload in contact, continuing our forward momentum and breaking the defensive 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.

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 room as possible to attack from.

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

• On Newcastle lineouts Bekker will stand at the front and challenge. At 6ft 10" Mears will need to have his darts spot on.

Defending

• 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 Newcastle momentum before it can get going.

• Spencer will act as a sweeper and cover any chips or grubbers behind the defensive line.

• The back 3 will sit deep to cover any kicks down the line and 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 it with Kvesic 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.

Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Driver

01.Fabian Barcella	09.Luke Burguss
02.Lee Mears	10.Aaron Cruden(K)
03.Owen Franks
04.Ed Slater	11.Miles Benjiman
05.Juandre Kruger	12.Sonny Bill Williams
06.Tom Croft	13.George Lowe
07.Richie McCaw(C)	14.Tommy Bowe
08.Kieron Read	15.Adam Ashley-Cooper

16.Luke Cowen Dickie 17.Alex Waller 18.Paul Doran Jones 19.Brad Thorn 20.Chris Masoe 21.Jimmy Cowen 22.Henry Slade 23.Ben Williams


Falcons travel to said to play a high tempo game plan based around moving the ball and generating quick ball at the breakdown and allowing clean ball for our strike runners in the backs to take the ball to the line.

- Use our big scrummaging props to secure our ball at he scrum and get Mears to hook the ball clean back with us focusing on a intial driver to allow Read/Burguss to mix the game up.

- As well as feeding the backs LB will look to snipe and take the ball to the line and test Sale's offside and the refs patience.

- Aaron Cruden will play what is in front of him , kicking in behind the wings or spreading the ball with our back 3 hitting the line.

- Juandre Kruger to call the lineout and target the opposition throw with him and croft getting at them.

- McCaw to do what he does and target the deck along with running round in the loose and linking play.

- SBW to get his offloads going with our back row and backs picking lines off him

- Cruden to kick the goals to build us a lead and to boom it into there half from penalties in our half

- Short kick offs 15metres at most , but hanging high to let us get under the ball and lift Croft to claim it.

- Blitz line with Burguss sweeping along with support from blindside wing.

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Some good game this week. Glad to be back to the league.

Any movement on Irish manager?

Glad to be back to the league as well mate. No movement on a new manager yet, but will put some more feelers out this week.

Big game for us this week mate, could be tasty.

Some huge matches. Sale vs Newcastle particularly tasty

A little surprised Pooly hasn't fancied the Irish job. See if he could do the same as with Newcastle. Got a fine squad there

Pooly offered to take it on as an interim manager until we found somebody, but I didn't see much point in that as it's just more changes for changes sake. Want whoever takes over to be a permanent manager.

Good luck this week SJE.

I will do my team tonight , have some tough calls to make.

I'll be waiting for sides to be announced before posting a side I think Fluxy.

international sides that is.

Likewise mate, but I might get mine a bit sooner, can probably guess who will taken from my squad.

I can once I find out the England side, just need to see with Burns and Joseph really in case they are called in, unlikely as it seems.

Surely during international we could call the cut off for team sheets on a Friday?

Ireland have delayed there announcement till Friday as well.

Personally I don't have time on a saturday for full predictions so I would prefer the thursday cut off so as to be able to predict properly on a friday.

Fair enough , i struggle to get on during a Saturday/Sunday morning due to rugby commitments.

Takes up my Saturday from 11am till 7pm usually , then my whole Sunday morning.

Newcastle Falcons

Manager – Driver

01.Fabian Barcella	09.Luke Burguss
02.Lee Mears	10.Aaron Cruden(K)
03.Owen Franks
04.Ed Slater	11.Miles Benjiman
05.Juandre Kruger	12.Sonny Bill Williams
06.Tom Croft	13.George Lowe
07.Richie McCaw(C)	14.Tommy Bowe
08.Kieron Read	15.Adam Ashley-Cooper

16.Luke Cowen Dickie 17.Alex Waller 18.Paul Doran Jones 19.Brad Thorn 20.Chris Masoe 21.Jimmy Cowen 22.Henry Slade 23.Ben Williams


Falcons travel to said to play a high tempo game plan based around moving the ball and generating quick ball at the breakdown and allowing clean ball for our strike runners in the backs to take the ball to the line.

- Use our big scrummaging props to secure our ball at he scrum and get Mears to hook the ball clean back with us focusing on a intial driver to allow Read/Burguss to mix the game up.

- As well as feeding the backs LB will look to snipe and take the ball to the line and test Sale's offside and the refs patience.

- Aaron Cruden will play what is in front of him , kicking in behind the wings or spreading the ball with our back 3 hitting the line.

- Juandre Kruger to call the lineout and target the opposition throw with him and croft getting at them.

- McCaw to do what he does and target the deck along with running round in the loose and linking play.

- SBW to get his offloads going with our back row and backs picking lines off him

- Cruden to kick the goals to build us a lead and to boom it into there half from penalties in our half

- Short kick offs 15metres at most , but hanging high to let us get under the ball and lift Croft to claim it.

- Blitz line with Burguss sweeping along with support from blindside wing.

Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Charlie Faumuania	09. Aaron Smith
02. Kevin Mealamu	10. Charlie Hodgson
03. Davit Kubrashvilli
04. Graham Kitchener	11. Cory Jane
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Anthony Allen
06. Tom Guest	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. David Pocock	14. Nopolini Nalaga
08. JMF Lobbe	15. Rob Miller

16. Jon Golding 17. Chris Brooker 18. Carl Rimmer 19. Luke Romano 20. Rhys Ruddock 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Luther Burrell 23. Tim Nanai Williams

Overall: Look to play flowing rugby with Hodgson pulling the strings. We will be looking for big carries all over to get over the gainline.

Scrum: We will look to be competitive at scrum time with Lobbe controlling it from the back. Lobbe will control the scrum from number eight. Apply pressure and look to get nudge on throughout. Look to play the ref and if not going our way use as a restart.

Lineout: Our second row partnership is where we really feel we can have advantage. We will look to hammer this advantage home. We have Whitelock and Lobbe leading our lineout whilst Kitch offers a good banker ball. We will look to actively pressure the opposition throw. If we see any weakness we will look to slightly alter the game plan, looking for corners in order to put more pressure on the throw.

We will be looking for big carries from the forwards with the likes of Faumuania, Mealamu, Lobbe and Guest dangerous runners who can really create gaps for our backs. We will be looking for lots of energy from our forwards to open up holes to be exploited. Our carrying is somewhere we feel we have a distinct advantage.

Breakdown: Look to clear hard and fast with Pocock and Lobbe looking to make a real nuisance of themselves and get their hands on the ball

Backs: We will be looking to use the backs in order to create or go through holes. Smith and Hodgson will look to really get the backs going with a good tempo. Smith will attack fringes and try to keep the defence guessing. Look to get our big runners involved as early as possible with Allen, Rougerie, Jane and Nalaga seeing lots of the ball.

Defence: Use a blitz defence in order to put pressure on Warriors key decision makers and prevent them from playing. Aaron Smith to sweep in behind.

Substitutes: Our subs will look to keep a high tempo. Golding, Brooker and Rimmer will look to keep the scrum strong. Romano will look to add grit late as well as another quality lineout operator. Ruddock can look to really get involved in all facets of the game against tired legs. Wigglesworth will prove a composed head to control tempo late. TNW + Burrell will come on early in the second half and will look to get their hands on the ball for big carries against tired legs.

01. Beast	09. Kerr Barlow
02. Richardt Strauss	10. Pat Lambie (k)
03. BJ Botha
04. Dean Schofield	11. Eli Walker
05. Luke Charteris	12. Tom Casson
06. Tom Savage	13. Marcelo Bosch
07. Scott Higginbotham	14. James Short
08. Mamuke Gorgodze (c)	15. Rob Cook

16. Korree Britton 17. Nathan Catt 18. Chris Budgen 19. Kearnen Myall 20. Shane Jennings 21. Dwayne Peel 22. Morne Steyn 23. Matt Hopper

Key Points

Momentum
We are 4 from 4 in our recent matches having defied the odds and gotten into the knockout stages of Europe and only just being edged out on the last day in the LV cup.

Bedded In Big Players
Lambie, Bosch, Schofield have all had time to bed in and lead by example. Our front row have played together for a while now and this is a major advantage as they know how each will work. Gorgodze takes the captaincy to lead by example playing a confrontational game.

Silence Pocock
The first 20 minutes of Gorgodze's match will be to put Pocock off his game in any way possible. Savage has been brought in to carry ball for the first 20 for Gorgodze. Pocock likes to drift around the sides of rucks so we will look to hold down and slow their backrow as much as possible.

Attacking

• We want to force errors from Bath and will be targetting Allen by sending big runners down his channel.

• Kerr Barlow and Lambie to play what's in front of them and look to release Casson or snipe as much as possible. If it isn't on then Lambie will stick it in the corners and, with Charteris, Schofield, Higs, Savage and Gorgodze we have a number of jumpers to gain the ball back.

• Look for runners off of 10 and 12 channel to make the initial break before sending the ball out wide to Bosch and Walker.

• We will look to use our big pack to carry alot of ball and, if it isn't on then run off of 9 and take a couple of 'up the jumper' phases to drag defenders in.

• Our back three will look to come off their wings and hit the right angles.

• Control to come off the bench in Steyn and Peel to shore up our victory and to keep the scoreboard ticking, Myall brings extra grunt and Jennings will have a field day against tired legs at the breakdown.

Set Piece

• Strong scrum which will get the edge up on the tighthead side and a good bench to come on as well to continue the pressure, 8-9-10 is a move we will use alot.

• We will use the maul to get ourselves up the pitch quickly and power over from short distance.

• Lineout has been mentioned previously where we have many strong jumpers here who will look to control attacking and defensive ones.

Defending

• Banana blitz defence targetting Hodgson so he has no time to kick or give quick ball to the centres, we will protect the channels to stop Smith sniping.

• Kerr Barlow will look to sweep and counter attack off any kick through's.

• We will hit the breakdown quick to give Higginbotham time to get over the ball and obliterate any protection they have in place.

• If the turnover isn't on we won't commit and will fan out defending inside-out.

Stole your layout sirj

Real tough picking a side this week. I've picked 11 of my starting 15, but only have 4 EQ in that 11 so am trying to balance where to put my 5th.

I've got who I think you'll pick...be interesting to see who you go with...

LukeLovesLuka wrote:I've got who I think you'll pick...be interesting to see who you go with...

Not doing the whole Mourihnio thing are we Luke lol?

Haha, remember him naming an opponents team once.

Think it was Liverpool? Best personality in Football , surprisingly fond of Ballotelli.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=Dy3I8QzpvfU&feature=endscreen

LukeLovesLuka wrote:I've got who I think you'll pick...be interesting to see who you go with...

When you naming your team?

London Irish

01. Matt Stevens	09. Ruan Pienaar
02. Andrew Hore	10. Nick Evans
03. Brok Harris
04. Matt Garvey	11. Marlande Yarde
05. Nick Kennedy	12. Luke McAlister
06. Marcel Coetzee	13. Conrad Smith
07. Will Fraser	14. JP Pietersen
08. Pierre Spies	15. Zane Kirchner

16. Tom Lindsay 17. Grant Shiells 18. WP Nel 19. Kieran Low 20. Alex Gray 21. Julien Dupuy 22. Shane Geraghty 23. Tom Homer

---

LukeLovesLuka wrote:I've got who I think you'll pick...be interesting to see who you go with...

If I was guessing, I'd say you'll go something like this...

Beale, Nacewa, Ranger, Waldouck (Jordaan), Monye, Wilkinson, Yachvili
Sheridan, Moore, Johnston, Hines (Shaw), Horwill, Mafi, Louw, Waldrom or Joubert.

Bracketed players are dependant on which way you want to do your English, and the other one I'm not sure on is Mafi at 6, as I think you could go with Waldrom there to boost the EQ numbers ,eaning you could leave out both Waldouck and Shaw.

I'm sensing our first real war of words for a while....

Back to league action, and the gloves are off!

I'll ring the bell of hollow!

If were are doing predictions, I'm going to place my sixpence on Matt not mastering the format when he names his team

London Wasps

Manager – Fluxy

01. Benn Robinson	09. Haydn Thomas
02. Tatafu Polota-Nau	10. Brock James
03. James Slipper
04. Mouritz Botha	11. Tom Varndell
05. Marco Wentzel (C)	12. Dan Bowden
06. Dave Dennis	13. George Pisi
07. Jonathan Poff	14. Topsy Ojo
08. Jordan Crane	15. Geordan Murphy

16. Huia Edmonds 17. Alec Hepburn 18. Shaun Knight 19. Samoa Manoa 20. Gus Jones 21. Nick Phipps 22. Dan Hipkiss 23. Jamie Elliot

Tactics
Adams Park is our fortress and we want to make it difficult for anyone that wants to come and even look for a LBP. 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, therefore James will look to keep us penned in the Quins 22. If the Quins are to score against us they will have to run the ball 80+ metres. We will look to go through simple phases to reproduce quick ball to cut the defence open. Slow ball we will look to set up pods and runners off James , as this will drag Quins defenders further apart and produce wholes or mismatches. We have a physical pack and will look to dominate from 1-10, so we will to set quick rucks to tie in their boys to allow time and space for our backs. We have experienced players all other the pitch in Wentzel, James and Muprhy, and they will lead the team. With the changeable conditions, they also know how we will want to play our game.

Tactics

• Solid scrummagers on and off the bench, we will look to secure our own ball and at least pressure the Harlequins feed. Sometimes look to legally wheel their feed to cut of the scrum-half from the backline.
  
  
• With a strong lineout, Wentzel will lead the lineout and use himself as banker ball at the front of the line with Botha jumping in the middle. Look to run full number lineouts to tie in the opposing pack.
  
  
• Our whole pack is mobile and capable of snaffling ball at the breakdown. Collectively we will look to (legally!) slow down Quins' ball as much possible, only committing men to rucks if they only have two or less men in the ruck. Otherwise we will pull men out into the line to prevent them any front foot ball for their big carriers.
  
  
• The backrow will target the halfbacks, allowing them no time on the ball, which will lead to them rushing and making handling errors and mistakes.
  
  
• We will look to keep the ball alive, preventing them from setting any defensive lines and moving the point of attack. They have some very big boys and some good fetchers, so constantly moving the ruck will tire them out and prevent them from snaffling any possession. James will direct traffic with the use of quick pods systems outside the guards of the rucks.
  
  
• Off any first phase possession, the blindside winger will come in to create options off James so that it can keep the defence guessing to whether we will go wide, or cut against the grain.
  
  
• James to use Pisi and Dennis to get over the gainline, quick ball will be span out to the backs in the next phase.
  
  
• We will look to angle runners between the shoulders of Faainga and Joseph as these two are not the best defensively.
  
  
• We will run a slow drift line in defence, with Thomas sweeping. We won't look to blitz, as with the line the Quins carriers then have to go through us. If they begin to look to kick, a blitz can be deployed later on.
  
  
• Look to use our strong bench for impact later in the game. To get an advantage in the scrum, and collisions with big impact players.
  
  
• James kick all points, he can kick from within their half, so this indicates that Quins should be wary of giving away penalties.
  
  
• We might lack quality, but you can do anything with hard work, effort and 100% commitment. These lads would lie their bodies on the line for the cause lead by Wentzel.

---

Team will be up when I can get on laptop. Doing a parents evening tonight so probably in the morning.

You've given me some new ideas for my side

LukeLovesLuka wrote:Team will be up when I can get on laptop. Doing a parents evening tonight so probably in the morning.

You've given me some new ideas for my side

To be fair, with Yach and Wilko at 9/10 you can have all the ideas you want but 11 to 15 won't be seeing much ball anyway!

Lol, seems to have worked fine for me so far this season...

Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

Harlequins return to league action after a months break eager to continue in their attempt to reach the playoffs, and ultimately secure a home semi-final. Harlequins are only missing 11 players to the 6N championship so are able to name a strong side for the visit of London Wasps to the Twickenham Stoop.

01. Tony Woodcock	09. Lee Dickson
02. Schalk Brits	10. Freddie Burns (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Zac Guildford
05. Steve Borthwick (c)	12. Anthony Faainga
06. George Kruis	13. Jonathan Joseph
07. Michael Hooper	14. Luke Morahan
08. Nick Easter	15. Andre Taylor

16. Rob Buchanan 17. Wyatt Crockett 18. Ben Franks 19. Jamie Gibson 20. Carl Fearns 21. Francois Houghard 22. Quade Cooper 23. Matt Smith

Tactics

Game plan revolves around strong carriers making yards and being put into gaps by our more creative players. We will look to retain possession when we are in the Wasps half and tie in their defenders before we look to move the ball into the wider channels. We have deliberately packed our pack with strong ball carriers who will get over the gain line but can also play rugby and bring others into the game with their offloads. We are looking for Freddie Burns to stand flat and look to put others or himself through gaps with Faainga always offering a hard line of his shoulder as well as JJ out in wider channels once we have tied in defenders. Lee Dickson will control his pack and the tempo of the game. To play at a quick tempo we need to be effective at the rucks and clear out the Wasps players, thus the use of Kruis at 6 to add bulk to the pack.
Forwards
Carry at pace, in numbers and with the intention of winning the collisions, and if they can put others into space with offloads. Support lines are key to this as well as communication. We will look to control the set piece and look to dominate the scrum and utilise the short lineout between the 22m lines, with Easter and Hooper offering carriers in the midfield. Botha, Borthwick and Kruis will look to nick ball of Wasps at the lineout.

Backs
Dickson and Burns to control our game. In our own half we will assess whether a kick would be more beneficial than running it, but in the Wasps half the ball stays in hand and we back ourselves. Faainga will look to run hard lines and JJ will look to exploit the 13 channel and use his outside break. Our blindside wing will come in and look for work and Andre Taylor will join the line with his devastating speed.

Defence
Faainga captains this. We have a quick line speed and look to double up when we have the numbers with one man taking the legs and the other looking to dislodge the ball. Key to win collisions in both attack and defence. Hooper to make a nuisance of himself as the first man there. We will always look to run off turnover ball outside our 22.


to come.

Leicester Tigers have named their side to play London Welsh this week.

Tigers have made 8 changes to the side that beat Scarlets 36-10 last week in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.

With a long list of players absent for the Six Nations, Tigers have had to reshuffle the pack, but still boast a side with 13 internationals starting, and a further 5 on the bench. Tigers have been buoyed by news that Pascal Pape and Vincent Clerc are not playing for France this week, and it is Pape who captains the side this week.


Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Andrew Sheridan	09. Dimitri Yachvili
02. Stephen Moore	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. Cencus Johnston
04. Pascal Pape (c)	11. Ugo Monye
05. Nathan Hines	12. Dominic Waldouck
06. Steve Mafi	13. Rene Ranger
07. Francois Louw	14. Vincent Clerc
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Kurtley Beale

16. Sebastian Bruno 17. Lee Imiolek 18. Brian Mujati 19. Simon Shaw 20. James Scaysbrook 21. Micky Young 22. Isa Nacewa 23. Paul Sackey


Play to our strengths and play a game built around our intelligent HB's controlling the game, the power of our pack and look to get our lightning quick backline into space.

Key Points:

Form and Momentum
12 wins out of 13 in the league, we are absolutely flying at the minute sitting top of the pile. Welford Road is a fortress and in front of our fans we are always confident that we'll beat anyone.

Target the Welsh HB's/Centres
The likes of Louw and Mafi to really get stuck into Hodgson, and Jantjies in particular. Especially as Welsh are short of HB replacements in their 23. McCabe is playing his 3rd game for Welsh, with his 3rd different centre partner in Ioane - who has not played 13 the entire season. Rush defence on both centres.

Control at 8, 9, 10
With the have huge amounts of experience we have in these key roles, we will aim to really control the game. Joubert to control the base of the scrum, and Yach and Wilko to control the tempo of the game and also where it is played.

General Tactics:

- Yachvili and Wilko to control proceedings - but we're not here to kick the ball away. We have the personnel in our side to play a mixture of different styles, and we will play the game as we see it.

- In attacking play, we will play with the option of 2 first recievers in Wilko and Beale. Gives us the options of a controller and an off-the-cuff player. Keep Welsh guessing with our attacking options.

- Attack all scrums with our huge front 5 - Two out-and-out scrummaging props in Johnston and Sheridan - look to really get the shove on.

- Attack all lineouts. Use safe option of Mafi/Joubert at the front, and also use Hines/Pape in the middle or at the back.
Shortened lineouts with Louw in midfield as crash/decoy option.

- Physical, abrasive pack made up of massive line-breakers. The likes of Mafi, Louw, Hines, Pape and Moore to be used to win the collisions in attack. Play an offloading game.

- Look to win battle at 7 with Louw vs Fa'asavalu - look to Louw to win the battle on the floor as he up against no genuine 7 in the Welsh back row.

- Serious runners in the back line in the dry conditions. In Ranger and Beale alone, we have some serious options to attack Welsh and test their back line defensively. Look to target Ioane and JSD defensively in particular.

- 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, and look to win the collisions in defence. Yachvili to sweep behind with an eye on short kicks.

- Focus for the defence in midfield is key. Rush up on both McCabe and Ioane to do one thing - stop them getting any pace up. Neither has a brilliant pass, so should stop any dangers there.

- Wilkinson to kick all penalites.

So I wasn't far off with the team I predicted then. I forgot about the French boys to be honest.

London Welsh name a starting XV containing 14 full internationals to travel to Welford Road this week, as they look to extend their current 10 match winning run. Head coach Ozzy3213 had this to say about his selection.

"The weather looks like it's going to be dry for the game this week, so we've selected a side that we believe can go there and cause Tigers problems with ball in hand. They are a top side as reflected in their league position, but we are in excellent form and looking forward to this game. We know how we want to play, and the boys are confident that if we get the little things right this week, we can extend our current winning run. We have some world class players through our team, and are not missing anywhere near as many to international duty as Tigers are. That continuity, along with the fact that we've been able to rest and rotate players over the past 4 weeks is something that we believe can give us a small advantage to counter any advantage that leicester may have from being the home team in this one."

London Welsh
Manager – Ozzy3213

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Paul Hodgson
02. Bismarck du Plessis	10. Elton Jantjies
03. Ben Alexander
04. Sitaleki Timani	11. James Simpson-Daniel
05. George Skivington	12. Pat McCabe
06. Tom Johnson	13. Digby Ioane
07. Maurie Fa'asavalu	14. Bryan Habana
08. Duane Vermeulen (c)	15. Jaco Taute

16. Chris Whitehead 17. Brett Sturgess 18. Fraser Balmain 19. James Hanks 20. Luke Wallace 21. Nicolas Bezy 22. Darren Cave 23. Andrew Trimble

Tactics

Key Points

• Form/Momentum. We have won 10 matches on the trot, and come into this match in form and with confidence.
  
• Tigers defensive issues. Who leads their defence? Waldouck and Ranger not renowned in that aspect of the game.
  
• Welsh defensive strength. Solid defenders throughout the team mean that it will take something special to score points against us.
  
• Mobile, Dynamic Pack. We have selected a pack that can hold their own in the set piece, but will be good in open play, as the conditions are set to allow decent running rugby.
  
• Lack of support for Wilkinson. At Toulon Wilko has a playmaker either side of him at 9 (Michalak) and 12 (Giteau). Here he does not, and could become very predictable as a result.
  
• We are playing to control possession and not give Tigers any counter attack opportunities.
  
  

Basic Game Plan
Basic tactical premise for us to control possession and be solid defensively. Focus will be on winning the gainline collisions in both attack and defence. In order to do this we have picked a dynamic, physical and mobile pack to dominate this area of the game. We will however be looking for gaps rather than contact and looking to offload to support runners. We will look to apply pressure to Tigers 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 Tigers make.

Specifics

• Support runners to ruck past the ball quickly if the carrier goes to ground in order to secure quick ball to go again.
  
• Target midfield defence with big carriers looking to hit gaps..
  
• Keep the scoreboard ticking over by taking all penalties on offer.
  
• 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. Hodgson will sweep in behind.
  
• We will not overcommit to the breakdown. If a turnover is on, we will go for it, counter rucking and hitting on the break. If it is not on to win the ball, we will send in a couple of players to legally slow it, and get our defensive line set quickly and strongly a la France in the World Cup. We want to control the gainline in defence and attack.
  
• Look to play quick from the scrum and lineout, going off the top and quickly into midfield as our default option. We will mix it up dependant on the situation though.
  

Expected you to play McLaughlin at 7 and Cave at 13.

I did consider Cave at 13, but McLaughlin at 7 wasn't on my radar at all. Should be a good game, have to get my tactics spot on.

Yeh makings of a good game.

England team named tomorrow at 10.15. Annoying for those waiting....

Bit of a pain that like.

Going to have to assume you haven't got Waldrom as a bench option.

Northampton Saints team v Gloucester

01. Thomas Domingo	09. Joe Simpson
02. Rob Webber	10. Juan Martin Hernandez(k)
03. Carl Hayman
04. Bradley Davies	11. Julian Savea
05. Calum Clark	12. Matt Giteau
06. Julian Bonnaire(c) td][td]13. Elliot Daly
07. Sam Cane	14. Juan Jose Imhoff
08. Liam Messam	15. Ben Foden

16. Mike Haywood 17. Sona Taumalolo 18. Henry Thomas 19. Patricio Albacete 20. Dan Lydiate 21. Sam Harrison 22. Danny Cipriani 23. Christian Wade

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. We have genuine pace from Simpson, Daly and our back three and aim to make the most of this.

• Attack: We have strong carriers in the pack and our tactics are about being patient, going through the phases and working the Gloucester defence. We have two experienced internationals controlling the game at 10/12 who will speed up the tempo when the time is right and we will be using the strike runners in our backthree who will run off Giteau.

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.

• Defence: We’ve picked a very solid defensive team in the forwards and will look to will look hit the rucks in numbers, espc with Clark, Messam and Cane. Compete at all opportunities and disrupt quick service for Gloucester.

Will be playing a blitz defence to give Carter as little time on the ball as possible and attempt to force a kicking game where we can use our backthree to counter. Simpson sweeping behind defensive line.

• Set piece: Target the scrum as an attacking weapon with two top scrummagers in Domingo and Hayman, aim to get good front foot ball and place Gloucester under pressure. With Bonnaire in the Lineout we have chance to generate quick attacking ball.

• Breakdown: Cane starts to provide Saints with a genuine openside to attack the breakdown. Clark picked in second row for his breakdown ability and will get numbers to the breakdown. Look to challenge at every opportunity and force Gloucester into committing numbers into this area if they want the ball.

• Hernandez/Giteau/Elliot: Can mix the game up with very good kicking options.

Key Points:
• Clermont Style: Will copy Clermont style, based on power and getting over the gainline.
• Physical/Mobile Pack: Look to get to breakdowns/rucks fast and commit numbers.
• Scrum: Aim to place pressure on Gloucester scrum.
• Impact/Experience on bench
• High on confidence: First team to beat Newcastle away from home look to build momentum from this

Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Marcos Ayerza	09. Ben Spencer
02. David Paice	10. Beauden Barrett
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. Dave Attwood	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. Jerome Schuster 17. Tommy Taylor 18. Neemia Tialata 19. Christian Day 20. Victor Vito 21. Kahn Fotuali'i 22. Tommy Bell 23. Will Addison

Key Points

Momentum
Form and confidence are high in the Sale camp with 10 consecutive wins. Newcastle have crashed out of the Heineken & Anglo Welsh cup in recent weeks following their first home defeat for two years!

Decision makers lacking form
Question marks over the form of Burgess, SBW and Lowe. Lots of pressure on Cruden to get this misfiring back line going.

Target Benjamin
Benjamin has no form to speak off currently. We will look to bombard him with the tactical kicking game today with Eastmond, Buttin & Kvesic looking to chase.

Attacking

• Emphasis on playing the game in the right areas of the field and forcing errors from Newcastle.

• Spencer, Barrett & Steyn to play sensible rugby and ensure we win the tactical battle, kicking long for touch in our 22, using the up and under in the centre of the pitch and little grubbers in behind the defensive line.

• Ball in hand, look to use our big line breakers to make the hard yards and tie defenders up creating space in wider channels for Barrett to exploit.

• We see the offload as a crucial weapon and our carriers will all be looking to offload in contact, continuing our forward momentum and breaking the defensive 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.

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 room as possible to attack from.

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

• On Newcastle lineouts Bekker will stand at the front and challenge. At 6ft 10" Mears will need to have his darts spot on.

Defending

• 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 Newcastle momentum before it can get going.

• Spencer will act as a sweeper and cover any chips or grubbers behind the defensive line.

• The back 3 will sit deep to cover any kicks down the line and 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 it with Kvesic 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.

Saracens Football Club
Manager – DHLS07

01. Matt Mullan	09. Dewaldt Duvenage
02. John Smit (c)	10. Gareth Steenson
03. Jannie du Plessis
04. Flip van der Merwe	11. Luke Fitzgerald
05. Louis Deacon	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. Keegan Daniel	13. Jean de Villiers
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Adam Thompstone
08. Joe van Niekerk	15. Ben Smith

16. George Chuter 17. Max Lahiff 18. Sekope Kepu 19. Rob Simmons 20. Phil Dowson 21. Will Chudley 22. Ian Humphreys 23. Mark Cueto

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 Steffon Armitage either stealing or slowing the ball at the breakdown.

Gloucester xxiii

01. Nick Wood	09. Will Genia
02. Joe grey	10. Dan Carter (k)
03. James Johnstone
04. Eben Etzbeth	11. Johnny May
05. George Robson	12. Berrick Barnes
06. Willem Alberts [td][td]13. Richard Kahui
07. Alexander Lapandry	14. Charlie Sharples
08. Immanol Harinordoquoy	15. Israel dagg

16. Dan Murphy 17. Rupert harden 18. Adriaan strauss19. Tom Palmer 20. Steven Ferris 21. Dan Robson22. Hosea Gear 23. Iain Balshaw
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Key points

-Look to play a possession game and control the ball and field position.
-We see our side as having more ball carriers able to get us on front foot to provide a great platform.
-We have gone for a side packed with lineout options and see it as being key to dominating possession with saints lacking options and having webber throwing in
-Spine of team at 2,8,9,10,12 of glos better to control game and determine influence.
-Impact bench
-Form front 5 to dominate

Attacking

Looking to attack every set piece and breakdown where quick ball not available.giving saints poor ball.
Carter to kick all pens
Look to send Kahui down dalys channels and support with runners either side
AIM to control ball with relentless carrying and then look for territorial domination when time is right kicking in behind Savea and then looking to pressure lineout when saints clear.
Look to bring on bench players like Strauss just after 50.
Look to counter with back 3 and look for mismatches
Bring Dagg in to game

Defending

Blitz with Genia sweeping
Challenge every lineout to target webber and bonnaire as only key jumper
Send numbers in to breakdown to target the ball and disrupt
Look to pressure the saints centre pairing physically

Predictions OPEN

SJE day is banned for 3 weeks