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
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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

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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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Ah b****! Does that leave me a man short on the bench Pete?

Bath Rugby 14-16 Worcester Warriors
I like the Bath pack, but the one thing it lacks is a bit of grunt. There are decent carriers, but not big carriers, whereas the Worcester forwards are packed with heavy carriers of the ball. Bath tactics say they will look for big carries and feel they have a distinct advantage in this area, but I don't see that. Their pack would have been better trying to move Worcester's around and tire them, but putting a lot of eggs in the carrying and collisions basket is a mistake in my opinion, and I can see the Worcester pack dominating this one as a result. In the backs it's two really good half back pairings, and Bath have the bigger names behind that. Smith v Kerr-Barlow is a battle that I'd love to see, very different scrum halves though, and i thing TKB's comabtive, physical game would suit the way Worcester play. Looking at the benches, good players on both. For Bath I'd have started Romano for his physical presence, but he can do a good job off the bench. Worcester have a great pair of half backs to see the game out if needed. This is a close one, but I feel like Worcester have a better set of tactics as they are more suited to their team. Although Bath have some star quality, I think the team ethic and tactics see Worcester sneak this one. Low scorer though.

Harlequins 39-37 London Wasps
Good, international class front 5 for Wasps, but it's one hell of a top drawer and well balanced front 5 that Harlequins have put out. The back rows are similar, with a good unit for Wasps, but one for Harlequins that I can see really working well. What I like from Wasps is that they have recognised Harlequins strength, and aren't going to go toe to toe with them in the carrying stakes, but are going to try to shift the point of attack and work them around a bit. That's 100% the right thing to do, and if tactically Wasps had said they were going to smash it up and win the collisions I'd have Harlequins winning this by lots. Really tough call who wins up front in this one, and I can actually see it being the sort of game where both packs get good ball for their backs. At half back, I like both of Harlequins players, but as I think I have said before I'm not certained they would work as pair. Quality players though. I'm not really a fan of either of the Wasps pair, although James is decent enough. I do like the Wasps outside backs though, lots of attacking threat, but some defensive frailties maybe. Harlequins outside backs are all quality, but there are form issues for Guildford and Joseph. Good ball for both teams, and plenty of attacking threat for both, so it's an open, high scoring game, almost like some of the Super Rugby try fests of recent seasons. Good tactics from both, but I am just shading to Harlequins with that little more quality up front.

Leicester Tigers 20-24 London Welsh
Judging by the banter two teams that really want to win this one. In the packs some fascinating battles. du Plessis and Moore have gone head to head many times, and du Plessis normally comes out on top. Was it Alexander that Sheridan demolished in the 2007 RWC? I'm not totally sure on that but think it was, although it's fair to say that Alexander is better player now than he was then, as shown by his last outing where he spent the game teaching Joe Marler how to scrummage. Tactically it's a really interesting game this one. Leicester play using their half backs to control territory, and Welsh play a possession game utilising their carriers and offloading game. A real clash of styles, and the conditions are ok for both, so don't favour either team. Strangely, both highlight the other teams centres as a potential weakness defensively, and will look to attack there. I have to say that I think this is a mistake for Leicester, as McCabe and Ioane are an international class pair, and Waldouck and Ranger as a unit are not. Leicester tactics talk about targeting Ioane (and JSD) defensively, but I just don't see running at Ioane as an option that works. Welsh tactically want to play quickly into midfield off the set piece, and I think that's right. I can see Leicester having to defend the centre channels with Wilkinson and Louw, and as result becoming disjointed. There is real attacking threat in both sets of outside backs, but Welsh are stronger defensively, and Jantjies is good at getting his backs playing. Wilkinson more a territorial kicking 10 these days, and there is from the Welsh back three if he gets that wrong. As with Bath v Worcester, i thing Leicester have made a tactical mistake trying to target the Welsh centres, and in what is a close match up in terms of players, that sort of error is the difference.

Northampton Saints 23-25 Gloucester
Two top class packs. The only shirt where there is a real gulf in quality is four, where Etzebeth is already a far superior player to Davies. Both teams wanting to go through the phases and keep possession, although Gloucester will kick for territory if they need to. There really is not much between the players in this game, with the exception of the half backs, where Gloucester have arguably the best players in the world in their positions. Looking at the tactics, I'm not sure Saints plan of blitzing to give Carter as little time as possible is the right one. When I watch Carter he is at his best playing on instinct on the gainline, with little popped passes to his strike runners. He also has the ability to chip, grubber and spot gaps. Thinking about it, the gulf between Carter and Hernandez right now is pretty big, although Hernandez is helped by Giteau at 12 who is in excellent form for Toulon. Close game this I think, with a real even battle between defence and attack, but I think Gloucester have the edge through the backs and nick a really good away win.

Sale Sharks 29-23 Newcastle Falcons
Sale's first point in their tactics is a good one. They have all of the form and momentum in this game and in rugby that is often a big thing. Once teams get on a roll, particularly after Christmas they can be difficult to stop. I like both packs with the exception of Mears who is a poor forward in my opinion. Good balance in the Sale back row, with the carrying of Tolou and big Cliffy Palu alongisde the work and industry of Kvesic. World class options in the Newcastle back row make it a tasty match up. More quality at scrum half for Newcastle, but issues in the outside backs with Benjamin not having played this season, and SBW either a boxer or a rugby league player now. That issue is heightened by the Newcastle tactic of using SBW as a focal point with him offloading to players running off him. yes he can do this and has in the past, but I've not seen it for while, and nor has anyone else as he's not played top class rugby union since the summer and won't again for at least a couple of years. Sale tactically trying to use the scrum as a weapon works well, as Mears is poor in the srum and lets newcastle down massively in that area. If they get a platform at all, Sale have the backs to cause problems, and are aalso right to target Benjamins lack of playing time and form. All of these little bits add up to a win for Sale in my opinion in this one.

SirJohnnyEnglish wrote:Ah b****! Does that leave me a man short on the bench Pete?

Yes mate, it does.

Reckon SBW might be rested next few weeks lol

Ozzy3213 wrote:

SirJohnnyEnglish wrote:Ah b****! Does that leave me a man short on the bench Pete?

Yes mate, it does.

Cheers mate was worried it was a default there for a second!

It should be a default, but in previous rounds when its happened people were let off with just being a man light, so would be harsh to enforce a default now.

Default to harsh. I heard it on radio after rugby last night. Think they only banned him last night although citing was a while ago

Do you know when its over Matt?

3 weeks time SJE

Cheers I'll know better for next week!

Bath Rugby 26 - 21 Worcester

Two decent units up front that neither side will dominate. Just about edge to Bath in the 2nd row with Whitelock the standout. Man for man Bath just about edge the back row, but both units are very strong and its a great battle. Really decent HB battle, not a lot in it, but Bath have much stronger centres. Bath much stronger in the back three (wings on wrong sides though). Both sides have decent options off the bench. Think Bath have the better side here, and at home, should take the win.

Harlequins 27 - 22 Wasps

Nice looking Oz front row from Wasps, but would expect Quins to take the upper hand here. If Wasps had gone with Manoa they may have taken the upper hand in thew locks, but as it is prefer the Quins duo. Good line out battle. Quins just about edge the back row contest, and take the packs. Decent HB battle, probably edged by Quins, and a really good centre contest on show. Edge to quoins in the back three. Slight edge to Quins on the bench. At home, Quins should get a good win here.

Bath Rugby 23 - 20Worcester

Two decent packs and gorgodze and Whitelock the stars.
Same at halfback where it's a great match up and one a piece.

Think its In the backs wuss will lose it. Think the back 3 for Worcester is lacking defensively with cook in particular having a mare at glos.

Think sheer class of baths backs win it for them

Bath 28 - 21 Worcester

Two solid front 5's which I can't really separate as units either at the set piece or in the loose. Whitelock the star name and will have a good impact. Think Bath have the stronger player in each back row position and have a stronger unit, allthough perhaps lack a really strong carrier to do the heavy work, which Worcester have in abundance with Savage and Gorgodze which will have effect. Half backs are a good battle with Bath having the stronger unit and this is also true of the centres and the back 3. There isn't a great deal between the packs but the slight edge Bath do have up front will be emphasised by the quality of their backs.

Leicester 24 - 25 London Welsh

Front row is a great battle. London Welsh have the stronger unit who will be more of a presence in the loose and are also strong at the set piece. At lock the Leicester unit is stronger man for man but I feel it lacks something at the lineout. Backrows are tough to call but man for man I have it as 2-1 Welsh and as Unit I have Welsh just ahead. Overall Welsh edge the packs but the slightest of margins but Leicester will redress this balance as the benches are utilised. Half backs is in Leicester's favour but the Leicester backline lacks creativity, which London Welsh don't lack. Centres go to Welsh with McCabe and Ioane stronger than their opposite men and I think they will work as a unit. I prefer the Leicester back three but not by much. Very very tight game which I feel will be won by Welsh due to the advantage upfront and more creativity in the backline and top notch finishers outwide. A great win for Pete.

London Irish 23 - 23 Saracens

Front row to Saracens with the locks to Irish. Back rows are a great battle which I think Irish edge at 6 and 8. Half backs to Irish by a canter with a much stronger unit. Centres are dead level and I can't split them with the back three just edged to Saracens. Saracens much stronger off the bench to pull back a draw.

Northampton 26 - 28 Gloucester

Saints take the front row but Gloucester take the back five of the scrum but their isn't a great deal in it. Gloucester have the stronger half backs and centres and the back row's are even. Matt is always strong in the 6N and onwards and he starts off with a great win against a depleted Northampton.

Sale 26 - 26 Newcastle

Front rows go are evens with Ayerza and Franks stronger with hooker even. Locks go to the strong Sale unit but Newcastle take the back row. Half backs edged to Newcastle but not by much, centres to Sale by a distance with the back 3's even. This is a very tough one to call. Newcastle just edge the sides with advantage from to 6-10 but Sale have the home advantage. Can't call it I'm afraid.

Quins 28-24 Wasps
SP: Scrum to Quins lineout to Wasps
BK: Quins more dangerous
HB: Burns in form before injury
AT: Both will get the breaks
DE: Strong from Wasps
BE: Manoa will do well off bench but Quins have a bit more
TA: Targetting the lineout will help for Wasps but Quins using Burns and Faainga on the break will give them it.

Tigers 22-24 Welsh
SP: Strong front 5 from both, scrum even but Tigers may take a few lineouts
BK: 2 big back rows but Louw in good form
HB: Steady from Welsh, Tigers have big game players
AT: Can see Welsh centres being more dangerous
DE: Both strong
BE: Bruno and Mujati will help the scrum
TA: Rushing the Welsh centres won't help Tigers, the Welsh tactics of offloads from centres will be decisive.

Irish 20-22 Sarries
SP: Good Sarries front row
BK: Great from Sarries
HB: Irish
AT: Route 1 for Sarries, Irish have more options
DE: Both strong with nothing getting through either
BE: Good experience on both especially in some of Sarries pack subs
TA: None from Irish doesn't help but they are being caretakered

Saints 18-15 Glos
SP: Think Saints will take scrum, lineout even
BK: 2 incredibly strong one's, Hari will run over Messam
HB: Evens, with some not playing and others in form
AT: Great finishers from both
DE: Saints stronger here
BE: Impact form both sides, Wade could be the difference
TA: Saints get it right with fast paced, Glos should have targeted Hari running more

Sale 18-18 Falcons
SP: Falcons stronger at scrum, good lineout options from both
BK: Experience over youth for Falcons
HB: Like both hb's but again international experience helps
AT: SBW maybe needs a rest (is he playing union any time soon), good options outside for Falcons, Sale have proven scorers
DE: Strong from both, Abendanon over AAC at FB
BE: Losing 1 player doesn't help Sale, Fotuali'i can make a huge impact, great forwards bench from Falcons
TA: Tactical kicking is a great option for Sale and will take away the international players power, forwards to Falcons, backs to Sale....i'm on the fence sorry.

Bath 20 Worcester Warriors 23
Harlequins 26 London Wasps 22
Leicester Tigers 22 London Welsh 22
London Irish 20 Saracens 18 - Better set piece swings this.
Northampton Saints 17 Gloucester 20


Will try and get details in tomorrow morning , some really close games this week. Left me some serious splinters in the arse from that fence lol.

Bath 23-21 Worcester
Bath really tough place to go and win away from home. Really like Props tactics of using the Gordz to stiffle Pocock, think that will keep the game very close and the abrasive pack will cause some issues. But the Bath backline has the creative spark that can set the teams apart and just see a bit more behind the scrum. Lambie makes a big difference here.

Quins 33 - 30 Wasps
Can see this being a high scoring game, Wasps will be very competitive and push Quins very close - with Wentzel they can get a lot of good attacking ball for the backs and they can score tries. I don't see the Quins backline as the best defensive unit but with Burns and the backs that Quins have they will score some tries too.

Leicester 25 - 24 London Welsh
I just see the Tigers pack that little bit too strong in this game, they have 8 really strong players and with the Welford Road faithful behind them this will have a huge bearing on the game. They have the slight physical advantage and the half backs to make that count. Welsh have a great team out and probably some better backs in the centres, but really rate Waldouck's defensive ability. Game of the round.

London Irish 17 - 22 Saracens
Lack of coach big impact and Sarries have got some wc players in key positions and can't see Irish breaking through the Sarries brick wall of a midfield.

Sale 23 - 23 Newcastle
Sorry lads but this is a demonstration of how to sit on a fence, can't split this game. Newcastle an odd team at the moment, got some cracking form with some players and world class players all over the team sheet, but guys like Croft, Benjamin, Lowe and SBW are hard to rate and is a big factor in the predictions. Whilst Sale are at home, have a great team and a lot of form, but I question how effective Spencer is at no9, he's hardly featured for Sarries in real life and a combination of both means I can just call it a draw.

Quins 28-25 wasps

Tactics decent but Quins class wins it. Pack dynamic and wasps
Combative.
Few issues for Quins attacking wise in backs with faiingaa and Joseph not a pair who would work. Jj struggling and all emphasis on burns to create.

Pisi gets joy and wasps
Win decent lineout ball but Quins pack and intensity wins it

Quins 26-21 Wasps
Think Quins have a bit of an advantage throughout the forwards, but not by a huge amount and can see an interesting lineout contest. The Quins half backs also have an advantage but I'd give the outside back and substitute advantage to Wasps. At home, Quins have enough to win

Tigers 23-22 Welsh
Advantage in the front row goes to Welsh but Tigers take the second row. Tiny edge in the backrow to Welsh. Half backs go to Tigers by quite a bit. Welsh take centres but Tigers have back three. Very close, not too much anywhere on the pitch and at home, Tigers can edge it with their half backs leading the way.

Irish 21-22 Sarries
Forward battle is very difficult to call. Slight edge to Sarries with a stronger back and front row. Irish have an incredible half back combo and a stronger back three. Centres and subs to Sarries.

Saints 20-27 Gloucester
Front row to Saints but the rest of the forwards go to Glaws. Half backs to Glaws as well as centres. Not sure abut back three but with that bench from Glaws I cannot see past them

Sale 24-25 Newcastle
Not much in the front fives but see big advantages in the back row and half backs to Newcastle. Huge fan of the Sale centres but back three and the win goes to Newcastle

Am not predicting the Irish game as I put the team in.

Bath Rugby 22 Worcester Warriors 20
Harlequins 30 London Wasps 26
Northampton Saints 21 Gloucester 23
Sale Sharks 24 Newcastle Falcons 23

Not had time to type up explanations. if I get time before 8 today I'll do them.

Irish 23 - 23 Saracens

Not a great deal in it up front, maybe slight edge to Sarries. Similar story in the 2nd row with a slight advantage to the away side. Think they just take the back row too and just about overall edge the pack. Irish dominate at HB though, and whilst the centre battle is huge, Irish take the back three. Really tough to call this - Irish at home but no tactics, Sarries stronger pack but Irish back line. Splinters for me.

Bath Rugby 23-18 Worcester Warriors

Scrum: Edge to Worcester with a bit more in the props and a strong 2nd row locking it down
Lineout: Both sides hold their own but Bath can make more of attacking ball
Breakdown: Both front 5s offer plenty around the park but Worcester with no real balance in the backrow. Pocock to be a menace.
HB's: Two cracking combos that will make this an open game
Attack: Big carriers on both sides but Bath with some great runners in the back line
Defence: Cook not taking to Prem level and will struggle here
Bench: Not sure on Miller covering flyhalf at this level
Tactics: Bit more actual detail to the Worcester tactics but they will struggle to get clean ball in this one

Harlequins 19-16 London Wasps

Scrum: Afoa-Botha lock the scrum down for Quins well
Lineout: Cracking battle between two great Prem operators.
Breakdown: Decent battle with nothing between both sides
HB's: Another tight battle. Good form for both 10s
Attack: Good line runners and big carriers on both sides
Defence: Wasps could be caught down the 10-12 axis but Quins not strong at 10 either & JJ not going well at 13
Bench: More impact off the Quins bench with Houghard & Cooper keeping a high tempo
Tactics: Not sure on the slow drift for Wasps but Quins not that much bigger than them. Overall two good game plans and two fairly even sides. Home advantage is crucial.

Leicester Tigers 27-24 London Welsh

Scrum: Very good scrum battle but the power of the Tigers 2nd row give them an edge
Lineout: Both sides should hold their own ball but neither lineout is destructive
Breakdown: Louw will turn over a bit of ball but both sides should see clean ball
HB's: Tigers edge with the masters of controlling the game
Attack: Both sides capable of breaking the line although Welsh look more dangerous outwide
Defence: A lot of ground could be made through the Quins midfield but Ioane could be caught at 13 positionally
Bench: Tigers a lot stronger in the front 5 off the bench.
Tactics: Both sides set up well. Tigers stopping the threat out wide somewhat but Welsh making a lot of ground through midfield. Little more of a platform for Tigers at home

London Irish 18-17 Saracens

Scrum: Little more for Sarries with the 2nd row locking it down
Lineout: Both sides should just about hold their own ball. An on form Kennedy would of had a field day here
Breakdown: Very good battle here with both 7s in good form
HB's: Step up to Irish with one of the best combos in the league
Attack: Both sides can get over the gain line. JDV will kill a bit of play at 13 though and Irish more capable of opening up a defence
Defence: Two strong defensive lines. Don’t see either back three getting caught out
Bench: Not much between either side
Tactics: Decent game plan for Sarries. Not overly marking Irish down for not having one. Very good game between two even sides. Halfbacks and home advantage swing it

Northampton Saints 20-23 Gloucester

Scrum: Good scrum battle but Saints will get a bit more out of it with Hayman v Wood
Lineout: More jumpers for Glaws will cause problems for Saints
Breakdown: Good battle here with decent balance in both packs
HB's: Glaws a step up here.
Attack: Both sides more than capable of opening each other. More of a carrying game in the Glaws pack though.
Defence: Glaws susceptible 1v1 out wide but so is Imhoff for Saints and they will lose a bit of ground through midfield
Bench: Two very strong benches for the 6 nations period!
Tactics: More detail to Saints tactics but not sure their midfield is the type for a Clermont power game. Not a lot of detail to Glaws game plan but they they will gain ground down Dalys channel.

Sorry I've missed predos. Just got back from rugby

Leicester 22-22 welsh

Leicester pack more form but class in welsh and Backrow to welsh.
Serious joy in centres and backs as a unit from welsh. Draw as I think home is worth 3. Any other centre pairing and I can see Leicester win. Yach and wilko great at controlling but feel they struggle to ignite a backline

Sorry chaps completely forgot to finish predos thought for some reason it was until 12.


Been doing nowt as well

Seriously gutted I missed a LBP!

Had it won until SJE's prediction. Gutted. Although having said that a draw away at Tigers is a good result really.

Sorry missed last two predos. Been working in liverpool. Finally on train home.

Tight game Pete - I'd have been royally gutted if I'd lost.

Saints and the 6Nations really do not go well...I just need Gordz to be banned for next week as I don;t really want to be playing him with a depleted squad!

Morgan and gorgodze could be available

Not any more

thought you deserved an lbp flux!

Pretty pleased with that win. All out for another one this week hopefully.