Aviva Premiership Round Sixteen (6 Nations)

First topic message reminder :

Team & Tactics - 2000hrs Saturday
Predictions - 2359hrs Tuesday

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Exeter Chiefs v London Welsh
Location - Sandy Park
Weather - 3 degrees, Grey cloud, 10 mph winds

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Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Pooly (Caretaker)

01. Tendai Mtawarira	09. TJ Perenara
02. Scott Spurling	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. John Afoa
04. James Hanks	11. Gonzalo Camacho
05. James Horwill(c)	12. Sireli Naqelevuki
06. Steve Mafi	13. Richard Kahui
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Cory Jane
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Isa Nacewa

16. Brett Sturgess 17. Simon Alcott 18. Hoani Tui 19. Tommy Hayes 20. James Scaysbrook 21. Kevin Barrett 22. Ian Humphreys 23. Luke Arscott

Tactics

- Look to set a tone in the set piece with big front 5 unit & two big scrummaging locks
- Dominate collisions and allow TJ fast ball to attack with
- Look to ruck over the ball and allow Steffon to get in amongst things
- Wilko to take 3 points on offer
- Look to keep ball in hand and work through the phases

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London Welsh

Manager – Fluxy

01. Rhys Gill	09. Ruan Pienaar (K)
02. David Paice	10. Nick Evans
03. Frans Malherbe
04. Dean Mumm	11. Topsy Ojo
05. Paul O'Connell (C)	12. Dominic Waldlouck
06. Tom Johnson	13. George Lowe
07. Hienrich Brussow	14. Horacio Agulla
08. Nick Easter	15. Maxime Medard

16. Tom French 17. Scott Wilson 18. Tom Lindsay 19. Steve Borthwick 20. David Sisi 21.Will Chudley 22. Tom Casson 23. Adam Thompstone

Tactics

We look to impose ourselves from the off and let the opposition know how we are going to play the game and how we want to dictate the pace of the game. Our brand of rugby is physical and fast, however we won't just run the ball at every opportunity. We will only play in the right areas of the paddock, and Evans knows when to attack and when we need to clear the lines. We will look to go through simple phases to reproduce quick ball to cut the defence open. We have brilliant leaders all other the pitch in POC, Easter and Evans, and they know what will be required to get we want from the game - a win. With the terrible conditions, they also know how we will want to play our game. We will look to force Chiefs to play from in their 22 and use our strong lineout and kicking game to pressure them. After good form in Europe, we will continue to build on our great position in the league.

Tactics

• Gill and Malherbe are solid technicians and will secure our own feed, to provide first phase possession for our backs. We have strong props on the bench as well, so we should not be outclassed throughout the game.
  
  
• With a strong lineout, O'Connell will lead the lineout and use himself as banker ball at the front of the line with Mumm jumping in the middle. If winning own ball POC will look to call full number lineouts to tie in the Sharks fowards.
  
  
• Our whole pack is mobile and capable of snaffling ball at the breakdown. We will look to offload in the tackle to keep moving the point of attack and tire out the big Chiefs pack.
  
  
• 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. Evans will direct traffic with the use of quick pods systems outside the guards of the rucks, and target any of our forwards against their backs.
  
  
• We will use a Blitz banana drift line in defence to cut down Wilko's options and push him inside towards our backrow.
  
  
• Evans has some dangerous backs out side him, and will look to use them at every valid opportunity after we have tied in forwards or created mismatches in the defensive line.
  
  
• 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. There are a number of Chiefs players that have played a large number of games already this season and we will look to exploit the tired legs.
  
  
• Pienaar will kick all points, he can kick from within their half, so this indicates that Chiefs should be wary of giving away penalties.

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Gloucester v Worcester Warriors
Location - Kingsholm stadium
Weather - 3 degrees, Grey cloud, 10 mph winds

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Gloucester

01. Antoine Guillamon	09. Dimitri Yachvilli
02. Darren Dawiduk	10. Pat Lambie (k)
03. Shaun Knight
04. Tom Savage	11. JSD
05. Will James	12. JDJ
06. Alisdair Strokosch	13. Rob Horne
07. Akapusi Qera	14. Charlie Sharples
08. JVN (c)	15. Jonny May

16. Korree Britton 17. Nick Wood 18. Rupert Harden 19. Sam Whitelock 20. Sam Cane 21. Dan Robson 22. Freddie Burns 23. Henry Trinder

Excitement Outwide
Proven scorers from 9-15 all who can make something out of nothing (see May's 2nd try vs Saints). They will look to capitalise on Worcester's errors and utilise the overlap which the forwards will bring to the game. JDJ and Horne is a very exciting combination who will test the Warriors defense to their limits.

Impact Bench
We have: Cane, Whitelock, Trinder, Robson and Burns to come off the bench and all are game changers who can continue our abrasive and energetic style of play to push us towards the big win.

Attacking

• We come off the back of a huge win and have rotated for fresh legs but expect nothing else but another big win.

• Yachvilli and Lambie to play what's in front of them and look to release JDJ or snipe as much as possible. If it isn't on then Lambie will stick it in the corners and, with Whitelock, Qera, JVN, Strokosch and Savage 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 Sharples and May.

• 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.

• Impact bench to shore up our victory and to keep the scoreboard ticking, Robson, burns and Trinder will play fast-in your face-rugby, Whitelock and Cane will have a field day against tired legs at the breakdown and lineout.

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 10 so he has no time to kick or give quick ball to the centres, we will protect the channels to stop 9 sniping.

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

• We will hit the breakdown quick to give Qeratime 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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Worcester Warriors

Manager – InTheFastLane

01. George Porter	09. Will Genia
02. Stephen Moore	10. Dan Carter
03. Juan Figallo
04. Gerhard Mostert	11. Tom Homer
05. George Robson	12. Ma’a Nonu
06. Liam Messam	13. Robbie Freaun
07. Michael Hooper	14. Marcel Garvey
08. Ben Morgan	15. Kurtley Beale

16. Ed Shervington 17. Louis Radian 18. Tevita Taumoepeau 19. Nile Dacres 20. Matt Kvesic 21. Shaun Perry 22. Luke Rooney 23. Matt Hopper

Overall: Look for strong running rugby led by our half back combination who will look to control our tempo and keep us playing in the right areas. We will look to use forwards advantage and use it as a base.

In these conditions we don’t expect to experience many scrums. However when we do scrum look for to get a good squeeze and win penalties.

At the lineout we feel we have a big advantage and if we can develop this advantage early we shall look to switch the game plan and look for corners with the boot. Mostert will offer a solid option at the front with Messam, Morgan and Robson all jumpers.

As well as performing in the set piece we will be looking to get our forwards making some big carries in open play. We will be looking to burst into space and makes gains with the likes of Morgan, Mostert, Moore and Messam on the ball.

Look to attack the breakdown hard and fast with lots of bodies looking to slow down or turn over Gloucester ball. Hooper is absolutely brilliant at getting over the ball and he will be backed up by Messam and Morgan looking to nuisance of themselves.

Strong half back combination will be looking to control the tempo of our game. Will Genia will play his natural game mixing it up with his passing and his sniping runs. Dan Carter is our main playmaker and will look to use his vast array of talents to adapt to the game. He will look to get his running and passing game involved while his kicking offers another option.

The back five will be looking to make inroads with their attacking running. Nonu will be look to make strong runs, crashing through defences. He will look to draw in defences to offer more space for our other runners. Freaun is a player in a similar vain to Nonu and will be used for his ability to get over the gainline. Homer, Beale and Garvey will be looking to make use of the spaces with their movement.

Use a blitz defence with huge intensity to put pressure on Gloucester decision makers. Kurtley Beale will sweep in behind for any grubbers which we will either counter generously or have a run at the defence.

With Carter, Genia, Beale and Homer we have some quality boots and we will look to take advantage. Look to mix up the game and target Johnny May under the high ball with Messam leading the chase. If we experience dominance at the lineout look to put the ball into corners. Genia will also use his box kick abilities to give our players something to chase.

We will look to make full use of our bench. Shervington, Radian + Taumoepeau are quality options who will look to get involved around the park and at scrumtime. Kvesic will also come on and look to get involved in all facets of play against tired legs. Rooney + Hopper are players who can make something out of nothing and we will look to get their hands on the ball

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Leicester Tigers v Saracens
Location - Welford Road
Weather - 3 degrees, Light Snow, 9 mph winds

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Leicester Tigers
Manager – Sgt_Pooly

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Karl Dickson
02. Bismark Du Plessis	10. Berrick Barnes(c)
03. Aaron Jarvis
04. Luke Romano	11. Marlon Yarde
05. Alister Hargreaves	12. James O’Connor
06. Siya Kolisi	13. Digby Ioane
07. Liam Gill	14. Christian Wade
08. Jacque Cronje	15. Geordan Murphy

16. Jamie George 17. Luke Cowen-Dickie 18. Kyle Sinckler 19. Sam Jones 20. Maurie Fa'asalavu 21. Sam Harrison 22. Danny Cipriani 23. Miles Benjamin

Tactics

In the poor conditions we’ll be looking to play a controlled game and look to play in the right areas of the pitch. We’ll be looking for big carries from our pack to free up space around the fringes for out talented backline to work in. Barnes will look to dictate play in our half and pin the opposition back with directed kicking.

We’ll look to play the drift defence and force Sarries to get through our defensive line. Dickson will sweep up behind the line.

We will look to set a tone in the set piece with our big scrummaging front 5 and will look for the squeeze from the off. Hargreaves will lead the line and we will look to target the opposition's throw with Hargreaves/Romano marshalling the front/middle of the line. We'll use big carries from our pack to draw in the opposition defence with Dickson marshalling and looking for gaps to exploit around the fringes.

The flankers will target the breakdown with Dickson sniping around and playing flat to the line to allow Barnes & JOC space to run into. Ioane will come looking for the ball in midfield and link up with JOC causing problems in the opposition midfield. We'll look to refresh pack around 60mins + and keep up the intensity.

- Look to get JOC onto the ball as much as possible
- Barnes to kick whats on offer and keep the board ticking over
- Barnes/JOC to alternate and dictate play
- Look to keep opposition pinned back with strong kicking 10/12
- Look to control front 5 with superior physical unit
- Look for Jarvis(Welsh Int TH) to neutralise Mullen so Corbs & BdP can really get at Brits & Ben T who aren’t big scrummagers
- Target Hudson throughout the game who’s struggling for real life form not starting in the Championship
- Murphy borught in for his cultured boot

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Saracens
Manager – ChequeredJersey

01. Matt Mullan	09. Julien Dupuy (k)
02. Schalk Brits	10. Charlie Hodgson
03. Ben Tameifuna
04. Ollie Kohn	11. Sam Smith
05. Charlie Matthews	12. Anthony Allen
06. Richie McCaw (c.)	13. Conrad Smith
07. Will Fraser	14. Vereniki Goneva
08. Billy Vunipola	15. Chris Wyles

16. Jared Saunders 17. Rob Buchanan 18. Sekope Kepu 19. James Hudson 20. Joe Robinson 21. Jordan Burns 22. Beauden Barrett 23. Drew Mitchell


Tactics- it's wet and slippery this week, so let's not spread the ball too much or force the game. Simple is best. The breakdown and set piece will be vital this week, as will the contact area.

In the breakdown, Fraser and Richie will share roles as a jackal. On attacking ball, I'd ideally like one there to win it with the other ready with Dupuy to track the ball to get to guarantee winning the next breakdown or chasing any kicks and cleaning up any errors. In defence, Fraser should aim to track the ball and make the breakdown so Richie can lead the defence around the ruck fringes, though the reverse is acceptable. Billy V will clear out opposition at the ruck and the locks will chip in too. In the set piece, we have a very able front 5. So do Tigers but Jarvis is a bit weaker so Mullan will target him and hopefully we can get under them doing this. Kepu is a great replacement for Ben so he can work flat out in the scrum and the loose. If Corbs thinks he will get an advantage over Ben, let him try- he anchored the Chiefs Scrum last year and barely ever lost a battle in the set piece. I want Billy running at the 9-10 and blindside wing off the scrum occasionally to test their tackling and put them on the back foot with the flankers in hot pursuit to win fast ball so we can batter the fringes of the ruck in relentless succession. At the lineout, keep it simple on the whole to Hudson at the front but McCaw is a great back option to use. Pressure their throw with a front jump and be ready to clean up any spillages in the snow.

In attack, too many passes will lead to errors to both sides. The flankers tracking the ball will help us clean up both sides' errors, but to minimalise ours we will focus on hard running over passing. I want short pops to big forwards on the shoulders of the half backs to hammer away at their 10-12 axis which is on the small side. Brits, Ben and Vunipola are ideal for this. I want to alternate mauls and series of rapid pick and goes at the edge of rucks, to build momentum and batter the defence before we pass the the centres who will run straight and use their experience against JOC and Ioane, who have played away from centre recently. We won't play in our own half, Dupuy and Hodgson are great kickers so we will kick and play in Tigers' 22. When Wade is blindside winger, let's target him, and also send some high kicks his way to take advantage of his short stature.

In defence, blitz with the backs so Joc and Barnes have no space to move with. Watch Wade in attack. I want someone (Fraser or Brits) harrying Barnes at all times and McCaw to keep the defence around the ruck fringes tight.

Chase all kicks, and make them all high to give our pack a chance to pressure the receiver. Take all points at goal on offer

Let Dupuy dictate the game and if we need to speed things up use McCaw more as a linkman so it doesn't detract from Dupuy's primary role today- as a tactician and kicker

Subs like Buchanan and Robinson are big carriers so hit contact hard knowing we can replace players, and bring on Mitchell or Barrett to control the game

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London Irish v London Wasps
Location - Madjeski Stadium
Weather - 3 degrees, Grey cloud, 11 mph winds

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London Irish

Manager – Mad for Chelsea

01. Dean Greyling	09. Joe Simpson
02. Rob Herring	10. Brock James
03. Paulica Ion
04. Bryn Evans	11. Sailosi Tagicakibau
05. Nick Kennedy	12. Shontayne Hape
06. Tom Guest	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. David Pocock (c)	14. David Strettle
08. Imanol Harinordoquy	15. Matt Tait

16. Scott Lawson, 17. Fraan Rautenbach, 18. Tom Smallbone, 19. Tom Palmer, 20. Andy Saull, 21. Darren Allinson, 22. Quade Cooper, 23. Anthony Watson

Tactics:

Not many changes this week: Rob Herring returns to start at hooker, while James and Hape return to the backline. With Wasps only really having Geraghty and Weepu as kicking options we'll look to play a territorial game, pinning them in their half (neither has great length) and controlling the game. When in their half, go through the phases, use the big ball carriers (centres, Harinordoquy, Guest, etc.) to target the 10 channel.

- look to dominate the breakdown. Wasps's backrow doesn't loook an area of strength so Pocock and his consorts should cause havoc there, forcing turnovers and slowing down opposition ball, while securing quick ball for our side. This is an area we'll really target.

- plenty of line-out options, both to secure our own ball and to put pressure on theirs (Kennedy one of the best readers of the opposition line-out in the game). Again, with Deacon having only just joined the opposition they may not have developped a great understanding yet, so look to target their throw as much as possible.

- Control territory through James's boot, as mentioned above.

- Big ball carriers to target the 10 channel, putting the team on the front foot when in posession, before unleashing a very dangerous backline.

- The backrow are all good handlers and should provide a good link between forwards and backs.

- Play a blitz defense to put their FH and centres under pressure.

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London Wasps

Manager – CF

01. Zak Taulfao	09. Piri Weepu (C)(K)
02. George Chuter	10. Shane Geraghty
03. Matt Stevens
04. Louis Deacon	11. Ugo Monye
05. James Cannon	12. Alex Cheeseman
06. Tinius Du Plessis	13. Chris Bell
07. Matt Everard	14. Tom Varndell
08. Pedrie Wannenburg	15. Richard Haughton

REPLACEMENTS: 16.Brooker 17.Payne 18.Stankovich 19.Mermoz 20.Young 21.Robinson 22.Ingall 23.Gopperth

TEAM NEWS: Goerge Chuter starts as Hooker, with Swarzeski being on 6 nations duty. Louis Deacon makes debut, new signing with point to prove. Weepu captains the side in Dusatoir's absence. Geraghty makes a rare start at 10 with Farrell on england duty. Haughton has been given a vote of confidence after rumours of him maybe being released at the end of the season. Wanted to hand Sackey debut, but he still has slight injury

Be strong at the set piece dont want to give away silly penalites and infringments. Geraghty will kick drop goals, Weepu will box kick and take conversions, whilst looking to get quick ball to the backs

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Northampton Saints v Bath
Location - Franklin Gardens
Weather - 2 degrees, Light snow, 10mph winds

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Northampton Saints
Manager – SirJohnnyEnglish

01. Soane Tonga'uiha	09. Lee Dickson
02. Richardt Strauss	10. Stephen Myler
03. Paul Doran-Jones
04. Samu Manoa	11. Vasily Artemiev
05. Andries Bekker	12. Sonny Bill Williams
06. Stephen Ferris	13. George Pisi
07. Calum Clark	14. Jamie Elliot
08. Kieran Read	15. Ben Foden

16. Steven Kitshoff 17. Brett Sharman 18. Brian Mujati 19. James Craig 20. Roger Wilson 21. Aaron Smith 22. Ryan Lamb 23. Scott Armstrong

Key Points

• Attack the 10 Channel. Barkley is not best known for his physicality and we will look to flood his channel with big runners and tacklers. Playing the role of backup at Metro his form has dropped and we feel he can be pressured today. If it comes down to the battle of the 10s we have faith in Myler who is an out and out flyhalf playing well week in week out at the mo.

• Dominate the scrum. In these conditions it’s even more important with knock ons galore. Neither Catt or Tolufua are known for their scrum work and struggle against technical scrummagers. Doran-Jones is a smart operator and will look to break the link between them and put Franks on the other side of the scrum on the back foot against Tonga.

Tactics

We will look to control territory and apply pressure on Bath in key areas looking to force mistakes. When in possession in the right areas, we will look to play a strong carrying game, attacking in groups so as to win the collisions and get over the gain line. Offloads will be kept to an absolute minimum as we look to sustain pressure deep in Bath territory. We will kick all penalties in opposition territory at goal and take the drop goal option whenever it’s available.

• In these conditions the scrum will be an important weapon. With a powerful front 5 on show we will look to keep it up and take full advantage drawing penalties from Bath.

• With handling an issue we want to keep things simple and use Bekker, Manoa and Read as banker ball at the lineout. We will look to bring the ball down into the maul and use the physicality of our pack to drive us into the right areas.

• 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 Bath momentum before it can get going.

• Dickson 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 Wood looking to get his hands on the ball.

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

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Bath Rugby
Manager – Bathite

01. N.Catt	09. M.Classens
02. C.Tolufua	10. O.Barkley (k)
03. O.Franks
04. J.Muller (c)	11. T.Biggs
05. F. VD Merwe	12. F.Steyn
06. R.Eldsadt	13. E.Daly
07. F.Louw	14. T.Bowe
08. S.Kalamafoni	15. I.Dagg

16. O.Tomascyuk 17. A.Strauss 18. J.Golding 19. D.Attwood 20. J.Salvi 21. C.Cook 22. S.Donald 23. C.Lualala

TACTICS TBC
As always, look to secure a platform up front. In poor conditions, we've picked Eldsadt at 6 as an extra jumper, as well as another physcial carrier to get over the gainline. Two big scrummaging locks picked, along with world class Franks at cornerstone. Great options off the bench with Strauss, Attwood offering big physical impact against tired legs. Cook to inject some pace around the fringes and Lualala and Donald there if some experience is required.

Forwards
- Looking to make use of heavyweight pack to put real pressure on Read at the base and Smith, as England did in the Autumn. Control 8,9 and target 10 to knock him off his game
- Eldstadt at 6 for another jumping option and added physicality. Louw released to play as out and out 7, with Salvi replacing at 60 mins to keep ball winning fresh
- If we cannot steal the ball at the breakdown, we will try to slow the ball and force fly half to play on the back foot
- Mobile front row to mark the fringes tightly, forcing the ball wide and encouraging expansive rugby in poor handling conditions. Locks form 1 out defence, Louw competing on the deck
- Kalamafoni and Eldstadt to provide ball carrying threat, Louw operates as link man, Salvi first to every ruck to compete
- Muller will continue to make the lineout calls and look to challenge opposition throws for the steal

Backs
- Look to play in the opposition half, use the boots of Barkley, Steyn and Daly to gain yardage. If nothing on / slow ball, use Steyn, Tolufua, Louw and Kalamafoni on the crash
- In poor conditions, test the back three with up and unders from 9 10 12 13, varying the point of attack. Our back three will compete the high ball and force handling errors in the oppo half
- Steyn to test Myler's defence with taking the ball flat at the ten channel. He will lead the rush in defence with Classens sweeping up behind

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Sale Sharks v Harlequins
Location - Salford City Stadium
Weather - 4 degrees, light cloud, 8 mph winds

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Sale Sharks
Manager – LondonIrishOllie

01.Andrew Sheridan	09.Hadyn Thomas
02.Gary Botha	10.Aaron Cruden (k)
03.Davit Kubriashvilli
04.Matt Garvey (c)	11.Tom Brady
05.Dean Schofield	12.Sam Tuitupou
06.JMF Lobbe	13.Jonathan Joseph
07.Dave Seymour	14.Cameron Shephard
08.Jordan Crane	15.Rob Miller

Subs 16.Marc Jones 17.Logovoi Mulipola 18.Henry Thomas 19.James Gaskell 20.Schalk Burger 21.Scott Mathie 22.Johan Goosen 23.Eli Walker

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Tactics

Cruden to stand flat to put Quins defence under pressure.

JJ and wingers to look to get on ball carriers shoulders for a potential offload.

We have no worries about our scrum. Will more than be a match for the Quins scrum with the potential of getting a nudge.

JMF run the lineout, with Garvey, Schofield and Crane all more than capable jumpers.

Use are bench when needed. No predetermined ties for subs just when needed

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Harlequins

Manager – Driver

01.Marcos Ayerza	09.Richard Wrigglesworth
02.Joe Grey	10.Gareth Steenson (K)
03.James Johnstone
04.Eben Etzebeth	11.Bryan Habana
05.Mouritz Botha	12.Hudson Tonga'uhia
06.Tom Croft(C)	13.Adam Ashley Cooper
07.Marcell Coatzee	14.Mark Cueto
08.Semisa Taulava	15.Nick Abendonan

16.John Smit 17.Mark Lambert 18.Will Collier 19.James Percival 20.Jamie Gibson 21.Bryn Hall 22.Morne Steyn 23.Ollie Lindsey Hague

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

Scrummage for 80 minutes with strong scrummagers on the bench to come on if need

Steenson to test Sale backs 3s position game with Kicks in behind with Habana and Cueto chasing with neither being on the small side.

Tonga/AAC to take the ball to the gain line and ask questions of the Sale back line with Habana/Cueto/Abedonan coming into the line to cause problems

Croft to run our lineout whilst Coatzee and Croft will look to smash rucks to slow down and Sale ball.

Jumpers from 4-8 in our pack giving Joe Grey plenty of targets with Etzebeth and Croft targeting the Sale Lineout.

Wrigglesworth to control the tempo , feeding Steenson the ball at the right times and using his own vision to snipe and put the ball in behind Sale.

Blitz Defence to stop Sale backs playing with Wrigglesworth sweeping behind

Impact from the bench will see this game through Smit will keep things calm up front , Gibson will come on and smash everything in front of him. Morne Steyn will look to come on and pin Sale back

MOMENTUM - WON 7 in a row vs Leicester Tigers , London Wasps , Ospreys , London Welsh , Both Amlin game and London Irish. We aim to make it 8

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Sale 22 - 19 Quins

Scrum- the 2 best units on show this week, epic clash in the front 5s. Can't separate them, Quins front 3 maybe better on form but Sale have some power in the locks and the props are classy scrummagers
Lineout- Croft's presence gets this one for Quins, as does Grey's consistent throwing
Breakdown- think sale will get this, as Lobbe and Seymour a potent combo
Pack battle- Quins much more athletic but Sale have vast power, the power probably takes it
HBs- considerably better pairing from Sale with Cruden there
Attack- Quins outbacks offer more and have more detailed tactics
Defence- No difference
Kicking- with Miller as back up, goes to Sale
Subs- more impact from Sale

Quins hold in there for a while with their backs and lineout but Sale's brute force gives Cruden the platfrom to win the game for the Sharks

Exeter Chiefs 15 London Welsh 18
Gloucester 17 Worcester Warriors 15
Leicester Tigers 20 Saracens 18
London Irish 22 London Wasps 18
Northampton Saints 25 Bath Rugby 22

Irish 22 - 16 Wasps
FR - Two weak front rows on show here, but Wasps edge it with Taulafo form being good and Chuter old but dependable. Wasps edge
SR - Both Irish locks are good players, but neither playing that much. Deacon good in the lineout and Cannon showing promising form. Wasps edge
BR - Hari a great option and Pocock WC. Irish by a distance
HB - Hard to rate Geraghty at 10, prefer Irish pair and Quade a great option to have on bench
CE - Proven int class for the Irish sees a bit of a mismatch
B3 - Good form on show from bot sides, but Irish win it with Strettle's tries at the weekend helping swing it
Irish might struggle a bit up front, but have enough quality in the back row and backs to stumble to a win

Sale 17 - Quins 16
FR - some huge power on show and good darts from both. Quins edge it as Kub hasn't been great this year
SR - Quins edge it again, with a good mix of power and athleticism. Sale pair are good, but Etz a step above
BR - Just edged to Sale, wit JMF a step above and Seymour's recent form being great
HB - Cruden is WC and this pair have been playing together for a while now.
CE - Not much in it, but Quins edge it, would have been closer with JJ gametime
B3 - Good form from all 6, Habana the stand out
Hardest one for me to call this week, thought the benches might help, but they are both immense. Quins might edge the set piece, but Sale have a class back row and Cruden is the standout. Really tough to call, but I hate giving draws, so I'll go with the home team

Gloucester 19-23 Worcester

Worcester get the edge up front, Gloucester decent but miss their big guns. Worcester backrow also shading things with strong unit. Cracking backs on show but Worcester have that little more class. Quality game.

London Irish 23-17 Wasps

Not much in the front 5 battle, Irish shade lineout battle perhaps with a bit more settled unit although Deacon will be big player for Wasps and he sures up the pack. Good carrying options for Wasps but step up in quality for Irish with a v good unit. Similar in the backline although Weepu playing well, Irish just have some good flair to nail the win.

Northampton 25 - 15 Bath

Scrum & lineout to Saints with a stronger unit. Can see Bath struggling with Tolufa throw and Bekker strong at reading opp. Saints class above in the backrow with 6 & 8 streets ahead of opposite numbers, big pack advantage for the home side. Saints shade halfbacks and centres with Pisi testing Dalys defence. Bath back 3 stronger but too little too late. SBW down Barkleys channel will be carnage.

Sale 19-19 Quins

Cracking front 5 battle and not much in it. Set piece will be cancel out but Quins a bit more around the park. Again two good backrows with Sale evening up things slightly with some good form. Sale more at halfback but Quins offer a bit more in the centres. Strong back 3 for Quins. Good match ups with Quins just shading but Sale have been strong at home.

Chiefs 20-23 Welsh
SP: Better props for Chiefs and think POC needs some form for Welsh.
BK: Strong there from both.
HB: 2 fantastic pairings on show.
AT: Welsh will edge this.
BE: Strong from both, Welsh maybe take this.
TA: Chiefs keep it simple, Welsh plan it out well with Evans exploiting the gaps.

Tigers 28-26 Sarries
SP: Very strong here from both, Tigers will take the lineout. But Sarries will take the scrum.
BK: McCaw may get lost at 6 but leadership is key, Gill will outplay Fraser.
HB: Prefer the Sarries one but Barnes will exploit the gaps.
AT: Sarries is good but Tigers look so dangerous here.
BE: Forwards to Tigers, Backs to Sarries.
TA: Tigers play conditions well with Barnes pinning Sarries. Sarries will slow down Tigers ball and McCaw as a link will work but think Tigers have a bit more out wide.

Irish 28-22 Wasps
SP: Just to Wasps here.
BK: Irish incredibly strong here with Pocock hitting the ground running.
HB: Gerghaty may get lost but Weepu will control it well.
AT: More from Irish overall but both quite weak.
BE: Cooper the standout here.
TA: James' boot will help control it, Wasps really need more gameplan here and Irish take a good win.

Saints 20-18 Bath
SP: Saints very strong here.
BK: Louw in great form, both will slow down ball.
HB: Steady from both. Think Claasens will get an edge.
AT: Overall Bath have a bit more but Saints are solid, not sure about SBW to be honest.
BE: Smith and Strauss the picks here.
TA: Bath set out well using strong carriers and targeting weaknesses. Saints seem set on coming away with 3 points and not using forward advantage as much which will keep it closer.

Sale 27-29 Quins
SP: Strong here from Sale, Quins have alot of bulk to help.
BK: Bit more from Quins with Coetzee starting well.
HB: 2 steady pairings but Cruden has international experience.
AT: More from Quins but need to get rid of Tonga'uhia as he will slow ball down.
BE: 2 incredibly good impact benches.
TA: Need bit more from Sale, Cruden flat will help. Same from Quins who like their bold words think form does come into it and Quins have said how their bench will be used specifically which will win this. Good game.

Exeter 20-20 Welsh
Front row just about edges to Exeter, second row I'm not to sure about. Not too sure how to rate POC. Back row gives a slight advantage to Welsh. Forwards pretty equal not much either way. Half backs goes to Welsh with an incredible unit. Outside backs goes to Exeter. Hard to pick a winner

Tigers 17-21 Sarries
Lack of form in Tigers front row gives it to Sarries who don't have a bad unit. Second row goes to Tigers who really suffer during the 6Ns. Back row nice again goes to Sarries with McCaw the clear standout. Halfbacks tough to call. Hodgson form and not too sure about Barnes at 10. Great players at centre for Tigers but not sure they work in these positions against a quality Sarries combo.

Irish 25-19 Wasps
Wasps edge the front five here although neither unit is the strongest. Irish though have a great back row and can really use this to get on top. Like the Irish half backs as well as the outside backs to consolidate the advantage.

Saints 29-22 Bath
Love the Saints front row, Tiny not at peak of powers but overall they still dominate. Fan of both of the Saints locks and they have an advantage here, not sure about Elstadt at 6 up against Ferris tbh. Bath slight edge in half backs but Saints have a storonger centre combination (SBW rating decreasing) and at home this gives them a big win.

Sale 26-23 Quins
Big front five battle. Sale have the better front row but Quins have the better second row. Prefer Lobbe at 8 and he gives Sale a slight advantage in the back row. Sale half backs can exert more control here so they have an advantage. Quins take the outside backs though. With a slightly stronger bench and at home, Sale nick it

Chiefs 20-19 Welsh

Chiefs just edge the front row, but a pretty even set piece. Two very good back rows. Welsh edge the half-backs with a fine unit, while the backlines both have some very exciting players in them. Going with Chiefs to just nick it on home advantage.

Gloucester 18-21 Worcester

Worcester have the advantage at the set piece, with Gloucester's tight five not the strongest. Another good battle between the back rows, while Worcester's half backs are a supreme pairing. Back three from Gloucester excites me a bit more but Worcester have more in the tank and take a decent win.

Tigers 16-19 Sarries

A decent ding dong up front, with Tigers maybe edging the tight five but Sarries hit them hard at the breakdown with a much stronger backrow. Two decent half-back pairings, pretty even there. Tigers have some really classy backs but a slightly unusual centre pairing, and I back Sarries to profit from their dominant breakdown to make some inroads.

Saints 30-19 Bath

Saints have a big advantage in the forwards here, both in the set piece (powerful tight five) and at the breakdown with a strong back row. This gives them the platform to use their powerful backline to good effect and pick up a fine win.ns

Sale 24-22 Quins

Great battle in the set piece, with honours even in the end. Slight advantage to Sale in the back row, which I think allows their halfbacks to play on the front foot more. Quins have the better backline but I don't think they can quite unleash them enough, and at home Sale nick it.

Exeter Chiefs 20-17 London Welsh

Scrum: See chiefs getting an edge here with both their props getting on top.
Lineout: Decent jumpers on both sides although POC & Horwill lacking form.
Breakdown: Front 5 and the lack of form of Brussow give Chiefs the advantage here.
HB's: Edge to Welsh although Chiefs aren’t weak here. Evans more capable of getting his backs moving.
Attack: Chiefs with the stronger carrying game and a bit more brains outwide.
Defence: Agulla could possibly be caught positionally with a good kicking game.
Bench: No real difference either way.
Tactics: Obviously having a manger helps Welsh out for detail. Although the sparse Chiefs game plan suits their side. Details needed of who has played a lot of rugby rather then a generic statement for it to gain any advantage. Think trying to play the game in the Chiefs half doesn’t really work out for Welsh today as they will find it hard to get possession back.


Gloucester 24-24 Worcester Warriors

Scrum: Don’t see much give either way. Porter struggles which stops Figallo getting on top on the other side.
Lineout: Little edge to Worcester and they should be strong off attacking ball.
Breakdown: Good battle here. Worc capable of turning 1 or 2 balls over but both sides should get clean ball.
HB's: Edge to Worc with the best unit in the league but Genia is starting to lose rating.
Attack: Glaws midfield won’t always get the back three in to play. Edge in the carrying game to Worc.
Defence: Some issues with head on tackling in the Glaws back three.
Bench: Only going one way and Glaws can really up the tempo in the final quarter.
Tactics: Both game plans are strong. Glaws may struggle in contact in the early stages and see Worc building a lead but the bench is enough to earn a draw at home.

Leicester Tigers 14-17 Saracens

Scrum: Decent battle with no real edge either way. Form starting to become an issue for Tigers though.
Lineout: Both sides missing their 6 nations players a bit here. Neither can get on top.
Breakdown: Tigers with a good set up in the front 5 but the Sarries flanks will allow them to slow ball down.
HB's: No major differences between the sides. Both 10s can get play moving.
Attack: Seriously dangerous runners in the backs for Tigers. Aussie contingent may struggle in the conditions though!!
Defence: Positionally both Tigers centres can be caught. Goneva not the strongest under the high ball same to be said of Wade.
Bench: Nothing between the benches really overall although Barrett can have a bigger say on things then Cips.
Tactics: Both sides playing the conditions well looking for territory first but see Tigers struggling with the more expansive game there in the conditions and with slower ball.

London Irish 23-12 London Wasps

Scrum: Not a fan of either scrum and they both would struggle against better opposition.
Lineout: Edge to Irish. To soon to throw Deacon in. Needs time to sort the calls out. (Wouldn’t consider Kennedy the greatest at reading the opposition calls Chelsea!)
Breakdown: Front 5s are even but Irish back row offer a lot more here.
HB's: Edge to Irish. Not a fan of Geraghty at 10.
Attack: Edge to Irish with their midfield offering a lot more.
Defence: Geraghty at 10 struggles defensively and not sure on Haughton at FB.
Bench: Suicidal bench from Wasps with no lock or back row replacement.
Tactics: There is actually no game plan in the Wasps tactics! Not sure Irish’s kicking game is much better then Wasps but the game plan makes sense for the conditions and they win out against a rudderless Wasps side.

Sale Sharks 17-18 Harlequins

Scrum: Real pick’ em here with two strong units.
Lineout: Quins with no one who regularly runs a line out at club level will lose a few balls but won’t be dominated here.
Breakdown: Evens. Not much difference between either sides options.
HB's: Edge to Sale with Cruden a class above. Probably the nicest conditions of this weeks games suits him!
Attack: More danger men in the Quins backs. Their front row are more mobile overall as well and will pick up some of the carrying slack.
Defence: JJ at 13 is struggling this season defensively.
Bench: See a slight scrum edge for Sale off the bench but not much else where between the sides.
Tactics: Not much of a game plan from Sale. Quins could do with a little more detail but it’s a solid game plan. Tough game to call but Sale a bit directionless lose out at home.

Chiefs 23 Welsh 21
Glaws 27 Wuss 20
Tigers 21 Sarries 24
Irish 25 Wasps 19
Saints 18 Bath 16

Can't count that one Oll as after 8pm cut off

To be fair to him, it says 2359 at top of page

The cut off is 8pm

I'll knock results up when I get into work

Might be worth getting Flux to change the deadline time at the top of the page then and for future pages

It does clearly say 23.59

The team deadline is 800pm Pooly? We left the Predos open until Tuesday midnight

Prediction deadlines have been 8 pm the last month or so and Pooly has been strict by it not taking Bathites a few weeks back.

Deadline was only ever shifted back to midnight to allow Pull to predict when he was in the league as he couldn't get on the site at work.

Can you change the time guideline on top of the threads to stop confusion in future please Flux.

Results:

Exeter Chiefs 20*-22 London Welsh
Gloucester Rugby 22*-27 Worcester Warriors
Leicester Tigers 19*-22 Saracens
London Irish 28-17 London Wasps
Northampton Saints 27-20* Bath Rugby
Sale Sharks 24-22* Harlequins

* = Bonus Point

Bonus:

Full = Bathite, Prop, Pooly, Mad, Fluxy, SJE, CJ, CJB
Score = Driver

So glad I won. That's a relief, will update the table tomorrow. Playing rugby today

Yea it's been 8pm a while now, as Johnny says.

Good win CJ, 6 Nations & injuries are killing me

Big upsets this week, should open up top four!!

Thanks Pooly, gotta try and keep the momentum going now, 9 wins in a row for me in all comps, having Richie and Conrad all 6Ns definitely helps!

Flux,

NEW SAINTS-BATH SCORE:

Northampton Saints 27-15 Bath Rugby

(Bath deducted 5pts for ineligible player - FVDM)

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Can't count that one Oll as after 8pm cut off

No worries fella. Wasn't expecting a bonus, just thought would be good to get a set of results that were more representative of the whole league