Aviva Premiership Round Seventeen

First topic message reminder :

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

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Bath v Gloucester
Location - The Rec

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Bath Rugby
Manager – Bathite

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

16. J.Golding 17. C.Tolufua 18. K.P-Newport 19. R.Eldsadt 20. J.Salvi 21. C.Cook 22. S.Donald 23. C.Lualala

TACTICS TBC

Forwards
- TBC

Backs
- TBC

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01. A.Guillamon	09. D.Yachvilli
02. D.Dawiduk	10. F.Burns (k)
03. R.Harden
04. S.Whitelock	11. JSD
05. T.Savage	12. M.Tindall
06. A.Qera	13. JDJ
07. S.Cane	14. J.May
08. JVN (c)	15. P.Lambie

16. K.Britton 17. N.Wood 18. A.Jones 19. W.James 20. L.Narraway 21. D.Robson 22. R.Mills 23. H.Trinder

Tactics

Key Points

Strong-Balanced Backrow
JVN brings a very strong carrying game and can run off our outside backs to hit the gaps and power through. Cane brings his breakdown work and learning from the master McCaw can't be a bad thing at international level he will look to make a nuisance of himself. Qera brings abrasiveness and hard hitting tackles, he will bring impact with his loose play and in the tight. These three will be the backbone to a good win.

Tactical Backs
With Le General, Sinbad and Tindall in the backs we have the old heads who can create something out of nothing. In the rest we have exciting young talent and JDJ brings the go forward we need from a 13 to have our back three to run off. Burns and Lambie will look to kick behind Bath with JSD and May using their pace to put pressure on them. We won't always give it to Tindall to smash up and will look to spread it as much as possible when on.

Impact Bench
We have: Narraway, Robson, Mills and Trinder 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 Burns 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, Cane, JVN 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, Mills and Trinder will play fast-in your face-rugby, James and Narraway will have a field day against tired legs in the loose. Jones will only come on if needed for 15 mins impact max

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 Qera and Cane 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 v Exeter Chiefs
Location - Twickenham Stoop

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Harlequins

Manager – Driver

01.Marcos Ayerza	09.Richard Wrigglesworth
02.Joe Grey	10. Morne Steyn (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. Gareth Steenson 23.Ollie Lindsey Hague

Big pack to get ontop the chiefs 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

Steyn to test chiefs 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 chiefs 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 chiefs ball.

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

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

Blitz Defence to stop chiefs 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.

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Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Pooly (Caretaker)

01. Tendai Mtawarira	09. TJ Perenara
02. Neil Clark	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Pascal Pape	11. Gonzalo Camacho
05. James Horwill(c)	12. Billy Twelvetrees
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. James Hanks 20. Toby Faletau 21. Kevin Barrett 22. Henry Slade 23. Sireli Naqelevuki

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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Leicester Tigers v Sale Sharks
Location - The rec

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Leicester Tigers
Manager – Sgt_Pooly

01. Thomas Domingo	09. Karl Dickson
02. Bismark Du Plessis	10. Toby Flood
03. Aaron Jarvis
04. Luke Romano	11. Digby Ioane
05. Alister Hargreaves	12. Berrick Barnes
06. Maurie Fa’asalavu	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. Liam Gill	14. Christian Wade
08. Jacque Cronje	15. James O’Connor

16. Tom Youngs 17. Dan Cole 18. Alex Corbisiero 19. Geoff Parling 20. Sam Warburton 21. Ben Youngs 22. George Ford 23. Marlon Yarde

Tactics

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

In the decent conditions we’ll look to use the offload when on and change the point of attack to keep the opposition defence guessing, with our tried and trusted Flood/Barnes combo pulling the strings.

Flood/Barnes will dictate tempo and look to get Manu running angles to either punch holes in the opposition midfield or draw the decoy and allow our back 3 into the game. Our back 3 will be brought in whenever possible to cause havoc in the opposition defence.

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



- Turn screw in set piece if weakness seen
- HOME RECORD – immense home form
- Dickson to attack the gaps and allow Flood time to hit the line
- Manu to be used as crash and decoy with back 3 coming into the line
- Look to clear out past the ball with big pack to allow Gill hands on to force the steal. Dickson will be primed waiting for this to exploit gaps and put JOC into space
- JOC to come into the line and look for gaps between the Sale halfbacks
- Target Eli Walkers defence all game, look to get Manu on the outside and exploit Walker putting Wade/JOC into space
- Full International forwards bench to make impact in last 20 mins
- Internationals are fresh – Tuilagi has started 1 game in 4 weeks, Domingo has started 1 game in 4 weeks, Flood has played sub and being on park for around 50 mins in 4 weeks

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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.Eli Walker
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.Tom Brady

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Tactics

Cruden to stand flat to put Tigers defence under pressure.

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

Look to target their 10-13 defensively due to the fact this is a combination that has been changed regularly for them, so they may not be confident with eachothers defensive games.

If we are close to their line, look to get Shephard on Wade's wing and look for a cross field kick, as Wade can be got at in this area.

Sheridan to target Jarvis at scrum time.

JMF to run lineout. With Garvey, Schofield and Crane all good jumpers as well.

Subs as and when needed.

Cruden to take all points on offer.

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London Welsh v Saracens
Location - Kassam Stadium

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London Welsh

Manager – Fluxy

01. Rhys Gill	09. Francois Pienaar (K)
02. David Paice	10. Nick Evans
03. David Wilson
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. Ashley Johnson	15. Maxime Medard

16. Paul James 17. Frans Malherbe 18. Tom Lindsay 19. Steve Borthwick 20. Jackson Wray 21.Will Chudley 22. Brad Barritt 23. Ben Ransom

Tactics
With a strong record at home the team will look to build on recent form and set up a strong finish to the campaign. 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, Pienaar and Evans, and they know what will be required to get we want from the game - a win. With the decent conditions, we will look to play a simple expansive game in attack and in defence will look to force Sarries to play from in their 22 and use our strong lineout and kicking game to pressure them.
Tactics
[list]
[*] Gill and Wilson 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 Sarries 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 Sarries pack, this will keep McCaw and Fraser away from turning over our possesion.

[*] 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 banana drift line in defence to cut down Hodgsons 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.

[*]Pienaar will kick all points, he can kick from within their half, so this indicates that Sarries should be wary of giving away penalties.

[*] At home we make it a struggle for anyone to even get a LBP at our fortress.

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[b]Saracens
Manager – ChequeredJersey

01. Matt Mullan	09. Julien Dupuy
02. Rob Buchanan	10. Charlie Hodgson
03. Sekope Kepu
04. Ollie Kohn	11. Leigh Halfpenny (k)
05. Charlie Matthews	12. Anthony Allen
06. Will Fraser	13. Conrad Smith
07. Richie McCaw (c.)	14. Drew Mitchell
08. Billy Vunipola	15. Beauden Barrett

16. Mako Vunipola 17. Schalk Brits 18. Ben Tameifuna 19. Donnacha Ryan 20. Nick Easter 21. Jordan Burns 22. Alex Goode 23. Joel Tomkins

Tactics- Hard to say without weather but I'm away this evening and tomorrow and can't wait. We will once again focus on a solid set piece and a very strong breakdown

Breakdown- We will have McCaw and Fraser sharing fetcher duties depending on who is closer, and Billy (plus Kohn etc) clearing out. In attack, the flanker not on the floor will chase the ball to secure the next breakdown quickly and in defence they will guard the fringes of the ruck (preferably McCaw). We willl apply heavy numbers to turnover ball when it's on but not overcommit to already won/lost ball and if we commit large numbers to the ruck we will follow with a series of pick and drives to continue quick ball and make ground whilst allowing our men to get back into attacking positions. Or maul straight off the fringes of the ruck to suck in defenders

Scrum- We should have some success here against a decent but unspectacular front row. Get Billy running at 9/10 and Blind wing off any go forward and use backrow moves to link to the backs.

Lineout- Mix it up as we have lots of good but no standout jumper. POC is hard to take ball off so if we think it is going to him, don't challenge but set the defence to force them back in the maul and have Billy or Fraser run at Pienarr to pressure him

Defence- Blitz defence with Dupuy sweeping as their 9/10 like to chip and kick. Nev is class but if he starts to falter early he often has an average game so I want Richie in his face from the off.

Kicking- Halfpenny to take points on offer, but make sure we play in their 22 with some great kickers at 9,10,11 and 15. Punish them with Leigh's range and put height on the ball- Halfpenny and Mitchell are International fullbacks and with Richie they will challenge any receiver off a high kick. II'd rather kick high and deep and isolate the back 3 than get touch everytime. But run back any unchased kicks to our back 3

Attack- taget their centres with direct running from Allen and support from Smith and the pack. Send Buchanan and Billy at Evans. Drewe to wander off his wing and look for work, Beauden to come into the line as a second distributor. When we manipulate space, support the halfbreak and look to Halfpenny to finish.

Subs- Halfpenny might get tired so Burns covers him (and 9) and bring on big carriers wherever players tire. No pre-ordnained subs today but if the lineout falters bring on Ryan at 6

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Northampton Saints v London Irish
Location - Franklin Gardens

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Northampton Saints
Manager – SirJohnnyEnglish

01. Soane Tonga'uiha	09. Aaron Smith
02. Richardt Strauss	10. Stephen Myler
03. Brian Mujati
04. Samu Manoa	11. Jamie Elliot
05. Andries Bekker	12. Sonny Bill Williams
06. Stephen Ferris	13. George Pisi
07. Calum Clarke	14. Vasily Artemiev
08. Kieran Read	15. Ben Foden

16. S. Kitshoff 17. M. Haywood 18. P. Doran-Jones 19. C. Lawes 20. R. Wilson 21. L. Dickson 22. R. Lamb 23. S. Armstrong

Tactics

We will look to play a fast paced attacking game using big carriers running of the 9/10/12 axis to get us over the gain line and generate quick ball. Keeping the ball alive is crucial so our carriers will be looking for support runners to hit on the offload and get us further over the gain line. Our back three will look to get involved as much as possible running support lines of the halfbacks and midfield looking for the inside ball or offload. If for whatever reason we aren’t getting quick ball, we will look to take control of territory with the boot of Myler and force Irish to come at us from deep.

• With a powerful front 5 on show we will look to keep the scrum up and use it as a weapon. On our own feed we will look to get the wheel on and give our 8-9-10 axis as much room as possible to attack from.

• In opposition territory, with 5 jumping options to use, we will look to play off the top and move the ball out to Myler and the backs. In our own territory, we will look to take the ball down into the maul and drive ourselves into the right areas.

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

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

• We will leave two players sitting deep to cover any kicks and they will look to counter attack of any loose ball.

• With the blitz in operation, we will look to be at the breakdown first hitting it hard and fast. If the ball looks available we will flood the breakdown with Clark & co looking to get their 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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London Irish

Manager – Mad for Chelsea

01. Dean Greyling	09. Darren Allinson
02. Stephen Moore	10. Quade Cooper
03. Paulica Ion
04. Bryn Evans	11. Sailosi Tagicakibau
05. Simon Shaw	12. Regan King
06. Tom Guest	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. David Pocock (c)	14. David Strettle
08. Imanol Harinordoquy	15. Matt Tait

16. Rhys Marshall, 17. Fraan Rautenbach, 18. Tom Smallbone, 19. Tom Palmer, 20. Andy Saull, 21. Joe Simpson, 22. Brock James, 23. Anthony Watson

Tactics:

Hooker Stephen Moore makes his debut, and Simon Shaw returns to add some beef to the scrum which is an area of strength for Northampton. The half-backs change around with Cooper showing good form, while King and Rougerie who tore Paris apart today are re-united in the centre. We've picked an exciting backline, and back our forwards to generate enough quick ball for them to do damage.

- look to dominate the breakdown. Saints don't have a proper fetcher and we expect Pocock to do some real damage here.

- beefed up the tight five to add some power to the scrum, where we should gain at least parity.

- Harinordoquy will run the line-out, with plenty of options. We'll mostly look to play off the top of the line-out.

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

- Cooper and King to pull the strings, with Tagitackibau and Rougerie running the angles, looking to exploit any gaps.

- 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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Worcester Warriors v London Wasps
Location - Sixways Stadium

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Worcester Warriors

Manager – InTheFastLane

01. Louis Radian	09. Will Genia
02. Ed Shervington	10. Kurtley Beale
03. Juan Figallo
04. Gerhard Mostert	11. Luke Rooney
05. Nile Dacres	12. Steven Shingler
06. James Haskell	13. Robbie Freaun
07. Matt Kvesic	14. Marcel Garvey
08. Ben Morgan	15. Tom Homer

16. Tatafa Polota Nau 17. Joe Marler 18. Tevita Taumoepeau 19. George Robson 20. Michael Hooper 21. Shaun Perry 22. Dan Carter 23. Ma’a Nonu

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. Our bench will also come on late where we feel we have a huge advantage over Wasps. Big carries will be used often with the likes of Morgan and Haskell looking to burst through defenders.

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London Wasps

Manager – CF

01. Zak Taulfao	09. Piri Weepu (C)(K)
02. George Chuter	10. nicky Robinson
03. Matt Stevens
04. Ross Filipo	11. Charlie Ingall
05. James Cannon	12. Chris Bell
06. Tinius Du Plessis	13. Jacque Fourie
07. Matt Everard	14. Tom Varndell
08. Thomas Waldrom	15. Richard Haughton

REPLACEMENTS: 16.Chris Brooker, 17.Ben Broster 18.Nicolas Mas 19,Pedrie Wannerburg 20.Danny Care 21.Owen Farrell 22.Maxime Mermoz 23.Ugo Monye

TACTICS: rest and rotation in the forwards again. Need to see how these players can do against this opposition...many 6 nations players rested, however so much strength on the bench. Play through the forwards tiring the oppo, when oppo get tired go to the backs and use their pace to exploit oppo tiring defence. With the likes of Skvington, Care,Farrell,Mermoz and Monye on the bench, they can come on and affect the scoreboard in a big way!

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Welsh 19-20 Saracens

Not much in front row, better players for Welsh in engine room but form an issue. 2 good backrow units, I'd probably swap McCaw to 6(plays like one these days) but no issue with Sarries edging. Pienaar shades the 9's but nothing in the 10's these days with Evans not playing as well as last season and Hodgson in good form. Sarries edge backs on paper but imagine Halfpenny to be little jaded after 3 big games. Sarries just sneak this one for me although Welsh good home record keeps it close.

Northampton 20-20 Irish

Nice to Myler not at TH and see Saints getting edge in scrum with Ion not playing much these days. Similar story in engine room with good Saints pairing see them edge. Saints lack a bit of form on the flanks but edge 8, Irish shade the backrow battle though. Slightly better half back pairing for Saints, although Irish get better at centre with SBW now playing RL. Irish step up in back 3. Good game, Irish have enough past front 5 to keep Saints at bay.

Worcester 21-18 Wasps

Not much in 2 weakish front 5 units with both teams missing big players, Worcester step it up in the backrow with a nice unit. Worcester have a little more in 9-13 in this one but cutting it fine with a strong bench to bring on.

Quins 19 - 22 Exeter
FR - Prefer all three of the Quins options, with Smit a great bench option. Biggest gain is at hook
SR - Should be edged to the Chiefs, but Horwill lacks form, so about even
BR - Prefer the Exeter trio, Faletau a great impact option
HB - Steyn been playing well, but so has TJ and Wilko. Edge to Exeter
CE - Chiefs have an awesome pair, but Kahui costs them
B3 - Not much in it, Habana the stand out
See Quins winning the front row and set piece in general, but think Chiefs have enough 6-10 to win this one

Tigers 21 - 30 Sale
FR - Kubs not been great this year, but will be ok against Domingo. BDP long term injury and think Sheridan will destroy Jarvis. Thomas and Mulipola great bench options. Cole and Corbs brilliant, but knackered and injured.
SR - Not sure who is leading the Tigers lineout and no tactics to explain. Both good players, but still bedding in (last week of this I reckon). Garvey and Schofield are a brusing pair, with good lineout leader in JMF
BR - Good form from both 7s, both impressed me in recent weeks, would be a good battle. Sale win big at 6, about evens at 8.
HB - Cruden a step above Flood, SH's about evens. Goosen a great option off bench
CE - Tigers have the better players, with JJ poor this year. Will mark down any 6Ns players, so need to be consistent here with Manu, despite being rested a bit. Tuitupou will have some joy with Barnes' channel as well, as per tactics. Ollie is right, Tigers have alternated combo's a lot.
B3 - Some great form from the Tigers back three, awesome players all round, now in their normal positions. Will definitely have some defensive concerns about all three though, good tactics to exploit this from Sale. Tigers still have a lot of joy here
See Sale doing well at set piece, with breakdown a real dog fight and penalties available to both teams. Sticking with my policy of marking down 6Ns players, Tigers bench will cost them big time in second half, whilst Sale have some really good options. Think this one will be an edgy affair, with Cruden winning over Flood being the crucial battle. Tigers score more tries through being clinical, but Sale control the game.

Removed

Quins 21-22 Chiefs
SP: Good props from Chiefs, neither side will go backwards.
BK: Both 7's will be good at breakdown. Mafi may have a bit more than Croft but he has hit the ground running.
HB: 2 steady hb pairings on show here.
AT: 36 will release players here but outside of 12, Quins have strong players and proven try scorers.
BE: Good impact from both: picks being Smit, Steenson, Hanks and Faletau.
TA: Don't think quins will get one up on Chiefs pack here, tactical kicking may work. Quick ball and the boot of Wilko will nick it.

Tigers 24-20 Sale
SP: Both lh's will get joy and 2 strong lineouts. BDP losing a bit of rating now.
BK: Bar Lobbe, Tigers are stronger.
HB: 9 to Tigers, 10 to Sharks.
AT: Tigers a lot stronger in this position. But Tuilagi will be a bit tired.
BE: Again more from Tigers.
TA: Sheridan targetting Jarvis who hasn't played for ages IRL and Cruden flat will work well. JOC hitting gaps and impact bench will help Tigers.

Welsh 22-22 Sarries
SP: Good scrummaging set piece for Welsh here, POC needs games soon.
BK: More from Sarries and playing 2 7's will speed up their ball.
HB: Guessing Welsh mean Ruan not Francois?! Good hb's from Welsh which are stronger.
AT: 1/2p will be knackered and a weakness. Think Sarries have more here.
BE: Bit more from Sarries.
TA: Hb pairing will pull the strings for Welsh, good use of quick ball to stop Sarries back row. Good use of big carriers and them to clear the breakdown quickly. Noted the 1/2p tiredness.

Saints 28-22 Irish
SP: Saints will get the edge here.
BK: Bit more from Irish.
HB: Saints more steady at 9-10, Allinson out of his depth.
AT: SBW losing ratings for me now so Saints will get some advantage but not as much.
BE: Better impact from Saints.
TA: Using Pocock for breakdown and Hari for lineouts will limit the damage Saints cause. Saints use their carriers in the right places and get a good win.

Warriors 18-14 Wasps
SP: Haven't heard of half of the Warriors front 5!
BK: Much more for Warriors here.
HB: Genia losing ratings, Beale not doing too bad. Steady here for Wasps.
AT: Not the strongest for either.
BE: 2 incredibly strong benches for both.
TA: Resting players may help Wasps in long run but 2 weeks of lv will rest other teams! Using impact bench is a good tactic. Warriors using backrow well and will take this.

Quins vs Chiefs- 15-7

Tigers vs Sale: 17-8

Welsh vs Sarries: 8-9

Saints vs Irish: 10-7

Bath vs Gloucester: 21-27

Bath 19 Gloucester 26

Gloucester have a really well rounded team. I think Bath may get the slightest nudge up front, but will be truly minimal. Gloucester from 6-15 are overall better. And i see there halfbacks dictating play well. And this will lead them to playing in the right areas.

Quins 21 Chiefs 22

Not a lot in this one. Up front is pretty even. Lineout is also quite even. Backrows also close but edge to Cheifs, with Faletau a quality bench option. Hlafbacks edge goes to Cheifs, and also think outside backs are in Chiefs favour, but home advantage means that Quins keep it close.

Welsh 27 Sarries 26
Not a lot to choose between the sides. Bigger names in the welsh front 5, but POC has no form so overall thats even. Backrows pretty even. McCaw providing an x factor, but prefer Welsh's halfbacks. Sarries have advantage in outside backs but with home advantage see Welsh taking the win.

Saints 27 Irish 18
Saints will get on top up front with Ion a weak link for Irish at scrum time. Backrows are pretty even, but Ferris has been out a long time now so is starting to lose his rating slightly. Halfbacks advatage Saints. Allinson has not been in good form this season. Outside backs are pretty even. Not a fan of King at 12. Overall i see Saints getting a fairly comfortable win.

Wuss 13 Wasps 9
Don't see much in this game. Both front 5's are pretty low on quality in comparision to the other front 5's starting so don't see any side getting a massive advantage at scrum time. I see Wuss getting an advantage in the backrow. Halfbacks are one each way. Beale above Robinson, but Weepu in good form at the moment so above Genia who is starting to lose his rating. Slight advantage to Wuss in outside backs, but overall close. Just see Worcester sneaking a home win

Bath 15-19 Gloucester

Scrum: No edge either way. Strauss more settled would have given Bath an edge.
Lineout: Slight mark down on Bath with Strauss still learning the calls.
Breakdown: Two cracking units with both packs really hitting the ruck area hard.
HB's: Edge to Glaws. More capable of getting their backs going.
Attack: Not an awful lot between the twos sides. Good carriers and dangerous runners for both.
Defence: Glaws susceptible one on one out wide. Ground can be made down Barkleys channel.
Bench: Nothing between the sides overall.
Tactics: Cost Bath dearly. Good strong game plan for Glaws see them win out a close affair that would have probably gone to home advantage if Bath had tactics in.


Harlequins 18-22 Exeter Chiefs

Scrum: Slight edge to Chiefs. Feel their 2nd row will help out that bit more.
Lineout: Same thing as most weeks. No leader doesn’t help Quins out.
Breakdown: Edge to Chiefs. Both front 5s will get through work at the ruck but theres a better balance to the Chiefs back row that sees them get an edge.
HB's: Don’t see much difference between either combo. Both should control well although TJ does provide a running threat around the ruck.
Attack: Slight edge to Chiefs. More playmakers across the back line see them able to change the game up a bit.
Defence: Both sides solid on defence.
Bench: Not much between either sides options overall.
Tactics: Not sure Quins have the pack to get on top for the game plan needed.

Leicester Tigers 26-22 Sale Sharks

Scrum: No real edge to either side. Fatigue may be an issue for Sale soon enough.
Lineout: Both sides should hold their own ball.
Breakdown: Edge to Tigers. Feel their backrow on current form and slow Sale down a bit.
HB's: Edge to Sale. SHs even but Cruden more capable then Flood.
Attack: Edge to Tigers. Their backline just has that bit more about them in every position. Tualigi should not be playing though.
Defence: Wade & Walker can both be caught. JJ vulnerable at 13 atm.
Bench: Tigers bench is a step up in quality. Cole marked down slightly but they can really dominate in the last 15 minutes.
Tactics: Bit more detail to the Tigers gameplan but both tactics are solid enough. Tigers at home win out but 6 nation players will need a rest after the tournament.

London Welsh 15-18 Saracens

Scrum: No real edge either way.
Lineout: POCs lack of form hurts Welsh. This is an area they could really get on top of if he were in form.
Breakdown: Edge to Sarries. An out of form Brussow won’t keep up with the Sarries flanks.
HB's: Edge to Welsh. (Assume that’s Ruan ) More capable of controlling the pace of the game overall.
Attack: Bit more for Sarries in midfield.
Defence: Waldouck may struggle with the bigger runners down his channel.
Bench: Not sure how much impact Ryan will have but else where Sarries have a bit more firepower.
Tactics: Both game plans are strong. Feel Sarries do enough to slow Welsh down though and with a strong bench will come away with a good win.


Worcester Warriors 30-15 London Wasps

Scrum: No real give in either set piece.
Lineout: No real give in either set piece.
Breakdown: Edge to Worc. Feel their backrow can really get on top.
HB's: Big step up to Worc.
Attack: Bit more threat outwide from Wasps.
Defence: Haughton at FB will be weak under the high ball.
Bench: Marler not holding much rating but neither are Mas & Farrell who should have been rested. Feel Worc have more quality throughout really. No lock cover hurts Wasps!
Tactics: Not much of a game plan from either side although Worc at least give an idea of their attacking patterns. Worc can really get on top at the breakdown and see them dominating possession & territory.

Bath 21 - Gloucester 21
Quins 18 - Chiefs 19
Leicester 24 - Sale 21
Northampton 28 - Irish 26
Worcester 17 - Wasps 12

Bath 22 - 23 Gloucester

Gloucester struggle a little up front, but have a decent team all together. Bath will struggle a little halfback, but I do like the combination of grafters and creators in their backline. Glos strong bench will secure a big away win.

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Harlequins 26 - 26 Exeter Chiefs

The tight contest is very close and same in the lineout. For me the backrows are very close but Chiefs will be a bit more present at the breakdown. Halfbacks is a slight edge to Quins, and backs are close again. Wilko to kick a late penalty to tie this game up.

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Leicester Tigers 28 - 22 Sale Sharks

Tigers are matched by the size of Sharks in the scrum but get the better of them at the lineout. Breakdown Tigers edge Sharks. Halfbacks are even, but Tigers are a class above in the backs and on the bench. Sharks aren't mugs though, and at home they could've pinched this one.

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Northampton Saints 23 - 17 London Irish

Saints will win upfront and in the lineout, with Ion being the weak link. Irish even up in the backrow, but going backwards they will struggle. Halfbacks have both got one outstanding player and so are about even here. Backs are about even, Saints take the centres but Irish have a better backthree. The benches are in Saints favour and Saints will seal a strong home win.

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Worcester Warriors 17 - 10 London Wasps

Warriors in the pack will bully Wasps, especially with the strong bench. CF what happened to Deacon this week?! halfbacks massive step up from Wuss and they will control the game. Wasps have some decent backs but with not much possession will do little in the game.

Bath 15-20 Gloucester

Bath may just edge the tight five, but not by much. Gloucester then look much stronger in the backrow, and that allows their halfbacks to play on the front foot. A decent win for Gloucester who are stronger 6-15.

Quins 18-21 Chiefs

Quins have the better front row, the second rows are pretty even, but the backrow is a decent gain for Exeter. This gives TJ room to snipe around to good effect and with Wilkinson pulling the strings I can see their backs making more happen to give them the win.

Leicester 20-19 Sharks

The tight fives are pretty even, and Sale have an edge in the backrow. The half-backs again are hard to split, but Leicester's backs (despite Tuilagi being marked down a little) look a lot classier, and with home advantage they take the win.

London Welsh 18-20 Sarries

Pretty even tight fives, though hard to rate O'Connell. Welsh have a slightly better balanced backrow, but McCaw's class makes up for the deficit. Behind the scrum, Sarries look stronger, the backs will make more happen and do enough to ensure a decent win.

CLOSED

Just on way back to UK, will be able to do scores late today/tomorrow

Good turn out lads.

BATH* 19-26 GLOUCESTER

HARLEQUINS* 21-24 EXETER CHIEFS

LEICESTER TIGERS 27-22 SALE SHARKS*

LONDON WELSH* 20-21 SARACENS

NORTHAMPTON 27-19 LONDON IRISH

WORCESTER WARRIORS 22-13 LONDON WASPS



Full prediction bonus:

Prop, Pooly, Chelsea, Flux, SJE, Ollie

Half:

CF, CJ, CJB, Batite

Now that's annoying

Sarries are flying of late

WASPS

01.Tim Payne
02.Dimtri Swarzeski
03.Matt Stevens
04.Louis Deacon
05.James Cannon
06.Tinis Du Plessis
07.Jaque Burger
08.Thomas Waldrom
09.Piri Weepu (c)
10.Owen Farrell
11.Charlie Ingall
12.Alex Cheeseman
13.Maxime Mermoz
14.Ugo Monye
15.Richard Haughton

REPLACEMENTS: 16.Chuter 17.Castex 18.Wenztel 19.Everard 20.Young 21.Geragthy 22.Marshall 23.Varndell

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

This is last weeks thread CF

bolocks!!

so I don't post tactics this week then....as im not in LV

Week off fella

lol ok