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First topic message reminder :

Breaking News: One point now separates the bottom three teams after London Wasps home win against Saracens.

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Welcome to Season 5 of the Aviva Premiership fantasty rugby game. Below are the rules of the game which must be adhered to. If there are any situations that arise in the course of the game which are not covered by the rules, a final decision will be made by the RFU (Ozzy3213) as to how the situation will be resolved.

Senior Squads wrote:
The maximum squad size is 40 senior players. If a team has more than 40 players in their squad then they will be fined £1 million per player over the permitted amounts per day for the first seven days. If after 7 consecutive days a team still has more than the permitted number of players then the team will be fined £2 million per player per day, and fined 1 league point per player per day for the next seven days. If after this time a team still has more than the permitted number of players in their squad, the RFU (me) will remove players at it’s discretion to bring them back under the permitted numbers. There will be no right of appeal to players being removed.

Be aware that all tier one international matches which are played during the season will count in the game, and players selected in the matchday 22's for those matches will not be eligible to play for their clubs on that weekend, therefore you must give due consideration to the make up of your squad.

Academy Rules wrote:
Each team will be allowed to have a listed senior academy squad of 20 players. Players who are in the senior academy must be under 22 years of age as of 1st September 2012 (therefore must have been born on or after 1st Septmber 1990). Players who are under the age of 20 (so born after 1st September 1992) AND are in the academy of the club that you are managing in real life, DO NOT need to be listed as senior academy players as part of your 20, but are available to you in this game and cannot be poached by other clubs without paying you a fee.

Should a player not listed in your 20 senior academy players, but part of the clubs academy in real life move clubs in real life, then you will have first option of promoting him to your listed senior academy. If you choose not to take this option he will become property of the club that he moves to in real life in this game.

Transfers wrote:

• Domestic (other AP Teams)
  Each team has a budget to use in the purchase of players. Domestic transfers between AP clubs, regardless of nationality of player, should be negotiated between the respective managers, and then confirmed on the Domestic Transfer Confirmation Page.
  
  
• Domestic (Championship and below)
  Each team may during the season purchase no more than 3 players from the Championship or the National Leagues. These players must be bid for on the Championship/National League bidding page, and each bid will be considered by me on it's own merits before being accepted or rejected. No bid will be accepted until a minimum of 24 hours has elapsed from the time the bid was made, in order to afford other managers the opportunity to make a counter bid.
  
  
• Foreign
  To make a foreign transfer (i.e from any club outside of the AP, regardless of whether the player is English) a bid should be made on the Foreign Transfers Page, which will be considered by me against the posted guidelines for purchase prices before being accepted or rejected. No bid will be accepted until a minimum of 24 hours has elapsed from the time the bid was made, in order to afford other managers the opportunity to make a counter bid.
  
  Foreign transfers will unlimited during the off season and 2 during the season. The exact dates of the two transfer windows during the season is to be confirmed.
  

Player Releases wrote:
Managers may choose to release players from their clubs, for which they will be offered compensation

Compensation will be paid as follows

£2 million – current international (must have played international rugby in the previous 12 months)
£1.5 million – former international
£1m – top flight experience
£0.5m – other

If a released player plays in real life for a team outside of this game he will be deemed to have returned to that team. If not then he will be deemed to have signed for a Championship side. If another manager wants to pick a released player up, they will have to bid for him in the same way as for a foreign or Championship/National League player.

Retirements wrote:
There will be no compensation for retiring players. Should a player who retires decide to come out of retirement and play again, then he will automatically go back to the club who he was playing for in the game when he retired.

Fixtures wrote:
There will be 22 Aviva Premiership games per season, plus the play offs. There will also be Heineken Cup, Amlin Challenge Cup and Anglo Welsh Cup matches. These games will take place once a week. A thread will be put up for managers to name their teams on Thursdays, then on Fridays, managers will post the scores that they think will happen from these games (apart from games in which they are involved). An average of all predictions will be taken, and then 0.5 points added to each teams score for each prediction that had them as the winner, and that will then be the final score.

Teams wrote:
When naming your team, not only should you put the starting XV and replacements, but also tactics that your team will employ. Results will be affected by the tactics described.

In addition, each team must have the following:-

At least 10 England qualified players in your matchday 23, and at least 5 of those must be in your starting XV.

At least 2 props and 1 hooker on the bench.

All players must be eligible (not injured or banned).

Failure to comply with these rules will result in forfeiting the match and a 1 league point deduction.

If you fail to submit a team for a match, then the other team will be automatically awarded a 30-0 bonus point win. If both teams fail to submit a team, then it will be scored as a 0-0 draw.

Injuries and Suspensions wrote:
Injuries in this game do NOT reflect real life, they will be generated by me.

Players banned in real life will be ineligible for selection in this game for the duration of the ban.

Inclusion of injured/banned players will result in them being replaced by players on the bench, and the bench not having eight players, which may result in punishment if it concerns the front-row.

Punishment for fielding an ineligible player will be loss of one match point for a first offence, two for a second offence and so on.

Financial Rewards wrote:
There will be no rewards for the result of an individual match, instead the managers will receive cash for predicting.

£1.5m for descriptive predictions
£0.25m for scores on the doors predictions
If you fail to predict without first advising me that you are unable to do so that week, you will be fined £1m for a first offence, £2m for a second offence, £3m for a third offence etc.

AP finishing positions.

Champions: 8m
Runners Up: 6m
Playoff Semi Finalist Losers: 5m
5th: 4m
6th: 3.5m
7th: 3m
8th: 2.5m
9th: 2m
10th: 1.5m
11th: 1m
12th: 0.5m

Heineken Cup

Losing Quarter Finalists - £2 million each
Losing Semi Finalists - £3 million each
Runners Up - £4 million
Champions - £5 million

Amlin Challenge Cup

Losing Quarter Finalists - £1 million each
Losing Semi Finalists - £2 million each
Runners Up - £3 million
Champions - £4 million

Anglo-Welsh Cup

Losing Semi Finalist - £1 million each
Runners Up - £2 million
Champions - £3 million


If your budgets falls below minus £10 million for any reason, the administrators (ozzy3213) will step in and players from within your squad will be released for the relevant financial compensation in order to bring your budget back above minus £10 million.

Why did it take that long for Glos to actually play??!!

Yeah, it might be one of those moves that just suits everyone Pooly. Lawson has good darts, it's one of his stronger points, so you never know.

Rumours on our board are that you need the EQ and Mayhew is. Possibly allowing some foreign blood in other areas perhaps

Were you at the game prop ?

We are obviously targetting the league by not playing Robson. Also dealt a few blows with knight dropping out in the warm up and 36.

Surprised may played. He was stretching in warm up and uncomfortable and physio looked like he had said you are not playing.

Think we would struggle to have put the 23
Out.

Chistoloni is the worst th in the league for us which is why we need th desperately with harden out.

Hope with Scarlets connections we can get Samson lee!!'

Yachvili master class and any 8 playing or learning like billy v should watch hari tonight. Everywhere on the pitch. Nuisance in their driving mauls and positionally the best i
Have ever seen.

Love intelligent 8s like him
And read. They just read the game.

Kalamafoni was decent had some huge runs but completely outsmarted. Hari and yach telepathic.

Gatland was at the game tonight not that far away from us he sat in seats during second half. All crowd calling to him to pick may lol.

Qera was massive again and Dave lewis showed why we have got rid of him.

Got told by someone i respect that Qera may be lost to France or Japan. We have offered hazell a new contract and kvesic coming so makes senses

Hope it's not true as the rumours been around for a while and i have been told by that many people in the know.

Kvesic would be nowhere near the team the way Qera is playing

Biarritz were excellent.
Final score flattered us!

I didn't think Mayhew was EQ yet, thought he arrived 2011, or does he have English grandparents?

He was EQ when he arrived Pete I think.

Harinordoquy is dwindling, seen him a few times this season, he's def not the player of previous years. He's been a cracking player though, is he retiring this season?

You can tell he's just getting on now. I don't think he's stated that he's retiming just yet

He's just on the wind down, seen him struggle with the pace of games in the T14. Still top in the air mind.

I'm sure I read he was retiring.

He would be mad to retire. He was excellent last night and has been great since back from injury.

Just controls the game.

It's something the likes of picamoles, paul, faletau and all these big ball carrying 8s just don't do.

Watch the glos game last night and you will see a real master class.

It's a bit like Richard hill the ex England Backrow. If you have played the game you can fully understand what they bring to the game.

Its easy to think someone who charges off the base for a big gain is a world beater but there is so much more to rugby

He's not been great since coming back, I didn't see last night but he's been hit and miss in T14. Can see why he's not involved Int as he's slowed down a fair bit.

Has been a top player mind, prob just a year too much for him.

I wouldn't say he controls the game. He helps influence it, much in the same way Parisse, Lobbe, Read or Picamoles would.

He's certainly not in the class of those anymore.

Never be a better line out 8 though, he was quality.

I don't know I think lobbe is close to taking that mantle, with the way he lead it for Argentina in the four nations

he is still good but has lost that quality which made him so good at international level.

very intelligent player.

I've heard nothing or been told nothing of that swap deal with lawson/mayhew. i can understand if lawson would want to leave, he is clearly number 2 behind Paice but is a good player and could start for some AP sides.

Mayhew was decent enough when on loan so i wouldnt be too fussed if that deal happened or not.

Lobbe is quality.

Read is out alone imo with Parisse/Lobbe and then Picamoles.

Faletau, Beattie, Vermeulen, Morgan etc are next batch.

Some quality 8's about.

We're desperate for a decent basics hook Nick, Vickers is so bad. Hopefully go through

You should go for dave ward, getting no time at Quins.

I didn't go Matt, only got to watch final 20 when I got in.

I would have parisse and read equal best.

Then Lobbe

Then picamoles although I still have huge reservations about his whole game. His work rate off the ball is poor and he is not a great defender/ reader of the game.

He works in a Backrow with grafters like dusatoir but you have to play players like that for him to work. Great ball in hand and probably best in world at that.


After that you can take your pick of lots of really good 8s

Dave ward has spoken to Gloucester and Bristol. He is a bristol lad so could see either. Would do a job for glos.

Jeez Aaron smith had a bad game and is struggling in a poor highlanders side. Off at half time this week.

Think people have figured out he can be got at since the England game

England 7s sign Alex Gray, Luke Fielden and Phil Burgess

7's suits Gray. He struggled for Irish.

He was immense for us when we won the sevens trophy pre-season, think he won player of the tournament.

Not surprised that Burgess has been snapped up by 7s, always seen him as a very good player and surprised that no AP teams have ever come in for him, maybe a bit small.

The England 7's team has definitely needed a boost, we've been so dire this season.

Never liked Hari, always does things like he did with May yesterday and was quite comical when May pushed him over. But blooming good player, makes Biarritz tick with Yachvili. Last season Wasps were going to beat them in the Amlin until Hari came on and changed the game completely in their favour.

anonmattyt wrote:Dave ward has spoken to Gloucester and Bristol. He is a bristol lad so could see either. Would do a job for glos.

I'd be happy for him to come and replace Edmonds...been disappointed with Edmonds so far to be honst, great open play runner bt lacks basic skills of a hooker.

Burgess hasn't got what it takes to make AP imo, he's very fast but not great. Can see why he's never been given chance

Good link play, makes a lot of yards and good on the deck - just don't think he is physical enough - would have been worth a punt though for someone.

Anyone after more EQ, then Stephenson has just signed for Worcester from Bedford, quite a good winger.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22041134

predictions for the weekend then lads?

I'm going....

Saracens
Quins
Toulon
Clermont

I agree with that but think maybe Munster will turn over Quins.

Both teams been poor lately

Probably go:

Saracens by 5+
Quins by 3+ (but they haven't been great recently)
Toulon by 5+
Clermont by 7+

What would the semi's be?

Ulster
Quins
Toulon
Clermont

With a Ulster - Clermont final which I will be attending. That would be mega!

Without Ferris I jus't cant see the Ulster pack getting on top of Saracens.

Muller back is a big boost and his battle with Borthwick at the lineout should be good.

Can just see Saracens being too strong.

Apparently Gatland isn't going to watch the Toulon game which could be another indication he won't be picking any of them. He is apparently watching Bath v Stade instead!

See Bowe & Zebo are back this week.

Gatland watching Wasps v Leinster too, Launchbury on the list apparently

Bath v Stade? Who is he looking at?

Paul James?

yep! great.

Steven_Sharks wrote:Bath v Stade? Who is he looking at?

Paul James?

Banahan?

Francois Louw

I get the feeling that Leicester might over turn Toulon.

I can't believe that to be true.

Youngs, Parling, Croft, Youngs, Flood etc all worth watching without worrying about Toulon.

Kyle Eastmond?! For the centres....

Although Peter Stringer would probably solve the Scrumhalf dilemma!

http://www.espnscrum.com/lions-tour-2013/rugby/story/179805.html

Just settled down for Sharks vs Crusaders only to find out it's not till 6!! hopefully will catch the 1st half before the other half gets home!!

A guy called sithole has come on for natal, am I the only one to double take at his name?!

This unprotected academy thing is causing me nightmares for next years squad!

Pieter Steph Du Toit had a fine game for Sharls tonight along with Cobus Reinach at 9.

Crusaders also played well.

Great start Wasps!! Really hope they win this one!

Second for Wade! Sublime finish!

Wade awesome. Some defending tonight reminds me of Irish v sale on Sunday though! Madigan looking sharp. Poor missed tackle from launchbury Gatland won't like that.

Kyle Cooper really growing into his role replacing BDP.

Wade might have pushed his way towards Lions selection tonight. Madigan also good. SOB looks fatigued. Thought Healy was good.