Aviva Premiership Round Ten

First topic message reminder :

 
 

---

Sale Sharks vs London Irish  
Location - AJ Bell Stadium
Salford: Light Cloud, 7 Degrees, 17mph Winds

---

 Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Marcos Ayerza	09. Danny Care
02. Benjamin Kayser	10. Johnny Sexton
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. Brodie Retalick	11. Simon Zebo
05. Dave Attwood	12. Kyle Eastmond
06. Peter O' Mahony	13. Gael Fickou
07. Fulgence Quedragao	14. Craig Gilroy
08. Louis Picamoles	15. Nick Abendanon

16. Ross Harrison 17. David Paice 18. Phil Swainston 19. Christian Day 20. Matt Kvesic 21. Ben Spencer 22. James Hook 23. Keith Earls#

We will play a fast paced, high intensity offloading game looking to create space for our halfbacks and to get our back three onto the ball as much possible.
 
- Target the scrum. Good technical front row supported by plenty of grunt will look to get on top and win penalties. 

- Lack of form for Irish front row. Both props have seriously struggled under the new interpretations. This is an area we will really target. 


- Attack from the lineout. Five genuine jumping options allows us to mix it up and really use the lineout as an attacking platform. Look to get the ball to Sexton and Eastmond with space outside. 

- Look to mix up play. Sexton & Eastmond to interchange at first receiver and change the point of attack. Care provides a threat snipping around the base.

- Get the back three involved. Zebo, Gilroy and Abendanon all to run lines looking for the inside ball or offload to get in behind the opposition defence. 

- Hit the breakdown hard. Look to our dynamic front five to clear the ruck and allow the likes of POM & Quedragao to really attack the breakdown.

- Straight line blitz defence focusing on a quick line speed to isolate the ball carrier before the gain line. Quedragao will defend on Eastmonds shoulder to double up and also be first on the scene at the breakdown. Care to sweep in behind to cover chips and grubbers.

---

London Irish


Manager - Prop

01. Wyatt Crockett	09. Rory Kockott
02. Christophr Tolufua	10. Nick Evans (k)
03. Adam Jones
04. Nick Kennedy	11. JSD
05. Matt Garvey	12. Luke McAlister
06. Scott Higginbotham (c)	13. Conrad Smith
07. Justin Tipuric	14. Nick Cummins
08. Ben Morgan	15. Brice Dulin

16. T.Lindsay 17. T.Court 18. M.Stevens 19. S.Hooper 20. T.Dusatoir 21. J.Moates 22. S.Geraghty 23. H.Trinder

Key Points

Form
We have taken at least a point from every game we have played so far in the league this season and have just taken 10 points in our last 2 games. All the players are hungry to take on the squads good form.

8-9-10-12-13
We want quick ball for our half-backs to tactically put us into territory (off the pitch). Our 8-9-10-12-13 will look to be influential and all have played together in this game alot so know each other well. These can all be standout playmakers who will look to control the game at our tempo in the light rain we will not expect attractive rugby.

Lineouts
Our lineouts have been picked on and targetting quite often however, we have selected a team with powerful lifters and consistent jumpers so Tolofua will be used to their jumping. Any messy lineouts will go to the prop standing at the front and driven on. We will look to maul alot of ball if it is not on.



Attacking

• We want to force errors from and will target the 12 channel by sending big runners down his channel.
  

• Kockott and Evans to play what's in front of them and look to McAlister who will look to play in Smith or snipe as much as possible. If it isn't on then Evans will stick it in the corners and, with Kennedy, Garvey, Higginbotham we have the number jumpers to gain the ball back, we know they will be dangerous here so will look to avoid his area and mix up our lineouts.
  

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

• 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.
  

• Power to close out the win in Lindsay, Court, Stevens and Dusatoir will have a field day against tired legs, excitement to continue to target the tired players through Moates' sniping, heavy impact at the scrum to come on and Trinder and Geraghty can continue to control the game and bring further excitement and pace..
  

Set Piece

• Strong scrum which will get the edge up on the Jones 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 slowing down the ball led by McAlister so he has no time to kick or give quick ball to the centres (we will have a backrower on Evans's shoulder to look for quick turnover ball, we will protect the channels to stop 9 sniping.
  

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

• We will hit the breakdown quick to give Tipuric 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.
  

---

 

---

Bath Rugby vs Harlequins
Location - The Rec
Bath: Light Cloud, 8 Degrees, 16mph Winds

---

Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Cian Healy	09. Fourie Du Preez
02. Richard Hibbard	10. Charlie Hodgson
03. James Slipper
04. Luke Romano	11. George North
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Anthony Allen
06. Liam Messam	13. Joel Tomkins
07. James Haskell	14. Nopolini Nalaga
08. Juan Martin Fernando Lobbe	15. Stuart Hogg

|;
16. Mike Haywood 17. Carl Rimmer 18. Charlie Faumuania 19. Graham Kitchener 20. Jordan Crane 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Scott Williams 23. Rob Miller

---

Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

01. Tony Woodcock	09. Lee Dickson
02. Schalk  Brits	10. Quade Cooper
03. John Afoa
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Luke Morahan
05. Steve Borthwick (c)	12. Jamie Roberts
06. Tom Wood	13. Florian Fritz
07. Michael Hooper	14. Yoann Huget
08. Nick Easter	15. Rob Kearney

16. Rob Buchanan 17. Joe Marler 18. Kieran Brookes 19. Pieter Steph Du Toit 20 Sam Warburton 21. Karl Dickson 22. Freddie Burns 23 Jonathan Joseph


Look to retain possession in the Bath half and get our big carriers running off of 9 and 10 until be have got quick ball and tied in Bath defender so that we can attack wide. 

Look to get our carriers carrying the ball at pace and in numbers with the aim of winning the collision and keeping the legs pumping after contact so we get across the gain line. The supporting players will either latch on to aid the forward momentum or run a support line to allow the offload or provide bodies to recycle the ball quickly at the breakdown.

Look to control at the set piece. If we feel momentum or on top at the set piece we will look to milk the advantage.

In defence we will employ a quick line speed and look to double up in the tackle when we can, with the aim of winning the contact and therefore the collision. Look to get Hooper and Wood to turnover to legally slow down Bath ball to halt momentum.

In our own half look to kick into space if it is on but otherwise we play the game in front of us and choose the correct option for that time. Patience and tempo being key to our game.

---

 

---

Exeter Chiefs vs Newcastle Falcons
Location - Sandy Park
Exeter: Light Cloud, 9 Degrees, 19mph Winds

---

Exeter Chiefs 

Manager – Fluxy

01. Yannick Forestier	09. Maxime Machenaud
02. Rob Webber	10. Toby Flood (k)
03. Mike Ross
04. Bradley Davies	11. Tom Varndell
05. Geoff Parling	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. Chris Robshaw (c)	13. Marcelo Bosch
07. Pablo Matera	14. Maxime Medard
08. Nick Williams	15. Juan Martin Hernandez

16. Jack Yeandle 17. Logovoii Mulipola 18. Will Collier 19. Patricio Albacete 20. Sam Jones 21. Semisi Taulava 22. Freddie Michalak 23. Matt Tait

Key Points

• After a break from the AP, the whole squad look to pick up from where they left off in some good form.
  
• If Falcons are expecting crash ball centres, then their defence will be narrow and we can use Nonu and Bosch's underrated distribution skills to release our back three into the space.
  
• Mobile pack picked to dominate the set-pieces and breakdown.
  
• Flood will kick all points available, he can kick from within their half, so this indicates that Falcons should be wary of giving away penalties.
  
• Home territory - At home Sandy Park is a fortress, and at home we make a fight out of the game and rarely lose.
  
• 6-2 split on the bench to combat the forward physicality late on and shift momentum.
  

Game plan

Selected a physically strong side to compete with the physicality of the Falcons side. Look to open up the game to allow their backs a chance to attack the Falcons back three, who can be got at when defending. The side has the potential to play an all code game, therefore if one aspect of the game isn't working we can shift and adapt to start exploiting an area which gives us the advantage. 
We will look to play a simple territorial game and look to be playing with the ball within their 22. Every where else on the pitch we will look to peg Falcons back, unless we can take the kick for goal. Simple set-piece game which we look to dominate our own ball, and contest every opposition put in. The pack that has been selected is mobile and strong around the park, especially in the tackle, on the floor and ball in hand. 

Attack

• Use quick ball off the top using Parling as primary caller. Parling and our jumpers should be much more quicker getting up in the air so look for quick mauls. With the big pack look to set the maul in the opponents 22. 
  
• Look to set the scrum quickly and strike the ball to the back. Not looking to get into a scrum fight which will end up with penalties going to either side. This is to allow Williams to attack off the base of the scrum.
  
• Pack filled big carriers to provide a number of options in the tight exchanges. Look to keep moving the point of attack with clever offloads and forward interplay. Look for forward pods outside the third guard in the line to really stretch their defences and get over the gain line to create momentum.
  
• Look to flood the breakdown and clear out bodies, to keep ball clean so that the halfbacks can dictate the game. (Eg AB's or Eng vs AB 2012 style)
  
• Look to use a league style move to unlock the defence. Saili can either take it short and through gaps or it can be screened to Rougerie with the 14, and 15 to attack the numbers outside. 
  

Defence

• We will use a Blitz drift line in defence to cut down Cruden's options and push him inside towards our back-row.
  
• Machenaud to sweep behind the defencive line, and to counter any loose kicks or turnover ball - either by quickly shipping it wide to the back three, or kicking in behind their back three.
  
• The whole pack is mobile and capable of getting over the ball at the breakdown. Look to powerfully clear opponents out of the ruck, and use the strong tackling to keep chopping down the Falcons runners.
  
• If we kick in behind their back-line or back three, we look to at least make them have to turn into an advancing black line which will not allow the receiver time to make decision or escape with clean ball. Every kick to be chased, the kick is as only as good as the chase
  

---

Newcastle Falcons

Manager – Driver

01.Alex Waller	09.Ben Youngs
02.Dane Coles	10.Aaron Cruden (K)
03.Owen Franks
04.Yoann Maestri	11.Charlie Sharples
05.Paul O'Connell	12.Brad Barritt
06.Ben Mowen	13.Adam Ashley-Cooper
07.Richie McCaw	14.Ben Smith
08.Kieron Read (C)	15.James O'Connor

16.Darren Dawiduik 17.Ryan Grant 18.Paul Doran Jones 19.Ed Slater 20.Toby Falatau 21.Dave Lewis 22.Henry Slade 23.Alex Goode


In fine yet windy conditions Newcastle will look to play a game based around a strong set piece , getting over the gainline and moving the ball to our danger men.

We've picked a team with a good old fasioned scrummaging front 5. Waller , Coles and Franks is a big unit and will look to really apply the pressure soon as the ball is put in. Franks will look to pull Forestier out of the scrum to give the impression of him boring in on Franks. Kieron Read will ensure the ref is aware of this. A big shove is key and we'll ensure this. It won't get any easier for the Chiefs with big scrummers coming off the bench. We've gone for balance in the back row packed with big hitters and ball carriers. Youngs & Cruden to play whats in front of them and attack the space.

• Big aggressive defence - plenty of big hitters in the pack and players who are strong over the ball and will turn the opposition over. Youngs to sweep behind.
  
• Aggressive round the rucks - deny any forward momentum for the chiefs with low centres of gravity to cut the men down and ruck over the ball
  
• Move turnover ball - best ball you can get in rugby is turnover and we will move it wide soon as we get it in the right areas and attack a disorganised Cheifs line using our evasive runners in the back 3 to make the best use of space.
  

Key points

• Move the ball to space not the face.
  
• Rock hard defence in the midfield. Barritt and AAC don't get brused off tackles and will smash Nonu and Bosch back.
  
• McCaw to run the cover for Cruden to make the tackles in the 10 channel of the set play with Read covering his inside.
  
• We're well organised in defence and we're confident that this will ensure us victory away from home.
  
• Play what's in front of them and punish Chiefs mistakes. Cruden/JOC to take the 3 points to build the lead.
  
• POC to target Chiefs throw.
  

---

 

---

Gloucester Rugby vs Worcester Warriors
Location - Kingsholm Stadium
Gloucester: Light Cloud, 8 Degrees, 17mph Winds

---

Gloucester 

01. Nick Wood	09. Connor Murray
02. Adrian Strauss	10. Dan carter
03. Nicolas Mas
04. Eben Etzebeth	11. Tom May
05. George Robson	12. Matt Scott
06. Tom Croft	13. Juan De Jongh
07. Julian Salvi	14. Israel Folau
08. Jamie Heaslip	15. Israel Dagg

 
16 Guthro Steenkamp, 17 Jamie George, 18 Jamie Johnstone, 19 Tom Palmer, 20 Sam Dickinson, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Matt Banahan

---

Worcester Warriors

01. Tendai Mtawrira	09. Dmitiri Yachvili
02. Matthew Rees	10. Remi Tales
03. BJ Botha
04. James Percival	11. David Strettle
05. Johan Muller	12. Maxime Mermoz
06. Dave Denton	13. Mathieu Basteraud
07. Ross Rennie	14. Willie Le Roux
08. Thomas Waldrom	15. Delon Armitage

16 Nathan Catt, 17 Dave Ward, 18 Brian Mujati, 19 Mouritz Botha, 20 Phil Dowson, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Olly Barkley, 23 Tom Casson

---

 

---

London Wasps vs Northampton Saints
Location - Adams Park
High Wycombe: Light Cloud, 7 Degrees, 10mph Winds

---

London Wasps
Manager  Ozzy3213

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Aaron Smith
02. Bismarck du Plessis	10. Owen Farrell
03. David Wilson
04. Romain Millo-Chluski	11. Bryan Habana
05. Jim Hamilton	12. Christian Lealiifano
06. Marcell Coetzee	13. JJ Englebrecht
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Marland Yarde
08. Duane Vermeulen	15. Gareth Anscombe

16. Rob Hawkins 17. Paul James 18. Martin Castrogiovanni 19. George Skivington 20. Luke Wallace 21. Tom Johnson 22. Nick Phipps 23. Anthony Watson

Basic Game Plan
In good conditions we will be looking to play a fast paced offloading game, utilising big carriers with pacy backs on their shoulders to take the offloads and hit the gaps.  We will look to shift the point of attack and keep the ball moving.  Our back row will look to support and hit rucks hard to free up quick ball.  Our intention is to utilize our strengths, which are pace, power and mobility, and move the Saints pack around to tire them and create space for our runners.

In defence, as always we will be running a blitz defence.  Our focus will be on the gainline collisions and driving back in the tackle.  Line speed and no dog-legs will be key components for us.  Smith will sweep in behind the defensive line to counter any chips/grubbers.

Specifics 

• Lineout.  On our ball in the main we will go safe throwing to the front or middle and looking to maul and suck in defenders to create space.  We will mix things up though and throw in the occasional one long or off the top to keep the Saints line honest.  On their ball Hamilton will contest where we think it’s going with Millo-Chluski front jumping to put Polota-Nau under pressure.
  
• Scrum.  Target the tighthead.  With Wilson anchoring, Corbs and Bismarck to set low to really try to get underneath Hayman and destablilize the Saints scrum.
  
• Breakdown.  When we carry in, if we cannot get the offload away then the support runners will flood the breakdown rucking well past the ball to free it up quickly and go again.  In defence, if we have made a passive tackle and the carrier has momentum we will not overcommit, but will maintain a strong defensive line.  If we win the collision and knock the carrier back we will look to get the second man in hard over the ball to turn it over.  Key for us is being selective.
  
• Attacking Play.  We will play in the right areas, using the boots of Farrell, Lealiifano and Anscombe to ensure we dominate the territorial battle.  When in the right areas we will look to target Saints midfield defence, in particular the 12 and 13 channels with big carriers, with a pacy back on their shoulder for the offload.
  

Key Points 

• Home advantage & Form.  We are unbeaten at home all season and in great form having gone top of the league after our last game and having just beaten Toulouse twice.  We have all the momentum coming into this game.
  
• Key Positions.  Our 2,8,9 and 10 are all first choice internationals for 3 of the top 4 ranked sides in the world.  That gives us the experience and ability to control the game.
  
• Scrum.  We feel we can get real dominance here with a powerful scrummaging front 5, and if we get on top in this area, we will play on it, and scrum again and again and again to really exert a psychological advantage.
  
• David Pocock.  Last played on 9th March, some 9 months ago and can hold no rating at all.  Also only signed for Saints 5 days ago in this game and may not be settled into how his team play.
  

---

Northampton Saints

01. Thomas Domingo	09. Joe Simpson
02. Tatafu Polota-Nau	10. Ian Madigan
03. Carl Hayman
04. Samo Manoa	11. Sitivini Siviatu
05. Courtney Lawes	12. Matt Giteau
06. Calum Clark	13. Elliot Daly
07. David Pocock	14. Julian Savea
08. Sergio Parisse(c)	15. Leigh Halfpenny(k)

Substitutes: 16. Dylan Hartley 17. Mako Vunipola 18. Henry Thomas 19. Joe Launchbury 20. Billy Vunipola 21. Mike Phillips 22. Wesley Fofana 23. Manu Tuilagi

Tactics:Saints will play a high intensity/tempo'd game from the outset and take the game to Wasps. We will look to place Wasps under pressure with a really physical, aggressive approach and defence to force errors and mistakes to exploit. We will look to win the gainline battle and the collisions with our big ball carriers and generate quick ball for our backline. Will aim to keep the ball in play and really attack Wasps with a view to scoring more tries and having Halfpenny match Farrell kick for kick. 

Win the forward battle: Great conditions for our forwards, Picked a mobile pack, with a lot of ball carriers and physicality to take the game to the home side and get a good platform for our halfbacks. Very strong impact bench to push Wasps hard in the final 30 minutes, big emphasis on our bench.

Setpiece: Plenty of lineout options with Lawes, Manoa, Parisse, Clark all good jumoers. We will aim to generate plenty of quick ball to attack Wasps. Use Lawes and Launch to target Wasps' jumpers and give them scrappy ball. Scrum will give us a solid platform, but game is about making most of conditions and limiting the imapct of the setpiece.  

Breakdown/Backrow: Mobile and strong pack to really attack Wasps at the breakdown, Pocock given debut to really target turnovers and to slow down opposition ball, will look to clear him out in numbers and attack the fringes at the breakdown. Will also aim to knock Wasps back in the tackle with likes of Lawes and Manoa to stop their forward momentum and give us the advantage of hitting the rucks going forward. 

Possession/Territory: Perfect conditions for Saints, will want to get the ball in the hands of our pack who are all big ball carriers and get us over the gainline and suck tacklers in to create space outwide. Have Madigan/Giteau to put us in key areas of the pitch and will be used to bring our backline into play. 

Attack the Gainline/Win Collisions: Again look to win the collisions and get over the gainline to provide our backs with the platform to attack, big ball carriers in the pack who can all get us over the gainline. We get Siviatu and Savea carrying for the backline and use their size as an attacking platform. 

Defence: Aggressive blitz defence, putting pressure onto the Wasps halfbacks. Very good defensive pack with Lawes Clark's and Manos's workrates being massive for us. Will look for big hits and to force mistakes. Simpson to sweep behind and backthree to counter any loose kicks. 

Key selection points: Stong pack that is vital for away games 
Win the collisions and gainline battle - whole pack big ball carriers, support from Savea and Siviatu
Perfect conditions for us to attack - creative backs and a lot of try scorers, feel we have more tries and can match Farrell's kicking. 
Big bench to bring on in the second half and make big impact in final 30 minutes. 

---

 

---

Saracens vs Leicester Tigers
Location - Allianz Park
Hendon: Light Cloud, 7 Degrees, 12mph Winds

---

Saracens
Manager – Pooly
 

01. Matt Mullen	09. Jano Vermaak
02. Keven Mealamu	10. Morne Steyn
03. Jannie du Plessis
04. Louis Deacon(c)	11. Miles Benjamin
05. Flip van der Merwe	12. Jean de Villiers
06. Alessandro Zanni	13. Jonathan Davies
07. George Smith	14. Chris Ashton
08. Chris Masoe	15. Lee Byrne

 
16. Chris Whitehead  17. Max Lahiff  18. Clement Ric  19. Julian Pierre  20. Tom Guest  21. Chris Cook  22. Gareth Steenson  23. George Lowe
 
b]Tactics:[/b]
 
 
General - We've selected a team packed with power and physicality and will look to dominate the contact and get over the gain line. We'll be playing a high tempo physical game from the off, look to smash the opposition back and get into the rucks/maul's and drive through. We'll look to tie the opposition in and then get at their backline, more so in the their half. Look to keep it tight in the forward pack and grind through work.
 
Scrum - Look to get a platform and keep the ball in on attacking ball if a weakness is seen in the opposition set piece. With our big locks look for the big push once the ball is in and drive the opposition back. Our TH and Hooker will look to target Sheridan and try to get between him and Moore to allow JdP to work on Sheridan.
 
Line out - Look to play it safe and use the rolling maul to good effect. Our big pack should have a lot of joy here and will tie in the opposition defence. We'll look to contest on opp throw especially when Youngs get on the pitch as we feel we can really pressure him.
 
Defence - High intensity and big hits, looking to drive past the ball player. Huge physical pack that can look to dominate the collision and breakdown allowing Smith etc a chance to slow down/steal ball. Scrum half to sweep behind the defensive line.
 
Attack - Keep things simple in our own half then look to unleash backs in opp territory. Scrum half to inject pace from the breakdown and have JD on his shoulder. JdV to run at 12 channel and target possible weakness. JdV also to be used as decoy running at BOD looking to take him out of the defensive line to free up space for JD to get at the outside.
 
Points -
 
Front row - Sheridan is pretty much untested with the new laws and would struggle with his size and the increased time the scrum has to be held. We will look to target him throughout the game and if a weakness seen turn the screw.
 
Rolling maul and physicality - Look to use our physicality and drive through the opp defence, if weakness seen look to exploit.
 
Line out - Mealamu one of the best throws in the game and FvdM is becoming one of the best line out leaders in world rugby. Look to target opposition and get quick ball from our own if on.
 
Steyn - In great kicking form and will look to keep us ahead on the score board
 
JD kicking - look for him to use the grubber to get behind BOD who lacks a bit of turning pace these days
 
Centre form - Possibly the form centres in world rugby. Look to get them involved in the game as much as possible and be the spark in the backline. JDV as decoy and strong focal point with JD running off his shoulder. Ashton to track as something is always going to happen with JD ball in hand
 
Form - We're putting some serious form together, beating Falcons at home and Exeter away in recent weeks. Tigers will find i tough to break us down at home and we have the perfect FH to keep us ahead on the scoreboard
 
Game plan - Intensity and points on the board, keep it simple and effective and grind Tigers down and use the spark of our backline in the opposition half

---

Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Andrew Sheridan	09. Kahn Fotuali'i
02. Stephen Moore	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. Dan Cole
04. Pascal Pape	11. Henry Speight
05. James Horwill (c)	12. Billy Twelvetrees
06. Sean O'Brien	13. Brian O'Driscoll
07. Jacques Burger	14. Vincent Clerc
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Mike Brown

16. Tom Youngs 17. Benn Robinson 18. Cencus Johnston 19. Kearnan Myall 20. Francois Louw 21. Micky Young 22. Pat Lambie 23. Ugo Monye

Tactics:

We will play to our strengths and play a game built around our intelligent HB's controlling the game and the power and strength of our side.

- Attack at all scrums with our huge pack - Cole and Sheridan to look to really get into the opposition. An area we will look to target if winning.

- Attack at all lineouts. Use Joubert or Pape at the front and Horwill off the top as our three key options. 
Shortened lineouts with Burger in midfield as crash or decoy option. 

- Put serious pressure on Mealamu's throws with Joubert at the front on all Sarries' throws.

- Target the breakdown - huge emphasis on our work at the breakdown today and we will always look to turnover possession. With Burger and SOB, and the likes of Cole and BOD too, we feel our breakdown play could be crucial today.

- Gigantic pack made up of massive line-breakers, used in the tight to tire down the Sarries defence. The likes of SOB, Burger, Pape, Moore and Horwill to be used to target the Sarries 10/12 channel.

- In attacking play, we will look to get runners attacking the gain line looking for gaps. We do want to control the game, mixing up the point of our attack and looking for where the gaps are.

- In attacking play, we will play with the option of 2 first recievers in Wilko and Twelvetrees. We want to control the game, mixing up the point of our attack and looking for where the gaps are.

- Target the Sarries back three if looking vulnerable with form issues there. Look to the in-form Mike Brown to win the 15 battle and give us counter-attacking options as much as possible.

- We will look to employ a blitz defence, focusing on a quick line speed to hit the ball carrier before he gets to the gainline. We have aggressive forwards to carry out this instruction. Fotuali'i to sweep behind with an eye on short kicks.

- Target the last 30 mins. Unload our bench to see the game out for the win.

- Wilkinson to kick all penalties.

---

Sale Sharks 28 - 27 London Irish 

The conditions really help out the Sale pack, which is loaded with mobile players to get around the park and carry. Irish struggle a little bit in regards, which would get more from a more set-piece style game, which there isn't so much of in these conditions. Irish have the players to secure their own possession and push the Sharks. But the edge to the packs goes to Sharks with a real international quality throughout this pack. Both sides suffer a little from having two 8's who can go missing every so often. 

Big contrast in the backs, the half backs in form just edge towards Irish, but then the whole back line is shifted towards Irish. Irish have backs that have been in some great form recently, but looking at the Sharks back line, I can't say that many of them have been in good form recently, or since the summer (injuries permitting), despite all of them being dangerous attackers.
Tough one to call in the end. With Tips being the only starting fetcher on the field helps Irish get more possession and build a lead, but the impressive Sale pack in the contact area will erode away the Irish defence and just get them over the line at home.

Bath Rugby 22 - 28 Harlequins 

Bath have a big pack out here and they will carry all day long. Quins have a bit more guile intertwined with the power. The go forward from the Bath side can get them some serious momentum, but with both Wood and Hooper in targeting the breakdown it really cuts Bath down a bit. Whitelock and Lobbe will ensure that Quins won't get a line-out advantage, but Afoa's presence means Quins get a better anchor at the scrum. 

Quins posess some real attacking intent with Dickson controlling the forwards and providing solid ball for Cooper to unleash his backs. FdP and Hodgson can control the pace when they have the ball, however Hodgson can be go at, much like Cooper. Roberts cuts the fluency of any attacks down, but the rest of the Quins back line have been in great form recently. Bath have some dangerous backs and much like Roberts, Tomkins will slow things down a bit. Both benches are strong enough to influence a change in the game late on.
But again another toughy to call, but without tactics Bath will just lose out. 

London Wasps 33 - 30 Northampton Saints

Two solid packs up front, and can't really seperate either in the set piece. Around the park both front fives are good, especially the Wasps front row! But I can envisage Lawes and Manoa imposing their physicality a little more than Hamilton. Pocock is a slight weakness at the moment, as he comes striaght into the side and is lacking some form. When he comes back I can see it being a great signing. Otherwise the backrows are about even in almost every aspect. 

Half backs have an edge towards Wasps, as Smith can bring the best out of Faz. Again with Lealifiano there is a set of backs with control and attacking flair, and they can bring the best out their dangerous back three. Saints have some attacking flair in the backs but can be got at defensively, with Halfpenny covering very well. Saints take a massive advantage in the bench as there are players there most would want starting!
Despite the late surge from Saints there is enough control in the Wasps spine to squeeze a close win at home. 

Gloucester 37 - 19 Worcester Warriors

Warriors have some in form props which will cause the glaws row some problems, but with Rees out for a while, Strauss can hit some edge over Rees. Muller can push Robson and in fact get some great ball here, but Croft's line out inclusion for glaws means that it is difficult to turnover any possession. Glaws have real carrying quality in the back five, whereas warriors contain some heavy hitters but can blow hot and cold in a game. 

The cherry and Whites have a great advantage in the halfbacks, with Murray in great form and Carter enjoying an arm-chair ride from 1-9. this means that Carter can control the pace and play of the game and bring in his impressive back line which will run riot in attack. Warriors have a good blend of attackers and defenders, but can't get the same go forward as Glaws. 
Tough one for Warriors at home, and I'm sure if nick had put in some tactics he could've pushed something out of Matt at home. But Glaws have too much in this one. 

Saracens 25 - 30 Leicester Tigers 

Sarries are strong in the set-piece, but as are Tigers. I like Sarries targeting Sheridan. Line-out wise Sarries can secure their own ball but tigers will be as strong and can pinch opposing ball with some mobile jumpers in the pack. I like the idea of Sarries back-row with some serious experience and zanni will be a real tyro. But Tigers unit is beastly, and has a bit more for me. 

Two decent sets of halfbacks, Steyn will keep the game ticking over for Sarries but Fotuali will get into vermaak's play and will lead Tigers backs around, as they possess a little more creativity. The back lines are both solid in attack and defence. both have the backs to score some good tries. Although Tigers have more in the backs to change up the game and attack the game more later on. 
Sarries make this a tough fight for Tigers, but the league champs just have enough when they can switch gameplans later on with the likes of Lambie and Louw.

Some controversial scores there Flux

Sale 26-22 Irish
Exeter 23-25 Newcastle
Glos 19-18 Worcester
Wasps 27-25 Saints
Sarries 21-21 Tigers

Results:

Sale 29-24 Irish
Bath 24-27 Harlequins
Exeter 22-22 Newcastle
Gloucester 31-23 Worcester
Wasps 28-23 Northampton
Saracens 20-21 Leicester

Top man Pooly!!

Sorry boys massively struggling for time, have started a new job and can only use i phone for this game which isnt ideal. Gutted to miss out on a LBP, that 18 point loss probably swung it!

There were some interesting scores Nick.

No probs Johnny, I was working yesterday, gave me something to do.

RESULTS:

Sale 29 (T:3 C:1 P:3 DG:1)
Irish 24 (T:2 C:1 P:4)

Bath 24 (T:2 C:1 P:4)
Harlequins 27 (T:3 C:3 P:2)

Exeter 22 (T:1 C:1 P:5)
Newcastle 22 (T:1 C:1 P:5)

Gloucester 31 (T:4 C:4 P:1)
Worcester 23 (T:2 C:2 P:3)

Wasps 28 (T:3 C:2 P:3)
Northampton 23 (T:2 C:2 P:3)

Saracens 20 (T:2 C:2 P:2)
Leicester 21 (T:2 C:1 P:3)

BONUSES:

Full: Fluxy, Prop, Driver, Chris, Pooly
Scores: CJB, Matt, Steve, Pete, SJE
Excused: Luke
FIned: Nick