Super league Round 5

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Racing Metro 92 vs Toulouse
Location - Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
Sunny Intervals, 8 degrees, 3 mph South Westerly winds

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Racing Metro 92

01. Davit Khinchagishvili	09. Ben Youngs
02. Andries Strauss	10. Jonathon Sexton (k)
03. Juan Figallo
04. Juandre Kruger	11. Juan Imhoff
05. Brodie Retallick	12. Jamie Roberts
06. Dan Lydiate	13. Marcelo Bosch
07. Francois Louw (c)	14. Benjamin Fall
08. Toby Faletau	15. Ben Smith

16. Adam Jones 17. Virgile Lacombe 18. Soane Tonghu'ia 19. Jone Qovu 20. Wenclas Lauret 21. Sebastian Descons 22. Jonathan Wisnewski 23. Marc Andreu


TACTICS
We've got a very settled side, that has been very lucky with injuries and now, off the back of a big win away at Welford road, confidence is high. With this confidence, we'll look to play with a bit more possession in the middle third.


We'll look to pressurise Youngs at the lineout, his throwing is suspect. We know he favours the front jumper, so Kruger will be stationed there, jumping, forcing him to throw long, where Louw is very effective, looking to steal ball and set up counter attacks. We'll look to use a very quick and mobile back row to get to that breakdown first. Lydiate clearing out, Louw forcing the turnover and Faletua playing it as he sees it. We've picked a big scrummaging front row, with two very good technical operators, as we think this will be a real weakness for Tigers, without Cole and Ayerza. We have Jones and Tiny to come off the bench in the second half to add fresh legs and mobile ball carriers in the loose.


- Enocurage in the middle third to run the ball if it is quick and available
- Use Sexton flat on the gainline, drawing defenders, with Bosch and Roberts offering short pops and Faletau, Retallick offering the inside ball to keep them narrow
- In midfield, we've got a mismatch and we'll look to test the defence of Lealifano with Roberts and Bosch trucking up the 10/12 channel.
- We've got a world class spine in this time at 2,5,8,9,10,12,15 and these blokes will lead the team, their experience and decision making will be crucial. The 8 9 10 12 is a very familiar unit from the Lions tour.
- In the backs, we are incredibly solid defensively and have a nice mix of power (Roberts, Imhoff), pace (Smith, Fall, Youngs) and guile (Sexton, Smith and Bosch)
- Many teams have targeted Roberts defensively, so we will use Roberts to draw in defenders on the dummy run and bring Smith into the line. Use Sexton on the wrap around loop and also interchange Bosch and Roberts to keep them guessing.
- Louw to play as out and out 7, looking to slow ball and force turnovers. In Faletau and Louw, we have two blokes that are brilliant at turning over ball. Both can't be stopped!
- Roberts to lead the fan defence, looking to isolate individuals and allow back row to compete for turnovers. Youngs to sweep up.
- Use Strauss, Retallick, Faletua, Lydiate as our big ball carriers around the fringes to keep the defence narrrow. Youngs to snipe and look for mismatches against forwards to keep them honest.
- Smith and Bosch both encouraged to come into the line either before Roberts or on his shoulder, looking for the offload.

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Toulouse


1.Guthro Steenkamp
2.Tom Youngs
3.John Afoa
4.Yoaan Maestri
5.Romain Millo-Chulski
6.Thiery Dusitour (c)
7.Michael Hooper
8.Yannick Nyanga

9.Jane Vermaak
10.Remi Tales
11.Tommy Bowe
12.Christian Leialifano
13.Florian Fritz
14.Hosea Gear
15.Leigh Halfpenny (K)

16.Chilliboy Rapallie 17.Vasil Kakovan 18.Cencus Johnstone 19.Joe Tekori 20.Edwin Maka 21.Louis Pickermoles 22.Jean Doussain 23.Gael Fickou

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Leicester Tigers vs Natal Sharks
Location - Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
Sunny Intervals, 8 degrees, 3 mph South Westerly winds

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LECISTER TIGERS

01.Boris Stankovich
02.George Chuter
03.Jerome Schuster
04.Graeme Kitcehenr
05.Louis Deacon
06.Tom Croft
07.Pablo Matera
08.Juan Manuel Leguizamon (c)
09.Greig Laidlaw
10.Francois Trinh-Duc
11.Gonzalo Camacho
12.James Hook (k)
13.Manu Tuilagi
14.Yoann Huget
15.Israel Dagg

Replacements: 16.Ghiraldini 17.Mujati 18.Castrogivanni 19.O'Connell 20.Flood 21.Benjamin 22.Ashton 23.JMH  

no reserve scrum half as he is injured


Chuter keeps his place from Ghrialdini as we look to his experience in the line-out which has taken a battering in recent weeks. Another lock pairing as i look for the best combinations in the forward area. As usual Croft and Matera look to carry ball and then offload to the big captain Leguizamon, who is a real force running with the ball and at the breakdown. Laidlaw at scrum half will look to get quick ball to the impressive back line. Trinh-Duc on debut will keep looking to offload to his runners and keep the pace of the game going. Hook is the kicker at 12 again, with the ever impressive Tuilagi outside him, looking to power over the gain line with ball in hand. Huget will look to score tries, and Israel Dagg needs no explanation, oozes class and is essential to this side...

replacements: JMH for trinh-duc: 65 mins
                   Ashton for Huget: 65 mins
                  Flood for Hook: 70 mins
                  Mujati for Stankovich: 75mins

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 The Sharks
DoR: Ozzy3213
 

01. Cian Healy	09. Danny Care
02. Stephen Moore	10. Quade Cooper
03. Jannie du Plessis
04. Joe Launchbury	11. Marland Yarde
05. Courtney Lawes	12. Patric Lambie
06. Marcel Coetzee	13. Conrad Smith
07. Willem Alberts	14. JP Pietersen
08. Sergio Parisse (c)	15. James O'Connor

 
16. Sebastien Bruno 17. Tendai Mtawarira 18. Lourens Adriaanse 19. Pieter-Steph du Toit 20. Sam Warburton 21. Ryan Kankowski 22. Freddie Michalak 23. Paul Jordaan

TACTICS

We will play a traditional South African gameplan in the forwards, being ultra physical and looking to dominate the collisions in attack and defence.  We are aiming to control possession by running the ball in great conditions, using the pack and big backs off first phase ball, with support runners on the ball carriers shoulder for the offloads in or just prior to contact.  We will be looking to play our game at a high tempo. Cooper will play flat with the outside backs coming from positions of depth to gain momentum.  In defence we will employ the blitz and look to hit the ball carrier before he hits the gainline to stop Tigers getting any momentum.  Danny Care will act as a sweeper behind the defensive line.

• Breakdown.  In attack we will put numbers in rucking past the ball to free it up quickly to go again.  In defence we will be selective.  If it is on to clear out and turn ball over we will throw numbers in to do so, otherwise we will keep a strong defensive line.
  
• Spaces not faces.  Our runners will target the gaps in the defensive line rather than defenders and look to breach the gainline regularly.
  
• Scrum  Schuster is a loosehead who can cover tighthead (a la Tom Court).  We will target him at tighthead relentlessly, first with Healy and then with Mtawarira to gain an advantage in the scrum.
  
• Power  We have beefed up the back adding Coetzee for Warburton.  We aim to dominate the gainline and stay on the front foot all game.
  
• Half backs  FTD signed 2 days ago and the Tigers half back combination have never played together before.  We will try to disrupt Laidlaw with big hits around the fringes.  
  

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ASM Clermont Auvergne vs Stormers
Location - Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
Sunny Intervals, 8 degrees, 3 mph South Westerly winds

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ASMClermontAuvergne

Manager
= ChequeredJersey

01.  Joe Marler	09. Morgan Parra (k)
02. Benjamin Kayser	10.    Brock James
03. Davit Zirakashvili
04.  James Cudmore	11. Napolioni Nalaga
05.  Andries Bekker	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. JMF Lobbe	13.   Aurelien Rougerie (c)
07. Schalk Burger	14.  Sitiveni Sivivatu
08. Samu Manoa	15. Willie Le Roux

16. Wyatt Crockett 17. Ti'i Paulo 18. Frans Malherbe  19.  Julien Pierre 20. Sam Cane 21.  Ludovic Radosavljevic  22. Regan King 23. JM Buttin

Tactics:
Stormers have a big, powerful pack, so we've moved ours around to match them in that area, confident that without an outright 7 themselves we can still win the breakdown. We will approach the breakdown as a unit, with all the backrow helping secure ball and the whole pack clearing out. If ball is already secured, look to get a backrower there to speed it up (or slow theirs) and the other players ready to defend a counter-ruck or attack/defend the fringes. If it could go either way, flood in the numbers. In attack, we will carry slow ball within the pack (and crash ball runners off 10-12), and kick behind the wings from 9-10 to pressurise their weakness in kick defence. Quick ball spun wide quickly, wingers looking for work and lots of offloads and forwards supporting for the inside pop.

Defence- Blitz narrow to stop their wingers ever touching the ball. Burger and Parra attack Farrell to disrupt his game. Mix running back kicks and targeting back 3 
Setpiece- Target 2 & 3 at the scrum, Marler's long bind giving us control on that side. Bekker call lineout but mix between our extensive options here. Quick ball to 9
Targets- Kick behind wings, and test both under the high ball. When on the blind side, try and get Nonu running at Wade. No soft penalties in our own half.
Possession/territory- Every kick must be chased. Try and keep the ball in hand, but don't be afraid to kick for territory
Other- If we are suffering at the breakdown, bring Cane on. We have a huge advantage being at home, probably the hardest place to win away in sport

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Stormers

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Dewaldt Duvenage
02. Scarra Ntubeni	10. Owen Farrell (k)
03. Patric Cillers
04. Eben Etzebeth	11. Julian Savea
05. James Horwill	12. Jean De Villiers (c)
06. Tom Wood	13. Juan De Jongh
07. Sean O'Brien	14. Christian Wade
08. Duane Vermeulen	15. Jaco Taute

16. Tian Liebenburg 17. Ross Geldenhuys 18. Brok Harris 19. Rynhardt Elstadt 20. Siya Kolisi 21. Louis Schrouder 22. Elton Jantjies 23. Chelsin Kolbe

Look to play a simple game based around the strong set piece game to secure possession. The pack is full of heavy carriers to get over the gain line consistently and capable of clearing out the rucks quickly and efficiently to create quick ball when possible. Look to create quick ball off pods outside the fringe defences of the ruck. Faz to run the game. Duvenage will look to keep the defences honest and punish any lapse in fringe defence by sniping any holes. Looking for any quick ball for Faz to orchestrate the attacking movements of the backs, and to keep the opponents guessing. Faz to play flat in attack to bring in the centres who can play simple and direct rugby or get it wide to our dangerous back three.

Set-piece - strong and efficient, put pressure on in certain situations on opposition ball. Eg clearing kicks from scrums and line outs in their 22
Breakdown - Collectively look to clear ball and smash opposing players out of the way. Opposing slow down legally by flooding the breakdown. 
Keep ball in hand - We can't afford to give away silly possession and kick aimlessly to the oppo back three. 
Playing the %'s - Faz will keep the board ticking over.
Working on Players - Corbs to target Zirak at the scrum, Wood to man mark Bekker come the line out, with Etze up at the front.

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Toulon vs Crusaders
Location - Stade Mayol
Sunny Intervals, 8 degrees, 3 mph South Westerly winds

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Toulon

01. Mako Vunipola	09. Aaron Smith
02. Richard Hibbard	10. Johnny Wilkinson(k)
03. Carl Hayman
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Bryan Habana
05. Ali Williams	12. Matt Giteau
06. Julien Bonnaire (c)	13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Drew Mitchell
08. Jaime Heaslip	15. Allexis Pallison

16. Kyle Cooper 17. Andrew Sheridan 18. Gethin Jenkins 19. Jocelina Suta 20. Chris Masoe 21. Sebastian Tillous-Borde 22. Butch James 23. Wesley Fofana
Tactics
We will play an expansive game today and have selected a big pack to win us quick ball and nullify the Crusaders abckrow. Wilko will stand deep and give the centres good time on go forward ballwith our centres look for quick counter attack ball from a back row who can target the breakdown. Strong front row with immense power to come on and a 2nd row who are used to driving players back come scrum time. We have selected a centre partnership who will make good breaks and look for quick recycling of the ball to keep them on the back foot and under constant pressure. Forwards will look to carry a lot in first 20 punching the holes before moving to running off of 12-13.

*9-10 combo-we have Smith to Wilko who will then look to play a fast attacking game especially from turnover ball.
*Bench-Our bench is full of impact and will look to dominate the end of the game.
*Defence-we have strong defensive leaders in Wilko, Giteau, AAC and will look to slow down/turnover a lot of ball.
*Set Piece-power is key today at scrum time and in the lineouts using Bonnaire's leading skills to get good ball.
*Breakdown-look to nullify the Crusaders here and use our abrasive pack to do this with heavy carrying and tactical breakdown slowing.

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Crusaders

01. Marcus Ayerza	09. Jonathan Pelissie
02. Corey Flynn	10. Dan Carter(k)
03. Owen Franks
04. Luke Romano	11. Zac Guildford
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Scott Williams
06. Mamuka Gorgodze	13. Jonathan Davies
07. Chris Robshaw	14. Charles Piutau
08. Kieran Read (c)	15. Israel Folau

16. Ben Funnell 17. Vincent Debaty 18. Nepo Laulala 19. Dominic Bird 20. Matt Todd 21. Mitchell Drummond 22. Tom Taylor 23. Ryan Crotty

We want to move the big Toulon pack around this week and try to tire them out in the heat. In our half,Carter and Davies will look to use their boots to get us into the right areas, in their half we will look to go wide when possible, get the big guys moving side to side across the field. If they engage us in a kicking duel, all our back 3 has experience at FB, so we are happy fielding kicks.

Set piece - we want to get the ball out quickly in the scrum, look for penalties on the initial contact or get the ball out to our back line, to negate the scrum power. Vunipola to be targeted, Franks instructed to use his experience to try and get under him and disrupt his bind on Hibbard. In the lineout, banker ball to Romano/Whitelock with occasional throws to the tail to keep them guessing. Whitelock to challenge Bonnaire, make Hibbard go to short ball to Botha, and get ready to counter the maul. 

Breakdown - Read/Robshaw to work as a pair, one hitting Armitage and the other securing the ball. Other forwards to hit the breakdown in pods, especially when blasting Botha off the ruck. Pelissie to snipe when possible, keep the back row tied in for when we look to go wider. Franks and Romano to carry around the fringes to make sure they can't fan out their defence.

Attack - excited to pair the welsh lads in the centres, they showed against SA in the first half they can be dangerous. Carter to get them running at gaps, play flat and attack the line if it's on. Gorgodze as our main power carrier, Robshaw to link play, using those pop passes to get the big ball carriers running at pace. Folau and Piutau to chase kicks, both wings free to get on the shoulder of Read and the centres. Folau to switch on to the wing in some situations, using that step of his to get on the outside of Mitchell.

Defence- focus on Smith, try and rattle him with big hits to disrupt his passing rhythm. We aren't as concerned about Wilko's running, so look to get into his face and cut off his passing lanes. Go for turnovers when Armitage carries - Gorgodze to make the hit, Read and Robshaw to get straight over the ball before Toulon arrive.

Bench - Taylor to be on in the 2nd half at 12, second distributor to make the play wider. Todd on to help at the breakdown

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ASMClermontAuvergne

Manager
= ChequeredJersey

01. Joe Marler	09. Morgan Parra (k)
02. Benjamin Kayser	10. Brock James
03. Davit Zirakashvili
04. James Cudmore	11. Napolioni Nalaga
05. Andries Bekker	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. JMF Lobbe	13. Aurelien Rougerie (c)
07. Schalk Burger	14. Sitiveni Sivivatu
08. Samu Manoa	15. Willie Le Roux

16. Wyatt Crockett 17. Ti'i Paulo 18. Frans Malherbe 19. Julien Pierre 20. Sam Cane 21. Ludovic Radosavljevic 22. Regan King 23. JM Buttin

Tactics:
Stormers have a big, powerful pack, so we've moved ours around to match them in that area, confident that without an outright 7 themselves we can still win the breakdown. We will approach the breakdown as a unit, with all the backrow helping secure ball and the whole pack clearing out. If ball is already secured, look to get a backrower there to speed it up (or slow theirs) and the other players ready to defend a counter-ruck or attack/defend the fringes. If it could go either way, flood in the numbers. In attack, we will carry slow ball within the pack (and crash ball runners off 10-12), and kick behind the wings from 9-10 to pressurise their weakness in kick defence. Quick ball spun wide quickly, wingers looking for work and lots of offloads and forwards supporting for the inside pop.

Defence- Blitz narrow to stop their wingers ever touching the ball. Burger and Parra attack Farrell to disrupt his game. Mix running back kicks and targeting back 3
Setpiece- Target 2 & 3 at the scrum, Marler's long bind giving us control on that side. Bekker call lineout but mix between our extensive options here. Quick ball to 9
Targets- Kick behind wings, and test both under the high ball. When on the blind side, try and get Nonu running at Wade. No soft penalties in our own half.
Possession/territory- Every kick must be chased. Try and keep the ball in hand, but don't be afraid to kick for territory
Other- If we are suffering at the breakdown, bring Cane on. We have a huge advantage being at home, probably the hardest place to win away in sport

1.Guthro Steenkamp
2.Tom Youngs
3.John Afoa
4.Yoaan Maestri
5.Romain Millo-Chulski
6.Thiery Dusitour (c)
7.Michael Hooper
8.Yannick Nyanga

9.Jane Vermaak
10.Remi Tales
11.Tommy Bowe
12.Christian Leialifano
13.Florian Fritz
14.Hosea Gear
15.Leigh Halfpenny (K)

16.Chilliboy Rapallie 17.Vasil Kakovan 18.Cencus Johnstone 19.Joe Tekori 20.Edwin Maka 21.Louis Pickermoles 22.Jean Doussain 23.Gael Fickou

Fluxy, is it conditions from the bbc website for Saturday afternoon? Just trying to work out my team and tactics.

01. Mako Vunipola	09. Aaron Smith
02. Richard Hibbard	10. Johnny Wilkinson(k)
03. Carl Hayman
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Bryan Habana
05. Ali Williams	12. Matt Giteau
06. Julien Bonnaire (c)	13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Drew Mitchell
08. Jaime Heaslip	15. Allexis Pallison

16. Kyle Cooper 17. Andrew Sheridan 18. Gethin Jenkins 19. Jocelina Suta 20. Chris Masoe 21. Sebastian Tillous-Borde 22. Butch James 23. Wesley Fofana
Tactics
We will play an expansive game today and have selected a big pack to win us quick ball and nullify the Crusaders abckrow. Wilko will stand deep and give the centres good time on go forward ballwith our centres look for quick counter attack ball from a back row who can target the breakdown. Strong front row with immense power to come on and a 2nd row who are used to driving players back come scrum time. We have selected a centre partnership who will make good breaks and look for quick recycling of the ball to keep them on the back foot and under constant pressure. Forwards will look to carry a lot in first 20 punching the holes before moving to running off of 12-13.

*9-10 combo-we have Smith to Wilko who will then look to play a fast attacking game especially from turnover ball.
*Bench-Our bench is full of impact and will look to dominate the end of the game.
*Defence-we have strong defensive leaders in Wilko, Giteau, AAC and will look to slow down/turnover a lot of ball.
*Set Piece-power is key today at scrum time and in the lineouts using Bonnaire's leading skills to get good ball.
*Breakdown-look to nullify the Crusaders here and use our abrasive pack to do this with heavy carrying and tactical breakdown slowing.

Stormers

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Dewaldt Duvenage
02. Scarra Ntubeni	10. Owen Farrell (k)
03. Patric Cillers
04. Eben Etzebeth	11. Julian Savea
05. James Horwill	12. Jean De Villiers (c)
06. Tom Wood	13. Juan De Jongh
07. Sean O'Brien	14. Christian Wade
08. Duane Vermeulen	15. Jaco Taute

16. Tian Liebenburg 17. Ross Geldenhuys 18. Brok Harris 19. Rynhardt Elstadt 20. Siya Kolisi 21. Louis Schrouder 22. Elton Jantjies 23. Chelsin Kolbe

Look to play a simple game based around the strong set piece game to secure possession. The pack is full of heavy carriers to get over the gain line consistently and capable of clearing out the rucks quickly and efficiently to create quick ball when possible. Look to create quick ball off pods outside the fringe defences of the ruck. Faz to run the game. Duvenage will look to keep the defences honest and punish any lapse in fringe defence by sniping any holes. Looking for any quick ball for Faz to orchestrate the attacking movements of the backs, and to keep the opponents guessing. Faz to play flat in attack to bring in the centres who can play simple and direct rugby or get it wide to our dangerous back three.

Set-piece - strong and efficient, put pressure on in certain situations on opposition ball. Eg clearing kicks from scrums and line outs in their 22
Breakdown - Collectively look to clear ball and smash opposing players out of the way. Opposing slow down legally by flooding the breakdown. 
Keep ball in hand - We can afford to give away silly possession and kick aimlessly to the oppo back three. 
Playing the %'s - Faz will keep the board ticking over.
Working on Players - Corbs to target Zirak at the scrum, Wood to man mark Bekker come the line out, with Etze up at the front.

The Sharks make 2 changes to their starting line up for this weeks trip to Welford Road to take on Leicester Tigers.  In the pack Marcell Coetzee starts on the flank in place of Sam Warburton who drops to the bench with Keegan Daniel dropping out.  Quade Cooper returns from injury to start at outside half, with Pat Lambie moving to 12 and Francois Steyn rested this week.

The Sharks
DoR: Ozzy3213
 

01. Cian Healy	09. Danny Care
02. Stephen Moore	10. Quade Cooper
03. Jannie du Plessis
04. Joe Launchbury	11. Marland Yarde
05. Courtney Lawes	12. Patric Lambie
06. Marcel Coetzee	13. Conrad Smith
07. Willem Alberts	14. JP Pietersen
08. Sergio Parisse (c)	15. James O'Connor

 
16. Sebastien Bruno 17. Tendai Mtawarira 18. Lourens Adriaanse 19. Pieter-Steph du Toit 20. Sam Warburton 21. Ryan Kankowski 22. Freddie Michalak 23. Paul Jordaan

TACTICS

We will play a traditional South African gameplan in the forwards, being ultra physical and looking to dominate the collisions in attack and defence.  We are aiming to control possession by running the ball in great conditions, using the pack and big backs off first phase ball, with support runners on the ball carriers shoulder for the offloads in or just prior to contact.  We will be looking to play our game at a high tempo. Cooper will play flat with the outside backs coming from positions of depth to gain momentum.  In defence we will employ the blitz and look to hit the ball carrier before he hits the gainline to stop Tigers getting any momentum.  Danny Care will act as a sweeper behind the defensive line.

• Breakdown.  In attack we will put numbers in rucking past the ball to free it up quickly to go again.  In defence we will be selective.  If it is on to clear out and turn ball over we will throw numbers in to do so, otherwise we will keep a strong defensive line.
  
• Spaces not faces.  Our runners will target the gaps in the defensive line rather than defenders and look to breach the gainline regularly.
  
• Scrum  Schuster is a loosehead who can cover tighthead (a la Tom Court). We will target him at tighthead relentlessly, first with Healy and then with Mtawarira to gain an advantage in the scrum.
  
• Power  We have beefed up the back adding Coetzee for Warburton. We aim to dominate the gainline and stay on the front foot all game.
  
• Half backs FTD signed 2 days ago and the Tigers half back combination have never played together before. We will try to disrupt Laidlaw with big hits around the fringes.
  

Crusaders

01. Marcus Ayerza	09. Jonathan Pelissie
02. Corey Flynn	10. Dan Carter(k)
03. Owen Franks
04. Luke Romano	11. Zac Guildford
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Scott Williams
06. Mamuka Gorgodze	13. Jonathan Davies
07. Chris Robshaw	14. Charles Piutau
08. Kieran Read (c)	15. Israel Folau

16. Ben Funnell 17. Vincent Debaty 18. Nepo Laulala 19. Dominic Bird 20. Matt Todd 21. Mitchell Drummond 22. Tom Taylor 23. Ryan Crotty

We want to move the big Toulon pack around this week and try to tire them out in the heat. In our half,Carter and Davies will look to use their boots to get us into the right areas, in their half we will look to go wide when possible, get the big guys moving side to side across the field. If they engage us in a kicking duel, all our back 3 has experience at FB, so we are happy fielding kicks.

Set piece - we want to get the ball out quickly in the scrum, look for penalties on the initial contact or get the ball out to our back line, to negate the scrum power. Vunipola to be targeted, Franks instructed to use his experience to try and get under him and disrupt his bind on Hibbard. In the lineout, banker ball to Romano/Whitelock with occasional throws to the tail to keep them guessing. Whitelock to challenge Bonnaire, make Hibbard go to short ball to Botha, and get ready to counter the maul.

Breakdown - Read/Robshaw to work as a pair, one hitting Armitage and the other securing the ball. Other forwards to hit the breakdown in pods, especially when blasting Botha off the ruck. Pelissie to snipe when possible, keep the back row tied in for when we look to go wider. Franks and Romano to carry around the fringes to make sure they can't fan out their defence.

Attack - excited to pair the welsh lads in the centres, they showed against SA in the first half they can be dangerous. Carter to get them running at gaps, play flat and attack the line if it's on. Gorgodze as our main power carrier, Robshaw to link play, using those pop passes to get the big ball carriers running at pace. Folau and Piutau to chase kicks, both wings free to get on the shoulder of Read and the centres. Folau to switch on to the wing in some situations, using that step of his to get on the outside of Mitchell.

Defence- focus on Smith, try and rattle him with big hits to disrupt his passing rhythm. We aren't as concerned about Wilko's running, so look to get into his face and cut off his passing lanes. Go for turnovers when Armitage carries - Gorgodze to make the hit, Read and Robshaw to get straight over the ball before Toulon arrive.

Bench - Taylor to be on in the 2nd half at 12, second distributor to make the play wider. Todd on to help at the breakdown

Any weather please?

LECISTER TIGERS

01.Boris Stankovich
02.George Chuter
03.Jerome Schuster
04.Graeme Kitcehenr
05.Louis Deacon
06.Tom Croft
07.Pablo Matera
08.Juan Manuel Leguizamon (c)
09.Greig Laidlaw
10.Francois Trinh-Duc
11.Gonzalo Camacho
12.James Hook (k)
13.Manu Tuilagi
14.Yoann Huget
15.Israel Dagg

Replacements: 16.Ghiraldini 17.Mujati 18.Castrogivanni 19.O'Connell 20.Flood 21.Benjamin 22.Ashton 23.JMH  

no reserve scrum half as he is injured


Chuter keeps his place from Ghrialdini as we look to his experience in the line-out which has taken a battering in recent weeks. Another lock pairing as i look for the best combinations in the forward area. As usual Croft and Matera look to carry ball and then offload to the big captain Leguizamon, who is a real force running with the ball and at the breakdown. Laidlaw at scrum half will look to get quick ball to the impressive back line. Trinh-Duc on debut will keep looking to offload to his runners and keep the pace of the game going. Hook is the kicker at 12 again, with the ever impressive Tuilagi outside him, looking to power over the gain line with ball in hand. Huget will look to score tries, and Israel Dagg needs no explanation, oozes class and is essential to this side...

replacements: JMH for trinh-duc: 65 mins
                   Ashton for Huget: 65 mins
                  Flood for Hook: 70 mins
                  Mujati for Stankovich: 75mins

Sorry thought I had posted my message yesterday.

As the I have been busy.

All weather reports show that all conditions this week are 'sunny and warm with light breezes'

Are predos open?

They are open, and please look at the OP for the closing time and date.

Racing 26 - 23 Toulouse

Scrum - edge Racing
Lineout - evens, now that I'm told Youngs has actually been throwing very well this season
Breakdown- edge to Toulouse due to very breakdown heavy backrow, however this leads to:
Pack carrying- advantage Racing as Toulouse lacking (Youngs aside) here esp in backrow
HBs- HBs very close (9 on form to Toulouse by Sexton even a bit off form > Tales), maybe edge Toulouse. Toulouse have kicking support at 12 and 15
Attack - edge in players creativity to Metro, big advantage through tactics. Love adapting to the targeting of Roberts to use him as a draw. Absolutely the right thing to do.
Defence - tactics show what Metro will do, advantage to them.
Subs - edge Toulouse
Overall- Toulouse will do well with their breakdown and HBs and kicking giving them an edge in territory and possession, but it's not a big enough one to break down Metro and deal with their attack plan and more powerful pack.

Tigers 23 - 38 Sharks

Scrum- Tigers improved here but Sharks are one of the best around and easily on top
Lineout- pretty close, maybe an edge to Tigers
Breakdown- Sharks win here with good players across the pack, esp in second row
Carrying- Sharks, very hard to match here
HBs- both very different but I like both. Tigers' will try and control the game and good for a territory plan which I think their lineout could aid. Sharks' unparallelled in attack and will be an absolute nightmare to defend against even before they get the ball to other backs. Strong kicking games from both sides with 12 and 15s helping. Edge to Sharks as Cooper's recent int form and Care's AP form is blistering
Attack- cohesive backline from Tigers that will make dents, esp with Lambie at 12 for Sharks and Dagg is maybe the classiest runner on the pitch, but with the HBs above. a well balanced back 3 and the best 13 in the world and good tactics, Sharks will score tries for fun.
Defence- Cooper can be targeted here but he hasn't been. Nevertheless Cooper- Lambie is a weakness in defence. Really good pack tackling from Sharks though. Tigers should really have made a thing of harrying Care and Cooper in their defense tactics - if those two play well, they will tear open Tigers, but both can implode if targeted.
Subs - Tigers have good players but no backrow cover and 2 outright wingers on the bench which is too big a risk for me. No need to predetermine so many subs too. Sharks strong bench throughout.
Overall- have to see a Sharks away win in a very high scoring game
Defence-

Toulon 26- 24 Crusaders

Scrum- Ayerza will have Hayman, IMO, but Mako can hold Franks decently enough. Edge Crusaders, just
Lineout - both good but I think Bonnaire could disrupt some Crusaders ball
Breakdown- edge to Crusaders
Carrying - Crusaders backrow will do a lot of damage, but across the whole pack Toulon can match them. Evens.
HBs- evens, nice combos. Toulon have an edge in kicking and territory though because Giteau can help them out
Attack - evens, both backlines comprised of units used to playing together and working well together
Defence- Have to feel the Toulon backline look more solid here with some of the best defenders in the world, Robshaw and Gorgodze excel at shutting down play round the fringes though
Subs - edge to Toulon. That a player like Fofana can't start is crazy!
Overall- Toulon defence, home advantage and kicking game enough to win over against Crusaders' better breakdown and scrummaging work. Could have been different in Christchurch, but it's a big ask given the distance travelled.

Tigers 10 Sharks 26
Sharks are going to destroy that front row. WHY OH WHY IS CASTRO ON THE BENCH??? Rest of the pack is more even, but Leguizamon will have to be top notch to control the ball going backwards at the scrum. FTD being thrown in first game is tough, but individually he'll have some joy running at Cooper and Lambie, both are poor, weak defenders, but Sharks get away with it as Hook is a similar player, whereas a bosher would have some joy I think. Back three "Huget look to score tries" isn't really a tactic! Dagg the standout, but Shark better overall as a group. No platform from the Tigers and weird selection and tactics cost them.

Clermont 20 Stormers 16
Clermont to have some joy upfront, with Zirak able to hold Corbs (injured, hard to rate) and Kayser, Marler hardened, experienced. Second row is world class from Sharks. Prefer the Stormers back row, but like the way Clermont have set up tactically, so about evens. More from the Clermont half backs pair, with Faz being average this weekend. Clermont have familiarity in their backline which helps with the fluidity massively and they will edge a win at home.

Toulon 18 Crusaders 20
I think all three of the Crusaders will have joy against Toulon individually and collectively are a stronger unit, with no real TH on the Toulon bench hurting them. Again, athleticism of Crusaders locks will count in the last 20. Crusaders tactics have picked up on this win and will do well. Two brilliant back lines, with great centre combos. Just feel that Crusaders have the nous and stamina to outlast the Toulon pack, with more than enough firepower out wide to match Toulon they sneak a big away win

Racing Metro 19 Stade Touloussain 12

Set Piece: Set piece edge to Metro for me.  Their front row is a stronger scrummaging unit, although Toulouse are aided by some serious ballast in the second row.  Metro also have better options at the lineout. 
Gainline collisions/physicality: No give either way here. Both sides have some big lads and this area would be a real battle. 
Breakdown: This would be a mess, with two contrasting but equally effective units.  Toulouse front 5 excellent at clearing rucks, and the back row all strong over the ball.  Metro with a more traditionally balanced back row.  I just see both teams managing to slow the opposition ball down as a result. 
Key Jerseys (2,8,9,10): Have to go Metro in every jersey.  Nyanga is a great flanker but not a number 8 for me.
Bench: Two strong benches, both of which can have an affect on the game late on. 
Tactics: None from Toulouse make it very difficult for them here. 
Overall: I have Metro stronger in the set piece and all the key decision making positions.  I can also see how they will play through their tactics, so at home I have to give them the win.  


ASM Clermont Auvergne 23 Stormers 20

Set Piece: It's a meaty scrum battle, but I think that ASM just edge it, but not my enough to make it any sort of real advantage.  Lineout should se eboth team secure their own ball. 
Gainline collisions/physicality: Some huge carriers on both sides, but where I see an edge is that ASM have more guys who bring that physicality in defence as well.
Breakdown: No specialist fetcher for either team, but all four flankers can and do play 7.  Tough battle to call and I'll have to have a look at how tactics affect it. 
Key Jerseys (2,8,9,10): ASM at 2 and 9, Stormers at 8 and 10.  Again will need to see where the tactical emphasis to call it.
Bench: Better attacking impact for ASM, but better defensive players to come on Stormers. 
Tactics: Looking at the breakdown tactics specifically, with both teams flooding it at times and no natural 7, I can see it guessing messy.  Interestingly with a NH referee I could see this being a penaly-fest, but with a Super Rugby ref they tend to let it go and be a free for all.  What it does mean though is some slow scrappy ball for both teams.  Tactically and with personnel these two teams almost just cancel each other out.  Throwing Nonu at Wade down the blindside wing would give ASM joy, but also I can see Wade finding a way past Nalaga who can at times dozze off defensively.  
Overall: Game of the round this one, and I'd pay good money to watch it. Tough, tough call, but I just think with the tactics and relative strengths of the two teams, ASM would just keep coming at Stormers, and despite an excellent defensive unit from Fluxy's team, at home I think ASM just nick it.  


RC Toulonnais 29 Crusaders 28

Set Piece:  
Gainline collisions/physicality:  
Breakdown:  
Key Jerseys (2,8,9,10):
Bench:  
Tactics:  
Overall:

Leicester Tigers 9 Natal Sharks 23
ASM Clermount 22 Stormers 20 - Great battle this one.
Toulon 19 Crusaders 18

Metro 24-20 Toulouse
SP: Scrums advantage to Metro, Toulouse bring the lineouts even.
BK: Prefer the backrow of Metro.
HB: Toulouse look good, Metro can get good ball out.
AT: See Toulouse as a bit more dangerous here.
BE: 2 strong benches, think Metro can keep the gap here.
TA: None from Toulouse marks them down. Metro targeting the right places and can get joy using Roberts as a dummy runner.

Tigers 10-35 Sharks
SP: Tigers will get destroyed at the scrum, Schuster not in his best position, Chuter and Stankovich 2nd choice at best IRL. Sharks will dismantle them. Lineout's have a slight advantage to Sharks, Tigers a bit better here than their scrimmaging!
BK: Tigers good but Sharks have more international quality.
HB: Tigers improved here but Sharks more dangerous.
AT: Again Tigers have improved here and look good, Sharks can cause problems all over.
BE: Poor from Tigers here with little cover in key positions. Sharks will pull away.
TA: Bit better from Tigers but why mention their own weaknesses on bench and highlighting FTD's debut??!!Sharks simple and easy to understand and targets the Tigers weaknesses. A big and brutal win.

Clermont 21-20 Stormers
SP: Advantage Clermont in front row, 2nd row to Stormers.
BK: Good from both with Stormers bringing a bit more carrying with their game.
HB: Tough to split but feel this could go either way.
AT: Think Clermont could bring a bit more knowledge of one another's style but Stormers not to be sniffed at.
BE: Advantage Clermont here in such a close game.
TA: Clermont doing well using the narrow channels and their runners off the centres. Stormers' tactics are right for quick ball to Farrell but just feel that Clermont could slow down their ball enough to prevent this. Tough one to call.

Racing 24-21 Toulouse

Set piece - better front row for metro means they have the edge here, but Toulouse strong locks help negate that. Prefer the racing lineout jumpers too, especially in the 2nd row.

Breakdown - even here, Louw the standout but Toulouse have a very good front 5 who will all ruck well. Both teams are strong in this area

Attack/carrying - tactics and a strong carrying pack mean Racing slightly better here. Hooper will do well in the wider channels, but Faletau, Retallick, Strauss etc are all excellent here. Like the targeting of Lealifano too. Mistake imo to go with 3 flankers in the back row

Both back lines good, prefer Metro half backs but Toulouse better from 11-15 in attack.

Benches both good, Toulouse stronger with Picamoles, Fickou etc for impact.

Leicester 13 - 26 Sharks

Set piece - tigers props make me feel sorry for the rest of their pack, they will do well in the lineout but the scrum is going to be a sorry mess.

Breakdown - both good here, But a bit more international quality for Sharks. Matera could find some joy with his turnover ability though.

Attack/carrying - beast carriers for sharks, Healy/Alberts/Parisse all excellent. Tigers will do well in the wider channels, but the scrum will probably mean they are on the back foot all day long.

New half back combo for Leicester, Sharks more settled and with better quality here. Outside backs both good, I wonder if Tigers would have had more success targeting the 10-12 channel of Sharks more, particularly with Manu out there. Edge to Sharks.

Strange bench for Tigers, 2 decent tight heads sitting while a loosehead starts at 3. No back row or scrum half cover either. Easily stronger Sharks bench.

Just a gap in class here, but strong breakdown work and lineout strength mean Leicester are able to keep this slightly closer than some of their other losses.

Clermont 23 - 22 Stormers

Set piece - easy win for ASM at the scrum, Stormers need Mas back sharpish. Lineout jumpers are stronger for Stormers, but I'm unsure about the throwing of their hooker, so am calling this even.

Breakdown - massive battle here, can see this being an all out war. Can't really pick out a weakness on either side, both packs are very evenly matched.

Attack/carrying - slight edge to Stormers here, love the back 5 of their pack and a very dangerous back 3 too. Clermont almost as good, particularly in the back line, but have to go with Stormers here.

As usual with the French sides, quality bench, Stormers weaker here.

This one was so hard to call, but given home advantage and some good tactics up front, I give ASM the narrowest of wins.

Racing Metro 92 23 - 20 Toulouse

Leicester Tigers 17 - 31 Natal Sharks

Toulon 32 - 34 Crusaders

Another gallant defeat   

Good position to be in, good match Flux, but I've got a run of 3 league games and 1 cup game on the road now, table can easily shift, Bam Bam

That's the thing, with only 8 teams, one win/loss can shoot you right up or down the table.

Yep, i've shot up the table. Now off to the shark tank next week - about time they lost a game!

Bring it on!   

Fluxy - can you confirm who gets bonus for this round, so I can update budgets accordingly

Full Scores - Bam, Ozzy, Bathite, Prop, CJ

Score on the doors - Flux, Driver, 

No Scores - CF