About v2Aviva Premiership Round Three
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CJB
LukeLovesLuka
ChequeredJersey
Steven_Sharks
Sgt_Pooly
Fluxy
SirJohnnyEnglish
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Aviva Premiership Round Three
by SirJohnnyEnglish Mon 15 Sep 2014, 10:31 am
First topic message reminder :
Gloucester Rugby v Exeter Chiefs
Location - Kingsholm
Light Rain Shower, 20 Degrees, 6mph ENE Winds
Gloucester
Manager – anonmattyt
:-
16. Nick Wood 17. Luke Cowan-Dickie 18. Juan Figallo 19. George Robson 20. Jamie Heaslip 21. Will Genia 22. Danny Cipriani 23. Rhaymond Rhule
Gloucester welcome
Exeter to Kingsholm
Tactics
We will be looking to play a high intensity offloading game and to get in behind Exeter.
We have a team full of Carriers
And a huge lineout
Threat.
In their half we will keep ball and look to carry carry carry before releasing super quick ball and shifting it
Scrum
As with last week there will not be many in these conditions but
With the ones there are we will look to anchor
Our own ball. On Opposition ball we will look to target swarzeski and Barrington heavily.
We have an all international front 5 and will demonstrate this.
Lineout
With taofufina , Grey and Croft we have serious height and athelticism. In the first
Half we will look to take middle or back ball and maul it sucking in and tiring out Exeter Pack. As the game progresses we will go off the top more and more and look to move it to big runners like Palu standing midfield.
On their ball we will challenge every time and utilise our giants to at very least put off swarzeski.
General forwards
We have a lot more carriers and a seriously mobile pack so will be looking to really blast through the Exeter pack. Palu,Qera,Coenie, Streenkamp etc will carry hard and straight and really batter at the opposition.
when on we will look to get the offload in and get in behind.
We will commit numbers to rucks to disrupt and counter ruck. We see Exeter as lacking a bit of physicality so will target this area heavily
Backs
The backs will be looking to play whenever they can get quick ball.
With 2 playmakers at 10/12
We have the options to vary our play as necessary.
In our half on slow ball it will be kicked and tempo will be controlled by Dan Carter.
He will decide when to go and when to slow.
We will utilise the bomb and cross kick if they defend narrowly.
As game progresses and people tire we will up the tempo with quick throws and more
Countering of loose Exeter kicks
Blitz defence mainly with scrum half covering
Key points
- serious amount of big ball carriers
- great lineout options
- home advantage( you are at Kingsholm Fluxy)
- international class bench
Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Fluxy
:-
16. Jack Yeandle 17. Alex Lundberg 18. Mike Ross 19. Kane Douglas 20. Carl Fearns 21. Chris Cook 22. Ian Madigan 23. Tom Varndell
General Game plan
Fast paced game based around high intensity in defence, offloading, and dynamic carrying and rucking.
We want to hit the ground running and hit the opposition hard and fast from the off.
Our aim is to control possession and go through the phases. We will look to play a simple territory game based around our strong set-piece and carrying. This means when kicking the backs kick under no pressure - if there is slow ball we recycle and set guards to allow a clean kick and chase.
Big point is to match them man for man, in our style of play and keep the high tempo going throughout.
Set piece - Control the set piece and use it to restart our game plan. POC to marshal the line-out and get quick ball from our dynamic jumpers, POC to look at using the line-out for the box from Murray, as we see no clear line-out leader for Glaws to attack or defend. At the scrum we’ll look to get the squeeze on and target the front row, Coenie has played in two different positions in three different games and Grey has struggled of late. A nudge at the scrum for us to keep the opposition back row tied into the scrum giving Murray, Flood more time and space to work in.
Pack & Breakdown - Look for strong carries from our pack, tying in the opposition forwards. We’ll be looking to keep the ball tight in the greasy conditions and take advantage of the forwards in the Glaws pack who prefer to be out in the wider channels. Our back-row will target the breakdown and look to blow through the ruck and past the ball. Clean ball will be generated either by blowing through the ruck and past the ball and a long presentation of the ball to keep it away from opposition defenders. Murray look to sweep up any turnover ball getting us on the front foot. We’ll look to win the collision with big our physical pack and dominate the opposition pack in the contact.
Defence - Look to neutralise the opposition early on and allow our back-row to dominate affairs. Use our hedgehog defensive line. If they an oppo player gets held or brought down this allows the second man to get over the ball quickly to at least compete and slow opposition possession. Tipuric will look to target the opposition fly half early on and pressure his kicking. Murray to sweep in behind the defensive line.
Backs - Look to get the ball in hands of the backs, as they have the pace and finishing ability to worry any defence. Utilise the pace and size of AAC/Burrell to crash through the line, using our 'league/slider move' developed from last season to break the line. Trimble/Burrell/Strettle are big quick guys and will be able to mix and match the opposition defence, either catching Crotty's weaker inside shoulder on a a run against the grain, or exploiting the concentration of De Jongh in defence. Or generate the two on one with JOC joining the back line as the slider moves under the crash/dummy line.
Key Points
Home Advantage - Sandy Park is one of the hardest places to come and play. We won't want to kick the ball away, and Tigers can't score any points without the ball.
Scrum & Line-out – Target throughout, if weakness seen heap pressure and generate penalties. Barrington to exploit Coenie and pile in on him with Swarz. Glaws front row lack form and along with the line-out we see these to areas key to shutting down Gloucester's gameplan and playing ours.
Line-out & Mauls - with a big front five we will look to set rolling mauls, to keep their back five tied in and also gain strong momentum.
Physicality & Dynamism – Win the collision and target rucks to drive through opposition. We have a big physical, but also mobile pack. Supported by some high energy forwards off the bench. With players like Croft, Gray and Heaslip in wider channels, a lot of work will be required by the front five of Gloucester
Territory - When playing for territory, ensure we have a good chase to pressure the return and enforce the error and we will not kick directly to their back three. If the back three recieve the ball they shall be put to the floor instantly from the chase and not allowed to run.
Breakdown – Tipuric & Nyanga to be a nuisance in in the breakdown and either get over the ball or get past the ball and make the opposition cleaners a nightmare by having to make them drive our forwards even further off their ball, or steal if the are limited numbers competing. They will look to remove Salvi from the ruck early to prevent turnovers.
Backs – Classy running options and two of the most prolific finishers in both the AP and the Celtic Leagues in Strettle & Trimble to take any opportunity, and are fantastic finishers in greasy conditions.
Build a Score - Flood and JOC to share kicking at goal responsibilities with JOC taking the longer ones. Any penalty within their ten metre to be kicked at goal to keep scoreboard ticking. Unless ten metres from the line then we kick for the line-out
Sale Sharks v London Welsh
Location - AJ Bell Stadium
Light Cloud, 19 Degrees, 6mph NE Winds
Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE
Samson Lee currently suspended. Zirakisvilli steps up from the bench.
:-
16. Ross Harrison 17. David Paice 18. 19. Christian Day 20. Matt Garvey 21. Faf de Klerk 22. JJ Hanrahan 23. Sibusiso Sithole
We will play an expansive, high intensity offloading game looking to create space and break the defensive line. Mobility, physicality and handling is key to our approach.
- Fast ball is crucial. Mobile pack and physical midfield to clear out rucks and ensure quick ball. We will look to get over the gain line off all carries to make it easier to do so.
- Commit the defence. Sexton will play flat on the gain line to pull in defenders before releasing runners while Care will look for opportunities to snipe around the base always committing defenders.
- Change the point of attack. Numerous playmakers across the backline comfortable at coming in at first receiver allow us to change the point of attack and leave the opposition guessing.
- Back three always involved. Wingers to track the ball off their wings looking for the inside ball or offload. Bendy to join the line from fullback looking for mismatches and to create overlaps.
- Attack from the scrum. Strong technical front row backed up by a powerful second row will look to build a platform for Pickles, Care & Sexton. An area we will look to target if winning.
- Mix it up at the lineout. Five genuine jumpers gives us a strong attacking platform. Look to use both the rolling maul and ball off the top to keep the defence guessing.
- Straight line blitz defence. Focused on winning the gain line collisions and driving the ball carrier back. Line speed is crucial. Care will sweep behind the line to cover chips and grubbers.
- Target the breakdown. Committed to the breakdown with POM & Todd fetching for the ball, supported by the rest of the pack when needed. We will always look to turn the ball over.
London Welsh
Manager – CJ
:-
16. Matt Rees 17. Nathan Catt 18. Matt Stevens 19. George Skivington 20. Alexandre Lapandry 21. Ben Spencer 22. Jordan Turner-Hall 23. Ross Chisholm
Tactics-
Breakdown- we will use Ward and Wallace to chase the ball as specialist fetchers to make sure someone is always there to look for turnovers or speed up ball. We will commit minimum numbers wherever possible with AJ and Vito focusing on the clear out
Attack with slow ball- as usual build into quick ball with carries in groups of 3 in the pack. Also look for the AJ/Vito/Timani inside crash ball, and to mix up our kicking game with clever footballers on the wings. Use the crossfield kick as a weapon, as Wallace in particular is good at adding to the chase on these
Quick ball- Tales to stand deep on slow ball as above but flat and attack the line on quick ball, with 15/blindside winger and our big carriers like Vito looking for switch, inside and short outside pop lines on 9 or 10. Then recycle quickly wide through an offload to Ward/Wallace in their fetcher-linkman role or quickly recycled ball to Godwin as a second playmaker who will start the attack of the second wave of Laulala-wing plus other supporting players. Continue to change direction of attack and keep the ball alive in the more broken play of wave 2
Scrum- look to pressure the young props, get go forward and have Vito attack off scrums.
Lineout- keep things simple, don't contest the throw but rather pressurise the 9 and contest the maul. If suffering, Lapandry, Rees and Skivington can improve things
Subs- great quality set piece players to come on to steady either scrum or LO. Godwin to cover 10 with JTH as a more direct option at 12
Kicking- chase every kick and take every point available.
Harlequins v London Wasps
Location - Twickenham Stoop
Light Cloud, 22 Degrees, 5mph E Winds
Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks
:-
16. Rob Buchanan 17. Steven Kitchoff 18. Martin Castrogiovani 19. George Kruis 20. Jamie Gibson 21. Eric Escande 22. Quade Cooper 23. Ollie Lindsey-Hague
Tactics
Game Plan
Use our forwards running of 9 and 10 to get use across the gain line and get us quick ball which will allow us to go wide and use our outside backs. We will look to carry in numbers so we have the option to offload before or after contact or we have numbers to recycle quick ball from the ruck.
When we get quick ball Myler will look to put others into space and bring our backs into the game. We have the option to go through the middle with Roberts and Joseph or we can use Roberts as a dummy and bring in Kearney and Joseph in the wider channels. We will look to go wide early if the Wasps defece is honey potting around the ball following a line break.
Set Piece
At the line out we will look to hit the back and middle jumpers when we are going to hit the backs early so we have quick off the top ball and have their pack tied in. If we need to slow the ball down we hit Botha at the front and drive the ball using our very big pack. On the Wasps ball we will use Hamilton and Wood to put huge pressure on the front and middle for Wasps jumpers and Youngs' throw.
Defence
Quick line speed, defending from out to in with JJ controlling our line speed. We will either look for the big hit winning the collision or we will chop the legs and look to get the first man to the breakdown. We will only commit one man to the breakdown in all circumstances with one man enough to legally slow down the ball or win a turnover. If we turn the ball over we will immediately look to get the ball wide and to exploit the organised Wasps defence.
Alternative
Should our game plan not be working then we will be looking to use Myler's boot to put territorial pressure on Wasps and use our large pack to disrupt Wasps play.
Wasps
Manager: Ozzy3213
16. Deon Fourie 17. Joe Marler 18. Fraser Balmain 19. Sebastien Vahaamahina 20. Luke Narraway 21. Sebastien Tillous-Brode 22. Shane Geraghty 23. Tim Nanai-Williams
Basic Game Plan
In dry conditions we will be looking to play a possession based game, going through the phases and continually shifting the point of attack. We will play sensibly in our own half though, and will use the boots of Slade, Barnes and Armitage if it is not on to run the ball. When using the boot we will kicking for touch and looking to contest the lineout. We WILL NOT kick to their back three.
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. Youngs will sweep in behind the defensive line to counter any chips/grubbers.
Specifics
London Irish v Saracens
Location - Madejski Stadium
Light Rain Shower, 20 Degrees, 6mph E Winds
London Irish
Manager – Prop
:-
16. Tom Lindsay 17. Tom Court 18. Will Collier 19. Dean Mumm 20. George Smith 21. Neil De Kock 22. Owen Williams 23. Rob Cook
Tactics
Set piece: We have picked a strong scrummaging front 5 who all bring carrying bulk to the game. From kick offs we will look to go 2 passes in before hitting our direct runners. We will look to scrummage low (which all of our props are known for doing) and scrum straight to prevent the wheel. Our lineouts will be simple and we will look to bring the ball down before feeding 9. There’s not many players able to get as high as Toner.
Backrow: We feel we have a well balanced back row with a tackler, a carrier and a jackler and all 3 will be used for their main attributes. We have confidence in them all to do their jobs with Brown looking to get in their 10’s face. The impact and experience of Smith off the bench will continue Warburton’s harrassment of the breakdown.
Half Backs: Biggar will stand flat initially to give Leuia and our pack runners the chance to get over the gainline. We know how well Biggar can find touch and we will use this. Dickson showed vs Glos how well he can control a game and he will use these skills to control the tempo and slow the ball down if needed.
Outside Backs: We understand that some people feel Bell isn’t the greatest in offense which is why we have brought in JP to partner him as we know JP can be a very elusive and creative runner and will feed off Bell’s abilty to break the gainline. We will look to have a lot of movement off the ball to prevent us being easily read. There will be runners off of 12 and 13 when available and the ball will be shipped to the wings quickly to allow them to get the advantage in the race to the line. We have international experience in the back 3 and will look to exploit this with angled running and confusing the oppositions defence.
Bench: Impact in all areas and Williams and Cook can change the pace of the game if required. The experience of Mumm, Smith and De Kock will be vital in this game.
Defence: We have a strong defensive leader in Bell who is a reliable and strong tackler. We also know how good the Sarries centres are so will look to prevent him offloading the ball by double tackling him. We will look to blitz with Brown in their 10’s allowing Biggar the opportunity to drop back and cover with Dulin for any kicks ahead. We will defend inside-out and spread the line.
Overall: This will be a controlled performance against a good Sarries team. We will look to hit the ball up twice and suck in defenders by going the same way till we run out of space, we will then flash across and look for quick hands against their pack who will be stuck defending the centre channels. Our carriers will come round the corner in 3’s to prevent the opposition knowing where the ball is going. We started with a shock draw against Quins and an admirable defeat to Falcons so we are looking for another shock today with a strong team on show and backs who are able to control a game well and defend strongly without allowing any gaps to appear.
Saracens
Manager – Pooly
:-
16. Jamie George 17. Xavier Chiocci 18. Paul Hill 19. Louis Deacon 20. Dave Denton 21. Thomas Chapman 22. Tom Taylor 23. Miles Benjamin
Tactics:
TARGET BREAKDOWN – With Bruss/Clark strong in this area we’ll look to target turnover ball and slowing opposition attacks.
RUNNERS THROUGH 12/13 CHANNEL – This is a pretty new combination for Irish, we'll look to test out JP positionally and send Ashton running off shoulders through his channel.
TARGET THOMAS/JONES AXIS IN SCRUM – Waller will look to get in between Thomas and Jones and try and splinter the Irish scrum. We've a strong front row and engine room to help drive through and put pressure on Irish.
PARRA/STEYN COMBO - Perfect combo to dictate play and keep us playing in right area of pitch. Look to target Irish line out early on and if weakness seen kick to corners.
General - We've selected a team packed with power and physicality. We'll be playing a structured 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 their half. Look to keep it tight in the forward pack and grind through work. Looking to move the opposition pack around and then use big carrying options to punch holes through the opposition defence.
Scrum - Look to get a platform from the off with a strong scrummaging unit. Strong front 5 with big locks will look for the big push once the ball is in and drive the opposition back. Our LH and Hooker will look to target TH and try to get between him and Hooker to allow TH to work on LH If no weakness seen will use as restart.
Line out – Look for quick ball off the top with the world class line out options and experience. Will allow SH good clean ball and have big carriers running off the 9 at angles.
Defence - Blitz defence with High intensity and big hits, looking to drive past the ball player if the ball hits the deck. physical pack that can look to get at the collision and breakdown allowing Bruss/Clark etc a chance to slow down/steal ball. Lack of straight running option in the opp backline will allow us to hold up the runner and attempt the maul turnover. 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 dictate play from the breakdown and have Williams/Mermoz on his shoulder. Huge carrying backrow to get us over the gain line after front 5 set a platform. Williams to run angles off the 9/10 and interchange 2nd receiver with Mermoz. Look to keep opposition guessing with clever lines through midfield. Ashton will look to track the midfield combo and get the end of Mermoz’s little offloads in contact. Guildford to keep things honest and come looking for work.
Bath Rugby v Leicester Tigers
Location - Recreation Ground
Heavy Rain Shower, 19 Degrees, 6mph ENE Winds
Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane
:-
16. Mikey Haywood 17. Benn Robinson 18. Jake Cooper Woolsey 19. Graham Kitchener 20. James Gaskell 21. Maxime Machenaud 22. Rhys Patchell 23. Stuart Hogg
Overall: We are gonna be looking to play front foot rugby. The team is going to be very uptempo with lots of hard running looking to overwhelm Leicester
Scrum: Look to get after the scrum and exert pressure. Strong second row provide the grunt behind the technically sound props. It is a NZ combo that has been very solid and provides a great platform for us. Look to really target PDJ by putting pressure on the same spot and trying to push off the ball. We will try to set a base, controlled by Messam which he can attack off.
Lineout: We will look to switch up the lineup with SOB, Messam, Romano and Whitelock options in the lineout. Whitelock will run the lineout with Romano offering an easy banker ball. Look to get up into the air quickly and down for a quick maul.
Breakdown: Attempt to be aggressive at the breakdown. Look to get men to the breakdown quickly and clear out so Sean O'Brien and Liam Gill can attack the ball
Defence: Blitz Defence looking to really put pressure on the Tigers decision makers. Wiggles to sweep in behind.
Attack: Our half backs will control our rugby. Wigglesworth and Hodgson can play what they see and put the rest of the back line in strong positions. Lealifano can act as an extra playmaker from the 12. We have strong runners who can get over the gainline throughout the side with a very dynamic pack and a big back line. The likes of Faumuania, Romano, Hibbard, Healy and SOB will try and wear down defences by looking for gaps. The likes of Wade, North and Cave will be looking for gaps created that they can exploit. Look to play with a high tempo and get the ball moving across the back line. Look for chances to offload.
Kicking: Lealifano will be our chosen place kicker. Any kicks will not be aimed towards their back three. We will chuck in the occasional grabber to chase. If we are enjoying a significant lineout advantage then we will look for touch. Goode, LLF, Wiggles and Hodgson all have the boots necessary
Substitutes: Our subs will look to keep a high tempo.
Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka
16. Christopher Tolofua 17. Max Lahiff 18. Harry Rudkin 19. Kearnan Myall 20. James Scaysbrook 21. Micky Young 22. Matt Banahan 23. Rene Ranger
Tactics:
In wet conditions we will play sensibly and use the power and strength of our side to get us over the gainline.
- Attack at all scrums with our huge pack - Moore and Jenkins to look to really get into the opposition, backed up by two hugely powerful second rowers in Hines and Pape. Lots of scrums in wet weather and an area we will look to target if winning.
- Attack at all lineouts. Use Hines or Pape at the front and Mafi off the top as our three key options.
Shortened lineouts with Burger in midfield as crash or decoy option.
- Put serious pressure on Hibbard's throws with Hines at the front on all Bath throws.
- Gigantic XV made up of massive line-breakers, used in the tight to tire down the Bath defence. The likes of Basteraud, Burger, Hines, Moore, Cuthbert and Mafi to be used to get us over the gainline. Add to that the likes of Tolofua, Banahan and Ranger off the bench.
- Target the breakdown - huge emphasis on our work at the breakdown today and we will always look to turnover possession. With Burger, and Jenkins and Basteraud, we feel our breakdown play could be crucial today.
- No overly ambitious passing - In wet conditions we will either look to kick to gain territory or look to keep ball in hand and take it through the middle.
- In rain we will target Hodgson all game with Burger and Mafi breathing down his neck at every opportunity. Big runners through his channel - looking to win the Burns vs Hodgson contest.
- 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.
- Burns to kick all penalties.
Newcastle Falcons v Northampton Saints
Location - Kingston Park
Light Rain, 15 Degrees, 6mph NE Winds
Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Driver
:-
16.George McGuigan 17.Soana Tonga'uhia 18.Scott Wilson 19.Yoaan Maestri 20.Chris Henry 21.Nathan Fowles 22.Andy Goode 23.Jamie Elliot
Tactics:
Simple possession based game plan based around securing our own ball , being clinical with it , kicking accurately and a high work rate in defence.
We'll look to in attack kick the leather off the ball and drill Saints back into there own 22 and pressure the throw through Parling and Hari. We feel that this is the best way to beat Saints. Drilling the ball into the corner and sucking the life out of the game and fustrating they're game plan. We'll look to take advantage of plenty of muscle in our pack with our back row in great form and a good scrummaging front 5. Ewers , Thorn and Best will look to get they're hands on the ball as much as possible and carry at Saints.
Defence;
Flood the field with defenders and pressure the Saint's 9 and 10 channel and look to shut down Saints fluency. At the defensive ruck we'll look to only commit one or two defenders and look to steal the ball there and then. Will Fraser is given the job of hackling Gareth Davies and becoming a thorn in his side. Standing at the tail of the lineout to pressure he's pass and stop outside breaks. Ewers , Thorn , Parling , Hari , Luc and Mullen will look to smash there man back in the contact setting a aggresive tone. Davies and Barritt will look to blitz the Saints midfield and smash them back soon as they hit them. Tactical tackling is enfored by us wrapping players up to prevent the offload at times. Lewis to operate the sweep
Faz to kick all penalties and drop for goals.
Northampton Saints
Manager – Dammit_Chris
:-
16. Thomas Domingo 17. Rob Webber 18. Logi Mulipola 19. Jonny Gray 20. Billy Vunipola 21. Joe Simpson 22. George Ford 23. Jordan Williams
Tactics:
Conditions again allow for us to play at a high tempo, where we will look to put pressure on Falcons from the outset with high intensity in attack and defence. We will play with an aggressive defence to force mistakes from the opposition, targeting their young no9 anf get the ball in the hands of our big ball carriers to get us over the gainline and create space outwide. Will aim to finish the final quarter very strongly and unload our bench to add power in the forwards, help pressurise the Wasps set piece and get some more try scorers on the pitch in the form of Simpson, Ford and Williams.
Pack/Setpiece:
Away at Falcons we've opted to start Adam Jones to improve our scrummaging and use this as a platform to launch attacks with Parisse and later Vunipola. Lineout wise we keep with our four main jumpers to give Hartley a variety of options and provide quick off the top ball for our backs. Lawes to pressurise Best's throws and aim to disrupt Falcons set piece ball. Again selected a very mobile pack, with strong ball carriers that will help us to win the possession battle and five full internationnals to call off the bench to finish the game strong.
Attack:
We want to utilise our mobile pack and play at a fast pace to put the Wasps defence under pressure. We will look for Vunipola, Parisse and co in the forwards to get us over the gainline and suck in Falconns defenders, before getting the ball to our strike runners in the backline – Fofana, Bowe, Goneva and Foden. Backthree told to counter attack any loose kicks when opportunities are there. With the ways Falcons set up we've made sure we can win compete well in the kicking game with Daly selected at 13 to give Evans a kicking outlet in midfield to go with Foden.
Breakdown:
We will look to get our pack to the breakdown in numbers to secure our own ball and then look for turnovers whenever possible, with Lawes and Launchbury we have effectively got two additional backrowers – will look to use the Vunipola, Burger and Robshaw to clear Falcons from the breakdown area and distrupt the speed of their attacking play, particularly targeted Fraser.
Defence:
An aggressive defence all across the pitch, have some strong tacklers in the forwards. We will look for quick line speed to put pressure on the Falcon's halfbacks and will make sure our backrow targets the young no9 for Falcons. Davies to sweep behind the defensive line.
Key Points:
* Building some momentum with two BP wins over Gloucester and Wasps
* Look to outscore Falcons on the try front and play a more attacking based game.
* Strong set pieces and pack, which will give us a platform away from home.
* Bench has been selected for impact – all five forwards are internationals and will strengthen the setpiece, while the backs are all creative players who can score tries in the final 20 minutes.
Home teams to be named by midnight on Tuesday
Away teams to be named by midnight on Wednesday
Tactics to be provided by midnight on Thursday
Predictions by 22:00 hours on Sunday
Away teams to be named by midnight on Wednesday
Tactics to be provided by midnight on Thursday
Predictions by 22:00 hours on Sunday
Gloucester Rugby v Exeter Chiefs
Location - Kingsholm
Light Rain Shower, 20 Degrees, 6mph ENE Winds
GloucesterManager – anonmattyt
| 01. Guthro Steenkamp | 09. Dan Robson |
| 02. Joe Grey | 10. Dan Carter |
| 03. Coenie Ousthieuzen | |
| 04. Richie Gray | 11. Hosea Gear |
| 05. Roman Taoufufena | 12. Ryan Crotty |
| 06. Tom Croft | 13. Juan De Jongh |
| 07. Akapusi Qera | 14. Johnny May |
| 08. Wycliffe Palu | 15. Andreas Masi |
16. Nick Wood 17. Luke Cowan-Dickie 18. Juan Figallo 19. George Robson 20. Jamie Heaslip 21. Will Genia 22. Danny Cipriani 23. Rhaymond Rhule
Gloucester welcome
Exeter to Kingsholm
Tactics
We will be looking to play a high intensity offloading game and to get in behind Exeter.
We have a team full of Carriers
And a huge lineout
Threat.
In their half we will keep ball and look to carry carry carry before releasing super quick ball and shifting it
Scrum
As with last week there will not be many in these conditions but
With the ones there are we will look to anchor
Our own ball. On Opposition ball we will look to target swarzeski and Barrington heavily.
We have an all international front 5 and will demonstrate this.
Lineout
With taofufina , Grey and Croft we have serious height and athelticism. In the first
Half we will look to take middle or back ball and maul it sucking in and tiring out Exeter Pack. As the game progresses we will go off the top more and more and look to move it to big runners like Palu standing midfield.
On their ball we will challenge every time and utilise our giants to at very least put off swarzeski.
General forwards
We have a lot more carriers and a seriously mobile pack so will be looking to really blast through the Exeter pack. Palu,Qera,Coenie, Streenkamp etc will carry hard and straight and really batter at the opposition.
when on we will look to get the offload in and get in behind.
We will commit numbers to rucks to disrupt and counter ruck. We see Exeter as lacking a bit of physicality so will target this area heavily
Backs
The backs will be looking to play whenever they can get quick ball.
With 2 playmakers at 10/12
We have the options to vary our play as necessary.
In our half on slow ball it will be kicked and tempo will be controlled by Dan Carter.
He will decide when to go and when to slow.
We will utilise the bomb and cross kick if they defend narrowly.
As game progresses and people tire we will up the tempo with quick throws and more
Countering of loose Exeter kicks
Blitz defence mainly with scrum half covering
Key points
- serious amount of big ball carriers
- great lineout options
- home advantage( you are at Kingsholm Fluxy)
- international class bench
Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Fluxy
| 01. Richard Barrington | 09. Connor Murray |
| 02. Dimitri Szarzewski | 10. Toby Flood (k) |
| 03. James Johnstone | |
| 04. Paul O'Connell (c) | 11. David Strettle |
| 05. Michael Paterson | 12. Luther Burrell |
| 06. Yannick Nyanga | 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper |
| 07. Justin Tipuric | 14. Andrew Trimble |
| 08. Toby Faletau | 15. James O'Connor |
16. Jack Yeandle 17. Alex Lundberg 18. Mike Ross 19. Kane Douglas 20. Carl Fearns 21. Chris Cook 22. Ian Madigan 23. Tom Varndell
General Game plan
Fast paced game based around high intensity in defence, offloading, and dynamic carrying and rucking.
We want to hit the ground running and hit the opposition hard and fast from the off.
Our aim is to control possession and go through the phases. We will look to play a simple territory game based around our strong set-piece and carrying. This means when kicking the backs kick under no pressure - if there is slow ball we recycle and set guards to allow a clean kick and chase.
Big point is to match them man for man, in our style of play and keep the high tempo going throughout.
Set piece - Control the set piece and use it to restart our game plan. POC to marshal the line-out and get quick ball from our dynamic jumpers, POC to look at using the line-out for the box from Murray, as we see no clear line-out leader for Glaws to attack or defend. At the scrum we’ll look to get the squeeze on and target the front row, Coenie has played in two different positions in three different games and Grey has struggled of late. A nudge at the scrum for us to keep the opposition back row tied into the scrum giving Murray, Flood more time and space to work in.
Pack & Breakdown - Look for strong carries from our pack, tying in the opposition forwards. We’ll be looking to keep the ball tight in the greasy conditions and take advantage of the forwards in the Glaws pack who prefer to be out in the wider channels. Our back-row will target the breakdown and look to blow through the ruck and past the ball. Clean ball will be generated either by blowing through the ruck and past the ball and a long presentation of the ball to keep it away from opposition defenders. Murray look to sweep up any turnover ball getting us on the front foot. We’ll look to win the collision with big our physical pack and dominate the opposition pack in the contact.
Defence - Look to neutralise the opposition early on and allow our back-row to dominate affairs. Use our hedgehog defensive line. If they an oppo player gets held or brought down this allows the second man to get over the ball quickly to at least compete and slow opposition possession. Tipuric will look to target the opposition fly half early on and pressure his kicking. Murray to sweep in behind the defensive line.
Backs - Look to get the ball in hands of the backs, as they have the pace and finishing ability to worry any defence. Utilise the pace and size of AAC/Burrell to crash through the line, using our 'league/slider move' developed from last season to break the line. Trimble/Burrell/Strettle are big quick guys and will be able to mix and match the opposition defence, either catching Crotty's weaker inside shoulder on a a run against the grain, or exploiting the concentration of De Jongh in defence. Or generate the two on one with JOC joining the back line as the slider moves under the crash/dummy line.
Key Points
Home Advantage - Sandy Park is one of the hardest places to come and play. We won't want to kick the ball away, and Tigers can't score any points without the ball.
Scrum & Line-out – Target throughout, if weakness seen heap pressure and generate penalties. Barrington to exploit Coenie and pile in on him with Swarz. Glaws front row lack form and along with the line-out we see these to areas key to shutting down Gloucester's gameplan and playing ours.
Line-out & Mauls - with a big front five we will look to set rolling mauls, to keep their back five tied in and also gain strong momentum.
Physicality & Dynamism – Win the collision and target rucks to drive through opposition. We have a big physical, but also mobile pack. Supported by some high energy forwards off the bench. With players like Croft, Gray and Heaslip in wider channels, a lot of work will be required by the front five of Gloucester
Territory - When playing for territory, ensure we have a good chase to pressure the return and enforce the error and we will not kick directly to their back three. If the back three recieve the ball they shall be put to the floor instantly from the chase and not allowed to run.
Breakdown – Tipuric & Nyanga to be a nuisance in in the breakdown and either get over the ball or get past the ball and make the opposition cleaners a nightmare by having to make them drive our forwards even further off their ball, or steal if the are limited numbers competing. They will look to remove Salvi from the ruck early to prevent turnovers.
Backs – Classy running options and two of the most prolific finishers in both the AP and the Celtic Leagues in Strettle & Trimble to take any opportunity, and are fantastic finishers in greasy conditions.
Build a Score - Flood and JOC to share kicking at goal responsibilities with JOC taking the longer ones. Any penalty within their ten metre to be kicked at goal to keep scoreboard ticking. Unless ten metres from the line then we kick for the line-out
Sale Sharks v London Welsh
Location - AJ Bell Stadium
Light Cloud, 19 Degrees, 6mph NE Winds
Sale SharksManager – SJE
Samson Lee currently suspended. Zirakisvilli steps up from the bench.
| 01. Jack McGrath | 09. Danny Care |
| 02. Benjamin Kayser | 10. Johnny Sexton |
| 03. Davit Zirakishvilli | |
| 04. Dave Attwood | 11. Simon Zebo |
| 05. Iain Henderson | 12. Francois Steyn |
| 06. Peter O'Mahony | 13. Gael Fickou |
| 07. Matt Todd | 14. Semesa Rokoduguni |
| 08. Louis Picamoles | 15. Nick Abendanon |
16. Ross Harrison 17. David Paice 18. 19. Christian Day 20. Matt Garvey 21. Faf de Klerk 22. JJ Hanrahan 23. Sibusiso Sithole
We will play an expansive, high intensity offloading game looking to create space and break the defensive line. Mobility, physicality and handling is key to our approach.
- Fast ball is crucial. Mobile pack and physical midfield to clear out rucks and ensure quick ball. We will look to get over the gain line off all carries to make it easier to do so.
- Commit the defence. Sexton will play flat on the gain line to pull in defenders before releasing runners while Care will look for opportunities to snipe around the base always committing defenders.
- Change the point of attack. Numerous playmakers across the backline comfortable at coming in at first receiver allow us to change the point of attack and leave the opposition guessing.
- Back three always involved. Wingers to track the ball off their wings looking for the inside ball or offload. Bendy to join the line from fullback looking for mismatches and to create overlaps.
- Attack from the scrum. Strong technical front row backed up by a powerful second row will look to build a platform for Pickles, Care & Sexton. An area we will look to target if winning.
- Mix it up at the lineout. Five genuine jumpers gives us a strong attacking platform. Look to use both the rolling maul and ball off the top to keep the defence guessing.
- Straight line blitz defence. Focused on winning the gain line collisions and driving the ball carrier back. Line speed is crucial. Care will sweep behind the line to cover chips and grubbers.
- Target the breakdown. Committed to the breakdown with POM & Todd fetching for the ball, supported by the rest of the pack when needed. We will always look to turn the ball over.
London WelshManager – CJ
| 01.David Kilcoyne | 09. Tawera Kerr-Barlowe |
| 02. David Ward | 10. Remi Tales |
| 03. BJ Botha | |
| 04. Sepoke Timani | 11. Nemani Nadolo |
| 05. Jamie Cudmore | 12. Kyle Godwin |
| 06. Ashley Johnson | 13. Casey Laulala |
| 07. Luke Wallace (c) | 14. Mark Cueto |
| 08. Victor Vito | 15. Chris Pennell |
16. Matt Rees 17. Nathan Catt 18. Matt Stevens 19. George Skivington 20. Alexandre Lapandry 21. Ben Spencer 22. Jordan Turner-Hall 23. Ross Chisholm
Tactics-
Breakdown- we will use Ward and Wallace to chase the ball as specialist fetchers to make sure someone is always there to look for turnovers or speed up ball. We will commit minimum numbers wherever possible with AJ and Vito focusing on the clear out
Attack with slow ball- as usual build into quick ball with carries in groups of 3 in the pack. Also look for the AJ/Vito/Timani inside crash ball, and to mix up our kicking game with clever footballers on the wings. Use the crossfield kick as a weapon, as Wallace in particular is good at adding to the chase on these
Quick ball- Tales to stand deep on slow ball as above but flat and attack the line on quick ball, with 15/blindside winger and our big carriers like Vito looking for switch, inside and short outside pop lines on 9 or 10. Then recycle quickly wide through an offload to Ward/Wallace in their fetcher-linkman role or quickly recycled ball to Godwin as a second playmaker who will start the attack of the second wave of Laulala-wing plus other supporting players. Continue to change direction of attack and keep the ball alive in the more broken play of wave 2
Scrum- look to pressure the young props, get go forward and have Vito attack off scrums.
Lineout- keep things simple, don't contest the throw but rather pressurise the 9 and contest the maul. If suffering, Lapandry, Rees and Skivington can improve things
Subs- great quality set piece players to come on to steady either scrum or LO. Godwin to cover 10 with JTH as a more direct option at 12
Kicking- chase every kick and take every point available.
Harlequins v London Wasps
Location - Twickenham Stoop
Light Cloud, 22 Degrees, 5mph E Winds
Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks
| 01. Tony Woodcock | 09. Karl Dickson |
| 02. Schalk Brits | 10. Steven Myler (k) |
| 03. Kieran Brookes | |
| 04. Bakkies Botha | 11. Joe Tomane |
| 05. Jim Hamilton | 12. Jamie Roberts |
| 06. Mamuka Gorgodze | 13. Jonathan Joseph |
| 07. Tom Wood (c) | 14. Yoann Huget |
| 08. Nick Easter | 15. Rob Kearney |
16. Rob Buchanan 17. Steven Kitchoff 18. Martin Castrogiovani 19. George Kruis 20. Jamie Gibson 21. Eric Escande 22. Quade Cooper 23. Ollie Lindsey-Hague
Tactics
Game Plan
Use our forwards running of 9 and 10 to get use across the gain line and get us quick ball which will allow us to go wide and use our outside backs. We will look to carry in numbers so we have the option to offload before or after contact or we have numbers to recycle quick ball from the ruck.
When we get quick ball Myler will look to put others into space and bring our backs into the game. We have the option to go through the middle with Roberts and Joseph or we can use Roberts as a dummy and bring in Kearney and Joseph in the wider channels. We will look to go wide early if the Wasps defece is honey potting around the ball following a line break.
Set Piece
At the line out we will look to hit the back and middle jumpers when we are going to hit the backs early so we have quick off the top ball and have their pack tied in. If we need to slow the ball down we hit Botha at the front and drive the ball using our very big pack. On the Wasps ball we will use Hamilton and Wood to put huge pressure on the front and middle for Wasps jumpers and Youngs' throw.
Defence
Quick line speed, defending from out to in with JJ controlling our line speed. We will either look for the big hit winning the collision or we will chop the legs and look to get the first man to the breakdown. We will only commit one man to the breakdown in all circumstances with one man enough to legally slow down the ball or win a turnover. If we turn the ball over we will immediately look to get the ball wide and to exploit the organised Wasps defence.
Alternative
Should our game plan not be working then we will be looking to use Myler's boot to put territorial pressure on Wasps and use our large pack to disrupt Wasps play.
WaspsManager: Ozzy3213
| 01. Paul James | 09. Ben Youngs |
| 02. Tom Youngs | 10. Henry Slade |
| 03. Frans Malherbe | |
| 04. Romain Millo-Chluski | 11. Anthony Watson |
| 05. Alun-Wyn Jones (c) | 12. Ma'a Nonu |
| 06. Fulgence Ouedraogo | 13. JJ Englebrecht |
| 07. Steffon Armitage | 14. Marland Yarde |
| 08. Jerome Kaino | 15. Delon Armitage |
16. Deon Fourie 17. Joe Marler 18. Fraser Balmain 19. Sebastien Vahaamahina 20. Luke Narraway 21. Sebastien Tillous-Brode 22. Shane Geraghty 23. Tim Nanai-Williams
Basic Game Plan
In dry conditions we will be looking to play a possession based game, going through the phases and continually shifting the point of attack. We will play sensibly in our own half though, and will use the boots of Slade, Barnes and Armitage if it is not on to run the ball. When using the boot we will kicking for touch and looking to contest the lineout. We WILL NOT kick to their back three.
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. Youngs will sweep in behind the defensive line to counter any chips/grubbers.
Specifics
- Lineout. Nothing flash. Hit our front and middle jumpers and ensure that we secure their ball. On Saints ball put pressure on through AWJ and Ouedraogo, who are both athletic lineout jumpers.
- Breakdown. When we carry in, we 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 be looking to play a Super Rugby type offloading game, with the ball shifted on to the support runner just prior to the point of the tackle with the defender already committed. We will constantly look to shift the direction of play and pull their defenders out of position to create gaps. Youngs to look to snipe around the fringes and keep us going forwards all the time.
London Irish v Saracens
Location - Madejski Stadium
Light Rain Shower, 20 Degrees, 6mph E Winds
London Irish
Manager – Prop
| 01. JB Poux | 09. Lee Dickson |
| 02. Marc Jones | 10. Dan Biggar (k) |
| 03. Henry Thomas | |
| 04. Devin Toner | 11. Bjorn Basson |
| 05. Jacques Poitgeiter | 12. Chris Bell |
| 06. Kelly Brown | 13. JP Pietersen |
| 07. Sam Warburton (c) | 14. Adam Thompstone |
| 08. Ben Morgan | 15. Brice Dulin |
16. Tom Lindsay 17. Tom Court 18. Will Collier 19. Dean Mumm 20. George Smith 21. Neil De Kock 22. Owen Williams 23. Rob Cook
Tactics
Set piece: We have picked a strong scrummaging front 5 who all bring carrying bulk to the game. From kick offs we will look to go 2 passes in before hitting our direct runners. We will look to scrummage low (which all of our props are known for doing) and scrum straight to prevent the wheel. Our lineouts will be simple and we will look to bring the ball down before feeding 9. There’s not many players able to get as high as Toner.
Backrow: We feel we have a well balanced back row with a tackler, a carrier and a jackler and all 3 will be used for their main attributes. We have confidence in them all to do their jobs with Brown looking to get in their 10’s face. The impact and experience of Smith off the bench will continue Warburton’s harrassment of the breakdown.
Half Backs: Biggar will stand flat initially to give Leuia and our pack runners the chance to get over the gainline. We know how well Biggar can find touch and we will use this. Dickson showed vs Glos how well he can control a game and he will use these skills to control the tempo and slow the ball down if needed.
Outside Backs: We understand that some people feel Bell isn’t the greatest in offense which is why we have brought in JP to partner him as we know JP can be a very elusive and creative runner and will feed off Bell’s abilty to break the gainline. We will look to have a lot of movement off the ball to prevent us being easily read. There will be runners off of 12 and 13 when available and the ball will be shipped to the wings quickly to allow them to get the advantage in the race to the line. We have international experience in the back 3 and will look to exploit this with angled running and confusing the oppositions defence.
Bench: Impact in all areas and Williams and Cook can change the pace of the game if required. The experience of Mumm, Smith and De Kock will be vital in this game.
Defence: We have a strong defensive leader in Bell who is a reliable and strong tackler. We also know how good the Sarries centres are so will look to prevent him offloading the ball by double tackling him. We will look to blitz with Brown in their 10’s allowing Biggar the opportunity to drop back and cover with Dulin for any kicks ahead. We will defend inside-out and spread the line.
Overall: This will be a controlled performance against a good Sarries team. We will look to hit the ball up twice and suck in defenders by going the same way till we run out of space, we will then flash across and look for quick hands against their pack who will be stuck defending the centre channels. Our carriers will come round the corner in 3’s to prevent the opposition knowing where the ball is going. We started with a shock draw against Quins and an admirable defeat to Falcons so we are looking for another shock today with a strong team on show and backs who are able to control a game well and defend strongly without allowing any gaps to appear.
Saracens
Manager – Pooly
| 01. Alex Waller | 09. Morgan Parra |
| 02. Guilhem Guirado | 10. Morne Steyn |
| 03. Matius Diaz | |
| 04. Patrico Albacete(c) | 11. Zak Guildford |
| 05. Flip van der Merwe | 12. Scott Williams |
| 06. Callum Clark | 13. Maxime Mermoz |
| 07. Heinrich Brussow | 14. Chris Ashton |
| 08. Nathan Hughes | 15. Matt Tait |
16. Jamie George 17. Xavier Chiocci 18. Paul Hill 19. Louis Deacon 20. Dave Denton 21. Thomas Chapman 22. Tom Taylor 23. Miles Benjamin
Tactics:
TARGET BREAKDOWN – With Bruss/Clark strong in this area we’ll look to target turnover ball and slowing opposition attacks.
RUNNERS THROUGH 12/13 CHANNEL – This is a pretty new combination for Irish, we'll look to test out JP positionally and send Ashton running off shoulders through his channel.
TARGET THOMAS/JONES AXIS IN SCRUM – Waller will look to get in between Thomas and Jones and try and splinter the Irish scrum. We've a strong front row and engine room to help drive through and put pressure on Irish.
PARRA/STEYN COMBO - Perfect combo to dictate play and keep us playing in right area of pitch. Look to target Irish line out early on and if weakness seen kick to corners.
General - We've selected a team packed with power and physicality. We'll be playing a structured 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 their half. Look to keep it tight in the forward pack and grind through work. Looking to move the opposition pack around and then use big carrying options to punch holes through the opposition defence.
Scrum - Look to get a platform from the off with a strong scrummaging unit. Strong front 5 with big locks will look for the big push once the ball is in and drive the opposition back. Our LH and Hooker will look to target TH and try to get between him and Hooker to allow TH to work on LH If no weakness seen will use as restart.
Line out – Look for quick ball off the top with the world class line out options and experience. Will allow SH good clean ball and have big carriers running off the 9 at angles.
Defence - Blitz defence with High intensity and big hits, looking to drive past the ball player if the ball hits the deck. physical pack that can look to get at the collision and breakdown allowing Bruss/Clark etc a chance to slow down/steal ball. Lack of straight running option in the opp backline will allow us to hold up the runner and attempt the maul turnover. 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 dictate play from the breakdown and have Williams/Mermoz on his shoulder. Huge carrying backrow to get us over the gain line after front 5 set a platform. Williams to run angles off the 9/10 and interchange 2nd receiver with Mermoz. Look to keep opposition guessing with clever lines through midfield. Ashton will look to track the midfield combo and get the end of Mermoz’s little offloads in contact. Guildford to keep things honest and come looking for work.
Bath Rugby v Leicester Tigers
Location - Recreation Ground
Heavy Rain Shower, 19 Degrees, 6mph ENE Winds
Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane
| 01. Cian Healy | 09. Richard Wigglesworth |
| 02. Richard Hibbard | 10. Charlie Hodgson |
| 03. Charlie Faumaunia | |
| 04. Luke Romano | 11. George North |
| 05. Sam Whitelock | 12. Christian Lealifano |
| 06. Sean O'Brien | 13. Darren Cave |
| 07. Liam Gill | 14. Christian Wade |
| 08. Liam Messam | 15. Alex Goode |
16. Mikey Haywood 17. Benn Robinson 18. Jake Cooper Woolsey 19. Graham Kitchener 20. James Gaskell 21. Maxime Machenaud 22. Rhys Patchell 23. Stuart Hogg
Overall: We are gonna be looking to play front foot rugby. The team is going to be very uptempo with lots of hard running looking to overwhelm Leicester
Scrum: Look to get after the scrum and exert pressure. Strong second row provide the grunt behind the technically sound props. It is a NZ combo that has been very solid and provides a great platform for us. Look to really target PDJ by putting pressure on the same spot and trying to push off the ball. We will try to set a base, controlled by Messam which he can attack off.
Lineout: We will look to switch up the lineup with SOB, Messam, Romano and Whitelock options in the lineout. Whitelock will run the lineout with Romano offering an easy banker ball. Look to get up into the air quickly and down for a quick maul.
Breakdown: Attempt to be aggressive at the breakdown. Look to get men to the breakdown quickly and clear out so Sean O'Brien and Liam Gill can attack the ball
Defence: Blitz Defence looking to really put pressure on the Tigers decision makers. Wiggles to sweep in behind.
Attack: Our half backs will control our rugby. Wigglesworth and Hodgson can play what they see and put the rest of the back line in strong positions. Lealifano can act as an extra playmaker from the 12. We have strong runners who can get over the gainline throughout the side with a very dynamic pack and a big back line. The likes of Faumuania, Romano, Hibbard, Healy and SOB will try and wear down defences by looking for gaps. The likes of Wade, North and Cave will be looking for gaps created that they can exploit. Look to play with a high tempo and get the ball moving across the back line. Look for chances to offload.
Kicking: Lealifano will be our chosen place kicker. Any kicks will not be aimed towards their back three. We will chuck in the occasional grabber to chase. If we are enjoying a significant lineout advantage then we will look for touch. Goode, LLF, Wiggles and Hodgson all have the boots necessary
Substitutes: Our subs will look to keep a high tempo.
Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka
| 01. Gethin Jenkins | 09. Kahn Fotuali'i |
| 02. Stephen Moore (c) | 10. Freddie Burns (k) |
| 03. Paul Doran-Jones | |
| 04. Nathan Hines | 11. Alex Cuthbert |
| 05. Pascal Pape | 12. Billy Twelvetrees |
| 06. Steve Mafi | 13. Mathieu Bastareaud |
| 07. Jacques Burger | 14. Drew Mitchell |
| 08. Tom Johnson | 15. Mike Brown |
Tactics:
In wet conditions we will play sensibly and use the power and strength of our side to get us over the gainline.
- Attack at all scrums with our huge pack - Moore and Jenkins to look to really get into the opposition, backed up by two hugely powerful second rowers in Hines and Pape. Lots of scrums in wet weather and an area we will look to target if winning.
- Attack at all lineouts. Use Hines or Pape at the front and Mafi off the top as our three key options.
Shortened lineouts with Burger in midfield as crash or decoy option.
- Put serious pressure on Hibbard's throws with Hines at the front on all Bath throws.
- Gigantic XV made up of massive line-breakers, used in the tight to tire down the Bath defence. The likes of Basteraud, Burger, Hines, Moore, Cuthbert and Mafi to be used to get us over the gainline. Add to that the likes of Tolofua, Banahan and Ranger off the bench.
- Target the breakdown - huge emphasis on our work at the breakdown today and we will always look to turnover possession. With Burger, and Jenkins and Basteraud, we feel our breakdown play could be crucial today.
- No overly ambitious passing - In wet conditions we will either look to kick to gain territory or look to keep ball in hand and take it through the middle.
- In rain we will target Hodgson all game with Burger and Mafi breathing down his neck at every opportunity. Big runners through his channel - looking to win the Burns vs Hodgson contest.
- 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.
- Burns to kick all penalties.
Newcastle Falcons v Northampton Saints
Location - Kingston Park
Light Rain, 15 Degrees, 6mph NE Winds
Newcastle FalconsManager – Driver
| 01. Matt Mullen | 09. Dave Lewis |
| 02. Rory Best (c) | 10. Owen Farrell (K) |
| 03. Luc Dolcanon | |
| 04. Brad Thorn | 11. Charles Pitatau |
| 05. Geoff Parling | 12. Brad Barritt |
| 06. Dave Ewers | 13. John Davies |
| 07. Will Fraser | 14. Charlie Sharples |
| 08. Immanol Hari | 15. Rob Miller |
16.George McGuigan 17.Soana Tonga'uhia 18.Scott Wilson 19.Yoaan Maestri 20.Chris Henry 21.Nathan Fowles 22.Andy Goode 23.Jamie Elliot
Tactics:
Simple possession based game plan based around securing our own ball , being clinical with it , kicking accurately and a high work rate in defence.
We'll look to in attack kick the leather off the ball and drill Saints back into there own 22 and pressure the throw through Parling and Hari. We feel that this is the best way to beat Saints. Drilling the ball into the corner and sucking the life out of the game and fustrating they're game plan. We'll look to take advantage of plenty of muscle in our pack with our back row in great form and a good scrummaging front 5. Ewers , Thorn and Best will look to get they're hands on the ball as much as possible and carry at Saints.
Defence;
Flood the field with defenders and pressure the Saint's 9 and 10 channel and look to shut down Saints fluency. At the defensive ruck we'll look to only commit one or two defenders and look to steal the ball there and then. Will Fraser is given the job of hackling Gareth Davies and becoming a thorn in his side. Standing at the tail of the lineout to pressure he's pass and stop outside breaks. Ewers , Thorn , Parling , Hari , Luc and Mullen will look to smash there man back in the contact setting a aggresive tone. Davies and Barritt will look to blitz the Saints midfield and smash them back soon as they hit them. Tactical tackling is enfored by us wrapping players up to prevent the offload at times. Lewis to operate the sweep
Faz to kick all penalties and drop for goals.
Northampton SaintsManager – Dammit_Chris
| 01. Mako Vunipola | 09. Gareth Davies |
| 02. Dylan Hartley (c) | 10. Nick Evans |
| 03. Adam Jones | |
| 04. Joe Launchbury | 11. Vereniki Goneva |
| 05. Courtney Lawes | 12. Weslie Fofana |
| 06. Schalk Burger | 13. Elliot Daly |
| 07. Chris Robshaw | 14. Tommy Bowe |
| 08. Sergio Parisse | 15. Ben Foden |
16. Thomas Domingo 17. Rob Webber 18. Logi Mulipola 19. Jonny Gray 20. Billy Vunipola 21. Joe Simpson 22. George Ford 23. Jordan Williams
Tactics:
Conditions again allow for us to play at a high tempo, where we will look to put pressure on Falcons from the outset with high intensity in attack and defence. We will play with an aggressive defence to force mistakes from the opposition, targeting their young no9 anf get the ball in the hands of our big ball carriers to get us over the gainline and create space outwide. Will aim to finish the final quarter very strongly and unload our bench to add power in the forwards, help pressurise the Wasps set piece and get some more try scorers on the pitch in the form of Simpson, Ford and Williams.
Pack/Setpiece:
Away at Falcons we've opted to start Adam Jones to improve our scrummaging and use this as a platform to launch attacks with Parisse and later Vunipola. Lineout wise we keep with our four main jumpers to give Hartley a variety of options and provide quick off the top ball for our backs. Lawes to pressurise Best's throws and aim to disrupt Falcons set piece ball. Again selected a very mobile pack, with strong ball carriers that will help us to win the possession battle and five full internationnals to call off the bench to finish the game strong.
Attack:
We want to utilise our mobile pack and play at a fast pace to put the Wasps defence under pressure. We will look for Vunipola, Parisse and co in the forwards to get us over the gainline and suck in Falconns defenders, before getting the ball to our strike runners in the backline – Fofana, Bowe, Goneva and Foden. Backthree told to counter attack any loose kicks when opportunities are there. With the ways Falcons set up we've made sure we can win compete well in the kicking game with Daly selected at 13 to give Evans a kicking outlet in midfield to go with Foden.
Breakdown:
We will look to get our pack to the breakdown in numbers to secure our own ball and then look for turnovers whenever possible, with Lawes and Launchbury we have effectively got two additional backrowers – will look to use the Vunipola, Burger and Robshaw to clear Falcons from the breakdown area and distrupt the speed of their attacking play, particularly targeted Fraser.
Defence:
An aggressive defence all across the pitch, have some strong tacklers in the forwards. We will look for quick line speed to put pressure on the Falcon's halfbacks and will make sure our backrow targets the young no9 for Falcons. Davies to sweep behind the defensive line.
Key Points:
* Building some momentum with two BP wins over Gloucester and Wasps
* Look to outscore Falcons on the try front and play a more attacking based game.
* Strong set pieces and pack, which will give us a platform away from home.
* Bench has been selected for impact – all five forwards are internationals and will strengthen the setpiece, while the backs are all creative players who can score tries in the final 20 minutes.
Last edited by SirJohnnyEnglish on Sun 21 Sep 2014, 9:12 pm; edited 6 times in total
SirJohnnyEnglish- Posts : 8536
Join date : 2011-05-10
Age : 36
Location : Limerick
Re: Aviva Premiership Round Three
by dammit_chris Sun 21 Sep 2014, 8:44 pm
Thought you'd got the draw there mate! Really close game, you've made some massive improvements to your team, Mullen, Ewers and Fraser are going to be very good players for you and Davies class signing in your backline.
I may not actually have a team come the 6Nations, need all my points now!
I may not actually have a team come the 6Nations, need all my points now!
dammit_chris- Posts : 8685
Join date : 2011-05-03
Re: Aviva Premiership Round Three
by Fluxy Sun 21 Sep 2014, 9:34 pm
Ah the chiefs winning streak has been ended 
Fluxy- Aviva Premiership Commissioner
- Posts : 12117
Join date : 2011-01-28
Age : 33
Location : Isle of Wight
Re: Aviva Premiership Round Three
by prop_lyd Sun 21 Sep 2014, 9:36 pm
Sorry I didn't get round to predicting the last 2 games, I was going to do it logging on now but see scores have been done.
prop_lyd- Posts : 10387
Join date : 2011-01-28
Age : 36
Location : Rogerstone, Wales
Re: Aviva Premiership Round Three
by ChequeredJersey Mon 22 Sep 2014, 5:06 pm
Well won Johnny
was sure I was set for a LBP with the scores generally pretty close
was sure I was set for a LBP with the scores generally pretty close
ChequeredJersey- Posts : 18707
Join date : 2011-12-23
Age : 35
Location : London, UK
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Similar topics» Aviva Premiership - Round 16
» Aviva Premiership Round Two
» Aviva Premiership - Round 12
» Aviva Premiership Round 4
» Aviva Premiership Round Five (RC)
» Aviva Premiership Round Two
» Aviva Premiership - Round 12
» Aviva Premiership Round 4
» Aviva Premiership Round Five (RC)
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