Season 7 Homepage V

First topic message reminder :

Breaking News: London Irish pull off the bottom of the table with win against inform Chiefs, Sale pick up bonus point win against league leaders while the gap between 4th and 5th widens following Quins win. 
 

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Welcome to Season 7 of the Aviva Premiership fantasy rugby game.  Below are the rules of the game which must be adhered to.  If there are any situations that arise in the course of the game which are not covered by the rules, a final decision will be made by the RFU (SJE) as to how the situation will be resolved.
 
 

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

Be aware that all tier one international matches which are played during the season will count in the game, and players selected in the match day 23's for those matches will not be eligible to play for their clubs on that weekend, therefore you must give due consideration to the make-up of your squad.

Academy Rules wrote:
Each team will be allowed to have an academy squad of 20 players.  Players who are in the academy must be born on or after 1st September 1992. 

Any player, who is at any Premiership club in real life, either in their senior, academy or AASE squads, can be bid for on the domestic bidding page. Players who are at your own club in real life and are coming through the academy system must be bid for if you want them in your own academy.

Transfers wrote:

• Domestic (other AP Teams)
  Each team has a budget to use in the purchase of players. Domestic transfers between AP clubs, regardless of nationality of player, should be negotiated between the respective managers, and then confirmed on the Domestic Transfer Confirmation Page.
  
• Domestic (Championship and below)
  Each team may during the season purchase no more than 5 players from the Championship or the National Leagues. These players must be bid for on the National League Bidding page, and each bid will be considered by me on its own merits before being accepted or rejected.  No bid will be accepted until a minimum of 24 hours has elapsed from the time the bid was made, in order to afford other managers the opportunity to make a counter bid.
  
• Foreign
  To make a foreign transfer (i.e. from any club outside of the AP, regardless of whether the player is English) a bid should be made on the Foreign Transfers Page, which will be considered by me against the posted guidelines for purchase prices before being accepted or rejected. No bid will be accepted until a minimum of 24 hours has elapsed from the time the bid was made, in order to afford other managers the opportunity to make a counter bid.
  
  There will be a summer foreign transfer window, which will run as follows.
  
  Open Window
  
  Open transfer window, teams have unlimited bids provided they have the financial resources to cover them.  Teams may only bid for one player at a time.
  
  The window will open from the 9th of June but only to those sides that finish 8th and below at first. They will have a week to make one signing each before the window is open to all.     
  

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

Compensation will be paid as follows

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

All released players will be deemed to have joined a Championship side and can be bid for on the National League Bidding page.

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

Fixtures wrote:
There will be 22 Aviva Premiership games per season, plus the play offs. There will also be European Rugby Champions Cup, European Rugby Challenge Cup and Anglo Welsh Cup matches.  These games will take place once a week. A match thread will be put up every Monday. Home teams must be named by midnight on Tuesday. Away teams must be named by midnight on Wednesday. Failure to meet these deadlines is punishable by the addition of three match points to the oppositions final score, unless both sides fail to do so. Both teams must provide tactics by midnight on Thursday. Predictions will be open from 00:01 hours on Friday and remain open until 15:00 hours on Sunday. Managers will post the scores that they think will happen from these games (apart from games in which they are involved).  An average of all predictions will be taken, and then 0.5 points added to each teams score for each prediction that had them as the winner, and that will then be the final score.

Managers are asked to provide detail as to why they have predicted a result.  To be considered a descriptive prediction this must be a full 3 lines long when entered into the text box. 

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

In addition, each team must have the following:-

For domestic competition at least 8 England qualified players in your match day 23, and at least 4 of those must be in your starting XV.

For European competition at least 8 England qualified players in your match day 23, and at least 6 of those must be in your starting XV.

At least 2 props and 1 hooker on the bench.

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

Failure to comply with these rules will result in a 1 league point deduction.

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

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

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

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

Punishment for fielding an ineligible player will be loss of one match point.

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

£2m for descriptive predictions 
£0.25m for scores on the doors predictions
If you fail to predict without first advising me that you are unable to do so that week, you will be fined £1m for a first offence, £2m for a second offence, £3m for a third offence etc upto a maximum of £5m per fine.

AP finishing positions.

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

Heineken Cup

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

Amlin Challenge Cup

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

Anglo-Welsh Cup

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


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

He doesn't seem that quick Sinoti. In sale game Leota gassed him acc he isn't all that quick!

Looks handy though. Who's closest after him?

Would like to see Nathan Hughes' stats in comparison to those wingers as well - reckon he might be up there somewhere, human wrecking ball!!!

Sinoti for me has been best wing in AP this year, immense stats playing in a bottom 3 side. Reminds me of tagicakibau in his prime when he was one of best wingers in europe. Both have an ability to break tackles with ease.

He's quick off the mark Steve and extremley powerful, I've seen him knock locks down with hand offs.

Hughes has the 3rd highest defenders beaten in the AP with 30 and has made 527m, better stats than most back 3 players which is impressive.

Wade is next up with 29 defenders beaten and 535m, not bad seen as he's been injured.

stnick88 wrote:Sinoti for me has been best wing in AP this year, immense stats playing in a bottom 3 side. Reminds me of tagicakibau in his prime when he was one of best wingers in europe. Both have an ability to break tackles with ease.

Hey up Nick! Long time.

Yea he's immemse, not George North immemse but he's so hard to defend I just don't think other wingers come close (bar North who world class). Imagine Sinoti for a team like Saints and the good ball the wingers get.

How many games have each of those wings played ?

is that comparing apples with apples

Stats only give half the
Tale of anything.

For example Northampton Quins where All Quins stats were higher and you would have thought it was massacre in Quins favour where the reality was very different.

Nick you are right he is like tackinbau. Always breaks the first tackle. A bit of a beast

I think May and Sinoti have 11 starts.

I only check stats after I form an opinion. Sinoti's has been incredible this season and his stats back this up. I wasn't aware he was so far ahead of May etc. Sinoti certainly had X factor, hopefully we can tie him down for another few season.

Hard to argue against him being the form wing in the AP although I'd swap him for North.

I check up on this page every now and again pooly see whats going on. I see not much has changed!

May also been quality and has an x factor like sinoti but different in that he is quicker and finds the space. Sinoti just beasts through regardless of space! For me may and watson should be starting wings v wales. Yarde has not reproduced irish form for quins. Luckily lewington is filling that void for us. Shame about the rest of the team bar a few.

Good win today though, I didn't think you'd turn them over and get the TBP

That was the best we've played all season. We actually played ball in hand, offloaded and kept the ball alive. If it wasn't for missing 3 of the 4 conversions and giving away some daft penalties we would have been out of sight. If we play like that for the rest of the season I'll be happy.

Only just seen that result pete. Exeter having a wobble with 3 consecutive defeats. Read that Irish looked really dangerous ball in hand

Cracking win, keeps the bottom of the table interesting, hopefully we can catch a few teams up.

I hope Exeter, as much as I like them and their coaches and players, keep up this poor form for a few more weeks. After we beat them I am happy for them to get back to their best

Ball in hand we were really good, have no idea where it came from to be honest, as our handling has been appalling all season.  There just seemed to have been a real shift in mindset and we didn't aimlessly kick the ball away.  There was still loads to work on, our lineout at times was all over the place, and we gave away some really stupid penalties.  Fenby and Lewington both had nightmares under the high ball, but fortunately for the most part our scrum went really, so their knock ons didn't actually cost us.  Fenby's tactical kicking from full back was also well off and put us in trouble a couple of times.  Both tries we gave up were a bit soft as well, fringe defence let us down, although it was good for most of the match.  Just gutted we haven't shown the intetn we did yesterday for the past 3 months, as if we had we'd be looking a lot healthier in the table.

Exeter weren't terrible, in fact their pack played pretty well, but their backs looked well short of confidence. Hill was anonymous and their backs struggled a bit to get over the gainline. The one time they got in behind through Matt jess, he looked like a rabbit in the headlights and rather than just pinning his ears back and going, knowing that a team mate would be on his shoulder, he hesitated and that chance was lost.

We are close to announcing Ben Franks signing which is a good bit of business. Him and tom court give us good options.

Good prop Nick, bit of an odd signing seen as you have Court.

Court is getting on though and are back up LH is Matt Parr who isnt quite good enough. Court has been decent enough this season but Franks a step up. We could do with a quality lock to partner skiv and a quality backrower to go with cowan and trev. Narraway and guest have disappointed so far although guest was good yday. Also will need a new FB as homer is off to bath where he will be lucky to make the bench.

Aren't you guys in talks with Joe Trayfoot from Quins, he looks quite handy and could probably develop nicely with your lads.

yeh apparently so. Kieran low is off so trayfoot is an upgraded replacement really. Hope it happens he has been good for quins recently.

I'm told Trayfoot is a done deal.

Really tight real life mid table at the moment, spots 4 and even 3 totally up for grabs.

Trayfoot a really good player, gutted to be losing him, I'd rather keep him than Wallace

He looks solid, in the Easter mould almost. Would be a decent pick up on this league, if I had a bid left!

Is he still up for grabs?

Sorry with the new job rotation I am struggling to do much on this site other than post teams, fairly generic tactics and put in score predictions

He is mate

Table and budgets up to date 

Back to bottom. Sad times

Wasps steaming up that table!

Not looking forward to the 6Nations...

Trayfoot is available CJ - been really impressed with Clifford as well, Quins have such a good academy.

Clifford has been ace the last few games, he's a different type of player to Trayfoot but both have te traditional handling skills.

Watched the full match vs Leicester now and very happy, our England players all had a good game, everyone was pretty good at worst, Lowe looking a better 12 than JTH (not saying much this season) and Easter keeps turning back the clock. Pooly, I'm convinced he's been faster the last 2 seasons than when he played for England, apparently he lost weight to make sure Conor wouldn't move him to the second row permanently!

Top 4 is looking pretty settled

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Top 4 is looking pretty settled

In this league or real life?

Saxons team to play Wolfhounds

1.Mako Vunipola
2.Ross Batty
3.Scott Wilson
4.Elliot Stooke
5.George Kruis (C)
6.Dave Ewers
7.Will Fraser
8.Mark Wilson

9.Chris Cook
10.Danny Cipriani
11.Charlie Sharples
12.Henry Slade
13.Sam Burgess
14.Christian Wade
15.Jack Nowell

Is that confirmed Driver? Seems a bit early, there's still 2 rounds of European games before that game

Like the look to that pack!

Think that pack could struggle a bit, but if it clicks that is an exciting back row, and a backline that will either backfire spectacularly or be impossible to stop

It's what i would go for.

I can't believe they are serious shouts for Thomas Waldrom and Nick Easter to be in the squad.

To be fair with Easter he is in good form. 

But you would either start him (with Billy or Waldrom, now that Morgan is injured) or not have him in the squad at all.

Ah ok. I reckon its hard to know without seeing the full squad, they don't take anyone from the 6N squad do they, I reckon someone like Mako has a good chance of being in there. Wouldn't mind seeing Waller/Auterac in the Saxons at loosehead, pretty well stocked there!

That back line has a lot of responsibility on Slade and Cipriani. I imagine it has been done purposely to see if they could potentially translate that organisation skills eventually to full international level .

Driver wrote:It's what i would go for.

I can't believe they are serious shouts for Thomas Waldrom and Nick Easter to be in the squad.

It's their domestic form, added to losing Morgan and Billy V struggling this season. It would be agaisnt any development though

That's my point , you'd be picking them for 5 games. 

Mark Wilson has been as good as the pair of them just at a less fasionable club

In walks Steffon Armitage...

Driver wrote:That's my point , you'd be picking them for 5 games. 

Mark Wilson has been as good as the pair of them just at a less fasionable club

I'm not sure I'd quite agree with that, think Waldrom and Easter have been easily the 2 best 8s at AP level this season, but I'd agree it's probably better to blood unless something happens to Vunipola too.

Not sure I'd have Scott Wilson and Stooke starting, their form doesn't warrant inclusion imo.

Can't argue with that backline though, Cook/Robson a close call.

Cook has been quality this year , keeping Meat trombone soloist young out.

Yea Cook has been very good. Robson has been impressive in his few starts though, I'd have them pretty level.

Seem to be in a position where we have 4/5 options in each position England wise now which is better than i ever remember it.

There's some good scrum halfs coming through past the best 4 of Youngs, Care, Dickson, Wigglesworth who are pretty nailed on.

Cook, Robson are quality youngsters coming through and there's also Simpson (heaven forbid) if we get desperate!

Meat trombone soloist?!