Season 7 Homepage VI

First topic message reminder :

Breaking News: Saints & Harlequins pick up strong bonus point wins while the battle for top 6 heats up with Gloucester & Saracens good form continuing. 
 

---

 
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.

Budgets up to date 

Nice little piece on Mario Itoje's performance Friday night:
http://www.rugbyworld.com/countries/england-countries/england-saxons-player-analysis-maro-itoje-42517

He looked good mate.

Easter & Cipriani runoured to have made bench. Team likely to be:

Marler
Hartley
Cole
Attwood
Kruis
Haskell
Robshaw
Vuinipola

Youngs
Ford
May
Burrell
Joseph
Watson
Brown

Not a bad line up with lock the glaring weakness. Burrell needs to smarten up his defence.

Yeah I'd be pretty damn happy with that side if Lawes/Launchbury was lining up with Attwood, such bad luck to have the pair of them out

Apparently Easter will be the lock cover on the bench, so we better hope that the starting 2 don't pick up an injury, I don't think it does Easter any favours to play at lock when he's been playing so well at 8

Not bad.

Wales favourites though. Strong favourites

lock cover?

That is staggering if true. Absolutely staggering.

Maybe he's covering both? Possibly going with Easter & Clark? Both can cover lock and add a bit of physicality that Kruis lacks if it goes wrong.

Wales have to be favourites.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:He looked good mate.

Easter & Cipriani runoured to have made bench. Team likely to be:

Marler
Hartley
Cole
Attwood
Kruis
Haskell
Robshaw
Vuinipola

Youngs
Ford
May
Burrell
Joseph
Watson
Brown

Not a bad line up with lock the glaring weakness. Burrell needs to smarten up his defence.

Glad Cole is only up against Jenkins as he has been injured and still not properly tested since being back. Could be a weakness

Centres picked themselves although Burrel not in
Great form. I am ok with locks and the team in general.

Good to see easter and Cips in. They are on form and have experience. Is corbs or
Mako reserve 1?

Not sure, team hasn't officially been published but this is nailed on apparently.

I don't rate Cips at all but the talk of Simpson got me worried so I'm settling for Cipriani and not kicking off too much.

I can't figure out Care's disgarding.

He has undoubtedly put in the best 9 performances in a white Poopie over the last few years now he's just gone.

Here are the players retained.

England squad (25)
Forwards (14)
Dave Attwood (Bath Rugby)
Kieran Brookes (Newcastle Falcons)
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers)
Nick Easter (Harlequins)
Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints)
James Haskell (Wasps)
George Kruis (Saracens)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, captain)
Henry Thomas (Bath Rugby)
Mako Vunipola (Saracens)
Billy Vunipola (Saracens)
Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers)

Backs (11)
Mike Brown (Harlequins)
Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints)
Danny Cipriani (Sale Sharks)
George Ford (Bath Rugby)
Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby)
Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby)
Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs)
Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby)
Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby)
Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens)
Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers)

Care been dropped from match day 23 too in favour of Wigglesworth?

So that breaks down to the bench being Mako , Brookes/Thomas, Youngs, Easter, CROFT?!, Wigglesworth, Cips, Nowell/Watson

Care's dropping and Croft's inclusion are equally baffling.

Croft's there for lineout work and experience I'd imagine - with Parling, Launch, Lawes and Slater not there. Guess a bit of a surprise Kitchener not in - maybe points to England wanting to play a more expansive game too?

Croft was picked in most of the weekend
Papers teams on the bench.

Apparently he has been decent for leicester in last few games and has trained well and offers lineout
And experience. Would
Have thought him and Easter will cover 4 and 5 respectively ?

Thought kitchener was worth a bench spot but Cardiff is no place for a debut in an unfamiliar side

Care not being on the bench is an utter joke

Tom Croft is a sensible pick, played on the biggest stage , hugely experienced at 5 & 6 and could take ball off Wales in the lineout. 

I was thinking that Dan Cole and Tom Croft coming back could see us win 3-4 more turnovers a game as both pretty potent on the deck.

Croft has been poor when I've seen him, looks to have lost a bit of bulk. Always handy to have an extra winger I suppose.

Croft's selection is a joke. He has been poor to average when I've seen him for Leicester. Not going in with a specialist lock on the bench is ridiculous.

Agree Pete, bizarre selection given the form of Kitchener etc.

I imagine we need an 8 given Vuinipolas inability to last a game, but to shoe horn Croft in is bizarre.

Kitchener has been bang in form for Tigers this year, earning plaudits from his partner in the engine room Bard Thorn. I can't understand his ommission at all.

What do you make of Lancaster at the moment Pete?

To be honest, we've always had a competitive pack and Rowntree is an exceptional forwards coach and you'd hope he's been the one picking the team. Croft must be there for his lineout presence if it goes wrong with Attwood and Kruis.

We'll most likely play a percentage game, which relies on the set piece and giving Ford the space to kick into the corners and turn Cuthburt and North.

Agree it is odd for Kitchener to not make the bench - Telegraph saying the backline will be Youngs, Ford, May, Burrell, Joseph, Watson, Brown. So at least we have some Bath links there!

When Lancaster was appointed I think he was the right man at the right time. Standards within the squad had clearly slipped and he was great at putting pride back into the shirt and instilling discipline back into the squad. What he needed to kick on was a better coaching team around him, somebody innovative who could develop the style of play. That for me has not happened. I am genuinely not sure what Andy Farrell and Mike Catt do, or have achieved whilst coaching England. Rowntree's record speaks for itself. England have always had a competitive pack and t's clear to see how he has improved players, but that is not enough if we want to be a top team. I accept we have injuries which are leaving our backline a little light, but irrespective of who plays I want to see an identifiable style. When you watch the AB's, you know what their style is about, likewise Australia and the Boks, and even Wales. Yes they play Gatlandball, and we've all derided it at one time or another, but at least you can see they have a plan. Ours seems to change with the wind, and that will get us nowhere. As a figurehead, I like Lancaster, but as the mastermind behnd the whole thing, I thik he's lacking, and I can't see us winning the World Cup with this coaching team in charge.

England match-day 23 to face Wales

15. Mike Brown (Harlequins, 33 caps)
14. Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, 4 caps)
13. Jonathan Joseph (Bath Rugby, 6 caps)
12. Luther Burrell (Northampton Saints, 7 caps)
11. Jonny May (Gloucester Rugby, 11 caps)
10. George Ford (Bath Rugby, 6 caps)
9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 42 caps)

1. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 26 caps)
2. Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints, 61 caps)
3. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 45 caps)
4. David Attwood (Bath Rugby, 16 caps)
5. George Kruis (Saracens, 4 caps)
6. James Haskell (Wasps, 53 caps)
7. Chris Robshaw (captain, Harlequins, 32 caps)
8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens, 12 caps)

Replacements

16. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 17 caps)
17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 15 caps)
18. Kieran Brookes (Newcastle Falcons, 6 caps)
19. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers, 38 caps)
20. Nick Easter (Harlequins, 47 caps)
21. Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens, 16 caps)
22. Danny Cipriani (Sale Sharks, 9 caps)
23. Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester Rugby, 16 caps)

If we have a back 3 injury, we are screwed

A top backs/attack coach is needed.

I do like SL and his theory of bringing through youth, it's just the backs really. Kitchener is a very good line out op, I'm unsure how Croft would provide a better option, especially against Wales who are poor there. Croft adds little outside the line out imo, bar an extra player out wide.

Agree with you Pete, was amazed Catt was appointed when they could have got Alex King, haven't seen one game apart from the NZ game a few years back where we had a good attacking strucure in place.

Hoping the selection in the backs shows a little more attacking intent in our selection and hoping we can get our wingers involved and spread the ball and Welsh defence. Croft selection seems to point that we could be more expansive. Only 2 years too late if that's the style we want!

If we can going for the line out though, I don't understand why Kitchener isn't selected. I read somewhere that he is the top line out taker this season. Perhaps it experience, but I'm a keen believer in that if you're good enough, experience doesn't necessarily make much of a difference.

Pete pretty much agree with your assessment of Lancaster, he just hasn't surrounded himself with coaches in all facets.
You compare us to the ABs (as they are #1 in the world) they execute the basics to the highest ability in most areas which allows them to be creative and successful. We perhaps have the right direction up front, but lack the proper guidance in our backs to utilise the power and quality up front.

Making a debut in Cardiff is tough so can see why kitchener not picked. I have seen players freeze in Cardiff. It is truly incredible the atmosphere for england games. Can't wait although expect we will lose.

Twelvetrees bench is a mystery one. Again probably due to experience. Joseph/Cips is covering back 3 in case of Injury.

Mas dropped then? Good to see Slimani finally get the nod. Didn't realise Parra had been called into the squad either. That backline is mighty impressive although Kockott has some form issues.

Mas has really struggled the last couple of season, has 1 good game and 4 bad ones. He's not the force he once was in the scrum and offers little in the loose.

Slimani is the future, he Mas 10 years ago, I wish I hadn't have sold him as he'll be the best TH in world in time.

I'll eat my hat if Slimani is ever the best tighthead in the world.

I'll have to swap Mas out of my fantasy team.

You not reckon Pete? Very impressive scrummager and still a pup, I really rate him.

He's decent, and has time on his side, but has looked at times a bit lazy to me.

I think he'll come good but time will tell, doesn't often take a back step in the set piece which I like. Ric who I had previously is having a good season too, seems to be having a bit of a breakthrough season.

To be fair Adam Jones was the same once over and he went on to become one of the best 3s in the world.

Atonio excites me much more than Slimani.

JJ goes to wing in case of back 3.

Jones spent most of his career being a passenger but when the hit was in not many could touch him in the scrum, fantastic TH over the years.

Jones was never rated until 2009.

The Lions tour made the English more aware but he was a top prop before that. I can't remember when it was but remember him getting his act together and really improving after a stint out.

Slimani looks lazy to me.


Be interested to see what side france pick for the big games. Slimani looks lazy to
Me as well pete and never impressed me. They have good impact props from the bench. Their whole bench looks capable of really adding to a game

Both kockott and basteraud way out of form.

Also surprised Kayser being dropped. Guirado is a poor hooker with darts and been demolished in scrums. Great in the loose though.

If you were not starting mas no point in having him on bench as he ain't the greatest in the loose. Mas has destroyed Toulon toulouse and quite a few other front rows this year.

Good to see Menini get a start been the only decent Toulon prop this year.

Can't wait for all the weekend games. Love the 6n

Mas has had 1 or 2 good games, been hammered in other games I've seen, he's massively on the decline. He should be phased out with some good young props coming through.

Here is a great article re stats http://www.theguardian.com/technology/datablog/2015/feb/04/-sp-data-analysis-sport-use-of-statistics?CMP=twt_gu

Etzebeth misses the start of another Super season, Jesus that lad is injury prone.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2015/02/03/etzebeth-s-super-rugby-injury-jinx-strikes-again

Falcons announce major signing in morning

Major signing or just a signing? Lol

Can't even guess tbh, I hope it's a LH.

Who was it?

Apparently Campagnaro is off to Exeter, great signing that one

Slade, Hill, Campagnaro midfield going forward sounds a bit tasty

BamBam wrote:Who was it?

Apparently Campagnaro is off to Exeter, great signing that one

Slade, Hill, Campagnaro midfield going forward sounds a bit tasty

Campagnaro is pretty near world class 13. Certainly would be the best 13 in prem.

I signed him as 16year old on here and then released him. 3 months later he was an absolute star

Be interesting to see how he goes in the AP, not sure he's near WC but he's a real talent.