Aviva Premiership Round Fifteen

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Newcastle Falcons v London Wasps
Location - Kingston Park
White Cloud, 6 Degrees, 9mph W Winds

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Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Bambam

01. Matt Mullan	09. Nick Phipps
02. Dane Coles	10. Owen Farrell (k)
03. Carl Hayman
04. Ed Slater	11. Charles Piutau
05. Juandre Kruger	12. Jean De Villiers
06. David Ewers	13. Matt Hopper
07. Richie McCaw	14. Ben Smith
08. Kieran Read (c)	15. Gareth Anscombe

:-
16.George McGuigan 17.Soana Tongahuia 18.Charlie Faumuina 19. Geoff Parling 20. Will Fraser 21.Dave Lewis 22. Luke Marshall 23. David Strettle

We've picked a side to play for territory and get us into the right areas, plenty of kicking options throughout the backline and some hard carriers to keep us moving forwards.

Scrum - Look to put the pressure on with our props, look to challenge Youngs in the scrum with Coles and Hayman looking to force him to pop up. If no weakness then use as a restart

Lineout - Kruger to lead, excellent options in Slater and Read to mix it up and look for good quality ball off the top to send JDV into the 10 channel off first phase. We think we can challenge Youngs throwing by putting Kruger up at the front to make him go long, then have our other jumpers challenging. Look to prevent them using the maul where possible and look to flood through on Smith to prevent him from box kicking

Breakdown - Picked a back row of physical breakdown specialists, we want them to work as a unit and try and get us turnovers in opposing territory. First man in to blow Coetzee off the ball and the second in to secure it for us. On their ball, Read is licenced to stay out of rucks until he thinks there is a turnover on, then go in to secure it. The work rate round the park of the likes of Coles and the second row will allow us to do this.

Kicking - We're focusing on the kicking game today, our back 3 all have played full back at varying levels, and all are very good kickers of the ball. Look to pin the ball back behind Yarde specifically, and Piutau is lining up on that wing to chase down and challenge him in the air. If he wins in the air, the other chasers to be used to prevent him going back to the other outright kicking options, we want Yarde to have to kick. We want to win the territory battle today, keep them in their own half and maintain a strong defence a la England last week to restrict their options

Attack - Anscombe and Farrell to act as dual distributors when we are on the front foot in their half, keep the defensive line guessing which way we are going to go, and Phipps has licence to snipe whenever he thinks it is on. Ben Smith to step into the line at first receiver at times to take the line on when faced with forwards. In the forwards, big ball carriers throughout the side, Read is free to attack the wider channels as he chooses, particularly after JDV crashes into the 10-12 channel off first phase. Ewers and Slater to lead our carrying game around the fringes.

Defence - No weak links in the back line, nothing is going through our 10-12 channel allowing the back row to roam for turnovers.

Bench - Ball carrying front 5 forwards to look to drive home an advantage, Fraser gives us the option of dual 7s late on, and we have some outright pace and finishing ability to bring on if we are chasing the game

Key points


- Use JDV to target 10-12 channel off first phase
- Use the kicking game to pin Wasps back
- Dual 10s either side of the ruck with Farrell and Anscombe to split the defence
- Good form, we're on a good run, only 1 loss in our last 6 and are at home

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Wasps
Manager: Ozzy3213    

01. Paul James	09. Aaron Smith
02. Tom Youngs	10. Aaron Cruden
03. David Wilson
04. Romain Millo-Chluski	11. Bryan Habana
05. Sebastien Vahaamahina	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. Jerome Kaino	13. Henry Slade
07. Marcell Coetzee	14. Marland Yarde
08. Duane Vermeulen	15. Delon Armitage

16. Bismarck du Plessis 17. Scott Sio 18. Fraser Balmain 19. Matt Symons 20. Steffon Armitage 21. Sebastien Tillous-Borde 22. Paul Jordaan 23. Tim Nanai-Williams


Basic Game Plan
In good conditions we will be looking to play a possession based game, going through the phases and continually shifting the point of attack.  When deep in our half we won't take chances with offloading, but will make ground carrying close to the ruck and recycling quickly, or using the boots of Cruden, Slade and Armitage to take us up the field.

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

Specifics

• Lineout.  Nothing flash. Hit our front and middle jumpers and ensure that we secure our ball.  We will also mix it up, shortening the lineout and using our back row as crash ball options off the top.  On Falcons ball put pressure on through Vahaamahina and Vermeulen, who are athletic lineout jumpers.
  
• Scrum.  Get low and underneath their props and drive straight.  Really test their props technical abilities rather than get in to a battle of strength.
  
• 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 also utilise the pick and go, keeping their defensive line on the back foot.  We will then look to shift the direction of play and pull their defenders out of position to create gaps.  Smith to also look to snipe around the fringes and keep us going forwards all the time.  
  
• Tactical Kicking.  If we kick, we will look to kick in behind their wingers and get them on the turn going back towards their own line, with our wingers on the kick chase to really target them defensively.
  

Key Points

• Form/Momentum  In game we have hit great form form post AI's and have loads of momentum coming into the game.  We also have players in form in real life right across the team.
  
• Lineout.  Whilst we don't have a Matfield or POC type leader, we have a fully international pack and in Vermeulen a player who has called for club and country.  We may not be able target oppo ball as well as some, we certainly have enough to secure our own ball 90%+ of the time.
  
• Decision making positions.  In the 8,9,10 jerseys we have world class operators, who bring with them over 150 test caps for the best two teams in world rugby, meaning they have played in all conditions and seen whatever situations the game brings.
  
• Ability to switch gameplan.  Whilst we want to play a possession game, away from home we realise we may at times have to play for territory, so have selected Slade at 13 for his kicking game and ability to step in at 1st receiver and mix things up.
  

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Sale Sharks v Saracens
Location - AJ Bell Stadium
Light Rain Shower, 6 Degrees, 9 WNW Winds

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Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Marcos Ayerza	09. Danny Care
02. Benjamin Kayser	10. Beauden Barrett
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. Brodie Retalick	11. Willie Le Roux
05. Iain Henderson	12. Francois Steyn
06. Steven Luatua	13. George Pisi
07. Matt Kvesic	14. Semesa Rokoduguni
08. Louis Picamoles	15. Nick Abendanon

Subs:
16. Ross Harrison 17. David Paice 18. Martin Moore 19. Will Skelton 20. Matt Garvey 21. Kieran Marmion 22. Johnny Sexton 23. Kyle Eastmond

We will play a structured but high intensity carrying game looking to get over the gain line and create space in the wider channels. Mobility & physicality 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. Barrett 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. Both will look to always keep the pace high.

- 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 & Barrett. 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 Kvesic fetching for the ball, supported by the rest of the pack when needed. We will always look to compete at the ruck.

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Saracens
Manager – Pooly

01. Alex Waller	09. Francois Hougaard
02. Jamie George	10. Bernard Foley
03. Tom Francis
04. Brad Davies	11. Juan Imhoff
05. Sam Carter	12. Tom Taylor
06. Callum Clark	13. Marcelo Bosch
07. Heinrich Brussow	14. Zak Guildford
08. Nathan Hughes	15. Matt Tait

:-
16. Keven Mealamu 17. Xavier Chiocci 18. Paul Hill19. Pierre 20. Brad Shields 21. Henry Taylor 22. Fekitoa 23. Miles Benjamin

Tactics:

TARGET SCRUM Look to target throughout with strong options on bench. If weakness seen look to take scrum from free kick options and put pressure on opposition props.

BIG RUNNERS DOWN HALFBACK CHANNEL Target from the off. Get Hughes, SBW running down this channel.

General - 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 TH and Hooker will look to target LH and try to get between him and Hooker to allow LH to work on TH 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 a chance to slow down/steal ball. Put pressure on SH's basics and force him into errors, Shields the expert here. 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 runners on his shoulder. Huge carrying backrow to get us over the gain line after front 5 set a platform. Midfield to run angles off the 9/10, allowing us gain line breakers. Look to keep opposition guessing with clever lines through midfield. Wingers will look to track the midfield combo and get the end of SBW's offloads in contact. Back 3 to keep things honest and come looking for work.

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Bath v Northampton Saints
Location - Recreation Grounds
Light Rain Shower, 8 Degrees, 13 W Winds

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Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Richard Barrington	09. Fourie Du Preez
02. Mike Haywood	10. Nicholas Sanchez
03. Ben Tameifuma
04. Graham Kitchener	11. Damian De Allende
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Christian Lealifano
06. Siya Kolisi	13. Michele Campagnaro
07. Liam Gill	14. George North
08. Liam Messam	15. Alex  Goode

16. Tom Dunn 17. James Slipper 18. Scott Wilson 19. Luke Romano 20. Justin Tipuric 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Christian Wade 23. Kurtley Beale

Overall: We are gonna be looking to play front foot rugby. Look to overwhelm Saints in the loose with big carries. High tempo offloading game looking to create space and break the defense. Attack the set piece. Try to neutralise the opposition early on and get the crowd behind us.

Scrum: Look to dominate the set piece and use it to restart our game plan. Our props have been well rotated so will be fresh. 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 Kitch, Messam, Kolisi and Whitelock options in the lineout. Whitelock will run the lineout with Kitch offering an easy banker ball. Look to get up into the air quickly and down for a quick maul. Look to compete on the opposition throw as we have a great number of options. Try and starve them of quality ball from the lineout.

Breakdown: Look to generate quick ball for our backs to take advantage of. Send numbers in to try and disrupt the ball, potentially getting the turnover.

Defence: Blitz Defence looking to really put pressure on the Saints decision makers. Try to stop the ball from getting to the centres. Win the collision and drive through rucks. FDP to sweep in behind.

Attack: Our half backs will control our rugby. FDP knows how to control a tempo and will play what he sees. Sanchez will look to play flat and involve the back line whenever possible. Look to get the ball in the hands of our dangerous backs. We have natural finishers all over. Goode/LLF/Sanchez can all play first receiver and will rotate in order to keep tempo up and look to play expansively. Look for strong carries from the pack - which has big line breakers - tying in defenders to create overlaps for the backs. Get Big Ben, Barrington, Kolisi, Kitchener and Messam all with their hands on the ball. North, De Allende and Campagnaro look to exploit gaps left. Throughout them team look to Keep the ball alive and look for offloads. Look to play with a high tempo and get the ball moving across the back line.

Kicking: Sanchez will be our chosen place kicker. Any kicks will not be aimed towards Imhoff. We will chuck in the occasional grabber to chase. LLF, Goode and Sanchez all have the boots necessary to try and put us in a good position territorially if need be.

Substitutes: Our subs will look to keep a high tempo. An experienced prop combo can really make a difference in scrum. Romano and Tipuric will look to be making a difference across the park and at the lineout. Wiggles will control tempo. Wade is a game changer while Beale has the playmaking ability to change a game late on.

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Northampton Saints
Manager – Dammit_Chris

01. Thomas Domingo	09. Joe Simpson
02. Rob Webber (c)	10. Nick Evans (k)
03. Ramiro Herrera
04. Lood de Jager	11. Julian Savea
05. Courtney Lawes	12. Matt Giteau
06. Schalk Burger	13. Elliot Daly
07. David Pocock	14. Napaloni Nalaga
08. Samo Manoa	15. Ben Foden

Subs: 16. Elliott Dees 17. Trevor Nyakane 18. Logi Mulipola 19. Joe Launchbury 20. Sam Jones 21. Cobus Reinarch 22. Sam Burgess 23. Veriniki Goneva

Tactics: We've picked a strong, physical forward pack and will be looking to cause Bath problems at both setpieces, with Lawes and Manoa at the lineout and we've picked a very powerful scrummaging unit. We will play at a high intensity and adopt a very physical approach - aim to win the gainline battle and play in the right area with strong kicking games of Simpson, Evans, Giteau and Daly.

Key Points:
* Target set piece, strong scrummaging unit to pressurise Bath scrum, place Messam under pressure at base of scrum
* Strong lineout options, use Lawes and Manoa to put Bath throw under pressure.
* Concentrate on winning the gain line battle and getting our big ball carriers putting us on the front foot.
* Win territory battle with kicking game of Simpson, Evans, Giteau and Daly.
* Going fly half hunting with Lawes and Manoa to put the no10 under pressure, target the no10 channel with big runners too.
* Strong impact bench we've had to finish extremely strongly.

Pack/Setpiece:We've picked a really strong scummaging unit that will look to create a platform for Manoa to attack from. We also want to force penalties and put Messam under pressure at the base of the Bath scrum. Have de Jager, Lawes, Manoa and Pocock as lineout option and Lawes to distrupt Bath's lineout. Powerful forward pack for the away trip.

Attack:We will look at Evans and Giteau to pull the strings of our attacking game, we've selected Daly to add extra creativity to bring the backthree into the game. Will bring our strike runners in both the pack and backline and ensuring we win the collisions and gain line battle. We will look to our power game to make hard yards and will target the no10 channel.

Breakdown: We are looking to win the gainline battle and get forward momentum into the breakdown area, Pocock did v well against Gill at the weekend and having Burger, Manoa and Lawes in our pack will allow us to make this a v physical battle where we will go looking for turnovers. With the experience in the pack we will also aim to slow down Bath attacking ball.  

Defence:As always a really aggressive defence with fast line speed and closing down the Irish halfbacks. We want to force them into mistakes and handling errors. We will have Simpson sweep in behind the defensive line but will have Manoa and Lawes lining up a big hits.

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Gloucester v London Welsh
Location - Kingsholm
Light Rain Shower, 8 Degrees, 11 W Winds

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Gloucester
Manager – anonmattyt

01. beast	09. Robson
02. Gray	10. Cips
03. Mas
04. etzbeth	11. Gear
05. taoifeuifina	12. Toomua
06. Croft	13. Kurindrani
07. Salvi	14. Folau
08. Heaslip	15. Dagg

Subs:
16 Wood 17 Strauss 18 Ousthuizen 19 Robson 20 Alberts 21 Perenara 22 Burns 23 Walker


Glos are at home and targetting a BP
Win to allow us to kick on with our ascent up the league.

We will be aiming to play at tempo and score tries

TARGET BREAKDOWN– We have a big mobile physically strong bunch and will hit rucks with impact.
We will Send numbers in and try and effect turnovers or Disrupt ball.we believe the likes of beast  heaslip Etzbeth croft  Salvi Have the physicality and the power to swamp their backrow.Backed by our front 5 and this is an area we will flood. We
Will look to target the welsh Backrow throughout.

TARGET 9 10 channel- Get our big runners in to the channel and look to get in behind. We also want pressure here in defence with Welsh 9/10 rusty

Scrum- look to get a wheel to release Heaslip off the back. On their ball Mas Will be targetting Catt.

Lineout - with 5 jumpers we will look to threaten there ball on every throw.
With our own we will vary where we throw it to and look to mix the drive and off the top.

General - our forwards will be looking to get on front foot throughout with out abrasive ball carriers.
When it is on we will look to offload to try and get in behind.

Backs- with the expected platform we have our backs
Are there to exploit it.

We have pace and power all over and in Toomua and Kurindrani the 2 form centres in world rugby. We will look to vary our play probe for
Gaps. When needed we have hard runners and have wingers who will look for work.

As the game breaks up we will be running back more ball
And looking to up the tempo and use quick throw ins etc.

In defenxe we will blitz hard with 9 sweeping.

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London Welsh
Manager – CJ

01. Nathan Catt	09. Thierry Lacrampe
02. Dave Ward	10. Francois Trinh-Duc(K)
03. BJ Botha
04. Jamie Cudmore	11. Jesse Mogg
05. Setaliki Timani	12. Kyle Godwin
06. Ashley Johnson	13. George Lowe
07. John Barclay (c)	14. Nemani Nadolo
08. Victor Vito	15. Chris Pennell

:-
16.  Matt Rees 17. Yannick Forestier 18. Sepoke Kepu    19.   George Skivington   20.  Carl Fearns  21. Ben Spencer  22. Rob Horne 23. Mark Cueto

Tactics:

Breakdown- 2 fetchers chasing the ball to ensure someone is there to slow/speed at every ruck supported by rest of the pack without overcommitting.

Attack- keep slow ball in the pack, mauling and moving the ball about in drives to tire the opposition pack and using pops onto our big carriers in the pack.

Spin quicker ball out to FTH standing flat, attacking in two waves with 10, 12 and 15 switching up playmaking duties. Keep ball moving with offloads and quick breakdown work, and look to move focus of attack to create gaps for inside runners or wings on outside.

Defence- blitz led by Lowe, with backrow harrying their 9 and 10.

Scrum- get ball out quickly and attack off backrow

Lineouts- mix up the options, and compete on every opposition throw

Kicking- taking any points on offer, run back kicks where possible, and kick high for possession with vicious chase. Go hard for penalties in breakdown etc in their 22 but be conservative in our own half

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Harlequins v Exeter Chiefs
Location - Twickenham Stoop
Light Rain Shower, 8 Degrees, 11 SW Winds

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Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

01. Tony Woodcock	09. Ruan Pienaar
02. Tatafu Polota-Nau	10. Steven Myler (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Joe Tomane
05. Charlie Matthews	12. Stuart Olding
06. Tom Wood	13. Jan Serfontein
07. Michael Hooper (c)	14. Jack Nowell
08. Mamuka Gorgodze	15. Juan Martin Hernandez

16. Rob Buchanan 17. Gurthro Steenkamp 18. Kieran Brookes 19. Pieter Steph Du Toit 20. Nick Easter 21. Karl Dickson 22. Quade Cooper 23. Teddy Thomas

Tactics

- Use carriers to get across the gain line and recycle quick ball. Carrying off 9, 10 and 12. Looking for back row to carry in wider channels.

- Attack spaces. Try to isolate defenders and target the weak shoulder.  

- Pienaar and Myler to control the tempo and field position throughout the game. Look to secure territorial advantage throughout using their boots along with Olding and JMH. Play in the right areas.

- Look to control the set piece. Use the line out drive and off the top ball to keep Exeter guessing. Use Gorgodze and Hooper as carriers in the midfield.  
- Out to in defence lead by Jan Serfontein. Look to compete at every breakdown where we haven't lost the collision. Especially in the wide channels.

- Look to remain disciplined in attack and defence. No easy get outs for Exeter.

- Take all points on offer.

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Exeter Chiefs

Manager – Fluxy

01. Cian Healy	09. Nic White
02. Dimitri Szarzewski	10. Toby Flood
03. Davit Kubriashvili
04. Patrick Tuipulotu	11. Maxime Medard
05. Michael Paterson	12. Brad Barritt
06. Yannick Nyanga	13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
07. Luke Wallace	14. Cory Jane
08. Fritz Lee	15. James O'Connor

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16. Jack Yeandle 17. Wyatt Crockett 18. Jake Cooper-Wooley 19. Tomas Lavanini 20. Joe Edwards 21. Chris Cook 22. Camille Lopez 23. Jamie Elliott

Tactics

Game plane based around a patient build up of momentum, by gaining field position in the opposition half or using forwards to tie in defenders from around the opposition ten metre mark to create gaps out wide.
When we gain possession our plan is to control attack with quick clean ball be it from set piece or turnover. After that look to control the pace of the game and go through the phases. Flood will look to play flat and look to get our back line into the game when inside opposition half.
Big point is to match them man for man, in our style of play. Looking to control the ball for periods will result in frustrating the Quins side giving away penalties for us to capitalise on.

Build a Score

JOC to take on kicking at goal responsibilities. 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.

Pack & Breakdown

Look for strong carries from our pack, tying in the opposition defence to create overlaps for our backs. We’ll be looking to keep the ball alive and look for the offload when on. 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.

Territory - play in the right areas of the pitch.

We have a number of strong kickers in our back line, in our half backs and our back three, and we will look to use their ability to peg Quins back and force them to play from their own half. This won't mean we will kick the skin off the ball all game, but look to put kicks in behind their back three.

Set piece

Control the set piece and use it to restart our game plan and create point of attacks. Paterson to marshal the line-out and get quick ball from our dynamic jumpers. Big emphasis on controlling set piece possession, pressuring Tatafu Polota-Nau at both line-out and scrum time. Paterson will get up at the front to steal any loose throws and make Botha have to loop or beat him at the front creating slow and messy ball.

Defence

Look to neutralise the opposition early on and allow our back-row to dominate affairs. Using the defensive banana drift defence to push the attackers towards our inside defence, with White sweeping in behind to guide defenders to plug holes and covers any kicks in behind

Attack

When in opposition half we will look to get the ball into the hands of our back three and AAC, when they are in space. We will look to kick chase any ball from deep, however if it is on our dangerous back three have the licence to cut free. Otherwise we will rely on our forwards running through phases to tie in defenders and to create overlaps.

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London Irish v Leicester Tigers
Location - Madejski Stadium
Light Rain Shower, 8 Degrees, 12 WSW Winds

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London Irish
Manager – Prop

01. Ben Franks	09. Lee Dickson
02. Ross Batty	10. Jules Plisson
03. Henry Thomas
04. Tom Savage (c)	11. Nick Cummins
05. Jacques Potgeiter	12. Alapati Leuia
06. Kelly Brown	13. Conrad Smith
07. Scott Higginbotham	14. Horatio Agulla
08. Jackson Wray	15. Brice Dulin

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16. Ken Owens 17. Tom Court 18. Will Collier 19. Stuart Hooper 20. Will Welch 21. Neil De Kock 22. Luke McAlister 23. Adam Thompstone

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. Scrummage low and straight. Our lineout’s with Savage, Potgeiter and all backrow able to jump. We will look to target their props but if no parity then use for quick restart.

Breakdown: We will look to slow down their ball by committing players, if they have quick ball we will leave it but will look for turnovers and we  have Brown and Higginbotham both able to do this and target their breakdown.

Half Backs: Plisson will stand flat initially to give Leuia and our runners the chance to get over the gainline. Dickson will control the tempo and slow the ball down if needed.

Attack: Go direct and look to draw two players to commit the tackle before getting quick ball, we have a mobile pack who will look to run off   the backs and round the corner keeping Tigers guessing. Use the centre pairing to pull the strings with players who know each other well and international quality out wide.

Bench: Impact in all areas with Owens, Court and Collier bringing scrum impact Mumm and Welch strong carriers and to attack the breakdown, De Kock experienced and McAlister bringing another kicking game.

Defence: Strong defenders across the park will look at making the intiial big impact hit. We also know how good the Saints centres are so will look to prevent tem offloading the ball by double tackling them. We will look to blitz with Higginbotham in their 10’s face letting Plisson drop back and cover with Dulin. Inside-out defence.

Overall: Controlled performance. 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 target their pack out wide. We know Tigers are strong up front but will look to slow down their ball and nullify their backrow

Can I have feedback on the new style of tactics please

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Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Kahn Fotuali'i
02. Agustin Creevy	10. Freddie Burns (k)
03. Owen Franks
04. Nathan Hines (c)	11. Rene Ranger
05. Victor Matfield	12. Dan Bowden
06. JMF Lobbe	13. Tamati Ellison
07. Francois Louw	14. Drew Mitchell
08. Thomas Waldrom	15. Mike Brown

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16. Stephen Moore 17. Max Lahiff 18. Census Johnston 19. Kearnan Myall 20. Jacques Burger 21. Micky Young 22. Billy Twelvetrees 23. Jaco Taute


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 - Creevy, Franks and Corbs to look to really get into the opposition. Lots of scrums in wet weather and an area we will look to target if winning.

- Attack at all lineouts. Use Matfield as our banker ball, but also any of Hines, Lobbe or Louw to mix it up if needs be.
Shortened lineouts with Waldrom in midfield as crash or decoy option.

- Put serious pressure on Batty's throws with Hines at the front and Matfield looking to steal on all Irish throws.

- Gigantic XV made up of massive line-breakers, used in the tight to tire down the Irish defence. The likes of Waldrom, Louw, Hines, Creevy, Lobbe and Ranger to be used to get us over the gainline. Add to that the likes of Moore and Burger off the bench.

- Target the breakdown - huge emphasis on our work at the breakdown today and we will always look to turnover possession. With Louw and Lobbe, 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 the rain we will target Plisson all game with Louw and Lobbe breathing down his neck at every opportunity.

- 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.
[hr[

Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Richard Barrington	09. Fourie Du Preez
02. Mike Haywood	10. Nicholas Sanchez
03. Ben Tameifuma
04. Graham Kitchener	11. Damian De Allende
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Christian Lealifano
06. Siya Kolisi	13. Michele Campagnaro
07. Liam Gill	14. George North
08. Liam Messam	15. Alex  Goode

16. Tom Dunn 17. James Slipper 18. Scott Wilson 19. Luke Romano 20. Justin Tipuric 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Christian Wade 23. Kurtley Beale

Chiefs name their preliminary side to face Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop this coming weekend. After Cian Healy made his comeback for Ireland in the win over France at the weekend in the Six Nations, Joe Schmidt asked Director of Rugby Fluxy, to allow Healy to start to gain some more gain time before their big clash with England in two weeks time. The only other changes that Flux has been made for this away trip is the reselection of Georgian prop Davit Kubbriashvili, from injury. In the backs Brad Barritt continues his return from injury and French international Maxime Medard returns to the Chiefs back three for a chance to impress French selectors ahead of their game against Wales with Teddy Thomas being a potential doubt for the French. 


Exeter Chiefs 

Manager – Fluxy

01. Cian Healy	09. Nic White
02. Dimitri Szarzewski	10. Toby Flood
03. Davit Kubriashvili
04. Patrick Tuipulotu	11. Maxime Medard
05. Michael Paterson	12. Brad Barritt
06. Yannick Nyanga	13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
07. Luke Wallace	14. Cory Jane
08. Fritz Lee	15. James O'Connor

_
16. Jack Yeandle 17. Wyatt Crockett 18. Jake Cooper-Wooley 19. Tomas Lavanini 20. Joe Edwards 21. Chris Cook 22. Camille Lopez 23. Jamie Elliott

Tactics
 
Game plane based around a patient build up of momentum, by gaining field position in the opposition half or using forwards to tie in defenders from around the opposition ten metre mark to create gaps out wide. 
When we gain possession our plan is to control attack with quick clean ball be it from set piece or turnover. After that look to control the pace of the game and go through the phases. Flood will look to play flat and look to get our back line into the game when inside opposition half.
Big point is to match them man for man, in our style of play. Looking to control the ball for periods will result in frustrating the Quins side giving away penalties for us to capitalise on. 
 
Build a Score 
 
JOC to take on kicking at goal responsibilities. 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.

Pack & Breakdown 
 
Look for strong carries from our pack, tying in the opposition defence to create overlaps for our backs. We’ll be looking to keep the ball alive and look for the offload when on. 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.

Territory - play in the right areas of the pitch.

We have a number of strong kickers in our back line, in our half backs and our back three, and we will look to use their ability to peg Quins back and force them to play from their own half. This won't mean we will kick the skin off the ball all game, but look to put kicks in behind their back three.
 
Set piece
 
Control the set piece and use it to restart our game plan and create point of attacks. Paterson to marshal the line-out and get quick ball from our dynamic jumpers. Big emphasis on controlling set piece possession, pressuring Tatafu Polota-Nau at both line-out and scrum time. Paterson will get up at the front to steal any loose throws and make Botha have to loop or beat him at the front creating slow and messy ball. 

Defence 
 
Look to neutralise the opposition early on and allow our back-row to dominate affairs. Using the defensive banana drift defence to push the attackers towards our inside defence, with White sweeping in behind to guide defenders to plug holes and covers any kicks in behind
 
Attack

When in opposition half we will look to get the ball into the hands of our back three and AAC, when they are in space. We will look to kick chase any ball from deep, however if it is on our dangerous back three have the licence to cut free. Otherwise we will rely on our forwards running through phases to tie in defenders and to create overlaps. 

 Northampton Saints
Manager – Dammit_Chris

01. Thomas Domingo	09. Joe Simpson
02. Rob Webber (c)	10. Nick Evans (k)
03. Ramiro Herrera
04. Lood de Jager	11. Julian Savea
05. Courtney Lawes	12. Matt Giteau
06. Schalk Burger	13. Elliot Daly
07. David Pocock	14. Napaloni Nalaga
08. Samo Manoa	15. Ben Foden

Subs: 16. Elliott Dees 17. Trevor Nyakane 18. Logi Mulipola 19. Joe Launchbury 20. Sam Jones 21. Cobus Reinarch 22. Sam Burgess 23. Veriniki Goneva

Tactics: We've picked a strong, physical forward pack and will be looking to cause Bath problems at both setpieces, with Lawes and Manoa at the lineout and we've picked a very powerful scrummaging unit. We will play at a high intensity and adopt a very physical approach - aim to win the gainline battle and play in the right area with strong kicking games of Simpson, Evans, Giteau and Daly.

Key Points:
* Target set piece, strong scrummaging unit to pressurise Bath scrum, place Messam under pressure at base of scrum
* Strong lineout options, use Lawes and Manoa to put Bath throw under pressure.
* Concentrate on winning the gain line battle and getting our big ball carriers putting us on the front foot.
* Win territory battle with kicking game of Simpson, Evans, Giteau and Daly.
* Going fly half hunting with Lawes and Manoa to put the no10 under pressure, target the no10 channel with big runners too.
* Strong impact bench we've had to finish extremely strongly.

Pack/Setpiece:We've picked a really strong scummaging unit that will look to create a platform for Manoa to attack from. We also want to force penalties and put Messam under pressure at the base of the Bath scrum. Have de Jager, Lawes, Manoa and Pocock as lineout option and Lawes to distrupt Bath's lineout. Powerful forward pack for the away trip.

Attack:We will look at Evans and Giteau to pull the strings of our attacking game, we've selected Daly to add extra creativity to bring the backthree into the game. Will bring our strike runners in both the pack and backline and ensuring we win the collisions and gain line battle. We will look to our power game to make hard yards and will target the no10 channel.

Breakdown: We are looking to win the gainline battle and get forward momentum into the breakdown area, Pocock did v well against Gill at the weekend and having Burger, Manoa and Lawes in our pack will allow us to make this a v physical battle where we will go looking for turnovers. With the experience in the pack we will also aim to slow down Bath attacking ball.

Defence:As always a really aggressive defence with fast line speed and closing down the Irish halfbacks. We want to force them into mistakes and handling errors. We will have Simpson sweep in behind the defensive line but will have Manoa and Lawes lining up a big hits.

Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

01. Tony Woodcock	09. Ruan Pienaar
02. Tatafu Polota-Nau	10. Steven Myler (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Joe Tomane
05. Charlie Matthews	12. Stuart Olding
06. Tom Wood	13. Jan Serfontein
07. Michael Hooper (c)	14. Jack Nowell
08. Mamuka Gorgodze	15. Juan Martin Hernandez

16. Rob Buchanan 17. Gurthro Steenkamp 18. Kieran Brookes 19. Pieter Steph Du Toit 20. Nick Easter 21. Karl Dickson 22. Quade Cooper 23. Teddy Thomas

Tactics

- Use carriers to get across the gain line and recycle quick ball. Carrying off 9, 10 and 12. Looking for back row to carry in wider channels.

- Attack spaces. Try to isolate defenders and target the weak shoulder.

- Pienaar and Myler to control the tempo and field position throughout the game. Look to secure territorial advantage throughout using their boots along with Olding and JMH. Play in the right areas.

- Look to control the set piece. Use the line out drive and off the top ball to keep Exeter guessing. Use Gorgodze and Hooper as carriers in the midfield.  
- Out to in defence lead by Jan Serfontein. Look to compete at every breakdown where we haven't lost the collision. Especially in the wide channels.

- Look to remain disciplined in attack and defence. No easy get outs for Exeter.

- Take all points on offer.

Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Bambam

01. Matt Mullan	09. Nick Phipps
02. Dane Coles	10. Owen Farrell (k)
03. Carl Hayman
04. Ed Slater	11. Charles Piutau
05. Juandre Kruger	12. Jean De Villiers
06. David Ewers	13. Matt Hopper
07. Richie McCaw	14. Ben Smith
08. Kieran Read (c)	15. Gareth Anscombe

:-
16.George McGuigan 17.Soana Tongahuia 18.Charlie Faumuina 19. Geoff Parling 20. Will Fraser 21.Dave Lewis 22. Luke Marshall 23. David Strettle

We've picked a side to play for territory and get us into the right areas, plenty of kicking options throughout the backline and some hard carriers to keep us moving forwards.

Scrum - Look to put the pressure on with our props, look to challenge Youngs in the scrum with Coles and Hayman looking to force him to pop up. If no weakness then use as a restart

Lineout - Kruger to lead, excellent options in Slater and Read to mix it up and look for good quality ball off the top to send JDV into the 10 channel off first phase. We think we can challenge Youngs throwing by putting Kruger up at the front to make him go long, then have our other jumpers challenging. Look to prevent them using the maul where possible and look to flood through on Smith to prevent him from box kicking

Breakdown - Picked a back row of physical breakdown specialists, we want them to work as a unit and try and get us turnovers in opposing territory. First man in to blow Coetzee off the ball and the second in to secure it for us. On their ball, Read is licenced to stay out of rucks until he thinks there is a turnover on, then go in to secure it. The work rate round the park of the likes of Coles and the second row will allow us to do this.

Kicking - We're focusing on the kicking game today, our back 3 all have played full back at varying levels, and all are very good kickers of the ball. Look to pin the ball back behind Yarde specifically, and Piutau is lining up on that wing to chase down and challenge him in the air. If he wins in the air, the other chasers to be used to prevent him going back to the other outright kicking options, we want Yarde to have to kick. We want to win the territory battle today, keep them in their own half and maintain a strong defence a la England last week to restrict their options

Attack - Anscombe and Farrell to act as dual distributors when we are on the front foot in their half, keep the defensive line guessing which way we are going to go, and Phipps has licence to snipe whenever he thinks it is on. Ben Smith to step into the line at first receiver at times to take the line on when faced with forwards. In the forwards, big ball carriers throughout the side, Read is free to attack the wider channels as he chooses, particularly after JDV crashes into the 10-12 channel off first phase. Ewers and Slater to lead our carrying game around the fringes.

Defence - No weak links in the back line, nothing is going through our 10-12 channel allowing the back row to roam for turnovers.

Bench - Ball carrying front 5 forwards to look to drive home an advantage, Fraser gives us the option of dual 7s late on, and we have some outright pace and finishing ability to bring on if we are chasing the game

Key points

- Use JDV to target 10-12 channel off first phase
- Use the kicking game to pin Wasps back
- Dual 10s either side of the ruck with Farrell and Anscombe to split the defence
- Good form, we're on a good run, only 1 loss in our last 6 and are at home

Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Kahn Fotuali'i
02. Agustin Creevy	10. Freddie Burns (k)
03. Owen Franks
04. Nathan Hines (c)	11. Rene Ranger
05. Victor Matfield	12. Dan Bowden
06. JMF Lobbe	13. Tamati Ellison
07. Francois Louw	14. Drew Mitchell
08. Thomas Waldrom	15. Mike Brown

.
16. Stephen Moore 17. Max Lahiff 18. Census Johnston 19. Kearnan Myall 20. Jacques Burger 21. Micky Young 22. Billy Twelvetrees 23. Jaco Taute


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 - Creevy, Franks and Corbs to look to really get into the opposition. Lots of scrums in wet weather and an area we will look to target if winning.

- Attack at all lineouts. Use Matfield as our banker ball, but also any of Hines, Lobbe or Louw to mix it up if needs be.
Shortened lineouts with Waldrom in midfield as crash or decoy option.

- Put serious pressure on Batty's throws with Hines at the front and Matfield looking to steal on all Irish throws.

- Gigantic XV made up of massive line-breakers, used in the tight to tire down the Irish defence. The likes of Waldrom, Louw, Hines, Creevy, Lobbe and Ranger to be used to get us over the gainline. Add to that the likes of Moore and Burger off the bench.

- Target the breakdown - huge emphasis on our work at the breakdown today and we will always look to turnover possession. With Louw and Lobbe, 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 the rain we will target Plisson all game with Louw and Lobbe breathing down his neck at every opportunity.

- 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.Tactics:

Conditions added.

Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Marcos Ayerza	09. Danny Care
02. Benjamin Kayser	10. Beauden Barrett
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. Brodie Retalick	11. Willie Le Roux
05. Iain Henderson	12. Francois Steyn
06. Steven Luatua	13. George Pisi
07. Matt Kvesic	14. Semesa Rokoduguni
08. Louis Picamoles	15. Nick Abendanon

Subs:
16. Ross Harrison 17. David Paice 18. Martin Moore 19. Will Skelton 20. Matt Garvey 21. Kieran Marmion 22. Johnny Sexton 23. Kyle Eastmond

We will play a structured but high intensity carrying game looking to get over the gain line and create space in the wider channels. Mobility & physicality 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. Barrett 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. Both will look to always keep the pace high.

- 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 & Barrett. 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 Kvesic fetching for the ball, supported by the rest of the pack when needed. We will always look to compete at the ruck.

 London Welsh
Manager – CJ

01. Nathan Catt	09. Thierry Lacrampe
02. Dave Ward	10. Francois Trinh-Duc(K)
03. BJ Botha
04. Jamie Cudmore	11. Jesse Mogg
05. Setaliki Timani	12. Kyle Godwin
06. Ashley Johnson	13. George Lowe
07. John Barclay (c)	14. Nemani Nadolo
08. Victor Vito	15. Chris Pennell

:-
16.  Matt Rees 17. Yannick Forestier 18. Sepoke Kepu    19.   George Skivington   20.  Carl Fearns  21. Ben Spencer  22. Rob Horne 23. Mark Cueto

Tactics:

Breakdown- 2 fetchers chasing the ball to ensure someone is there to slow/speed at every ruck supported by rest of the pack without overcommitting.

Attack- keep slow ball in the pack, mauling and moving the ball about in drives to tire the opposition pack and using pops onto our big carriers in the pack.

Spin quicker ball out to FTH standing flat, attacking in two waves with 10, 12 and 15 switching up playmaking duties. Keep ball moving with offloads and quick breakdown work, and look to move focus of attack to create gaps for inside runners or wings on outside.

Defence- blitz led by Lowe, with backrow harrying their 9 and 10.

Scrum- get ball out quickly and attack off backrow

Lineouts- mix up the options, and compete on every opposition throw

Kicking- taking any points on offer, run back kicks where possible, and kick high for possession with vicious chase. Go hard for penalties in breakdown etc in their 22 but be conservative in our own half

Mark

 London Irish
Manager – Prop

01. Ben Franks	09. Lee Dickson
02. Ross Batty	10. Jules Plisson
03. Henry Thomas
04. Tom Savage (c)	11. Nick Cummins
05. Jacques Potgeiter	12. Alapati Leuia
06. Kelly Brown	13. Conrad Smith
07. Scott Higginbotham	14. Horatio Agulla
08. Jackson Wray	15. Brice Dulin

.
16. Ken Owens 17. Tom Court 18. Will Collier 19. Stuart Hooper 20. Will Welch 21. Neil De Kock 22. Luke McAlister 23. Adam Thompstone

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. Scrummage low and straight. Our lineout’s with Savage, Potgeiter and all backrow able to jump. We will look to target their props but if no parity then use for quick restart.

Breakdown: We will look to slow down their ball by committing players, if they have quick ball we will leave it but will look for turnovers and we have Brown and Higginbotham both able to do this and target their breakdown.

Half Backs: Plisson will stand flat initially to give Leuia and our runners the chance to get over the gainline. Dickson will control the tempo and slow the ball down if needed.

Attack: Go direct and look to draw two players to commit the tackle before getting quick ball, we have a mobile pack who will look to run off the backs and round the corner keeping Tigers guessing. Use the centre pairing to pull the strings with players who know each other well and international quality out wide.

Bench: Impact in all areas with Owens, Court and Collier bringing scrum impact Mumm and Welch strong carriers and to attack the breakdown, De Kock experienced and McAlister bringing another kicking game.

Defence: Strong defenders across the park will look at making the intiial big impact hit. We also know how good the Saints centres are so will look to prevent tem offloading the ball by double tackling them. We will look to blitz with Higginbotham in their 10’s face letting Plisson drop back and cover with Dulin. Inside-out defence.

Overall: Controlled performance. 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 target their pack out wide. We know Tigers are strong up front but will look to slow down their ball and nullify their backrow

Can I have feedback on the new style of tactics please

How is playing guys who have been involved in 6 nations games in an off week generally viewed?

I'd say not to play players who put in 2 shifts. Maybe players who came off bench after half time would be ok

 Gloucester
Manager – anonmattyt

01. beast	09. Robson
02. Gray	10. Cips
03. Mas
04. etzbeth	11. Gear
05. taoifeuifina	12. Toomua
06. Croft	13. Kurindrani
07. Salvi	14. Folau
08. Heaslip	15. Dagg

Subs:
16 Wood 17 Strauss 18 Ousthuizen 19 Robson 20 Alberts 21 Perenara 22 Burns 23 Walker


Glos are at home and targetting a BP
Win to allow us to kick on with our ascent up the league.

We will be aiming to play at tempo and score tries

TARGET BREAKDOWN– We have a big mobile physically strong bunch and will hit rucks with impact.
We will Send numbers in and try and effect turnovers or Disrupt ball.we believe the likes of beast  heaslip Etzbeth croft  Salvi Have the physicality and the power to swamp their backrow.Backed by our front 5 and this is an area we will flood. We
Will look to target the welsh Backrow throughout.

TARGET 9 10 channel- Get our big runners in to the channel and look to get in behind. We also want pressure here in defence with Welsh 9/10 rusty

Scrum- look to get a wheel to release Heaslip off the back. On their ball Mas Will be targetting Catt.

Lineout - with 5 jumpers we will look to threaten there ball on every throw.
With our own we will vary where we throw it to and look to mix the drive and off the top.

General - our forwards will be looking to get on front foot throughout with out abrasive ball carriers.
When it is on we will look to offload to try and get in behind.

Backs- with the expected platform we have our backs
Are there to exploit it.

We have pace and power all over and in Toomua and Kurindrani the 2 form centres in world rugby. We will look to vary our play probe for
Gaps. When needed we have hard runners and have wingers who will look for work.

As the game breaks up we will be running back more ball
And looking to up the tempo and use quick throw ins etc.

In defenxe we will blitz hard with 9 sweeping.

Saracens
Manager – Pooly

01. Alex Waller	09. Francois Hougaard
02. Jamie George	10. Bernard Foley
03. Tom Francis
04. Brad Davies	11. Juan Imhoff
05. Sam Carter	12. Tom Taylor
06. Callum Clark	13. Marcelo Bosch
07. Heinrich Brussow	14. Zak Guildford
08. Nathan Hughes	15. Matt Tait

:-
16. Keven Mealamu 17. Xavier Chiocci 18. Paul Hill19. Pierre 20. Brad Shields 21. Henry Taylor 22. Fekitoa 23. Miles Benjamin

Tactics:

TARGET SCRUM Look to target throughout with strong options on bench. If weakness seen look to take scrum from free kick options and put pressure on opposition props.

BIG RUNNERS DOWN HALFBACK CHANNEL Target from the off. Get Hughes, SBW running down this channel.

General - 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 TH and Hooker will look to target LH and try to get between him and Hooker to allow LH to work on TH 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 a chance to slow down/steal ball. Put pressure on SH's basics and force him into errors, Shields the expert here. 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 runners on his shoulder. Huge carrying backrow to get us over the gain line after front 5 set a platform. Midfield to run angles off the 9/10, allowing us gain line breakers. Look to keep opposition guessing with clever lines through midfield. Wingers will look to track the midfield combo and get the end of SBW's offloads in contact. Back 3 to keep things honest and come looking for work.[/b]

Folks,

I've noticed lately the length of tactics has begun to creep up again. Its not written in the rules but we had agreed to use a circa 500 words limit previously. Can we all try to keep to this please?

What's mine Johnny?

Your ok at 384

You had me worried there

Wasps
Manager: Ozzy3213    

01. Paul James	09. Aaron Smith
02. Tom Youngs	10. Aaron Cruden
03. David Wilson
04. Romain Millo-Chluski	11. Bryan Habana
05. Sebastien Vahaamahina	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. Jerome Kaino	13. Henry Slade
07. Marcell Coetzee	14. Marland Yarde
08. Duane Vermeulen	15. Delon Armitage

16. Bismarck du Plessis 17. Scott Sio 18. Fraser Balmain 19. Matt Symons 20. Steffon Armitage 21. Sebastien Tillous-Borde 22. Paul Jordaan 23. Tim Nanai-Williams


Basic Game Plan
In good conditions we will be looking to play a possession based game, going through the phases and continually shifting the point of attack.  When deep in our half we won't take chances with offloading, but will make ground carrying close to the ruck and recycling quickly, or using the boots of Cruden, Slade and Armitage to take us up the field.

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

Specifics 

• Lineout.  Nothing flash. Hit our front and middle jumpers and ensure that we secure our ball.  We will also mix it up, shortening the lineout and using our back row as crash ball options off the top.  On Falcons ball put pressure on through Vahaamahina and Vermeulen, who are athletic lineout jumpers.
  
• Scrum.  Get low and underneath their props and drive straight.  Really test their props technical abilities rather than get in to a battle of strength.
  
• 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 also utilise the pick and go, keeping their defensive line on the back foot.  We will then look to shift the direction of play and pull their defenders out of position to create gaps.  Smith to also look to snipe around the fringes and keep us going forwards all the time.  
  
• Tactical Kicking.  If we kick, we will look to kick in behind their wingers and get them on the turn going back towards their own line, with our wingers on the kick chase to really target them defensively.
  

Key Points 

• Form/Momentum  In game we have hit great form form post AI's and have loads of momentum coming into the game.  We also have players in form in real life right across the team.
  
• Lineout.  Whilst we don't have a Matfield or POC type leader, we have a fully international pack and in Vermeulen a player who has called for club and country.  We may not be able target oppo ball as well as some, we certainly have enough to secure our own ball 90%+ of the time.
  
• Decision making positions.  In the 8,9,10 jerseys we have world class operators, who bring with them over 150 test caps for the best two teams in world rugby, meaning they have played in all conditions and seen whatever situations the game brings.
  
• Ability to switch gameplan.  Whilst we want to play a possession game, away from home we realise we may at times have to play for territory, so have selected Slade at 13 for his kicking game and ability to step in at 1st receiver and mix things up.
  

Struggling for time this evening. Will get tactics in early tomorrow morning if that's ok?

Can I get my tictacs in early tomorrow morning as well please SJE/Steve?

Likewise sorry Ozzy

Tactics added.

Just working on tictacs at the moment!

Done

Overall: We are gonna be looking to play front foot rugby. Look to overwhelm Saints in the loose with big carries. High tempo offloading game looking to create space and break the defense. Attack the set piece. Try to neutralise the opposition early on and get the crowd behind us.

Scrum: Look to dominate the set piece and use it to restart our game plan. Our props have been well rotated so will be fresh. 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 Kitch, Messam, Kolisi and Whitelock options in the lineout. Whitelock will run the lineout with Kitch offering an easy banker ball. Look to get up into the air quickly and down for a quick maul. Look to compete on the opposition throw as we have a great number of options. Try and starve them of quality ball from the lineout.

Breakdown: Look to generate quick ball for our backs to take advantage of. Send numbers in to try and disrupt the ball, potentially getting the turnover.

Defence: Blitz Defence looking to really put pressure on the Saints decision makers. Try to stop the ball from getting to the centres. Win the collision and drive through rucks. FDP to sweep in behind.

Attack: Our half backs will control our rugby. FDP knows how to control a tempo and will play what he sees. Sanchez will look to play flat and involve the back line whenever possible. Look to get the ball in the hands of our dangerous backs. We have natural finishers all over. Goode/LLF/Sanchez can all play first receiver and will rotate in order to keep tempo up and look to play expansively. Look for strong carries from the pack - which has big line breakers - tying in defenders to create overlaps for the backs. Get Big Ben, Barrington, Kolisi, Kitchener and Messam all with their hands on the ball. North, De Allende and Campagnaro look to exploit gaps left. Throughout them team look to Keep the ball alive and look for offloads. Look to play with a high tempo and get the ball moving across the back line.

Kicking: Sanchez will be our chosen place kicker. Any kicks will not be aimed towards Imhoff. We will chuck in the occasional grabber to chase. LLF, Goode and Sanchez all have the boots necessary to try and put us in a good position territorially if need be.

Substitutes: Our subs will look to keep a high tempo. An experienced prop combo can really make a difference in scrum. Romano and Tipuric will look to be making a difference across the park and at the lineout. Wiggles will control tempo. Wade is a game changer while Beale has the playmaking ability to change a game late on.

Sale 27 - 24 Saracens

Sale take the scrum, and maybe just the lineout too but its a pretty tight call. Henderson has been involved in both Ireland games, and takes a slight hit but I still think the work rate of him and Retallick will give Sale the edge at breakdown time. Sale stronger in the half backs, but rest of the outside backs are pretty even. Sale bench stronger too and enough to take the win at home

Bath 23-24 Saints

Herrera gives Saints the edge at scrum time, but think both Bath props will struggle. Evens in the lineout, but think Saints have a good advantage around the park with the carrying from the back row as well as Pocock to steal. Think Bath need a real 8. Halfbacks pretty even, and Bath very slight edge in the outside backs, probably the two best sets in the league. The bench makes the difference here, and gives Saints the narrowest of away wins

Gloucester 26-21 London Welsh

Set piece is very even, tough to split the sides here but Croft probably gives a narrow edge in the lineout to Glos. Round the park it will be a great battle between the packs, both looking very tough at breakdown time and offer plenty ball in hand too. Cips form gives the advantage in the halfbacks to Glos, and the Glos outside backs look lethal. That coupled with a strong bench gives Glos a good win at home

Quins 26 - 22 Exeter

Tough to split at the scrum, and both should do fine on their own ball in the lineout. I think Quins have the edge at the breakdown, although Chiefs do a good job here too and will win turnovers. HBs as a whole to Quins, and I also think they'll shade the outside backs, although like the look of Chiefs too. Benches both pretty even, but at home Quins take this one for me

London Irish 17 - 19 Leicester

Big power up front for Leicester as always and think they'll do well in the scrum and have some strong options in the lineout too. Round the park, the big Leicester pack is always a threat, I think Irish back row is a bit unbalanced, I think of all these guys as tacklers first and they maybe lack a bit of breakdown nous and carrying, Tigers well balanced and will have a good advantage. In the backs its pretty even as a whole, Irish centres stronger but prefer Leicester back 3. Benches both solid, but the pack advantage gives Leicester the win on the road

Falcons 23 - 24 Wasps

Sale 27 - 26 Sarries

Bath 24 - 24 Saints

Quins 22 - 21 Exeter

Irish 20 - 21 Tigers

Falcons 23-24 Wasps
Bath 21-20 Saints
Harlequins 22-21 Exeter
Irish 25-26 Leicester

Newcastle 23 - 22 Wasps
Sale 21 - 20 Saracens
Bath 19 - 18 Saints
Gloucester 22 - 21 London Welsh
London Irish 24 - 23 Leicester

Newcastle Falcons 22 - 23 London Wasps
Two really even teams - Falcons have a really strong pack and there are some areas they can cause Wasps some real issues (lineout especially). But the area that sways it for me is that Falcons look set to kick far more ball in their tactics and in conditions that are really suited to attacking rugby it will just give Wasps a bit more of the ball and with the attacking threats Wasps have this just sways it.

Sale Sharks 23 - 21 Saracens
If SBW and Fek had started in the centres then this could have been the second away win of the week as they both offer a lot of class behind the Sarries backline and see Sarries edging the back row battle with the form of Hughes and Clark. The Sale scrum is a little too strong for Sarries to target as per their tactics and not sure they have enough big ball carriers in backline, but the form of a lot of the players is starting to show now - Ashton having a great season.

Gloucester 27 - 24 London Welsh
Mat's team massively improved during the 6Nations and with that starting lineup they are probably the team you want to avoid. In conditions Welsh can stiffle the Gloucester flow of the game with their tactics but just see Gloucester as having advantage in set piece and the gainline battle.

Harlequins 19 - 17 Exeter Chiefs
For me one of the closest games of the round, the conditions will really suit the power of the Chiefs defence, especially in the midfield and can see this being quite a low scorer. Two even packs, but I think the key battle is the battle of the no7s and Quins can really get the upper hand there as Hooper is arguably best in the world in that position.

London Irish 16 - 18 Leicester Tigers
Tigers pack comes into its own when the weather comes down and they have too much power for most packs in the league. Prefer the Irish backline and they can still play some rugby as it is light rain but can see Tigers getting more ball and getting a good away win here.

Prop new style of tactics really easy to read and quick to read, so definitely would keep with them.

Newcastle 24-25 Wasps
Prefer the Newcastle front five. Some of the best back rowers on the planet and Ewers is a tad overwhelmed. The NZ half back combo is the best in the world. Prefer the Wasps centres and Newcastle back three. Wasps have a better bench to bring on but Newcastle

Sale 28-22 Sarries
Sale forwards overall have the advantage. Ayerza, Retallick and Picclemoles stand outs. Half backs edge to Sale but not much in the outside backs.

Gloucester 31-24 Worcester
Bit of an edge for Gloucester in the forwards although not a particularly huge edge. One each in half backs but probably Gloucester a better overall unit. They have the better outside backs as well

Quins 25-23 Exeter
Tiny edge in front row to Exeter, a fully firing Healy will be huge. Better second row combo from Quins. Quins back row is scary, a little bit of everything. 1 each in the half backs but overall edge to Quins. Both outside backs are solid, slight edge to Exeter.

Irish 19-23 Tigers
Tigers have the stronger front five. Leicester have a bit more balance over the back row. The Tigers half backs have a bit more about them. The outside backs go to Irish.

Falcons 22-24 Wasps
Feel it could be quite even in set piece with a good back row battle. Feel Wasps edge half backs and centres giving their outside  backs good ball. Both teams looking for tactical kicking and think Wasps will get the advantage here.

Sale 25-22 Sarries
Stronger up front for Sale with good form coming into play here. Not a lot in the half backs and outside that. Sale bit stronger bench. Don't think Sarries will get the joy at the scrum but will have the strong carriers, Sale's defence will be strong and they'll take advantage of  loose ball today.

Bath 22-21 Saints
Tough game to call this. Feel Saints could get an edge at scrum with lineout even. Feel Bath can just edge the backrow but Pocock is coming back well. Bit more to Bath at  halfbacks. Outwide I think Saints are a bit stronger. Bath will control the game well but Saints do have the stronger carriers. Going to have to go, like SirJ, on the home advantage.

Glos 24-20 Welsh
Edge to Glos up front but Welsh fielding a good wet weather pack which will make it closer. One a piece at half backs and think Glos have that extra skill and power outwide. Welsh good pack replacements but Glos dangerous off the bench in the backs. Both looking to use the hands in wet conditions and think  Glos have the edge here despite the breakdown battle which will be a complete mess and could be a bit of a leveller for Welsh.

Quins 25-24
Pretty even in the set piece. Quins take the backrow with one of my favourite partnerships on show here! Think Hooper  will disrupt enough Chiefs ball. Good controlling half backs from both on show today. Defensive centres to Chiefs but Quins have more attacking threat. Bath 3 and benches even. Both teams looking for tactical territory today and I can see this cancelling each other out. Breakdown battle goes to Quins and they sneak a good win.

Falcons 23 - 24 Wasps

Sale 29 - 28 Sarries

Bath 25 - 26 Saints

Quins 22 - 21 Exeter

Gloucester 22 - 21 Welsh

Newcastle Falcons 25 - 24 Wasps

Tough battle up front which the Falcons pack just edges. The Wasps unit in the back row just edges out the Falcons trio around the park. The Wasps halfbacks as unit will control the pace of their game well, but Phipps will control his forwards well to get them going and Farrell with get them in the right places on the pitch. Wasps do have some dangerous backs, but the tactical game played by both, will result in Falcons just edging the game with a back three that for me is great in these conditions and situations to create opportunities for Farrell to kick Falcons to the victory.

Sale Sharks 24 - 21 Saracens

Upfront Sharks will out muscle their relatively inexperienced counterparts and get good go forward for their dangerous halfbacks. Sarries have some dangerous ball carriers to make Sharks work for the result, but in the end the home side win out.

Bath Rugby 18 - 18 Northampton Saints

Saints have a monstrous pack out which are set up well by Chris. Bath have some big stars out, but lack the same firepower! Bath take the backs however and with ball in hand when it comes they can score some good team tries. I can't seperate these sides and have to sit on the fence. 

Gloucester 23 - 21 London Welsh

Gloucester have a massive size pack out, but Welsh have set out a solid and gritty pack that will thrive in the conditions, especially with a fatigued heaslip in from the Irish/french battle in the Six Nations. Gloucester back line does get some good momentum and score some decent tries, and the tenacious Welsh back line will keep the score line close, but won't get the win unfortunately. 

London Irish 26 - 23 Leicester Tigers

Tigers have a strong pack on show and get a good supply of possession from it. Irish has an influential back-row on display and helps them combat the Tigers forwards. The Irish backs however contain more quality that their visiting opposition, with Plisson providing a reliable kicking option and Dickson controlling the pace of the game. Irish at home will just hang on to hold out the strong Tigers forwards.

Newcastle 23-25 wasps

Wasps dominate front 5 and this gives them the platform to win against a strong Newcastle side. Backrow on show fantastic. Slater
And Kruger have a serious
Lack of form

Bath 20-20 saints

Saints streets apart in front row but bath take second row. Backrow shaded to saints with pocock having only played one game a little hard to rate. Saints backrow balance much better

Half backs one a piece with Simpson in sublime form.

Pretty even elsewhere and this equals a draw


Quins 22-18 exeter

Quins take pack battle comfortably which means at home they are comfortable. Need to get at least parity away from home up front. Exeter will not get this

Irish 19-21 leicester

A real ding dong battle but leicester pack get on top and control the game enough to get the win

Ps Fluxy heaslip played 50 minutes vs france and did not play week before against Italy so dont get the fatigue comment in any way.

Personal option mate. Happy to explain once predos are finished for the round but not during.

Posted after predos were closed at 10 as did not want to comment during. Just found it a tad odd

Apologies for no predos again folks, really struggling for time at weekends at the moment.

RESULTS:

Newcastle Falcons 24 (T:2 C:1 P:4)
London Wasps 28 (T:3 C:2 P:3)

Sale Sharks 30 (T:4 C:2 P:2)
Saracens 23 (T:2 C:2 P:3)

Bath 24 (T:2 C:1 P:4)
Northampton Saints 22 (T:1 C:1 P:5)

Gloucester 30 (T:4 C:2 P:2)
London Welsh 22 (T:1 C:1 P:5)

Harlequins 27 (T:3 P:4)
Exeter Chiefs 21 (T:2 C:1 P:3)

London Irish 21 (T:2 C:1 P:3)
Leicester Tigers 25 (T:3 P:2)

RESULTS:
Full: CJB, Fluxy, Matt, Prop, Bam, Chris & SJE
Score: Steve, Luke, Pooly & CJ
Fined: Pete