Aviva Premiership - Round 11

First topic message reminder :

So we reach the halfway point in the Premiership season as the 6 Nations arrives. The next 7 weeks tend to see some surprising results as teams struggle to cope with both a mounting injury list and international call ups.


Fixtures

Fri 5th Feb 16 19:45 Bath Rugby Bath  v   Gloucester Rugby BT Sport

Sat 6th Feb 16 14:00 Harlequins Quins  v   Northampton Saints
Sat 6th Feb 16 14:00 Wasps Wasps  v   Newcastle Falcons
Sat 6th Feb 16 15:00 Leicester Tigers Tigers  v   Sale Sharks

Sun 7th Feb 16 13:00 Exeter Chiefs Chiefs  v   Saracens BT Sport
Sun 7th Feb 16 13:00 London Irish L Irish  v   Worcester Warriors


Match of the Round
This weekends fixture list is bookended by two massive matches, the derby game at the Rec and the relegation 8 pointer at the Madj, however the visit of table topping Sarrries to second placed Exeter takes pride of place. Last season Exeter beat their visitors home AND away, but finished level in the table and ceded the last place in the play-offs to the eventual champions. By such small margins are titles won! Chiefs have a worrisome injury list, while Saracens are missing a lot of key players - so the outcome is anyone's guess. Whoever wins this match will top the table.

Should be easier with some wind in our favour


harsh yellow card

I will never understand why that needs to be a yellow :/

I'm ok with that score, 14-17 to Saints, going in to half time. Kicking for goal or touch or box kicking have been essentially useless as the wind is so strong, I reckon it's worth at least 9 points

Pm me please mid_gen

Frak! Nick Evans looks hurt.

Please don't be long term injured...

Tense match. Will be gutted if we lose this

Tebaldi is so much better today

23 - 20 to Quins, Wood still off. Big kick from Botica

Burrell has been very good.

Good steal by Matfield

Gutsy by Saints

Should have taken that kick, probabky

Poopie!

Are you ****ing kidding me?

Yesss! Gotta feel for Quins fans but that was awful!

I cannot believe that. I cannot believe that. I want to cry. We are Frak. For Frak's sake. How the hell does he not kick that effing ball out? How?!


Disgraceful.

Clock is red, quins 3 points ahead. Quins kick the ball dead but miss touch and saints end up going over for the try

I'm stunned. What a result.

How?

How can you be that essentially clueless at your job?

Inexcusable. It's not even being outplayed, it's just being moronic

ChequeredJersey wrote:How?

How can you be that essentially clueless at your job?

Forget not touching it down, why did he go so deep?!

All he had to do was kick it sideways.

Falcons with a narrow 9-8 loss away to Wasps. Got to be happy with that result going into the game although apparently Goode had a real off day with the boot....another point on the board, so close to more.

Well at least Parisse has just trumped us for most stupid play of the day.

mid_gen wrote:Well at least Parisse has just trumped us for most stupid play of the day.

No he didn't. It was very stupid but we were more stupid, there was no decision to even make for us, there was only one option!

Low scoring games in Poopie conditions can often be the most exciting games to watch (9-5 against Toulouse comes to mind). This match against Sale is just crap though. Both teams look poor and not particularly interested.

That is a bitter loss to take. Saints were better than they have been, well done especially their breakdown work and centres, but we had that game. We lost yet another match at the death, with one of the worst decisions I have ever seen. No excuse. Evans possibly badly injured. Lost the 2 matches we should definitely have expected to win during the 6N, hard to see beating Tigers or Wasps. I'll look at it for any good points, and there will be some, tomorrow, but I am more gutted than I've been with any Club defeat, I think


Burrell and Malinder looked really good, though, and Sinckler did for us. Tebaldi much better than last week. So frustrating that one inexplicable, inexcusable decision has turned a performance I would have been satisfied, if not exactly delighted, with into one that has crushed my confidence in my team

Fuzzy Dunlop wrote:Low scoring games in Poopie conditions can often be the most exciting games to watch (9-5 against Toulouse comes to mind). This match against Sale is just crap though. Both teams look poor and not particularly interested.

Score? Really need Tigers to lose

3-3 when I wrote that. Now Sale leading 10-3. Leicester have shown nothing so far so I expect you'll get your wish.

ChequeredJersey wrote:That is a bitter loss to take. Saints were better than they have been, well done especially their breakdown work and centres, but we had that game. We lost yet another match at the death, with one of the worst decisions I have ever seen. No excuse. Evans possibly badly injured. Lost the 2 matches we should definitely have expected to win during the 6N, hard to see beating Tigers or Wasps. I'll look at it for any good points, and there will be some, tomorrow, but I am more gutted than I've been with any Club defeat, I think


Burrell and Malinder looked really good, though, and Sinckler did for us. Tebaldi much better than last week. So frustrating that one inexplicable, inexcusable decision has turned a performance I would have been satisfied, if not exactly delighted, with into one that has crushed my confidence in my team

Just got home - had to work this morning. Can you imagine? People were having accidents and expected docs to actually go to hospital on the day the 6 nations starts? Blydi uncivilised, inconsiderate Americans.

So what happened? Saw nothing. Heard nothing. All I know is what I saw that Saints was able to score at the end. How did both teams look?

doctor_grey wrote:Just got home - had to work this morning.  Can you imagine?  People were having accidents and expected docs to actually go to hospital on the day the 6 nations starts?  Blydi uncivilised, inconsiderate Americans.

So what happened?  Saw nothing.  Heard nothing.  All I know is what I saw that Saints was able to score at the end.  How did both teams look?  

As for the finish. Saints had a kick for a draw. Went to the corner, maul held up. Quins scrum, came out the back and they missed touch with a kick (!) which we ran back to score.

What is clear is that we cannot play Burrell with Pisi. I only saw half the game but Burrell was a level above where he has been. I'll let others speak on the overall performance.

Poor in defence and good in attack in first half, Saints good at the breakdown, maul and centres, Quins doing well attacking with a really strong wind that stopped them kicking, good carrying and busting through the line. Each side got 2 tries in first half, Saints were 3 points up and Quins' 9 got a yellow just before halftime. Quins had wind in second half, had all the territory and went 3 points ahead in the 3rd quarter, but made errors that left Saints off the hook. Both sides defended much better in the second half. Quins still ahead after a couple of penalties either side in the last 2 mins, held off a maul that was close to scoring, got a scrum, managed to secure the ball, time was dead, all we had to do was clear it, Botica kicked deep and missed touch, Saints ran it through and the centres combined to put Foden through for a winning try

Burrell was the best I've seen him in 2 years at least

ChequeredJersey wrote:Burrell was the best I've seen him in 2 years at least

I don't think he's a 12.

Just Frak terrible, even more annoying than the low points last season tbh. I thought this year would be the year Burns stepped up but for me he is miles behind Williams.

Thanks gents.
Sounds lie it was kind of an even match? But Saints got real lucky (Quins unlucky) at the end?
Not surprised about Burrell and Pisi. Pisi has lost a step and is no threat. Makes Burrell easier to defend. Putting Burrell in a bit more space (13) with a good distributor and running threat at 12, probably gets the best from him.

Both team were hit and miss defensively? Also a problem for Saints this season. A team can't sit back and play defense if the defense is not always on which is hard to do.

What happened to Evans?

Wasn't unlucky from Quins, was stupid.

Evans went off with an awkward looking shoulder. Don't think it's disloacted, but worry he's done some soft tissue damage

Well, thanks for the info.  ......and I suppose, thanks for the match.  Saints shouldn't fail and lose the ball from a driving maul.  

Hoping Evans is OK.  Hopefully just a stinger. A couple days rest and some mobility and he would be OK.  An AC Separation is commonly 2-6 weeks depending on severity, if that's his injury.  Botica is a massive step down.

What happened at the end of the Quins match exactly?  ruined my superbru prediction ...

Cancel that - just found it in previous post - jeez what a numbskull 

Didn't see the Quins result until today.

Gutted.

Hate to say that only at Quins would that kind of mistake happen.

Even more gutting that so many others played so well over the 80 mins.

Huge game for us today. A win and denying Worcester anything puts us, them and Falcons on 12 points, but we'd be above the other two courtesy of more wins. Losing, just doesn't even bear thinking about!!!!!

I think if you lose today and then get beat by us in a few weeks it's game over Pete.

I think the rugby gods are against us this year - what with the Goode situation, the way the fixtures have fallen and now an horrific injury list added to 6N abstractions just when we don't need them are going to cost us dear ...

Just noticed that Nathan Earle is on the bench for Sarries today. Must be his first 1st team appearance in over a year, I thought he was playing for London Scottish?

Anyway fingers crossed he gets some game time. He showed so much promise in the age group side.

http://www.saracens.com/squad/senior

Looks like the ref just cost Chiefs a 2nd try there calling a non-existent knock-on

Ellery seems to be a massive fanny in contact.

Short is on fire.

Got to the back of the mall without ever passing the ball.

All without somehow changing his bind which of course would be illegal

Barnes doing his best to help Wuss out - 2 tries by LI ruled out and one PT not given despite only being held up by an offside player that was then given yellow ...

Heaf wrote:Looks like the ref just cost Chiefs a 2nd try there calling a non-existent knock-on

make that the match ... inexcusable by the ref