Aviva Premiership Round Nineteen

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Newcastle Falcons vs Gloucester Rugby
Kingston Park
Light Cloud - 12 degrees, 8mph South Westerly Winds

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 Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Bambam

01. Matt Mullan	09. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne
02. Jamie George	10. Owen Farrell
03. Vincent Koch
04. Flip Van Der Merwe	11. Charles Piutau
05. Lood De Jager	12. Jan Serfontein
06. Pablo Matera	13. Scott Williams
07. Callum Clark	14. Denny Solomona
08. Kieran Read (c)	15. Ben Smith

:-
16. Camille Chat 17. Nic Auterac 18. Davit Kubriashvili 19. Matt Symons 20. Jordi Murphy 21. Dave Lewis 22. Ian Madigan 23. David Strettle

Attributes
Counter Attacking: Receiving the ball down field, your players will look to attack with ball in hand, thriving in the broken field and open spaces.
Phase Attack: Attacks build momentum until an opportunity arises.
Breakdown: Slowing up ball: The defenders can get over the ball to slow it up and prevent the attack from building momentum and allowing your defence to set.
Blitz Defence: Your side is known for Blitz and excels at it

Game plan

Set piece - Look to really put their props under maximum pressure with our strong front row, we've got a great scrummaging lock pairing to help. If no weakness, use as restart. On their ball, mark their second rows and force long throws. On our ball, use the back row options to mix it up.

Breakdown - Back row and hooker to lead the way on turnovers. Others focus on strong clear outs and maintaining a strong defensive line. . On our ball, smash them off the ball, use pod system to ensure support if they are having success. Our openside is charged with keeping their main breakdown threat off our ball, and target turnovers if one of their carriers gets isolated

Kicking - Options throughout the backs . Kick in behind the wings for territory, aim for space not the man. Challenge wings positioning, Wings free to drop back for the counter off their kicks

Attack - Run our attack off 9 who sets the tempo, constantly change the point of attack and get our 10 quick ball.. Challenge their 10 defensively with our power backs cutting in running hard lines at his channel with the full back coming into the line. Big carrying forwards to set a platform, run at 10/12 all day long to put them on the back foot off first phase, see how they handle it.  

Defence - no weak links in the backline, use the blitz defence to put them on the back foot,  

Bench - Big carrying forwards throughout and talented, pacy backs to see us home

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Gloucester 
Manager - 

01. Rob Evans	09. TJ Perenara
02. Luke Cowan-Dickie	10. Danny Cipriani (k)
03. Juan Figallo
04. Richie Gray	11. Jonny May
05. Tomas Lavinini	12. Matt Toomua
06. Tom Croft	13. Will Addison
07. Ardie Savea	14. Israel Dagg
08. Jamie Heaslip (c)	15. Israel Folau

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Replacements: 16. Adrian Strauss, 17. Uini Atonio, 18. Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira, 19. Sam Dickinson, 20. Ross Moriarty , 21. Dan Robson, 22. Billy Burns, 23. Hallam Amos

Tactics

Attack the game from the off looking to play with pace and use our forwards to generate quick ruck ball with TJ sniping and Cipriani attacking the line flat.

Test the Falcons back three with hanging kicks for Folau and May to chase down.

We'll look to get a maul rolling for short burst to tie opposition forwards in and create space for our backs out wide. May , Dagg and Folau to be busy coming to look for the ball.

Defensively We'll look to blitz when we're short in defensive numbers and drift when we have the bodies.
Savea will look to cause mayhem at the breakdown and disrupt any Falcons ball there.

TJ to sweep and cover any kicks through

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Sale Sharks vs Worcester Warriors
AJ Bell Stadium
Light Cloud - 12 degrees, 7mph South Westerly Winds

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 Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Jack McGrath	09. Danny Care
02. Tommy Taylor	10. Johnny Sexton
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. Maro Itoje	11. Nemani Nadolo
05. Iain Henderson	12. Kyle Eastmond
06. Peter O'Mahony	13. Malakai Fekitoa
07. Sam Cane	14. Keith Earls
08. CJ Stander	15. Simon Zebo

Subs:
16. Benjamin Kayser 17. Ross Harrison 18. Martin Moore 19. Matt Garvey 20. Matt Kvesic 21. Faf De Klerk 22. Bernard Foley 23. Nick Abendanon

Attributes:
Phase Attack: Attacks build momentum until an opportunity arises.
Breakdown - Clearing: Ensuring the possession is clean and quick with quick support to the breakdown.

Blitz Defence: Your side is known for Blitz and excels at it.
Breakdown - Slowing up ball: The defenders can get over the ball to slow it up and prevent the attack from building momentum and allowing your defence to set.  

Attack: We will be playing a high intensity phased attacking game. Look to use a rugby league shape with runners on the gain line and out the back door to force the opposition into making defensive decisions. Numerous playmakers across the back line allows us to constantly change the point of attack and restructure our attacking phases. Care to keep the fringe defence honest with his snipping runs.

Breakdown: Quick ball is the aim on attack. Mobile pack and physical back line to clear out rucks and ensure we get it. We will look to get over the gain line off all carries to give a target to hit. Defensively when the initial contact is won we will look to commit numbers and get over the ball turning it over or at least slowing opposition ball up. Otherwise we will strengthen the line.

Defence: 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. Zebo & Earls to cover the background dropping deep to cut off the green grass available to kick into.

Scrum: Strong scrummaging unit in the front row with the support of a powerful 4-8 will look to get the better of the opposition and build a strong attacking platform. We will look to put a slight wheel on where possible to take the opposition backrow out of play and then attack the space available and look for one on ones in the backline.

Lineout: Five mobile, athletic jumpers allows us to genuinely mix it up on attacking ball. Primarily looking to get the backs on the ball in space. Defensively Itoje to get up in the air at the front and challenge on opposition ball while POM marshals the middle looking to make it as messy as possible.

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Worcester Warriors
Manager - Prop

01. Joe Moody	09. Bryn Hall
02. Codie Taylor	10. Jule Plisson(k)
03. Nahuel Chapparro
04. Mike Williams	11. James Short
05. Yohann Maestri	12. Anton Leniert Brown
06. Jackson Wray	13. Jarrad Payne
07. Sam Warburton	14. Adam Thompstone
08. Warren Whiteley	15. Brice Dulin

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16. Ross Batty 17. Luca Paz 18. Henry Thomas 19. Leone Nakawara 20. Jordan Taufua 21. Sam Harrison 22. Dan Biggar 23. Mathew Tait
Season's Attributes-
Offloading in the Tackle
Breakdown (Turnovers)
Blitz Defence
Choke Tackle
*Rotation is everything coming into this stage of the season and we have selected some fresh legs with players able to play longer and being managed with their game time.
*We see our back row as the main impact with the balance and ability to slow their ball whilst keeping the route to our 9 clear.
*We have a big carrying, hard working pack to stop them in their tracks and put a lot of pressure on 9 to prevent the quick ball.
*Bench-we have huge impact on our bench able and will use Nakawara, Taufua and Biggar to cause all sorts of trouble in the last 20 minutes minimum.

-We have selected a heavy, hard working pack looking to nullify the danger from their big carriers and set piece,
-We will play a controlled game, offloading-only when on. Plisson will look for territory,
-Big carriers up front looking to offload if the conditions allow possible although being mindful of the encroaching defence and we will have support runners on their shoulders,
-Back row looking to be balanced with carrying, tackling and Warburton bringing the turnover attribute,
-The breakdown is likely to be scrappy and the first man there will look to go for the ball using our turnover attribute. If it is obviously lost we will fan out. If they under-commit we will look to drive through them for the turnover,
-Look to not commit too much to their breakdown if the ball is lost and use blitz defence led by Jones allowing the chance to apply the choke tackle to stop them playing a quick tempo game,
-Backs to play what is in front of them, runners off ALB and Payne, we will use the back three as strike runners and know the pace of our back three to put pressure with quick ball,
-When nothing is on  go for territory and also use  'bombs' to challenge and turn their backlline,
-We will the wingers to come into the line and switch things up to keep them guessing and allow us the chance to hit from deep at times and not be predictable,
-We have selected a huge bench which will be used for impact and to maintain a high tempo game running against tired legs,
-Take all kickable penalties.

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Bath Rugby vs Leicester Tigers
The Rec
Sunny Intervals - 14 degrees, 6mph Southerly Winds

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Bath Rugby
Manager – CJB

01. Eddy Ben Arous	09. Aaron Smith
02. Rory Best	10. Beauden Barrett
03. Scott Wilson
04. Graham Kitchener	11. Christian Wade
05. Josh Beaumont	12. Damian De Allende
06. Liam Squire	13. Jesse Kriel
07. Justin Tipuric	14. Juan Imhoff
08. Toby Falateu	15. Liam Williams

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16. Steven Kitchoff 17. Mikey Haywood 18. Nepo Laulala 19. Will Skelton 20. Siya Kolisi 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Sam Hill 23. Alex Goode

Attributes: First phase attack/strike moves: Will look to break the defence, with either a bust through or a clever move to create a gap.
Breakdown - Clearing: Ensuring the possession is clean and quick with quick support to the breakdown
Blitz Defence: Your side is known for Blitz and excels at it
Breakdown - Turnover possession: Your side is recognised to pick off turnovers at the breakdown, by getting the ball and gaining the penalty

Overall: We are gonna be looking to play front foot rugby and put Tigers under immense pressure with our energy. Look for big carries looking to create space and break the defense. Attack the set piece where we expect to be dominant and finish strongly off the bench 

Scrum: Use the set piece to get quick ball to restart our play. We will look to get more power from our back five. Falateu will look to attack off the quick ball he gets.

Lineout: We will look to switch up the lineup with Beaumont, Falateu, Squire and Kitchener options in the lineout. Beaumont will run the line out. Look to get up into the air quickly and down for a quick maul. We think we can dominate here against a poor set of jumpers. Kitchener will offer quick ball option at the front. 

Breakdown: Look to generate quick ball for our backs to take advantage of. Tipuric is brilliant at the breakdown and we will also look to get the rest of the pack looking to help and clear out.

Defence: Run a blitz defence. Smith to drift behind expecting kicks.

Attack: Our half backs will control our rugby. Smith will set the tempoand play what he sees in front of him. Outside of him, Barrett will play flat and use his creativity to bring in the back line and make plays. He will be given a freedom to be creative. Look to bring in the rest of the back line, especially De Allende and Kriel who we would like to get running at defenders.  Wade and Imhoff are very skilful and if the ball gets to them will look to draw in defenders. The pack will also be involved when we have the ball for a prolonged period. We have strong carriers who excel in the loose. Look to get the ball in the hands of EBA, Kitch and Squire in order to break the line and make yards. 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. Exploit the holes we create and look to tire out Tigers which can help nullify their offensive threats. 

Kicking: Barrett will be our chosen place kicker. We will chuck in the occasional grabber to chase. Smith, Imhoff and Williams all have the boots necessary to try and put us in a good position territorially if need. 

Substitutes: Keep a high tempo off the bench. We want our high class front row to come on late and really impact the game.

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Leicester Tigers
Manager – Fluxy

01. Mikheil Nariashvili	09. Francois Hougaard
02. Hika Elliott	10. Francois Trinh-Duc
03. Owen Franks
04. Samu Manoa	11. Henry Purdy
05. Dominic Bird	12. Ben Te'o
06. Sam Jones	13. Gael Fickou
07. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (c)	14. Sean Maitland
08. Calum Chick	15. Mike Brown

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Subs: 16. Dave Ward 17. Gethin Jenkins 18. Harry Williams 19. Jake Ball 20. Fritz Lee 21. Antoine Dupont 22. Freddie Burns 23. Kurtley Beale

Basic Game Plan
In good conditions we will be looking to play a possession based, fast offloading game, keeping the ball alive moving the Bath defence around. 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 Trinh-Duc, Fickou and Brown 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. Hougaard will sweep in behind the defensive line to counter any chips/grubbers.

Specifics

• Lineout - In decent conditions we will mix it up on our ball, utilising Bird, Chick and Lobbe as receivers, whilst also at times shortening the line and using our big forwards as crash ball options off first phase. Defensively we will look to compete for the ball and disrupt wherever possible, making any ball secured by Bath as scrappy as we can.
  
  
• Scrum - Hit channel one ball and get it to the back quickly, looking to maximise the space available with the opposition forwards packed down. On their ball, 8 man shove and look to drive them off as their hooker lifts his foot to hook the ball. Franks to stay tight and straight. Flanker on that side to stay bound and keep Franks square.
  
  
• Breakdown - When we carry in, we will flood the breakdown rucking well past the ball to free it up quickly, so that Hougaard can feed the ball quickly to forwards, the first receiver, or snipe through a hole. In defence, if we have made a passive tackle and the carrier has momentum we will not over commit, 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 slow up momentum, or turn over possession. Key for us is being selective, and only committing men to a contestable ruck. 
  
  
• Attacking Play - We will be looking to play a fast offloading game, with the ball shifted on to the support runner just prior to the point of the tackle with the defender already committed. However this will only be implemented within the opposition half. We will also utilise the pick and go, meaning their defensive line cannot blitz efficiently. We will then we will look to exploit the delay in their blitz that results. We will then look to shift the direction of play and pull their defenders out of position to create gaps. Hougaard to also look to snipe around the fringes, to keep the defence honest and keep us going forwards all the time.
  
  
• Tactical Kicking - If we kick, we will look to kick for the corners and contest the opposition lineout.
  

Key Points

• High Quality Spine - In those key jerseys, 2,8,9,10,15 we have top class operators. In big games, when things get tight, those guys can be the difference between winning and losing.
  
  
• Impact Bench - 5 full internationals. All can have a huge impact on this game.
  
  
• Psychological Advantage - We have already defeated Bath twice this season and will get their heads down if the game starts getting away from them. 
  
  
• Continuity  -  We've rotated in previous weeks, allowing us to keep changes to a minimum in the run in, and maintain continuity, playing patterns and form through our last few games. Especially with our new signings. 
  

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Exeter Chiefs vs Bristol Rugby
Sandy Park
Sunny - 13 degrees, 7mph North Easterly Winds

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Exeter Chiefs
Manager – StNick

01. Jefferson Poirot	09. Greg Laidlaw
02. Dane Coles	10. Camille Lopez
03. Ben Tameifuna
04. Courtney Lawes	11. Noa Nakaitaci
05. James Horwill	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. Dave Ewers	13. Maxime Mermoz
07. Marcell Coetzee	14. Chris Ashton
08. Sergio Parisse	15. Alex Lozowski

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Subs: 16. Tom Youngs, 17. Nathan Catt, 18. Brian Mujati, 19. Juandre Kruger, 20. Teimana Harrison, 21. Micky Young, 22. Colin Slade, 23. James Lowe

Territorial Kicking: Looking to pin back sides and kick for open spaces or touch.
First phase attack/strike moves: Will look to break the defence, with either a bust through or a clever move to create a gap.

Breakdown - Slowing up ball: The defenders can get over the ball to slow it up and prevent the attack from building momentum and allowing your defence to set.
Chop Tackle: Tacklers look to get low and chop down attackers before gaining momentum or metres over the gain line.

We will play a forward based and territory based game to get in the right positions of the pitch.

We have picked the players to do this. Big carriers and a mobile back and hard working back row. Laidlaw is the perfect controlling 9 and will give good service to Lopez . Lozowski is in at 15 for his boot and counter attacking ability.

We have picked a big pack and are targeting the forward battle as key to the win. We have a solid scrum to build from and two big locks who are both good lineout options.

The set piece will be important and we will look to use this as a weapon to attack from and gain territory. Our back row are all big carriers and we will use them all to gain hard yards and tire out Bristol defenders. Ewers, Coles, Ben T, Coetzee, Parisse are all good strong ball carriers and will look to get us front foot ball for Lopez to work with.

In the backs we will use Nonu as a crash ball option and a decoy runner to open up space for the likes of Mermoz, Nakaitaci and Ashton to exploit. Laidlaw will kick all pens for goal if in range and if not look to kick deep to gain territory.

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Bristol Team 
Manager: CJ

01. David Kilcoyne	09. Tomas Cubelli
02. Manuel Montoya	10. Jimmy Gopperth (vc, k)
03. Sekope Kepu
04. Donnacha Ryan	11. Digby Ioane
05. Sam Carter	12. Piers Francis
06. Chris Robshaw (vc)	13. Nick Tompkins
07. Josh Van Der Flier	14. Charlie Sharples
08. Victor Vito (c)	15. Dane Haylett-Petty

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16. Will Collier 17. Rob Buchanan  18. Loni Uhila 19.  Kearnan Myall 20  John Barclay 21. Ben Spencer 22. Josh Matavesi 23. Craig Gilroy

Tactics:
Attributes:

Attacking:
1) Breakdown - Clearing: Ensuring the possession is clean and quick with quick support to the breakdown
2)  Phase Attack: Attacks build momentum until an opportunity arises. 
Defending:
1) Breakdown - Slowing up ball: The defenders can get over the ball to slow it up and prevent the attack from building momentum and allowing your defence to set. 
2) Breakdown - Organised Ruck defence: with guards and body guards set, allowing the rest of the line to set off them.


Tactics:

Breakdown - generally with a well balanced hard working backrow we think we can outmatch Exeter here, with the graft and nous of Robshaw, clearing from Vito and the locks who have a flanker skillset and power and floorwork from Van Der Flier but with everyone chipping in and supporting in other roles as needed and trying to play with our heads up and commit few men where the ball is secure and more if we think we can kill or steal their ball. We work hard on this aspect of the game all year, so it is a specialist strength now.

Attack- we have 3 quality in form playmakers at 9, 10 and 12, who allow us to constantly have someone to set up our next phases in our relentless phase attack, carrying slower ball directly to keep it safe and speed it up and then spinning quicker ball outwide to test the defence of the Chiefs' back 3 which is more attack based and often miss tackles. DHP has been picked at FB to add a direct attacking threat coming into the line at angles to change the direction of attack

The hard carrying will be from the likes of Vito, JDF, Montoya, Kepu and Ioane with grafting carries from the locks and Robshaw and Kilcoyne, but our whole pack have reliable hands and the backrow also work well and hard as linkmen to help when we spin and attack wide.

When we go wide, the team will be ready to support the break and smash the breakdown to keep rolling down that flank.

Plan B is targeting their back 3 in the air with chipped and lofted kicks under the aggressive chase of the back 3 and back row with our 3 playmakers

Defence: Blitz, led by Tompkins. Our centres may struggle on the back foot physically, so will we look to get them coming up aggressively, with our wingers' intercept ability hopefully defending against the wide attack and the 9 and 15 covering chips and some back 5 forwards helping with numbers in defence.

Hard carrying from their strong forwards will be a danger from Chiefs, so our tight fringes are key and we look to Carter and Robshaw and Ryan especially to keep them honest there.

Set piece: we have picked our strongest scrummaging front row to match their starters and aim to tire Tameifuina and make him less active in the loose and then looking to use our strong sub props to target and attack theirs. 

In the lineout, we will contest mostly on the ground at the front rather than the air, but cover the middle and back more and try to push them to throw short and minimise their attacking options. On our ball we will mix and match with our 4 strong jumpers, and make it hard to guess whether we will maul or tap down.

Other: tight discipline in our half, but press for penalties and take risks in their 22 with Gopperth in great kicking form and our backrow strong.
In tactical kicking, look to to kick high and contest possession or look for the bounce rather than letting their back 3 have depth to run back at us.
Subs - we have a scrummaging front row to bring on, Uhila for power, Spencer as an in form sniper, Matavesi for utility and flair, Barclay to even more improve our breakdown and use in mauls and the running class of Gilroy, and we bring them on when the game breaks up

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Saracens vs Harlequins
Allianz Park
Sunny Intervals - 13 degrees, 5mph South Westerly Winds

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Saracens
Manager – Pooly

01. Dylan Smith	09. Baptise Serin
02. Guilhem Guirado	10. Nicolas Sanchez
03. Dan Cole
04. Patrick Tuipultou	11. George North
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Rohan Janse van Rensburg
06. James Haskell	13. Conrad Smith
07. John Hardie	14. Delon Armitage
08. Nathan Hughes	15. Stuart Hogg

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16. Richard Hibbard 17. Simon McIntyre 18. Paul Hill 19. Geoff Parling 20. Sam Underhill 21. Lee Dickson 22. Pat Lambie 23. Teddy Thomas

Tactics:

Defensive:

Blitz Defence - Get in the face of the opposition and allow them very little time on the ball.

Breakdown - Turnover possession: Your side is recognised to pick off turnovers at the breakdown, by getting the ball and gaining the penalty

Attacking:

Territorial Kicking: Looking to pin back sides and kick for open spaces or touch

Offloading in the tackle: Moving the point of attack preventing a defence to set and keeping play fluid

TARGET HEALY IN THE SCRUM - Look to get after Healy in the set piece with Cole putting the pressure on. If weakness, look to leave the ball in a little longer.

TARGET CLIFFORD AT 8 - Put pressure on Clifford behind a potential struggling scrum. Look to blitz him from the off and put him off his game.

PRESSURE ON QUINS HALFBACKS ALL GAME - Get big runners down Jantjes channel. Also look to blitz with backrow and force Janjtes into mistakes. We think we can really stop Quins here.

General - We'll be playing a structured physical game from the off, look to get at the opposition and target the breakdown. We'll look to tie the opposition in with our physical pack/carrying options and then get at their outisde backs, more so in their half. Look to keep it tight in the forward pack and grind through work. Looking to bring in the opposition pack and then use big carrying options to punch holes through their defence. Look to control the tempo and areas we play with kicking options at halfback.

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 safe ball with world class line out options and experience. Will allow SH good clean ball and have big carriers running off the 9 at angles. Look to target opposition throw and put pressure on the hooker.

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. Scrum half to sweep behind the defensive line.

Attack - Keep things simple in our own half then look to unleash backs in opp 22 territory. Scrum half to dictate play from the breakdown and runners on his shoulder. Huge carrying pack 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.

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Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

01. Cian Healy	09. Luke McGrath
02. Agustin Creevy	10. Elton Jantjies
03. Tadhg Furlong
04. Luke Romano	11. Jack Nowell
05. George Kruis	12. Robbie Henshaw
06. Jaco Kriel	13. Jonathan Joseph
07. Michael Hooper (c)	14. Santiago Cordero
08. Jack Clifford	15. Damian McKenzie

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16. Rob Webber 17. Richard Barrington 18. Kieran Brookes 19. Mamuka Gorgodze 20. Steffon Armitage 21. Ruan Pienaar 22. Juan Martin Hernandez 23. Yoann Huget

Attributes

Phase Attack - Attacks build momentum until an opportunity arises. 
Counter Attack - Receiving the ball down field, your players will look to attack with ball in hand, thriving in the broken field and open spaces. 

Breakdown (Turnover Possession) -  Your side is recognised to pick off turnovers at the breakdown, by getting the ball and gaining the penalty
Chop Tackle: Tacklers look to get low and chop down attackers before gaining momentum or metres over the gain line. 


Game Plan

• We are going to look to play a fast-paced game based around quick recycling of the ball and using the pace of our side to move Saracens around the field. Our pack is full of players comfortable with ball in hand and our back line is full of electric runners who will enjoy the open space and dry conditions with ball in hand.

• Up front, we will look for our pack to carry hard off 9, 10 and 12 to get us going forward. McGrath will look to snipe around the fringes using his electric pace and feed runners or provide Jantjies with quick service. Jantjies will look to stand flat and put others into space. Once we tie in Saracens defenders or break the line, we will look to get the ball wide to our outside backs.

• McGrath and Jantjies have been picked for their ability to play at pace and control the tempo. They are charged with getting us playing through quick taps and getting quick ball

• We will be looking to run the ball from everywhere and starve Saracens of the ball. We have the more mobile pack and a back line with elusive and strong runners who can make breaks and use the space available. We won’t allow Saracens to dictate the pace of the game.

• We have a solid set piece with Creevy and Furlong arguably the best in the world in their positions and Kruis running the line out. We know we will be able to guarantee our own ball to launch attacks from.

• Look for our back three to come looking for work. McKenzie to offer as a first receiver and Nowell and Cordero to come looking for the ball when they are on the blind side offering options out the back for Jantjies.

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Wasps vs Northampton Saints
Ricoh Arena
Light Cloud - 13 degrees, 6mph South Westerly Winds

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Wasps
Manager - Pullthestrings

01. Marcos Ayerza	09. Maxime Machenaud
02. Bismarck Du Plessis	10. Aaron Cruden (k)
03. Wilco Louw
04. Sebastian Vahaamahina	11. Bryan Habana
05. Scott Barrett	12. Henry Slade
06. Jerome Kaino	13. Jonathan Davies
07. Tom Wood	14. Marland Yarde
08. Louis Picamoles	15. Anthony Watson

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16. Tatafu Polota Nau, 17. Joe Marler, 18. Dave Wilson, 19. Alun Wyn-Jones, 20. Sean O'Brien, 21. Sebastian Tillous Borde, 22. Brad Barritt, 23. Max Malins

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Tactics
Attack:
- Mix up our lines of attack, sometimes with two lines with forwards as options
- Likes of Kaino, Du Plessis to offer extra pair of hands in the backline when required
- Mix up forward runners off 9 and 10 to give go forward and tie in defence. When space opens up, go wide and utilise pace of back three.
Defence:
- Quick line speed, getting up to the 10 and putting pressure on.
- Only step out of the line for big hit opportunities.
Breakdown:
- Be disciplined at the breakdown and do not give away penalties in our half
- Compete for the turnover if it's on, even if it's only to slow down the ball
- If ruck is lost, don't compete and fan out in defence
Territory:
- Use box kicks from 9 and nudges from 10 out of hand to pin them back.
- Play rugby in their half and make them attack from deep
- Full back to marshall the back 3 and make sure our positioning is spot on for kick returns

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Northampton Saints
Manager: Dammit Chris

01. Wyatt Crockett	09. Joe Simpson
02. Dylan Hartley (c)	10. George Ford
03. Ramiro Herrera
04. Paul Jedrasiak	11. Julian Savea
05. Jonny Gray	12. Harry Mallinder
06. Ashley Johnson	13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
07. Brendon O'Connor	14. Manuel Montero
08. Facundo Isa	15. Leigh Halfpenny (K)

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Replacements:
16. Schalk Brits 17. Mako Vunipola 18. Zander Fagerson 19. Joe Launchbury 20. Schalk Burger 21. Connor Murray 22. Wesley Fofana 23. Manu Tuilagi

Attributes:
Breakdown - Clearing: Ensuring the possession is clean and quick with quick support to the breakdown
First phase attack/strike moves: Will look to break the defence, with either a bust through or a clever move to create a gap.

Blitz Defence: Your side is known for Blitz and excels at it
Breakdown - Turnover possession: Your side is recognised to pick off turnovers at the breakdown, by getting the ball and gaining the penalty.

Tactics
Confident after beating Leinster in the Champions Cup, have made a number of changes in the pack to freshen up the side and have filled our bench with real impact to finish the game strongly. We've picked a lot of physical, big ball carriers in the pack to challenge Wasps on the gain line and will really look to test the breakdown with O'Connor looking to secure turnover ball. We've picked a playmaking 10/12 combination as we've got strong finishers on the wings and AAC and will look to test the Wasps defence massively with an attacking passing game, putting the likes of Savea and Montero into space.

Our game plan is to really keep this game close in the first 50/60 minutes before unloading our bench and having Halfpenny keep the scoreboard ticking over and punishing any error that Wasps make.

Set Piece and Pack Battle
Hartley in to keep the scrum and lineout functioning, before Brits replaces him in the second half for impact. We've picked a huge pack to take on Wasps upfront, we will look to target Barrett in the setpiece where possible as he is still settling into the team. At every opportunity we will send big runners at Cruden and aim to take him out of the game and suck Wasps defenders in to create space outwide. Five big impact players to bring off the bench for the pack.

Gain-line/Physical Battle
Like Saracens in real life we'll look to send big runner after runner at the Wasps defence to suck in players and create space out wide, Jedrasiak, Gray, Isa and AJ all huge carriers and will look to keep the Wasps defence working. We will look to really up the tempo and physicality in the second half when we unload our bench. A big tactic is looking to keep Picamoles out of the game as much as possible, so will have a controlled kicking game from Simpson, Ford and Mallinder that doesnt provide Picamoles with space to run the ball back at us and have AJ marking him defensively, looking for big hits and stopping him from being a major threat in the game.

Breakdown
Per tactics above. We've recalled O'Connor into the starting lineup as Wasps back row lacks a yard of pace and we want him to get into the breakdown and cause a nuisance, he's the top turnover player in the AP this season and we will be looking for quick ball to launch counter attacks.

Attack/Points
- Fresh pack, to take the game to Wasps in the opening quarter of the game, we are going to play at a high tempo, get the ball through the hands and really test the Wasps defence with our power runners in pack and backline.
- We want to use the pace in our backline to get outside the Wasps defence and get the ball into the hands of Savea and Montero, who we think can cause some damage in the outside channels.
- Clever kicking game from Simpson, Ford and Mallinder where we can look for territory and target the area behind Yarde.
- Bring on the impact bench during final 20-30 minute as a big game changer, where we have some big ball carriers and will look to win the game in the closing stages.
- Halfpenny to take all shots at goal

Defence
Aggressive blitz defence, with Simpson sweeping behind.

---

Conditions updated, but you all might want to check here before posting a side...

Northampton Saints
Manager: Dammit Chris

01. Wyatt Crockett	09. Joe Simpson
02. Dylan Hartley (c)	10. George Ford
03. Ramiro Herrera
04. Paul Jedrasiak	11. Julian Savea
05. Jonny Gray	12. Harry Mallinder
06. Ashley Johnson	13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
07. Brendon O'Connor	14. Manuel Montero
08. Facundo Isa	15. Leigh Halfpenny (K)

.
Replacements:
16. Schalk Brits 17. Mako Vunipola 18. Zander Fagerson 19. Joe Launchbury 20. Schalk Burger 21. Connor Murray 22. Wesley Fofana 23. Manu Tuilagi

Attributes:
Breakdown - Clearing: Ensuring the possession is clean and quick with quick support to the breakdown
First phase attack/strike moves: Will look to break the defence, with either a bust through or a clever move to create a gap.

Blitz Defence: Your side is known for Blitz and excels at it
Breakdown - Turnover possession: Your side is recognised to pick off turnovers at the breakdown, by getting the ball and gaining the penalty.

Tactics
Confident after beating Leinster in the Champions Cup, have made a number of changes in the pack to freshen up the side and have filled our bench with real impact to finish the game strongly. We've picked a lot of physical, big ball carriers in the pack to challenge Wasps on the gain line and will really look to test the breakdown with O'Connor looking to secure turnover ball. We've picked a playmaking 10/12 combination as we've got strong finishers on the wings and AAC and will look to test the Wasps defence massively with an attacking passing game, putting the likes of Savea and Montero into space.

Our game plan is to really keep this game close in the first 50/60 minutes before unloading our bench and having Halfpenny keep the scoreboard ticking over and punishing any error that Wasps make.

Set Piece and Pack Battle
Hartley in to keep the scrum and lineout functioning, before Brits replaces him in the second half for impact. We've picked a huge pack to take on Wasps upfront, we will look to target Barrett in the setpiece where possible as he is still settling into the team. At every opportunity we will send big runners at Cruden and aim to take him out of the game and suck Wasps defenders in to create space outwide. Five big impact players to bring off the bench for the pack.

Gain-line/Physical Battle
Like Saracens in real life we'll look to send big runner after runner at the Wasps defence to suck in players and create space out wide, Jedrasiak, Gray, Isa and AJ all huge carriers and will look to keep the Wasps defence working. We will look to really up the tempo and physicality in the second half when we unload our bench. A big tactic is looking to keep Picamoles out of the game as much as possible, so will have a controlled kicking game from Simpson, Ford and Mallinder that doesnt provide Picamoles with space to run the ball back at us and have AJ marking him defensively, looking for big hits and stopping him from being a major threat in the game.

Breakdown
Per tactics above. We've recalled O'Connor into the starting lineup as Wasps back row lacks a yard of pace and we want him to get into the breakdown and cause a nuisance, he's the top turnover player in the AP this season and we will be looking for quick ball to launch counter attacks.

Attack/Points
- Fresh pack, to take the game to Wasps in the opening quarter of the game, we are going to play at a high tempo, get the ball through the hands and really test the Wasps defence with our power runners in pack and backline.
- We want to use the pace in our backline to get outside the Wasps defence and get the ball into the hands of Savea and Montero, who we think can cause some damage in the outside channels.
- Clever kicking game from Simpson, Ford and Mallinder where we can look for territory and target the area behind Yarde.
- Bring on the impact bench during final 20-30 minute as a big game changer, where we have some big ball carriers and will look to win the game in the closing stages.
- Halfpenny to take all shots at goal

Defence
Aggressive blitz defence, with Simpson sweeping behind.

(might want to check EQ for home side)

Just take it in your stride with your squad Chris!

3 EQ Fluxy, you are heading for a record loss this week in predos! Can see your team shipping in at least 15 tries before HT.

Exeter Chiefs
Manager – StNick

01. Jefferson Poirot	09. Greg Laidlaw
02. Dane Coles	10. Camille Lopez
03. Ben Tameifuna
04. Courtney Lawes	11. Noa Nakaitaci
05. James Horwill	12. Ma'a Nonu
06. Dave Ewers	13. Maxime Mermoz
07. Marcell Coetzee	14. Chris Ashton
08. Sergio Parisse	15. Alex Lozowski

.
Subs: 16. Tom Youngs, 17. Nathan Catt, 18. Brian Mujati, 19. Juandre Kruger, 20. Teimana Harrison, 21. Micky Young, 22. Colin Slade, 23. James Lowe

Territorial Kicking: Looking to pin back sides and kick for open spaces or touch.
First phase attack/strike moves: Will look to break the defence, with either a bust through or a clever move to create a gap.

Breakdown - Slowing up ball: The defenders can get over the ball to slow it up and prevent the attack from building momentum and allowing your defence to set.
Chop Tackle: Tacklers look to get low and chop down attackers before gaining momentum or metres over the gain line.

We will play a forward based and territory based game to get in the right positions of the pitch.

We have picked the players to do this. Big carriers and a mobile back and hard working back row. Laidlaw is the perfect controlling 9 and will give good service to Lopez . Lozowski is in at 15 for his boot and counter attacking ability.

We have picked a big pack and are targeting the forward battle as key to the win. We have a solid scrum to build from and two big locks who are both good lineout options.

The set piece will be important and we will look to use this as a weapon to attack from and gain territory. Our back row are all big carriers and we will use them all to gain hard yards and tire out Bristol defenders. Ewers, Coles, Ben T, Coetzee, Parisse are all good strong ball carriers and will look to get us front foot ball for Lopez to work with.

In the backs we will use Nonu as a crash ball option and a decoy runner to open up space for the likes of Mermoz, Nakaitaci and Ashton to exploit. Laidlaw will kick all pens for goal if in range and if not look to kick deep to gain territory.

Leicester Tigers
Manager – Fluxy

01. Mikheil Nariashvili	09. Francois Hougaard
02. Hika Elliott	10. Francois Trinh-Duc
03. Owen Franks
04. Samu Manoa	11. Henry Purdy
05. Dominic Bird	12. Ben Te'o
06. Sam Jones	13. Gael Fickou
07. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (c)	14. Sean Maitland
08. Calum Chick	15. Mike Brown

.
Subs: 16. Dave Ward 17. Gethin Jenkins 18. Harry Williams 19. Jake Ball 20. Fritz Lee 21. Antoine Dupont 22. Freddie Burns 23. Kurtley Beale

Basic Game Plan

In good conditions we will be looking to play a possession based, fast offloading game, keeping the ball alive moving the Bath defence around. 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 Trinh-Duc, Fickou and Brown 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. Hougaard will sweep in behind the defensive line to counter any chips/grubbers.

Specifics

• Lineout - In decent conditions we will mix it up on our ball, utilising Bird, Chick and Lobbe as receivers, whilst also at times shortening the line and using our big forwards as crash ball options off first phase. Defensively we will look to compete for the ball and disrupt wherever possible, making any ball secured by Bath as scrappy as we can.
  
  
  
• Scrum - Hit channel one ball and get it to the back quickly, looking to maximise the space available with the opposition forwards packed down. On their ball, 8 man shove and look to drive them off as their hooker lifts his foot to hook the ball. Franks to stay tight and straight. Flanker on that side to stay bound and keep Franks square.
  
  
• Breakdown - When we carry in, we will flood the breakdown rucking well past the ball to free it up quickly, so that Hougaard can feed the ball quickly to forwards, the first receiver, or snipe through a hole. In defence, if we have made a passive tackle and the carrier has momentum we will not over commit, 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 slow up momentum, or turn over possession. Key for us is being selective, and only committing men to a contestable ruck. 
  
  
• Attacking Play - We will be looking to play a fast offloading game, with the ball shifted on to the support runner just prior to the point of the tackle with the defender already committed. However this will only be implemented within the opposition half. We will also utilise the pick and go, meaning their defensive line cannot blitz efficiently. We will then we will look to exploit the delay in their blitz that results. We will then look to shift the direction of play and pull their defenders out of position to create gaps. Hougaard to also look to snipe around the fringes, to keep the defence honest and keep us going forwards all the time.
  
  
• Tactical Kicking - If we kick, we will look to kick for the corners and contest the opposition lineout.
  

[*]

Key Points

• High Quality Spine - In those key jerseys, 2,8,9,10,15 we have top class operators. In big games, when things get tight, those guys can be the difference between winning and losing.
  
  
  
• Impact Bench - 5 full internationals. All can have a huge impact on this game.
  
  
• Psychological Advantage - We have already defeated Bath twice this season and will get their heads down if the game starts getting away from them. 
  
  
• Continuity  -  We've rotated in previous weeks, allowing us to keep changes to a minimum in the run in, and maintain continuity, playing patterns and form through our last few games. 
  

Bristol Team 
Manager: CJ

01. David Kilcoyne	09. Tomas Cubelli
02. Manuel Montoya	10. Jimmy Gopperth (vc, k)
03. Sekope Kepu
04. Donnacha Ryan	11. Digby Ioane
05. Sam Carter	12. Piers Francis
06. Chris Robshaw (vc)	13. Nick Tompkins
07. Josh Van Der Flier	14. Charlie Sharples
08. Victor Vito (c)	15. Dane Haylett-Petty

:-
16. Will Collier 17. Rob Buchanan  18. Loni Uhila 19.  Kearnan Myall 20  John Barclay 21. Ben Spencer 22. Josh Matavesi 23. Craig Gilroy

Tactics:
Attributes:

Attacking:
1) Breakdown - Clearing: Ensuring the possession is clean and quick with quick support to the breakdown
2)  Phase Attack: Attacks build momentum until an opportunity arises. 
Defending:
1) Breakdown - Slowing up ball: The defenders can get over the ball to slow it up and prevent the attack from building momentum and allowing your defence to set. 
2) Breakdown - Organised Ruck defence: with guards and body guards set, allowing the rest of the line to set off them.


Tactics:

Breakdown - generally with a well balanced hard working backrow we think we can outmatch Exeter here, with the graft and nous of Robshaw, clearing from Vito and the locks who have a flanker skillset and power and floorwork from Van Der Flier but with everyone chipping in and supporting in other roles as needed and trying to play with our heads up and commit few men where the ball is secure and more if we think we can kill or steal their ball. We work hard on this aspect of the game all year, so it is a specialist strength now.

Attack- we have 3 quality in form playmakers at 9, 10 and 12, who allow us to constantly have someone to set up our next phases in our relentless phase attack, carrying slower ball directly to keep it safe and speed it up and then spinning quicker ball outwide to test the defence of the Chiefs' back 3 which is more attack based and often miss tackles. DHP has been picked at FB to add a direct attacking threat coming into the line at angles to change the direction of attack

The hard carrying will be from the likes of Vito, JDF, Montoya, Kepu and Ioane with grafting carries from the locks and Robshaw and Kilcoyne, but our whole pack have reliable hands and the backrow also work well and hard as linkmen to help when we spin and attack wide.

When we go wide, the team will be ready to support the break and smash the breakdown to keep rolling down that flank.

Plan B is targeting their back 3 in the air with chipped and lofted kicks under the aggressive chase of the back 3 and back row with our 3 playmakers

Defence: Blitz, led by Tompkins. Our centres may struggle on the back foot physically, so will we look to get them coming up aggressively, with our wingers' intercept ability hopefully defending against the wide attack and the 9 and 15 covering chips and some back 5 forwards helping with numbers in defence.

Hard carrying from their strong forwards will be a danger from Chiefs, so our tight fringes are key and we look to Carter and Robshaw and Ryan especially to keep them honest there.

Set piece: we have picked our strongest scrummaging front row to match their starters and aim to tire Tameifuina and make him less active in the loose and then looking to use our strong sub props to target and attack theirs. 

In the lineout, we will contest mostly on the ground at the front rather than the air, but cover the middle and back more and try to push them to throw short and minimise their attacking options. On our ball we will mix and match with our 4 strong jumpers, and make it hard to guess whether we will maul or tap down.

Other: tight discipline in our half, but press for penalties and take risks in their 22 with Gopperth in great kicking form and our backrow strong.
In tactical kicking, look to to kick high and contest possession or look for the bounce rather than letting their back 3 have depth to run back at us.
Subs - we have a scrummaging front row to bring on, Uhila for power, Spencer as an in form sniper, Matavesi for utility and flair, Barclay to even more improve our breakdown and use in mauls and the running class of Gilroy, and we bring them on when the game breaks up

CJ - Fearns, D Taylor and Charteris are all injured mate.

Fecking injuries.

At least Gops isn't injured, that I would struggle with

Saracens
Manager – Pooly

01. Dylan Smith	09. Baptise Serin
02. Guilhem Guirado	10. Nicolas Sanchez
03. Dan Cole
04. Patrick Tuipultou	11. George North
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Rohan Janse van Rensburg
06. James Haskell	13. Conrad Smith
07. John Hardie	14. Delon Armitage
08. Nathan Hughes	15. Stuart Hogg

:-
16. Richard Hibbard 17. Simon McIntyre 18. Paul Hill 19. Geoff Parling 20. Sam Underhill 21. Lee Dickson 22. Pat Lambie 23. Teddy Thomas

Tactics:

Defensive:

Blitz Defence - Get in the face of the opposition and allow them very little time on the ball.

Breakdown - Turnover possession: Your side is recognised to pick off turnovers at the breakdown, by getting the ball and gaining the penalty

Attacking:

Territorial Kicking: Looking to pin back sides and kick for open spaces or touch

Offloading in the tackle: Moving the point of attack preventing a defence to set and keeping play fluid

TARGET HEALY IN THE SCRUM - Look to get after Healy in the set piece with Cole putting the pressure on. If weakness, look to leave the ball in a little longer.

TARGET CLIFFORD AT 8 - Put pressure on Clifford behind a potential struggling scrum. Look to blitz him from the off and put him off his game.

PRESSURE ON QUINS HALFBACKS ALL GAME - Get big runners down Jantjes channel. Also look to blitz with backrow and force Janjtes into mistakes. We think we can really stop Quins here.

General - We'll be playing a structured physical game from the off, look to get at the opposition and target the breakdown. We'll look to tie the opposition in with our physical pack/carrying options and then get at their outisde backs, more so in their half. Look to keep it tight in the forward pack and grind through work. Looking to bring in the opposition pack and then use big carrying options to punch holes through their defence. Look to control the tempo and areas we play with kicking options at halfback.

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 safe ball with world class line out options and experience. Will allow SH good clean ball and have big carriers running off the 9 at angles. Look to target opposition throw and put pressure on the hooker.

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. Scrum half to sweep behind the defensive line.

Attack - Keep things simple in our own half then look to unleash backs in opp 22 territory. Scrum half to dictate play from the breakdown and runners on his shoulder. Huge carrying pack 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.

Bath Rugby
Manager – CJB

01. Eddy Ben Arous	09. Aaron Smith
02. Rory Best	10. Beauden Barrett
03. Scott Wilson
04. Graham Kitchener	11. Christian Wade
05. Josh Beaumont	12. Damian De Allende
06. Liam Squire	13. Jesse Kriel
07. Justin Tipuric	14. Juan Imhoff
08. Toby Falateu	15. Liam Williams

.
16. Steven Kitchoff 17. Mikey Haywood 18. Nepo Laulala 19. Will Skelton 20. Siya Kolisi 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Sam Hill 23. Alex Goode

Attributes: First phase attack/strike moves: Will look to break the defence, with either a bust through or a clever move to create a gap.
Breakdown - Clearing: Ensuring the possession is clean and quick with quick support to the breakdown
Blitz Defence: Your side is known for Blitz and excels at it
Breakdown - Turnover possession: Your side is recognised to pick off turnovers at the breakdown, by getting the ball and gaining the penalty

Overall: We are gonna be looking to play front foot rugby and put Tigers under immense pressure with our energy. Look for big carries looking to create space and break the defense. Attack the set piece where we expect to be dominant and finish strongly off the bench 

Scrum: Use the set piece to get quick ball to restart our play. We will look to get more power from our back five. Falateu will look to attack off the quick ball he gets.

Lineout: We will look to switch up the lineup with Beaumont, Falateu, Squire and Kitchener options in the lineout. Beaumont will run the line out. Look to get up into the air quickly and down for a quick maul. We think we can dominate here against a poor set of jumpers. Kitchener will offer quick ball option at the front. 

Breakdown: Look to generate quick ball for our backs to take advantage of. Tipuric is brilliant at the breakdown and we will also look to get the rest of the pack looking to help and clear out.

Defence: Run a blitz defence. Smith to drift behind expecting kicks.

Attack: Our half backs will control our rugby. Smith will set the tempoand play what he sees in front of him. Outside of him, Barrett will play flat and use his creativity to bring in the back line and make plays. He will be given a freedom to be creative. Look to bring in the rest of the back line, especially De Allende and Kriel who we would like to get running at defenders.  Wade and Imhoff are very skilful and if the ball gets to them will look to draw in defenders. The pack will also be involved when we have the ball for a prolonged period. We have strong carriers who excel in the loose. Look to get the ball in the hands of EBA, Kitch and Squire in order to break the line and make yards. 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. Exploit the holes we create and look to tire out Tigers which can help nullify their offensive threats. 

Kicking: Barrett will be our chosen place kicker. We will chuck in the occasional grabber to chase. Smith, Imhoff and Williams all have the boots necessary to try and put us in a good position territorially if need. 

Substitutes: Keep a high tempo off the bench. We want our high class front row to come on late and really impact the game.

Worcester Warriors
Manager - Prop

01. Joe Moody	09. Bryn Hall
02. Codie Taylor	10. Jule Plisson(k)
03. Nahuel Chapparro
04. Mike Williams	11. James Short
05. Yohann Maestri	12. Anton Leniert Brown
06. Jackson Wray	13. Jarrad Payne
07. Sam Warburton	14. Adam Thompstone
08. Warren Whiteley	15. Brice Dulin

:-
16. Ross Batty 17. Luca Paz 18. Henry Thomas 19. Leone Nakawara 20. Jordan Taufua 21. Sam Harrison 22. Dan Biggar 23. Mathew Tait
Season's Attributes-
Offloading in the Tackle
Breakdown (Turnovers)
Blitz Defence
Choke Tackle
*Rotation is everything coming into this stage of the season and we have selected some fresh legs with players able to play longer and being managed with their game time.
*We see our back row as the main impact with the balance and ability to slow their ball whilst keeping the route to our 9 clear.
*We have a big carrying, hard working pack to stop them in their tracks and put a lot of pressure on 9 to prevent the quick ball.
*Bench-we have huge impact on our bench able and will use Nakawara, Taufua and Biggar to cause all sorts of trouble in the last 20 minutes minimum.

-We have selected a heavy, hard working pack looking to nullify the danger from their big carriers and set piece,
-We will play a controlled game, offloading-only when on. Plisson will look for territory,
-Big carriers up front looking to offload if the conditions allow possible although being mindful of the encroaching defence and we will have support runners on their shoulders,
-Back row looking to be balanced with carrying, tackling and Warburton bringing the turnover attribute,
-The breakdown is likely to be scrappy and the first man there will look to go for the ball using our turnover attribute. If it is obviously lost we will fan out. If they under-commit we will look to drive through them for the turnover,
-Look to not commit too much to their breakdown if the ball is lost and use blitz defence led by Jones allowing the chance to apply the choke tackle to stop them playing a quick tempo game,
-Backs to play what is in front of them, runners off ALB and Payne, we will use the back three as strike runners and know the pace of our back three to put pressure with quick ball,
-When nothing is on  go for territory and also use  'bombs' to challenge and turn their backlline,
-We will the wingers to come into the line and switch things up to keep them guessing and allow us the chance to hit from deep at times and not be predictable,
-We have selected a huge bench which will be used for impact and to maintain a high tempo game running against tired legs,
-Take all kickable penalties.

Wasps
Manager - Pullthestrings

01. Marcos Ayerza	09. Maxime Machenaud
02. Bismarck Du Plessis	10. Aaron Cruden (k)
03. Wilco Louw
04. Sebastian Vahaamahina	11. Bryan Habana
05. Scott Barrett	12. Henry Slade
06. Jerome Kaino	13. Jonathan Davies
07. Tom Wood	14. Marland Yarde
08. Louis Picamoles	15. Anthony Watson

_
16. Tatafu Polota Nau, 17. Joe Marler, 18. Dave Wilson, 19. Alun Wyn-Jones, 20. Sean O'Brien, 21. Sebastian Tillous Borde, 22. Brad Barritt, 23. Max Malins

---

Tactics
Attack:
- Mix up our lines of attack, sometimes with two lines with forwards as options
- Likes of Kaino, Du Plessis to offer extra pair of hands in the backline when required
- Mix up forward runners off 9 and 10 to give go forward and tie in defence. When space opens up, go wide and utilise pace of back three.
Defence:
- Quick line speed, getting up to the 10 and putting pressure on.
- Only step out of the line for big hit opportunities.
Breakdown:
- Be disciplined at the breakdown and do not give away penalties in our half
- Compete for the turnover if it's on, even if it's only to slow down the ball
- If ruck is lost, don't compete and fan out in defence
Territory:
- Use box kicks from 9 and nudges from 10 out of hand to pin them back.
- Play rugby in their half and make them attack from deep
- Full back to marshall the back 3 and make sure our positioning is spot on for kick returns

Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

01. Cian Healy	09. Luke McGrath
02. Agustin Creevy	10. Elton Jantjies
03. Tadhg Furlong
04. Luke Romano	11. Jack Nowell
05. George Kruis	12. Robbie Henshaw
06. Jaco Kriel	13. Jonathan Joseph
07. Michael Hooper (c)	14. Santiago Cordero
08. Jack Clifford	15. Damian McKenzie

16. Rob Webber 17. Richard Barrington 18. Kieran Brookes 19. Mamuka Gorgodze 20. Steffon Armitage 21. Ruan Pienaar 22. Juan Martin Hernandez 23. Yoann Huget

Attributes

Phase Attack - Attacks build momentum until an opportunity arises. 
Counter Attack - Receiving the ball down field, your players will look to attack with ball in hand, thriving in the broken field and open spaces. 

Breakdown (Turnover Possession) -  Your side is recognised to pick off turnovers at the breakdown, by getting the ball and gaining the penalty
Chop Tackle: Tacklers look to get low and chop down attackers before gaining momentum or metres over the gain line. 


Game Plan

• We are going to look to play a fast-paced game based around quick recycling of the ball and using the pace of our side to move Saracens around the field. Our pack is full of players comfortable with ball in hand and our back line is full of electric runners who will enjoy the open space and dry conditions with ball in hand.

• Up front, we will look for our pack to carry hard off 9, 10 and 12 to get us going forward. McGrath will look to snipe around the fringes using his electric pace and feed runners or provide Jantjies with quick service. Jantjies will look to stand flat and put others into space. Once we tie in Saracens defenders or break the line, we will look to get the ball wide to our outside backs.

• McGrath and Jantjies have been picked for their ability to play at pace and control the tempo. They are charged with getting us playing through quick taps and getting quick ball

• We will be looking to run the ball from everywhere and starve Saracens of the ball. We have the more mobile pack and a back line with elusive and strong runners who can make breaks and use the space available. We won’t allow Saracens to dictate the pace of the game.

• We have a solid set piece with Creevy and Furlong arguably the best in the world in their positions and Kruis running the line out. We know we will be able to guarantee our own ball to launch attacks from.

• Look for our back three to come looking for work. McKenzie to offer as a first receiver and Nowell and Cordero to come looking for the ball when they are on the blind side offering options out the back for Jantjies.

 Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Jack McGrath	09. Danny Care
02. Tommy Taylor	10. Johnny Sexton
03. Davit Zirakishvilli
04. Maro Itoje	11. Nemani Nadolo
05. Iain Henderson	12. Kyle Eastmond
06. Peter O'Mahony	13. Malakai Fekitoa
07. Sam Cane	14. Keith Earls
08. CJ Stander	15. Simon Zebo

Subs:
16. Benjamin Kayser 17. Ross Harrison 18. Martin Moore 19. Matt Garvey 20. Matt Kvesic 21. Faf De Klerk 22. Bernard Foley 23. Nick Abendanon

Attributes:
Phase Attack: Attacks build momentum until an opportunity arises.
Breakdown - Clearing: Ensuring the possession is clean and quick with quick support to the breakdown.

Blitz Defence: Your side is known for Blitz and excels at it.
Breakdown - Slowing up ball: The defenders can get over the ball to slow it up and prevent the attack from building momentum and allowing your defence to set.  

Attack: We will be playing a high intensity phased attacking game. Look to use a rugby league shape with runners on the gain line and out the back door to force the opposition into making defensive decisions. Numerous playmakers across the back line allows us to constantly change the point of attack and restructure our attacking phases. Care to keep the fringe defence honest with his snipping runs.

Breakdown: Quick ball is the aim on attack. Mobile pack and physical back line to clear out rucks and ensure we get it. We will look to get over the gain line off all carries to give a target to hit. Defensively when the initial contact is won we will look to commit numbers and get over the ball turning it over or at least slowing opposition ball up. Otherwise we will strengthen the line.

Defence: 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. Zebo & Earls to cover the background dropping deep to cut off the green grass available to kick into.

Scrum: Strong scrummaging unit in the front row with the support of a powerful 4-8 will look to get the better of the opposition and build a strong attacking platform. We will look to put a slight wheel on where possible to take the opposition backrow out of play and then attack the space available and look for one on ones in the backline.

Lineout: Five mobile, athletic jumpers allows us to genuinely mix it up on attacking ball. Primarily looking to get the backs on the ball in space. Defensively Itoje to get up in the air at the front and challenge on opposition ball while POM marshals the middle looking to make it as messy as possible.

I'll put a Falcons team down for Bam in the morning

 Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Bambam

01. Matt Mullan	09. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne
02. Jamie George	10. Owen Farrell
03. Vincent Koch
04. Flip Van Der Merwe	11. Charles Piutau
05. Lood De Jager	12. Jan Serfontein
06. Pablo Matera	13. Scott Williams
07. Callum Clark	14. Denny Solomona
08. Kieran Read (c)	15. Ben Smith

:-
16. Camille Chat 17. Nic Auterac 18. Davit Kubriashvili 19. Matt Symons 20. Jordi Murphy 21. Dave Lewis 22. Ian Madigan 23. David Strettle

Attributes
Counter Attacking: Receiving the ball down field, your players will look to attack with ball in hand, thriving in the broken field and open spaces.
Phase Attack: Attacks build momentum until an opportunity arises.
Breakdown: Slowing up ball: The defenders can get over the ball to slow it up and prevent the attack from building momentum and allowing your defence to set.
Blitz Defence: Your side is known for Blitz and excels at it

Game plan

Set piece - Look to really put their props under maximum pressure with our strong front row, we've got a great scrummaging lock pairing to help. If no weakness, use as restart. On their ball, mark their second rows and force long throws. On our ball, use the back row options to mix it up.

Breakdown - Back row and hooker to lead the way on turnovers. Others focus on strong clear outs and maintaining a strong defensive line. . On our ball, smash them off the ball, use pod system to ensure support if they are having success. Our openside is charged with keeping their main breakdown threat off our ball, and target turnovers if one of their carriers gets isolated

Kicking - Options throughout the backs . Kick in behind the wings for territory, aim for space not the man. Challenge wings positioning, Wings free to drop back for the counter off their kicks

Attack - Run our attack off 9 who sets the tempo, constantly change the point of attack and get our 10 quick ball.. Challenge their 10 defensively with our power backs cutting in running hard lines at his channel with the full back coming into the line. Big carrying forwards to set a platform, run at 10/12 all day long to put them on the back foot off first phase, see how they handle it.  

Defence - no weak links in the backline, use the blitz defence to put them on the back foot,  

Bench - Big carrying forwards throughout and talented, pacy backs to see us home

Should be ok mate

Cheers mate

Still waiting for a Gloucester side from Driver. 

Any sight or sound from him?

I think Driver wont be back mate

Any reason?

Time mate, just messaged him.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Time mate, just messaged him.

That is sad. Can we all please our ears to the ground and drum up a last person to fill the Gloucester spot please.

Will update the thread shortly as well.

Predictions are open - to me please

When CJ adds his tactics, I shall add them as he would usually but imagine he has been busy.

Sorry, Fluxy, been caught up at work and then my girlfriend's passing of medical school, if it is still ok to do them I will get them up in the next couple of hours, but understand if not

Fluxy wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Time mate, just messaged him.

That is sad. Can we all please our ears to the ground and drum up a last person to fill the Gloucester spot please.

I'll see if I can recruit one of my brothers

Anyone but Beshocked!

My brother may be interested

CJ added you tactics

If you're brother is interested get to message on here and introduce him.

I could run with Gloucester on a temp basis Flux, can do a few deals to kick things up a bit?

Shall hopefully get results done in the next hour or so - apologies for the delay!

Pooly, would rather allow a new manager to shape the squad. Happy for you to stick in a teamsheet for them, if you have the time.

Newcastle Falcons 30 - 20 Gloucester Rugby
Away side rudderless at the moment, no direction and Falcons are a team on the rise, with an electric back three. Good that Read is back now after 4 months out, will be a huge boost in the run in.

Newcastle Falcons 24 - 23 Gloucester Rugby

Newcastle Falcons 26 - 24 Gloucester Rugby
A slight scrum advantage for the away side but I prefer the Falcons engine room and backrow. One a piece in the halfbacks but the Falcons pairing slight stronger, similar story in the centres. Cracking back 3 battle but Falcons just have enough here. 

Newcastle Falcons 23 - 22 Gloucester Rugby

Newcastle Falcons 27 - 26 Gloucester Rugby

Newcastle Falcons 27 - 26 Gloucester Rugby
Falcons just have the more organised and efficient pack, which allows them to get on top of a very physical Gloucester forward pack. Out wide the same applies to the backs, with the Gloucester back line equally as dangerous and creative as the Falcons, but the quality and efficiency of the Newcastle back three is sublime. Tough one, which at home the Falcons just nick.

Sale Sharks 22 - 18 Worcester Warriors
This game is won in the back row, form of POM is fantastic at the moment, Worcester can get at Sale in the scrum and have a dangerous backline but Sale as a unit around the pitch are very hard to beat - expect ALB to run over Eastmond in the game though!

Sale Sharks 27 - 26 Worcester Warriors 

Sale Sharks 28 - 26 Worcester Warriors
Weaker Sale pack than normal but they just have enough to give the halfbacks front foot ball. Not much in the backline past that with Worcester perhaps having the better centres but Sale a step up in the halfbacks. Tight game but Sale's quality comes through.

Sale Sharks 34 - 33 Worcester Warriors

Sale Sharks 28 - 27 Worcester Warriors

Sale Sharks 35 - 33 Worcester Warriors
Good little game here with both doing well in Europe the previous weekend. Sharks are their strong dynamic selves, and I imagine SJE is possibly struggling with a dilemma we would all love to have, and that is what his best side is going into the final run in. Warriors strong in the pack, and will really force Sharks to play their best, and in fact for me might catch them off guard a little at the start. The creativity in the Wuss midfield coupled with the blistering pace of their back three makes them a handful for the Sharks defence. However the pace and control that Sexton can put on the game will be key here and help Sharks edge out a valiant effort by Warriors.

Bath Rugby 22 - 20 Leicester Tigers
Hard game to call, very even across the park but can see a slight advantage in the Bath back row and that backline is a real threat with two incredibly exciting halfbacks. Teo'o adds a huge physical presence for the Tigers midfield and really like the impact that they can bring from the bench. 

Bath Rugby 24 - 24 Leicester Tigers

Bath Rugby 34 - 34 Leicester Tigers
Leicester take the front 5, better quality and Scott Wilson not really an option that should be starting. Bath backrow better, Chick a talent but not ready for this kind of action, especially at 8. Bath backs generally better and can score from anywhere which keep them it. 

Bath Rugby 26 - 25 Leicester Tigers

Bath Rugby 30 - 29 Leicester Tigers

Exeter Chiefs 25 - 21 Bristol Rugby
So much power in that Exeter team where they can send runner after runner into the Bristol defence. Over the 80 minutes it is going to really tell, but the 6/7 combination of Bristol is going to get them some joy at the breakdown and a lot of turnover ball. 

Exeter Chiefs 32 - 27 Bristol Rugby
Slightly stronger pack from the home side although not a great deal in it with Bristol keeping things tight. Exeter better across the board in the backs and can ease away in the 2nd half with some strong runners and form to fall back on. 

Exeter Chiefs 21 - 20 Bristol Rugby

Exeter Chiefs 25 - 26 Bristol Rugby
The big Chiefs pack will get them some good go forward, but the dynamism of the Bristol forwards more than makes up for this, especially yhe form of the likes of D Ryan, Kepu and Van Der Flier. The Chiefs half backs will control the match nicely, however in the Chiefs back line, I can't see where the spark of creativity will come from, as for me the players starting all have particular ways in which they play. Bristol have a bit more coming in that department, for me, with the likes of Haylett-Petty and Francis. Very close game, but the boots of both sides will make it close. Bristol just edge it in the end.

Saracens 26 - 27 Harlequins

Saracens 26 - 25 Harlequins

Saracens 26 - 27 Harlequins
game of the round this one. Both sides set out well and very even. In the Quins back three there is a little more threat overall for my in comparison to the Sarries unit, which isn't shabby! Sarries are right to target Jantjies, however with McKenzie stepping in when possible and Henshaw helping take some of the heavier hits, Sarries won't have as much success as they may expect. Up front Sarries are strong as customary, but Quins now have a strong spine in their side which is complimented by hard workers off the ball as well as on it. The quality of both benches is high, but the Quins bench just adds a little more calm and quality to help them to a massive away victory.

Wasps 23 - 24 Northampton Saints

Wasps 25 - 24 Northampton Saints

Wasps 25 - 25 Northampton Saints

Wasps 25 - 23 Northampton Saints
Wasps get the better of a slightly out of sorts Saints front five. Saints, have some strong carrying in their side, but not quite the same quality for me. The battle of the 8's is titanic, however the Wasps get on top of the back row slightly more. 
Out wide Saints quality out wide is good, but the attacking threat from the Wasps back three is electric. Tie this in with Slade/Cruden operating as two playmakers and this will stretch the Saints defence on both sides of the field. The Saints bench is massive, but there is just enough quality and experience in the Wasps forward replacement to grind out the win at home.