Gallagher Premiership Round 13, 14, 15 & 16

First topic message reminder :

Friday 8th March


19:45 Bath v Saracens BT Sport
19:45 Sale v Leicester


Saturday 9th March


14:00 Wasps v Newcastle
14:45 Northampton v Bristol
15:00 Worcester v Exeter


Sunday 10th March


13:00 Harlequins v Gloucester BT Sport

Listening to Sale-Tigers on the radio it sounds like this will be a very frustrating game to watch back when it goes up on the Premiership Rugby website.

Both sides creating opportunities and Sale actually finishing them seems to sum things up.

Ouch bad night for Tigers!

Amusing amount of stick being sent Sarries way on social media too, I guess they wont be making any new friends with all the dodgy goings on this week. Good win for Bath.

Rhodes getting away with what should have been a straight red for an unnecessary diving shoulder to the head in a ruck won't have helped either.

Tough for Tigers but with so many players unavailable in a weak squad it's not unexpected.

Faf de Klerk has been a brilliant signing for Sale. If the other Boks that Diamond has signed fit into his culture like Faf has then they will be a real force next season. Fans often look back on periods of success and try to pinpoint players or moments that started it. If Sale's recruitment push to go up to the cap pays dividends then Faf should end up being viewed as one of those players. Fantastic in attack, defense and he's a leader - admittedly he isn't a first choice goal kicker.

Falcons winning at wasps at the moment 17-9

15mins to go

19-17 to wasps now

GeordieFalcon wrote:Falcons winning at wasps at the moment 17-9

15mins to go

I saw this post and went over to look, only to find Wasps now ahead....

I claim responsibility for the Falcons win, as I realised I was jinxing them by watching, so went back to the Murrayfield match.

Well that's a wIn I REALLY didnt expect!

Is the ridiculous Houdini escape underway?

GeordieFalcon wrote:Well that's a wIn I REALLY didnt expect!

As I predicted when the teams were announced

You did....

Saints shown three straight yellow cards, and down to 12 men, defending a 5 point lead against Bristol, with only a few minutes left. Bristol must score.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Well that's a wIn I REALLY didnt expect!

Is the ridiculous Houdini escape underway?

Told you it wasn't over yet - Warriors always looked like they could suffer from a harder run-in ...

Fourth yellow card for Saints now. Time is up.

Bristol win. It was a crazy finish because Madigan had to convert a try to win, when there was a good case for a penalty try before.

yappysnap wrote:Ouch bad night for Tigers!
.

Not unexpected with the following missing:

1. Genge, Bateman
2. TPN
3. Cole, Cortes
4.
5.
6. Denton
7. O'Connor
8.
9. Youngs, Harrison, White
10. Ford
11. May
12. Toomua, Smith
13. Manu, Owen
14. Thompstone
15. TV, Tait, Worth

Still disappointing that we were well in it until going down to 14 temporarily and then well out of it after the permanent reduction to 14. Two senior players getting carded unnecessarily when we're up against it away from home.

If Bristol had lost, then they would have been close enough to the bottom two to make it a bit more interesting. As it is, Leicester are third from bottom with 34 points, Worcester have 28 and Falcons are on 25. Worcester picked up two bonus poinst against Exeter, so Falcons couldn't close the gap as much as they would have wanted.

Where those 4 YC against Saints justified, sounds like one per offence, so he was penalising the team rather than the player

WELL-PAST-IT wrote:Where those 4 YC against Saints justified, sounds like one per offence, so he was penalising the team rather than the player

The team was on a warning, which doesn't disappear just because a card has been awarded, so every time Saints collapsed the Bristol maul, came in from the side, or collapsed the scrum, they got another card.

At one point, I thought Saints were dumb giving away penalties, since it was verging on a penalty try, which would have automatically lost them the match, as conversion is required. It seemed better to try and contest legally, while ensuring any try would have to be scored out wide out. If Bristol missed the conversion, then Saints would have had a draw at least. As it is, Bristol did need to convert but it wasn't from as hard a position as some of their mauls.

Our (quins) 9 is absolutely horrendous, horribly slow, telegraphed floating passes. Gloucester winning comfortably by virtue of being able to throw and catch a ball so far.

mid_gen wrote:Our (quins) 9 is absolutely horrendous, horribly slow, telegraphed floating passes. Gloucester winning comfortably by virtue of being able to throw and catch a ball so far.

And having tight 5 forwards who are willing to work. Quins tight forwards were lazy in first half.

Back down to earth with a bang for Quins there.

No one on the offy rates our 9, and by the sounds of it he won't have won any of them over with that display! We really need a better back up for Care

Which 9 are we talking about (missed the match).
Is this Lewis (the ex-chiefs 9) or the academy kid - think his name is Nial Saunders?

Haven't we got a Worcester 9 as injury cover too (perhaps just arrived).

yappysnap wrote:Back down to earth with a bang for Quins there.

No one on the offy rates our 9, and by the sounds of it he won't have won any of them over with that display! We really need a better back up for Care

Have the Martin Landajo rumours run dry since Care re-signed?

PropDavid - yes you’ve got Baldwin on loan from Wuss. We’re hoping you can loan us a hooker in return!

propdavid_london wrote:Which 9 are we talking about (missed the match).
Is this Lewis (the ex-chiefs 9) or the academy kid - think his name is Nial Saunders?

Haven't we got a Worcester 9 as injury cover too (perhaps just arrived).

Dave Lewis, apparently about as dynamic as a coma patient.

Saunders is apparently pretty damn good, I imagine we'll only see the Wuss 9 if other injuries occur.

That be the Irishman Niall Saunders.

If Quins do the decent thing and develop his game we will be around to take him back to the homeland this time next year

Seriously always a risk with players who play for Ireland (played for Ireland U-20s) given our rules over must be based in Ireland to be considered (the likes of Sexton, Bowe apart)

Unless he changes allegiance given an appropriate amount of time.

stub wrote:PropDavid - yes you’ve got Baldwin on loan from Wuss. We’re hoping you can loan us a hooker in return!

Is Baldwin any good?
Unfortunately we are a bit short on Hookers too.
Max Crumpton is still suspended.

propdavid_london wrote:

stub wrote:PropDavid - yes you’ve got Baldwin on loan from Wuss. We’re hoping you can loan us a hooker in return!

Is Baldwin any good?
Unfortunately we are a bit short on Hookers too.
Max Crumpton is still suspended.

He hasn't had much opportunity at Wuss to be honest so we haven't seen what he can do.

Speculation on our boards that we might see what he can do for the Quins and realise we've missed a trick.

Hope that he works out for you - but not in the cup match against Wuss!!

I hope that Care will be fit shortly - thought on the talk sport podcast he does with Monye that he wasn't too far off and training already with the squad.
Bad luck for Mulchrone as he's looked sharp when given an opportunity.
Perhaps Lewis just had a bad day!