GP Weekend

Friday.
Sale Vs Quins

Saturday.
Sarries vs Newcastle
Wasps vs Worcester
Bath Vs Bristol
Tigers Vs Exeter

Sunday.
Saints Vs Gloucester

Big Weekend in the GP, nothing can be decided I guess but big moves can be made.

All relegation candidates are up against it with Briz, warriors and falcons all away from home and Leicester at home to chiefs, any victories for these sides would be a massive statement in the relegation battle. Not sure I fancy any of them to win, although Wasps and Bath have been very inconsistent this year i would still back them at home.

Beyond the relegation battle the race for the playoffs is still live. Quins may have an 8 point lead over 5th places saints but the 4 teams below quins are all at home including their opposition the Sale Sharks. Quins dont have a good record up at Sale so the table could have a very different look to it after this weekend. The Quins upcoming home game against Saints is looking more and more crucial in the playoff battle.

The champs Cup places could go right down to the wire as usual but unusually I think it will be the relegation battle that has us GP fans on the edge of our seats come the final rounds of the season!

Sadly I fancy Worcester to beat Wasps. If they do, id say its over for us as I really cant see us getting much at Saracens and the gap will be too big to recover.

I dont fancy worcester but i agree that there is little to no chance of falcons getting anything at sarries.

I think falcons rather need everyone around them to lose and live to fight another weekend

Isnt it the GP now?

Just saying!

tigertattie wrote:Isnt it the GP now?

Just saying!

If it was the GP, kick-offs would be 8:01 on the dot and its closed at the weekend.

(Reason for editing : Pedantry)

sorry

Just looked at the fixtures
Neither Bristol or Tigers are safe and if Wasps lose at the weekend neither are they

geoff999rugby wrote:Just looked at the fixtures
Neither Bristol or Tigers are safe and if Wasps lose at the weekend neither are they

As a Wasps fan, I'm looking at it optimistically. If results go our way we can finish the weekend in fifth. We want European Champions rugby next season, one way or another, and I've pretty much given up hope of a top four finish. So, top six is the next goal!

We're at home to Worcester, and while we've been rubbish, I am hopeful that with returnees from injury, and the distraction of the internationals a thing of the past for now, we should have sufficient quality to win (at home, I'd have a different opinion if we were at Sixways). A bonus point win (fingers crossed) would put us on 42 points, ahead of Saints on 41 (see next paragraph).

Saints to lose to Glaws, Sale to lose to Quins - I expect both Glaws and Quins to win away, cementing their top four positions.

Bath at home to Bristol? Could go either way, to be honest, so I'm hopeful for a Bears win.

So, from a Wasps perspective, if the results drop in, the table looks very different.

In the other games, I can't see past Sarries and Chiefs, so that leaves the bottom of the table looking more-or-less the same, I think.

Wasps are the only team out of those 5 who have to play both Chiefs and Saracens, and they are the following two games.

That makes Warriors a must win - 3 defeats in a row now would be a big concern, the last two Bath(A) and Quins (H) are hardly gimmes either

That away game at Bath has the potential to be HUGE for both sides.

Club affiliation to one side for a moment, it's a great season in that there is still so much to play for at this stage of the season, and the middle of the table is so tight.

Black & gold back on - yes, it is a must win!

So the talk is Farrell will be back for Saracens, but Billy V and Jamie George will be rested and Mako is not fit. And Brad Barritt is out injured.

Im sure they'll just replace those internationals with other internationals...whilst remaining under the wage cap...

Yes I suppose wasps could still be dragged in to the mire but it is unlikely, a win this weekend rules it out for me. Even if wasps lose this weekend its asking a lot of Falcons (given theyre are also unlikely to pick up points this weekend) to make up an 8 point deficit with then just 4 games remaining. As Geordie says a worcester win really makes falcons prime candidates for the drop.

What we need is a falcons win at sarries to really spice things up!

Yes we do HQ...

And you know what, if I was Dean...id put out the most attack minded side and just say hey...go for it. Open it up from our own try line if need be.

Just have fun and take them on with nothing to lose. We're expected to be beaten fairly straight forwardly, so get at them and try and get some bonus points.

So set out for the try bonus point and anything else is a bonus..

exactly Matt...if we go to defend we're just wasting our time.

Falcons for Saracens

Wilson and Green rested. Ah You starts, Robinson fit again.

Newcastle Falcons team to face Saracens (Saturday, 3pm, Allianz Park)

15 Alex Tait
14 Vereniki Goneva
13 Chris Harris
12 Josh Matavesi
11 Sinoti Sinoti
10 Toby Flood (captain)
9 Sonatane Takulua

1 Logovi'i Mulipola
2 George McGuigan
3 Rodney Ah You
4 Evan Olmstead
5 Andrew Davidson
6 Gary Graham
7 John Hardie
8 Callum Chick

Replacements
16 Kyle Cooper
17 Sam Lockwood
18 David Wilson
19 Sean Robinson
20 Will Witty
21 Sam Stuart
22 Brett Connon
23 Alex Dunbar

Well...we're going for it!

Saracens v Falcons

Richard Barrington,
Tom Woolstencroft,
Vincent Koch,
Maro Itoje,
George Kruis,
Mike Rhodes,
Schalk Burger,
Ben Earl.


Max Malins,
Sean Maitland,
Alex Lozowski,
Nick Tompkins,
Liam Williams,
Owen Farrell,
Ben Spencer.

REPLACEMENTS: Christopher Tolofua, Ralph Adams-Hale, Titi Lamositele, Nick Isiekwe, Calum Clark, Tom Whiteley, Dom Morris, Alex Lewington.

Strong Saracens side though...

Defo a bit of rotation in that sarries team, is that max malins at fullback?

Yeah mallins at FB. Think that's where he's being played most of the time with Goode at 10.

HQ matt wrote:Yes I suppose wasps could still be dragged in to the mire but it is unlikely, a win this weekend rules it out for me. Even if wasps lose this weekend its asking a lot of Falcons (given theyre are also unlikely to pick up points this weekend) to make up an 8 point deficit with then just 4 games remaining.

I agree a Wasps win this weekend and they are safe
However a defeat and they will be nervous
They play Saracens and Exeter in their next two matches
Falcons have Tigers and Saints at home - that could be the gap gone

Following that Wasps are away to Bath
Not saying it is easy for Falcons, it isn't, but after this weekend Wasps have the worst run in.
Lose this weekend and they are in trouble

Wasps side for Worcs (Sat 3pm @ The Ricoh):

Daly in the centre, Sopoaga back from injury, and a pretty boss back row. Pretty happy with the side as it goes, plenty of pace and power in there. Lot of ooomph on the bench too.

15 Willie Le Roux (51)
14 Marcus Watson (24)
13 Elliot Daly (189)
12 Gaby Lovobalavu (30)
11 Josh Bassett (100)
10 Lima Sopoaga (20)
9 Joe Simpson (252)
1 Zurabi Zhvania (19)
2 Tom Cruse (58)
3 Will Stuart (31)
4 Joe Launchbury (c) (136)
5 James Gaskell (105)
6 Brad Shields (10)
7 Nizaam Carr (32)
8 Nathan Hughes (120)

Replacements
16 Ashley Johnson (182)
17 Simon McIntyre (154)
18 Jake Cooper-Woolley (126)
19 Will Rowlands (71)
20 Ben Morris (16)
21 Craig Hampson (30)
22 Rob Miller (99)
23 Juan de Jongh (44)

No Jack Willis or Thomas Young, both injured? Makes the back row a bit slow and rather one dimensional imo.

LondonTiger wrote:No Jack Willis or Thomas Young, both injured? Makes the back row a bit slow and rather one dimensional imo.

Yeah, both injured. Willis with an ankle niggle, IIRC, and Young with the injury he picked up against Tigers. Carr is deceptively fast, but I would tend to agree on Hughes and Shields though, although there's plenty of power in there.

Bath at Twickers, bound to be a win for Brizzle.

60,000+ going to HQ

I hope they sell Scrumpy.

Well so far we're beating Saracens at half time

Worcester getting beat by wasps and Bristol getting beat

Bath have beaten Bristol...

Saracens ahead and Worcester clawing wasps back....

Saracens beat Falcons.

Haven't seen it but from what I'm reading Falcons threw away a LBP at the end and cost me the exact pick on Superbru

Tom Youngs red card! Exeter already with a comfortable lead but that will likely rule out a Tigers comeback.

Cant really blame injuries or tactics either.

We just seem to be running out of steam now, too many penalties given away needlessly and too many players doing silly things.

The Cat really shouldnt have started he was poor at 10 and looks like he needs a lot more time in the A league and off the bench to improve. If he is even going to, he didnt exactly set the world alight at Montpellier.

Sinkler needs to be dropped for his silly antics, seems to happen too often for Quins.

Ouch....Tigers hammered by Exeter.

They're in free fall!!

GeordieFalcon wrote:Ouch....Tigers hammered by Exeter.

They're in free fall!!

Landing zone St Helier.

"Looks like I chose the wrong week to give up alcohol"

"Looks like I chose the wrong week to give up sniffing glue"

Tigers took a hammering but Falcons, Worcester and Tigers taking zero points and Bristol only one wasn't the worst weekend given Tigers were playing Chiefs.

Falcons - Tigers
Bristol - Sarries
Worcester - Sale

Tigers - Bristol
Falcons - Saints
Worcester - Gloucester

Quins - Tigers
Gloucester - Falcons
Saints - Worcester
Bristol - Sale

Tigers - Bath
Worcester - Sarries
Falcons - Bristol

Bristol and Worcester both have to play Sarries.

Falcons vs Bristol on the final weekend is a good thing for Tigers in some ways as only one of them should take the points.

Tigers also have Falcons and Bristol to come.

Leicester are certainly showing relegation form but the slight points advantage on the table and that run-in should be enough. Squeaky bum time.

Huge game next weekend...Falcons v Tigers

The pass for the 2nd Glaws try looked a touch forwards to me ...

Bit of a try-fest going on here ...

GeordieFalcon wrote:Huge game next weekend...Falcons v Tigers

Massive, good luck Falcons. but in truth they won't need luck just do the basics right.