Gallagher Premiership 2019/20

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Table

Pos	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Pts Difference	Bonus	Points
1	Northampton Saints	7	5	2	0	194	146	48	3	23
2	Exeter Chiefs	6	4	2	0	142	97	45	4	20
3	Gloucester Rugby	7	3	4	0	149	121	28	6	18
4	Bristol Bears	7	3	3	1	157	165	-8	4	18
5	Bath Rugby	7	4	3	0	139	145	-6	1	17
6	Worcester Warriors	7	4	3	0	122	144	-22	1	17
7	Sale Sharks	7	3	4	0	144	105	39	5	17
8	Harlequins	7	3	3	1	158	169	-11	3	17
9	London Irish	7	2	4	1	128	179	-51	2	12
10	Wasps	7	2	5	0	134	191	-57	3	11
11	Leicester Tigers	7	1	5	1	118	191	-76	0	6
12	Saracens	6	5	1	0	158	87	71	-32	-13

Bath
Last Season - 6th

Players in: Lewis Boyce (Prop), Christian Judge (Prop), Will Stuart (Prop), Mike Williams (Utility Forward), Josh McNally (Second Row), Ollie Fox (Scrum Half)
Promoted from Academy: Miles Reid, Will Vaughan, Sam Nixon, Tom de Glanville, Will Britton, Jack Davies, Tom Doughty, Levi Davis promoted (X Factor permitting)

Players Out: Dave Attwood (Second Row), Paul Grant (Back Row), Luke Charteris (Second Row), James Wilson (Utility Back), Kahn Fotuali'i (Scrum Half), Jacques van Rooyen (Prop), Jack Wilson (Wing), Cooper Vuna (Wing), Anthony Perenise (Prop), Michael van Vuuren (Hooker), Max Lahiff (Prop)


Bristol Bears
Last Season - 9th

Players in: Dave Attwood (Second Row), Nathan Hughes (Back Row), Nicky Thomas (Prop), Max Lahiff (Prop), Tyrese Johnson-Fisher (Wing)
Promoted from Academy: Sam Bedlow, John Hawkins, Toby Fricker

Players out: Nick Haining (Back Row), George Smith (Back Row), Nick Fenton-Wells (Back Row), Joe Latta (Second Row), Tusi Pisi (Fly Half), Sione Faletau (Prop), Jack Lam (Back Row)


Exeter Chiefs
Last Season: Runners Up

Players in: Stuart Hogg (Full Back), Will Witty (Second Row), Tom Price (Second Row), Stan South (Utility Forward), Jannes Kirsten (Utility Forward), Jacques Vermeulen (Utility Forward)

Players out: Santiago Cordero (Wing/FB), Tom Lawday (Back Row), Moray Low (Prop), Ollie Atkins (Second Row), Mitch Lees (Second Row)


Gloucester
Last Season: 3rd

Players in: Joe Simpson (Scrum Half), Jamal Ford-Robinson (Prop), Chris Harris (Centre), Corne Fourie (Prop)
Promoted from Academy: Charlie Chapman, Alex Seville, Alex Craig, Ciaran Knight, Tom Seabrook, Henry Walker

Players out: Paddy McAllister (Prop), Gareth Denman (Prop), Kyle Traynor (Prop) Tom Savage (Second Row), Gareth Evans (Back Row), Ben Vellacott (Scrum Half), Henry Purdy (Centre/Wing)


Harlequins
Last Season 4th

Players in: Santiago Garcias Botta (Prop), Martin Landajo (Scrum Half), Michele Campagnaro (Centre), Scott Baldwin (Hooker), Stephan Lewies (Second Row), Glen Young (Second Row), Will Evans (Flanker), Simon Kerrod (Prop), Tom Lawday (Back Row), Travis Ismaiel (Wing), Veriniki Goneva (Wing), Tevita Cavubati (Second Row)

Players out: Alofa Alofa (Utility Back), George Merrick (Second Row), Lewis Boyce (Prop), James Horwill (Second Row), Josh Ibuanokpe (Prop), Tim Visser (Wing), Charlie Walker(Wing), Demitir Catrakilis (Fly Half), Mat Luamanu (Back Row), Luke Wallace (Flanker), Stan South (Second Row), Dave Ward (Hooker), Dave Lewis (Scrum Half), Ben Glynn (Second Row)


Leicester Tigers
Last season 11th

Players in: Jordan Taufua (Back Row), Noel Reid (Fly Half/Centre), Calum Green (Second Row), Jaco Taute (Centre), Tomas Lavanini (Second Row), Nephi Leatigaga (Prop), Charlie Clare (Hooker), Joe Thomas (Centre), Johnny McPhillips (Fly Half), EW Viljoen (Utility Back), Hanro Liebenberg (Back Row), Jordan Coghlan (Back Row)
Promoted from Academy: Tom Hardwicke, Joe Heyes, Sam Lewis, Jordan Olowefela, Tommy Reffell, Sam Aspland Robinson, Harry Simmons, Ben White

Players out: Matt Toomua (Centre), Mike Williams (Utility Forward), Graham Kitchener (Second Row), Mathew Tait (Utility Back), Will Evans (Flanker), Tom Varndell (Winger), James Voss (Second Row), Matt Smith (Centre), Gareth Owen (Centre), Michael Fitzgerald (Second Row), Brendon O'Connor (Back Row), Valentino Mapapalangi (Back Row), Fred Tuilagi (Back Row), Leonardo Sarto (Wing),  Joe Ford (Fly Half), David Feao (Prop), David Denton (Back Row), Ross McMillan (Hooker), Campese Ma'afu (Prop), Charlie Thacker (Centre)


London Irish
Last Season: Promoted

Players in: Allan Dell (Prop), Nick Phipps (Scrum Half), Curtis Rona (Wing), Sean O'Brien (Back Row), Sekope Kepu (Prop), Paddy Jackson (Fly Half), Waisake Naholo (Wing), Adam Coleman (Second Row), Ruan Botha (Second Row), Steve Mafi (Utility Forward), George Nott (Utility Forward)

Players Out: Josh McNally (Second Row), Ian Keatley (Fly Half), Brendan McKibbin (Centre), Mike Coman (Back Row), Tommy Bell (Utility Back), Topsy Ojo (Wing), Fergus Mulchrone (Centre), Luke McLean (Full Back), Sebastian de Chaves (Second Row), Ofisa Treviranus (Back Row), Greig Tonks (Utility Back),  Napolioni Nalaga (Wing), Sam Twomey (Second Row), Filo Paulo (Second Row), Manasa Saulo (Prop)


Northampton Saints
Last Season: 4th

Players in: Matt Proctor (Utility back), Owen Franks (Prop), Ryan Olowofela (Wing), Henry Taylor (Scrum Half), Michael van Vuuren (Hooker)
Promoted from Academy: Ehren Painter, Fraser Dingwall,  James Grayson,  Alex Mitchell,  Alex Moon

Players Out: Luther Burrell (Centre), Jamal Ford-Robinson (Prop), James Craig (Utility Forward), James Haskell (Back Row), Dominic Barrow (Second Row), Nafi Tuitavake (Wing), Ken Pisi (Centre)


Sale Sharks
Last Season: 7th

Players in: Jake Cooper-Woolley (Prop), Robert du Preez (Fly Half), Akker van der Merwe (Hooker), Lood de Jager (Second Row), Coenie Oosthuizen (Prop), Dan du Preez (Utility Forward), Jean-Luc du Preez (Back Row), Simon Hammersley (Full Back), Mark Wilson (Back Row)

Players Out: Andrei Ostrikov (Second Row), Mark Jennings (Centre), Alexandru Țăruș (Prop), Johnny Leota (Centre),  Paolo Odogwu (Wing), James O'Connor (Utility Back), Josh Strauss (Back Row), George Nott (Utility Forward)


Saracens
Last Season: Champions

Players in: Elliot Daly (Utility back), Rhys Carré (Prop), Jack Singleton (Hooker), Josh Ibuanokpe (Prop)
Promoted from Academy: Alistair Crossdale, Dominic Morris

Players out: Christopher Tolofua (Hooker), Sione Vailanu (Back Row), Hayden Thompson-Stringer (Prop), David Strettle (Wing), Henry Taylor (Scrum Half) Dominic Day (Second Row), Marcelo Bosch (Centre), Schalk Burger (Back Row)


Wasps
Last Season: 8th

Players in: Malakai Fekitoa (Centre), Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (Prop), Ben Vellacott (Scrum Half), Matteo Minozzi (Utility back), Sione Vailanu (Back row), Biyi Alo (Prop), Paolo Odogwu (Wing), Zach Kibirige (wing)
Promoted from academy:  Will Porter,  Callum Sirker,  Sam Spink,  Tom Willis,  Tim Cardall,  Gabriel Oghre,  Owain James, Jacob Umaga

Players out: Jake Cooper-Woolley (Prop), Nathan Hughes (Back row), Will Stuart (Prop), Elliot Daly (Centre), Joe Simpson (Scrum half), Willie le Roux (Full Back), Michele Campagnaro (Centre), Kearnan Myall (Second Row), Gabiriele Lovobalavu (Centre), Matt Mullan (Prop)


Worcester Warriors
Last Season 10th

Players in: Graham Kitchener (Second Row), Jono Kitto (Scrum Half), Melani Nanai (Wing), Ed Fidow (Wing)
Promoted from Academy: Andrew Kitchener,  Ted Hill

Players out:  Bryce Heem (Wing), Josh Adams (Wing), Darren Barry (Second Row), Wynand Olivier (Centre), Dewald Potgieter (Back row), Jack Singleton (Hooker), Jonny Arr (Scrum half), Carl Kirwan (Back row), Luke Baldwin (Scrum Half), Ben Te'o (Centre), Alafoti Fa'osiliva (Back row)

This seasons reffing directives are for scrum penalties to be given when both sides of the scrum are moving forward or for repeat offences by my understanding.

To try to reduce the 'lottery' at scrum time when one side of a scrum gets ascendancy, which can often be via dubious technique.

To give penalties for repeat offences from an individual means that warnings should be given at early resets as soon as the offence is noticed. That's a paraphrasing of the directives being explained at an SRU level 1 reffing course* that I helped supervise training drills for at the beginning of the season.

The aim being to reduce the time wasted by repeated resets as a game goes deeper - a common tactic for killing time at the end of a game. At the sharp end of matches refs often don't want to make a tight call either way when that scrum being viewed from half a dozen angles in slow motion may well reveal more than one infringement.

It's a directive I like as if a scrum whether defensive or offensive is advancing on both sides then odds are they are in the ascendancy and that should be rewarded.

Likewise for repeat offences. If a prop slips his bind at one early scrum it's not really big deal. If he does it at every scrum it is. All too often it's ignored for the first 3 resets then pinged when a ref is feeling pressure to make a call with scrums going down. Give the warning immediately, if they continue to make the same infringement then ping it as required.

* A jolly good day it was too with a younger age range than you often see at level 1 courses and several womens players looking to get a foot on the first rung of the reffing ladder. Perhaps a bit of influence in Holly Davidson's success reffing in Scotland leading to the latter!

I watched the replay again carefully. Immediately after the put in, the Exeter 17 is almost parallel to the goal line and breaks and regrabs his bind, while the Quins scrum is still well formed with all the body positions aligned and pointing at the goal line. It then all becomes a mess with Quins sliding off an increasingly angled Exeter pack.

It's a clear infringement, in a long sequence of red zone penalties, and given that Quins drove them back the last time both scrums were straight it's pretty clearly a deliberate act to stop the scrum being driven. It's still arguably at the edges of when you might give a PT, but it's much less of a stretch than it looked at the time.

Watching the second half embarrassment that Saints have become over the last month or so, I did see one bright light, Harry Mallinder looks like he is back with a vengeance, played well at 15 until Biggar got hurt, made one, scored one, kicked well and looked perfectly at home at 10. Can't blame him for any of the tries or brain farts that Saints had.

I still think his best position is 12 where England are not exactly brimming with quality, he can be the second player maker or bring his new found physicality to the position as well as having a whopping left boot. He has apparently bulked up quite a bit over the last 15 months, difficult to see on such a tall frame but he is now supposed to be near 18 stone. Certainly seem to be showing his harder side the last couple of games.

Saints are not overflowing with 12s either but have Furbank and Tuala at 15, I can see Boyd giving him some time there shortly.

Francis injured WPI?

I am not sure, he has not played since being stretchered off against LI, he also has also had recurring problems with concussion I believe. He has only played in 4 games this season, 2 of them I think off the bench. He (Piers Francis) is the only proper 12 we have, the others are all "allrounders" who can play at 12 other than Symons who in my opinion has been a complete failure.

Hutchinson is a good option at 12. Symons is a squad man and has been everywhere he's been. Francis is overrated, I'm unsure how he made it to the world cup squad. Mallinder would be a good option at 12 though I suppose it depends whether Boyd decides he likes a playmaker at 15. Vesty the attack coach has tended to put the secondary playmaker at 12 previously when coach at Worcester.

Poorfour wrote:I watched the replay again carefully. Immediately after the put in, the Exeter 17 is almost parallel to the goal line and breaks and regrabs his bind, while the Quins scrum is still well formed with all the body positions aligned and pointing at the goal line. It then all becomes a mess with Quins sliding off an increasingly angled Exeter pack.

It's a clear infringement, in a long sequence of red zone penalties, and given that Quins drove them back the last time both scrums were straight it's pretty clearly a deliberate act to stop the scrum being driven. It's still arguably at the edges of when you might give a PT, but it's much less of a stretch than it looked at the time.

This.

Yes in an ideal world we'd be marching them back, but the scrum was such a mess (Exeter had made it that way) that it was never going to move. Penalty try was fair, but I would say that.

formerly known as Sam wrote:Hutchinson is a good option at 12. Symons is a squad man and has been everywhere he's been. Francis is overrated, I'm unsure how he made it to the world cup squad. Mallinder would be a good option at 12 though I suppose it depends whether Boyd decides he likes a playmaker at 15. Vesty the attack coach has tended to put the secondary playmaker at 12 previously when coach at Worcester.

Hutchinson is a very good player, no doubt about that and he can play 12 quite well, but at under 15 stone, he is not going to get you on the front foot many times. Therefore the opposition can afford to move a player or two wider quicker as they know Saints will be going wide most of the time and if they do bosh it up the middle it is not going to take two to three players to stop yardage being gained.

With Mallinder at 12, they don't know and have to stay narrower thus leaving more space out wide.

Vesty has the choice of a playmaker at 12 and 15 with Furbank; he like Mallinder is quite accomplished at 10 and with those two in the side it sort of makes up for Biggars lack of flair which is probably his only failing, he is pretty good at everything else; a bit like Farrell and just as annoying to the ref.

I don't think you necessarily need bulk at 12. It depends what you have in the backline. At Saints you can have the two big wings Tuala and the Fijian who's name I can't spell. Run them off the inside shoulder of the flyhalf and the opposition defence is drifting nowhere. Run the outside centre back on the angle between 12 and 13 and that'll hold the drift, 12 for the pass in behind and tee up the other big winger for a one on one carry against his opposite number.

In open play an inside centre that can step will cause carnage among forwards who find themselves isolated wider than they should.

f k a Sam,

You don't necessarily need bulk at 12, but it is handy if you have it, especially if that 12 can also do everything the less bulky ones can do just as well if not better. Mallinder showed when he first came on the scene that he has an outrageous skill set, which has now combines with bulk and hopefully now his shoulder is mended, tackle on both sides.

Saints generally have a very lightweight backline, Tuala is a 15 who can play wing and is now behind Furbank in the packing order, Collins is a step up from him on the wing as well, so the only large back without Mallinder is Naiyaravoro (mind you he is a big as two others), Biggar would be the next in size.
You could end up with Reinach, Naiyaravoro, Biggar, Hutchinson, Dingwall, Collins and Furbank, 4 of which would struggle to make 14 stone on a wet muddy day.

Harry is too talented to be left out of the side, but with Furbank returning soon who is currently seen by EJ as the England number 1 or 2 at 15, I cannot see him playing a lot there. He can play 10 to a good standard as he showed on Saturday, but he is not a true 10, although it does show he has the perfect skill set to play in a Farrell type role (as for England that is), but with some bosh and one of the best offloading games around.

I think that if fit, he will tour in the summer and we will see if he can step up.

Mallinder should be on that tour if he's fit and in form. He's always looked like a future international. Not an international 10 I don't think he's ever looked like he has that effortless time on the ball that really good 10s do. Whether it's 12 or 15 we'll see, I think Eddie might like a look at what he can offer at 15. Furbank has been a disappointment so far on the international scene and has kept his place mainly due to others injuries and a lack of fullbacks putting their hands up.

England have more options at 12 than 15 currently and you'd assume Devoto will get a go this summer with Smith at 10 and the Worcester cannonball Lawrence at 13.

If Mallinder steps into the 12 shirt regularly for Saints then we will swiftly find out how good his shoulder is because everyone will send a bid runner down his channel to see how up for it he is. Certainly with his skillset the rugby world is his oyster. He's just got to show the form and fitness.

Ollie Devoto banned after disciplinary hearing, can play again on 6th April.

What a load of rubbish, it wasn't a bad tackle. How are Stander, Toner and Ryan allowed to play after punching and reckless rucking?

TightHEAD wrote:Ollie Devoto banned after disciplinary hearing, can play again on 6th April.

What a load of rubbish, it wasn't a bad tackle. How are Stander, Toner and Ryan allowed to play after punching and reckless rucking?

That's actually a fair point.

I have many Mikey.

Typical of Tighthead to admire a players big tackle 

(But yeah inconsistency in the citing process is ridiculous, what surprising is that its usually the higher profile games that things get picked up from)

The transition in the Pro era of TV coverage improving, hence more indiscretions being visible has been a huge one for rugby. It's a messy sport at the best of times.

It often feels like each season sees a specific bit of foul play focused on by citing officers. We've seen that be how kick chasers compete in the air, neck rolls at the ruck (a style of clearing known as 'the lifeguard' that guys my age learnt at school...!), spear tackles/lifting the legs in the tackle etc.

It's really frustrating that players flying into clear outs off their feet aren't cited more though as it is very dangerous play and seen so often. So many teams are culpable for it too.

If those clear outs were cited more often then I'd hope it would lead to reffing reviews looking more closely at why it happens frequently. Which is arguably due to so many sides blatantly sealing the ball off at offensive rucks by clearing just past the ball then lying on top of the tackled player and/or tackler without supporting their own body weight so they are too low to allow for counter rucking.

Actually enforcing the '5-second rule' at the ruck might help as well as a lot of silly clear outs come out of frustration at the attacking team taking an eternity to arrange blockers or constructing the ridiculous caterpillar ruck.

Wasps side to take Gloucester apart at the Ricoh tomorrow:

Sopoaga, Watson, Fekitoa, Gopperth, Umaga, Robson; Harris, Cruse, Brookes, Matthews, Flament, Shields, Willis, Carr

Oghre, West, Alo, Cardall, Morris, Porter, Spink, Odogwu.

So, Lima slotting into 15. He's looked... well, great actually, when he's come on there in the last couple of games - controlling space, kicking well, and coming into the line. Playing with a smile on his face too, which is great to see a season and a half after joining us! Would he be there if Minozzi wasn't isolated in Italy? Who knows.

Rinsure wrote:Wasps side to take Gloucester apart at the Ricoh tomorrow:

Sopoaga, Watson, Fekitoa, Gopperth, Umaga, Robson; Harris, Cruse, Brookes, Matthews, Flament,  Shields, Willis, Carr

Oghre, West, Alo, Cardall, Morris, Porter, Spink, Odogwu.

So confident that just one winger needed?

Leicester Tigers (v Saracens, away, Saturday 1.00pm)

15 Telusa Veainu

14 Jonah Holmes

13 Joe Thomas

12 Kyle Eastmond

11 Rory Hughes

10 Johnny McPhillips

9 Ben White

1 Nephi Leatigaga

2 Tatafu Polota-Nau

3 Joe Heyes

4 Will Spencer

5 Joe Batley

6 Harry Wells

7 Tommy Reffell

8 Sione Kalamafoni (c)

Replacements

16 Jake Kerr

17 Greg Bateman

18 Dan Cole

19 Calum Green

20 Ifereimi Boladau

21 Harry Simmons

22 Tom Hardwick

23 George Worth

Saracens: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Rotimi Segun, 13 Dom Morris, 12 Brad Barritt (c), 11 Alex Lewington, 10 Manu Vunipola, 9 Richard Wigglesworth; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Tom Woolstencroft, 3 Vincent Koch, 4 Will Skelton, 5 Joel Kpoku, 6 Nick Isiekwe, 7 Sean Reffell, 8 Calum Clark

Replacements: 16 Jack Singleton, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Titi Lamositele, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Mike Rhodes, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Tom Whiteley, 23 Ali Crossdale

That Sarries team .

Tigers resting a few which makes sense given some have played a lot of games. Nice to see Joe Thomas get a shot though I'm not sure that McPhillips should still be at 10.

LondonTiger wrote:

Rinsure wrote:Wasps side to take Gloucester apart at the Ricoh tomorrow:

Sopoaga, Watson, Fekitoa, Gopperth, Umaga, Robson; Harris, Cruse, Brookes, Matthews, Flament,  Shields, Willis, Carr

Oghre, West, Alo, Cardall, Morris, Porter, Spink, Odogwu.

So confident that just one winger needed?

Josh Bassett.

Good to see Cal Green back. I'm glad that Heyes and Reffell are getting starts.

Interested to see how Batley shows up against Skelton and Kpoku as well. I think he's been solid in his limited game time so far.

As for the game itself I think Tigers will lose by a lot. Sarries 1-6 is very good and their backs will obviously be much better drilled.

Three scrum-halves in that Sarries squad but Wigglesworth is still the starter in a home game they are targeting to keep up some morale. I'd still have Wigglesworth ahead of Heinz as a solid pair of hands to control a game.

Woolstencroft was excellent against Tigers earlier in the season and Kpoku has being growing as a player this year. I expect both to be standouts in positions where Tigers have been pish this season.

Tom Hardwick on the bench feels a lot like saving a young player from a rough day at the office. I'd rather he start and get the experience. It would also be a good head to head seeing Vunipola and Hardwick at 10.

Sarries 7 - 6 Tigers at half time. Closer than I expected.

Tigers outside backs have offered nothing but Ben White is playing well.

Tommy Reffell and Joe Batley looking good in Tigers forwards.

Gallagher and Lewington have been good for Sarries.

Mako still looks well short of full match fitness to me.

Ah nuts thought this was a 3pm ko.

How's Heyes down in the scrums?

Heyes was solid in the scrum. Sarries had the upper hand early then it was very even.

Batley and Spencer were both good. Best game I've seen from Spencer for Tigers.

The forwards as a whole were good all game. The backs were dire though in terms of structure. Nothing there at all. Joe Thomas had a couple of good touches, Ben White was solid, Veainu looked dangerous in attack as always.

Turning point was Veainu sin bin. Tough criticising TV when he's one of our best players but he should have made the tackle on Lewington for the second try.

Lewington, Gallagher and Morris all good for Sarries. Ben Spencer upped the tempo when he came on. Isiekwe and Skelton were strong. Singleton carried well when he came on. Kpoku and Segun had quieter games.

Sounds like we as good as if not better for 60 minutes and then fell away after the yellow card.

Radio are talking up White's contribution.

It was always going to be tough for us with so many key players out. Same story it seems, forwards look fairly decent and backline can't add enough points to get us anywhere.

A fair summation their fkaS. I don't think any of Tigers forwards had a poor game. Sione led well but gave away a very silly penalty on our 10m line (knocking the ball from Wigglesworth hand). Reffell was strong throughout. Wells got a couple of maul turnovers. Leatigaga was excellent.

White had a better game than Wigglesworth I thought. Spencer was stronger than both when he came on, one silly fumble aside when the game was won.

White is much more prevalent in defence than Youngs which I like. It's noticeable that younger scrum-halves are much stronger in that regard. Players like Faf and Dupont are key parts of their sides defence. White's a powerful player in the tackle. He's also good under the high ball and dropped back to take a few.

We kick so much ball away but lack the precision or chase to make it count. I was hopefully that Hughes would add to our kick chase but he hasn't. He was solid under the high ball but offered nothing else. Holmes didn't do anymore today though.

Hardwick struggled to do anything with little ball and no structure outside him. His touch finders from penalties noticeably lacked length though. For a goal kicker with a big boot that's frustrating. His kicking from hand has a lot of room for improvement.

Our 12s have been so poor that I'd happily see Hardwick get some game time outside Ford during the season run in. I think it would benefit him and the squad in the long run, it's not like we'd be risking much given how poor the midfield is anyway.

I'd happily see Steward at 15 with Veainu out on the wing as well. With so little structure I'd prefer one our few threats to have the freedom to roam off his wing looking for ball. Nothing to lose so I'd rather we give the guys who will improve with game time the chance to play with the internationals.

Hardwick at 12 I'd like to see more of. He's got a big boot even if he has a tendency to get a bit under the ball more than he should which sends it high and not as far out of hand as he can drive it off the tee. He needs a bit more confidence which Ford should be able to add.

Saw the highlights and Batley looked powerful. Nice offload from Heyes to set up the White try. I hope we see Heyes and Reffell get a lot more game time this season. Those guys are the future of the club. Steward I would hope will see some game time before the end of the season he's a damn sight better than Rory Hughes for starters.

Disappointed with TV today. He's so regularly our best player but the yellow card cost us and he really should have made the tackle to stop Lewington's second try, not the first time we've seen him commit to a tackle too early and fall off it as a result. If he worked into the tackle a little more making the contact before leaving his feet completely he'd be able to anticipate the swerve better and complete the tackle. That and learn to go for the interception with two hands, not his first yellow card for that.

Some discussion naturally starting about the economic effects of coronavirus and games being cancelled. The Prem, like much of professional rugby, is in a fragile financial state as things stand. Combined £50m loss posted last season.

How much revenue lost due to cancellations that could be reclaimed through insurance seems unknown.

Wasps had to cut their playing budget significantly this year due to cuts from Derek Richardson. Falcons had to do the same last season due to Semore Kurdi putting less in.

If a significant number of games get cancelled it could have long term repercussions for some clubs.

king_carlos wrote:Some discussion naturally starting about the economic effects of coronavirus and games being cancelled. The Prem, like much of professional rugby, is in a fragile financial state as things stand. Combined £50m loss posted last season.

How much revenue lost due to cancellations that could be reclaimed through insurance seems unknown.

Wasps had to cut their playing budget significantly this year due to cuts from Derek Richardson. Falcons had to do the same last season due to Semore Kurdi putting less in.

If a significant number of games get cancelled it could have long term repercussions for some clubs.

Yeah Saracens might have to trim their wage bill a bit

king_carlos wrote:Some discussion naturally starting about the economic effects of coronavirus and games being cancelled. The Prem, like much of professional rugby, is in a fragile financial state as things stand. Combined £50m loss posted last season.

How much revenue lost due to cancellations that could be reclaimed through insurance seems unknown.

Wasps had to cut their playing budget significantly this year due to cuts from Derek Richardson. Falcons had to do the same last season due to Semore Kurdi putting less in.

If a significant number of games get cancelled it could have long term repercussions for some clubs.

A lot of clubs run at a small loss or around break even. Very worrying times for a lot of clubs who rely heavily on ticket revenue. The only benefit is the CVC income should have left most clubs in a stable position financially. I doubt very much insurance will cover these losses so it could be hard times ahead if the season is cut short.

This will have a bigger impact down in the Championship where most clubs are struggling to operate and are dreading the RFU hacksaw job on their budget even before this kicked off.

Suspension is just waiting for the announcement now. In the end the Saracens situation may well have saved the RFU/Premiership legal teams a lot of money by sorting out the relegation issue for them. Its hard to see the season getting completed over the summer given the knock on that could have to next seasons competition...although Im sure the irony of that putting us broadly in line with the aborted global season wont be lost on some.

The long time financial impacts are going to be felt all over. Maybe more opportunities for the Japanese leagues to pick up players in the future if wages here get squeezed as a result.

Agree with the comments about the Championship clubs but the exact reason the RFU reduced their investment was because they weren't getting a return on it even before this. Its a bit unfair to call it a hack job when it was always a condition of the extra funding they'd been given that they had to show an increase in interest.

Maybe it pushes us closer to a smaller ring fenced professional group in England. Its a sad but inevitable change.

We better be promoted!!! We've won every game this season.

GeordieFalcon wrote:We better be promoted!!! We've won every game this season.

They will try and finish the season if they can. Even if they cannot, relegation and promotion for next season is already a done deal really. So yeah Falcons will be playing in the Premiership next season. I suspect that the season after will see the new ring fenced competition.

Just imagine if the shortage of loo roll and hand sanitizer meant your toilet facilities werent up to scratch Geordie....

Gooseberry wrote:Just imagine if the shortage of loo roll and hand sanitizer meant your toilet facilities werent up to scratch Geordie....

Mate if you have ever stood in the north stand at KP during rugby season you will know fine well that Coronavirus couldnt survive in those artic conditions! So sanitisers etc are no issues

I see things are starting to move to allow Sarries to stay in the Prem.

Whats the betting all promotion and relegation is scrapped.

TightHEAD wrote:I see things are starting to move to allow Sarries to stay in the Prem.

Whats the betting all promotion and relegation is scrapped.

Such as?

king_carlos wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:I see things are starting to move to allow Sarries to stay in the Prem.

Whats the betting all promotion and relegation is scrapped.

Such as?

www.infowars.com/wray-signs-secret-deal-with-rfu-and-craig

Such as?

Are you in a bubble? (probably a good place to be at the moment!)

Nigel Wray is buying the pro 14 so they can go in that as a South African franchise

TightHEAD wrote:Such as?

Are you in a bubble? (probably a good place to be at the moment!)

Seriously I have searched the rugby press for news on Saracens and found zip. So please provide the source.

Falcons would have a good court case if that was to happen.

Broken rules and then being barred from legitimate promotion....

LondonTiger wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:Such as?

Are you in a bubble? (probably a good place to be at the moment!)

Seriously I have searched the rugby press for news on Saracens and found zip. So please provide the source.

Daily Mail Saracens legal challenge

dang it

TightHEAD wrote:Such as?

Are you in a bubble? (probably a good place to be at the moment!)

I'm fully aware of the public health crisis. As a small business owner in hospitality I am in fact facing potential bankruptcy due to it.

What I'm not aware of is any report whatsoever that Sarries are being let off the hook as a consequence.

king_carlos wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:Such as?

Are you in a bubble? (probably a good place to be at the moment!)

I'm fully aware of the public health crisis. As a small business owner in hospitality I am in fact facing potential bankruptcy due to it.

What I'm not aware of is any report whatsoever that Sarries are being let off the hook as a consequence.

Best wishes KC. Perhaps we need Vetinari to sort things out. I am currently trying to check if any of the measures outlined today are open to us. We are in a slightly better position than some and can probably pay our staff for about 3 months with no income.

king_carlos wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:Such as?

Are you in a bubble? (probably a good place to be at the moment!)

I'm fully aware of the public health crisis. As a small business owner in hospitality I am in fact facing potential bankruptcy due to it.

What I'm not aware of is any report whatsoever that Sarries are being let off the hook as a consequence.

Sorry to hear that. A lot of people out there suffering. If you lease your premises you should be asking your landlord for a discount / holiday from the rent. As a property manager for various (mostly small company or private) landlords I have suggested this to my clients and none have come back saying that they will not consider it. May not be enough, but it might help.

Thanks a lot, fellow 606ers. From the old Scrum V, through BBC led 606 and here on 606v2 it has always been a largely excellent community of posters. A difficult thing to create on the internet.

We are better set than many in hospitality and can survive maybe 3 months. As a new business the wage bill is low and we have negotiated lower rent with the landlord. Due to the location paying ground rent to the council the landlord still needs to cover that however, which the council aren't budging on.

On the downside as a new business we have recently spent the savings from our previous business on expansion, renovations and equipment. So have limited left to weather the storm.

As a street vendor we need the summer months to survive. Warmer months you make your profit, winter months break even. For independents the margins are so tight. My partner is an NHS Doctor and rang me earlier to say that it sounds like their next rotations will be cancelled rather than postponed. Previous discussion had been that they'd changeover job in May rather than April once the NHS were over the worst. Rotations are 4 months. Takeaway for NHS staff is that they aren't expecting the worst to hit for months rather than weeks.

A story from her hospital today put my issues into stark perspective however. It happened between a senior consultant and a rather uninformed administrator. Administrator, "why would Doctors need special guidelines for deciding who gets ICU beds? You are Doctors, that's your job". Senior consultant, "my wife recently had chemotherapy and surgery for lung cancer. Her immune system is compromised already, she has severe respiratory problems, hence is very high risk. If your mum came into the hospital at the same time as her with only 1 ICU bed available would you want my colleagues and I making a gut call?".

LondonTiger wrote:

king_carlos wrote:

TightHEAD wrote:Such as?

Are you in a bubble? (probably a good place to be at the moment!)

I'm fully aware of the public health crisis. As a small business owner in hospitality I am in fact facing potential bankruptcy due to it.

What I'm not aware of is any report whatsoever that Sarries are being let off the hook as a consequence.

Best wishes KC. Perhaps we need Vetinari to sort things out. I am currently trying to  check if any of the measures outlined today are open to us. We are in a slightly better position than some and can probably pay our staff for about 3 months with no income.

Granny Weatherwax would have things sorted in a heartbeat. A couple of withering glances and scything remarks would see things straight.