Gallagher Premiership 2020/21

First topic message reminder :

The new season starts next weekend. What are people's hopes and expectations?

Roll on Saturday afternoon, roasted rabbit for dinner

I want to see a lot more of Tommy Freeman, the lad is only 20, but seems to have everything you want in a fullback. I suspect that Furbank is going to struggle to get his place back. Just so much pace, he just burns off defenders.

Another one to add to what is becoming a long list of excellent young EQ 15s

Future could be very bright for the England back three moving forward. The advantages of having three fullbacks is tactically significant in the modern game and opens up a lot of crossfield scenarios. 

How's Freeman in defence and under the high ball? He another with a big boot?

Currently it's Steward who is a rock at the back but whilst decent in attack isn't pulling up trees Vs Hodge who looks a live wire in attack but decidedly fragile physically. Both of them have massive range in their kicking game.

WELL-PAST-IT wrote:Roll on Saturday afternoon, roasted rabbit for dinner    

I want to see a lot more of Tommy Freeman, the lad is only 20, but seems to have everything you want in a fullback. I suspect that Furbank is going to struggle to get his place back. Just so much pace, he just burns off defenders.

Another one to add to what is becoming a long list of excellent young EQ 15s

Indeed, we shall see if we have learned what pace and head ups rugby is in a week....i highly doubt it.

From what I have seen Freeman's defence is fine, I haven't seen him miss a tackle yet, nor have I seen him muff a punt. I haven't seen him launch any moon shot kicks, so not sure about his leg. He is very fast and appears to change direction well. Keep him away from England (or any England threads for that matter) so as not to damage his development!

formerly known as Sam wrote:15 Freddie Steward [18]

14 Kobus Van Wyk [

13 Matías Moroni [

12 Matt Scott [1

11 Nemani Nadolo [

10 Zack Henry [1

9 Richard Wigglesworth [

1 Luan de Bruin [

2 Julián Montoya [

3 Dan Cole [24

4 Tomás Lavanini [2

5 Calum Green [4

6 Hanro Liebenberg [2

7 Cyle Brink [

8 Jasper Wiese [

Replacemen

16 Tom Youngs [20

17 Nephi Leatigaga [3

18 Joe Heyes [5

19 Harry Wells [10

20 George Martin [

21 Jack Van Poortvliet [

22 Johnny McPhillips [

23 Kini Murimurivalu [

.

Do I count only 5 EQ in Tigers starting XV?

If so...shame on you Tigers!

In all seriousness, that's a scary number for a club that over the years has been the foundation for English rugby. Something is obviously not quite right if this is the way the biggest club in the country is heading. Is it Tigers? Is it the system? Is it a combination? Whatever it is, I don't like it.

5 in the 15, another 4.5 in the subs. (Is McPhillips Irish or English? I know he has Ireland U20 caps but apparently born in Newcastle)

lostinwales wrote:5 in the 15, another 4.5 in the subs. (Is McPhillips Irish or English? I know he has Ireland U20 caps but apparently born in Newcastle)

He is both

5 in the 15 with another 6 on the bench as McPhillips is EQ also JVP is from Norfolk and an England under 20 despite the last name. 8 of the 23 coming from the Tigers academy. The first 15 is pretty well stocked with good imports but those in behind them are mostly EQ and a good number from the academy.

Falcons v Saints off as we have positive covid tests

Jeez Geordie. Shame. I was really looking forward to this. Just when Saints were starting to show they might actually know how to play this game, at least just a little.

Bath looking to keep the score down below 40 this week.

Hooper out.

Leicester Tigers (v Harlequins, away, Saturday 4.00pm)
[club appearances in brackets]

15 Freddie Steward [19]

14 Matías Moroni [3]

13 Jaco Taute [17]

12 Matt Scott [12]

11 Kini Murimurivalu [7]

10 Zack Henry [14]

9 Jack Van Poortvliet [9]

1 Luan de Bruin [3]

2 Julián Montoya [2]

3 Joe Heyes [54]

4 Tomás Lavanini [23]

5 Calum Green [48]

6 George Martin [6]

7 Cyle Brink [6]

8 Hanro Liebenberg [22]

Replacements

16 Tom Youngs [201]

17 Nephi Leatigaga [36]

18 Dan Cole [249]

19 Harry Wells [107]

20 Tommy Reffell [33]

21 Ben White [67]

22 Johnny McPhillips [10]

23 Dan Kelly [5]

TightHEAD wrote:Bath looking to keep the score down below 40 this week.

Hooper out.

Hooper has to stay a few more weeks. Saints play Bath on the 28th.

10 academy grads and 13 EQ for those that are wondering.

Harlequins Starting XV
1. Joe Marler (210)
2. Scott Baldwin (27)
3. Simon Kerrod (35)
4. Matt Symons (49)
5. Stephan Lewies (23)
6. Archie White (34)
7. Will Evans (30)
8. Alex Dombrandt (61)
9. Danny Care (291)
10. Marcus Smith (95)
11. Aaron Morris (56)
12. Andre Esterhuizen (10)
13. Joe Marchant (98)
14. Louis Lynagh (6)
15. Mike Brown (342)

Impact Players
16. Elia Elia (61)
17. Santiago Garcia Botta (28)
18. Wilco Louw (13)
19. Glen Young (29)
20. Richard de Carpentier (3)
21. Martin Landajo (24)
22. Brett Herron (15)
23. Ben Tapuai (34)

Had it in my mind that Lynagh was a fly half/full back?

I know he played there last week and played pretty well, but did he come up through the youth teams at wing?

Not unusual for a young fullback with pace to play on the wing whilst he settles into senior rugby. Mike Brown is a reliable rock at the back so should be a good position for him to learn and develop.

Well, I guess there is now an agreement with BT Sport and relegation is cancelled for this season, next season will have a 13 team league.  More info to come.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/56044619

And we wait for the inevitable legal challenge from Ealing.

formerly known as Sam wrote:And we wait for the inevitable legal challenge from Ealing.

If promotion is merit based, then Ealing will have to beat Saracens again and there shouldn't be a challenge. But, the way things are today, I am probably wrong.

Season start 6th March, can't see anyone but Saracens winning.

Well, the season starts during the Six Nations. The high quality fit and firing Saracens contingent with England won't be there for the start of the Championship season. So, I agree, Saracens should win.

Something about glass ealings

COYB

Never in doubt.

TightHEAD wrote:COYB

Never in doubt.

By the law of averages I can only presume there is a poster called LooseHEAD going absolute berserk about refereeing standards on the Sale board right now.

That was a weird match. I will be mightily disappointed if Bath right their ship before Saints play them on the 28th.

Sale must be kicking themselves for resting their best half backs for that one. Thought Bath had a chance at the end to take all 5 points but seemed a bit hesitant as to whether to go for it or just keep what they had and ended up letting Sale in.

Could have been a far more dramatic finish had Faf's pass not been deemed forward. I think that was one of those where if he wasn't tackled after the pass and had continued forward it would have maybe been written off as momentum instead of forward.

Gloucester pushing Bristol all the way as well. Two teams well out of form putting in big performances. Could make the league quite interesting for the next few weeks.

Gloucester score is a bit misleading I think. Their first two tries were length of the field intercepts. Good plays by Santiago Carreras, but easy intercepts off of bad passes. Bristol's attack seemed to me to be fairly pedestrian, certainly by their standards.

I don't know who the ref was in the Quins Vs Tigers game but he was an embarrassment. Some highlights were allowing a try from a charge down where the player who picked the ball up from the charge down was well on front of the person who charged it down, allowing a held up maul turnover when the ball had been picked up from the base of the maul for the stand in scrum half to be tackled and the ball then played on the floor back into the mail and don't get me started on the last rolling maul which was cynically tackled to the floor where the ref's arm went out and then came back in before calling held up. Dreadful.

Quins backline looked very good though, young Lynagh has some gas and a step it's a shame he wants to play as an Aussie.

I haven't seen the match but apparently the ref in the Chiefs v Irish game was a bit of a shocker too ...

Heaf wrote:I haven't seen the match but apparently the ref in the Chiefs v Irish game was a bit of a shocker too ...

Presumably we've lost large selection of our normal Prem refs to Six Nations duty.

Take Matt Carley back if you like.

mikey_dragon wrote:Take Matt Carley back if you like.

I thought you'd want him every week after yesterday or at least Dickson as TMO.

formerly known as Sam wrote:I don't know who the ref was in the Quins Vs Tigers game but he was an embarrassment. Some highlights were allowing a try from a charge down where the player who picked the ball up from the charge down was well on front of the person who charged it down, allowing a held up maul turnover when the ball had been picked up from the base of the maul for the stand in scrum half to be tackled and the ball then played on the floor back into the mail and don't get me started on the last rolling maul which was cynically tackled to the floor where the ref's arm went out and then came back in before calling held up. Dreadful.

Quins backline looked very good though, young Lynagh has some gas and a step it's a shame he wants to play as an Aussie.

Well, considering who his dad is I guess that's understandable.

doctor_grey wrote:

formerly known as Sam wrote:I don't know who the ref was in the Quins Vs Tigers game but he was an embarrassment. Some highlights were allowing a try from a charge down where the player who picked the ball up from the charge down was well on front of the person who charged it down, allowing a held up maul turnover when the ball had been picked up from the base of the maul for the stand in scrum half to be tackled and the ball then played on the floor back into the mail and don't get me started on the last rolling maul which was cynically tackled to the floor where the ref's arm went out and then came back in before calling held up. Dreadful.

Quins backline looked very good though, young Lynagh has some gas and a step it's a shame he wants to play as an Aussie.

Well, considering who his dad is I guess that's understandable.  

Well on one hand you see who is dad is and you assume Australian but he was born in Italy, his mum's Italian and he's lived in the UK from I think 4. His younger brother has gone to Australia to play with hopes of representing them so maybe their dad's influence is strong.

Does he definitely want to be an Aussie or is that his brother? If Louis settles at Quins long term, he’s not going to get selected for Oz and the temptation of caps closer to home may win him over...

If think his dad has come out and said although he's played age grade for England he wants him to play for Australia though as you say we'll see if he settles down at Quins. He looked good Vs Tigers, bit out of place at all though Tigers did struggle with three centres in the side with Moroni in the wing Vs Lynagh. When Lynagh went off and Moroni was up against Marchant pushed to the wing Moroni had no issues though so read into that what you will.

I think Lynagh's dad should have thought of this when he decided to become an English country gentleman after he retired.  Of course Michael was an iconic player in Oz and might have a problem supporting Mother England.

Newcastle's match cancelled again due to Covid?  I get it that it might be an outgrowth of last week's cases.  But when are people really going to take this virus seriously.  France, too.  Most people are being careful about their own behaviour, who they allow near them, and their families doing the same.

No one likes what we have to do.  No one sane, at any rate.  But to get through a once in 100 year global problem we all have to do what we have to freaking do.  Almost down to that six degrees of separation.  If we are all just blydi smart, we can get through it.  I am not remotely singling out Newcastle because they are no different than other clubs, or frankly, different than society as a whole.  Likely more careful.  This is happening to all clubs in some way or another.   We are lucky, I think, that we have Rugby.  If the NFL can pull this off, so can we.

Sorry for the rant. Clearly not directed at any of us here. Just needed to unload. I owe you all a proper beer, not the American slop I get over here......

doctor_grey wrote:Sorry for the rant.  Clearly not directed at any of us here.  Just needed to unload.  I owe you all a proper beer, not the American slop I get over here......

I wouldn't worry about the rant. Locked up at home like a good proportion of us are, or locked in a very different and extremely demanding role as you have been we all need the distraction that rugby (and talking about it) can provide.

doctor_grey wrote:Sorry for the rant.  Clearly not directed at any of us here.  Just needed to unload.  I owe you all a proper beer, not the American slop I get over here......

As per the Falcons...im sure they are managing the whole aspect as best they can. They are very professional.

As to others....i understand your frustration...im starting to get very angry with it all now aswell.

i live in Newcastle, and one of my loves is hill sprints on the town moor...up and down what is known as "cow hill" (because cows are allowed to graze on the moor) . Its a beast of a workout.

Last weekend, several hundred uni students decided to have a massive party on top of it, which i have no understanding why it wasnt shut down immediately by the police...but it wasnt.

I went there yesterday to do my workout and the place is disgusting. Smashed glass everywhere...bottles everywhere, food wrappers, sleds and broken sleds thrown everywhere.......the whole place.

There were lots of videos taken, and are circulating around various social medias, and theres a big push now to have all these students rounded up by the police and fined...and told to clean up the mess.

Yet you still get the idiots saying...oh your the fun police! Erm nope ive worked in NHS Supply chain and logistics all the way through...im very much fun...im just sick of being in lockdown...sick of not being able to have fun, go to the gym, go to the pub, go for a meal, or get to my little place abroad etc...and these idiots are stopping me doing that.

Rant over...

GeordieFalcon wrote: Rant over...

That, mate, was a truly great and quality rant!

I agree a lot of the problems come from these 'superspreader' events where the people who attend think they are invincible and just don't give a damn. Here in New Jersey, the governor has the authority to turn off power at homes or places which host these events for extended periods of time. That would be tough now because we are having a lot of snow this year, after today's storm likely over three feet in the last three weeks. Wouldn't help on your 'cow hill', but I like your solution. Make them clean up everything. Schools and universities here are suspending or expelling violators. I like that too.

Someone made a smart statement saying every day someone doesn't wear a blooming mask or hosts a party is an extra day we are stuck with this. In concept it has to be right somehow. I still say, when this is over, we need some proper ale, most likely inordinate quantities thereof. Can't wait to get home....and watch a match in person.

Not really sure how I feel about this matchup between Saints and Exe.  Saints have been playing better, but Furbank at 10 with Harry Mallinder as cover in his first match back is a real wild card.  I feel pretty confident about the back line.  But Saints front row has looked competent sometimes, and others not so much.  Exeter seems to bring out the 'not so much' in a lot of teams.  Saints second row and back row should match up well.  But Simmonds always seems to score when it is least convenient for the opposition.  

I have a feeling Simmonds teammates will be annoyed he did not get called up to England and will likely feed him the ball a lot just to make a point.  I know I would. 
 
US................................Them

15 Ahsee Tuala	15 Stuart Hogg
14 Matt Proctor	14 Tom O'Flaherty
13 Rory Hutchinson	13 Tom Hendrickson
12 Piers Francis	12 Ollie Devoto
11 Ollie Sleightholme	11 Josh Hodge
10 George Furbank	10 Harvey Skinner
9 Alex Mitchell	9 Jack Maunder
1 Alex Waller (co-capt)	1 Alec Hepburn
2 Sam Matavesi	2 Jack Yeandle (capt)
3 Ehren Painter	3 Harry Williams
4 David Ribbans	4 Will Witty
5 Api Ratuniyarawa	5 Sam Skinner
6 Nick Isiekwe	6 Dave Ewers
7 Lewis Ludlam (co-capt)	7 Richard Capstick
8 Shaun Adendorff	8 Sam Simmonds
16 Reece Marshall	16 Jack Innard
17 Nick Auterac	17 James Kenny
18 Paul Hill	18 Marcus Street
19 Alex Coles	19 Don Armand
20 Tom Wood	20 Sean Lonsdale
21 Henry Taylor	21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne
22 Harry Mallinder	22 Joe Simmonds
23 Taqele Naiyaravoro	23 Ian Whitten

Hooper out

TightHEAD wrote:Hooper out

At least the ref did a good job this week then.

You won the game didn't you? I did find it entertaining that we celebrated quite so much at the end having snatched a narrow win despite having a numerical advantage for most of the game.

'twas not the best game, but the conditions were plum awful. All Gloucester needed to do was retain the kickoff after that late try, then avoid simple penalties. Especially with the man advantage. And they didn't do either one. Almost as if the rainy, muddy Rugby gods were against them.

Strange match with Sale at Quins. Sale dominates the match for the first 30, but still 0-0. Then Quins score two really good long range tries against the run of play and the half ends 21-0. Now Quins are doing well in the 2nd half. Quins can be really dangerous, played quality defence, then turned on the jets. Still 25 minutes to go, but clearly impressive for the home team.

Wasps are taking a pumping at the hands of Tigers. Tigers score a second try after battering their way through an ill disciplined defence but it gets chalked off after the TMO spots Weise has cleared out a player attempting to join a ruck illegally shoulder to head with a tucked arm. It's a red card all day long and Wasps end the half only down 11 points and one man up. Going to be a tough second half for Tigers with Wasps backline almost certainly looking to spread the play in the second half.

Rowlands watch for Mikey. He's been poor but so have the Wasps pack. Left on his backside by Steward and gave away a needless penalty around the 22. Pretty sure Weise went past him like he wasn't there as well at one point but before his sending off he did that to most the Wasps team.