Prem Round 6

First topic message reminder :

Friday
Sale v London Irish

Saturday
Exeter v Wasps - Cancelled
Gloucester v Bristol
Saint's v Falcons
Saracens v Bath

Sunday
Quins v Leicester

yappysnap wrote:

No 7&1/2 wrote:I've just seen who is due to line up on the wing for the Barbarians in the coming weeks. Hope anyone planning to take their kids now reconsiders.

Who?

Yarde.

Eurghh

I'd forgotten about him thankfully, but what an own goal by the barbarians there.

Fin Smith starts tomorrow then. Lot of hope around him, in a better team. An attacking one at that. With most of the season to go to the world cup. Band wagon to start here?

No 7&1/2 wrote:Fin Smith starts tomorrow then. Lot of hope around him, in a better team. An attacking one at that. With most of the season to go to the world cup. Band wagon to start here?

Tough ask for him. We know Saints are great in attack so if they aren't it'll be seen has his fault. One of the three main flaws of Saints is there lack of tactical control which is something that flyhalfs develop over time, big ask for him to come in and add that. Saints have been heavily reliant on Biggar to offer that tactical control. If Smith can keep that attack firing but offer that control then the bandwagon may well start. Could be difficult for him to get in with England with Ford due to return around Christmas time and the 6N being the first opportunity for him, Scotland could well come calling so Eddie might feel he needs to introduce him earlier just to secure him. England really only have three realistic flyhalf options which isn't optimal. Maybe if Smith had managed to settle before the summer then England could have looked at Bailey or Smith in Australia from the bench but that wasn't really an option.

Eddie left just enough time before the RWC to get Marcus Smith up to speed and the attack working around him. It wouldn't have been possible to properly develop a second tyro flyhalf in that time, regardless of whether they went on the Australia tour or not.
It's also a bit transparent to give a player a token cap at this stage and tie them in to a country where there's a more established player in the same position who's still young enough to be a credible candidate for years to come.
In their shoes I might be tempted to keep my powder dry until after the RWC, given Farrell, Ford and Furbank are also in tje frame.

Poorfour wrote:Eddie left just enough time before the RWC to get Marcus Smith up to speed and the attack working around him. It wouldn't have been possible to properly develop a second tyro flyhalf in that time, regardless of whether they went on the Australia tour or not.
It's also a bit transparent to give a player a token cap at this stage and tie them in to a country where there's a more established player in the same position who's still young enough to be a credible candidate for years to come.
In their shoes I might be tempted to keep my powder dry until after the RWC, given Farrell, Ford and Furbank are also in tje frame.

Furbank I suspect might find himself on the out by the time the world cup rolls around. Include Farrell as a 12, take both Ford and Smith as dedicated 10s (though Smith has been moved to 15 previously as a one off and then worked ok in an emergency). For your fourth option you don't need to inbed them into the attack it's more a case of ensuring they won't cr@p the bed under the pressure. To be honest Smith's inability to reliably perform at international level is starting to be a worry, he's probably going to need all the game time possible before the world cup.

Ford's only going to the WC as an injury replacement. You don't take a 3rd choice fly half who doesn't cover other positions.

I'm just thinking Smiths name will start to come up more, particularly from people who don't rate Farrell as a fly half, or somehow think he's too robotic.

No 7&1/2 wrote:Ford's only going to the WC as an injury replacement. You don't take a 3rd choice fly half who doesn't cover other positions.

I'm just thinking Smiths name will start to come up more, particularly from people who don't rate Farrell as a fly half, or somehow think he's too robotic.

Maybe, on current form Farrell should have been starting flyhalf but for his concussion though. Smith's return to form Vs Sale was very timely. If Eddie is unsure over Smith's ability at international level still then Ford could still go. It will depend on how many centres are fit and the relative form of the flyhalfs.

The bright new thing always gets a lot of publicity so any good form from Fin will not doubt be all over the press.

Ford probably has more questions over him now. How's he's going to come back after injury and slot into a new team.
There always seems to be 1 or 2 players which come from nowhere.

Realise its the wrong round but a red card dished out in the Irish game rightly with Donnell the tackler going off for a hia. But marler remains on...surely he needs to go as well.

And how H-C isn't in the England squad I don't know.

No 7&1/2 wrote:Realise its the wrong round but a red card dished out in the Irish game rightly with Donnell the tackler going off for a hia. But marler remains on...surely he needs to go as well.

Yep I often wonder when a red card is given for head contact how the affected player doesn't automatically get an HIA ...

No 7&1/2 wrote:And how H-C isn't in the England squad I don't know.

This too ...

Jones there today as well. Maybe checking on Dombrandt who has just finished v nicely.

Could be a tasty match now. Missed the first half but since that red Irish are looking to rile their oponents to equal it out I think.

That pen was 100% the wrong way ....

And ultimately Quins score a try - all from the back of a clearly wrong pen ...

You've gave about 20 away in the last 10mins Heaf to be fair!

It's going to be tough for Irish now....Quins have their tails up.

Surely that's a red too ...

Yup def.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:You've gave about 20 away in the last 10mins Heaf to be fair!

It's going to be tough for Irish now....Quins have their tails up.

Yes but they all came from being under pressure from the bad first call ... to be fair though the ref has been pretty good overall - apart from Quins being offside a lot

Heaf wrote:Surely that's a red too ...

Bizarre tackle.....def red.

Crazy thing to do really.

Heaf wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:You've gave about 20 away in the last 10mins Heaf to be fair!

It's going to be tough for Irish now....Quins have their tails up.

Yes but they all came from being under pressure from the bad first call ...

1 call though. They've given about 7 pens away in a row.

No 7&1/2 wrote:

Heaf wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:You've gave about 20 away in the last 10mins Heaf to be fair!

It's going to be tough for Irish now....Quins have their tails up.

Yes but they all came from being under pressure from the bad first call ...

1 call though. They've given about 7 pens away in a row.

Yep but if he gets the call right, Irish clear their lines and don't end up under pressure on their line giving up more pens ...

Having said all that I was expecting a big loss today - may still happen but Irish have been much better than expected so far ...

Heaf wrote:

No 7&1/2 wrote:

Heaf wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:You've gave about 20 away in the last 10mins Heaf to be fair!

It's going to be tough for Irish now....Quins have their tails up.

Yes but they all came from being under pressure from the bad first call ...

1 call though. They've given about 7 pens away in a row.

Yep but if he gets the call right, Irish clear their lines and don't end up under pressure on their line giving up more pens ...

Nah. He missed touch and they ran it in from 50m.

No 7&1/2 wrote:

Heaf wrote:

No 7&1/2 wrote:

Heaf wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:You've gave about 20 away in the last 10mins Heaf to be fair!

It's going to be tough for Irish now....Quins have their tails up.

Yes but they all came from being under pressure from the bad first call ...

1 call though. They've given about 7 pens away in a row.

Yep but if he gets the call right, Irish clear their lines and don't end up under pressure on their line giving up more pens ...

Nah. He missed touch and they ran it in from 50m.

Heaf wrote:Having said all that I was expecting a big loss today - may still happen but Irish have been much better than expected so far ...

You're a bit like us at the minute. You do some really nice things but just seem to keep falling short when it matters.

Yep - it's the hope that kills you ain't it?

I gave up a long time ago Heaf.

Irish's defence has been superb, made Quins' attack look really disjointed.

A tenner on Irish getting pinged at the scrum now ...

Premiership has been so unpredictable this season. Though that Sale would beat Quins last week and in turn I thought Quins would smash Irish. Anybody can beat anybody, it is great!

Heaf wrote:A tenner on Irish getting pinged at the scrum now ...

Half right...

It's just so predictable ... free kick for what?

phew ... but we can still lose it from here ...

Heaf wrote:It's just so predictable ... free kick for what?

Swings and roundabouts. Bit lucky to get a knock on when it was a ripped ball.

That's shocking from the medics.

Shocking decision by ref and TMO there - Quins player was never getting that

Heaf wrote:Shocking decision by ref and TMO there - Quins player was never getting that

Disagree there. Think Matthews is challenging legally.

This ref trying to give Quins the match

Does Dallaglio know the laws? It's ok I know the answer.

This ref trying to give Quins the match

Really strange all round. I did see one of the medics seemingly hold his hand out pleadingly, perhaps the player wouldn't listen? Game should have been stopped before that.

100% robbed

Pffft, Quins can consider themselves lucky there...

Awful from the officials - back to school for both of them. When Ugo says they were robbed when playing Quins you know something has gone badly wrong.

And if you know he's siding with Dallaglio you know there's more to it.

Even Dallaglio has to get some things right just based on a 50/50 call ...