Prem Round 8

First topic message reminder :

Friday
Harlequins v Sale (19.45)

Saturday
Bristol v Gloucester (14.00)
Bath v Exeter (15.00)
Saracens v Northampton (16.30)

Snday
Leicester v Newcastle (15.00)

doctor_grey wrote:Copying this from somewhere else, but thought this was interesting:
For the time Saracens have been at the Stonex/Allianz stadium, they have only lost 13 matches, Saints have won 5 of those.

Wish you'd mentioned that before yesterday

That was a tough last 10-15 minutes for Falcons.

And how good is Reffell?

I've supported the Falcons and formerly Newcastle Gosforth for a LONG time.

i played for Gosforth in the age group teams before moving to my local club at the coast....but there comes a time when despite all the pre season optimism and positive thinking...supporting them now is just boring with little hope...and I just wonder if there's a time to give up and just go to my local club instead each week.

We just can't compete financially so we are never going to make any headway...and nothing will change from being standard bottom dwellers.

Too much power from Tigers in not the best of games. The international forwards all looking a cut above, understandably. Wiese, Reffell and Montoya all very good.

It's such a tough job for Codling given the budget restraints. Centres today are perhaps a good example. Moroni is a terrific 13 and Penny a talented outside back. As a pairing it just hasn't worked though, Moroni looks out of place at 12. With Orlando presumably unavailable there just isn't the cover though. Depth across the board requires budget, without that you naturally end up with players covering where they probably shouldn't be.

In other positions they are just outmatched by the internationals when other clubs have them available. That's evident throughout the forwards toward but also the half backs. Youngs and Pollard just controlled the game better. Obatoyinbo is a decent 15 but had such a tough day against a team who were simply better in kicking and chasing.

It's an odd place to be for Falcons. They are adrift of the other P-share clubs but due to the Championship being destroyed I'd still be surprised if they lose a playoff to Ealing. Then there are the questionable criteria needed to be eligible for promotion anyway. Falcons feel stuck between the two leagues at the moment.

There's a big number of fans,feeling the same now KC. We've supported them through thick and thin..but there comes a point after litterally decades when you think...why bother.

If they go down they may find themselves losing alot of fans. I think regardless this may be my last season...and will just go to my main local club

Interview by ex Codling is very honest. Says basically the club (the board) need to decide what they want to do...if they want to take it forward they need to bring investment in.

I think we're finished....

Geordie wrote:Interview by ex Codling is very honest.  Says basically the club (the board) need to decide what they want to do...if they want to take it forward they need to bring investment in.

I think we're finished....

Sad to hear. Falcons were one of the pioneers of professionalism, and even as resources dwindled were for a long time a place where a lot of players discarded by other clubs found a home and rekindled their talent. in a league as close as this one is shaping up to be, there isn’t really a commercial strategy based on bumping along at the bottom

https://www.tntsports.co.uk/rugby/premiership/2023-2024/newcastle-falcons-coach-alex-codling-emotional-after-incredibly-tough-defeat-in-gallagher-premiershi_sto9908476/story.shtml

Codling's interview for those interested. I thought he spoke really well considering the tough situation he's in.

I really think the governance needs full overhaul in England. The RFU are taking care of too much. A separate board for the pro game (England, Prem, Championship and ideally a proper A-league with limits on over 23s similar to Espoirs in France). Another for levels 3 and 4, possibly level 5 as well for the higher level amateur game that feeds into the pro game. Then a third board for the community game. With promotion and relegation throughout.

doctor_grey wrote:That was a tough last 10-15 minutes for Falcons.

And how good is Reffell?  

Oh wow. Didn't expect to be reading about a hattrick. Fair play.

I watched the Sarries/Saints game last night, I was really surprised how good Saints defence was. The commentators were talking down the Sarries players as being not up for it and looking like they wanted to be somewhere else, I with my BG&G specs thought that Saints made them look like that. How Dingwall, all 86kg of him can make such ground through the tackle is beyond my understanding of the laws of physics, all the Saints players seemed to be able to go 2 or 3 m past the tackle point.

Freeman looks like he was born to be a 13, still got some work to do, but he seems to have got the hardest part off pat, defending the outside channel, especially with Sleightholme on the wing. they have come through the academy together and gel really well. He was everywhere looking for work and space. Kicking let him down a bit though, but that is usually very good so perhaps an off day.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the training squad next year.

Lawes was Lawes, a pain in the posterior to the opposition, but not up to MotM performance, 2 TO, 2 LO steals and 5 tackles. Dingwall was the best player on the pitch by a country mile (however long that is) in my opinion.

The truth is out, Furbank can catch even under pressure, England's loss is certainly Saints gain.

The Saints scrum even out muscled Sarries on a couple of occasions, although it was also the reverse occasionally. We seem to be blessed with competent THs at the moment, Davison and Millar-Mills looked very good and Hill seems to have tightened up on his scrummaging.

On the Sarries side, Dan looked very good, definitely dangerous in the loose, he will make it hard for LCD this year. Itoje was as only Itoje can be incredibly annoying, interspaced with some very good rugby. Goode just defies the aging laws, he looks a good (and as slow) as ever. Mitchell caught him in two minds, by the time he decided to go for the winger, Mitchell had already cruised past on his inside.

It's a shame to hear that Falcons are struggling financially, they have always been my second side, my family roots are up in the North East. If they do go I don't know what PR will do, the premiership cannot work with 9 sides, the clubs have already lost 3 home games a season, another one might just be the tipping point for some others. Can Ealing realistically compete at the top level or are we going to have to regionalise and play each other home and away twice or more. Sale would be the only club North of Leicester. Merging Gloucester and Bath, Exeter and Bristol, Quins and Sarries, Leicester and Saints and then just Sale with what would be left of Falcons. I cannot see that happening, imagine the terraces with Gloucester and Bath fans and Saints and Leicester, a lot of arguments would ensue to say teh least.

Anyone seen much of Griffin, the TH at Bath? Seems to be in good company there. Wales has a spot opening on the TH…

RiscaGame wrote:

doctor_grey wrote:That was a tough last 10-15 minutes for Falcons.

And how good is Reffell?  

Oh wow. Didn't expect to be reading about a hattrick. Fair play.

Aside from SA tour he’s been average for Wales. He is always good for Tigers though, helps to have South Africans at 6 and 8 I guess.

mikey_dragon wrote:Anyone seen much of Griffin, the TH at Bath? Seems to be in good company there. Wales has a spot opening on the TH…

Big lad and hasn't embarrassed himself yet in his bench apps. That's about all I've seen though to be honest. His only starts in senior rugby are in the PRC. Yet to start in the Prem. He's pushed past Kieran Verden who's a 25-year-old TH that's yet to start a senior game outside the PRC. Still seems to be behind Johannes Jonker when they need a starter but was used ahead of him as a bench option against the Chiefs. So 4th choice TH, maybe pushing for 3rd choice.

mikey_dragon wrote:

RiscaGame wrote:

doctor_grey wrote:That was a tough last 10-15 minutes for Falcons.

And how good is Reffell?  

Oh wow. Didn't expect to be reading about a hattrick. Fair play.

Aside from SA tour he’s been average for Wales. He is always good for Tigers though, helps to have South Africans at 6 and 8 I guess.

Reffell is great when he's allowed to play to his strengths (work rate, jackling and generally being a menace). At Tigers he's encouraged to do that and so looks good. Tigers generally pair him with big, physical backrows which also helps. Wales are struggling for big, physical backrows so they need more from their 7 and which to be fair future Lions captain Jac Morgan offers.

Yeah, I think Reffell's been decent for Wales and most write ups I've read seem to think similar. Morgan is just even better. He's an exceptional talent who offers more in attack and similar defensively. He's rapidly become one of my favourite players to watch.

I think Wales might put Rhys Davies to 6 to help compensate, or possibly Dafydd Jenkins. Hopefully Lewis-Hughes and Ratti come on. We’re yet to find a No.8 like Wiese, probably why we might try and nick one from SA.