Fantasy Aviva Premiership Season 4 homepage

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Welcome to the Aviva Premiership Season 4

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Teams

Bath RFC	InTheFastLane
Exeter Chiefs	Driver - RIP 606
Gloucester	Anonmattyt
Harlequins	Steven_Sharks
Leicester Tigers	LukeLovesLuka
London Irish	stnick88
London Wasps	Arry
Newcastle Falcons	Sgt_Pooly
Northampton Saints	Dammit_Chris
Sale Sharks	SirJohnnyEnglish
Saracens	LDCPete
Worcester Warriors	prop_lyd

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Waiting List
1. Sam
2. pullthestrings
3. Bathite

Same , a lot of lads go off to Uni and the prospect of playing on a sunday after you'v been out late doesn't appeal to most.

Having a job and lots of collage work takes it out of most people too.

Even moving KO back to 2pm seems to have no affect

Chris

Know what you mean , when i was 13 we played 16 years olds and you had to learn quick

When I played pro/ semi pro we had so many players that training was
By invite. We now train 1 St team squad at hartpury and 2nd team players who never will play 1s,3rds,4ths, 5ths elsewhere.

Over 100 training and again going to invite only. 5ths and 4 the not allowed but they now train at another pLace off their
Own back.

Did pre season over a week ago nearly killed me and then went to Canada and got back today I will suffer Tuesday and Thursday at pre season

I am a big chap and played colts(u 19s) when 13. It was brutal and I had to play 8,1,3 or 4 so no hiding. Actually think it was not beneficial as we played teams like Worcester, bath, Cheltenham, lydney and Neath

Size isn't everything as you get older , the smaller players generally bulk through gym work to try to keep up with the big lads so are naturally fitter and devolop a good technical side to go with it.

So many 15 klem 12 year olds become poor rugby players through poor coaching in which they just stick him at 10 and tell him to run as hard and fast as he can at the other 10. No winners in that scenario in terms of player development or retention

1)The large kid enjoys easy rugby until he gets to 14 year old where everyone can roughly tackle and has reasonable technique to there game and will stop him. He drops out of the sport due to frustration and lack of skills.

2)The 12 year who's just been ran over despite probably being the better all round rugby player drops out of the sport because his been ran over 'X' amount of times by a fat lump who has been poorly coached.

Great point driver. I used to score 50 plus tries a year until under 16. Luckily I had good coaching and realised size was not everything. At 13 I was 6 ft 3 and 15 stone. Steven is A massive guy also.

Luckily I have always loved the game and played mainly back row and also by playing colts and seniors at 13 was aware that size was not everything

In NZ they have weight based rugby at youth level and it is the right idea. My brothers lad is 10
And had been offered scholarship to millfield. He is gigantic but needs to learn how to play

I think that's half the battle when coaching , teaching somebody to pass , tackle , kick , do a move is easy teaching them how to understand the game is the hardest task any coach faces.

Size was an issue with myself until i reached 16/17 when i sprouted up even now i'm only 6ft 1in but when i was younger developed a understanding of the game and knew what to do which set me apart from most people my age.

I obviously done a lot a gym time to keep up with the bigger lads at my club because of my height and general build i was always getting boshed back but on the attack i was creating space and gaps and the people who boshed me weren't hitting the gaps because they didn't know what to do.

I'm moving to 10 this year because of it and bricking it! I'v played there twice and won twice so might be a omen lol

My coaching is 90% set piece. I do scrum lineout and ruck. Ruck most important. However I love coaching pressure sessions
Ie 5 on 3 or 7 man scrum etc

What age do you coach Matt?

I do a mixture of U13s and U11s , So it's mainly based around skills , building game plan , reacting to game scenario and positional play. Fitness shouldn't be involved seriously until U16s in my opinion , as they get older a lot do fitness in there own personal time which helps me as a coach as means we can do more rugby specific drills.

I play/coach seniors but also
Do county/ south west u15/16s but there I only do ball retention and rucks
And set piece. I am level 3 in 4 weeks apparently but have been bought in as consultant especially for ruck time.

Playing is so
Much better

Playing is better by a long way but it's mad how much you pick up about your own game from coaching!

I'v only done my rugby ready course but i work with a level 3 coach so i'm classed as a assistant. Hoping to get my RFU level 1 done rather soon.

I always enjoy coaching at my local club especially with the man who coached me from U-13s to U15s and then again when i came back to Seaton at U18s, paying him back by helping and putting something back into the club.

I want to coach breakdown specifically

Aus smashed by Samoa eh....that'll give Deans a reality check

Ah Pooly, was just about to watch it on sky+ - I had a feeling Samoa might win, they put out a great team - that backline is very good and their pack has improved ten fold.

I have also Sky+'d it and will watch it shortly, but I am not surprised that samoa won. They will be a real danger to Wales hopes of progressing from their pool.

Totally dominated breakdown and contact. Aus backline played ok but pack couldn't match them.

Was going to put a £10er on Samoa winning by 7+ yesterday, wish I did as bookies have no idea about rugby!

That result will really give Samoans a lot more belief now - how close was the Aussie pack to its first team - I know it didnt have Pocock, but there did seem to be a few big names. Genia and Cooper will return against SA - did Giteau do enough to push for starting at 12?

I'll wait to comment fully until after I have watched it, but I think it is fair to say that was nowhere near being a full strength Aus line up, and if you aren't 100% on your game against the Samoans you are always going to be asking for trouble.

Am also looking forward to seeing how well Wales do against Fiji...anyone going to Eng v Wales at Twickers in a few weeks?

1,4,6 in the pack were second choice and 9,10,12,14,15 in the backs.

Giteau was ok as was rest of backline, Davies pretty poor so far.

Elsom looks yards of the pace, needs some serious gametime(like McCaw).

None of the Aus pack has really impressed so far. Moore, Alexander, Sharpe, Elsom and McAlman first choice. Just getting hammered at the breakdown. Samoa defence awsome

Lovely through the legs pass from Mapusua to Tuilagi for the first try, and there was no chance whatsoever that Giteau was going to get anywhere near stopping him from scoring.

The Samoan 10 has started the game well.

I know that Giteau is not the worlds best defender but he has managed to do alright over the years in international rugby so not sure at the logic of trying to hide him defensively at 15 which is what Australia appear to have done in this first 16 minutes.

I'm 50mins in....Maps, Tuilagi playing very well. Just getting dominated at breakdown with more physicality. Good game though. I'm sure they've put Davies on other wing as he was getting battered by Tuilagi.

I'm 20 minutes in Pooly and have to say that some of these fringe Australia players seem to be doing their best to play themselves out of the World Cup squad.

What I don't understand is the thinking behind the play to be honest. You are getting hammered at the breakdown and knocked back in the tackle. You are 10-0 down 20 minutes and get a penalty on their 22 and decide to tap and go, and not even quickly.

Take 3 points ffs and build your way back into the game.

Terrible from Australia so far, and Rod Davies looks a long way off being an international class winger.

What do you think of the ref Pooly?

It gets worse for Davies mate, horrible defensive game from him, he looks like a lost boy.

Elsom steps up a but in the second, Iaone/AAC/Phipps playing quite well.

McCabe, Davies, Hodgson, Maku look miles off Int qualit

This is an even better result for Samoa than I first thought, as they appear to be playing against 16 men here. Jonker is only refereeing one side. Aus TH just blatantly took the scrum down, Jonker was on that side, and pinged the Samoa looshead giving Aus a penalty, which Giteau misses.

Shocker.

Phipps doing ok, but just been charged down for the second try, and you could see it was going to happen. Why on earth did he try to kick it???

Mental.

Scrum is very objective, I seen that as the Samoa LH didn't even attempt a bind and forced them to go down. Thought the ref done ok, ref'd the breakdown quite well and let it flow.

Phipps looks poor as 3rd choice sh. I am 30 minutes in and Davies having a howler. Ioane is no international to me has no rugby brain although devestating if used right

Davies gets worse and worse Matt, he doesn't even want the ball in the 2nd as Tuilagi is just bullying him!

Mat

That is arguably the most contradictory statement I have ever read on here.

'He is no international but devastating if used right'

So therefore if used right surely is international class, and that is notwithstanding the fact that I think you are wrong when you say he has no rugby brain. He regularly gets himself into good positions to finish moves, which says to me that he actually reads the play pretty well.

Elsom is a poor choice as captain for me. He is great when Aus are on top and he is playing well, but has no idea how to change things when it's not going right for them.

I do like Ioane, I think it's his running style that makes him look a bit headless chicken but I'm a fan. Compare him to Davies and you can tell who's the Int player.

In terms of what Matt and Driver were talking about, Chester is a footbal dominated place. The reincarnation of Chester City got a open top bus parade for being promoted from the lowest division you can be in. Made me sick!!!

Chester Rugby is the highest of the Cheshire clubs who haven't thrown money at players and flown up a la Caldy and Macclesfield. Good junior set up and facilities so I have always played in my age group.

With regards to size I was a back until I was 15 as I would be a above average rugby player had I only been 6 foot so was never brought up with the idea of me just smashing through people. First senior game was when I was 17 against Durham under 20's and the under 20 games are the only time I've ever played against old age groups as a junior. I think it helped my development a little but not a lot.

My Sky plus has only recorded the second half of the Samoa game very annoyingly

It's on again at 2 Steve

LDCPete wrote:Mat

That is arguably the most contradictory statement I have ever read on here.

'He is no international but devastating if used right'

So therefore if used right surely is international class, and that is notwithstanding the fact that I think you are wrong when you say he has no rugby brain. He regularly gets himself into good positions to finish moves, which says to me that he actually reads the play pretty well.

Pete not contradictory at all varndell is devastating if used correctly. Ioane has a low work rate and knocks on ball often and does not read the play. He is a great open field runner. However you can kick in behind him and win territory quite easily. He is an athlete and not a ball player for me. He is very good at running in open field and scoring but the other parts of his game to me are sub standard.

Joc and Mitchell are streets ahead of him for me

I have settled for watching the 2nd half. Suprised Vickerman is back in the Oz set up

He looks pretty good for first game back, he's a class act too. Think a bit more fitness and he'll start ahead of Sharpe or Horwill.

Vickerman is never a better player than Sharpe or Horwill. Never has been and never will be in my view. Think both Sharpe and Horwill are pencilled in for the world cup already. Vickerman might get a place on the bench but I'd go with Rob Simmons

would have vickerman way down.
prefer sharpe, horwill, mumm, chisholm.

Mat

That is nonsense mate.

Yes he knocks on, but no more than any other winger playing the game.
Yes, you can kick in behind him, but no more than you can kick in behind anyone else.

If those parts of his game are substandard, why does a coach with the experience and know how of Robbie Deans continually select him as first choice when all of the players that you would rate above him are fit?

The answer is that yes he does have weaknesses as all players do, but none of those parts of his game are substandard, and his strengths far outweigh his deficiencies.

He is a good international winger, who does what good international wingers should do, and that is score tries against top international teams.

I always liked Vickermam, think if he can fit he can be that physical lock Aus don't really have. See Horwill and Sharpe as similar kind of players more suited to the 5 role.

Rod Davies should of broke Tuliagi ribs when he took that cross field kick.

I would have put a different team out i was Deans for this game.

1.Kepu
2.Moore (c)
3.Alexander
4.Sharpe
5.Simmons - knows he won't play next week which would of been he's rest week
6.Scott Higgenbottom - same as simmons
7.Beu Robinson
8.David Pocock

9.Nick Phipps
10.James O'Connor
11.Digby Ioane
12.Matt Giteau
13.Adam Ashley-Cooper
14.Rod Davies
15.Kurtley Beale

Would say that's a team good enough to win and look at the likes of Ioane , JOC , Davies , Phipps , Simmons , Higgenbottom , Robinson and Pocock at 8 which i'm hearing rumbles of.

JOC pulled his hamstring Driver, couldn't have done much worse than Giteau today though. Can't see Pocock at 8, he lacks the go forward you need from 8. The real weakness of his game is his carrying and that's what you need really.

Driver

I am just looking at budgets and people have vast amounts of cash and will get £3m every time they predict which means the amounts will just rise and rise and rise.

I also note that some teams now have no foreigns left, which in effect makes cash meaningless in this game.

2 suggestions.

1. Increase the number of foreign transfers allowed which will give more value to cash as people will want as much as they can in order to purchase new players from outside the game. ( I would go with 5 as opposed to 3 as it is now, so an extra 2).

2. No financial bonus for predicting so people now have to work with what they have got.

Up to you mate, but just seems a bit daft at the moment, as I could spend £47 million on my last foreign outbidding most people safe in the knowledge that by the time the season starts in 7 weeks time I will have another £21 million in the bank already.

Not overly keen on another foreign if I'm honest Pete, there isn't going to many left at this rate! I'm happy to see how we go for a bit yet if other people feel the same.

pooly, fair enough mate, just a suggestion as the cash situation seems silly to me at the moment.

Maybe a freeze on predo bonus till the start of the season?

And you lose 3m if you don't predo without more than 2 lines of detail?