About v2Aviva Premiership Round 17
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Driver
Sgt_Pooly
SirJohnnyEnglish
stnick88
dammit_chris
Steven_Sharks
Ozzy3213
11 posters
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Aviva Premiership Round 17
by Ozzy3213 Sun 26 Feb 2012, 7:12 pm
First topic message reminder :
Team Sheets and tactics due by 23:59 hours on Thursday
Predictions open at 00:01 hours on Friday. Predictions Close at 12:00 hours on Saturday
Newcastle Falcons v Harlequins
Cloudy with Sunny Intervals, 10 degrees, 8 mph winds.
Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly
16. Marius Tincu 17. Owen Franks 18. Alex Waller 19. Ed Slater 20. Guy Mercer 21. Ben Youngs 22. Nick Evans 23. Dan Hipkiss
Tactics
General – High intensity, bully the opposition front 5 and look to unleash backline with pace & power. Keep hold of the ball and go through the phases with huge carrying options. Look to smash through the Quins 10/12 axis and get momentum to unleash JOC, Fourie, AAC on the break. We are unbeaten at home in nearly 2 seasons and have not lost to Quins in the league home and away for 2 season.
Scrum – Look to get nudge on with Barcella & Lindsay targeting the Brits/Afoa axis. If weakness seen we’ll look to dominate here. We’re backed up by two excellent scrummaging locks in Thorn/Parling against two predominant 5’s in Gaskell & Donnelly. Franks & Tincu to come on in the 2nd half to turn the screw.
Engine Room – We feel we have huge advantage here, especially around the park. Quins are giving away nearly 3 stones in the engine room and a lot of physicality. We’ll look to utilise this by hitting rucks hard and cleaning the Quins defence out, also our ruck play should be steady preventing Quins attempting to turn us over.
Lineout – quick ball off the top using Parling as primary caller, also look to use Read at the tail and McCaw, Thorn to offer front ball.
Breakdown – Look to target Warburton and tire him out early on allowing Reda/McCaw to cause havoc. Look to double up on the hit and target the lack of a straight runner in the Quins midfield.
Defence – Look to use the Blitz and get in the face of Priestland early on and force him off his game. With Flutey & JJ outside him, he lacks a go to ball and will try to force things. Steyn/Fourie and McCaw off the scrum will look to put pressure on.
Backline – Steyn as go to ball and second kicking option. Look to get Steyn and Fourie running down the Quins 9/10/12 axis targeting Priestland and Flutey especially. We expect Steyn/Fourie to either break the line or tie in the Quins defence allowing JOC/AAC/Benjamin to come into the line and exploit the gaps. Decoy play will be utilised with Quins setting up for the big carries from our midfield, with JOC especially coming on as 2nd/3rd receiver and using his gas to run at Quins.
Points:
6 Nations Players – We expect them to be jaded and to either not have their mind on the game or tire quickly. Warburton/Dickson/Priestland will be targeted throughout. Maybe one player you could get away with but the spine of Quins side will be jaded and minds elsewhere.
Quick ball – Quins often base their game around quick ball but with their lack of physicality in the front 5 this will be a serious issue as they'll struggle to clear out rucks and provide Dickson a platform.
Quins engine room – Giving away nearly 3 stone and offering little physicality we see Quins scrum & ruck play being effected throughout this game and them struggling to gain a platform to attack with.
Quins midfield – Up against two of the hardest running and strongest defensively players in world rugby we expect an out of form Flutey and youngster JJ to have their hands full. With JOC coming into the line also we feel we’ll get the upper hand here.
Quins bogey team – We have won each Prem game home and away against Quins for 2 seasons now. The return fixture:
Harlequins 24-27 Newcastle Falcons
Subs – With Quins 6N players tiring early we’ll be able to get the nudge on early on and give Evans a platform when he come on early in the second half. Franks to come after halftime to increase pressure in set piece and give us added work rate around the park. Evans at around 60mins to see out game.
Home form – We do not lose at home and haven’t done for 2 years. Home advantage means an awful lot in rugby and we will be looking to win this one.
Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks
16. Chris Brooker 17. Joe Marler 18. Brian Mujati 19. Nathan Sharpe 20. Luke Wallace 21. Karl Dickson 22. Quade Cooper 23. George Lowe
Tactics
Game Plan
Keep the ball for long periods and look for quick ball. When we get the quick ball we will really look to up the tempo and go at Newcastle defence at pace. We have Priestland and Flutey who are very capable of putting others into spaces and this will be dangerous with the quick service provided by Dickson. The only way in which we will be frequently kicking the ball away is if we are getting the better of the lineout.
The key to our ball possession game is dynamic carriers. Brits, Afoa, Gaskell, Louw, Dowson and Warburton will hit the ball at pace, in numbers and with the aim of winning the collision and getting over the gain line. If we can get these players getting good momentum from there carriers then we can keep the tempo high and this will cause Newcastle’s defensive line to faulter or they will have to infringe. This is what we want our carriers to be working towards when getting us the quick ball.
We have picked a mobile pack and aren’t looking to get dragged into an arm wrestle up front. We are going to constantly move the point of attack and spread the game as much as possible as this plays to our advantage. To keep the tempo of our play up our side will look to offload when the option is there.
In the backline we will be looking to do everything at speed. When we get the quick ball we want to get our dangermen at 11, 13, 14 and 15 into the game in the wide channels. Each has the ability to beat a man and we will do this at full speed.
In defence we are really looking to target the breakdown with Warburton and Louw key to this. They will look to stay on their feet and turn the ball over, or at least slow it down or get us a penalty. When we haven’t got the first men there we will look for one or two forwards to adopt a low body position and try to ruck Newcastle off the ball with the aim of at least slowing the ball down.
We are going to look to have a very quick line speed in defence and put huge pressure on the Newcastle decision makers at 9, 10 and 12. Particularly pressure Pretorius who can be slow getting the ball away. We will look to keep at least two of the back 3 back ready to clear up a kick with Dickson sweeping behind the defensive line.
Whilst we are looking for a quick tempo towards the game we will still look to kick the points when we get a chance, unless the game situation suggests another option.
Key Points
- This will be Warburton’s 3rd full game in 8 weeks, Priestland’s 5th in 8 weeks, Dowson’s 3rd full game in 8 weeks and Dickson's 3rd full game in 8 weeks. Fatigue not an issue for our 6 nations players.
- Donnelly played at 4 for the Crusaders in week 1. Comfortable playing there and offers another top class lineout option.
- We have some great impact players to come on in the 2nd half. They can really make an impact on the game.
- We have a lot of players playing well. I feel we have much more than Newcastle in terms of players in form.
- Only Steyn and Fourie’s 2nd game together in the centres for Newcastle so we will look to exploit any gaps which might appear in there.
- The Brits factor. We all know what he can do when he gets his hands on the ball and he will always be looking to get his hands on the ball and attack the Newcastle defence.
Game Specfic Points
- Put on big pressure at the set piece. Prefer both our props both at the scrum and in the loose and we want Woodcock and Afoa to really get at Barcella and PDJ at the scrum and Donnelly, Louw, Gaskell , Warbs and Dowson working hard at the lineout. Try and put the pressure on Lindsay’s throw.
- We beat Newcastle in the HC quarter finals last season. We know how to beat them.
- Lack of physicality in the front 5. I don't see the problem to be honest. We might give away size (I haven't looked at the figures) but our players are much more dynamic and will bring this into play at ruck time. Our players use their size with more effect around the field than Newcastle's.
- How our 6N players can be looked at as a weakness is a mystery to me. I've given the game time stats in my key points.
- We don't feel that big Brad Thorn will have a field day as we feel he is more interested in the retirement home he's had his eye on on the Brisbane coast
Exeter Chiefs v Sale Sharks
Cloudy, 11 degrees, 10 mph winds.
Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Driver
16.Neil Clark 17.Brett Sturgess 18.Tom Mercy 19.Flip Van Der Merwe 20.Declan Danahar 21.Haydn Thomas 22.Derrick Houghard 23.Lee Byrne
Tactics
- Chiefs to play a high tempo game moving the ball and bringing our backs into the game and really taking the game to Sale.
- We've gone for mobilty picking Dickinson and Alexander as props who will look to run round and make plenty of carries in the loose as well as being solid at the set piece.
- Shorten the lineout and secure quick ball off the top to hit the likes of Easter , Shawsy and Tindall running hard up the middle.
- Slade to stand a bit flatter than normal and run at Sale and Attack the line from quick ball and unleash our backs.
- Moody to cause havoc in the 9/10 channel and chase there half backs for 80 minutes with Jennings looking to make a mess of the ruck area.
- Blitz defence to deny any sharks momentum or width with Cowen sweeping behind.
Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE
16. Jerome Schuster 17. Brett Sharman 18. Neemia Tialata 19. Christian Day 20. Matt Kvesic 21. Nicholas Bezy 22. Olly Barkley 23. Luke Rooney
General Game Plan:
We will use our strong carriers to attack the gaps in the Chiefs line, looking to offload in contact to support runners thus changing the point of attack and keeping our forward momentum going. Care will look to snipe around the fringes and tie the Chiefs backrow to the breakdown area. Cruden will look to attack from fly half and inject pace to the proceedings committing the Chiefs defence and leaving space in wider channels to exploit. If running the ball is not on our halfbacks will look to the boot to put us in the right areas
At scrum time we will look to contest each and every engagement. On our own feed we will look to get the wheel on and create extra room for our 8-9-10 axis to work in. While on Exeter feeds we will disrupt the put in looking for penalties or to create rushed, poor ball for the Chiefs halfbacks. With 5 jumping options and a reliable thrower at hooker we will look to attack from the lineout mixing things up by bringing the ball down into the maul and tying up the Chiefs forwards or else playing the ball of the top and injecting serious pace into the play.
On defence, we will use a blitz defence coming up at pace looking to isolate the Exeter ball carriers before they can get to the gain line stopping any momentum and allowing us to hit the breakdown harder. Care will act as a sweeper to cover any grubbers or chips behind the line while our back three will sit deep ready to cover any kicks down the touch lines and counter attack at pace.
With the blitz defence in operation we will look to be at the breakdown first hitting it fast and hard. The first two players on the scene will look to ruck past the ball and clear out the Chiefs players providing quick counter attacking ball to be cleared and used against a disorganised defensive line. If the ball does not look available we will not commit to the ruck and look to strengthen the defensive line instead.
Key Points:
*
*
*
Leicester Tigers v Gloucester Rugby
Cloudy, 10 degrees, 8 mph winds.
Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka
16. Clarke Dermody 17. Lee Mears 18. Cencus Johnston 19. Alex Brown 20. Jordan Crane 21. Michael Claassens 22. Dave Walder 23. Topsy Ojo
Tactics
GENERAL:
- We will play a game built around our huge line-breakers, and strength in the set piece. Our HB's our tasked with moving us into the right areas of the pitch, getting our big carriers crashing through Gloucester's defence, and attacking the lineout as a weapon.
- Defensively we will look to blitz, with Yachvili sweeping behind the defensive line to deal with any short kicks.
- Yachvili to kick all penalites within range.
FORWARDS:
- Attack the lineout as a weapon using the tactical kicking of Yachvili, Wilkinson and Twelvetrees. Horwill, Manoa and Hines to rotate the target. We will relentlessly target Gloucester's throws. A.Brown to keep this pressure up second half.
- At the scrum Franks selected as we look to really get the shove on and target Gloucester scrum. Cencus and Dermody to keep this pressure up second half.
- Pack full of carriers, led by Waldrom, and with Horwill, Manoa, Pocock, Sheridan, Hines and Moore look to get real go-forward with our carrying. With the ball in hand we want to attack together in groups so as not to become isolated.
- Pocock is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first, securing first phase possession for us and pilfering the possession of Wasps. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball.
BACKS:
- In general attacking play, we will play off 9 with Yachvili our general pulling the strings.
- Use Tuilagi/Manoa/Waldrom off the shoulder of the HB's to crash through the Gloucester defence.
- If the game is tight and the ball isn't coming quickly, Wilkinson will look to drop into the pocket and keep the scoreboard ticking over with drop goals.
- Twelvetrees to be our other kicking option, and a big carrier at 12. Fritz asked to play his natural game, big drives forward aand getting our back three into play as and when he can.
- The back three aren't encouarged to take too many risks. Jane and Miller are extremly well versed in full back play, and we won't take unnecessary risks. If Tuilagi recieves a kick he is told to pass to Miller/Jane to use their bigger boots.
KEY POINTS:
- Home Advantage - Unbeaten at Welford Road in 2 years, having just beaten league leaders Newcastle at home.
- Form and Momentum - we have won 17 of our last 20 games, and are flying right now. Confidence is high right throughout the squad, with competition for places extremely high.
- Massive line-breakers right throughout the side that will look to tire down Gloucester's defence.
- Attack the lineout as a weapon using the tactical kicking of Yachvili and Wilkinson.
Gloucester
Manager – anonmattyt
16. Nick Wood 17. Adriaan Strauss 18. Julian White 19. George Robson 20. Aj 21. Dave Lewis 22. Stephen Donald 23. Johnny May
Glaws Travel to Leicester for a tough game. however as the form team in the AP we feel we can win here. we have already won at the home of the leaders sarries so this holds very little fear to us.
Conditions are superb for a game of running rugby so we are keen to target a bonus point win here. there is no rain about so it will suit our high intensity game plan where we intend to move their less athletic pack around the field
SET PIECE
Scrum we are obviously looking to get on the front foot and looking to launch our backrow at the Leicester 10 to get quick ball to attack with. Harden and steenkamp are destructive props and will be looking to get on top. We also have a top replacement front row to bring on to keep up the pressure. If they look to play Sheridan we will see this as a key advantage for us with him not having played for so long and still worries over whether he will come back to actually take his place in Toulon.
On their ball we will be looking to nudge and disrupt and try and get our back row to pour through and put pressure on to Leicester 9.
Lineout. We see this as one of our key advantages and have jumpers in all the back 5. We will be targetting their throw with Palmer, Saull, burger, and Bakkies all being top drawer lineout operators. We will be aiming to poach or at least disrupt their ball and see them as having mainly front jumpers in Hines, Horwill and Samoa. there is an art to operating at the back and middle and if they choose to take lots of front ball everyone knows its the worst attacking ball as it allows the ten less time and slower ball.
having the control of the lineout will make our own ball easier and will give us great foundations to attack with. we will look to vary whether we go or the top or drive to keep them honest. in the first half we will be driving a lot more to wear them down and also to set the correct field position to align our attacks from. We will also be looking to pop burger, Alberts and co off the back of these to get them in to the Tigers midfield. Saull will be our link betweeen the pack and backs and will be either getting over the ball or looking to get on the shoulder of the bigger runners for continuity.
General forward play. As ever gloucester are about control and ball carrying. we have a team full of ball carriers and will really look to keep it in hand and control the ball. we will look to offload when safe and try and get in behind to target quins backs and create quick ball for our dynamite back 3
We will also be really looking to attack the break down and dominate the collision. we see back row as a big advantage and feel we can really get at Tigers here with so many of their stars missing. losing Croft etc is huge for Leicester.. we see this as the area to control the game and to control tempo of the game from. Gloucester are all about controlling games and attaching on our own terms and we see our pack as offering us the chance to do this with our superior breakdown and lineout abilities. We see a leicester back row containing Hines and Waldrom as lacking pace and as good as pocock is we feel they will struggle here.
Backs.
Gloucester are going to play a High Intensity attacking game and are all about raising the tempo in the right places and slowing it in others.
The way you control the game is through your back row and half backs.
Genia and Carter are the premium pair in world rugby and will look to exert their influence over the Leicesters half backs.
Genia will be marshalling the forwards and only giving the ball to carter when the time is right. he will also be attacking the fringes when necessary to keep the back row honest and stop them from fringing.
Carter will be looking to exploit the Leicester backlines by sending Kahui up short or on the slider. Gear and Sharples will also be popping up all over the place trying to find holes or running support lines off runners. Leicesters midfield is one maybe lacking balance and form so glaws feel they are susceptible to pace and foot work so barnes and kahui will be looking to exploit this.
Barnes alongside him gives option for first receiver and another kicking option for us to pin back their back 3
Carter will be looking to kick in our half and push Leicester back to win territory battle. he will also employ the up and under and generally vary the game.
When we attack we will look to create mismatches and utilise our serious gas. We have a back 3 who have it all and know how to attack as a unit. Gear sharples and Dagg will look to counter loose kicks and kicks not chased correctly as the game starts to break up. they will also look to take quick throw ins and gernerally break up the game to come to the fore attacking wise. these guys have gas to burn and will be looking to use it
With DC and Barnes interchainging we have the distribution to hit our dangerous back 3 and kahui to put them through holes.
Bench
We see ourselves as being able to continue our domination with the bench. White, Wood and Strauss offer great scrummaging and serious mobility in the case of wood and strauss.
With Robson coming on we will be able to continue lineout dominance. Aj will come on to keep the ball carryoing goiing and May will come on as it breaks up to bring his glittering skills to the fore.
Key points
Glaws form team and have won at sarries already
Lineout domination will allow us control
More form players - See sheridan, Crane etc as major weaknesses
Glaws half backs more suited to playing open game- yach and Wilko more about controlling and playing a slower game.
More athletic pack - use the pace and mobility to tire and move leicester around.
Midfield pairing. see Barnes and kahui as a trump card
Saracens v Northampton Saints
Cloudy, 10 degrees, 7 mph winds.
Saracens
Manager – Ozzy3213
16. George Chuter 17. Max Lahiff 18. Brok Harris 19. Rynhardt Elstadt 20. Alex Gray 21. Paul Hodgson 22. Nevin Spence 23. Mark Cueto
Tactics
Our generic gameplan revolves around a high intensity attacking and defensive game.
In attack our primary gameplan is always to control possession and run the ball, utilising big carriers attacking gaps in the line, and looking to offload to support runners to continue getting over the gainline and keep the ball alive. However, if the offload is not on, we will take the contact and look to recycle quickly at the breakdown. If running the ball is not on we will uitilise the kicking game of one of our backs to take us into the right area of the pitch.
In defence we will look to blitz, with our scrum half sweeping behind the defensive line. Key for us is line speed, getting up to make the tackle before the ball carrier hits the gainline, and confidence and trust in the man next to you in the defensive line, meaning we will not jump out or get pulled to far away from the next defender leaving gaps that can be exploited.
At the breakdown, we will not overcommit players. If the ball is not there to be won, then we will commit 1 or 2 players to legally slow it down whilst maintaining a strong defensive line across the pitch. If the ball looks like it is there to be won, we will look to get more numbers there quickly, with the first 1 or 2 players immediately rucking past the ball to clear the opposition players who are trying to get hands on it, and the next man in will then look to get it out quickly for us to counter attack on turnover ball.
We will look to really attack the scrum, both in attack and defence. We will not be looking to drop the scrum at all, and Joe van Niekerk in his role as captain will be talking to the referee constantly to ensure that he is aware that we want to scrummage. We will look to be aggressive in this area throughout.
Key Points
Northampton Saints
Manager – Dammit_Chris
16. Mike Haywood 17. Henry Thomas 18. Carl Hayman 19. Joe Launchbury 20. Liam Gill 21. Mike Phillips 22. Matt Hopper 23. Danny Cipriani
Bath Rugby v Worcester Warriors
Cloudy, 10 degrees, 7 mph winds.
Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane
16. Dave Wilson 17. Joe Ward 18. Euan Murray 19. Rob Simmons 20. Will Skinner 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Gareth Anscombe 23. George North
Psychological
14 wins in 16 games is a brilliant record to have and our players are all brimming with confidence.
Overall
We will be looking to make good yards and keep pressure on Worcester forcing them into mistakes. We will use our internationally experienced 8-9-10 axis to control the game.
Set Piece
Our formidable front row has been picked to win scrums. Golding, Kubrashvilli and Mealamu will be looking to get in a big hit first. Kubrashvilli will look to target Flatman and exert dominance over him throughout the game. Lobbe will control it at the back. We will be using the scrum as an option as much as possible as we feel we can really dominate here. At the lineout we have options with Whitelock and Lobbe capable of taking opposition ball. At the front we have Deacon offering the banker ball. We will really look to take advantage of the scrum and lineout as we feel they are options we have that can change the game.
Kicking
We will look to put the ball behind the Warriors back three and put pressure on them in their own 22 with Lobbe leading the chase. We shall only use this sparingly though. More often we will look to put the ball out of touch in the Warriors 22 and pressure their lineout. Beale will be our main kicker looking to take on anything in range. FDP offers another box kicking option which we can use. Hodgson also has a decent boot which we will use as a secondary option.
Ball in Hand
We will be looking for quick service from FDP getting the ball out to our backs who have been encouraged to play attacking rugby really looking for gaps. We have some good runners and believe that they can each produce moments of magic. We will try not to get runners isolated with good tracking.
The forwards will look to provide some carrying grunt. It has some great carriers and they will really look to make some good yards with the ball. FDP will look to switch up the focal point of the attack with the forwards and backs offering. We will look to target Regan King with our runners.
Defence
We will look for a quick defensive line to put pressure on the key Warriors decision makers. Our defense will leave Beale trailing to get any deep kicks. He will be able to either return with interest or able to make a good run.
We will be looking to isolate runners and force a turnover by getting bodies into the breakdown when we see an opportunity and use Robinson skill in the ground. We feel this is somewhere we can really get an advantage so will look to go for a turnover whenever there is a chance.
Substitutions
We really feel our substitutes can come on and maintain dominance. Euan Murray is well rested and is a destructive scrummager alongside Ward and Wilson. Simmons is a player who can come and make some good carries against a tired defence. Skinner will come on and look to slow down the Warriors ball. Wigglesworth is an international who will look to control the pace of the game in the late stages. Anscombe will look to put pressure on Worceseter late while George North will be looking to play his usual game of running.
Worcester Warriors
Manager - prop_lyd
16. Michael Mayhew 17. Chris Budgen 18. George Porter 19. Dom Barrow 20. Scott Higginbotham 21. Byron Kelleher 22. Tom Heathcote 23. Sean Lamont
Tactics
We come into this match after a confidence boosting close result against Saracens so have picked a very big pack who we feel will be able to provide us with this, add in the spark in our back line and running rugby is the main aim of the match.
Forwards
*Front row to contest every ball and add pressure on the opposition scrum, we have a replacement front row who will look to turn the screw on tired legs,
*2nd rows to contest all lineout balls and put us in good positions when setting up driving mauls from our lineouts sucking in the defenders,
*Back row to go looking for the ball continuously and seek to be the 2nd person to breakdowns to look for the turnovers,
*We will look for runners off McCabe and King to stretch the opposition's defence,
*McCalman to pick from some scrums to get us over the gain line when required and Higginbotham is a strong carrier and a nusiance to bring on later,
*Use Gorgodze as a battering ram off the 10-12 channel to gain forward momentum off slow ball.
Backs
*Peel to get quick ball and Steyn to make the decision as to whether we pin them back with kicks or look to unleash our back line,
*McCabe to be instrumental in releasing supporting runners and King who will look to make ground continuously or offload to our back 3 all who have pace and can make something out of nothing,
*Garvey and Williams to go hunting for the ball,
*Steyn to take the points if on offer,
*Use all back replacements to bring a bit of experience, youth and brute force.
Defense
*Hard Hitting,
*Blitz Banana,
*Look for turnover ball or to slow them down and gain penalties.
London Wasps v London Irish
Cloudy, 10 degrees, 6 mph winds.
London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry
16. Benjamin Kayser 17. Charlie Beech 18. CJ Van Der Linde 19. Stuart Hooper 20. Luke Narraway 21. Nick Phipps 22. George Ford 23. Matt Banahan
Tactics
We have picked a gritty, dynamic and physical forward pack which will hopefully get us over the gain line and onto the front foot. We feel that if we can assert ourselves physically and win the forward battle, providing our backs with a solid platform we will be able to beat London Irish. We will look to push Irish onto the back foot and keep them there. We will look to tire their pack by making them work hard in defence with our dynamic and relentless carrying all game.
In the early stages, we will look to our dynamic forwards to get us onto the front foot by attacking in groups with some grunt and powerful carrying, getting us over the gain line. Hopefully our carriers will suck in Irish defenders, so we can spread the ball out wide to our dangerous runners to make use of the space on offer. We will start as we mean to go on with a high intensity, hitting the collision area hard and driving our players over the gain line. We will look to wear the Irish pack out and create mismatches in midfield to exploit.
Myler will play flat in attack and look to use his good passing game to bring our strike runners into the game. We will use McAlister as a second playmaker option with Roberts running plenty of hard lines at the fly half channel in the Irish defence. We will look to win the collisions and get our offloading game going if it’s on. We will look to attack gaps and half gaps in the Irish defence and target the outside shoulder. We will support our carriers and drive them over the gain line and get quick ball to keep the momentum in our attacks.
At the breakdown we will come from low to high in clearing out Irish players to ensure Burgess has clean ball. We will look to the kicking games of Myler and McAlister to put the ball in behind the Irish wingers and keep them pinned back in their own half where we can pressurize them. We will hopefully be able to build attacks from the scrum and earn some penalties for Myler to make use of.
We will look to the scrum to provide us with a platform to build attacks from and keep Irish on the back foot. We will use a shortened line out, and launch our dynamic forwards, who are not in the lineout into midfield.
London Irish
Manager – stnick88
16. Duncan Bell 17. Neil Briggs 18. WP Nel 19. Mouritz Botha 20. Hendrie Fourie 21. Warren Fury 22. Matthew Tait 23. Juan Martin Hernandez
- In good conditions, play an attacking, running game, similar to last weeks impressive win over Northampton.
- We will look to win the contact area and the collisions. With Tonga'uhia, Castro, Garvey, Kaino, Spies, Steffon, SBW in the side, we have some big, powerful units who will look to smash over the gain line and put Wasps on the backfoot. We will look for quick ball for Pienaar to use and create opportunities with.
- Kennedy will be our main lineout target and we willl look for quick ball off the top on most occasions, if not use Garvey at the front to create a maul.
- We willl look to dominate possession and tire the Wasps defence. Tonga'uhia, Spies, Kaino, Garvey will carry hard and look to make inroads. We will look for Pienaar and Butch to play what is infront of them and put SBW and co into gaps and space. Our wingers, especially Tagicakibau, will come inside and along with Smith, look to gather the offloads from SBW, which he will only do when it is on.
- At the breakdown, we will look to use our powerful flankers and the breakdown skills of Steffon to secure quick ball and slow down opposition ball. Any turnover ball will be counter attacked.
- Pienaar will kick all pens for goal in range. If not we will go for touch and use the lineout as a platform to attack.
Team Sheets and tactics due by 23:59 hours on Thursday
Predictions open at 00:01 hours on Friday. Predictions Close at 12:00 hours on Saturday
Newcastle Falcons v Harlequins
Cloudy with Sunny Intervals, 10 degrees, 8 mph winds.
Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly
| 01. Fabien Barcella | 09. Sarel Pretorious |
| 02. Tom Lindsay | 10. Toby Flood |
| 03. Paul Doran-Jones | |
| 04. Brad Thorn | 11. Miles Benjamin |
| 05. Geoff Parling | 12. Fran Steyn |
| 06. Kelly Brown | 13. Jaque Fourie |
| 07. Richie McCaw(c) | 14. James O'Connor |
| 08. Kieran Read | 15. Adam Ashley-Cooper |
16. Marius Tincu 17. Owen Franks 18. Alex Waller 19. Ed Slater 20. Guy Mercer 21. Ben Youngs 22. Nick Evans 23. Dan Hipkiss
Tactics
General – High intensity, bully the opposition front 5 and look to unleash backline with pace & power. Keep hold of the ball and go through the phases with huge carrying options. Look to smash through the Quins 10/12 axis and get momentum to unleash JOC, Fourie, AAC on the break. We are unbeaten at home in nearly 2 seasons and have not lost to Quins in the league home and away for 2 season.
Scrum – Look to get nudge on with Barcella & Lindsay targeting the Brits/Afoa axis. If weakness seen we’ll look to dominate here. We’re backed up by two excellent scrummaging locks in Thorn/Parling against two predominant 5’s in Gaskell & Donnelly. Franks & Tincu to come on in the 2nd half to turn the screw.
Engine Room – We feel we have huge advantage here, especially around the park. Quins are giving away nearly 3 stones in the engine room and a lot of physicality. We’ll look to utilise this by hitting rucks hard and cleaning the Quins defence out, also our ruck play should be steady preventing Quins attempting to turn us over.
Lineout – quick ball off the top using Parling as primary caller, also look to use Read at the tail and McCaw, Thorn to offer front ball.
Breakdown – Look to target Warburton and tire him out early on allowing Reda/McCaw to cause havoc. Look to double up on the hit and target the lack of a straight runner in the Quins midfield.
Defence – Look to use the Blitz and get in the face of Priestland early on and force him off his game. With Flutey & JJ outside him, he lacks a go to ball and will try to force things. Steyn/Fourie and McCaw off the scrum will look to put pressure on.
Backline – Steyn as go to ball and second kicking option. Look to get Steyn and Fourie running down the Quins 9/10/12 axis targeting Priestland and Flutey especially. We expect Steyn/Fourie to either break the line or tie in the Quins defence allowing JOC/AAC/Benjamin to come into the line and exploit the gaps. Decoy play will be utilised with Quins setting up for the big carries from our midfield, with JOC especially coming on as 2nd/3rd receiver and using his gas to run at Quins.
Points:
6 Nations Players – We expect them to be jaded and to either not have their mind on the game or tire quickly. Warburton/Dickson/Priestland will be targeted throughout. Maybe one player you could get away with but the spine of Quins side will be jaded and minds elsewhere.
Quick ball – Quins often base their game around quick ball but with their lack of physicality in the front 5 this will be a serious issue as they'll struggle to clear out rucks and provide Dickson a platform.
Quins engine room – Giving away nearly 3 stone and offering little physicality we see Quins scrum & ruck play being effected throughout this game and them struggling to gain a platform to attack with.
Quins midfield – Up against two of the hardest running and strongest defensively players in world rugby we expect an out of form Flutey and youngster JJ to have their hands full. With JOC coming into the line also we feel we’ll get the upper hand here.
Quins bogey team – We have won each Prem game home and away against Quins for 2 seasons now. The return fixture:
Harlequins 24-27 Newcastle Falcons
Subs – With Quins 6N players tiring early we’ll be able to get the nudge on early on and give Evans a platform when he come on early in the second half. Franks to come after halftime to increase pressure in set piece and give us added work rate around the park. Evans at around 60mins to see out game.
Home form – We do not lose at home and haven’t done for 2 years. Home advantage means an awful lot in rugby and we will be looking to win this one.
Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks
| 01. Tony Woodcock | 09. Lee Dickson |
| 02. Schalk Brits | 10. Rhys Priestland (k) |
| 03. John Afoa | |
| 04. Tom Donnelly | 11. Zac Guildford |
| 05. James Gaskell | 12. Riki Flutey |
| 06. Francois Louw | 13. Jonathan Joseph |
| 07. Sam Warburton (c) | 14. Joe Rokocoko |
| 08. Phil Dowson | 15. Luke Morahan |
16. Chris Brooker 17. Joe Marler 18. Brian Mujati 19. Nathan Sharpe 20. Luke Wallace 21. Karl Dickson 22. Quade Cooper 23. George Lowe
Tactics
Game Plan
Keep the ball for long periods and look for quick ball. When we get the quick ball we will really look to up the tempo and go at Newcastle defence at pace. We have Priestland and Flutey who are very capable of putting others into spaces and this will be dangerous with the quick service provided by Dickson. The only way in which we will be frequently kicking the ball away is if we are getting the better of the lineout.
The key to our ball possession game is dynamic carriers. Brits, Afoa, Gaskell, Louw, Dowson and Warburton will hit the ball at pace, in numbers and with the aim of winning the collision and getting over the gain line. If we can get these players getting good momentum from there carriers then we can keep the tempo high and this will cause Newcastle’s defensive line to faulter or they will have to infringe. This is what we want our carriers to be working towards when getting us the quick ball.
We have picked a mobile pack and aren’t looking to get dragged into an arm wrestle up front. We are going to constantly move the point of attack and spread the game as much as possible as this plays to our advantage. To keep the tempo of our play up our side will look to offload when the option is there.
In the backline we will be looking to do everything at speed. When we get the quick ball we want to get our dangermen at 11, 13, 14 and 15 into the game in the wide channels. Each has the ability to beat a man and we will do this at full speed.
In defence we are really looking to target the breakdown with Warburton and Louw key to this. They will look to stay on their feet and turn the ball over, or at least slow it down or get us a penalty. When we haven’t got the first men there we will look for one or two forwards to adopt a low body position and try to ruck Newcastle off the ball with the aim of at least slowing the ball down.
We are going to look to have a very quick line speed in defence and put huge pressure on the Newcastle decision makers at 9, 10 and 12. Particularly pressure Pretorius who can be slow getting the ball away. We will look to keep at least two of the back 3 back ready to clear up a kick with Dickson sweeping behind the defensive line.
Whilst we are looking for a quick tempo towards the game we will still look to kick the points when we get a chance, unless the game situation suggests another option.
Key Points
- This will be Warburton’s 3rd full game in 8 weeks, Priestland’s 5th in 8 weeks, Dowson’s 3rd full game in 8 weeks and Dickson's 3rd full game in 8 weeks. Fatigue not an issue for our 6 nations players.
- Donnelly played at 4 for the Crusaders in week 1. Comfortable playing there and offers another top class lineout option.
- We have some great impact players to come on in the 2nd half. They can really make an impact on the game.
- We have a lot of players playing well. I feel we have much more than Newcastle in terms of players in form.
- Only Steyn and Fourie’s 2nd game together in the centres for Newcastle so we will look to exploit any gaps which might appear in there.
- The Brits factor. We all know what he can do when he gets his hands on the ball and he will always be looking to get his hands on the ball and attack the Newcastle defence.
Game Specfic Points
- Put on big pressure at the set piece. Prefer both our props both at the scrum and in the loose and we want Woodcock and Afoa to really get at Barcella and PDJ at the scrum and Donnelly, Louw, Gaskell , Warbs and Dowson working hard at the lineout. Try and put the pressure on Lindsay’s throw.
- We beat Newcastle in the HC quarter finals last season. We know how to beat them.
- Lack of physicality in the front 5. I don't see the problem to be honest. We might give away size (I haven't looked at the figures) but our players are much more dynamic and will bring this into play at ruck time. Our players use their size with more effect around the field than Newcastle's.
- How our 6N players can be looked at as a weakness is a mystery to me. I've given the game time stats in my key points.
- We don't feel that big Brad Thorn will have a field day as we feel he is more interested in the retirement home he's had his eye on on the Brisbane coast
Exeter Chiefs v Sale Sharks
Cloudy, 11 degrees, 10 mph winds.
Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Driver
| 01.Alistair Dickinson | 09.Jimmy Cowen |
| 02.Damian Varley | 10.Colin Slade |
| 03.Ben Alexander | |
| 04.Simon Shaw | 11.Luke Fitzgerald |
| 05.James Hudson | 12.Mike Tindall |
| 06.Lewis Moody | 13.George Pisi |
| 07.Shane Jennings | 14.Vasily Artemyev |
| 08.Nick Easter (c) | 15.Iain Balshaw |
16.Neil Clark 17.Brett Sturgess 18.Tom Mercy 19.Flip Van Der Merwe 20.Declan Danahar 21.Haydn Thomas 22.Derrick Houghard 23.Lee Byrne
Tactics
- Chiefs to play a high tempo game moving the ball and bringing our backs into the game and really taking the game to Sale.
- We've gone for mobilty picking Dickinson and Alexander as props who will look to run round and make plenty of carries in the loose as well as being solid at the set piece.
- Shorten the lineout and secure quick ball off the top to hit the likes of Easter , Shawsy and Tindall running hard up the middle.
- Slade to stand a bit flatter than normal and run at Sale and Attack the line from quick ball and unleash our backs.
- Moody to cause havoc in the 9/10 channel and chase there half backs for 80 minutes with Jennings looking to make a mess of the ruck area.
- Blitz defence to deny any sharks momentum or width with Cowen sweeping behind.
Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE
| 01. Marcos Ayerza | 09. Danny Care |
| 02. David Paice | 10. Aaron Cruden |
| 03. Luc Ducalcon | |
| 04. Romain Millo Chluski | 11. Tom Brady |
| 05. Andries Bekker | 12. Jordan Turner Hall |
| 06. Adam Thomson | 13. Robbie Freuen |
| 07. Fulgence Quedragao | 14. Lelia Masaga |
| 08. Victor Vito | 15. Nick Abendanon |
16. Jerome Schuster 17. Brett Sharman 18. Neemia Tialata 19. Christian Day 20. Matt Kvesic 21. Nicholas Bezy 22. Olly Barkley 23. Luke Rooney
General Game Plan:
We will use our strong carriers to attack the gaps in the Chiefs line, looking to offload in contact to support runners thus changing the point of attack and keeping our forward momentum going. Care will look to snipe around the fringes and tie the Chiefs backrow to the breakdown area. Cruden will look to attack from fly half and inject pace to the proceedings committing the Chiefs defence and leaving space in wider channels to exploit. If running the ball is not on our halfbacks will look to the boot to put us in the right areas
At scrum time we will look to contest each and every engagement. On our own feed we will look to get the wheel on and create extra room for our 8-9-10 axis to work in. While on Exeter feeds we will disrupt the put in looking for penalties or to create rushed, poor ball for the Chiefs halfbacks. With 5 jumping options and a reliable thrower at hooker we will look to attack from the lineout mixing things up by bringing the ball down into the maul and tying up the Chiefs forwards or else playing the ball of the top and injecting serious pace into the play.
On defence, we will use a blitz defence coming up at pace looking to isolate the Exeter ball carriers before they can get to the gain line stopping any momentum and allowing us to hit the breakdown harder. Care will act as a sweeper to cover any grubbers or chips behind the line while our back three will sit deep ready to cover any kicks down the touch lines and counter attack at pace.
With the blitz defence in operation we will look to be at the breakdown first hitting it fast and hard. The first two players on the scene will look to ruck past the ball and clear out the Chiefs players providing quick counter attacking ball to be cleared and used against a disorganised defensive line. If the ball does not look available we will not commit to the ruck and look to strengthen the defensive line instead.
Key Points:
*
*
*
Leicester Tigers v Gloucester Rugby
Cloudy, 10 degrees, 8 mph winds.
Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka
| 01. Andrew Sheridan | 09. Dimitri Yachvili (k) |
| 02. Stephen Moore | 10. Jonny Wilkinson |
| 03. Ben Franks | |
| 04. Samu Manoa | 11. Alesana Tuilagi |
| 05. James Horwill (c) | 12. Billy Twelvetrees |
| 06. Nathan Hines | 13. Florian Fritz |
| 07. David Pocock | 14. Cory Jane |
| 08. Thomas Waldrom | 15. Rob Miller |
Tactics
GENERAL:
- We will play a game built around our huge line-breakers, and strength in the set piece. Our HB's our tasked with moving us into the right areas of the pitch, getting our big carriers crashing through Gloucester's defence, and attacking the lineout as a weapon.
- Defensively we will look to blitz, with Yachvili sweeping behind the defensive line to deal with any short kicks.
- Yachvili to kick all penalites within range.
FORWARDS:
- Attack the lineout as a weapon using the tactical kicking of Yachvili, Wilkinson and Twelvetrees. Horwill, Manoa and Hines to rotate the target. We will relentlessly target Gloucester's throws. A.Brown to keep this pressure up second half.
- At the scrum Franks selected as we look to really get the shove on and target Gloucester scrum. Cencus and Dermody to keep this pressure up second half.
- Pack full of carriers, led by Waldrom, and with Horwill, Manoa, Pocock, Sheridan, Hines and Moore look to get real go-forward with our carrying. With the ball in hand we want to attack together in groups so as not to become isolated.
- Pocock is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first, securing first phase possession for us and pilfering the possession of Wasps. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball.
BACKS:
- In general attacking play, we will play off 9 with Yachvili our general pulling the strings.
- Use Tuilagi/Manoa/Waldrom off the shoulder of the HB's to crash through the Gloucester defence.
- If the game is tight and the ball isn't coming quickly, Wilkinson will look to drop into the pocket and keep the scoreboard ticking over with drop goals.
- Twelvetrees to be our other kicking option, and a big carrier at 12. Fritz asked to play his natural game, big drives forward aand getting our back three into play as and when he can.
- The back three aren't encouarged to take too many risks. Jane and Miller are extremly well versed in full back play, and we won't take unnecessary risks. If Tuilagi recieves a kick he is told to pass to Miller/Jane to use their bigger boots.
KEY POINTS:
- Home Advantage - Unbeaten at Welford Road in 2 years, having just beaten league leaders Newcastle at home.
- Form and Momentum - we have won 17 of our last 20 games, and are flying right now. Confidence is high right throughout the squad, with competition for places extremely high.
- Massive line-breakers right throughout the side that will look to tire down Gloucester's defence.
- Attack the lineout as a weapon using the tactical kicking of Yachvili and Wilkinson.
Gloucester
Manager – anonmattyt
| 01. Guthro Steenkamp | 09. Will Genia |
| 02. Joe Gray | 10. Dan Carter |
| 03. Rupert Harden | |
| 04. Bakkies Botha | 11. Hosea Gear |
| 05. Tom Palmer | 12. Berrick barnes |
| 06. Schalk Burger | 13. Richard Kahui |
| 07. Andy Saull | 14. Charlie Sharples |
| 08. Willem Alberts | 15. Israel Dagg |
16. Nick Wood 17. Adriaan Strauss 18. Julian White 19. George Robson 20. Aj 21. Dave Lewis 22. Stephen Donald 23. Johnny May
Glaws Travel to Leicester for a tough game. however as the form team in the AP we feel we can win here. we have already won at the home of the leaders sarries so this holds very little fear to us.
Conditions are superb for a game of running rugby so we are keen to target a bonus point win here. there is no rain about so it will suit our high intensity game plan where we intend to move their less athletic pack around the field
SET PIECE
Scrum we are obviously looking to get on the front foot and looking to launch our backrow at the Leicester 10 to get quick ball to attack with. Harden and steenkamp are destructive props and will be looking to get on top. We also have a top replacement front row to bring on to keep up the pressure. If they look to play Sheridan we will see this as a key advantage for us with him not having played for so long and still worries over whether he will come back to actually take his place in Toulon.
On their ball we will be looking to nudge and disrupt and try and get our back row to pour through and put pressure on to Leicester 9.
Lineout. We see this as one of our key advantages and have jumpers in all the back 5. We will be targetting their throw with Palmer, Saull, burger, and Bakkies all being top drawer lineout operators. We will be aiming to poach or at least disrupt their ball and see them as having mainly front jumpers in Hines, Horwill and Samoa. there is an art to operating at the back and middle and if they choose to take lots of front ball everyone knows its the worst attacking ball as it allows the ten less time and slower ball.
having the control of the lineout will make our own ball easier and will give us great foundations to attack with. we will look to vary whether we go or the top or drive to keep them honest. in the first half we will be driving a lot more to wear them down and also to set the correct field position to align our attacks from. We will also be looking to pop burger, Alberts and co off the back of these to get them in to the Tigers midfield. Saull will be our link betweeen the pack and backs and will be either getting over the ball or looking to get on the shoulder of the bigger runners for continuity.
General forward play. As ever gloucester are about control and ball carrying. we have a team full of ball carriers and will really look to keep it in hand and control the ball. we will look to offload when safe and try and get in behind to target quins backs and create quick ball for our dynamite back 3
We will also be really looking to attack the break down and dominate the collision. we see back row as a big advantage and feel we can really get at Tigers here with so many of their stars missing. losing Croft etc is huge for Leicester.. we see this as the area to control the game and to control tempo of the game from. Gloucester are all about controlling games and attaching on our own terms and we see our pack as offering us the chance to do this with our superior breakdown and lineout abilities. We see a leicester back row containing Hines and Waldrom as lacking pace and as good as pocock is we feel they will struggle here.
Backs.
Gloucester are going to play a High Intensity attacking game and are all about raising the tempo in the right places and slowing it in others.
The way you control the game is through your back row and half backs.
Genia and Carter are the premium pair in world rugby and will look to exert their influence over the Leicesters half backs.
Genia will be marshalling the forwards and only giving the ball to carter when the time is right. he will also be attacking the fringes when necessary to keep the back row honest and stop them from fringing.
Carter will be looking to exploit the Leicester backlines by sending Kahui up short or on the slider. Gear and Sharples will also be popping up all over the place trying to find holes or running support lines off runners. Leicesters midfield is one maybe lacking balance and form so glaws feel they are susceptible to pace and foot work so barnes and kahui will be looking to exploit this.
Barnes alongside him gives option for first receiver and another kicking option for us to pin back their back 3
Carter will be looking to kick in our half and push Leicester back to win territory battle. he will also employ the up and under and generally vary the game.
When we attack we will look to create mismatches and utilise our serious gas. We have a back 3 who have it all and know how to attack as a unit. Gear sharples and Dagg will look to counter loose kicks and kicks not chased correctly as the game starts to break up. they will also look to take quick throw ins and gernerally break up the game to come to the fore attacking wise. these guys have gas to burn and will be looking to use it
With DC and Barnes interchainging we have the distribution to hit our dangerous back 3 and kahui to put them through holes.
Bench
We see ourselves as being able to continue our domination with the bench. White, Wood and Strauss offer great scrummaging and serious mobility in the case of wood and strauss.
With Robson coming on we will be able to continue lineout dominance. Aj will come on to keep the ball carryoing goiing and May will come on as it breaks up to bring his glittering skills to the fore.
Key points
Glaws form team and have won at sarries already
Lineout domination will allow us control
More form players - See sheridan, Crane etc as major weaknesses
Glaws half backs more suited to playing open game- yach and Wilko more about controlling and playing a slower game.
More athletic pack - use the pace and mobility to tire and move leicester around.
Midfield pairing. see Barnes and kahui as a trump card
Saracens v Northampton Saints
Cloudy, 10 degrees, 7 mph winds.
Saracens
Manager – Ozzy3213
| 01. Tendai Mtwarira | 09. Francois Hougaard |
| 02. Bismarck du Plessis | 10. Patric Lambie |
| 03. Jannie du Plessis | |
| 04. Graham Kitchener | 11. Digby Ioane |
| 05. Steve Borthwick | 12. Ma'a Nonu |
| 06. Tom Johnson | 13. Rene Ranger |
| 07. Tom Wood | 14. Tim Visser |
| 08. Joe van Niekerk (c) | 15. Alex Goode |
16. George Chuter 17. Max Lahiff 18. Brok Harris 19. Rynhardt Elstadt 20. Alex Gray 21. Paul Hodgson 22. Nevin Spence 23. Mark Cueto
Tactics
Our generic gameplan revolves around a high intensity attacking and defensive game.
In attack our primary gameplan is always to control possession and run the ball, utilising big carriers attacking gaps in the line, and looking to offload to support runners to continue getting over the gainline and keep the ball alive. However, if the offload is not on, we will take the contact and look to recycle quickly at the breakdown. If running the ball is not on we will uitilise the kicking game of one of our backs to take us into the right area of the pitch.
In defence we will look to blitz, with our scrum half sweeping behind the defensive line. Key for us is line speed, getting up to make the tackle before the ball carrier hits the gainline, and confidence and trust in the man next to you in the defensive line, meaning we will not jump out or get pulled to far away from the next defender leaving gaps that can be exploited.
At the breakdown, we will not overcommit players. If the ball is not there to be won, then we will commit 1 or 2 players to legally slow it down whilst maintaining a strong defensive line across the pitch. If the ball looks like it is there to be won, we will look to get more numbers there quickly, with the first 1 or 2 players immediately rucking past the ball to clear the opposition players who are trying to get hands on it, and the next man in will then look to get it out quickly for us to counter attack on turnover ball.
We will look to really attack the scrum, both in attack and defence. We will not be looking to drop the scrum at all, and Joe van Niekerk in his role as captain will be talking to the referee constantly to ensure that he is aware that we want to scrummage. We will look to be aggressive in this area throughout.
Key Points
- Home Advantage - We have lost two home league matches in four seasons. Vicarage Road is a fortress for us.
- Form/Momentum - We have won 8 on the bounce in all competitions and have all fo the momentum going into this game.
- Fitness/Fatigue (Physical and Mental) - Saints have selected 7 players in their starting line up who were in 6 Nations action last week and will be again next week. They must be tired, and minds may not be totally focussed on this weeks game.
- Priorities - We want our Premiership trophy back, and securing a home semi final will be key to this aim. We are very focussed on this game and getting a result, whereas Saints are the only team in the AP with nothing to play for, and Chris has already stated publicly that their priorities are winning the Amlin and LV Cups. I doubt very much that his players will be putting their bodies on the line this week.
- Bench - Sorry Chris, I feel bad doing it, but I have to point out, 2 tightheads and no loosehead replacement on the bench again!
Northampton Saints
Manager – Dammit_Chris
| 01. Thomas Domingo | 09. Joe Simpson |
| 02. Rob Webber | 10. Matt Giteau |
| 03. Matt Stevens | |
| 04. Courtney Lawes | 11. Sitiveni Sivivatu |
| 05. Patricio Albacete | 12. Jean de Villiers |
| 06. Dan Lydiate | 13. Tomasso Benvenuti |
| 07. Calum Clark | 14. Max Evans |
| 08. Liam Messam | 15. Rory Lamont |
16. Mike Haywood 17. Henry Thomas 18. Carl Hayman 19. Joe Launchbury 20. Liam Gill 21. Mike Phillips 22. Matt Hopper 23. Danny Cipriani
Bath Rugby v Worcester Warriors
Cloudy, 10 degrees, 7 mph winds.
Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane
| 01. Jon Golding | 09.Fourie Du Preez |
| 02. Kevin Mealamu | 10. Charlie Hodgson |
| 03. Davit Kubrashvilli | |
| 04. Louis Deacon | 11. Isaia Toeava |
| 05.Sam Whitelock | 12. Eliota Fuimanao Sapolu |
| 06. James Haskell | 13. Anthony Allen |
| 07. Beau Robinson | 14.Tom Varndell |
| 08. JMF Lobbe | 15. Kurtley Beale |
16. Dave Wilson 17. Joe Ward 18. Euan Murray 19. Rob Simmons 20. Will Skinner 21. Richard Wigglesworth 22. Gareth Anscombe 23. George North
Psychological
14 wins in 16 games is a brilliant record to have and our players are all brimming with confidence.
Overall
We will be looking to make good yards and keep pressure on Worcester forcing them into mistakes. We will use our internationally experienced 8-9-10 axis to control the game.
Set Piece
Our formidable front row has been picked to win scrums. Golding, Kubrashvilli and Mealamu will be looking to get in a big hit first. Kubrashvilli will look to target Flatman and exert dominance over him throughout the game. Lobbe will control it at the back. We will be using the scrum as an option as much as possible as we feel we can really dominate here. At the lineout we have options with Whitelock and Lobbe capable of taking opposition ball. At the front we have Deacon offering the banker ball. We will really look to take advantage of the scrum and lineout as we feel they are options we have that can change the game.
Kicking
We will look to put the ball behind the Warriors back three and put pressure on them in their own 22 with Lobbe leading the chase. We shall only use this sparingly though. More often we will look to put the ball out of touch in the Warriors 22 and pressure their lineout. Beale will be our main kicker looking to take on anything in range. FDP offers another box kicking option which we can use. Hodgson also has a decent boot which we will use as a secondary option.
Ball in Hand
We will be looking for quick service from FDP getting the ball out to our backs who have been encouraged to play attacking rugby really looking for gaps. We have some good runners and believe that they can each produce moments of magic. We will try not to get runners isolated with good tracking.
The forwards will look to provide some carrying grunt. It has some great carriers and they will really look to make some good yards with the ball. FDP will look to switch up the focal point of the attack with the forwards and backs offering. We will look to target Regan King with our runners.
Defence
We will look for a quick defensive line to put pressure on the key Warriors decision makers. Our defense will leave Beale trailing to get any deep kicks. He will be able to either return with interest or able to make a good run.
We will be looking to isolate runners and force a turnover by getting bodies into the breakdown when we see an opportunity and use Robinson skill in the ground. We feel this is somewhere we can really get an advantage so will look to go for a turnover whenever there is a chance.
Substitutions
We really feel our substitutes can come on and maintain dominance. Euan Murray is well rested and is a destructive scrummager alongside Ward and Wilson. Simmons is a player who can come and make some good carries against a tired defence. Skinner will come on and look to slow down the Warriors ball. Wigglesworth is an international who will look to control the pace of the game in the late stages. Anscombe will look to put pressure on Worceseter late while George North will be looking to play his usual game of running.
Worcester Warriors
Manager - prop_lyd
| 01. David Flatman | 09. Dwayne Peel |
| 02. Richardt Strauss | 10. Morne Steyn(k) |
| 03. BJ Botha | |
| 04. Ollie Kohn | 11. Shane Williams |
| 05. Mamuka Gorgodze | 12. Pat McCabe |
| 06. Kearnen Myall | 13. Regan King |
| 07. Craig Newby (c) | 14. Marcel Garvey |
| 08. Ben McCalman | 15. Ollie Morgan |
16. Michael Mayhew 17. Chris Budgen 18. George Porter 19. Dom Barrow 20. Scott Higginbotham 21. Byron Kelleher 22. Tom Heathcote 23. Sean Lamont
Tactics
We come into this match after a confidence boosting close result against Saracens so have picked a very big pack who we feel will be able to provide us with this, add in the spark in our back line and running rugby is the main aim of the match.
Forwards
*Front row to contest every ball and add pressure on the opposition scrum, we have a replacement front row who will look to turn the screw on tired legs,
*2nd rows to contest all lineout balls and put us in good positions when setting up driving mauls from our lineouts sucking in the defenders,
*Back row to go looking for the ball continuously and seek to be the 2nd person to breakdowns to look for the turnovers,
*We will look for runners off McCabe and King to stretch the opposition's defence,
*McCalman to pick from some scrums to get us over the gain line when required and Higginbotham is a strong carrier and a nusiance to bring on later,
*Use Gorgodze as a battering ram off the 10-12 channel to gain forward momentum off slow ball.
Backs
*Peel to get quick ball and Steyn to make the decision as to whether we pin them back with kicks or look to unleash our back line,
*McCabe to be instrumental in releasing supporting runners and King who will look to make ground continuously or offload to our back 3 all who have pace and can make something out of nothing,
*Garvey and Williams to go hunting for the ball,
*Steyn to take the points if on offer,
*Use all back replacements to bring a bit of experience, youth and brute force.
Defense
*Hard Hitting,
*Blitz Banana,
*Look for turnover ball or to slow them down and gain penalties.
London Wasps v London Irish
Cloudy, 10 degrees, 6 mph winds.
London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry
| 01. Perry Freshwater | 09. Luke Burgess |
| 02. Tatafu Polota-Nau | 10. Steven Myler (k) |
| 03. Carlos Nieto | |
| 04. Steve Mafi | 11. Christian Wade |
| 05. Marco Wentzel (c) | 12. Luke McAlister |
| 06. Rocky Elsom | 13. Jamie Roberts |
| 07. Jacques Burger | 14. Ugo Monye |
| 08. Roger Wilson | 15. Mike Brown |
16. Benjamin Kayser 17. Charlie Beech 18. CJ Van Der Linde 19. Stuart Hooper 20. Luke Narraway 21. Nick Phipps 22. George Ford 23. Matt Banahan
Tactics
We have picked a gritty, dynamic and physical forward pack which will hopefully get us over the gain line and onto the front foot. We feel that if we can assert ourselves physically and win the forward battle, providing our backs with a solid platform we will be able to beat London Irish. We will look to push Irish onto the back foot and keep them there. We will look to tire their pack by making them work hard in defence with our dynamic and relentless carrying all game.
In the early stages, we will look to our dynamic forwards to get us onto the front foot by attacking in groups with some grunt and powerful carrying, getting us over the gain line. Hopefully our carriers will suck in Irish defenders, so we can spread the ball out wide to our dangerous runners to make use of the space on offer. We will start as we mean to go on with a high intensity, hitting the collision area hard and driving our players over the gain line. We will look to wear the Irish pack out and create mismatches in midfield to exploit.
Myler will play flat in attack and look to use his good passing game to bring our strike runners into the game. We will use McAlister as a second playmaker option with Roberts running plenty of hard lines at the fly half channel in the Irish defence. We will look to win the collisions and get our offloading game going if it’s on. We will look to attack gaps and half gaps in the Irish defence and target the outside shoulder. We will support our carriers and drive them over the gain line and get quick ball to keep the momentum in our attacks.
At the breakdown we will come from low to high in clearing out Irish players to ensure Burgess has clean ball. We will look to the kicking games of Myler and McAlister to put the ball in behind the Irish wingers and keep them pinned back in their own half where we can pressurize them. We will hopefully be able to build attacks from the scrum and earn some penalties for Myler to make use of.
We will look to the scrum to provide us with a platform to build attacks from and keep Irish on the back foot. We will use a shortened line out, and launch our dynamic forwards, who are not in the lineout into midfield.
London Irish
Manager – stnick88
| 01. Soane Tonga'uhia | 09. Ruan Pienaar |
| 02. James Buckland | 10. Butch James |
| 03. Martin Castrogiovanni | |
| 04. Matt Garvey | 11. Sailosi Tagicakibau |
| 05. Nick Kennedy | 12. Sonny Bill Williams |
| 06. Jerome Kaino | 13. Conrad Smith |
| 07. Steffon Armitage | 14. J.P Pieterson |
| 08. Pierre Spies | 15. Delon Armitage |
16. Duncan Bell 17. Neil Briggs 18. WP Nel 19. Mouritz Botha 20. Hendrie Fourie 21. Warren Fury 22. Matthew Tait 23. Juan Martin Hernandez
- In good conditions, play an attacking, running game, similar to last weeks impressive win over Northampton.
- We will look to win the contact area and the collisions. With Tonga'uhia, Castro, Garvey, Kaino, Spies, Steffon, SBW in the side, we have some big, powerful units who will look to smash over the gain line and put Wasps on the backfoot. We will look for quick ball for Pienaar to use and create opportunities with.
- Kennedy will be our main lineout target and we willl look for quick ball off the top on most occasions, if not use Garvey at the front to create a maul.
- We willl look to dominate possession and tire the Wasps defence. Tonga'uhia, Spies, Kaino, Garvey will carry hard and look to make inroads. We will look for Pienaar and Butch to play what is infront of them and put SBW and co into gaps and space. Our wingers, especially Tagicakibau, will come inside and along with Smith, look to gather the offloads from SBW, which he will only do when it is on.
- At the breakdown, we will look to use our powerful flankers and the breakdown skills of Steffon to secure quick ball and slow down opposition ball. Any turnover ball will be counter attacked.
- Pienaar will kick all pens for goal in range. If not we will go for touch and use the lineout as a platform to attack.
Last edited by Ozzy3213 on Sun 04 Mar 2012, 2:51 pm; edited 8 times in total
Ozzy3213- Moderator
- Posts : 18500
Join date : 2011-01-29
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Location : Sandhurst
Re: Aviva Premiership Round 17
by Guest Sat 03 Mar 2012, 10:37 am
Wasps 26-26 Irish
2 teams batter each other in to submission. Great centre battle. Irish get nudge on due to Castro. At home Irish would win but wasps sneak a draw
2 teams batter each other in to submission. Great centre battle. Irish get nudge on due to Castro. At home Irish would win but wasps sneak a draw
Guest- Guest
Re: Aviva Premiership Round 17
by Driver Sat 03 Mar 2012, 11:06 am
Falcons 23 quins 18
Saris 28 Northampton 22
Leicester 24 Gloucester 26
Bath 25 Worcester 21
Wasps 25 Irish 30
On phone and in rush
Saris 28 Northampton 22
Leicester 24 Gloucester 26
Bath 25 Worcester 21
Wasps 25 Irish 30
On phone and in rush
Driver- Posts : 11038
Join date : 2011-04-20
Age : 32
Location : Hartlepool
Re: Aviva Premiership Round 17
by 'Arry Spurs Sat 03 Mar 2012, 11:14 am
Newcastle Falcons 21 - 18 Harlequins
Close battle in the pack, slight edge to Newcastle who have more physicality. Titanic battle in the back row, think Warburton would just improve his level of performance even more against McCaw. Prefer the Newcastle back line but Quins will run them close.
Exeter Chiefs 15 - 15 Sale Sharks
Messy affair this one, as always the Chiefs will be difficult to break down with a very strong pack on show. Very close battle in the backlines, think Sale will be living off scraps, Exeter will really make life hard for them at the breakdown and think it will be a draw with the boots of Slade and Cruden getting the points.
Leicester Tigers 23 - 20 Gloucester
Think Leicester edge the set piece, excellent front five one of the best in the league. Prefer the Gloucester back row, good blend of power and the breakdown skills of Saull. Prefer the Gloucester back line but I think the Tigers will control the game with a good platform set out by their forwards with Yachvili and Wilkinson controlling the play nicely.
Saracens 28 - 24 Northampton Saints
Close battle in the forwards think Saints have good technical players with Sarries perhaps having more grunt. I prefer the balance of the Saints back row. Can see both sides getting over the gainline, but think Sarries will have the clinical edge to get the victory here.
Bath 25 - 18 Worcester Warriors
Home advantage and brilliant momentum and form win this for Bath, they have the players to get them through this tough encounter. Worcester will have cause problems but can see Bath coming through strong in the end thanks to the platform set out of by their front row.
Close battle in the pack, slight edge to Newcastle who have more physicality. Titanic battle in the back row, think Warburton would just improve his level of performance even more against McCaw. Prefer the Newcastle back line but Quins will run them close.
Exeter Chiefs 15 - 15 Sale Sharks
Messy affair this one, as always the Chiefs will be difficult to break down with a very strong pack on show. Very close battle in the backlines, think Sale will be living off scraps, Exeter will really make life hard for them at the breakdown and think it will be a draw with the boots of Slade and Cruden getting the points.
Leicester Tigers 23 - 20 Gloucester
Think Leicester edge the set piece, excellent front five one of the best in the league. Prefer the Gloucester back row, good blend of power and the breakdown skills of Saull. Prefer the Gloucester back line but I think the Tigers will control the game with a good platform set out by their forwards with Yachvili and Wilkinson controlling the play nicely.
Saracens 28 - 24 Northampton Saints
Close battle in the forwards think Saints have good technical players with Sarries perhaps having more grunt. I prefer the balance of the Saints back row. Can see both sides getting over the gainline, but think Sarries will have the clinical edge to get the victory here.
Bath 25 - 18 Worcester Warriors
Home advantage and brilliant momentum and form win this for Bath, they have the players to get them through this tough encounter. Worcester will have cause problems but can see Bath coming through strong in the end thanks to the platform set out of by their front row.
'Arry Spurs- Posts : 1051
Join date : 2011-11-02
Re: Aviva Premiership Round 17
by Guest Sat 03 Mar 2012, 11:22 am
Exeter 24-24Sale
Battle royale and sorry for predicting so many draws but can't see any other result. Exeter coming in to good form. And have an awkward pack. Think Exeter could be undone by pace and trickery but don't see sale having it. Agree with Steve that Jth and freaun would not work. Tindall and pisi welcome people running straight at them. One for the purists this fame
Battle royale and sorry for predicting so many draws but can't see any other result. Exeter coming in to good form. And have an awkward pack. Think Exeter could be undone by pace and trickery but don't see sale having it. Agree with Steve that Jth and freaun would not work. Tindall and pisi welcome people running straight at them. One for the purists this fame
Guest- Guest
Re: Aviva Premiership Round 17
by Guest Sat 03 Mar 2012, 11:31 am
Exeter 24-24Sale
Battle royale and sorry for predicting so many draws but can't see any other result. Exeter coming in to good form. And have an awkward pack. Think Exeter could be undone by pace and trickery but don't see sale having it. Agree with Steve that Jth and freaun would not work. Tindall and pisi welcome people running straight at them. One for the purists this fame
Battle royale and sorry for predicting so many draws but can't see any other result. Exeter coming in to good form. And have an awkward pack. Think Exeter could be undone by pace and trickery but don't see sale having it. Agree with Steve that Jth and freaun would not work. Tindall and pisi welcome people running straight at them. One for the purists this fame
Guest- Guest
Re: Aviva Premiership Round 17
by Ozzy3213 Sat 03 Mar 2012, 2:25 pm
Results
Newcastle Falcons 32 Harlequins 20
Exeter Chiefs 19 Sale Sharks 23
Leicester Tigers 26 Gloucester 27
Saracens 35 Northampton Saints 22
Bath Rugby 31 Worcester Warriors 21
London Wasps 26 London Irish 29
Full bonuses for prop, stnick, luke, steve, pooly, mat and arry.
Half bonuses for ozzy, driver and ITFL
SJE and Chris made me aware in the week that they would not be around to predict this weekend and the reasons why, so they are not fined for no prediction this week.
Newcastle Falcons 32 Harlequins 20
Exeter Chiefs 19 Sale Sharks 23
Leicester Tigers 26 Gloucester 27
Saracens 35 Northampton Saints 22
Bath Rugby 31 Worcester Warriors 21
London Wasps 26 London Irish 29
Full bonuses for prop, stnick, luke, steve, pooly, mat and arry.
Half bonuses for ozzy, driver and ITFL
SJE and Chris made me aware in the week that they would not be around to predict this weekend and the reasons why, so they are not fined for no prediction this week.
Ozzy3213- Moderator
- Posts : 18500
Join date : 2011-01-29
Age : 48
Location : Sandhurst
Re: Aviva Premiership Round 17
by Ozzy3213 Sat 03 Mar 2012, 6:18 pm
Newcastle Falcons 32 Harlequins 20
Tries: Benjamin, Fourie (2), McCaw
Conversions: Flood (3)
Penalties: Flood (2)
Tries: Morahan, Louw
Conversions: Priestand (2)
Penalties: Priestland (2)
Exeter Chiefs 19 Sale Sharks 23
Tries: Pisi
Conversions: Slade
Penalties: Slade (4)
Tries: Fruen, Vito
Conversations: Cruden (2)
Penalties: Cruden (3)
Leicester Tigers 26 Gloucester 27
Tries: Manoa, Jane
Conversions: Yachvili (2)
Penalties: Yachvili (4)
Tries: Kahui, Alberts, Sharples
Conversions: Carter (3)
Penalties: Carter (2)
Saracens 35 Northampton Saints 22
Tries: Ranger, Mtwarira, Johnson, Ioane, Visser
Conversions: Lambie (5)
Penalties:
Tries: Simpson
Conversions: Giteau
Penalties: Giteau (5)
Bath Rugby 31 Worcester Warriors 21
Tries: Toeava, Lobbe, Beale, Varndell
Conversions: Hodgson (4)
Penalties: Hodgson
Tries: Williams (2), Morgan
Conversions: Steyn (3)
Penalties:
London Wasps 26 London Irish 29
Tries: Wilson, Wade
Conversations: Myler (2)
Penalties: Myler (4)
Tries: Tagicakibau (2)
Conversations: Pienaar (2)
Penalties: Pienaar (5)
Tries: Benjamin, Fourie (2), McCaw
Conversions: Flood (3)
Penalties: Flood (2)
Tries: Morahan, Louw
Conversions: Priestand (2)
Penalties: Priestland (2)
Exeter Chiefs 19 Sale Sharks 23
Tries: Pisi
Conversions: Slade
Penalties: Slade (4)
Tries: Fruen, Vito
Conversations: Cruden (2)
Penalties: Cruden (3)
Leicester Tigers 26 Gloucester 27
Tries: Manoa, Jane
Conversions: Yachvili (2)
Penalties: Yachvili (4)
Tries: Kahui, Alberts, Sharples
Conversions: Carter (3)
Penalties: Carter (2)
Saracens 35 Northampton Saints 22
Tries: Ranger, Mtwarira, Johnson, Ioane, Visser
Conversions: Lambie (5)
Penalties:
Tries: Simpson
Conversions: Giteau
Penalties: Giteau (5)
Bath Rugby 31 Worcester Warriors 21
Tries: Toeava, Lobbe, Beale, Varndell
Conversions: Hodgson (4)
Penalties: Hodgson
Tries: Williams (2), Morgan
Conversions: Steyn (3)
Penalties:
London Wasps 26 London Irish 29
Tries: Wilson, Wade
Conversations: Myler (2)
Penalties: Myler (4)
Tries: Tagicakibau (2)
Conversations: Pienaar (2)
Penalties: Pienaar (5)
Ozzy3213- Moderator
- Posts : 18500
Join date : 2011-01-29
Age : 48
Location : Sandhurst
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