Aviva Premiership Round Three (Rugby Championship)

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Team Sheets and tactics due by Saturday (20:00)
Predictions due till Tuesday (20:00)

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Bath v Northampton Saints
Location - The Rec
Sunny, 25 Degrees, 7mph Winds

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Bath Rugby

Manager – Bathite

01. C.Healy	09. M.Classens (c)
02. L.Mears	10. J.Hook
03. A.Perenise
04. J.Muller	11. K.Eastmond
05. D.Attwood	12. M.Banahan
06. S.O'Brien	13. C.Laulala
07. C.Fearns	14. T.Biggs
08. S.Taylor	15. R.Chisholm

16. K.P-Newport 17. C.Tolufua 18. N.Catt 19. R.Caldwell 20. M.Lund 21. C.Cook 22. S.Donald 23. O.Woodburn

TACTICS TBC

General
- We want to make sure that we play rugby in the opposition half and force handling errors, where we can attack the scrum. Use the physicality of our pack to our advantage, keeping the ball tight in the middle section of the pitch to retain possession and build a platform to attack from. In our third clear to touch and challenge for the ball at lineout.
- With slow ball, use Banahan on the switch off Hook to tie up and fix defenders, looking to get Laulala and Hook half a yard
- Hook to ensure we play sensible rugby in the right areas, kicking long for touch in our 22, using the up and under in the centre of the pitch and delicate grubbers in behind centres to chase and force kickable penalties.
- Banahan leads the rush defence, with SOB/Fearns flying up to cramp 10 for time and space and ensuring he takes the ball deep behind the gainline and starving their outside backs of ball. Classens sweeps up behind for counter attacks

Forwards
* Fearns plays as an openside, looking to secure the breakdown
* Picked a very physical pack to make sure that we defend strongly and smash over the gainline. Fearns to lead pack from base of scrum making hard yards and setting up the ruck for Louw and Fearns to clear out. Fearns to mark opposite 8 in defence to prevent charges from base of scrum
* At the lineout, Muller will lead the calls and look to pressurise oppoistion hooker and compete at every throw
* Use ball carriers of Franks, Louw, Tolufua, O'Brien, Fearns to make hard yards up the pitch and draw defenders into the ruck area, looking to create space around the fringes for Laulala to exploit

Backs
* Chisholm given free rein in attack, looking to come into the line either side of Laulala. Laulala to look for the half gap with power and offload (only if on), with the pace of Biggs and Woodburn on their shoulder to make the break
* Hook to take the ball flat on the gainline, drawing defenders and buying time and space for Banahan. Banahan often used as dummy runner to keep it unpredictable
* Use the inside pass with forward runners of SOB, Louw, Fearns to keep the inside shoulder honest and force the 10 to make tackles.
* Get Laulala on the ball early on and encourage a very pacy back three to run off his shoulder. Only offload if it is on, otherwise, crash it up and use SOB, Fearns, Caldwell to clear out and Louw to secure.
* Eastmond to get free rein in attack, looking to pop up as second receiver. Can interchange with Banahan on the wing

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Northampton Saints

Manager – SirJohnnyEnglish

01. Soane Tonga'uiha	09. Lee Dickson
02. Dylan Hartley	10. Johnny Sexton
03. Brian Mujati
04. Courtney Lawes	11. Chris Ashton
05. Samu Manoa	12. Sonny Bill Williams
06. Stephen Ferris	13. George Pisi
07. Tom Wood	14. Scott Armstrong
08. Roger Wilson	15. Ben Foden

16. Steven Kitshoff 17. Richardt Strauss 18. Paul Doran-Jones 19. Christian Day 20. Phil Dowson 21. Martin Roberts 22. Stephen Myler 23. Jamie Elliot

Key Points

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Get at Eastmond

• Although he’s an explosive runner, Eastmond has shown he can be bounced on defence and we have lined Scott Armstrong up on that side of the field to get at him.

Play It Smart

• With no sweeper on the Bath blitz we will look to put in some grubbers behind Banahan and take advantage of his slow turning time with SBW, Pisi & Ashton all looking to run on to the ball.

Using The Bench

• We will look to really turn the screw in the final quarter with a very strong set piece. Myler to come in for SBW and take 10, while Sexton moves to 12. We will look to pin Bath back and then turn the screw at the set piece and put Bath under pressure in front of their own posts.

Game Plan

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Attack

• We will look to play a fast paced attacking game using big carriers running of the 9/10/12 axis to get us over the gain line and generate quick ball.

• Keeping the ball alive is crucial so our carriers will be looking for support runners to hit on the offload to keep the ball moving and get us further over the gain line.

• Our back three will look to get involved as much as possible running support lines of the halfbacks and midfield looking for the inside ball or offload.

• If for whatever reason we aren’t getting quick ball, we will look to take control of territory with the boots of Dickson & Sexton and force Bath to come at us from deep.

Set Piece

• With a powerful front 5 on show we will look to keep the scrum up and use it as a weapon. On our own feed we will look to get the wheel on and give our 8-9-10 axis as much more room as possible to attack from.

• In Bath territory, with 5 jumping options to use, we will look to play off the top and move the ball out to Sexton and the backs.

• In our own territory, we will look to take the ball down into the maul and drive ourselves into the right areas.

Defense

• We will look to blitz aggressively, playing on the edge of the offside line and coming up at pace, looking to isolate the ball carrier and stop any Bath momentum before it can get going.

• Dickson will act as a sweeper and cover any chips or grubbers behind the defensive line.

• We will leave two players sitting deep to cover any kicks and they will look to counter attack of any loose kicks.

Breakdown

• With the blitz in operation, we will look to be at the breakdown first hitting it hard and fast. If the ball looks available we will flood the breakdown with Wood looking to get his hands on the ball.

• If the ball is not immediately available we will only commit 1 or 2 players to legally slow the ball down and instead look to strengthen the defensive line.

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Harlequins v Sale Sharks
Location - Twickenham Stoop
Sunny, 25 Degrees, 7mph Winds

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Harlequins

Manager – Driver

01.Alex Corbisero	09.Luke Burguss
02.Joe Grey	10.Owen Farrell (K)
03.James Johnstone
04.Mouritz Botha	11.George North
05.Alistair Hargreaves	12.Wesley Fofana
06.Chris Robshaw(c)	13.Jared Payne
07.Heinrich Brussouw	14.James Short
08.Alex Gray	15.Nick Abendanon

16.John Smith 17.Mark Lambert 18.Chris Budgen 19.Tom Denton 20.Will Skinner 21.Richard Wrigglesworth 22.Tom Heathcote 23.Hudson Tonga'uhia

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Sale Sharks

Manager – LondonIrishOllie

01.Andrew Sheridan	09.Hadyn Thomas
02.Gary Botha	10.Nick McLeod (k)
03.Davit Kubriashvili
04.Yoann Maestri	11.Mark Cueto
05.Dean Schofield	12.Sam Tuitupou
06.Richie Vernon	13.Jonothan Davies
07.Dave Seymour (C)	14.Tom Brady
08.Jordan Crane	15.Rob Miller

Subs
16.Logovoi Mulipola 17.Marc Jones 18.Henry Thomas 19.James Gaskell 20.Andy Powell 21.Scott Mathie 22.Jaque Fourie 23.Cameron Shepherd

Tactics
Travelling to Quins we will look to play a strong, basic game. With strong ball carriers throughout the team, and a half back pairing with the ability to marshall the team around the field, we will look to play in the correct areas.

Attack
We will look to use Tuitupou and Davies to carry the ball, however sometimes they will be used as dummies and the back 3 will be given licence to utilise the space created by the centres hoding the Sarries defence.

Pack is full of ball carriers, who will tire the Sarries defence such as Maestri, Sheridan, Schofield and Crane.

Defence - A blitz defence will be used.
Set piece - We will look to target their tighthead at scrum time.
Use range of jumpers at lineout.
All kicks within range will be taken.

Our bench has the real ability to make an impact with 20-30 mins to go. With backs such as Fourie and Shephard having the ability to change the game. And forwards such as Mulipola, Thomas and Powell who can make a difference in the loose as well as the tight.

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London Welsh v Exeter Chiefs
Location - Kassam Stadium
Sunny, 25 Degrees, 7mph Winds

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London Welsh

Manager – Fluxy

01. Paul James	09. Paul Hodgson
02. David Paice	10. Nick Evans (K)
03. David Wilson
04. Paul O'Connell (C)	11. Topsy Ojo
05. Tim Swinson	12. Dominic Waldlouck
06. Steve Mafi	13. Tom May
07. Will Welch	14. Adam Thompstone
08. Nick Easter	15. Hugo Southwell

16. Rhys Gill 17. Phil Swainston 18. Tom Lindsay 19. Dean Mumm 20. Ashely Johnson 21. Joel Hodgson 22. Brad Barritt 23. Ben Ransom

The Kassam is our fortress, and we will never make it easy for any team to come and play here. We look to impose ourselves from the off and let the oppisition know how we are going to play the game and how we want to dictate the pace of the game. Our brand of rugby is physical and fast, however we won't just run the ball at every oppurtunity. We will only play in the right areas of the paddock, and Evans knows when to attack and when we need to clear the lines. We will look to go through simple phases to reproduce quick ball to cut the defence open. We have brilliant leaders all other the pitch in POC, Easter, Hodgson and Evans, and they know what will be required to get we want from the game - a win. Nothing will be left in the changing room from our boys, they want to put the rest of the league on high alert with a strong display of effective and efficient attacking rugby from the set pieces.

Tactics

• James and Wilson are solid technicians and will secure our own feed, to provide first phase possesion for our backs. James will look to put pressure on the Tigers feed.
  
  
• With a strong lineout, O'Connell will lead the lineout and use Mafi as a banker ball at the front of the line with POC jumping in the middle. If winning own ball POC will look to cut the lineout to five, to allow Easter to get a chance to run at the defence in open field.
  
  
• Our whole pack is mobile and capable of snaffling ball at the breakdown. Collectively we will look to (legally!) slow down Chiefs' ball as much possible, only committing men to rucks if the turnover is on.
  
  
• Evans will look to pin Chiefs back and pepper Jess and Sackey with high balls.
  
  
• Off any first phase possesion, there will be a strike runner to get over the gainline to provide quick ball whilst the opposition defence is still organising itself.
  
  
• Evans will direct traffic and marshall the attacking forces, looking for the distribution of Waldlouck off his shoulder to release our dangerous roaming back three.
  
  
• Look to use our strong bench for impact later in the game, and to bed in players like; Johnson, Mumm, Barritt
  
  
• Evans will kick all points, unless POC dictates we have a dominate set piece at the moment in time.

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Exeter Chiefs

Manager – Luke

01. Brett Sturgess	09. Dwayne Peel
02. Rob Webber	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Tom Hayes	11. Paul Sackey
05. James Horwill (c)	12. Sireli Naqelevuki
06. Tom Johnson	13. Richard Kahui
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Matt Jess
08. Richard Baxter	15. Isa Nacewa

16. Ben Moon 17. Simon Alcott 18. Hoani Tui 19. Loius Deacon 20. James Scaysbrook 21. Kevin Barrett 22. Ian Humphreys 23. George Lowe

Tactics

We will play a structured game built around our massive ball carriers, the strength of our set piece and getting our lightning backline into space.

- Attack the scrum as a weapon - and call when we can. Look to really get the shove on.

- Use Wilkinson's boot to attack our strong lineout with Hayes, Horwill, Johnson and Baxter all big jumpers. We will relentlessly target the opposition's throws.

- Massive line-breakers right throughout the side that will look to tire down the opposition defence. We will use our big carriers consistently to tire down the opposition.
The likes of Afoa, Baxter, Armitage, Horwill, Johnson and Naqelevuki used off the shoulder crashing through the opposition defence.

- Armitage is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first and look to turnover possession. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball.

- Box kicks from Peel and up and unders from Wilkinson to give the opposition problems in the air.
Lightning back line to really get the chase on.

- Look to play attacking rugby in the backs, getting the likes of Kahui and Nacewa on the ball when we can.

- Our back three are encouraged to do what they do best - counter attacking and running the ball back. If isolated all have good kicking games, but the counter is what we ask them to look for.

- Wilkinson to kick all penalites.

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Saracens v Leicester Tigers
Location - Wembley
Sunny, 25 Degrees, 7mph Winds

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Saracens

Manager – ChequeredJersey

01. Mako Vunipola	09. Morgan Parra (k.)
02. Schalk Brits	10. Charlie Hodgson
03. Carlos Nieto
04. Ollie Kohn	11. Vereniki Goneva
05. Donnacha Ryan	12. James Fitzpatrick
06. Kelly Brown (c.)	13. Joel Tomkins
07. Jonathan Poff	14. Leigh Halfpenny
08. Jackson Wray	15. Alex Goode

16. Matt Mullan 17. Rob Buchanan 18. Sekope Kepu 19. Charlie Matthews 20. Will Fraser 21. Ben Spencer 22. Anthony Allen 23. Chris Wyles

Team subject to change
Tactics

The overall gameplan is to keep the ball tight and make territory and hard yards until quick ball or a defensive hole is available then to spin the ball out and strike hard at 12/13 or Wade's wing. When the ball is slow, Vunipola, Brits, Ryan, Kohn, Brown and Wray will attack the fringes in packs of 3, supported by Poff and whoever wasn't in the pick and drive to secure as quick ball as possible. In our part of the pitch, Parra will kick for territory. When we get quicker ball but the defence is still well set, we will send Fitzpatrick and Brits between JOC and Manu, to test the former's size and the latter's awareness and positioning. Players will be on the shoulder to make use of the space Manu could leave if he comes in. Actual quick ball will go fast to the wings, using Goode as an extra playmaker.

- defence will be blitz led by Fitzpatrick. Brown and Wray to guard ruck fringes. Poff harry Youngs at scrum time.

- scrum- hold off the strong Leicester squeeze and on our ball go for a 7 man shove to get momentum and when Wade is on the blind side, send Wray blind, supported by Parra and Goneva and later on Brown and maybe Goode. Flood him and a gap will open.

- breakdown- work as a pack, with Brown and Wray clearing and Poff and Ryan scrapping for ball.

- lineout- Wray will play dummy-half- aim to disrupt front ball with Ryan. When we are attacking the tryline, throw short to Vunipola at front-lifter and pop to Wray who will charge the line with Brits rushing inside him. At other times, use our strong driving maul

- kick all 3 points on. Do not counter kick to the back 3- we can and will run the ball back

- bring all the forwards on at 65 mins if we look to be tiring against te Tigers' big pack. Use Wyles to steady the ship if Tomkins or Goneva struggles, and bring Allen on once the game breaks up

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Leicester Tigers

Manager – Sgt_Pooly

01. Thomas Domingo	09. Ben Youngs
02. Bismark du Plessis	10. Toby Flood
03. Dan Cole
04. Joe Launchbury	11. Miles Benjamin
05. Richie Gray	12. James O’Connor
06. Maurie Fa'asalavu	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. Sam Warburton(c)	14. Christian Wade
08. Sergio Parisse	15. Rob Kearney

16. Tom Youngs 17. Martin Castrogiovani 18. Luke Cowen-Dickie 19. Ed Slater 20. Tom Croft 21. Karl Dickson 22. Danny Cipriani 23. Jordan Turner-Hall

Tactics

We will base our game around high tempo, high intensity rugby. We’ll look to use the set piece as a foundation to work from and turn the screw on the opposition if a weakness is seen. We’ll look for big carries from our pack to give us go forward ball which Youngs thrives upon.

We’ll look to target the lineout throughout with top draw options, if weakness seen Flood will play for the corners with 2nd playmaking option JOC.

Flood/JOC will dictate tempo and look to get Manu running angles to either punch holes in the opposition midfield or draw the decoy and allow our back 3 into the game.

When the 3 is on in front of the posts we’ll take and the captain will make the call on set piece if an advantage is seen.



- Turn screw in set piece if weakness seen
- High intensity & keep the ball alive
- Youngs to attack the gaps and allow Flood time to hit the line
- Manu to be used as crash and decoy with back 3 coming into the line
- Target lineout with world class operators
- Warburton/Fasa to marshal breakdown and slow/turnover opp ball

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London Wasps v London Irish
Location - Adams Park
Sunny, 25 Degrees, 7mph Winds

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London Wasps

Manager – GeordieFalcon

01.Tim Payne	09.Danny Care
02. Andy Titterell.	10. Luke McAlister
03.Nicholas Mas
04.Matt Garvey	11.Tom Varndell
05. Marco Wentzel	12. Billy Twelvetrees
06.Thierry Dusautoir	13. Jonathon Joseph
07.Julien Salvi	14. Ugo Monye
08.Thomas Waldrom	15. Mike Brown

16. Richard Haughton 17. Billy Vunipola 18.Micky Young 19. Jimmy Gopperth 20. Boris Stankovich 21. George Skivington 22. Ben Broster 23. Chris Brooker
Tactics

Looking to play a high impact, high physicality) quick release game from the forwards...utilising a very strong set of backs.,....

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London Irish

Manager – Pullthestrings

01. Gethin Jenkins	09. Joe Simpson
02. James Buckland	10. Brock James
03. Euan Murray
04. Tom Palmer	11. Tom Homer (k)
05. Nick Kennedy	12. Daniel Bowden
06. Jerome Kaino	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. David Pocock (c)	14. Sailosi Tagicakibau
08. Imanol Harinordoquy	15. Delon Armitage

16. Rob Herring, 17. Max Lahiff, 18. Leo Halavatau, 19. Simon Shaw, 20. Tom Guest, 21. Darren Allinson, 22. Regan King, 23. Alesana Tuilagi

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Worcester Warriors v Gloucester
Location - Sixways
Sunny, 25 Degrees, 7mph Winds
Worcester Warriors

Manager – InTheFastLane

01. Joe Marler	09. Will Genia
02. Ed Shervington	10. George Ford
03. Tevita Taumoepeau
04. Gerhard Mostert	11. David Strettle
05. Graham Kitchener	12. Steven Shingler
06. James Haskell	13. Matt Hopper
07. Matt Kvesic	14. Marcel Garvey
08. Ben Morgan	15. Luke Rooney

16. Will Radburn 17. George Porter 18. Kyle Sinckler 19. George Robson 20. Andy Saull 21. Jonny Arr 22. Andy Goode 23. Ernie Claasens

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Gloucester

Manager – prop_lyd

01. Nick Wood ©	09. Dimitri Yachvilli
02. Darren Dawiduk	10. Freddie Burns
03. Adam Jones
04. Jim Hamilton	11. Johnny May
05. Alex Brown	12. Jamie Roberts
06. Tom Savage	13. Henry Trinder
07. Akapusi Qera	14. JSD
08. JVN	15. Ollie Morgan

16. Scott Lawson 17. Dan Murphy/TBA 18. Sean Knight 19. Alasdair Strokosch 20. Luke Narraway 21. Dan Robson 22. EFS 23. Ryan Mills



Tactics

We are aiming to hit the ground running this season with a new and exciting brand of confrontational forwards with pace and flair in the backs. Wood will lead the side from the front. Our game will want to get the ball to a set of backs who can make a lot of inroads. And our back row will get a lot of turnover ball.



Forwards

*Experienced front row who will look to dominate the set piece and Jones will be the anchor,

*2^nd rows will look to control the lineout and wind up the opposition and also steal their lineouts

*Backrow are breakdown specialists with Savage and Qera both terrorising here and JVN providing brute strength off the back of the scrum and off the backs, again the bench provides more go forward with Narraway.



Backs

* Yachvilli to marshall and Burns to release Roberts when possible, he will go for goal when in range,

* Roberts to make inroads then offload to Trinder who will have a winger on his shoulder at all times and also look for JVN to break through the defence,

* Exciting backs here who will link well and look to constantly run at and through the Saints defence,

* A fast back 3 here who will always look for work and are strong in defence and under the high ball, on the bench we have flair in Robson, EFS and Mills



Defence

*Yachvilli to lead this,

*Savage/Qera to be on 10’s shoulder looking to wrap the ball up,

*Contest at the breakdown and all set piece.

Mark, get mine in later

Worcester Warriors

Manager – InTheFastLane

01. Joe Marler	09. Will Genia
02. Ed Shervington	10. George Ford
03. Tevita Taumoepeau
04. Gerhard Mostert	11. David Strettle
05. Graham Kitchener	12. Steven Shingler
06. James Haskell	13. Matt Hopper
07. Matt Kvesic	14. Marcel Garvey
08. Ben Morgan	15. Luke Rooney

16. Will Radburn 17. George Porter 18. Kyle Sinckler 19. George Robson 20. Andy Saull 21. Jonny Arr 22. Andy Goode 23. Ernie Claasens

Saracens
Manager – ChequeredJersey

01. Mako Vunipola	09. Morgan Parra (k.)
02. Schalk Brits	10. Charlie Hodgson
03. Carlos Nieto
04. Ollie Kohn	11. Vereniki Goneva
05. Donnacha Ryan	12. James Fitzpatrick
06. Kelly Brown (c.)	13. Joel Tomkins
07. Jonathan Poff	14. Leigh Halfpenny
08. Jackson Wray	15. Alex Goode

16. Matt Mullan 17. Rob Buchanan 18. Sekope Kepu 19. Charlie Matthews 20. Will Fraser 21. Ben Spencer 22. Anthony Allen 23. Chris Wyles

Team subject to change
Tactics

The overall gameplan is to keep the ball tight and make territory and hard yards until quick ball or a defensive hole is available then to spin the ball out and strike hard at 12/13 or Wade's wing. When the ball is slow, Vunipola, Brits, Ryan, Kohn, Brown and Wray will attack the fringes in packs of 3, supported by Poff and whoever wasn't in the pick and drive to secure as quick ball as possible. In our part of the pitch, Parra will kick for territory. When we get quicker ball but the defence is still well set, we will send Fitzpatrick and Brits between JOC and Manu, to test the former's size and the latter's awareness and positioning. Players will be on the shoulder to make use of the space Manu could leave if he comes in. Actual quick ball will go fast to the wings, using Goode as an extra playmaker.

- defence will be blitz led by Fitzpatrick. Brown and Wray to guard ruck fringes. Poff harry Youngs at scrum time.

- scrum- hold off the strong Leicester squeeze and on our ball go for a 7 man shove to get momentum and when Wade is on the blind side, send Wray blind, supported by Parra and Goneva and later on Brown and maybe Goode. Flood him and a gap will open.

- breakdown- work as a pack, with Brown and Wray clearing and Poff and Ryan scrapping for ball.

- lineout- Wray will play dummy-half- aim to disrupt front ball with Ryan. When we are attacking the tryline, throw short to Vunipola at front-lifter and pop to Wray who will charge the line with Brits rushing inside him. At other times, use our strong driving maul

- kick all 3 points on. Do not counter kick to the back 3- we can and will run the ball back

- bring all the forwards on at 65 mins if we look to be tiring against te Tigers' big pack. Use Wyles to steady the ship if Tomkins or Goneva struggles, and bring Allen on once the game breaks up

Bath Rugby
Manager – Bathite

01. C.Healy	09. M.Classens (c)
02. L.Mears	10. J.Hook
03. A.Perenise
04. J.Muller	11. K.Eastmond
05. D.Attwood	12. M.Banahan
06. S.O'Brien	13. C.Laulala
07. C.Fearns	14. T.Biggs
08. S.Taylor	15. R.Chisholm

16. K.P-Newport 17. C.Tolufua 18. N.Catt 19. R.Caldwell 20. M.Lund 21. C.Cook 22. S.Donald 23. O.Woodburn

TACTICS TBC

General
- We want to make sure that we play rugby in the opposition half and force handling errors, where we can attack the scrum. Use the physicality of our pack to our advantage, keeping the ball tight in the middle section of the pitch to retain possession and build a platform to attack from. In our third clear to touch and challenge for the ball at lineout.
- With slow ball, use Banahan on the switch off Hook to tie up and fix defenders, looking to get Laulala and Hook half a yard
- Hook to ensure we play sensible rugby in the right areas, kicking long for touch in our 22, using the up and under in the centre of the pitch and delicate grubbers in behind centres to chase and force kickable penalties.
- Banahan leads the rush defence, with SOB/Fearns flying up to cramp 10 for time and space and ensuring he takes the ball deep behind the gainline and starving their outside backs of ball. Classens sweeps up behind for counter attacks

Forwards
* Fearns plays as an openside, looking to secure the breakdown
* Picked a very physical pack to make sure that we defend strongly and smash over the gainline. Fearns to lead pack from base of scrum making hard yards and setting up the ruck for Louw and Fearns to clear out. Fearns to mark opposite 8 in defence to prevent charges from base of scrum
* At the lineout, Muller will lead the calls and look to pressurise oppoistion hooker and compete at every throw
* Use ball carriers of Franks, Louw, Tolufua, O'Brien, Fearns to make hard yards up the pitch and draw defenders into the ruck area, looking to create space around the fringes for Laulala to exploit

Backs
* Chisholm given free rein in attack, looking to come into the line either side of Laulala. Laulala to look for the half gap with power and offload (only if on), with the pace of Biggs and Woodburn on their shoulder to make the break
* Hook to take the ball flat on the gainline, drawing defenders and buying time and space for Banahan. Banahan often used as dummy runner to keep it unpredictable
* Use the inside pass with forward runners of SOB, Louw, Fearns to keep the inside shoulder honest and force the 10 to make tackles.
* Get Laulala on the ball early on and encourage a very pacy back three to run off his shoulder. Only offload if it is on, otherwise, crash it up and use SOB, Fearns, Caldwell to clear out and Louw to secure.
* Eastmond to get free rein in attack, looking to pop up as second receiver. Can interchange with Banahan on the wing

Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Luke

01. Brett Sturgess	09. Dwayne Peel
02. Rob Webber	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Tom Hayes	11. Paul Sackey
05. James Horwill (c)	12. Sireli Naqelevuki
06. Tom Johnson	13. Richard Kahui
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Matt Jess
08. Richard Baxter	15. Isa Nacewa

16. Ben Moon 17. Simon Alcott 18. Hoani Tui 19. Loius Deacon 20. James Scaysbrook 21. Kevin Barrett 22. Ian Humphreys 23. George Lowe

Tactics

We will play a structured game built around our massive ball carriers, the strength of our set piece and getting our lightning backline into space.

- Attack the scrum as a weapon - and call when we can. Look to really get the shove on.

- Use Wilkinson's boot to attack our strong lineout with Hayes, Horwill, Johnson and Baxter all big jumpers. We will relentlessly target the opposition's throws.

- Massive line-breakers right throughout the side that will look to tire down the opposition defence. We will use our big carriers consistently to tire down the opposition.
The likes of Afoa, Baxter, Armitage, Horwill, Johnson and Naqelevuki used off the shoulder crashing through the opposition defence.

- Armitage is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first and look to turnover possession. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball.

- Box kicks from Peel and up and unders from Wilkinson to give the opposition problems in the air.
Lightning back line to really get the chase on.

- Look to play attacking rugby in the backs, getting the likes of Kahui and Nacewa on the ball when we can.

- Our back three are encouraged to do what they do best - counter attacking and running the ball back. If isolated all have good kicking games, but the counter is what we ask them to look for.

- Wilkinson to kick all penalites.

London Welsh

Manager – Fluxy

01. Paul James	09. Paul Hodgson
02. David Paice	10. Nick Evans (K)
03. David Wilson
04. Paul O'Connell (C)	11. Topsy Ojo
05. Tim Swinson	12. Dominic Waldlouck
06. Steve Mafi	13. Tom May
07. Will Welch	14. Adam Thompstone
08. Nick Easter	15. Hugo Southwell

16. Rhys Gill 17. Phil Swainston 18. Tom Lindsay 19. Dean Mumm 20. Ashely Johnson 21. Joel Hodgson 22. Brad Barritt 23. Ben Ransom

Northampton Saints
Manager – SirJohnnyEnglish

01. Soane Tonga'uiha	09. Lee Dickson
02. Dylan Hartley	10. Johnny Sexton
03. Brian Mujati
04. Courtney Lawes	11. Chris Ashton
05. Samu Manoa	12. Sonny Bill Williams
06. Stephen Ferris	13. George Pisi
07. Tom Wood	14. Scott Armstrong
08. Roger Wilson	15. Ben Foden

16. Steven Kitshoff 17. Richardt Strauss 18. Paul Doran-Jones 19. Christian Day 20. Phil Dowson 21. Martin Roberts 22. Stephen Myler 23. Jamie Elliot

Key Points

---

Get at Eastmond

• Although he’s an explosive runner, Eastmond has shown he can be bounced on defence and we have lined Scott Armstrong up on that side of the field to get at him.

Play It Smart

• With no sweeper on the Bath blitz we will look to put in some grubbers behind Banahan and take advantage of his slow turning time with SBW, Pisi & Ashton all looking to run on to the ball.

Using The Bench

• We will look to really turn the screw in the final quarter with a very strong set piece. Myler to come in for SBW and take 10, while Sexton moves to 12. We will look to pin Bath back and then turn the screw at the set piece and put Bath under pressure in front of their own posts.

Game Plan

---

Attack

• We will look to play a fast paced attacking game using big carriers running of the 9/10/12 axis to get us over the gain line and generate quick ball.

• Keeping the ball alive is crucial so our carriers will be looking for support runners to hit on the offload to keep the ball moving and get us further over the gain line.

• Our back three will look to get involved as much as possible running support lines of the halfbacks and midfield looking for the inside ball or offload.

• If for whatever reason we aren’t getting quick ball, we will look to take control of territory with the boots of Dickson & Sexton and force Bath to come at us from deep.

Set Piece

• With a powerful front 5 on show we will look to keep the scrum up and use it as a weapon. On our own feed we will look to get the wheel on and give our 8-9-10 axis as much more room as possible to attack from.

• In Bath territory, with 5 jumping options to use, we will look to play off the top and move the ball out to Sexton and the backs.

• In our own territory, we will look to take the ball down into the maul and drive ourselves into the right areas.

Defense

• We will look to blitz aggressively, playing on the edge of the offside line and coming up at pace, looking to isolate the ball carrier and stop any Bath momentum before it can get going.

• Dickson will act as a sweeper and cover any chips or grubbers behind the defensive line.

• We will leave two players sitting deep to cover any kicks and they will look to counter attack of any loose kicks.

Breakdown

• With the blitz in operation, we will look to be at the breakdown first hitting it hard and fast. If the ball looks available we will flood the breakdown with Wood looking to get his hands on the ball.

• If the ball is not immediately available we will only commit 1 or 2 players to legally slow the ball down and instead look to strengthen the defensive line.

Leicester Tigers
Manager – Sgt_Pooly

01. Thomas Domingo	09. Ben Youngs
02. Bismark du Plessis	10. Toby Flood
03. Dan Cole
04. Joe Launchbury	11. Miles Benjamin
05. Richie Gray	12. James O’Connor
06. Maurie Fa'asalavu	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. Sam Warburton(c)	14. Christian Wade
08. Sergio Parisse	15. Rob Kearney

16. Tom Youngs 17. Martin Castrogiovani 18. Luke Cowen-Dickie 19. Ed Slater 20. Tom Croft 21. Karl Dickson 22. Danny Cipriani 23. Jordan Turner-Hall

Tactics

We will base our game around high tempo, high intensity rugby. We’ll look to use the set piece as a foundation to work from and turn the screw on the opposition if a weakness is seen. We’ll look for big carries from our pack to give us go forward ball which Youngs thrives upon.

We’ll look to target the lineout throughout with top draw options, if weakness seen Flood will play for the corners with 2nd playmaking option JOC.

Flood/JOC will dictate tempo and look to get Manu running angles to either punch holes in the opposition midfield or draw the decoy and allow our back 3 into the game.

When the 3 is on in front of the posts we’ll take and the captain will make the call on set piece if an advantage is seen.



- Turn screw in set piece if weakness seen
- High intensity & keep the ball alive
- Youngs to attack the gaps and allow Flood time to hit the line
- Manu to be used as crash and decoy with back 3 coming into the line
- Target lineout with world class operators
- Warburton/Fasa to marshal breakdown and slow/turnover opp ball

"]Sale Sharks
Manager – LondonIrishOllie

01.Andrew Sheridan	09.Hadyn Thomas
02.Gary Botha	10.Nick McLeod (k)
03.Davit Kubriashvili
04.Yoann Maestri	11.Mark Cueto
05.Dean Schofield	12.Sam Tuitupou
06.Richie Vernon	13.Jonothan Davies
07.Dave Seymour (C)	14.Tom Brady
08.Jordan Crane	15.Rob Miller

Subs
16.Logovoi Mulipola 17.Marc Jones 18.Henry Thomas 19.James Gaskell 20.Andy Powell 21.Scott Mathie 22.Jaque Fourie 23.Cameron Shepherd

Tactics
Travelling to Quins we will look to play a strong, basic game. With strong ball carriers throughout the team, and a half back pairing with the ability to marshall the team around the field, we will look to play in the correct areas.

Attack
We will look to use Tuitupou and Davies to carry the ball, however sometimes they will be used as dummies and the back 3 will be given licence to utilise the space created by the centres hoding the Sarries defence.

Pack is full of ball carriers, who will tire the Sarries defence such as Maestri, Sheridan, Schofield and Crane.

Defence - A blitz defence will be used.
Set piece - We will look to target their tighthead at scrum time.
Use range of jumpers at lineout.
All kicks within range will be taken.

Our bench has the real ability to make an impact with 20-30 mins to go. With backs such as Fourie and Shephard having the ability to change the game. And forwards such as Mulipola, Thomas and Powell who can make a difference in the loose as well as the tight.

---

Fluxy,

Will you take Newby out of the Quins side (he has retired) and put Skinner there please

London Irish

Manager – Pullthestrings

01. Gethin Jenkins	09. Joe Simpson
02. James Buckland	10. Brock James
03. Euan Murray
04. Tom Palmer	11. Tom Homer (k)
05. Nick Kennedy	12. Daniel Bowden
06. Jerome Kaino	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. David Pocock (c)	14. Sailosi Tagicakibau
08. Imanol Harinordoquy	15. Delon Armitage

16. Rob Herring, 17. Max Lahiff, 18. Leo Halavatau, 19. Simon Shaw, 20. Tom Guest, 21. Darren Allinson, 22. Regan King, 23. Alesana Tuilagi

Tactics
- Use the set piece as a weapon to dictate the game. We have big players on the bench to ensure we keep the dominate for the full game.

- Look to really gain confidence and stability at scrum time. Quick ball to James if we're stable, Harinordoquy to pick and go if it's messy

- In the lineout, we'll dominate. Opt for full lineouts in their half to tie in their pack and try to initiate a rolling maul to give the backs more time. Compete for their ball.

- Target the breakdown for possible turnovers, with Pocock staying strong on his feet. When they arise, lets use them to our advantage. If the back three are sparse, look to kick for territory. If there are mis-matches, lets have a go.

- Be disciplined at the breakdown, with a guard and bodyguard at every breakdown to stop those easy yards around the fringes. No excuses here.

- Simpson to keep the tempo high, getting the ball quickly away from the breakdown and releasing the backs. The back three to be hungry and look to get involved.

- Use the piston system Irish have developed so well. Big runners off James to give us real go forward, inside and outside runs.

- For slow ball, look to get outside their guards and bodyguards to suck in more and more forwards at each breakdown. This will give more time to the backs.

- Key emphasis on defence in midfield, looking for the big tackles in there is the opportunity. Rush up fast and close down their space, forcing errors and playing into our set piece advantage

- Homer to go for points at every opportunity.We can have a pop from anywhere in their half. Make them scared to give away penalties in their half, thus giving us more time at the breakdown.

- Bench is full of impact players to keep the intensity high and have a run at Wasps' tired legs.

---

Harlequins 19-22 Sale Sharks

Two very strong front rows on show but see Sale getting ahead at the scrum with a lot of power in the 2nd row. Both sides should hold their own ball at the lineout. In the back row Quins will disrupt but lacking ball carrying options. Halfbacks edge to Quins. Midfield fairly even although another week or two and Quins will have a great little combo with Payne going well at Ulster. Back threes shade to Quins attacking wise but Sale the stronger defensively. More impact from the bench for Sale and can see them upping the tempo carrying wise in the final quarter. Lineups are fairly tight and usually home advantage would separate the game but no game plan is a killer for me and Sale take a very good away win.

---

Predictions are open Pull sorry tactics wont be taken

London Welsh 23-25 Exeter Chiefs

Nothing in this one at the set piece but Chiefs front row will get through more around the park. In the backrow see Armitage poaching a few more balls then Welch but as units there’s nothing really between the sides. Halfbacks are one a piece but as a combo the Chiefs unit will work better. Back threes are fairly even. Nacewa brings an extra option to the Chiefs attack though. In midfield Welsh lacking a gain line breaker will see them struggle occasionally with their physical approach to the game. Strengths in different areas for both on the bench but not sure on the back up 10 options for Welsh. Both sides will see decent ball but see Chiefs using it a little bit better being stronger at halfback and midfield and taking this one. Pieneer back and a better balance in midfield and Welsh would do well here (Think Barritt/Waldouck is a better combo for the game plan Fluxy)

Saracens 19-26 Leicester Tigers

Tigers can get at the scrum here but see them struggling at the lineout without any lineout leader on show. Little more quality in the backrow for Tigers and see them getting an edge here. Halfbacks are fairly tight. Liking the Sarries back 3 and see them with the edge here but there’s only one winner in midfield. The Sarries pair is perfect for the game plan but very one dimensional and don’t see the back three seeing much ball. Think the Sarries game plan would be better suited in the wet and wind and they will be outmaneuvered a bit in this one.

Shiit!

thought i'd put my team in!

Quins team updated

London Wasps 20-27 London Irish

Can only judge this game on lineups with no teamsheet/late teamsheet this week. Not an awful lot at scrum time in this one. See both TH’s getting some joy. Irish front row stronger but not a lot in the 2nd row to back them up. Irish can really get at the lineout though with decent options. Bigger names in the Irish back row but Kaino with no rating sees it fairly even. See them disrupting a fair bit. Halfbacks are fairly even as are the backlines in general. Think both sides defensively may struggle. Irish 9-10-12 and Wasps 10-12-13. Lot of pressure on Waldrom and Garvey for Wasps to take the ball to the line. Bench wise think Irish have a bit more impact in the final quarter. Wasps will struggle to impose themselves ball in hand and can’t fall back on a territorial game with a strong Irish lineout so I can only see 1 winner here.

Cheers Fluxy

Worcester Warriors 18-28 Gloucester

Can see Glaws getting at the scrum here with a pretty big front 5 but nothing in it at the lineout. Backrow battle interesting Worcester with a very physical unit will do well ball in hand but Glaws will disrupt a little more. At halfback it’s fairly tight on an individual basis but Glaws as a combo have a little more. Little bit more in the rest of the back line for Gloucester. Expect Roberts to cause a lot of trouble for the Warriors midfield. Gloucester will get the better attacking platform while Worcester struggle with no game plan in place.

Quins 17 - 23 Sale
Lack of tactics here really hurts Quins here. In the front row I see complete parity. I was going to use the benches to see the winner up front, but Smit, Budgen, Thomas and Mullipola are all great options, so it's completely evens. Second row goes to the away team here, as there are two more physical options, which will help come scrum time. Back row for Quins slightly, but Brossouw has been out for so long, which hurts them.

Backs go to the home team by a bit in each of the combos. However, the impact of Shephard and Fourie off the bench is huge here, so I'm going for a late Fourie try to sneak it.

Welsh 13 - 17 Chiefs
The two best scrummagers on show here are directly opposing each other in James and Afoa. I prefer Webber to Paice, but GIll is a good option off the bench. Second row goes to the home team, with POC leading well and Horwill suffering from a lack of game time. Back row goes to the home team here, i'm a big fan of Mafi and Easter, despite Delon's sparkling form.

Halfbacks much the same, but a big gain to the Chiefs in the centres. Centres and back three are probably the biggest mismatch here, with Exeter's extra star quality here making a real difference.

There isn't much up front to separate the two sides, but in the backs I think Exeter have too much and will edge an away win here.

Brussouw has been playing the last 6 month Bathite?

Bath- Saints

FR- Edge to saints- Healey the best on offer but Hartley has got his Mojo back and with him on song the Northampton front 3 are a formidable unit.
SR- + Saints- Attwood has looked out of touch to my eyes for a while and from what i have seen of this weekend, this week was no exception. Manoa was immense and Lawes had a nice cameo (albeit at 6), if Lawes can hit full speed this is a tasty combo.
BR- Evens- Taylor obviously not as good as Louw but a decent back up. Fairly similar flanks to be honest, SOB offers more than Ferris but Ferris is a force at what he does too. Fearns at 7 not my fave but Wood still an enigma this season due to prolonged injury. Nothing between them all in all, great battle of the 6s.
HB- Edge to Saints. Dickson a bit average IMO but Sexton is just better than Hook at everything.
CE - Edge Saints- still giving SBW his INT form, his partnership with Pisi would be devastating. Banahan and Laulala, ESP with their current form
And this plan, is a really good pair up but SBW has too much class as arguably the best 12 in the world. Sooner or later I'll have to start reducing his worth as I can't really watch him in Japan.
B3- Edge Bath- Foden not at his best and just got injured. Obviously I'm a Chisholm fan and Eastmond looked scintillating in attack against Wasps. Biggs a good solid winger too. Ashton has hit form and is the best on show here and Armstrong would fit well at testing Eastmond but I'll just give it to Bath based on outright dangerousness.
Subs-. A slight edge to Bath's bench- Cook and Woodburn very handy.

Scrm- Saints due to extra power in the front five
Lineout- evens- Saints te better jumpers, Bath the better thrower
Breakdown- Bath. SOB really helping out Lowe here as he is an Int class 7 as well
Kick-evens. Both teams non-kickers overall, both decent kicking 9s, good but pressurisable 10s

Attack- Saints- thanks to the Sex-SBW-Pisi-Ashton axis. Carrying in the forwards pretty even, edge to Bath backrow but Saints tight 5. Both dangerous back 3s and Bath will force gaps. Sexton solid D means he can deal with big inside runners in his channel, Bathite.
Defend- Saints- just because Bath's back 3 can be exposed positionally, whereas their's are a little more solid.

Overall score Bath 23 - Saints 28

Tries-   Eastmond, Biggs. ///. Ashton, Williams, Sexton
Conversions     - Hookx2 //// Sexton x2
Penalties      Hookx3. ////. Sexton x3
Dropped goals 

Phone doing the annoying thing where it reloads an Internet page after you've left it for about 20 secs for literally no reason. Rest of my Predos going to have to wait

Bath 20 Northampton 26

Saints better throughout

London Welsh 20 Exeter Chiefs 21

Chiefs better in key positions and more mobile around park.

Saracens 8 Leicester 15

Leicester get on top in front 5 and lets Youngs and Flood run rampant

Wasps 15 Irish 23

Irish dominate set piece and have v.good backs

Worcester 15 Gloucester 20

Ford not ready yet and Shingler has been dire for Irish so far in real life.

Saracens 6 - 16 Tigers
Front row is convincing to the Tigers and it's much the same for the second and back rows. Big dominance for the Tigers up front I'd say, with some great bench options as well.

Sarries win the battle of the halfbacks, with 2 of my favourite players in these positions. However, the home centres will be massively outclassed by JOC and Tuilagi, with both lacking experience at the highest level.

Hard to see past a Tigers win here, but I don't think it will be high scoring

What time do predos close?

Tuesday at 8pm

Bath 20-24 Saints
Think it will be close with two good scrummaging front rows here. Just a bit more for Bath in the 2nd row with them edging the lineout as well. Two good back rows and can see Wilson just getting one up on Taylor. Nice hb pairing with Saints having a bit more quality. Centres, Saints have the excitement and I feel Banahan may nullify the attack stopping Laulaula getting much quick ball. Two good sets of back 3 here and just feel that the extra international quality Saints have will see them over the line.

Quins 15-18 Sale
No gameplan hinders Quins here. Front row goes to Sale but I feel that the Quins back 5 have more to offer here and will slow down ball. Quins do taker the back line as well however I do like the Sale centre pairing quite a bit. Prefer Payne at 15 at present too. Very good bench from Sale on offer and, unfortunately, having no tactics will give Sale the win.

Welsh 16-18 Chiefs
I wouldn't call the Kassam a fortress just yet to be honest. Front row goes to Exeter here with a good balance. Same in the 2nd rows with POC still not back from injury. Good steady back row for Welsh but Chiefs have the gamechangers here in Johnson and Armitage. Even in the 9-10 battle with 2 good controlling 10's. Chiefs do have a very good squad here and their backline will get a good head of steam going. Good bench for Welsh will get them back into the match but not enough here. Evans'll keep them in it.

Sarries 24-28 Tigers
Front row to Tigers but Vunipola is really coming on strong this season! Much more powerful 2nd and back row for Tigers and impact off the bench is impressive. 9-10 even with 2 good combo's, if I had to edge it it would just go to Sarries because of Youngs' injury but that's being very picky! Centre's easily to Tigers and in the back 3 i can see Goneva causing problems to Wade but Kearney will hold strong, prefer 1/2p at fb. Overall Tigers just have too much quality. High scoring game.

Wasps 9-12 Irish
Not much gameplan so going to judge on quality of players here. Stronger front row for Irish just with Payne somehow getting some form and Murray a bit out of the picture at Agen. 2 good 2nd row pairings making the lineout even. Stronger backrow for Irish with a bit more quality. Bit better 9-10 for Wasps but Simpson is on fire and will snipe well. Centres edged to Irish and back 3 to Wasps here. Just feel Irish will do it at the breakdown.

Quins vs Sale.


Front rows - Evens- Sheridan on good form and can counter Corbs. More in the loose from Sale but only marginal and I think Quins have an edge in the scrum here. Good battle at scrumtime from the 3s. Nothing to separate Hookers.
Second row- + Sale- bigger locks, lots of power here for Sale, Maestri also classy.
Back Row- ++ Quins. Better in each area, plus the double breakdown skills of Robshaw and Brussouw. Really good balance for Quins. Good balance for Sale but just a level down in class in the players. Sale might outcarry Quins but Quins win in every other area here.
Half Backs- edge Quins- Farrell better than McLeod, awful game this weekend withstanding. Better bench option 2 and I rate Burgess
Centres - edge Quins- Quins still not great in defence but fantastic in attack. Fear the Sale duo would be powerful and [pretty skillful but too predictable.
Back 3- + Quins- Abs in attacking form, liability in defence. Miller hasn't had a chance to shine this season. The Quins wingers are just better than Sale's especially with North's imperious form.

Scrum- + Sale- the grunt from second rows enough to overturn the Quins front 3.
Lineout- Quins- so many options to aim for and Gray is good at his darts!
Breakdown- ++ Quins. Brussouw and Robshaw both top class scavengers.

Attack- + Sale- no plan for Quins, and if Sale get a platform, Miller and JD2 are dangerous backs, though I'm not sure that making holes in my defence will help beat Quins! Also Farrell sucked at moving a backline this week.
Defence- + Sale. They are targeting Quins centres which is absolutely correct.
Kicking- + Quins. Unless Farrell plays like he did this weekend


Verdict- Quins have better team but no gameplan, so I'm giving Sale a
20-21 win
Quins 20 Sale 21

Tries- North, Abendanon Miller, Davies, Vernon
Conversions Farrell x2 McLeod x 3
DG-
Pen- Farrell x 2

Guys

I'm getting picked on for my locks not being as powerful as the Sale locks but i'm curious to why this is? Al Hargreaves has been one of the cornerstones of the Sharks pack over the last few years as well as a springbok. Mauritz Botha is ofton praised for his imput at the scrum and physical presence.

Good combo for me. Hargreaves being works into Sarries side and has looked great off the bench. His ratings will rise. Botha not had a great time with England of late maybe doesn't help.

They are a good combo and get marks in the breakdown and lineout but the Sale combo are big, big boys and Maestri is IMO one of the best young locks around (which is why I was annoyed Ollie nicked him before I could)

Wasps 14 - 15 Irish
I've got a big win for the Irish pack here, especially in the front and back rows. Both second rows have a nice balance of bosh and lineout, but might be lacking star quality against other teams.

Wasps backline looks much better now with Mac a good option at 10, following good start to Toulouse career. Similar backlines with a playmaker 12 type set up and some gas out wide.

Irish win too many collisions up front and the battle of the breakdown, so it's a sneaky away win.

Worcs 13 - 16 Glos
Glos win the front row here, with two very reliable props and a promising young hooker, but not by much mind. Worcs get a real shove on in the back five, with some physical blokes in there, but Kvesic to do some 7 work and Saull a good option with 20 to go.

Genia is a huge addition to the side and he makes sure that the halfbacks remian competitive, although the Glos lot edge it with some good Burns form recently. Struggling to see much form in either set of backs, but prefer the Glos players 1:1

Just to note, indigojac is my email address, used once before I made a profile I think, no idea why I got logged on as that, but that is one of my predictions!

Welsh Chiefs half done on university computer will finish v soon


Wasps vs Irish

No tactics for either side really so done purely on teamsheets.

FR- + Irish- better across 1 and 2, equal at 3 don't know how Murray is doing up North, anyone fill me in?
SR- Edge Wasps- Wentzel quite underrated IMO but Garvey off form. Offer more in loose than Irish locks
BR- baby edge Irish- Irish backrow better unit, very good specialised unit with the smasher (though Japan hurts his rating), fetcher and specialist 8. Would be by more but I rate Dus as maybe the best flanker in the world excepting possibly McCaw and Salvi and Waldrum are excellent club players that compliment him well. Giving Pooly Parisse was a huge loss for Wasps. Good impact 8s on the benches too.
HB- + Wasps. All good players actually, all relatively on form but despite his attacking lethality, Simpson is not the HB that Care is in passing or all round game and McAlister, though a 12 at heart, offers more flair than James and with these backlines that matters. Irish better at a controlling game though from James.
CE - Evens, Wasps have a pairing that could connect and be England's next big thing or implode. I think they'd work together and though neither's form is great, I think Rougerie is well out of sorts and I see far more spark in the Wasps centres. However, due to current poor form from
The Wasps 12 and 13, I'm calling it evens.
B3- + Wasps. Varndell is scoring, Brown is on fire and Monye is scoring too. Irish's players excellent for kick and counter but I can't judge whether they do that with no tactics so I've gone for the flair players.
Subs-. Experience gives Irish a tiny edge here

Scrm- Irish
Lineout- Wasps - as many options as anyone.
Breakdown- Irish, though Salvi and Dus will put up a fight
Kick- Irish, more options, just.

Attack- Wasps look more dangerous. Hard to ascertain with no tactics
Defend- Irish- wasps vulnerable at centre and , though improved, hardly going to love keeping out Taki on the wing.

Overall score  Wasps 22 - Irish 20
Wasps. Irish
Tries-    Brown, Monye, Varndell///. Simpson, Tuilagi
Conversions     McAlister x2. /// Homer x2
Penalties      ///. Homer, James
Dropped goals  Twelvetrees

Murray is in France mate, Bayonne or Narbonne I believe

Agen: http://www.espnscrum.com/france-top-14-2012-13/rugby/story/168417.html

only going to have to be quick one this week!

Bath 23 - 23 Northampton Saints

Harlequins 14 - 16 Sale Sharks

Saracens 10 - 14 Leicester Tigers

London Wasps 15 - 17 London Irish

Worcester Warriors 9 - 23 Gloucester

Bath 23 - 22 Northampton Saints

Harlequins 19 - 19 Sale Sharks

Saracens 20 - 24 Leicester Tigers

London Wasps 22 - 21 London Irish

Worcester Warriors 18 - 22 Gloucester


Apologies guys for lack of predos.

It's ok Luke up to now i'v enjoyed your predo the most haha

Welsh- Chiefs


Front rows - Edge Chiefs- Afoa- James should be the key battle and James had a hard day against Saints. Otherwise nothing in it
Second row- Edge Welsh. POC a better lock than Horwill and the partners both decent. POC's all-round game gets the edge here.
Back Row- Evens. Better balance to Welsh's backrow now. Mafi for athleticism, Easter as a donkey (in work, not hands!) and Welch a promising 7. Good well-balanced unit from Exeter, solid in all areas
HBs- Edge Welsh- Welsh have the edge as Peel is better than Hodgson but Evans is betterer than Wilkinson nowdays. Both very good combos though, more of an attacking edge to Welsh's
CE- Edge Exeter. I prefer Waldouck at 13, though the Welsh pair is still better than previously. Bit of power at 12 and class (albeit injured) at 13 for Ex just wins though.
B3- Edge Exeter- Nacewa the big name here, otherwise pretty close with talented but not world-beating players,

Scrum- Edge Ex
Lineout- Welsh
Breakdown- Evens
Kicking- Welsh

Attack- just a slight edge to Welsh, because their 10 will get the backs moving better than Wilko. Otherwise both backlines are reasonably potent and the gameplans simple and effective.

Defence- Evens- no real holes as I can see

Sorry this is a bit rushed

Overall result- Welsh 20- Chiefs 18

Tries- Ojo, Hodgson/// Jess x2
Conversions- Evans x2 /// Wilkinson
Penalties- Evans x 2/// Wilkinson x2

Worcester Gloucester


Front rows - Evens- hard to call, I give it to Worcester at LH, evens at 2 and Glous at TH
Second row- Edge to Glaws, Hamilton adds a bit of power and experience
Back Row- edge Worcester- h=good backrows, Savage looking good at 6, but Haskell is looking very powerful and Morgan in good form.
Half Backs- Evens- Genia> Yachvili but not on form. Ford equal to Burns. Both nice mixes, could work as pairs.
Centres - + Glaws. Much more power here, Trinder making mistakes though. Shingler not on form, still a lightweight for Wuss
Back 3- Edge Glaws.

Scrum- Gloucester
Lineout- Gloucester
Breakdown- Wuss

Attack- Gloucester duie to centeres and gameplan
Defence- Evens
Kicking- Evens


Verdict- Worcester 20- Gloucester 20



Tries- Morgan, Garvey /// Trinder, May
Conversions Burns x 2 /// Ford x 2
DG- Burns
Pen- Burns /// Ford x 2

Sorry, 1 min late!

Bath 17-23 Saints
Saints have the better front row and the better second row. They are also stronger in the back row. Saints will use their dominance in the forwards to give their halfbacks a strong back to work upon. They have better backs all across the board.

Quins 22-24 Sale
Think apart from the front five Sale aren't as good as Quins. Sale do have a strong bench and with Quins having no tactics, Sale are good for the win here.

Welsh 23-27 Exeter
The slight edge in the front five goes to Exeter with a slightly better front row and second row. Prefer Exeter backrow. Not sure about half backs, huge fan of Evans but Exeter probably have the stronger combo. Better backs from Exeter although strong subs from Welsh.

Sarries 16-22 Tigers
Sarries have a good team, but the Tigers team is simply sensational. Probably half backs and back three only places where Sarries are competitive.

Wasps 26-25 Irish
Prefer the Irish front row by some distance but give a slight edge to the Wasps second row. Irish back row edges it although Kaino is hard to rate now. Really quality set of half backs from Wasps. Centres to Irish but back three really hard to call. Home advantage gives it to Wasps