Aviva Premiership Round One

by **Ozzy3213** Tue 26 Aug 2014, 12:07 pm

First topic message reminder :

With the new Aviva Premiership season just 10 days away, I thought now might be a good time to throw up a match thread, for discussion, banter and plenty of just downright poking fun at your opposition. Six games over 3 days, 4 of which are live on BT Sport, kicks off with the current champions hosting the six fingered knuckle draggers on Friday night. Saturday then kicks off with Bruce Craigs London Irish West travelling North to take on Sale and GloboGym versus the Pests at HQ. Falcons then travel south (no chance of them heading north for a league game I know) to take on the Tiggers, before the mighty London Irish take apart the HairyQueens in the second half of the double header. The weekend concludes with newly promoted Oxford taking on the tomahawk waving brigade from the South West.

Here are my thoughts on how those games will pan out.

Friday 5th September 2014 19:45 Northampton Saints vs. Gloucester Rugby

These two have been chalk and cheese in terms of transfer activity over the summer, but Saints have a seriously strong squad anyway and will be a force to be reckoned with again this season. At home, they certainly won't want to lose their first game as champions, and I expect to see them coming out all guns blazing in this one. The big question as to how this one will finish up would appear to be whether or not Gloucesters new look pack can live with Saints. If they can, then there is every chance that a very talented back line could cause some serious problems for the champions, particularly if the weather is good. With the likes of Richard Hibbard and John Afoa keen to make an early mark, I fancy Gloucester to sneak this one, and come away from the gardens with the narrowest of wins.

Saturday 6th September 2014 14:00 Sale Sharks vs. Bath Rugby

Steve Diamonds Sharks appear to have quietly gone about their business this summer. There have been some departures of key plays such as Henry Thomas, Rob Miller and James Gaskell which can only serve to weaken their side, however players such as Nathan Hines coming in should ensure that their pack remains competitive. Bath fans await with baited breath the arrival of Sam Burgess, but he's not around for this one, and it will be a similar looking back division to last seasons. I can see this one being a real forward battle with no quarter asked for or given. I just think that Bath probably have a bit of a stronger unit up front and will ultimately come out on top in that sort of battle and get their campaign off to a positive start.

Saturday 6th September 2014 14:00 Saracens vs. Wasps

As ever it's difficult to look beyond GloboGym as their squad is as strong as it ever was despite the departures of the likes of Matt Stevens and Steve Borthwick. They will want a good start to the season so that they can feel comfortable rotating later on in the campaign as they search for glory on two fronts this year. I suspect that they will roll out the big guns at HQ and look to physically dominate a Wasps side who were seriously inconsistent last year. They however have also strengthened, certainly in depth terms, and will undoubtedly look to use their pacy backs to good effect. It won't be enough I don't think, and the Saracens juggernaut will get a rolling start to their campaign by bagging the first try bonus of the season and leaving Wasps heading away from Twickenham with nothing.

Saturday 6th September 2014 15:00 Leicester Tigers vs. Newcastle Falcons

A few new faces at Welford Road this summer, and they will be missing their first choice props for the start of the season with Ayerza on international duty and Cole still in rehab. Falcons may see this as an area they can target, however the noises coming from the north indicate that they may be looking to be more expansive this season in line with their new 4G playing surface. This would be a risk, as there is plenty of firepower in the Tigers back division and if they look to trade blows in that regard I can see Leicester winning it comfortably. That said, Tigers can be slow starters, albeit they pace their season pretty well normally, and I don't see them blowing Falcons away in this one. Reasonably comfortable home win in the end, but they'll know they've had to work for it and Newcastle may head back home with at least a losing bonus point in the bag.

Saturday 6th September 2014 16:30 London Irish vs. Harlequins

The game of the weekend, of course it is, the mighty London Irish are playing. Obviously I am bias, but I do feel that we have strengthened considerably in the pack, and in the coaching set up, and we will be much improved from the past two seasons. Quins have promoted from within with the exception of signing Marland Yarde and Aseli Tikoirotuma and will hope that with a years more experience their youngsters will be able to take them a step or two further than in last seasons campaign. There remains a doubt as to whether they have adequately strengthened in the 2nd row, and much will rest on George Robsons shoulders there. For this one, Quins will no doubt look to play ball in hand, and so will Irish. Quins are further down the path of evolution regarding that sort of game, but Irish have looked very fit and able to maintain a high intensity in pres season so far. The last time Irish won at the double header was in 2010, and only David Paice and Topsy Ojo remain from the 23 on duty that day. My money is on Irish to bag their first opening day win in 4 years and this two be a high scorer, with both sides claiming try bonus points in the process.

Sunday 7th September 2014 14:00 London Welsh vs. Exeter Chiefs

A lot is going to rest on how quickly the 25 new signings at London Welsh can gel into a cohesive unit. This will not be an issue for the Chiefs who have tinkered rather than made wholesale squad changes as they seek to return to the top half of the table at the end of this campaign. You know what you will get from the Chiefs, they will be tough to play against, have a good set piece and will take their chances when they come. Welsh are going to be a completely unknown quantity for a while, but I suspect that the Chiefs will have too much for them and will head home with 4 points safely in the bag on Sunday evening.

Ozzys predicted league table after round one:

Saracens 5, London Irish 5, Leicester Tigers 4, Exeter Chiefs 4, Bath Rugby 4, Gloucester 4, Harlequins 2, Northampton Saints 1, Sale Sharks 1, London Welsh 1, Newcastle Falcons 1, Wasps 0.

Look forward to hearing your views….

by Poorfour Fri 05 Sep 2014, 1:13 pm

propdavid_london wrote:No real surprises on the Quins selection there - if all fit the team picks itself really.
As was said above OLH over Chis or Walker is a bit odd - I guess someone must have been tearing it up in pre-season.
I guess also Ward not playing is a bit dissapointing - but we've 3 quality Hookers that will all want gametime.
I hope that Clifford can get on to make an impact and its a shame not seeing Ticko in the squad (I guess he just needs a bit more time to adapt).

Collin Osborne told me at a Quins do that they are really struggling to work out how to give all their hookers gametime, but I had always expected Gray and Buchanan to revert to being the first choices once they were all fit. Gray is the most accurate thrower and an effective carrier for his size, Buchanan can be a monster carrier when the game breaks up. I expect we'll see more of Ward in games where we expect the pack to struggle at the breakdown or the scrum as his hooking and scavenging are top drawer. I guess that's a vote of confidence in the tight 5 to hold up under the pressure of LI's new talent.

Tiks told us at the weekend that he's out for 4-6 weeks - which is probably for the best as it gives him time to learn the players, the plays and recover from the Super 15 season. Now that Quins have a system for simulating game situations so that players can practice decision-making off the pitch, I'd expect him to come back much better able to slot in than if he'd been thrown in now.

by Geordie Fri 05 Sep 2014, 1:26 pm

I think we may struggle in the collisions / physcial side of the game in the backs.

Up front we should be fine...though the breakdown has been a major issue.

But that Tigers backline has some monsters in it...with Burns pulling the strings.

We only really have Socino (and whilst he is a cannonball hes more like Tom Youngs..ie not very tall.) and Sinoti.

Hammersley has been great and deserves his start young lad just out of Durham uni. Hes quite a big lad as well (looks about 6'3) and will no doubt fill out over the next few seasons (not going to help this weekend )

It alarms me when i see the Tigers backs v Ours. They have huge powerful strike runners all over and we have Sinoti.... with Tuilagi on the bench...

by Bathite Fri 05 Sep 2014, 2:21 pm

HongKongCherry wrote:Bathite, do you see Eastmond shifting to 13 at all this season? With Devoto and Burgess, his opportunities at 12 may be limited.

Played a fair bit of 13 last season, so it is definitely a possibility. Devoto is a 10/12 really and is our back up FH with Henson, so he might well feature there more, freeing up space for Kyle. Can't see Burgess starting a Prem game before December, so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it

by propdavid_london Fri 05 Sep 2014, 4:21 pm

Saracens: Goode; Ashton, Taylor, Barritt, Strettle; Hodgson, Wigglesworth; Barrington, George, Longbottom; Kruis, Hargreaves (capt); Brown, Fraser, Vunipola.

Replacements: Spurling, Gill, Du Plessis, Hamilton, Wray, Spencer, Farrell, Streather.

Wasps: Miller; Wade, Daly, Bell, Tagicakibau; Goode, Simpson; Mullan, Festuccia, Cittadini; Launchbury, Gaskell; Johnson, Haskell (capt), Hughes.

Replacements: Lindsay, Yapp, Swainston, Myall, Thompson, Davies, Jackson, Masi.

by propdavid_london Fri 05 Sep 2014, 4:28 pm

Great to see Wade back playing again. If Wasps can or have tightened up their defence in the off season then they have the players to cause some damage this season.
Hopefully Haskell can carry over his NZ form.
Varndell is a notable absence (BBC article says he is playing but not on the Team sheet)
Also looking forward to seeing Fraser hopefully making an impact.
A Vaunipola vs Hughes matchup should be interesting too.

by ChequeredJersey Fri 05 Sep 2014, 4:42 pm

Really hope Haskell and Wade go well, but so do the Sarries England players. Ideally a 3 try each draw with the Englanders standing out please. Surprised by how effective that Wasps squad looks, even a decent bench. Sarries front row weakened but like the locks and love the backrow

by Geordie Fri 05 Sep 2014, 4:59 pm

Elliott Daly at 13 aswell...will he be set in stone there. Actually theres quite a lot of interests in this game.

by ChequeredJersey Fri 05 Sep 2014, 5:17 pm

Let's hope so. Lots of talent for England on show in the double header. In fact just from those 4 teams-

15 - Brown, Goode
14- Yarde, Ashton, Ojo
13- Daly, Taylor,
12- Barritt, JTH (ish),
11- Short, Wade
10- Geraghty (Farrell on bench)
9- Care (Spencer on bench), Simpson ?Steele? wriggles
8- Billy V, Hughes (though I hope he doesn't choose us), Guest, Easter if he counts. Clifford on bench. Wray on bench.
7- Robshaw, Fraser, Haskell
6- Wallace, and kind of Haskell too.
5- Matthews, Launch
4- Skivington, kind of Robson, Kruis, Gaskell
3- Sinckler, Collier,
2- Ellis on bench, Gray, Buchanan, George, Paice Sad

1- Marler, Mullan, Barrington

by formerly known as Sam Fri 05 Sep 2014, 5:35 pm

Little concerned by the Tigers second row. We're looking a touch youthful there. Good chance for Kitchener to make a play for a starting shirt. The backrow is quality and the front row pretty hefty. Worry about an injury to Mulipola though we're down to a 23 year old with some LW experience and a 19 year old academy player as bench options.

If Falcons had a competent 10 I'd say they had a decent chance given Tigers inability to see off a game but with that pack providing ball to that back line we should be too much to handle. Even if the place kicking gets a bit ropey.

Good to see Wade back. He's always a great watch.

by HammerofThunor Fri 05 Sep 2014, 7:16 pm

ChequeredJersey wrote:Let's hope so. Lots of talent for England on show in the double header. In fact just from those 4 teams-

15 - Brown, Goode
14- Yarde, Ashton, Ojo
13- Daly, Taylor,
12- Barritt, JTH (ish),
11- Short, Wade
10- Geraghty (Farrell on bench)
9- Care (Spencer on bench), Simpson ?Steele? wriggles
8- Billy V, Hughes (though I hope he doesn't choose us), Guest, Easter if he counts. Clifford on bench. Wray on bench.
7- Robshaw, Fraser, Haskell
6- Wallace, and kind of Haskell too.
5- Matthews, Launch
4- Skivington, kind of Robson, Kruis, Gaskell
3- Sinckler, Collier,
2- Ellis on bench, Gray, Buchanan, George, Paice
1- Marler, Mullan, Barrington

For 13 do you mean Duncan "11 Scotland caps" Taylor? Smile

by ChequeredJersey Fri 05 Sep 2014, 7:18 pm

My bad. I'm so used to them stealing our players that I took one back?

by ChequeredJersey Fri 05 Sep 2014, 7:20 pm

Still, an all England 23 of

Brown
Yarde
Daly
Barritt
Wade
Farrell
Care
Vunipola
Robshaw
Haskell
Launchbury
Skivington
Sinckler
George
Marler

Mullan, Gray, Collier, Kruis, Fraser, Simpson/Spencer, Geraghty, Goode

Is pretty tasty!

by HammerofThunor Fri 05 Sep 2014, 7:30 pm

ChequeredJersey wrote:My bad. I'm so used to them stealing our players that I took one back?

But you're right. Decent side.

by HammerofThunor Fri 05 Sep 2014, 7:58 pm

Gloucester looking like a new side. Saints looking like a settled one. As you would expect. Gloucester's defence has been decent.

by Steffan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 7:59 pm

I don't think Gloucester have been in the Northampton half yet

3-0

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:15 pm

I don't want to be unkind but Northampton have lost a scrum because of their tighthead and I'm left thinking... you employ an Aussie front rower and... You get an Aussie front rower!!!

by Steffan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:19 pm

Saints backs are winning the game for them though. 17-3 Gloucester need to do something soon even though they are winning the battle upfront

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:23 pm

Saying what I have about the tighthead, Corbisiero has had Afoa on toast all game as far as I can see. Having a Aussie at no 3 makes it even more impressive as far as I am concerned.

by HammerofThunor Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:28 pm

Saints pretty comfortable with the win so far. I do wonder how much improvement we'll see in them mind.

by Steffan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:29 pm

Brilliant try by North. Think this one is over at half time

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:37 pm

I'm sorry if I keep banging this drum, but I just really don't understand why any Premiership team would bring in an Aussie tighthead prop. They are probably paying top dollar for a guy who it average on his best days and is a 'cave in' during the rest of the time.

by HammerofThunor Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:38 pm

Because they spent their money on Corbisiero, North, etc. They brought in Mercey but he's worse than an Aussie.

by Poorfour Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:39 pm

Cumbrian wrote:Saying what I have about the tighthead, Corbisiero has had Afoa on toast all game as far as I can see. Having a Aussie at no 3 makes it even more impressive as far as I am concerned.

Really? The Saints scrum has been getting a shove on but the Glaws pack has generally stood pretty firm. Corbs has been boring in and got away with it a couple of times, but generally Afoa's been able to twist him out of shape. I haven't been impressed by his body angles.

by Poorfour Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:41 pm

That said, after a rusty first 20 Saints are looking pretty ominous. Most worrying is that they've finally realised that North is in the side. I think he had the ball more in that half than in the whole first half of last season.

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:41 pm

Mercey is damning with feint praise. I am not saying they have to bring in an English tight head per se, just not one who is patently not good enough.

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:43 pm

Poorfour wrote:
Cumbrian wrote:Saying what I have about the tighthead, Corbisiero has had Afoa on toast all game as far as I can see. Having a Aussie at no 3 makes it even more impressive as far as I am concerned.

Really? The Saints scrum has been getting a shove on but the Glaws pack has generally stood pretty firm. Corbs has been boring in and got away with it a couple of times, but generally Afoa's been able to twist him out of shape. I haven't been impressed by his body angles.

What does it matter how Corbisiero is doing it? He's getting away with it, that is what good props do.

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:48 pm

Northampton shwoing good ambition, but it doesn't pay off. They clearly think the the game is won and they are playing for the bonus point.

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:49 pm

I'd give the try.

by nathan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:51 pm

Gloucester are crap

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:52 pm

Don't know about crap, they've got off to a slow start and come up against a team who are really up for up for it.

by HammerofThunor Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:53 pm

I hope Hibbard doesn't carry on with that diving Love sacks.

by nathan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:54 pm

Shoulder there from Hartley, pen right decision

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:55 pm

I don't know if it was because of his hair, but I kind of enjoyed Hibbard being hit off the ball then. laughing

by nathan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:56 pm

Trinder hasn't had a good gane

by HammerofThunor Fri 05 Sep 2014, 8:57 pm

Definite penalty. But still a dive.

by nathan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:01 pm

Are alot of the NH players trying to look like lumberjacks? What's with all the beards?

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:02 pm

Northampton are definitely looking impressive. It's ominous to the other Premiership contenders but run of the mill to us Falcons' fans because we expect to lose anyway. Laugh

by HammerofThunor Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:04 pm

nathan wrote:Are alot of the NH players trying to look like lumberjacks? What's with all the beards?

I think they're copying me. I have mine from pure laziness.

by Steffan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:05 pm

Glous will be trying to keep it down to less than 50 points at this rate. They look poor although Saints are looking immense

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:08 pm

Okay, Glos might be a little 'crap'. Well in this game at least.

by nathan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:08 pm

Hmmm, did Clarke drag sharples from getting the ball then?

by nathan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:17 pm

Is the glous scrum lots better or is the saints one worse than last season?

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:19 pm

This is getting embarrassing.

by nathan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:20 pm

I cant make my mind up if glous are crap or saints amazing

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:21 pm

I think Saints are better, but Gloucester just don't look up for the fight.

by HammerofThunor Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:22 pm

nathan wrote:I cant make my mind up if glous are crap or saints amazing

Bit of both? Very few changes to very many.

by Cumbrian Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:24 pm

That's fifty. Christ, this is bad.

by nathan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:24 pm

Have glous actually tried to kick over the saints rush defence at least once in this game?

by nathan Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:26 pm

Have I ever mentioned how crap matt Dawson is at commentating...

by doctor_grey Fri 05 Sep 2014, 9:32 pm

Weird match, if you ask me. Saints look pretty good, but not 50 points good. On the other hand, I am quite happy with the result. Perfect way to start the season.
I think Gloucester will be OK. To me they looked like a side which needs time playing together.

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