Aviva Premiership - Round 5

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Table

POS	TEAM	-PL-	-W-	-D-	-L-	-PF-	-PA-	-DIFF-	-TF-	-TA-	-TB-	-LB-	-PTS-
1	Wasps	4	4	0	0	149	79	70	19	9	2	0	18
2	Saracens	4	3	0	1	106	45	61	12	3	2	1	15
3	Bath Rugby	4	3	0	1	127	75	52	14	9	2	0	14
4	Leicester Tigers	4	3	0	1	108	92	16	11	11	1	0	13
5	Exeter Chiefs	4	2	0	2	110	101	9	13	14	2	1	11
6	Newcastle Falcons	4	2	0	2	55	102	-47	5	12	0	1	9
7	Gloucester Rugby	4	1	1	2	93	92	1	9	12	1	2	9
8	Harlequins	4	2	0	2	73	84	-11	8	10	0	0	8
9	Sale Sharks	4	1	1	2	83	89	-6	9	9	1	1	8
10	Northampton Saints	4	1	0	3	73	75	-2	8	5	1	2	7
11	Worcester Warriors	4	0	2	2	82	129	-47	11	14	1	0	5
12	Bristol Rugby	4	0	0	4	68	164	-96	10	21	0	1	1

Fixtures

Friday 30 Sep

19:45 Bristol Rugby v Saracens
Things do not get any easier for Bristol as they entertain the defending champions. Saracens will be hurting after losing their first match since the 6 Nations period earlier this year. The home team’s style of harum scarum attack could be ready made for the wolfpack. Bristol’s best chance was for Sarries to win last week and rest players this week, but as it is I cannot see them breaking their season’s duck.

19:45 Northampton Saints v Exeter Chiefs BT Sport
Having had the hardest start imaginable to the new season, last season’s runners up have finally hit their stride. The attacking game is starting to take shape and they will travel to the East Midlands with confidence. Saints will be bemused and confused as to just how they lost last week. The controlled that match but could not get the ball over the whitewash. There were far too many individual mistakes for a team that won the title just a couple of years ago. They will be encouraged by the struggles Chiefs are having at scrum time but the match could come down to which team executes their maul game best. Vital for Saints to win as otherwise they could enter the Euro break after round 6 in 11th spot in the table!


Saturday 1 Oct

14:30 Sale Sharks v Leicester Tigers
Tigers will travel to Salford buoyed by their best display of the season. However which Leicester will make the journey? Sale came back really well to sneak a draw down at Sixways and unless Tigers hit their straps could well beat the midlanders.

15:00 Gloucester Rugby v Bath Rugby BT Sport
Plougmans vs prawn sandwiches in this West Country derby. How do you even start to try and predict Gloucester as they are consistent only in their inconsistency. Is pressure mounting on Humphreys? His opposing DoR made all the right noises after the defeat at Welford Road, apparently Baths biggest AP defeat since December 2012. However he knows that they need to play much better this week to secure a win as surely Glaws will be fired up for this. We are unlikely to see the sort of scenes from two seasons ago that culminated with Knoyle’s red mist. Hopefully we will see both Ford and Burns the Younger performing well and an open game.


Sunday 2 Oct

14:30 Wasps v Harlequins
Not so long ago this would have been a major London derby, but no more. Buoyed by ending Sarries unbeaten run last week, I am sure Quins will be fired up to do the same to Wasps. How well the visitors can perform may well come down to the state of battered bodies after what was a very physical weekend. Wasps will be heartened that they won in Round 4 when really they could (or should?) have lost, knowing that even when under the cosh they can seal important victories. Dai Young may well look to rotate some players this week – though bringing in the likes of Robson, Halai, Eastmond etc certainly does not weaken the side. Wasps probably too strong, but write off Quins at your peril.


15:00 [Worcester Warriors v Newcastle Falcons BT Sport
Worcester have played two home matches, and drawn them both. What odds on 3 in a row? Falcons are currently in the top half of the table – a position that may well be giving fans vertigo. Far too early in the season to hale matches as must win games, but a win here for Worcester would really pile on the pressure to near(ish) neighbours Bristol at the bottom. If Worcester can attach some composure to the attacking flair they demonstrated last week a first win of the season is eminently achievable. However Falcons will (usually) fight for everything and make things hard for the home team. They will however need their defence to hold firm as right now they do not look like they will be going on any scoring sprees and are easily the lowest try scorers in the AP.

GeordieFalcon wrote:ha ha I can hear it Marra.

I just hope the both of them really come through. Genge just looks an angry aggressive lean fighter...Auterac looks a huge muscle bound guy...

Lets hope they both come through and really hit their potential.

Our propping stocks are getting deeper and deeper. It is great to see, you could reasonably see three front rows that would be competitive at international level.

Gloucester are in a battle with Bristol to go down.....

Seperated at Birth Ross batty and Conor McGregor....lol

Just saw the scoreline of the Gloucester-bath match. As soon as that game was slighted, Bath score two tries.

I know, it's unbelievable! I open me mouth and...!

Banahan MOM at 12? Will Jones take any notice?

No he won't gf as the match was so dire he'll have fallen asleep before Banahan touched the ball. Slade and Devotos hybrid 12 role yesterday more impressive.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Banahan MOM at 12? Will Jones take any notice?

I hope not, he isn't a great 12. He did an ok job in an appaulling game. But Ford has no fluency whatsoever and that's largely down to Banners at 12 and Brew at 13. Let's hope we can at least one first centre for next week.

For me, Fotauli and Garvey had far superior games and should have been MOM. Homer had a great litte game again too.

Buen dia, amigos.

After seeing a fair amount of the action so far this season, doesn't it really point out how deep and difficult the league is this season. I don't recall a season when there was so much talent on more teams. At least 6 teams have a legit shot to take the championship and virtually every team, save one or two, could roll any of the others on a given day. I remember we discussed this before the season started, but it is really playing out. Unfortunately, it seems to be taking an injury toll early on, as well.

Wasps v Quins a decent game so far, 5-5 after 20. Roberts has been putting in a good shift, gets Quins first try.

Monster scrum by Worcester there!!!!!

We are SOOOOOO predictable in attack!!!!!

15 phases.....side to side and lose the ball........

Perfectly shows our attack!!!!!

Ah the headless chicken approach, I see that we are perfecting it again.

Flipping scrums, just get on with it! Drives me nuts.

Wuss scrum has us in all sorts of trouble.

Our maul looks great though...stay away from scrums...

Got half an eye on the Quins vs Wasps match. Looks a cracker.

Aye we've been lucky not to be penalised a couple of times at the scrum.

Aside from the scrums....we're in charge of the game!

We MUST take advantage with points though!

Ah for gods sake!!!!

Yep, we're looking good. Need somebody to take charge in attack, we are bashing away until we run out of steam and get turned over.

Wow our scrums being taken apart.

Christ sake. There was a massive two on one!

Agree mate....we need a playmaker...not sure Delayney is the answer.

Nor Socino at 12.

Are you kidding me on!!!!!!!!

Typical falcons. Worcester don't deserve that!

Not looking too good in attack but controlling territory. Need to turn this into points, scrum is a mess. Vickers not the best scrum wise. That was dire

Watching the falcons is so frustrating

All the possession, all the territory and we're behind.

Need this.

Why is Mike Delayney starting for us??!!!!

Christ, are we trying to lose?

With Delayney and Socino in the midfield we are never going to score

We are utterly clueless with the ball in hand!

How far outside of his 22 does he need to be???

Get Delayney off the pitch!!!!! Put Hodgson on for gods sake

Awful again.

Many people on the unoffy defend Delayney, but I just don't see anything good that he brings which Hodgson, Catterick or specifically Willis cant.

People say Willis kicking is not 100% but NEITHER is Delayneys...he misses quite a few key kicks!

TAKALUA.....STOP KICKING THE F*^KING BALL!!!!!

Are we trying to lose this game???

I give up.

8-3 to Wuss half time.

This is so frustrating this has felt like a game there for the taking. Can we please have a scrum half who can do something other than smash the ball far too long? Please?!

Delany is just not good enough but unfortunately he's on a 3 deal so we're stuck with him.

I think one of the most frustrating things is that Worcester have had to do very little to be in the lead. We have made it very easy for them.

That's the thing Cumbrian....bar a decent scrum they have done.....NOTHING!!!!

Delayney is an appalling FH. Get him off the pitch.

What is Walder actually doing with them in training...isn't he the skills/ attack coach???

That was really hard to watch. Big improvement needed 2nd half. Bar a few nice little moves Wuss look bang average too, there's hope yet.

Its scary that our only insightful line break ball in hand was from our Tight Head Prop!

That says everything you need to know.

10 and 12 are killing us in this game!!!!

Wasps 40, Quins 18 with 15 to go.

Not a bad performance from Quins, but Wasps are just that bit sharper. Wasps maul defence has been excellent, they have the edge in the lineout, and just been clinical with finishing their chances.