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.

Ah dear lord!!!!!What on earth do they do in training??

A rare sighting: ref told Joe Simpson to use the ball at the base of a ruck. He didn't, and a Quins player went through on him. Usually, that would be a penalty for taking out the scrum half, but the ref said Simpson had used up his five seconds, so awarded a scrum to Quins.

Most "use it" calls seem to go unheeded these days, with no downside.

Agree with the commentators...some of Wuss young players are playing well.

Their full back Shilcott looks made for this level. Only 18 or something.

We are woeful......if we are relegated this season due to performances like this , I will wash my hands of them.

Worcesters scrum has torn us apart.

Bad day at the office. Vickers is looking a few years past this level, he's been destroyed.

Kirwan must be getting close to a card? He's given four penalties away!

Wasps 47, Quins 18 final score.

Wasps look unstoppable in attack, I don't recall them wasting a single chance, sticking with my start of season prediction of them lifting the trophy. Much better at the breakdown, usually not committing but if there was a sniff of a turnover a Wasps player got their hands on the ball.

As I said, not a bad performance from Quins, shame we couldn't pick up a TBP. Visser made some good yards today. Roberts hit some good lines but I'd like to see him free his arms up for the offload a little more, especially with us getting murdered in the ruck. Scrum went well.

Why do we keep shovelling out wide so early?!

Wide too early again! What are they DOING!

Worcester young backs look very good.

BOX KICK BOX KICK BOX KICK!!!!!!!

This box kicking is just awful

I am going to switch this off in a minute. Can Young do anything else?!?

I despair!!!!

That isn't forward!

That's a very harsh forward pass

Game over.

Wasps look like their having fun in the sun!

You guys may have missed it but on a previous thread I have already stated they'll win the Jeff this year.

Keeping the forwards fit it going to be the most difficult thing. Do that and with their back line they'll maybe do the double.

Great game at the Rico today.

If we are going to take the kick, take it quickly! Where is the urgency!?

Is this a coaching issue or is it just the players?

Well that's an appalling decision .

That is ridiculous. We have been screwed on a scrum decision in the last two minutes again.

Ultimately two woeful sides playing!

Can't say we would have deserved the win, but we should at least have had a shot at the end.

Warriors are a woeful side aswell. Good scrum and that's it.

The frustrating thing is I know that Falcons can be so much better than that. I don't know who is devising the 'game plan', but it isn't working. How many times did we get into their 22 and just shovel it left and right along the back line? There was no space because the forwards were not creating any. Who was organising, where were the pick and goes? Where was the backing up? Why did we box kick time and time again?

I can even kind of understand why the ref made the wrong call in that last scrum. If we spend the whole game getting pulverised, he will side with them. Is this really the best we have got?

It is so frustrating being a Falcons fan.

Exactly Cumbrian.....its gameplan and coaching!

I've had enough with Dean now. I honestly think he needs to move on. There are coaches out there who could do a hell of a lot with this squad.

Sgt, have you seen the deluded Wuss fans on their unoffy site???

LOL its hilarious....apparently they're a level above us....bahahah....

Well that was a tight win for Wuss but am quite happy to take it! Not a great match - wuss looked very tense and not at their best but that's probably down to the crippling importance of this game. They needed to finally record a win after somehow capitulating in their two home draws this season. I think Newcastle will feel hard done by with the forward pass and I have some sympathy. I think Warriors will be much improved when some of their senior players return from injury and international duty. I do not agree that they are a woeful side although today was not great. For the record I do not think Falcons are a woeful side either but their handling let them down on many occasions. In short, as I've already said, there is not much between either team which is what today's dog fight proved. The bottom is very very tight and whilst I do not want Worcester to be down there, it is an interesting place to be!

Strangely mixed game for Quins.

We looked very good in attack for parts with Roberts, Visser and Yarde all showing up well.

We then totally switched off in defense too often though. At least 3 of those Wasps tries should have been stopped by any professional defense. Easter is a legend but I get the feeling he's out of his depth, especially with the players he's using.

Wasps though are just stunning. They're playing like a Kiwi team from SuperRugby atm, absolutely deadly on the counter and all the players live the gameplan. I hope they can carry it off against Saracens.

Next week against Saints will be a big test, they're limited but they're pack is very large and North is finding some form now.

Well won Wasps.

I think we can turn over Saints, whilst I expected nothing from today, so I feel ok about the result as it seems we at least attacked well

Yea CJ, watching the highlights it looks like we attacked well and our pack was a lot more competitive. Biggest issue was defence from 13 out to the wings. They just got through too easily.

I think we'll be a lot better against Saints, just need to not get drawn into an arm wrestle with them.

GeordieFalcon wrote:We are woeful......if we are relegated this season due to performances like this , I will wash my hands of them.

Watching this match makes it all the more baffling how London Irish were relegated last season....

GF - many thanks.

My depression over our performance has been lifted a touch by seeing the depth of your depression. Chin up young man - if nothing else to give you the best chance of breathing.

Jimpy wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:We are woeful......if we are relegated this season due to performances like this , I will wash my hands of them.

Watching this match makes it all the more baffling how London Irish were relegated last season....

Not baffling...London Irish were simply worse than us!

LondonTiger wrote:GF - many thanks.

My depression over our performance has been lifted a touch by seeing the depth of your depression. Chin up young man - if nothing else to give you the best chance of breathing.

Ive calmed down now...but still think massive changes need to be made to the coaching set up now.

I know we don't have world class players, we don't have a brilliant squad...but I do believe we have some very useful players....who with the right tactics could be playing so much better than this and getting results.

When you have wingers of Goneva, Sinotti, Marcus Watson and Kibirige it is absolutely criminal that they aren't being used at all.

People on the unoffy keep saying that Dean doesn't actually do the gameplan...its the coaches. Well given the fact he doesn't actually do any coaching either....then what DOES he actually do??

How much influence does John Wells have on this whole set up. Too much is my thoughts!

As a completely impartial observer, I don't think Falcons will have any problem staying up.  Bristol to me look woeful.

I agree with that Ozzy - there are a lot of issues for Bristol to address over the season. Its still early days though

We seem to put in a decent showing then a shocker, much of this stemming from the halfback.

Next weeks game against Bristol should tell us a lot of where the season will go.

Ozzy3213 wrote:As a completely impartial observer, I don't think Falcons will have any problem staying up.  Bristol to me look woeful.

Falcons do not have to worry. Gloucester get worse by the week.

Exiledinborders wrote:

Ozzy3213 wrote:As a completely impartial observer, I don't think Falcons will have any problem staying up.  Bristol to me look woeful.

Falcons do not have to worry. Gloucester get worse by the week.

That was a strange match - and probably the worst of the weekend when you consider that on the same day 64 points were scored at the AJ Bell and we had to watch this dross.

Gloucester played the majority of the rugby and looked sublime at times. Phase after phase only for the final pass to go astray, it must be hugely frustrating to watch. Bath were terrible! The worst they've played this season, yet still Glaws couldn't make it stick.

Much more of this and Humphries and that Muppet with the beard and stupid hat should be considering their positions very carefully.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:We seem to put in a decent showing then a shocker, much of this stemming from the halfback.

Next weeks game against Bristol should tell us a lot of where the season will go.

Presumably you have your fingers crossed that Delaney breaks his leg before the Bristol game.

Ozzy3213 wrote:As a completely impartial observer, I don't think Falcons will have any problem staying up.  Bristol to me look woeful.

It's quite shocking how fragile Bristol have looked. I didn't expect an Exeter, but they've seemed more like a London Welsh than a Worcester.

Odd isn't it? And it's not like they wouldn't know what to expect, they have/had a lot of ex prem players in their squad.

How did PDJ get on HK?

Are you taking the proverbial yappy?

He was as dire as always. With Afoa limping off injured we're doomed!

formerly known as Sam wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:We seem to put in a decent showing then a shocker, much of this stemming from the halfback.

Next weeks game against Bristol should tell us a lot of where the season will go.

Presumably you have your fingers crossed that Delaney breaks his leg before the Bristol game.

I don't rate him in the slightest however it's unfair to put all the blame on him.

More and more I'm blaming Dean Richards. He puzzles me. He brings in some very interesting players who do great in preseason then come the prem they dissappear and he reverts to the boring rubbish we've seen for years!!!!

Why has Chisanga not even had a minute of rugby. Egerton looked a livewire SH who played at pace...nowhere to be seen.

Willis was,learning well last season under the tutelage of Goode coming off the bench... This season... Poof disappeared back to the reserves!!! Incidentally they walked over the wuss reserves tonight with Willis at 10 and we scored tries!

For me Deans time is running out!

I'm a little confused also GF. I don't think it's the personnel, it's the tactics or perhaps lack of them.

I understand the box kicking as it can relieve pressure and forces the opposition into having to do something. The problem is, the box kicking is really badly executed and with zero chase, it's basically just giving the ball to the opposition and letting them attack us time after time. You can start to understand why we constantly have the highest tacklers in the AP.

The attack is so toothless, it's insane. I've got to say the midfield isn't clicking, nobody straightens the line and by the time the ball gets out wide, our wingers have 2/3 players on them. You've got to earn the right to go out wide or you're very easy to defend against. Perhaps it's a problem with carriers throughout the team? If so, bloody change it! We've signed enough locks/backrowers!