European Challenge Cup - Semi Finals

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Semi Final 1: Worcester Warriors vs La Rochelle
Sixways Stadium
Sunny Intervals - 12 degrees, 11mph North Westerly Winds

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Worcester Warriors
Manager - Prop

01. Val Palma Ruskin	09. Gareth Davies
02. Ross Batty	10. Dan Biggar (k)
03. WP Nel
04. Tom Savage	11. James Short
05. Yoann Maestri	12. Anton Leniert Brown
06. Sam Warburton (c)	13. Jarrad Payne
07. Matt Todd	14. Adam Thompstone
08. Ben Morgan	15. Brice Dulin

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16. Code Taylor 17. Joe Moody 18. Henry Thomas 19. Mike Williams 20. Warren Whiteley 21. Bryn Hall 22. Jules Plisson 23. Nehe Milner-Skudder

Tactics
*We come into this game having rested and rotated our team ready for this and are targeting this game and the chance to finally win some silverware,
*A big pack to tackle and confront the La Rochelle team looking to use our carriers to get over the gainline,
*Balanced back row looking for turnovers and to put pressure on the 10,
*Half-backs who know each other and work well together playing heads up rugby,
*We will look to use our centres and back line to cause issues and hit lines to make La Rochelle guessing,
*French teams don't travel well,
*Strong bench and strong defence to keep their score low.

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La Rochelle

01. Mike Corbel	09. Arthur Retiere
02. Jeremie Maurouard	10. Zack Holmes
03. Mohamed Boughanmi
04. Jason Eaton (c)	11. Elliott Roudil
05. Matheiu Tanguy	12. Pierre Aguillon
06. Romain Sazy	13. Paul Jordaan
07. Levania Botia	14. Steeve Barry
08. Kevin Gourdon	15. Kini Murimurivalu

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Sub: 16. Hikairo Forbes, 17. Dany Priso, 18. Lekso Kaulashvili, 19. Jone Qovu Nailiko, 20. Victor Vito, 21. Alexi Bales, 22. Brock James, 23. Benjamin Nobles

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Semi Final 2: Leicester Tigers vs Exeter Chiefs
Welford Road
Light Cloud - 12 degrees, 7mph Northerly Winds

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Leicester Tigers
Manager – Fluxy

01. Mikheil Nariashvili	09. Francois Hougaard
02. Dave Ward	10. Francois Trinh-Duc
03. Owen Franks
04. Samu Manoa	11. Henry Purdy
05. Dominic Bird	12. Kurtley Beale
06. Don Armand (c)	13. Ben Te'o
07. Sam Jones	14. Sean Maitland
08. JMF Lobbe	15. Mike Brown

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Subs: 16. Stephen Moore 17. Gethin Jenkins 18. Harry Williams 19. Jake Ball 20. Calum Chick 21. Antoine Dupont 22. Joey Carbery 23. Gael Fickou

Basic Game Plan
In good conditions we will be looking to play a possession based, fast offloading game, keeping the ball alive moving the Chiefs big pack and defence around. When deep in our half we won't take chances with offloading, but will make ground carrying close to the ruck and recycling quickly, or using the boots of Trinh-Duc, Beale and Brown to take us up the field. Our general play however this week will be about keeping the ball alive and moving the point of attack. 

In defence, as always we will be running a blitz defence. Our focus will be on the gainline collisions and driving back in the tackle. Line speed and no dog-legs will be key components for us. Hougaard will sweep in behind the defensive line to counter any chips/grubbers.

Specifics

• Lineout - In decent conditions we will mix it up on our ball, utilising Bird, Armand and Lobbe as receivers, whilst also at times shortening the line and using our big forwards as crash ball options off first phase. Defensively we will look to compete for the ball and disrupt wherever possible, making any ball secured by Chiefs as scrappy as we can.
  
• Scrum - Hit channel one ball and get it to the back quickly, looking to maximise the space available with the opposition forwards packed down. On their ball, 8 man shove and look to drive them off as their hooker lifts his foot to hook the ball. Franks to stay tight and straight. Flanker on that side to stay bound and keep Franks square.
  
• Breakdown - When we carry in, we will flood the breakdown rucking well past the ball to free it up quickly, so that Hougaard can feed the ball quickly to forwards, the first receiver, or snipe through a hole. In defence, if we have made a passive tackle and the carrier has momentum we will not over commit, but will maintain a strong defensive line. If we win the collision and knock the carrier back we will look to get the second man in hard over the ball to slow up momentum, or turn over possession. Key for us is being selective, and only committing men to a contestable ruck. 
  
• Attacking Play - We will be looking to play a fast offloading game, with the ball shifted on to the support runner just prior to the point of the tackle with the defender already committed. However this will only be implemented within the opposition half. We will also utilise the pick and go, meaning their defensive line cannot blitz efficiently. We will then we will look to exploit the delay in their blitz that results. We will then look to shift the direction of play and pull their defenders out of position to create gaps. Hougaard to also look to snipe around the fringes, to keep the defence honest and keep us going forwards all the time.
  
• Tactical Kicking - If we kick, we will look to kick for the corners and contest the opposition lineout.
  

Key Points

• High Quality Spine - In the key decision making jerseys, 2,8,9,10,12, and 15 we have top class operators. In big games, when things get tight, those guys can be the difference between winning and losing.
  
• Impact Bench - 6 full internationals. All can have a huge impact on this game.
  
• Home Advantage - Very few Semi Finals are won by the away team, which is why the contest to finish top of the groups was close
  

Tigers Attributes
Defensive:

• Blitz Defence: Your side is known for Blitz and excels at it.
  
• Breakdown - Slowing up ball: The defenders can get over the ball to slow it up and prevent the attack from building momentum and allowing your defence to set. 
  

Attacking:

• Offloading in the tackle:Moving the point of attack preventing a defence to set and keeping play fluid.
  
• Breakdown - Clearing: Ensuring the possession is clean and quick with quick support to the breakdown.
  

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Exeter Chiefs
Manager – StNick

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01. Nathan Catt	09. Greg Laidlaw
02. Dane Coles	10. Camille Lopez
03. Kyle Sinckler
04. Courtney Lawes	11. James Lowe
05. James Horwill	12. Stuart McCloskey
06. Liam Messam	13. Maxime Mermoz
07. Teimana Harrison	14. Chris Ashton
08. Sergio Parisse	15. Alex Lozowski

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Subs: 16. Tom Youngs, 17. Jefferson Poirot, 18. Brian Mujati, 19. Kane Douglas, 20. Dave Ewers, 21. Chris Cook, 22. Ma'a Nonu, 23. Olly Woodburn

Territorial Kicking: Looking to pin back sides and kick for open spaces or touch.
First phase attack/strike moves: Will look to break the defence, with either a bust through or a clever move to create a gap.

Breakdown - Slowing up ball: The defenders can get over the ball to slow it up and prevent the attack from building momentum and allowing your defence to set.
Chop Tackle: Tacklers look to get low and chop down attackers before gaining momentum or metres over the gain line.

We will play a forward based and territory based game to get in the right positions of the pitch.

We have picked the players to do this. Big carriers and a mobile back and hard working back row. Laidlaw is the perfect controlling 9 and will give good service to Lopez . Lozowski is in at 15 for his boot and counter attacking ability. He will also come in as a receiver at times, a la Alex Goode for Sarries.

We have picked a big pack and are targeting the forward battle as key to the win. We have a solid scrum to build from and two big locks who are both good lineout options.

The set piece will be important and we will look to use this as a weapon to attack from and gain territory. Our back row are all big carriers and we will use them all to gain hard yards and tire out Tigers defenders. Messam, Coles, Sinckler, Harrison, Parisse are all good strong ball carriers and will look to get us front foot ball for Lopez to work with.

In the backs we will use Nonu as a crash ball option and a decoy runner to open up space for the likes of Mermoz, Lowe and Ashton to exploit. Laidlaw will kick all pens for goal if in range and if not look to kick deep to gain territory.

Do I play la rochelle team from last weekend or from.last cup round? Just working it.out for my selection.

Last cup round

1 Nathan Catt
2 Dane Coles
3 Kyle Sinckler
4 Courtney Lawes
5 James Horwill
6 Liam Messam
7 Teimana Harrison
8 Sergio Parisse
9 Greg Laidlaw
10 Camille Lopez
11 James Lowe
12 Stuart McCloskey
13 Maxime Mermoz
14 Chris Ashton
15 Alex Lozowski

16 Tom Youngs
17 Jefferson Poirot
18 Brian Mujati
19 Kane Douglas
20 Dave Ewers
21 Chris Cook
22 Ma'a Nonu
23 Olly Woodburn

Territorial Kicking: Looking to pin back sides and kick for open spaces or touch.
First phase attack/strike moves: Will look to break the defence, with either a bust through or a clever move to create a gap.

Breakdown - Slowing up ball: The defenders can get over the ball to slow it up and prevent the attack from building momentum and allowing your defence to set.
Chop Tackle: Tacklers look to get low and chop down attackers before gaining momentum or metres over the gain line.

We will play a forward based and territory based game to get in the right positions of the pitch.

We have picked the players to do this. Big carriers and a mobile back and hard working back row. Laidlaw is the perfect controlling 9 and will give good service to Lopez . Lozowski is in at 15 for his boot and counter attacking ability. He will also come in as a receiver at times, a la Alex Goode for Sarries.

We have picked a big pack and are targeting the forward battle as key to the win. We have a solid scrum to build from and two big locks who are both good lineout options.

The set piece will be important and we will look to use this as a weapon to attack from and gain territory. Our back row are all big carriers and we will use them all to gain hard yards and tire out Tigers defenders. Messam, Coles, Sinckler, Harrison, Parisse are all good strong ball carriers and will look to get us front foot ball for Lopez to work with.

In the backs we will use Nonu as a crash ball option and a decoy runner to open up space for the likes of Mermoz, Lowe and Ashton to exploit. Laidlaw will kick all pens for goal if in range and if not look to kick deep to gain territory.

1. Val Ruskin
2. Ross Batty
3. Wp Nel
4. Tom Savage
5. Yohan Maestri
6. Sam Warburton (c)
7. Matt Todd
8. Ben Morgan
9. Gareth Davies
10. Dan Biggar (k)
11. James Short
12. ALB
13. Jarrad Payne
14. Adam Thompstone
15. Brice Dulin

16. Code Taylor 17. Joe Moody 18. Henry Thomas 19. Mike Williams 20. Warren Whiteley 21. Bryn Hall 22. Jules Plisson  23. NMS

Tactics
*We come into this game having rested and rotated our team ready for this and are targeting this game and the chance to finally win some silverware,
*A big pack to tackle and confront the La Rochelle team looking to use our carriers to get over the gainline,
*Balanced back row looking for turnovers and to put pressure on the 10,
*Half-backs who know each other and work well together playing heads up rugby,
*We will look to use our centres and back line to cause issues and hit lines to make La Rochelle guessing,
*French teams don't travel well,
*Strong bench and strong defence to keep their score low.

Predictions Open

Good luck everyone

Leicester Tigers 22 - 24 Exeter Chiefs
Edge to Chiefs in the front 5 here with a bit more quality on show through Coles and the impact of Sinckler, Hard hitting 2nd row pairing too. Again, a step up in the back row giving them the good ball their tactics have said they wanted. Half-backs slightly closer with Tigers having control from 9. Same in the centres and out wide with good form from both teams. Tigers bench will really help here and their tactics allude to this and it will make the game closer but I think Chiefs will win the territorial battle and just sneak a shock away win.

Leicester Tigers 24 - 25 Exeter Chiefs
Favour Tigers at scrum time but work rate of both front rows very impressive. Not a lot between the 2nd rows overall and similar in the backrow. Chiefs halfbacks offer more control but also give some spark. Laidlaw a similar style player but better then Parra gives Chiefs some realness to their combo. Purdy looks a little out of place quality wise in the back threes for me. Tigers edge the midfield battle with a good combo. McCloskey has had a poor year. Have to say Tigers looking more stable late on in the backs when the subs come in. Chiefs will need a fair bit of chopping and changing that will affect fluidity. Two very contrasting styles with Chiefs looking to keep it tight and play through the forwards while Tigers looking for a wider game. Very tight game difficult to call. See Chiefs just edging this through the greater control of their halfbacks.

Leicester Tigers 17 - 18 Exeter Chiefs

Leicester Tigers 24 - 24 Exeter Chiefs

Leicester Tigers 26 - 25 Exeter Chiefs
Maybe a slight front 5 advantage to Leicester which is countered slightly with Exeter getting on top on the backrow. Good contest in the backline with very little in it. Purdy a slight weakness for Tigers but not much in the game. I'd normally go for a draw but due to this being a cup game, have Tigers with a tiny advantage

Leicester Tigers 25 - 21 Exeter Chiefs
Very even pack battles, Chiefs will have more around the park with Coles and Sinckler, but Tigers will edge the setpiece. The Chiefs edge the back row battle, as Sam Jones has been out for such a long time. The 10-13 channel is where Leicester look very, very strong, Beale will bring the best out of Teo'o - combined with the front five advantage, Tigers get the semi final win.

Leicester Tigers 24 - 23 Exeter Chiefs

Worcester Warriors 34 - 20 La Rochelle
Rochelle having a fine season but Worc haven't taken them lightly. Big fan of the flank and midfield combo and a really strong bench sees them run away a little at the end for me. 

Worcester Warriors 20 - 19 La Rochelle

Worcester Warriors 30 - 15 La Rochelle

Worcester Warriors 32 - 23 La Rochelle
Worcester set a platform in the forwards and it's all control form there. Nel really lacking form but I think they'll be ok, especially with the backs stepping up too. 

Worcester Warriors 37 - 24 La Rochelle 
Prefer Warriors in every position, they are looking very strong for this competition. 

Worcester Warriors 25 - 22 La Rochelle
La Rochelle have played brilliant rugby this season and can see them really causing Worcester issues and making a game of this. The quality in the Warriors midfield, allows them to be solid defensively but also creative when they need to spark an attack. The Biggar-rena will keep the score board ticking over and will see the French threat away after 60 minutes. 

Worcester Warriors 28 - 27 La Rochelle 

Worcester Warriors 30 - 29 La Rochelle

Firstly, commiserations Nick, I honestly thought you might just edge me out. Well played mate

Delighted to be in my first final!

Just realised we have a dress rehearsal of the final in round 22 of the AP 

knew it would be close, but home advantage probably just swung it for you.

congrats and good luck in the final!

Be interesting for tactics for the rehearsal flux!! Also nice to reach a final. I'm going for the sympathy vote of hoping to win something after 7 years of trying on this game!!