AP Round 8 - Newcastle Falcons vs Worcester Warriors

Newcastle Falcons v Worcester Warriors
Light Rain , 14 degrees , 10mph wind

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Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly

01. Fabien Barcella	09. Ben Youngs
02. Marius Tincu	10. Nick Evans
03. Paul Doran-Jones
04. Dean Schofield	11. James O’Connor
05. Paul O’Connell(c)	12. Brad Barritt
06. Chris Robshaw	13. Conrad Smith
07. Heinrich Brussow	14. Tommy Bowe
08. Kieran Read	15. Adam Ashley-Cooper

16. Tom Lindsay 17. Craig Mitchell 18. Rodrigo Roncero 19. Geoff Parling 20. Chris York 21. Jonny Arr 22. Toby Flood 23. Drew Mitchell

Tactics

General play - It's all about a high tempo and controlling the ball.. If 3 point is on we'll look to take it and until we have a clear lead. Evans will pull the strings at 10 and keep us playing in the right areas of the pitch, controlling the tempo and looking for gaps in the opposition backline. In the greasy conditions we’ll look to go through the phases with big carries whilst also using our strong kicking options in the halfbacks and back 3 if the game ends up in a kicking contest.

Forwards

Set Piece

We'll be looking to use the set piece as a platform to set up attacks. Our tactics during each game may change if we spot a weakness in the oppposition set piece during the 80mins. This is the role of the team captain.

Scrum - We'll be looking to set a platform and use the scrum to get fast ball to out 9/10 axis. PDJ and Barcella are excellent technical scrummagers who will give us a sound foundation and look to get at their opposite numbers from the off. If a weakness is seen we’ll look to keep the push on and drive the opposition back, taking scrum options at pens if totally on top. If not we’ll be using the scrum as restart and getting the ball in and out so we can attack the opposition 9/10 axis. We think we may get an edge in this week with PDJ & Tincu looking to get at Flatman from the off.

Lineout

With the greasy conditions, securing lineout ball will be key. POC will look to lead the line and use Schofield as banker ball from the front and Read & Robshaw as a strong options at the middle and back. We shall look to get target opposition ball throughout the game.

Target Breakdown & Rucks

We'll look to commit to rucks to secure our own ball whilst targetting the opposition when it's on. Brussow will look to slow opposion ball down whilst looking for the turnover. We’ll be wary of over stepping the mark in our own half with Steyn’s boot.

ISOLATED RUNNERS –Our pack will look to get the contact area asap and join the tackle thus making a maul. With us in control of the tackle area or ruck as it is now, we’ll look to keep the runner up until the ref awards a scrum in out advantage. This is a system we used to success numerous times last season and is especially handy in the damp conditions as forwards look to take the ball up more.

Huge carrying

We have huge carrying options in the pack and we'll look to use them throughout the game to wear the opposition down and give us a point of attack. We'll look to mix this up with Read coming off the scrum and Barcella, Robshaw, Tincu, POC, Schofield giving us numerous options in tight and loose. We’ll look to vary the angles of attack with Evans using the reverse ball now and again with Read and Robshaw coming in. The 9/10 axis will hit early on and if successful will be used to draw the opposition defence in..

Backs

Halfbacks

With a solid platform Youngs will look to snipe around and find gaps in the opposion defense, especially at 2/3rd phase attacks when defenses start to fray. Youngs gives us a massive threat and will look to mix his game up throughgout the game. Evans will play his natural game and come into the line flat. He’ll look to mix the play up and look to hit behind the back 3 if on. Youngs will sweep up behind a blitz defense with Barritt leading the line. Youngs will look to deploy the box kick and leave it hanging to test the opposition with JOC and Bowe providing quality chase.

Backline balance

We have numerous running options and the option to mix things up in the backline. Barritt gives Evans go to ball if needed and we'll look to get JOC in as second receiver to give us a different focal point. AAC will look to come off the shoulder of attacks and inject pace into the midfield. Bowe will look to run angles off the backline and finish off moves in opposition 22. The crossfield kick will be used when on with Bowe and AAC the main targets against Williams. Barritt will look to target Vesty/Steyn with contact and free up space in this channel.

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Points to target against opposition

After studying the opposition over a number of weeks we’ll be looking to specifically target these areas:

SCRUM – We’ll look to target the opposition scrum and PDJ & Tincu will look to get at Flatman from the off
LINEOUT – POC will look to target the Worcester lineout and in particular Myall
BREAKDOWN – With Brussow & Robshaw targeting the breakdown we’ll look to get the upper hand here throughout the game
CONDITIONS - We'll look to play the conditions and have numerous kicking options in the backline if needed
HABANA - Look to target his positioning due to lack of game time with new team
ROLLING MAUL - With a secure lineout we'll look to utalise the rolling maul to good effect and draw the Worcester pack in
CROSS FIELD KICK - We've put Bowe on Williams to utalise this tactic with Bowe's height advantage
KICKING GAME - We have numerous running options in the back 3, with light showers we'll look to take as much ball up as possible and play it as we see it. JOC, Bowe and AAC give us a devestating counter attacking outfit that will look to target the Worcester midfield

We feel we are set up well for this game with key players in the scrum, lineout and breakdown. We'll look to use bench throughout second to enhance our set piece dominance

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Worcester Warriors

01. David Flatman	09. Eion Reddan
02. Richardt Strauss	10. Morne Steyn (k)
03. Sylvain Marconnet
04. Jim Hamilton	11. Shane Williams
05. Kearnen Myall	12. Sam Vesty
06. Ryan Jones	13. Jon Clarke
07. Craig Newby (c)	14. Bryan Habana
08. Ben Morgan	15. Chris Paterson

16. Chris Fortey 17. Chris Budgen 18. BJ Botha 19. Danie Russouw 20. Scott Higginbotham 21. Jordi Pasqualin 22. Nils Mordt 23. Rob Cook


Tactics

Forwards
We have picked a pack that can hold their own in the scrums and the breakdown. Safe rugby is the aim of the day with the forwards being told to just secure good ball for the backs to pin Newcastle back. Strauss can act as a 4th backrow player looking to secure ball and also slow up the Falcons efforts. A rejuvenated Jones teams with Newby and both are good at slowing ball down and Morgan will look to support the Steyn-Vesty axis. In the lineouts Myall will contest all of theirs and the majority of our ball will be to take it down and drive it in a maul before releasing the backs.

Backs
We have 3 major kickers in our backs with Steyn, Vesty and Paterson and our aim is to play negative rugby and simply pin Newcastle back in their own half with long kicks which will be aimed to go into touch to prevent their back 3 getting quick ball. Habana and Williams will chase all kicks to prevent the quick throw. We have pinned Williams with Bowe as we know he can stop the big boys in their tracks and leave Habana the pace to burn. The ball won't go out to the backs much but if it is both wingers have the pace to pin their ears back and the ball should hold up for any grubber kicks. Reddan will look to do his cutomary snipe runs if he sees a good enough gap and has at least 2 forwards nearby to secure the ball.

Defence
We will go hard and blitz the defence to prevent any ball being moved quickly. Reddan and Paterson will cover any kicks and look to pin them back if kicks are collected. Newby and Jones will look to take it in turns in being the 2nd man to the ruck to get over the ball and either slow it down or steal it.

Overall
*We don't mind slow ball,
*Pin them back with kicks for touch,
*Negative rugby looking to slow ball down and simply take points where possible,
*Steyn to kick for goal,
*Vesty to be the playmaker,
*Look to make their ball slow and disrupt as much in open play and breakdown,
*Wingers to pin their ears back,
*We will play ugly and win ugly,
*Kingston Park may be a so called 'fortress' but look at the attendance figures........

Did we not fit

Newcastle 19 - 16 Worcester

Scrum goes to Newcastle but I expect the Worcester front row to be more of a presence in the loose paricularly Strauss. Lineout will be pretty even as I see more jumpers in the Worcester pack but its difficult to see POC losing much of his own ball unless he is against one of the worlds best. Back row goes Newcastle by some distance. Half backs are pretty even but the centres go newcastle simply because Conrad Smith is there. I see the back 3's as pretty even and will be a great battle. Worcester's tactics are right for this game but aren't enough.

Newcastle Falcons 17 Worcester Warriors 12

With 5 of the 7 Newcastle backs being World Cup returnees, along with 4 of Worcesters backs, and the slightly damp conditions, I can see this being a scrappy error strewn affair as the players get used to each other again. Overall Flacons have that bit more quality in their team, but I do think that Worcester have their tactics spot on, and have the players to execute it. Falcons do have some momentum and home advantage though, and with their quality and Worcesters tactics balancing each other out it is those things that seal it for Falcons.

Newcastle Falcons 20 - 16 Worcester Warriors

The Falcons have the edge in the scrum which will provide them with a good, solid platform to build from. Worcester have very good tactics but I feel the added quality of the Newcastle players win this one for them. Really like the Worcester back line, and think Steyn is just the man for the game plan Prop has in mind, however Newcastle will be relentless and will eventually get through.

Newcastle 15-9 Worcester falcons have 2 out of form props who have class and will come good but haRd to rate on current form. Engine room and backrow easily to them. But of rain and spoiling tactics see Worcester stay in touch but never in the game

Falcons 24 Worcester 15

Light rain really doesn't affect game , Home advantage and strong bench difference.

Newcastle 26 - 18 Worcester

Decent front row battle, but the back five is where Newcastle win this as they have a lot more form and quality. Kicking the ball away makes Worcester's life much harder for me. Steyn to keep them above water, but Falcons score some tries.


This extra page stuff isn't a good thing, and is a perfect time to introduce a tactic word limit for me. Can we find out what the character limit is and work it out from there?

I'll look into it luke, as the extra page is proving difficult.

European threads could also be an issue, I'll try to work out the best way of doing them tonight.