Fantasy Aviva Premiership season 4

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Teams

Bath RFC	InTheFastLane
Exeter Chiefs	Driver - RIP 606
Gloucester	Anonmattyt
Harlequins	Steven_Sharks
Leicester Tigers	LukeLovesLuka
London Irish	stnick88
London Wasps	Arry
Newcastle Falcons	Sgt_Pooly
Northampton Saints	Dammit_Chris
Sale Sharks	SirJohnnyEnglish
Saracens	LDCPete
Worcester Warriors	prop_lyd

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Waiting List
1. Sam
2. pullthestrings
3. Bathite

Glasgow sign David Lemi

Falcons should have signed him!!!!!

Donald also on bench for Bath tomorrow with Heathcote starting at 10.

Lemi isnt a great player any more Driver - he was ok at Wasps but downward spiral for sure. He could still do great runs, but in all honesty your better with what you have already mate.

On the Irish front dont know how O'Gara got in there! Good game against Italy but was pretty poor against Wales. BOD's leadership was immense for Ireland but his actual play this world cup wasnt great. POC deserves to be in there though was fantastic. Looked back to his best and time out injured looks like it has done wonders for him

Luke Fielden maybe but out wide we don't have anyone with out and out gas. Our best back last year was Fitzpatrick and he's gone back down to Blaydon?

Need a marque signing asap to boost the confidence. A new loosehead wouldn't go a miss as Jon Golding has completley lost it - gets pasted on a regular basis. I think Murrey could set to be going north of border if we're seriously interested in Dave Wilson.

Need a more expansive 10 as well.

I'd have AWJ ahead of O;Connell - think he was incredibly in every game. Though O'Connell was very, very good.

What do people make of the new Irish no9 from Munster? Is it Murray?

Please not Dave Wilson, Bath have ruined him!

We need a new hooker and possibly LH and a backrower to really compete. Shiells has done well and will be a future Int but too soon for him

Sale will gladly take Jimmy Gopperth of your hands. Fantastic player who would make the world of difference to us.

I'd look to use Alex Tait in a more creative role to be honest with you. Get Catterick involved more as well.

Connor Murray - looks similer to TOL

You can have Gopperth Steve

I'd say Connor Murray was more similar to Mike Phillips myself. To early to tell what he will be like.

I would take Gopperth, would do Irish well in the wet. take Bowden over any AP 10 except Evans in the dry though.

I think he has a more rounded game than Phillips tbh although a little raw. Can see why people compare him to Phillips tho

Hopefully Gopperth will come to us if Newcastle go down or he gets let go.

I'll carry Goppereth to Edgley park for you guys.

Our best team is a unknown at the moment but if i had to pick.

1.Wells
2.Vickers/Thompson
3.Murrey
4.Fondse
5.Hudson
6.Samoan guy
7.Pennycook
8.Hogg/Mark Wilson

9.Jordi
10.Catterick
11.Fielden
12.Tait
13.Uyles
14.Suka Hufanga
15.Gooson - He is quality! would fit in a top 4 team!

To be fair Murray has a similar style to Phillips playing around the fringes but has much better basics. Phillips is a cracking rugby player but a poor scrumhalf. Its hard to believe a lad that played in a world cup quater final for Ireland is only making his first ever Heino start for Munster this weekend.

George North is playing in his first HC game this weekend

I cannot believe the way Newcastle fans look on Gopperth. I'd consider you relegated now if he left or was injured for the season. Best player you have by a country mile.

Wells is terrible. Most penalised prop in prem. wouldnt fancy tait at 12.

He is good Steve but takes on way too much. Kicks away too much possession and runs into trouble too much. Might look better in a better team

He's like Mike Phillips a good rugby player - terrible 10. Trys to play by himself and totally kills of anything on his outside.

Yeah but with Gopperth what else can the guy do? Pass it to players outside him that arent good enough, or bring the ball back to his pack, which week after week loses out to other teams?

He has no other option than to play the way he does - getting a better running flyhalf would get you relegated - think 2-3 new signings in the pack and then a centre that carries and a new backthree player. You need all those signings to stay up.

Backline isn't that bad but it sees zero ball to work with

i would take gopperth at gloucester great player

Well I'll take him at Sale.

Falcons have to many average players in the backline. Fitzpatrick was a lump and had no ball skills. Fielden is a decent player and is the only national league gamble that has worked for you. Helleur has a hell of a tackle on him but quite limited with his hands. Liked the look of your full back last week.

Sale need to sign Peel and Seymour onto contracts asap as I believe they are in the last year of there current ones. Hopefully Diamond's signings are convincing people to stick around. Promised another signing of the Richie Gray calibre which would be good. Hopefully its a Tighthead to sort out our scrum.

Each time Wasps have played Falcons over last two seasons we've dominated home and away - reason Falcons won was Gopperth. He kil led us both games away.

Didn't dominate last season at Kingston Chris. Was 12-9 if I remember right or 15-12, Wasps were awful.

Before it begins, who are people backing for this years HC??

One thing I am really noticing is that there really isn't an easy pool this year. Usually you can tell who is going to get a Home semi final and the top spot due to there Pool but its a lot harder this year.

I think it will be Toulouse, Clermont, Saracens and Saints will get the home semi finals with Cardiff, Leinster, Biarittz and Munster joining them. Some sensationally tough looking Pools this year. The Cardiff/Irish Pool is probably the one without a European Superpower in it.

I fancy Saracens to win it this year, but don't expect them to win the AP.

From memory our pack had upper hand for whole game, but couldnt do anything with the ball as were clueless how to unlock the defence and Gopperth's boot pinned us back and we couldn't do anything.

I'm going for Saints to win - saw them last weekend and they are going to take some beating. Their youngsters are very impressive and signings have made them stronger than last year. Still lack a top class 10 though and that's the only reason they might not win.

It will be interesting to see how Sarries do, they were rubbish last year in Europe, but played bully boy tactics and were found wanting. With Hodgson at the helm and Farrell's emergence they've now got attacking options and arguably the best kicking access in Europe. Will make a huge difference - dont see their front 5 being able to dominate though

Sarries are a good outside bet Steve. Tough to look past Toulouse and ASM though.

Stevens, Brits, Smit
Borthwick, Botha
Burger Brown Saull

I like that pack tbh.

Brown Joubert Burger

Is their backrow mate.

I do like it too - but can you see that pack stiffling say the munster pack on a cold, wet day away from home in a QF or SF? Forgot they had Smit - that does change things!

I knew their was someone I was forgetting Luke. Went onto the Sarries Website and everything and still couldn't remember Joubert's name.

There not gonna drop Joubert for the big games and they can bring the likes of Gill , Nieto , Smith , Saull and George into the side to rest and rotate.

Might be worth a cheeky punt

dammit_chris wrote:I do like it too - but can you see that pack stiffling say the munster pack on a cold, wet day away from home in a QF or SF? Forgot they had Smit - that does change things!

Yes I can. They have decent depth in the pack as well, and their fat boys are one of the reasons why they have the best away record in the AP over the past 2 seasons. I would happily put money on them winning away at Munster, and can see them topping their pool.

do people think borthwick and botha is a good lock combo?
on here when I've played kennedy and botha I have been criticised a bit. does lack a bit of ball carrying, but kennedy is no worse a carrier than borthwick and better in the air.

stnick

If you just say Botha and Borthwick, it is functional but unspectacular. The thing with the Saracens pack is that as a whole it is better than the sum of it's parts. It just works as a collective unit very well.

I wouldn't mark you down necessarily for Botha and Kennedy together as a pair, but you would need ball carriers elsewhere, and would lose out a bit when coming up against certain other combos such as Bakkies and Richie Gray for Glaws.

What do Munster even have these days in the front row? Bj Botha , Varley , Wian Du Preez - Shouldn't cause Saracens any problems.

I am going to list the order in which i think teams will do in HC this year.

Toulouse
Saracens
Northampton
Leinster
Ospreys
Clermount

Think Ospreys could surprise a few teams this year , gone back to being a honest rugby team and got away from superstar status. At the same the Scarlets arn't going to role over easy.

Clermont in scary form. They'd be my outside bet. Can never bet against Toulouse though.

Kennedy seems to have dropped a little over the last year or so, think Borths has a slightly better carrying game and prob a bit better in the lineout.

I think Schofield complimented Kennedy more than Botha when you had him Nick.

It's Regan King Luke man! - Just makes things happen

Lol maybe

Being able to rotate being Skrela and James is scary too.

Domingo , Kayser , Zirkashvilli , White and Cudmore is a monster front 5 to have aswell.

No rhythm for Quins at the moment. Connacht playing good rugby, Shame Vainikolo isn't playing for them would have liked to see him play.

Connacht are really rushing them, great defence. Good game

When Marler's scrummaging kicks on he's a shoe in for England

Hope the Lowe injury isn't to serious. Could do without him and Joseph being injured.

Wonder when Easter will realize his dream and go and play 10 for a National 2 side. Its clear that's what he wants to do.

He could come to Falcons!

I'm not so sure Pete about Sarries pack, but not sure if that's just because I plain dont like Sarries or if its because I dont think that they have the best pack. I'd rather have the Saints pack, which I think is immense - have seen them a few times but against Wasps was just unreal as they have so much power.

Think Burger has moved on a few levels recently, which helps them and in dry conditions I think they have a great pack, but not so sure whether its the same in the wet, as think a lot of what is good about Sarries hsa been their kicking game, which destroyed AP teams and their incredible defence and work ethic, which is the whole team effort as opposed to the pack.

If that makes sense...havent slept in about three days cos of work, so now might be a good time to con me with a deal!!!