Aviva Premiership Round One Discussion Thread

[Ozzy3213]

First topic message reminder :

It's here folks, the Aviva Premiership season starts on Saturday. Rivalries will be renewed, and everyone will have an opinion on everything. Here is a discussion thread for Round One, with the fixtures listed. As teams are announced I will add them to the thread. I shall save my predictions until I start seeing line ups, as at this stage of the season nobody has any form with which to base a guess on. best of luck to all, but most importantly...



COME ON YOU IRISH

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London Wasps vs. Harlequins
Preview

London Wasps
1 Tim Payne 2 Tom Lindsay 3 Fabio Staibano 4 Joe Launchbury 5 Marco Wentzel 6 James Haskell 7 Jonathan Poff 8 Billy Vunipola; 9 Joe Simpson 10 Nick Robinson 11 Tom Varndell 12 Andrea Masi 13 Elliot Daly 14 Christian Wade 15 Hugo Southwell

Replacements: 16 T Rhys Thomas 17 Simon McIntyre 18 Zak Taulafo 19 Tom Palmer 20 Ashley Johnson 21 Nic Berry 22 Tommy Bell 23 Chris Mayor

Harlequins
15. Mike Brown 14. Tom Williams 13. Matt Hopper 12. Jordan Turner-Hall 11. George Lowe 10. Nick Evans 9. Danny Care; 1. Joe Marler 2. Joe Gray 3. James Johnston 4. Olly Kohn 5. George Robson 6. Maurie Fa'asavalu 7. Chris Robshaw 8. Nick Easter

Replacements: 16. Rob Buchanan 17. Mark Lambert 18. Will Collier 19. Charlie Matthews 20. Tom Guest 21. Karl Dickson 22. Ben Botica 23. Ross Chisholm

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Exeter Chiefs vs. Sale Sharks
Preview

Exeter Chiefs
15 Phil Dollman 14 Josh Tatupu 13 Ian Whitten 12 Jason Shoemark 11 Matt Jess 10 Ignacio Mieres 9 Will Chudley; 1 Brett Sturgess 2 Chris Whitehead 3 Craig Mitchell 4 Tom Hayes 5 Aly Muldowney 6 Tom Johnson 7 James Scaysbrook 8 Richard Baxter

Replacements: 16 Simon Alcott 17 Ben Moon 18 Chris Budgen 19 James Hanks 20 James Phillips 21 Kevin Barrett 22 Gareth Steenson 23 Luke Arscott

Sale Sharks
15. Rob Miller 14. Will Addison 13. Johnny Leota 12. Sam Tuitupou 11. Corne Uys 10. Nick Macleod 9. Dwayne Peel; 1. Eifion Lewis-Roberts 2. Joe Ward 3. Vadim Cobilas 4. Richie Gray 5. Fraser McKenzie 6. James Gaskell 7. David Seymour (c.) 8.Andy Powell

Replacements: 16. Marc Jones 17. Ross Harrison 18. Tony Buckley 19. Kearnan Myall 20. Richie Vernon 21. Cillian Willis 22. Danny Cipriani 23. Jordan Davies.

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Gloucester vs. Northampton Saints
Preview

Gloucester
15. Jonny May 14. Charlie Sharples 13. Mike Tindall 12. Billy Twelvetrees 11. James Simpson-Daniel 10. Freddie Burns 9. Dan Robson; 1. Nick Wood 2. Darren Dawidiuk 3. Rupert Harden 4. Tom Savage 5. Alex Brown (capt) 6. Matt Cox 7. Akapusi Qera 8 Ben Morgan

Replacements: 16. Dan Murphy 17. Huia Edmonds 18. Shaun Knight 19. Will James 20. Sione Kalamafoni 21. Dave Lewis 22. Henry Trinder 23. Martyn Thomas

Northampton Saints
15. Ben Foden 14. Ken Pisi 13. George Pisi 12. Dominic Waldouck 11. Vasily Artemyev 10. Ryan Lamb 9. Lee Dickson; 1. Soane Tonga'uiha 2. Dylan Hartley 3. Brian Mujati 4. Samu Manoa 5. Christian Day 6. Phil Dowson 7. Tom Wood 8. GJ Van Velze

Replacements: 16. Mike Haywood 17. Alex Waller 18. Paul Doran-Jones 19. Mark Sorenson 20. Rhys Oakley 21. Martin Roberts 22. Stephen Myler 23. Luther Burrell

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Worcester Warriors vs. Bath Rugby
Preview

Worcester Warriors
15 Chris Pennell 14 Josh Drauniniu 13 Alex Grove 12 Josh Matavesi 11 David Lemi 10 Andy Goode 9 Shaun Perry; 1 Matt Mullan 2 Aleki Lutui 3 John Andress 4 James Percival 5 Dean Schofield 6 Chris Jones 7 Sam Betty 8 Semisi Taulava

Replacements: 16 Ollie Hayes 17 Ceri Jones 18 James Currie 19 Craig Gillies 20 Matt Kvesic 21 Jonny Arr 22 Joe Carlisle 23 Ben Howard

Bath Rugby
15. Nick Abendanon 14. Tom Biggs 13. Dan Hipkiss 12. Matt Banahan 11. Kyle Eastmond 10. Olly Barkley 9. Michael Claassens; 1. Paul James 2. Lee Mears 3. David Wilson 4. Stuart Hooper (c) 5. Dominic Day 6. Carl Fearns 7. Francois Louw 8. Ben Skirving

Replacements: 16. Ross Batty 17. Nathan Catt 18. Kane Palma-Newport 19. Dave Attwood 20. Will Skuse 21. Mark McMillan 22. Ollie Devoto 23. Jack Cuthbert

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Saracens vs. London Irish
Preview

Saracens
15 Alex Goode 14 Chris Ashton 13 Joel Tomkins 12 Brad Barritt 11 Chris Wyles 10 Charlie Hodgson 9 Richard Wigglesworth; 1 Mako Vunipola 2 Schalk Brits 3 Petrus du Plessis 4 Steve Borthwick 5 Mouritz Botha 6 Kelly Brown 7 Will Fraser 8 Ernst Joubert

Replacements: 16 Jamie George 17 Rhys Gill 18 Carlos Nieto 19 Eoin Sheriff 20 Jackson Wray 21 Neil de Kock 22 Nils Mordt 23 James Short

London Irish
15. Tom Homer 14. Topsy Ojo 13. Jonathan Joseph 12. Sailosi Tagicakibau 11. Marland Yarde 10. Steve Shingler 9. Tomás O’Leary; 1. Max Lahiff 2. Scott Lawson 3. Leo Halavatau 4. George Skivington 5. Bryn Evans (Captain) 6. Jamie Gibson 7. Ofisa Treviranus 8. Jon Fisher

Replacements: 16. Brian Blaney 17. Halani Aulika 18. Cai Griffiths 19. Kieran Low 20. Declan Danaher 21. Alex Gray 22. Shane Geraghty 23. Jack Moates

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London Welsh vs. Leicester Tigers
Preview

London Welsh
15 Tom Arscott 14 Phil MacKenzie 13 Sonny Parker 12 Hudson Tonga'uiha 11 Joe Ajuwa 10 Gordon Ross 9 Jonah Holmes; 1 Franck Montanella 2 Neil Briggs 3 Paulica Ion 4 Jonathan Mills 5. Kirill Kulemin 6 Ed Williamson 7 Lee Beach 8 Daniel Browne.

Replacements: 16 Greg Bateman 17 Tom Bristow 18 Arthur Joly 19 Martin Purdy 20 Alfie To'oala 21 Nick Runciman 22 Seb Jewell 23 Nick Scott

Leicester Tigers
15. Geordan Murphy 14. Scott Hamilton 13. Manu Tuilagi 12. Anthony Allen 11. Vereniki Goneva 10. Toby Flood 9. Micky Young; 1. Lugovi'i Mulipola 2. Tom Youngs 3. Dan Cole 4. Rob Andrew 5. Geoff Parling 6. Steve Mafi 7. Julian Salvi 8. Thomas Waldrom

Replacements: 16. George Chuter 17. Boris Stankovich 18. Martin Castrogiovanni 19. Brett Deacon 20. Jordan Crane 21. Sam Harrison 22. George Ford 23. Matt Smith

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[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

I really hate this new TMO system already

[nathan]

well, i doubt this game will be exciting.

[LondonTiger]

Huge win for Exeter

[ChequeredJersey]

Never know, Farrell isn't starting and Tomkins is at 13
And the Sarrie ruck has been banned

[LondonTiger]

And Olly Barkley holds his nerve to sneak a win for Bath with the last kick of the game

[ChequeredJersey]

Ouch! Did Danny Cipriani get on and how was he?

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

And Olly Barkley holds his nerve to sneak a win for Bath with the last kick of the game

Wow just wait till they get that big new signing

[LondonTiger]

Ouch! Did Danny Cipriani get on and how was he?

Cipriani replaced Sam tuitupo on 30 minutes - no idea how he went as Chiefs won 6 tries to nill

[ChequeredJersey]

This is where the signing ends up being Cruden and we all eat our words

[LondonTiger]

Saints lose two men to the bin and concede a try in the closing stages. Lead by 5 but getting desperate

[LondonTiger]

Hmm not sure about that reviewed decision.

[LondonTiger]

But it was borderline late. high and no arms. Yellow seems harsh still

[LondonTiger]

Saints survive a final onslaught from Glaws to take a good away win

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

This TMO stuff is killing the game, Barnes couldve made these decisions himself

[nathan]

lol, there going down like flies!

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

Hahah TV pictures made it clear what Chris Ashton thinks of it

[nathan]

This TMO stuff is killing the game, Barnes couldve made these decisions himself

i'd rather him check and get it right. Only blame should be laid on the players for tackling legally.

[nathan]

Got to admit, this is the most boring game in the world!

[LondonTiger]

Barnes said he was following the ball.

Ashton was late and used no arms, he is silly to be upset.

[LondonTiger]

Got to admit, this is the most boring game in the world!

Nah, it is light years better than Falcons/Sarries last year

[ChequeredJersey]

That doesn't count as rugby LT

[LondonTiger]

That doesn't count as rugby LT

Fair point.

[nathan]

Got to admit, this is the most boring game in the world!

Nah, it is light years better than Falcons/Sarries last year

can't remember that one, not sure if that's because i erased from my mind or i just didn't watch it.

[nathan]

Is there a crowd at this game?

[LeinsterFan4life]

What happened to sale? They were absoulutely hammered by the chiefs.

[HERSH]

Well done Bath.

[ChequeredJersey]

Chiefs at home is always hard

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

What happened to sale? They were absoulutely hammered by the chiefs.

Youve been reading the Irish press too much, apparently exeter are pretty good in real life.
Sales star signing was Dnny Cipriani, that should tell you all you nee to know about them.

[nathan]

Well done Bath.

well done indeed, did my superbru some good

[ChequeredJersey]

Richie Gray is definitely Sale's star signing

[Knowsit17]

43-6 and all the beeb can think of discussing is "Cipriani's Sale". He's not the skipper. He's not the only new signing. He didn't even start. And still he's dubbed headline-worthy. Apparently Sale belongs to him too

[Cumbrian]

This has been like watching paint dry. Terrible.

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

"looking forward to that cup of tea at half time"

Austin Healy sums it up

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

43-6 and all the beeb can think of discussing is "Cipriani's Sale". He's not the skipper. He's not the only new signing. He didn't even start. And still he's dubbed headline-worthy. Apparently Sale belongs to him too

The headline is "Exeter Ruin Cirpaina's Sale Debut"
How you can read that as suggesting Sale belongs to him is beyond me.

[Knowsit17]

The headline is "Exeter Ruin Cirpaina's Sale Debut"
How you can read that as suggesting Sale belongs to him is beyond me.

On mine it's "Exeter ease to win over Cipriani's Sale"

Anyone else notice that Cipriani's name is the only one the journos have spelt in full in the line-ups at the bottom of the article?

Have they hired his dad to write the review of every game he plays the smallest part in?

[nathan]

The headline is "Exeter Ruin Cirpaina's Sale Debut"
How you can read that as suggesting Sale belongs to him is beyond me.

On mine it's "Exeter ease to win over Cipriani's Sale"

Anyone else notice that Cipriani's name is the only one the journos have spelt in full in the line-ups at the bottom of the article?

Have they hired his dad to write the review of every game he plays the smallest part in?

crickey, do you actually go looking for things like that?

[EnglishReign]

Just back from Glaws v Saints, we rarely got going and I'm a bit disappointed. Think it will take a few games to get that backline gelling. Saints were all over us like a rash and it would've been a bit of a steal if we'd taken it at the end whilst Saints were down to 13.

Ah well, another opening day, another loss to Saints...

[Knowsit17]

The headline is "Exeter Ruin Cirpaina's Sale Debut"
How you can read that as suggesting Sale belongs to him is beyond me.

On mine it's "Exeter ease to win over Cipriani's Sale"

Anyone else notice that Cipriani's name is the only one the journos have spelt in full in the line-ups at the bottom of the article?

Have they hired his dad to write the review of every game he plays the smallest part in?

crickey, do you actually go looking for things like that?

Not really, I spotted it completely by accident as I was going over the line-ups.

In truth I've just been loving every minute of Cips' transition into some English Henson gone wrong. Makes it all the sweeter when things don't go according to plan ie when debuts get ruined

[HongKongCherry]

Just back from Glaws v Saints, we rarely got going and I'm a bit disappointed. Think it will take a few games to get that backline gelling. Saints were all over us like a rash and it would've been a bit of a steal if we'd taken it at the end whilst Saints were down to 13.

Ah well, another opening day, another loss to Saints...

Wouldn't entirely agree with that. The first half Saints dominated especially at the maul, but we came back into it in the second half. Full credit to Saints they were very clinical and came to stop us playing, I thought it was pretty poor refereeing by Pearson to take until the last 15 mins to do something about their persistent killing of the ball. There were some positives for us but it was the control that let us down. Well,at least Sale got stuffed!

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

"Try hero Ashtons Saracens ease to win over relegation fodder Lirish"

[LondonTiger]

looks like Sarries will be as frustrating as last year.

When they can be bothered to run the ball, they are very good and as we just saw score tries - but then they retreat to a defensive shell.

[Cumbrian]

Irish aren't drawing anyone in though. Sarries aren't commiting anyone to the ruck and are simply stretching out over the pitch. Irish need to attack the fringe of the ruck or try to pick and go over the top of it.

[LondonTiger]

Irish cannot pass either it seems. An under 12 team would be embarrassed by some of the clumsy, clunky passing on display.

[LondonTiger]

so close.

Ashton goes for the splash and the tap tackle almost caused him to drop it.

[ChequeredJersey]

At least he's scoring

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

TMO for every try...this is dreadful

[gowales]

I thought Tomkins was quite good for Sarries. Vunipola for Wasps also impressed me, future England 8?

[ChequeredJersey]

Potentially

[LondonTiger]

I thought Tomkins was quite good for Sarries. Vunipola for Wasps also impressed me, future England 8?

I always love how different people see different things.

Tomkins i thought was the weak link in the Sarries back line.

Vunipola did some good stuff, but fitness was poor as it seemed to take him 10 minutes to recover from every effort. Haskell and poff had to do a lot of work to cover for him.

[ChequeredJersey]

Kind of like Morgan then

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