Aviva Premiership Round 15

Bathite none of them are starters. England are not playing for a week. I expect only the starters to be retained. Well techniquely Wilson is a starter but Lancaster might want him to get some game time.

Farrell Jr will definitely be rested and Billy is injured. Mako,Brad and Alex Goode probably will feature.

It is a good guess, but we won't know until Lancaster confirms. He retained Ford for the first two games despite not playing him even in the 23. Attwood might get a start against Italy perhaps (Lawes and Launchbury been awesome, but might need a rest. Launch looked fecked at the end of the Ireland game) and Wilson might get a rest as he has only played 100 minutes of rugby since the injury.

What do you think your team might be?

I would guess this

1.Vunipola
2.Brits
3.Johnston
4.Borthwick
5.Kruis
6.Brown
7.Burger
8.Joubert

9.De Kock
10.Hodgson
11.Strettle
12.Barritt
13.Tomkins
14.Ashton
15.Goode

16.Barrington
17.Stevens
18.George
19.Smith/Sherriff
20.Wray
21.Wigglesworth
22.Bosch
23.Wyles

What about your team?

Wow, that's still incredibly strong! 13 out of 15 full internationals at least and some great depth on the bench

I guess our team will be similar to last week, but with Garvey out (Fa'saliv or Sisi in) and Watson out (Roko in and Banners to bench). If we get Ford, Attwood and Wilson, they will all slot in for Heathcote, Hooper and Orlandi respectively

Very frustrating - Baxter demanded a response from the players after coming so close in the last few games, and the difference was palpable for the first 15mins or so. After that, we seemed to go off the boil, stopped playing as a team, and allowed the Sarries pack to assert their dominance. Bravo Saracens Very frustrating

PLeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase can Nev come back soon?

And our pack play better even with no Robshaw or Marler and Collier out for the season they need to man up a bit

Bathite it might look good on paper but the backs aren't really firing at the moment with too many handling errors.

I think I chose Johnston more in hope than expectation - I think Stevens will start even though I rate Johnston higher at the moment.


Thanks aslongasbut100ofus. The way Exeter came out of the blocks was scary. For about 15 minutes it seemed like Saracens could not make a tackle.

I think Sarries missed around 6 consecutive tackles on your no 14. Flimsy tackling is not something I am used to as a Saracens fan. Blowing try scoring opportunities is.


Perhaps I am being harsh but I believe Exeter are missing a bit of star power to turn those marginal losses into wins. Not saying you need to go overboard but with the 500k increase in the cap you could at least bring in at least one big name. No I don't count Thomas Waldrom (plus it's debatable whether he's better than Ewers).

Only need to look at how influential certain players are to sides. E.g. look at Quins - struggling without the likes of Brown,Care and Robshaw. Manu is such an important attacking weapon to Tigers. The Vunipola bros - so useful to Saracens as ball carriers etc.

beshocked wrote:Bathite it might look good on paper but the backs aren't really firing at the moment with too many handling errors.

I think I chose Johnston more in hope than expectation - I think Stevens will start even though I rate Johnston higher at the moment.


Thanks aslongasbut100ofus. The way Exeter came out of the blocks was scary. For about 15 minutes it seemed like Saracens could not make a tackle.

I think Sarries missed around 6 consecutive tackles on your no 14. Flimsy tackling is not something I am used to as a Saracens fan. Blowing try scoring opportunities is.


Perhaps I am being harsh but I believe Exeter are missing a bit of star power to turn those marginal losses into wins. Not saying you need to go overboard but with the 500k increase in the cap you could at least bring in at least one big name. No I don't count Thomas Waldrom (plus it's debatable whether he's better than Ewers).

Only need to look at how influential certain players are to sides. E.g. look at Quins - struggling without the likes of Brown,Care and Robshaw. Manu is such an important attacking weapon to Tigers. The Vunipola bros - so useful to Saracens as ball carriers etc.

Yep, I totally agree - Exe and Rob Baxter have to some extent hidden behind the not wanting to disrupt the team ethos with a star signing line, but I don't think that one necessarily follows the other by any means- you just have to look at Schalk Brits, for example, to see what a committed team man he is. So I'd like a top quality centre, ideally, instead of the likes of Adam Hughes from N-GD and currently on loan at Bristol who is rumoured to be on his way - what the feic is he going to bring except back-up? V frustrating. Totally agree that the likes of Moray Low and Thomas Waldrom do not fit into that category either. I admire that we're clearly determined to give our youngsters a huge amount of experience early on (presumably in the hope that they will be around for a long time), but some kind of balance needs to be found - LC-D and Slade both showed their inexperience at times yesterday and could still learn heaps from top quality mentors alongside them

I know the feeling ASBO.

The problem is any star player that may be around will definitely be in contact with other clubs too. Clubs in France can always pay more, likewise teams like Bath, Saints and Sarries can all probably offer extra money and top level rugby.

It's tough for any club not in the top 4 IMO to offer something that others can't match.

You say that yappy, but Quins have had probably the best FH in the NH for a number of years, so non-French clubs can afford/attract good players.

My personal feeling is that with the salary cap it is pointless to target the really big names, the best players are those with a few Bok/AB caps for experience or promising English talent.

Chiefs got Mumm he's been a good signing. A centre with some experience should be available post RWC though that's a season away.

Having watched the game, the Deacon penalty after 30 seconds was never a yellow card. It's a clumsy attempt to contest the ruck, he doesn't hold the ball in. The ball was available but LI had no scrum half to retrieve the ball so Doyle blew up. A number of soft penalties given against both sides, good game though, plenty of attacking intent.

fkas, seriously? A clumsy attempt to contest the ruck??? That is the most ridiculously one-eyed assessment of an incident I think I have ever seen on here!   

I have deliberately not re-looked at the incident.

1) It is irrelevant now, and at the time I was still shouting at the commentators for getting the teams wrong. They seemed to assume the team in green were Leicester.
2) If I had felt it was not a YC, then I knew my view would be mocked.
3) If I felt it was worthy of a YC I would have to be gracious - and that is just not on.

LT, it may or may not be worth a yellow card, that's a pretty subjective viewpoint in all honesty, so can be argued until the cows come home.

It's just the description of what happened which made me laugh!   

Player who isn't the quickest desperately scrabbling back trying to stop his player being turned over. Smashes the first guy he can but isn't onside as he does so. In at the side clearly but It's not cynical as you claimed.

Mate, it was as cynical as feck. He lines the player up and his reaction afterwards says it all. He is mightily fecked off with the players who let the ball bounce in the first place for putting him in the position where he had to give away the penalty and potentially risk being carded.

I suppose his block on Cowan from an offside position for the Youngs try was because he is slow and was trying to get back onside!!!

Look, it's all academic now, the ref made his decisions and the result is as it is, but let's not try to dress up play that is deliberate cheating as something else.

Bath team for Saracens at home

15. Nick Abendanon 
14. Anthony Watson 
13. Ollie Devoto 
12. Kyle Eastmond 
11. Matt Banahan 
10. George Ford 
9. Peter Stringer 
1. Paul James 
2. Ross Batty 
3. Anthony Perenise 
4. Dominic Day 
5. Dave Attwood 
6. Alafoti Fa'osiliva 
7. Francois Louw ( c ) 
8. Leroy Houston 

Replacements 

16. Eusebio Guinazu 
17. Nathan Catt 
18. Juan Pablo Orlandi 
19. Ryan Caldwell 
20. Guy Mercer 
21. Micky Young 
22. Gavin Henson 
23. Semesa Rokoduguni

Sarries team

Saracens starting XV vs Bath; 
15. Alex Goode; 
14. David Strettle, 
13. Joel Tomkins, 
12. Brad Barritt, 
11. Chris Wyles; 
10. Charlie Hodgson, 
9. Neil de Kock; 
1. Mako Vunipola, 
2. Schalk Brits, 
3. James Johnston, 
4. Steve Borthwick ©, 
5. George Kruis, 
6. Jackson Wray 
7. Jacques Burger , 
8. Ernst Joubert. 

Replacements; 16. Jamie George, 17. Richard Barrington, 18. Matt Stevens, 19. Eoin Sheriff, 20. Kelly Brown, 21. Richard Wigglesworth, 22. Duncan Taylor, 23. Marcelo Bosch.

I think you guessed 13/15 beshocked, top work!

Bathite wrote:Bath team for Saracens at home

15. Nick Abendanon 
14. Anthony Watson 
13. Ollie Devoto 
12. Kyle Eastmond 
11. Matt Banahan 
10. George Ford 
9. Peter Stringer 
1. Paul James 
2. Ross Batty 
3. Anthony Perenise 
4. Dominic Day 
5. Dave Attwood 
6. Alafoti Fa'osiliva 
7. Francois Louw ( c ) 
8. Leroy Houston 

Replacements 

16. Eusebio Guinazu 
17. Nathan Catt 
18. Juan Pablo Orlandi 
19. Ryan Caldwell 
20. Guy Mercer 
21. Micky Young 
22. Gavin Henson 
23. Semesa Rokoduguni

As expected, no Wilson and Garvey hasn't recovered from injury, which is a massive loss.

The block for the Youngs try is text book. You know the 9 is picking it up so you step into the defensive guard on your side of the ruck to stop him hassling your SH. Keep your hands down so there's no obvious holding for the ref to spot and happy days. Considering the amount of blocking that LI dis off the ball I thought it was amusing that we profited from the second most obvious case in the game. Nice to see a Tigers player showing some savvy, far too many moronic moments this season ala Waldrom in the second half, that was cynical (and stupid).