Summer Tournament Round 6 - Pools C & D

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Pool C

Waratahs vs. Bulls
SCG, Sydney
Sunny, 14 degrees, 9 mph winds.

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Chiefs vs. Bath Rugby
Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Light rain showers, 11 degrees, 17 mph winds.

Chiefs
Manager – Dave Rennie

01. Mitchell Graham	09. Augustine Pulu
02. Hika Elliot	10. Aaron Cruden
03. Ben Tameifuna
04. Matt Symons	11. James Lowe
05. Brodie Retallick	12. Sonny Bill Williams
06. Liam Messam	13. Charlie Ngatai
07. Sam Cane	14. Tim Nanai-Williams
08. Michael Leitch	15. Damien McKenzie

Subs:
16 Quentin MacDonald 17 Pauliasi Manu 18 Jamie Mackintosh 19 Michael Fitzgerald 20 Sean Polwart  21 Brad Weber 22 Andrew Horrell 23 Bryce Heem

Bath Rugby
Manager – CJB

01. Richard Barrigton	09. Tawera Kerr Barlow
02. Mikey Haywood	10. Nicholas Sanchez
03. Ben Tameifuma
04. Charlie Matthews	11. Christian Wade
05. Graham Kitchener	12. Kurtley Beale
06. Liam Messam	13. Michele Campagnaro
07. Liam Gill	14. Hallan Amos
08. Toby Falateu	15. Andy Goode

16. Richard Hibbard 17. James Slipper 18. Samson Lee 19. Sam Whitelock 20. Justin Tipuric 21. Fourie Du Preez 22. Rhys Patchell 23. Damian De Allende

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Northampton Saints vs. Wasps
Franklins Gardens, Northampton
Light cloud, 21 degrees, 9 mph winds.

Northampton Saints
Manager Dammit Chris

01. Mako Vunipola	09. Joe Simpson
02. Dylan Hartley	10. George Ford
03. Adam Jones
04. Michael Paterson	11. Nick Cummins
05. Jonny Gray	12. Ollie Deveto
06. Schalk Burger	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. David Pocock	14. Reiko Ioane
08. Samu Manoa	15. Leigh Halfpenny(k)

Replacements:
16. Dave Ward 17. Zander Fagerson 18. Thomas Domingo 19. Jacques du Plessis 20. Joel Conlon 21. Niko Matawulu 22. Rhys Priestland 23. Alex Dunbar

Wasps
Manager – CJ

01. Ben Arous	09. Rhodri Williams
02. Richardt Strauss	10.  Finn Russell
03. Sekope Kepu
04. Luke Charteris	11. Rob Horne
05. George Skivington	12. Kyle Godwin
06. Chris Robshaw	13. George Loala
07. John Barclay	14. Craig Gilroy
08. Victor Vito	15. Chris Pennell

:-
16. David Kilcoyne, 17. Corey Flynn, 18. James Johnston,  19.  Grant Gilchrist, 20. Carl Fearns, 21. Ben Spencer , 22. Francois Trinh-Duc, 23. George Lowe

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Pool D

Hurricanes vs. Sharks
Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Light rain showers, 11 degrees, 17 mph winds.

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Leicester Tigers vs. Worcester Warriors
Welford Road, Leicester
Light cloud, 20 degrees, 8 mph winds.

Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Kahn Fotuali'i
02. Stephen Moore (c)	10. Freddie Burns (k)
03. Owen Franks
04. Pascal Pape	11. Cheslin Kolbe
05. Kearnan Myall	12. Dan Bowden
06. JMF Lobbe	13. Mathieu Bastareaud
07. Francois Louw	14. Drew Mitchell
08. Thomas Waldrom	15. Mike Brown

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16. Agustin Creevy 17. Gethin Jenkins 18. Cencus Johnston 19. Steve Mafi 20. Juan Smith 21. Micky Young 22. Billy Twelvetrees 23. Matt Banahan

Worcester Warriors

01. Joe Moody	09. Lee Dickson
02. Codie Taylor	10. Dan Biggar (k)
03. Henry Thomas
04. Dean Mumm	11. Waisake Naholo
05. Devin Toner	12. Jamie Roberts
06. Jordan Taufua	13. Mark Bennett
07. Sam Warburton (c)	14. Nehe Millner Skudder
08. Ben Morgan	15. Mathew Tait

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16. Ross Batty 17. Ryan Grant 18. Will Collier 19. Stuart Hooper 20. Jackson Wray 21. Rory Kockott 22. Jules Plisson 23. Jarrad Payne

Can I have feedback on:
*2nd row-what's my strongest?
*This is essential my first choice squad so any weaknesses
*EQ
*Bench

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Harlequins vs. Brumbies
The Stoop, Twickenham
Sunny intervals, 22 degrees, 8 mph winds.

Harlequins

1. Tony Woodcock
2. Schalk Brits
3. Kieran Brookes
4. Luke Romano
5. George Kruis
6. Mamuka Gorgodze
7. Michael Hooper (c)
8. Damien Chouly
9. Ruan Pienaar (k)
10. Juan Martin-Hernandez
11. Jack Nowell
12. Robbie Henshaw
13. Jonathan Joseph
14. Yoann Huget
15. Rob Kearney

16. Scott Baldwin 17. Benn Robinson 18. John Afoa 19. Pieter Steph Du Toit 20. Tom Wood 21. Karl Dickson 22. Steven Myler 23. Alex Lewington

Brumbies
Manager – Stephen Larkham

01. Scott Sio	09. Nic White
02. Stephen Moore	10. Christian Lealiifano
03. Ben Alexander
04. Sam Carter	11. Henry Speight
05. Rory Arnold	12. Matt Toomua
06. Scott Fardy	13. Tevita Kuridrani
07. David Pocock	14. Joe Tomane
08. Ita Vaea	15. Jesse Mogg

Subs:
16 Josh Mann-Rea 17 Allan Alaalatoa 18 Ruan Smith 19 Blake Enever 20 Jarrad Butler 21 Michael Dowsett 22  Nigel Ah Wong 23 Robbie Coleman

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Northampton Saints
Manager Dammit Chris

01. Mako Vunipola	09. Joe Simpson
02. Dylan Hartley	10. George Ford
03. Adam Jones
04. Michael Paterson	11. Nick Cummins
05. Jonny Gray	12. Ollie Deveto
06. Schalk Burger	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. David Pocock	14. Reiko Ioane
08. Samu Manoa	15. Leigh Halfpenny(k)

Replacements:
16. Dave Ward 17. Zander Fagerson 18. Thomas Domingo 19. Jacques du Plessis 20. Joel Conlon 21. Niko Matawulu 22. Rhys Priestland 23. Alex Dunbar

Bath Rugby
Manager – CJB

01. Richard Barrigton	09. Tawera Kerr Barlow
02. Mikey Haywood	10. Nicholas Sanchez
03. Ben Tameifuma
04. Charlie Matthews	11. Christian Wade
05. Graham Kitchener	12. Kurtley Beale
06. Liam Messam	13. Michele Campagnaro
07. Liam Gill	14. Hallan Amos
08. Toby Falateu	15. Andy Goode

16. Richard Hibbard 17. James Slipper 18. Samson Lee 19. Sam Whitelock 20. Justin Tipuric 21. Fourie Du Preez 22. Rhys Patchell 23. Damian De Allende

1. Tony Woodcock
2. Schalk Brits
3. Kieran Brookes
4. Luke Romano
5. George Kruis
6. Mamuka Gorgodze
7. Michael Hooper (c)
8. Damien Chouly
9. Ruan Pienaar (k)
10. Juan Martin-Hernandez
11. Jack Nowell
12. Robbie Henshaw
13. Jonathan Joseph
14. Yoann Huget
15. Rob Kearney

16. Scott Baldwin 17. Benn Robinson 18. John Afoa 19. Pieter Steph Du Toit 20. Tom Wood 21. Karl Dickson 22. Steven Myler 23. Alex Lewington

01. Joe Moody	09. Lee Dickson
02. Codie Taylor	10. Dan Biggar (k)
03. Henry Thomas
04. Dean Mumm	11. Waisake Naholo
05. Devin Toner	12. Jamie Roberts
06. Jordan Taufua	13. Mark Bennett
07. Sam Warburton (c)	14. Nehe Millner Skudder
08. Ben Morgan	15. Mathew Tait

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16. Ross Batty 17. Ryan Grant 18. Will Collier 19. Stuart Hooper 20. Jackson Wray 21. Rory Kockott 22. Jules Plisson 23. Jarrad Payne

Can I have feedback on:
*2nd row-what's my strongest?
*This is essential my first choice squad so any weaknesses
*EQ
*Bench

Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Kahn Fotuali'i
02. Stephen Moore (c)	10. Freddie Burns (k)
03. Owen Franks
04. Pascal Pape	11. Cheslin Kolbe
05. Kearnan Myall	12. Dan Bowden
06. JMF Lobbe	13. Mathieu Bastareaud
07. Francois Louw	14. Drew Mitchell
08. Thomas Waldrom	15. Mike Brown

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16. Agustin Creevy 17. Gethin Jenkins 18. Cencus Johnston 19. Steve Mafi 20. Juan Smith 21. Micky Young 22. Billy Twelvetrees 23. Matt Banahan

Wasps
Manager – CJ

01. Ben Arous	09. Rhodri Williams
02. Richardt Strauss	10.  Finn Russell
03. Sekope Kepu
04. Luke Charteris	11. Rob Horne
05. George Skivington	12. Kyle Godwin
06. Chris Robshaw	13. George Loala
07. John Barclay	14. Craig Gilroy
08. Victor Vito	15. Chris Pennell

:-
16. David Kilcoyne, 17. Corey Flynn, 18. James Johnston,  19.  Grant Gilchrist, 20. Carl Fearns, 21. Ben Spencer , 22. Francois Trinh-Duc, 23. George Lowe


Which EQ players should I start?

Predictions OPEN

Chiefs vs Bath Rugby


Chiefs 21-20   Bath
 
Chiefs 29 - 26 Bath
Good side but Chiefs have a little too much
 
Chiefs 23 - 25 Bath
What stands out for me is that I consider the Bath locks a bit lightweight but this is negated by a big front row but could be a concern with that pairing. I like the rest of the side. It has a nice balance to it but I'd like a bit more players who can get you across that gainline as Toby Faletau is going to be working very very hard to get Bath go forward.
 
Chiefs 32 - 23 Bath
Not sure if Big Ben can play for both sides! Assuming he can't and Lee comes on, think the scrum is about evens. Second row is in favour of Chiefs, with Retallick the stand out. Chiefs have Cane, and think his quality will make a big difference at breakdown time. One a piece at half back, think Chiefs stronger throughout the outside backs but had to laugh at the thought of Andy Goode playing full back! Chiefs win fairly comfortably at home.
 
Chiefs 32-28 Bath
Couple of duplicates here but letting them go as its only preseason. Think Chiefs can cause a few issues at the lineout and they have more about them at the breakdown and can see them slowing it up at times. Bath compete well at halfback but theres more quality to the Chiefs overall 9-14. Strong bench on show from Bath but feel the damage may be done before they come into play.
 
Chiefs 31-26 Bath
Ben T and Messam can't play for Bath, so I've replaced with Lee and Tipuric.  That being the case, i don't see Tipuric and Gill working as there is no carrying there.  The Bath pack really lacks in the carrying stakes in this one and they'll be on the back foot as a result.  Hard to win away when that happens.
 
Chiefs 26-24 Bath
Chiefs with the stronger pack bar probably 8 and the same players. Same again in the halfbacks with Chiefs stronger in both positions although 9's are very close. Nice centre combo's on show but again the home side have an edge. Back 3's pretty tight and two decent combo's. Chiefs strong at home.
 
Chiefs 33 - 29 Bath

Very even pack battle, Bath get stronger as the game goes on but can see SBW targeting 10-12 defence and causing some good attacking choices that the Chiefs back three could really exploit against Goode who doesnt have the gas to challenge defensively there.

Saints vs Wasps


Northampton Saints 34 - 25 Wasps

Saints 30-20 Wasps
 
Northampton 23 - 23 Wasps
Saints front 5 doesn't quite look right to me. I am not sure the scrum would go brilliantly for them. Back row is superb and tough to beat. Manu has no rugby under his belt so tough to rate and Ioane very very raw so will struggle in ratings on here. Wasps pack looks good aside from the locks who I think could be stronger. Backs look to have a good balance but side could do with a couple more guys who can get them across the gain line.
 
Northampton 25-24 Wasps
Not much in the front fives. Saints edge in the back row. Saints have the better half backs, Wasps take the slight edge in the outside backs.
 
Saints 27-26 Wasps
I can see the Wasps pack getting parity up front.  Maybe not as big names, but the front and back rows work well as units and won't get beaten easily.  In the backs I think saints are just a little bit of an upgrade everywhere except Ioane who is unratable right now as I've only seen him play 7's.  narrow win for Saints.
 
Northampton 25-24 Wasps
Scrum would go to Wasps with Jones a weakness for the home time. Lineout is tight but a bit more around the park for Northampton. Saints a step up on the flanks but Vito better 8. 1 a piece in the halfbacks with similar gaps between the players and same again in the centres with Manu obviously lacking form for Chris. Ioane not ready for this level stops Saints taking the back 3. Saints just take at home.
 
Saints 33 - 26 Wasps
Very close up front at scrum time, one a piece at lock for me. Back row is where the battle is, think 6 and 8 are well matched but the extra quality at 7 is the biggest factor in Saints advantage here. Simpson and Ford stronger at 9/10, don't know much about Ioane, but the rest of the outside backs favour Saints by a fair bit, even with Tuilagi's lack of form. Saints have the stronger bench too, and think they take this with a good home win.
 
Northampton Saints 23-21 Wasps

Not a lot of give at the set piece. Both sides see decent ball from the breakdown but Saints more capable of winning turnovers to attack off. Halfbacks edge to Saints but I'm a big fan of Russell. Some form issues in the Saints backs need to see more of Ioane before rating. Decent form for Wasps in the likes of Horne, Moalo & Gilroy. Extra quality at halfback takes this for Saints.

Tigers vs Warriors


Leicester18-17 Worcester
 
Leicester 23 - 24 Worcester
Leicester's pack is strong as usual with a weak link being Myall who could be improved on despite his lineout strengths. Backs have a nice balance to them but I'm not entirely convinced that Kolbe isn't a weakness as a winger against the level in this league. Worcesters pack looks strong with Thomas maybe struggling up against a LH like Corbs. I like the Worcester backs and think they work very well as a unit and will cause teams problems.
 
Leicester 27-24 Worcester
Advantage to Tigers in the front five. Back rows very similar level. One each in the half backs. Warriors have the more dangerous outside backs
 
Leicester Tigers 28 - 23 Worcester Warriors
The experience in the Tigers forwards will give them a solid platform to attack the Wuss side. Worcester have a very mobile and strong pack around the park. Kahn and Burns will offer some cretaivity to get Bast over the gain line, but there is a real attacking flair to the Wuss back line which allows them to attack and score some great scores. Unfortunately Tigers pack will suffocate Wuss of good ball and grind Wuss down depsite moments of magic.
 
Leicester 27-29 Worcester
Leicester's front row has the power advantage and will trouble the young Worcester front row. Prefer the Worcester second row, and the back row battle will be great to watch, with plenty of quality on both sides, think it just favours Worcester though. One a piece at halfback, but the Worcester backs are going to be a huge threat against any side. Would have expected a Leicester win initially, but the Worcester team has improved so much that I think they have enough.
 
Leicester Tigers 24 - 20 Worcester Warriors
The Leicester pack is ridiculously strong with the bench options as well and can see the game being won upfront, despite far better attacking options for Worcester backline, can just see them being starved of the ball. Banahan had a great season for Bath last year in real life, so for me would be very good starter. Mumm and Toner are both good locks, but not in the top international bracket, but Toner offers a threat to lineout ball due to his size and Mumm has looked very good for Oz, probably is your best lock combination out.
 
Leicester Tigers 25-25 Worcester Warriors
Scrum is an issue for Worc and even more so if it were wet. Back 5 of the packs very hard to separate overall. Halfbacks one a piece but feel the Worc pair work better as a combo. Can see Roberts/Bast targetting their opposite numbers. Worc back three much improved and offers more overall attacking wise. Could potentially be caught out by a top kicking game though. Tigers pack subs can give them an edge in the tight late on. Worc backs more potent overall but Tigers pack gives them the better platform late on and will draw some penalties from the scrum.
 
Leicester 24-24 Worcester
Tigers with a front row edge and probably just take the locks although line out close. Good backrow battle and not much between the sides. Worcester have a bit more in the halfbacks and centres and a very good back 3 on show. Very tight game which I can't split.
 
Leicester 26-25 Worcester

It's the front row where Worcester lose this one for me.  Everywhere else they are either equal or better than their opponents, but you can't win away if you are beaten up up front.

Harlequins vs Brumbies


Quins 21-17  Brumbies
 
Quins 30-29 Brumbies
Brumbies have rhe stronger front row but Quins have the second row. Quins have the better back row. Prefer the Broncos half backs with slight edge in outside backs to Quins.
 
Quins 33 - 28 Brumbies
Quins have the advantage throughout the pack for this one, and other than Pocock I can't see enough quality in the Brumbies pack to trouble them. The backs are closer, as not a fan of either JMH or Lealifano as 10s, but the Quins side still has plenty in hand to beat a well drilled, but ultimately lacking in quality Brumbies side. Tactics would make most of these games a bit different
 
Harlequins 30-25 Brumbies
Front 5s hard to separate. Pocock will win his usual turnovers but the work rate of Gorgodze/Chouly will still see good ball for Quins and their back row has much more about it carrying wise. Not an awful lot between the two sets of halfbacks these days. Would have the midfield 1 a piece. Think the Brumbies pair get over the gain line more though. Quins possibly missing that danger man in the back three. Huget gives the odd bit but is inconsistant. Bench a big step up for Quins.
 
Harlequins 21-20 Brumbies
They won't be too much in the scrum battle with Woodcock struggling a bit of late evening it out. Brumbies with more lineout options and quality but Quins offer a touch more around the park. Good carrying options for Quins in the backrow but Brumbies offer more at the breakdown which can slow Quins ball down. Brumbies just take the halfbacks and centres pretty even. I like the Quins back 3 and they'll get an edge. Brumbies tick a lot of boxes with set piece and breakdown but Quins at home take the win.
 
Quins 32-25 Brumbies
Strong side out for Quins, better across the board, and at home is a comfortable win.
 
Harlequins 26 - 22 Brumbies
A virtually full strength Quins side will have too much in other facets of the game in comparison to Brumbies. This means they can slowly take the game away from the Brumbies and strangle the life out of their game play. Pienaar will star in a tight contest.
 
Quins 32 - 25 Brumbies
The home side just has some very good combinations across the pack and backline that make them a very good team. The pack is very mobile, great 6/7 combination. Like the impact from the bench from the Quins forwards, but not so sure about the backs making that much of a difference in the tighter games, but will win by a score here.