Glaws v Chiefs

The teams are up for tomorrow’s West Country derby of sorts (please let’s not get into semantics!) between Glaws and the Chiefs. It should be a bright, sunny day that see’s the 5th placed side visit the 6th, so lots to play for in the final run in. Exeter are a dogged side that will really front up to the Glaws pack, who will feel the loss of the outstanding Nick Wood. But as always I do not let me natural bias get in the way and I feel Glaws with the added Kingsholm factor will win this by at least 10.

GLAWS
Jonny May; Charlie Sharples, Mike Tindall, Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, James Simpson-Daniel; Freddie Burns, Dave Lewis; Dan Murphy, Scott Lawson, Rupert Harden; Jim Hamilton, Alex Brown; Matt Cox, Akapusi Qera, Luke Narraway (capt)

Replacements:
Darren Dawidiuk, Yann Thomas, Dario Chistolini, Tom Savage, Peter Buxton, Nick Runciman, Tim Taylor, Tim Molenaar

CHIEFS
Phil Dollman; Gonzalo Camacho, Bryan Rennie, Jason Shoemark, Matt Jess; Ignacio Mieres, Haydn Thomas; Hoani Tui, Chris Whitehead, Craig Mitchell; Tom Hayes (capt), James Hanks; Tom Johnson, James Scaysbrook, Richard Baxter

Replacements:
Neil Clark, Ben Moon, Chris Budgen, Aly Muldowney, Ben White, Kevin Barrett, Gareth Steenson, Sireli Naqelevuki

Strong Glaws side but Exeter are a good outfit too. Still expect a home win. Any idea when Trinder is fit to play?

I think Trinder is out for the usual Glaws 2 weeks, so that could be anything from next week to the end of the season!

EnglishReign wrote:Strong Glaws side but Exeter are a good outfit too. Still expect a home win. Any idea when Trinder is fit to play?

Agreed, Reign, you've got to start with a home win, and any points that Exe get from there are simply a bonus

If this was in wet conditions I could see Gloucester struggling as I can see their scrum getting a bit dismantled in all honesty. Unfortuantely for te Chiefs I don't see their being enough scrums for that to be a telling factor and suspect that the conditions will assist Gloucesters running game a bit more.

The Cheifs do have some attacking threat in the backs as well though, but at Kingsholm I can see Gloucester getting the win, but the Chiefs hanging in their to take a losing bonus point.

I must admit I am really looking forward to this game. I like the way the Chiefs play and we've finally got that 6N lark out of the way to concentrate on the real rugby!

I'm not too concerned about our scrum, whilst Woody is a huge loss, Murphy is better than many give him credit for (the Gloucester forum is full of criticism!), but he has come on quite nicely in the last few months and you can see the influence of John Brain. Glaws were taken apart at the scrum by Tigers, but in their current form they'll do that to just about anyone (as soon as Ayerza came on in the LV they had the Saints on toast). I would have liked to see Dawiduik start though as he is definitely the better scrummager.

Murphy will have had to have come on in gargantuan proportions in the last few months for me to see him as a decent scrummager HKC.

Having watched him for a couple of years at the MadStad, he is a big lad but has incredibly poor technique for a prop.

Ozzy, he's certainly come on since he's joined us. He's not gone to get in front of Woody in the pecking order, but then very few would.

On a side note, this game is seeing the first trial of extended TMO use http://www.gloucesterrugby.co.uk/8079.php

It's a balmy 20c, the pitch looks great and both sets of fans are in fine voice - its all set up for a great game!

Try for Exeter, 7-3

Crikey, 12-3 to Exeter

Man this sounds like a great game, Chiefs 18-6 up with 30 minutes to play, then 3 tries in about 10 minutes for Glaws to put them 27-18 up before a late late try to win it for the Chiefs.

Well let's get this over and done with!

First and foremost well done Exeter, they were brilliant. The intensity, lines of running & off-loading was excellent. Tom Johnson's performance was as good as I have seen from a backrower this season. Once again the Chiefs' fans were in great voice and a pleasure to be around.

So to Glaws, with the exception of a wonderous 10 minute spell we were clueless. It was exceptionaly poor game management to let them back into the game and our offside count was far, far too high. Our scrum was about the only decent thing throughout and the penalty count there showed our dominance, but everything else was poor. This puts an end to our top 4 hopes and we're going to have to massively improve if we want to make the top 6. Rant over, I'm off to have a drink!

Few things.

Firstly, congrats Chiefs. Not only were you the better team but your fans were magnificent, some of the best away support I've seen at Kingsholm for some time! Thought Glaws did very well to get back into it and was convinced we would win it before the winning try was awarded. I just hope Glaws can make top 6 and have this season done with.

P.S. Burns' try is one of the best I've seen in the flesh. Classy player.

Has Ben Morgan made the correct decision leaving the Scarlets?

Yeah, we clearly need him.

Will he be playing HC rugby was my thinking behind my comment.

glamorganalun wrote:Will he be playing HC rugby was my thinking behind my comment.

As Leicester won the LV Cup we need to finish 6th to qualify for the HC, we're still 6th after today. We need to improve but HC is in our hands.

Surely makes little difference since Glaws won't make much impression on the HC in any case.!

I'm pretty sure that HC rugby isn't the biggest consideration in him wanting to leave Scarlets.

If he'd wanted to be competitive in the Heineken Cup he would have had to have left Wales for Ireland.

Either way I can't see him getting a HC medal.

Well Glaws had Quins and Toulouse in their group this year and were only 3 points off qualification, so I'd like to think that after strengthening the side with new signings and a kinder group, then there is hope.

Plus, before yesterday's game they were well in with a shout for the top 4. These sort of matches happen after a long break (look at Leinster) and I remain confident they will qualify for HC.

...And they may not make an impressesion in the HC, but they certainly did last time they played at Ravenshill with 5 unanswered tries in the first 25 mins

HERSH wrote:

Credit where credit is due, one of your teams can beat us. Maybe you should think of switching your allegiances full time to the Chiefs?

No, pls have mercy, HKC, Barf can keep Hersh

Wonderful game, and big thanks to the Glaws head steward for letting the Tribe take their drums into the ground

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Wonderful game, and big thanks to the Glaws head steward for letting the Tribe take their drums into the ground

You lot were fantastic on and off the pitch

HongKongCherry wrote:

HERSH wrote:

Credit where credit is due, one of your teams can beat us. Maybe you should think of switching your allegiances full time to the Chiefs?

Another two or three seasons like this one and i'd think about it plus 606 has an icon

EnglishReign wrote:Well Glaws had Quins and Toulouse in their group this year and were only 3 points off qualification, so I'd like to think that after strengthening the side with new signings and a kinder group, then there is hope.

Plus, before yesterday's game they were well in with a shout for the top 4. These sort of matches happen after a long break (look at Leinster) and I remain confident they will qualify for HC.

...And they may not make an impressesion in the HC, but they certainly did last time they played at Ravenshill with 5 unanswered tries in the first 25 mins

I didn't need reminding of that

606 has an icon for Bath too Hersh...





(Barf geddit!)

Boom boom!

HERSH wrote:Boom boom!

There's an icon for that too:

Highlights & Mudowney interview

HongKongCherry wrote:Ozzy, he's certainly come on since he's joined us. He's not gone to get in front of Woody in the pecking order, but then very few would.

Fair play to Murphy, he was ok-ish in the scrums, it was more Rupert Harden who was getting the treatment from Hoani Tui and Chris Whitehead in a pincer movement - how the ref let the first 3-4 scrums go without penalising him I will never know

I think that's a bit harsh on both Murphy and Harden ASBO. Both were anonymous in the loose (as were all our forwards with the exception of Q), but the scrum was the only facet of our game that worked. Glaws had the stronger scrum and won far more penalties, especially in defense.

I would say though that Thomas had a fantastic game and he is such a little s%#£ of a scrum half - which is a real compliment as he just niggles away. He vastly outplayed Lewis and Runciman and caused alot of problems at the base of the scrum.

HERSH as you have to put up with so much stick from me about Bath, I'll gladly allow you to gloat in this victory

Thanks HKC

HongKongCherry wrote:I think that's a bit harsh on both Murphy and Harden ASBO. Both were anonymous in the loose (as were all our forwards with the exception of Q), but the scrum was the only facet of our game that worked. Glaws had the stronger scrum and won far more penalties, especially in defense.

I would say though that Thomas had a fantastic game and he is such a little s%#£ of a scrum half - which is a real compliment as he just niggles away. He vastly outplayed Lewis and Runciman and caused alot of problems at the base of the scrum.

Oh aye, certainly got under Big Jim's skin! Bit of a mis-match that one!

Can't agree with you on scrums - the majority of penalties against Exe were for Mitchell binding on the arm, which I couldn't see tbh