Summer Tournament Round Three

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Pool One

Leicester Tigers v London Irish

Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Gethin Jenkins	09. Michael Claasens
02. Tom Youngs	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. Brian Mujati
04. Simon Shaw	11. Ugo Monye
05. Pascal Pape	12. Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu
06. Tom Croft	13. Brian O'Driscoll (c)
07. Jacques Burger	14. Isa Nacewa
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Kurtley Beale

16. Andrew Sheridan 17. Sebastian Bruno 18. Dan Cole 19. Alistair Hargreaves 20. James Scaysbrook 21. Dimitri Yachvili 22. Billy Twelvetrees 23. Rob Miller

Tactics

TBC

London Irish
Manager – stnick88

01. Matt Stevens	09. Ruan Pienaar
02. Andrew Hore	10. Elton Jantjies
03. WP Nel
04. Matt Garvey	11. Paul Sackey
05. Johann Muller	12. Luke McAllister
06. Marcell Coetzee	13. Conrad Smith
07. Hendrie Fourie	14. JP Pieterson
08. Keegan Daniel	15. Delon Armitage

16. Jean Baptiste Poux 17. Tom Lindsay 18. Grant Shiells 19. Nick Kennedy 20. Steffon Armitage 21. Julien Dupuy 22. Shane Geraghty 23. Sireli Naqalevuki

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Gloucester v Saracens

Gloucester
Manager – Mat

01. Nick Wood	09. TJ perenara
02. Jamie George	10. Dan Carter
03. Rupert Harden
04. Eben Etzebeth	11. Hosea Gear
05. Richie Gray	12. Juan De Jongh
06. Steven Ferris	13. Richard Kahui
07. Andy Saull	14. Johnny May
08. Immanol Harinordoqouy(c)	15. Israel Dagg

17. Tim Payne 17. Coonie Oosthuizen18. Joe Gray 19. George Robson 20.Jamie Heaslip 21. Will Genia 22. Ryan Lamb 23. James Simpson-Daniel

Tactics

Saracens
Manager – Ozzy3213

01. Matt Mullan	09. Francois Hougaard
02. George Chuter	10. Owen Farrell
03. Adam Jones
04. George Skivington (c)	11. Bryan Habana
05. Rynhardt Elstadt	12. Jonathan Davies
06. Duane Vermeulen	13. Henry Trinder
07. Siya Kolisi	14. Digby Ioane
08. Alessandro Zanni	15. Jaco Taute

16. Christopher Tolofua 17. Steven Kitshoff 18. Dave Wilson 19. Graham Kitchener 20. Alex Gray 21. Paul Hodgson 22. Patric Lambie 23. Mark Cueto

Tactics

• Ball carriers looking to hit gaps rather than take contact.
  
• Attack the breakdown with numbers if turnover looks on.
  
• Fast paced offloading game.
  
• Farrell to hit the corners and pin Gloucester in their own half.
  
• Farrell to take all points on offer.
  

Can I ask please for feedback on the following areas (as well as anything that you would like to pick up on yourselves)

- Pack balance (in particular 2nd and back row)
- Is George Chuter good enough to start in the AP

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Harlequins v Newcastle Falcons

Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

01. Joe Marler	09. Lee Dickson
02. Schalk Brits	10. Quade Cooper (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Tom Biggs
05. Hugh Pyle	12. Jamie Roberts
06. Tom Wood	13. Jonathan Joseph
07. Sam Warburton (c)	14. Taku Ngwenya
08. Dave Denton	15. Rob Kearney

16. Rob Hawkins 17. Tony Woodcock 18. Ben Franks 19. James Gaskell 20. Carl Fearns 21. Karl Dickson 22. Greig Laidlaw 23. Ross Chisholm

Tactics

- We've picked a side to play a fast tempo. Quick ball desired and essential. Mobility of pack crucial.

- Physical players throughout side to hit collision hard and knock Newcastle back.

- Look to get ball wide when gaps appear. Use our pace advantage.

- In defence have a quick line speed and aggression in tackle.

Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly

01. Soane Tonga'uiha	09. Ben Youngs
02. Rory Best	10. Aaron Cruden
03. Paul Doran-Jones
04. Brad Thorn	11. Adam Ashley-Cooper
05. Juandre Kruger	12. Sonny Bill Williams
06. Chris Robshaw	13. George Lowe
07. John Barclay	14. Alex Cuthbert
08. Kieran Read(c)	15. Alex Goode

17. Lee Mears 17. Owen Franks 18. Fabien Barcella 19. Paul O’Connell 20.Heinrich Brussow 21. Jimmy Cowan 22. Toby Flood 23. James O’Connor

Tactics

- Control scrum and look to get wheel on giving Youngs/Cruden space to attack
- Target lineout with numerous jumpers and Kruger reading game
- Look to get numbers into breakdown and use Barclay/Robshaw to slow opposition down
- Big carries from Tonga, Thorn, Read etc to free up space and get us on front foot

- Youngs to play on instinct and attack round the fringes
- Cruden/SBW to play on the gain line and Cruden to put SBW into gaps through the 10 channel
- Look to exploit oposition out wide with pace/power

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Pool Two

London Wasps v London Welsh

London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry

01. Ben Daley	09. Mike Blair
02. Sean Cronin	10. Rhys Preistland (k)
03. Carlos Nieto
04. Mouritz Botha	11. Simon Zebo
05. Marco Wentzel (c)	12. Brad Barritt
06. Dave Dennis	13. George Pisi
07. Dewald Potgieter	14. Topsy Ojo
08. Roger Wilson	15. Mike Brown

16. Tatafu Polota-Nau 17. Charlie Beech 18. Rhodri Jones 19. Dan Tuohy 20. Steve Mafi 21. Haydn Thomas 22. Steven Myler 23. Matt Banahan

Tactics
Look to our big carriers in the pack to get us over the gain line and set out platform for Blair to build from.

We will look to play a fast flowing offloading game to keep London Welsh working in defence & momentum in our attacks.

Preistland to kick in behind the London Welsh wingers, from there we will look to pressure them in their own half.

Look to support our ball carriers to ensure offloading option is always on. Get Barritt on the crash ball to open up space for Pisi to make outside breaks.

Please can I have feedback on my team in general, especially back row and whole backline.

London Welsh

Manager – Driver

01.Brett Sturgess	09.Lloyd Williams
02.Chris Whitehead	10.Paddy Jackson(k)
03.Ben Alexander
04.Dean Schofield	11.Ben Smith
05.Ali Williams	12.Butch James
06.Rhys Ruddock	13.Darren Cave
07.Phil Dowson	14.Rory Lamount
08.Luke Narraway (c)	15.Lee Byrne

16.Ben Kayser 17.Efion Lewis Roberts 18.Craig Mitchell 19.James Hudson 20.Will Welch 21.Rob Coote 22.Tom Catterick 23.Matt Smith

- Gone for a more mobile pack with a bit more around the park with Ruddock bought into the back row to add his carrying skills along with Alexander and Sturgess at prop.

- Backs to come from deep and off the ball making them hard to defend against with Butch playing 12 to allow us a extra play maker outwide.

- 3 full backs to nulify Wasps tactic of kicking it behind.

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Worcester Warriors v Sale Sharks

Worcester Warriors
Manager - prop_lyd

01. Tendai Mtwarria (o)	09. Eoin Reddan (o)
02. Korree Britton	10. Kyle Godwin
03. Samson Lee
04. Dom Barrow	11. Josh Watkins
05. Luke Charteris (o)	12. Tom Heathcote (k)
06. Josh Buggea	13. Jack Dixon
07. Chris Walker (c)	14. Eli Walker
08. Marco Mama	15. Ben Ransom

16. James Clark 17. Gareth Denman 18. Paul James (o) 19. Richard Rhodes 20. Ollie Stedman 21. Oliver Claxton 22. Sam Stanley 23. Fergus McFadden (o)

Can I have feedback on which academy players you feel could play AP this season please.

Tactics To Come

Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Lee Imolek	09. Ben Spencer
02. Tommy Taylor	10. Beauden Barrett
03. Davit Zirakishvilli (O)
04. Brodie Retalick	11. Craig Gilroy
05. Andries Bekker (O)	12. JJ Hanrahan
06. Luke Whitelock	13. William Smal-Smith
07. Matt Kvesic	14. Tom Brady
08. Louis Picamoles (O)	15. Jean-Marcellin Buttin

16. Jefferson Poirot 17. David Paice (O) 18. Simon McIntyre 19. Iain Henderson 20. Temani Harrison 21. Callum Brailey 22. James Hook (O) 23. Will Addison

Can I have feedback on which academy players you feel could play AP this season please.

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Northampton Saints v Bath Rugby

Northampton Saints
Manager - Dammit-Chris

01. Sona Taumalolo	09. Mike Phillips
02. Dylan Hartley	10. Juan Martin Hernandez
03. Carl Hayman
04. Bradley Davies	11. Julian Savea
05. Alun Wyn Jones	12. Matt Giteau
06. Dan Lydiate	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. Liam Gill	14. Chris Ashton
08. Sergio Parisse (c)	15. Leigh Halfpenny (k)

16. Rob Webber 17. Thomas Domingo 18. Henry Thomas 19. Courtney Lawes 20. Liam Messam 21. Joe Simpson 22. George Ford 23. Ben Foden

Tactics
- Look to work through the phases, get poweful ball runners on the ball and over the gainline and then get the ball to our backs to attack with. Will be an expansive game, with Giteau bringing players into attack with his passing game.
- Aggressive defence, force mistakes and turnovers from Bath and then attack with the ball. Will use Lydiate to stop Bath's pack getting over the gainline.
- Play at a high tempo, don't let Bath settle and for Phillips/Hernandez/Giteau channel to dictate the game.

Can I have some opinions on:

Lineout - see Hartley as a very good thrower, and Wyn Jones, Parisse good jumpers with Davies a good option.
Gill - whether people feel he has developed enough to start in games after impressing in s15.
Midfield - how you see Giteau and Tuilagi playing together and also balance of backthree.

Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Jon Golding	09. Aaron Smith
02. Chris Brooker	10. Gareth Anscombe
03. Davit Kubrashvilli
04. Luke Romano	11. Tom Varndell
05. Tom Donnelly	12. Anthony Allen
06. Brad Shields	13. David Marty
07. David Pocock	14. Isiah Toeava
08. JMF Lobbe	15. Tim Nanai Williams

16. Cian Healy 17. Kevin Mealamu 18. Euan Murray 19. Sam Whitelock 20. James Haskell 21. Fourie Du Preez 22. George North 23. Cory Jane
Tactics

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Saracens
Manager – Ozzy3213

01. Matt Mullan	09. Francois Hougaard
02. George Chuter	10. Owen Farrell
03. Adam Jones
04. George Skivington (c)	11. Bryan Habana
05. Rynhardt Elstadt	12. Jonathan Davies
06. Duane Vermeulen	13. Henry Trinder
07. Siya Kolisi	14. Digby Ioane
08. Alessandro Zanni	15. Jaco Taute

16. Christopher Tolofua 17. Steven Kitshoff 18. Dave Wilson 19. Graham Kitchener 20. Alex Gray 21. Paul Hodgson 22. Patric Lambie 23. Mark Cueto

Tactics

• Ball carriers looking to hit gaps rather than take contact.
  
• Attack the breakdown with numbers if turnover looks on.
  
• Fast paced offloading game.
  
• Farrell to hit the corners and pin Gloucester in their own half.
  
• Farrell to take all points on offer.
  

Can I ask please for feedback on the following areas (as well as anything that you would like to pick up on yourselves)

- Pack balance (in particular 2nd and back row)
- Is George Chuter good enough to start in the AP

London Wasps
Manager – ‘Arry

01. Ben Daley	09. Mike Blair
02. Sean Cronin	10. Rhys Preistland (k)
03. Carlos Nieto
04. Mouritz Botha	11. Simon Zebo
05. Marco Wentzel (c)	12. Brad Barritt
06. Dave Dennis	13. George Pisi
07. Dewald Potgieter	14. Topsy Ojo
08. Roger Wilson	15. Mike Brown

16. Tatafu Polota-Nau 17. Charlie Beech 18. Rhodri Jones 19. Dan Tuohy 20. Steve Mafi 21. Haydn Thomas 22. Steven Myler 23. Matt Banahan

Tactics
Look to our big carriers in the pack to get us over the gain line and set out platform for Blair to build from.

We will look to play a fast flowing offloading game to keep London Welsh working in defence & momentum in our attacks.

Preistland to kick in behind the London Welsh wingers, from there we will look to pressure them in their own half.

Look to support our ball carriers to ensure offloading option is always on. Get Barritt on the crash ball to open up space for Pisi to make outside breaks.

Please can I have feedback on my team in general, especially back row and whole backline.

Northampton Saints team to face Bath
Manager: Dammit Chris

01. Sona Taumalolo	09. Mike Phillips
02. Dylan Hartley	10. Juan Martin Hernandez
03. Carl Hayman
04. Bradley Davies	11. Julian Savea
05. Alun Wyn Jones	12. Matt Giteau
06. Dan Lydiate	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. Liam Gill	14. Chris Ashton
08. Sergio Parisse (c)	15. Leigh Halfpenny (k)

16. Rob Webber 17. Thomas Domingo 18. Henry Thomas 19. Courtney Lawes 20. Liam Messam 21. Joe Simpson 22. George Ford 23. Ben Foden

Tactics
- Look to work through the phases, get poweful ball runners on the ball and over the gainline and then get the ball to our backs to attack with. Will be an expansive game, with Giteau bringing players into attack with his passing game.
- Aggressive defence, force mistakes and turnovers from Bath and then attack with the ball. Will use Lydiate to stop Bath's pack getting over the gainline.
- Play at a high tempo, don't let Bath settle and for Phillips/Hernandez/Giteau channel to dictate the game.

Can I have some opinions on:

Lineout - see Hartley as a very good thrower, and Wyn Jones, Parisse good jumpers with Davies a good option.
Gill - whether people feel he has developed enough to start in games after impressing in s15.
Midfield - how you see Giteau and Tuilagi playing together and also balance of backthree.

Harlequins
Manager – Steven_Sharks

01. Joe Marler	09. Lee Dickson
02. Schalk Brits	10. Quade Cooper (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Tom Biggs
05. Hugh Pyle	12. Jamie Roberts
06. Tom Wood	13. Jonathan Joseph
07. Sam Warburton (c)	14. Taku Ngwenya
08. Dave Denton	15. Rob Kearney

16. Rob Hawkins 17. Tony Woodcock 18. Ben Franks 19. James Gaskell 20. Carl Fearns 21. Karl Dickson 22. Greig Laidlaw 23. Ross Chisholm

Tactics

- We've picked a side to play a fast tempo. Quick ball desired and essential. Mobility of pack crucial.

- Physical players throughout side to hit collision hard and knock Newcastle back.

- Look to get ball wide when gaps appear. Use our pace advantage.

- In defence have a quick line speed and aggression in tackle.

Worcester Squad to face Sale-Academy and 5 older (o) players. 3 to start and 2 to go on bench

01. Tendai Mtwarria (o)	09. Eoin Reddan (o)
02. Korree Britton	10. Kyle Godwin
03. Samson Lee
04. Dom Barrow	11. Josh Watkins
05. Luke Charteris (o)	12. Tom Heathcote (k)
06. Josh Buggea	13. Jack Dixon
07. Chris Walker (c)	14. Eli Walker
08. Marco Mama	15. Ben Ransom

16. James Clark 17. Gareth Denman 18. Paul James (o) 19. Richard Rhodes 20. Ollie Stedman 21. Oliver Claxton 22. Sam Stanley 23. Fergus McFadden (o)

Can I have feedback on which academy players you feel could play AP this season please.

Tactics To Come

London Welsh

Manager – Driver

01.Brett Sturgess	09.Lloyd Williams
02.Chris Whitehead	10.Paddy Jackson(k)
03.Ben Alexander
04.Dean Schofield	11.Ben Smith
05.Ali Williams	12.Butch James
06.Rhys Ruddock	13.Darren Cave
07.Phil Dowson	14.Rory Lamount
08.Luke Narraway (c)	15.Lee Byrne

16.Ben Kayser 17.Efion Lewis Roberts 18.Craig Mitchell 19.James Hudson 20.Will Welch 21.Rob Coote 22.Tom Catterick 23.Matt Smith

- Gone for a more mobile pack with a bit more around the park with Ruddock bought into the back row to add his carrying skills along with Alexander and Sturgess at prop.

- Backs to come from deep and off the ball making them hard to defend against with Butch playing 12 to allow us a extra play maker outwide.

- 3 full backs to nulify Wasps tactic of kicking it behind.

Nice midfield Steve...

Cheers man.

I didn't think it would take it as long as you did to get Lowe off Arry. Thought it would have been a done deal last night.

Guys,

Can i have some feedback on 10 and 12 please.

Sale Sharks
Manager – SJE

01. Lee Imolek	09. Ben Spencer
02. Tommy Taylor	10. Beauden Barrett
03. Davit Zirakishvilli (O)
04. Brodie Retalick	11. Craig Gilroy
05. Andries Bekker (O)	12. JJ Hanrahan
06. Luke Whitelock	13. William Smal-Smith
07. Matt Kvesic	14. Tom Brady
08. Louis Picamoles (O)	15. Jean-Marcellin Buttin

16. Jefferson Poirot 17. David Paice (O) 18. Simon McIntyre 19. Iain Henderson 20. Temani Harrison 21. Callum Brailey 22. James Hook (O) 23. Will Addison

Can I have feedback on which academy players you feel could play AP this season please.

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Leicester Tigers
Manager – LukeLovesLuka

01. Gethin Jenkins	09. Michael Claasens
02. Tom Youngs	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. Brian Mujati
04. Simon Shaw	11. Ugo Monye
05. Pascal Pape	12. Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu
06. Tom Croft	13. Brian O'Driscoll (c)
07. Jacques Burger	14. Isa Nacewa
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Kurtley Beale

16. Andrew Sheridan 17. Sebastian Bruno 18. Dan Cole 19. Alistair Hargreaves 20. James Scaysbrook 21. Dimitri Yachvili 22. Billy Twelvetrees 23. Rob Miller

Tactics

- We will play an attacking game built around getting our backline into space by using our huge carriers and the strength of our set piece.

- Massive line-breakers right throughout the side that will look to tire down the Irish defence. The likes of Burger, Joubert, Pape, Mujati, Youngs and EFS used off the shoulder crashing through the defence.

- Powerful scrum that will look to hold ground and set up a clean platform for Claasens. Big shove on Irish's scrums.

- Use kicks from HB's to get the best out of our strong lineout. Croft, Joubert, Pape and Shaw as our jumpers rotating the target. We will relentlessly target the opposition's throws.

- Look to play attacking rugby with our back line, getting the likes of BOD, Nacewa and Beale on the ball as much as we can.

- Real ability to play a mixture of styles - EFS crashing, BOD/Beale creating, Wilko kicking and a flying back three. Keep Irish guessing as much as possible.

- Wilkinson to kick all penalties.

London Irish
Manager – stnick88

01. Matt Stevens	09. Ruan Pienaar
02. Andrew Hore	10. Elton Jantjies
03. WP Nel
04. Matt Garvey	11. Paul Sackey
05. Johann Muller	12. Luke McAllister
06. Marcell Coetzee	13. Conrad Smith
07. Hendrie Fourie	14. JP Pieterson
08. Keegan Daniel	15. Delon Armitage

16. Jean Baptiste Poux 17. Tom Lindsay 18. Grant Shiells 19. Nick Kennedy 20. Steffon Armitage 21. Julien Dupuy 22. Shane Geraghty 23. Sireli Naqalevuki

Bath Rugby
Manager – inthefastlane

01. Jon Golding	09. Aaron Smith
02. Chris Brooker	10. Gareth Anscombe
03. Davit Kubrashvilli
04. Luke Romano	11. Tom Varndell
05. Tom Donnelly	12. Anthony Allen
06. Brad Shields	13. David Marty
07. David Pocock	14. Isiah Toeava
08. JMF Lobbe	15. Tim Nanai Williams

16. Cian Healy 17. Kevin Mealamu 18. Euan Murray 19. Sam Whitelock 20. James Haskell 21. Fourie Du Preez 22. George North 23. Cory Jane
Tactics

Newcastle Falcons
Manager – Sgt Pooly

01. Soane Tonga'uiha	09. Ben Youngs
02. Rory Best	10. Aaron Cruden
03. Paul Doran-Jones
04. Brad Thorn	11. Adam Ashley-Cooper
05. Juandre Kruger	12. Sonny Bill Williams
06. Chris Robshaw	13. George Lowe
07. John Barclay	14. Alex Cuthbert
08. Kieran Read(c)	15. Alex Goode

17. Lee Mears 17. Owen Franks 18. Fabien Barcella 19. Paul O’Connell 20.Heinrich Brussow 21. Jimmy Cowan 22. Toby Flood 23. James O’Connor

Tactics

- Control scrum and look to get wheel on giving Youngs/Cruden space to attack
- Target lineout with numerous jumpers and Kruger reading game
- Look to get numbers into breakdown and use Barclay/Robshaw to slow opposition down
- Big carries from Tonga, Thorn, Read etc to free up space and get us on front foot

- Youngs to play on instinct and attack round the fringes
- Cruden/SBW to play on the gain line and Cruden to put SBW into gaps through the 10 channel
- Look to exploit oposition out wide with pace/power

[quote="Mat"]Gloucester
Manager – Mat

01. Nick wood	09. TJ perenara
02. Jamie George	10. Dan Carter
03. Rupert Harden
04. Etzbeth	11. Hosea Gear
05. Richie Gray	12. JDJ
06. Steven Ferris	13. Richard Kahui
07. Andy Saull	14. Johnny May
08. Immanol Harinordoqouy(c)	15. Israel Dagg

17. Tim Payne 17. Coonie18. Joe Gray 19. George Robson 20.Jamie Heaslip 21. Genia 22. Ryan Lamb 23. JSD

Tactics

Tigers 24-22 Irish

Pack goes to Tigers with the breakdown edged to Irish but Tigers have the stronger carriers. Can only call the backs even to be honest with two differing styles of 10 suiting their outside backs. Looking on the bench I see Tigers edging the backs in the replacements.

Glos 20-20 Sarries

Ozzy: I do still rate Chuter as a gritty Hooker, think you may need a leader in the 2nd row/back row personally. Front row edged by Sarries but 2nd row and back row taken by Glos. Even at the breakdown. Glos win the 9-10 battle, Sarries take the centres and see the outside backs as even. Better forwards impact from Sarries but backs impact from Glos on the bench. Can't split it.

Quins 18-20 Falcons

Even battle in the front row with neither side getting the edge. Falcons will win the lineout battle but may lose out at the breakdown. Think Falcons'll have the stronger ball carriers. Cruden's form and the Falcons wingers help see them over the line when the centre battle comes out evens. Good game but edged by Newcastle.

Wasps 18-19 Welsh

I do like Cronin but prefer the balance of the Welsh front row here. Even in the back row but at scrum time Welsh win win the 2nd row whereas Wasps will take the lineout. Two good forwards benches. Blair will control the game well here but can see Priestland's kicking tactics not working whereas Jackson should get Butch running. Centres to Wasps who I feel will break the line more. Two different styles of back 3 which Wasps would take if they weren't set on kicking ball away. Bench backs to Wasps....who's Rob Coote? I can see Welsh nicking the win here, you need Priestland to keep the ball in hand!

Saints 28-22 Bath

Chris: Lineout should be ok, Gill is getting there, not sure as to whether Giteau will find the right gaps for Tuilagi, would need to specify in tactics how they'd play together.

Pack goes to Saints with some really good combo's. Like the balance of the Bath backrow but they'll have to work out of their skin! The experience in the half backs gives Saints the advantage but makes Bath a good team to watch. In the centres if Tuilagi get's up to speed then he'll make the breaks in the centre partnership. Backline again to Saints but Bath's bench will get them points back but not enough after the dominance of Saints.

Worcester 24 - 30 Sale
Quite a hard one to judge properly as I haven't seen all of the players play, but Sale have got more with first team experience and some very good players who stood out at the JWC. SJE I've already mentioned on your page about the academy players I liked, so wont do that again.

Prop, would say Heathcote can definitely play first team, a lot are on the fringes and can see Britton, Barrow and Walker get higher ratings (though Walker needs to leave Leeds) - I think Ransom could get more AP experience but guy I like the look of is Sam Stanley, he's had 2-3 years of awful injuries, each time he looks to break into Sarries first team squad he gets injured. Def one to keep an eye on.

Tigers 24 - 23 Irish
Tricky to call as teams are better in other areas - just see Tigers shading the pack battle and giving Wilko a platform to win the game.

- not sure on creativity of half back combo for Tigers
- not sure how Shaw will get rated due to age
- incredibly good back three for them and backline defensively very solid.

- not 100% sure on Irish midfield, think Smith could do with a more direct running 12 to bring best out of his game.
- probably like to see one of the backthree who can create something out of nothing, all quite similar in style.
- Fourie could be a huge difference next year, but needs a run of games - Armitage off the bench could be a big game changer.

Glos 25 - 24 Sarries
Very difficult to call this one - although think Sarries will get a lot of fun upfront with their front row and they would have got a win in bad conditions (I am assuming that all games are good weather). Having Carter at 10 is a big thing for Gloucester too.

- dont think Jamie George is quite there to start games, Gray much better option.
- Johnny May to become a big player in this game next season, see him being the guy to reignite the England backline.
- second row is a great combination.

- Farrell will keep Sarries in games with his kicking, but a lot will depend on tactics that go with him as think he gets unfairly criticised for lacking attack etc.
- Not sure of Trinder at 13, he needs another big season.
- Great backthree from Pete, would also say Sarries could possibly have the best team to play in wet conditions with the right combos etc.

Will do other games after football

Quins 28 - 26 Falcons
Roberts completely transforms the Quins backline in my opinion, will get best out of Cooper and plays right into the Quins game style. Really even up front, but see Quins just shading the backrow battle as am a big fan of Wood (prefer him to Robshaw), and Warburton - Read definitely a lot better than Denton though. Packs really even.

- Botha/Pyle is a great combination, think Pyle will be an Aussie starter soon and Botha best person to have him with.
- Wood is great to have at no6 for Quins, been out for a while, but for the pre-season games I am not giving weight to form issues at all.
- Still not convinced with the wings - think a Savea style player would suit, as would be good for Cooper to have someone to use as a crash ball off the wing.

- Youngs/Cruden partnership could flourish - would like to see a big runner outside of SBW. Would probably look at playing JOC at 12 because of SBW leaving union.
- Pack is great, some good players to come off the bench for impact - not sure how long Thorn will be playing for though.
- Personally not a big fan of Cuthburt or Goode.

Wasps 23 - 21 Londong Welsh
Think Wasps will just edge this one, mainly because I am not sure that Welsh will get enough flowing through their backline as wouldnt play James at 12. Wasps now have Priestland and solid defensive midfield, though would say Welsh just shade the packs.

- Would start Mafi, one of the best players in the AP last season, great with ball in hand and a beast in defence.
- Think the backline possibly needs a real standout/star player, a lot of potential outwide but think it is one wc player short.
- Defensively going to be very hard to beat and rack up scores.

- Top rate pack for London Welsh, if they all come on with good form next season then they will get a fair few more wins.
- James/Cave midfield doesnt work for me - would play James at 10 and only 10.
- Could do with a points machine kicker, think that is where Worcester do well in that they have Steyn for them.

Leicester 23 - 25 London Irish

I prefer Irish upfront, think there is a little more there and prefer the general balance although Leicester will win the battle at the scrum Irish should control the lineout. In the backline I think the half backs are on a piece with Ruan Pienaar the standout. In the centres it's both positions to Irish but the Leicester back 3 stronger.

Gloucester 26 - 22 Saracens

Interesting upfront. I think I prefer the Glouceste rfront 5 on the whole but Adam Jones will do damage at scrum time. Great lock combo for Gloucester. Back row comfortably to Gloucester. Half backs also to Gloucester, Peranera could become a world beater but not at Houghard level yet who has a good claim to being second to Will Genia at this point in World Scrum halves. Centres to Gloucester, prefer Davies at 13 but trinder stands out in the centre battle. Back 3's even but slightly prefer Saracens.

London Wasps 28 - 27 London Welsh

Both have a nice front row with a marginal advantage to Wasps. Locks probably just about to Welsh but lineouts might be edged by Wasps. Both backs rows good, slight preference for the Welsh unit. Half backs to Wasps by a distance. A nice balance to the Wasps outside backs although won't detroy other sides it is solid. James not a 12. Rest of Welsh backs strong, particularly the back 3 in the wet, Cave could become mustard.

Worcester 20 - 25 Sale

Have to say I think out of the underage only Retallick would be very unlikely to be a weakness in a full strength game. Great potential in both sides but that is my opinion. Likes of Kvesic, Whitelock, Gilroy and Spencer for Sale and Britton,Heathcote and Barrow could go on bench but still potential to be the weaklink in the league. Think the Sale side is stronger across the board though.

Northampton 32 - 21 Bath

Prefer the Saints pack across the board, although Pocock will always be a nuisance. Like the 9,10,12 for Saints particularly in the wet. Bath half backs full of potential with Smith's service unreal. Outside backs go to Saints in every position. Be a real force this season

Leicester 27 –25 London Irish

Front 5 – Strong Tigers front row, plenty of carrying options and good set piece backed up by two bruising locks. Good blend by Irish but not strongest scrummaging unit which can be got at. Good lineout options by both

Backrow – Obvious form issues for both sides but good balance from both sides. Think Tigers again have an edge, especially at flank.

Halfbacks – Both good combo’s with each side having a stronger player.

Centres – Irish a step up here and really like the combo of McAlister & Smith, has a bit of everything. Good Tigers option but not at same level.

Back 3 – More for Tigers in the back 3 with a good balance and great runners. Sackay stands out a little for Irish with again a strong combo of JP & Armitage.

Overall – Tigers will control pack and have enough in backs to see off Irish. Really like Irish midfield but just not enough.


Gloucester 34–27 Saracens

Front 5 – Sarries with a scrum edge with Jones giving Wood a hard time. Not much in Harden/Mullen though and also the hookers with Chuter on way out and George looking promising when he’s played. Class above for Gloucester in lock combo, especially in Gray. Decent pairing from Sarries but could struggle. See Gloucester having lineout advantage.

Backrow – Big jump in quality for Gloucester 6/8 but Kolisi is stronger than Saull. I like the Sarries combo and Ferris & Hari awesome, Saull sticks out as the weakest player on show.

Halfbacks – Carter the class act. TJ a decent option but Hougaard a better player. Better combo for Gloucester. Farrell hinders Sarries attacking play slightly and would struggle to get a very good backline going.

Centres – Davies & Kahui top draw. I like the balance of both sides, good midfields. Gloucester have edge in this one but strong options.

Back 3 - Very strong wing option for Sarries and although Gloucester impressive here Sarries a whole class up. May although a talent would struggle defensively against Habana. Taute a weakness at this kind of level and could be targeted. Gloucester back 3 stronger as a unit due to Taute but fantastic back 3’s.

Overall – Not massive amounts in the sides but its about small margins. Farrell needs to play off a strong set piece, especially lineout to be fully effective. Habana offers great kick chase for him though although I can’t see backs getting a great amount of ball with him at 10. Gloucester strong across board and enough in front row(good conditions I take it) to be steady. Great game lads.

Pete:

- Pack balance (in particular 2nd and back row) - 2nd row ok, lacks quality against better outfits. Pack balance good, Vermeulen fine at BS. Kosi more a BS though imo.

- Is George Chuter good enough to start in the AP - depends on opp front row, fine here for example. Prob not against full Int set ups

Glos v Sarries
- Edge in the scrum to Sarries, Jones the stand out and can get at Wood. Second row goes to Glos though, strong combo.
- Not sure on Vermuelen at 6, would of preferred Zanni at 6 and Ver at 8. Kolisi looks talented. but more class in glos back row, not a big Saull fan but he probably still has an edge on Kolisi. Needs form back though.
- one a piece in halfbacks, but carter over farrell is huge for me. a lot of dangerous runners for glos, and habana/ioane for sarries is strong.
32-27

Quins v Falcons
- More in the loose for Quins front 3. scrum close, could go either way. botha and thorn cancel each other out at 4.
- no give in backrows, wood and robshaw similar but robshaw has the form. warburton trumps barclay by a fair but but read also does over denton.
- Falcons edge the halfbacks with Crudens form over Cooper. Falcons backline is good, prefer their back 3 except Kearney.
- 24-27

Wasps v Welsh
Cant split the packs, no real winner here.
Solid Wasps combo, Preistland good signing will give them control and goal kicking.
Close backs battle, think Pisi and Brown give good form to Wasps and see them sneak this.
23-20

Worc v Sale
Tough to call this as dont know a lot of players.
i know more sale players and think there overseas lads are stronger.
20-23

saints v bath
like the look of saints front five, and a good backrow. bath backrow is great. 1 and 2 could be picked up on, brooker a talent but needs form. edge to saints backs. giteau/tuilagi is good combo.
26-24

London Wasps 24-23 London Welsh

Front 5 – Two strong front 5’s with a solid scrum foundation and plenty of lineout options for both teams. No change here.

Backrow – Similar story in the backrows with two good units again. Both probably miss a bit of star quality but both are hard working solid units.

Halfbacks – Wasps have an edge here with Blair & Priestland really clicking as a unit. Jackson looks a talent but needs a bit more game time at top level.

Centres –Really like Wasps 10/12/13 combo and has a bit of everything. See Priestland/Barritt clicking. Good call from Driver with Butch at 12 and offering another playmaker, good midfield.

Back 3 – Very strong units with some great running threat, very hard to split.

Overall – Tight game with two packs very close. Little more for Wasps at halfback gives them a good foothold and just sneak this one.


Worcester 17–24 Sale

Struggling with some of the players here lads so I’ll just give a breakdown

Prop – Heathcote is the only player who could possibly start for you out of kids. Brittons throwing is really poor I def wouldn’t start him.

SJE – Strong 2nd row. Spencer, Retalick, Barrett fine to be started. Kvesic, Whitelock close depending on opposition.

Anyway, Sale stronger here.


Northampton 35-30 Bath

Front 5 – Not much in front rows, think Saints will edge with Bath’s lack of form. Think Bath shade the engine room but not by a lot. Bath would dominate lineout though with Saints lack of lineout leader or specialist against Donnally & Lobbe.

Backrow – Both nice combo’s, bit more defensive for Saints and more carrying for Bath. Both v good units.

Halfbacks – I prefer Smith to Phillips but both very good scum halfs, Hernandez coming into some form could be v good for Chris and shades it here.

Centres – 2 good units again but a little more for Saints. Giteau/Tuilgi has a very nice balance and attacking threat.

Back 3 – Backs 3 sides with Saints again, just a bit more threat although Bath 14/15 strong.

Overall – Saints have a bit too mucg despite lineout issues.

Chris,

Lineout – See your lineout suffering with both locks not great here. Parisse is a decent jumper but I just can’t see who’ll lead your line. Against top lineout players (Hari, POC, Lobbe etc) I think you’d struggle to retain ball.

Gill – He’s good enough to start in the AP imo. Might suffer against world class oppo but not loads. He’s came on leaps this season.

Centres – A very good dry weather combo

Back 3 – very strong, Savea can be got with high ball and prob wouldn’t play him in bad weather. Just a part of his game that needs to improve as seen v Ireland but quality on front foot on the hard pitches. Not a big fan of Halfpenny but a solid option at FB, I'd def start Foden over him.

Gloucester 27 - 21 Saracens

Advantage Sarries in the front row with Jones and Mullan getting the shove on. Pete - think Chuter has some life left in him. Depends on whether Youngs displacing him happens sooner or later. Gloucester displaying probs best 2nd row in the league. Completely dominate here. Advantage Goucester in the back row - Saull not up to standard of other two though. Not sure why Sarries are playing their 6/8 that way round - more effective other way for me. One a piece in the HB's but Carter way above Farrell so advantage Gloucester. Great centre battle, but Gloucester slightly stronger combo. Prefer both 12's at 13. Two great back threes. Glouecster stronger in some key positions and take a good win.  


Harlequins 24 - 26 Newcastle

Hell of a front row battle. Marker to get on top of PDJ and maybe Best on top of Brits so not a lot in it. Thorn vs Bakkies a titanic battle, see Kruger getting on top at 5. Edge to Newcastle in the back row with form of Read and Robshaw, but Warburton to really get at Barclay for me. Overall slight edge to Newcastle in the pack but a really attritional battle. Edge to Newcastle in the HB's with form the deciding factor.  Very little in the centres with a sensational match up. More quality from Newcastle in the back three. Newcastle for me slightly strong overall. Good game. 


Wasps 23 - 21 London Welsh

See a gritty Welsh front row to get on top here and should give them a good platform. Really good second row battle, tough to pick a winner with two good units. Not a lot of change in either back row, maybe slight edge to Wasps but not a great deal of difference in it. Advantage Wasps in the HB's but a new pairing so will be still learning how to play together. Good centre battle, Butch been playing well at 12. Good combo for Wasps too. Bit more quality in Welsh back three for me. tight game, but think Wasps have a bit more quality where it counts. 


Worcester 18 - 28 Sale

There a lot of players I am not hugely familiar with here so purely going by what I do know. Sale have a very strong pack that will really get on top of Worcester, particularly the back five. See Barrett having a lot of time to do his thing. Prop I am aware of a few of your youngsters, but for me too many in there not made much of an impact so far. Godwin, Heathcote and Ransom look decent but time will tell.



Saints 32 - 24 Bath

Big shove on for Saints and they will get a real advantage up front. Kubs holds Bath together, but Saints stronger. Overall I think Saints second row is a better combo, and whilst they lack a lineout leader, think they do a strong enough job to hold their own. Pocock vs Gill sees Bath on top at the breakdown, but prefer Saints at 6/8. Moreexperience at HB for Saints which sees them on top, as Bath's HBs don't see a great deal of good ball for me. Beyond there see Saints on top with a great attacking back division. Bit onesided but much more of a Saints first team as Bath seem to have rested a few.

Leicester Tigers 22 London Irish 24
I see scrummaging issues for both in the front 5's, and some issues for Tigers in the lineout with Youngs not a consistently accurate thrower, Plenty in the loose from both though. Two good back rows, so not much in it between the packs. Tigers half back pairing is experienced and functional, but the Irish pair excite me more, with Jantjies capable of igniting a back line. Man for man in the backs there is nothing in it really, with two good units. Good impact benches though. Tough one to call this, and during the season conditions and tactics would play a big part for me, but at face value I am going to go with Irish's more attacking half backs getting joy off a good lineout and stealing the win.

Harlequins 23 Newcastle Falcons 25
Two good packs, and I see no give in the scrum either way. The front 5's are very similar witht he exception of at 5, wherre I see Kruger as a better player than Pyle. Back rows fairly even with slight issues for Quins over Wood and Warburton due to lack of gametime through injury int he second half of last season. Two good half back pairings, but I would take cruden over Cooper right now in the 10 jersey. Like both midfields, and they could cancel each other out in this game, but if pushed I would edge towards Quins on the basis of Roberts being more secure defensively than SBW. Outside backs see plenty of attacking threat from both, but defensive issues on the wings for Quins. Overall I think Falcons are a slightly better side.

Really sorry, struggling for time.

London Wasps 26 London Welsh 23
Experieicne of the half backs the difference for me here.

Worcester Warriors 20 Sale Sharks 25
Bit more quality in key positions for Sale.

Northampton Saints 25 Bath Rugby 23
Two good sides, but man for man Saints just a bit better.

Have added the last of my predos.

Edited

Sorry didn't predict Fella.

Meant to but kept putting it back.

How come predo's aren't open till sunday this week?

Just you struggling for time pete or is this the usual?

This is the usual mate, but I can see from just checking that I've made a balls up at the top of the page and put tomorrow!

I'll delete the results and leave them open as I think it's good to get as many people as possible predicting and giving feedback on teams.

Tigers 26 Irish 22
Glaws 28 Saracens 23
Quins 20 Newcastle 21
Worcester 22 Sale 28
Northampton 27 Bath 22

sorry for lack of description cracked right hand so typing is a biatch!

keeping it low as can't afford time off , saving up for Magaluf next year fingers crossed.

go all out and go ibiza mate, better than magaluf!

Quite fancy Ibiza but the cost is pretty off putting.

u will spend a small fortune out there. grand easy.
magaluf is nice and cheap.

Who do you book with?

for ibiza last year i booked with travelrepublic.com was good price.

spending money and prices to get in clubs is what kills your wallet

Yeah a lad who my dad employs went last year and spent £3000 in a week.

But at least £1500 was on the white stuff.

purely alcohol for me none of that rubbish!

prices in bars are fine, in clubs you pay 15 euro for a beer. cheapest drink is a shot of abysinth for about 7 euro.

Think my Wallet might cry by the end of it. Fancy Mallorca Rocks that's meant to be the place to be.

didnt go there when i went magaluf, BCM was good though. 30 euro entry, all drinks free

Did 18-30 in Malia back in the day. Lots of females, stinking hot, cheap booze for groups....could be worse.

LukeLovesLuka wrote:Did 18-30 in Malia back in the day. Lots of females, stinking hot, cheap booze for groups....could be worse.

Thought I posted this before.went to Pamplona last week for bull running.

Drink all night, bull run 8am, 8.45 am clubs open 2 nights in one for 3 days.

Last day went to San Sebastian known as best place in world to eat.

Kimberly from girls aloud, thion and marconnet eating in same bar as us 3 euros a pint 1 euro a great wine.

Just bought a holiday place 9 miles out. Best city in world. Like rio and cape town it has a beach in centre and mountains.

Incredible

Leicester 22-22 Irish

Serious issues with Leicester lineout if this was Irish they would win.

Irish better halfbacks attacking wise. See Leicester as a really good team but there half backs stifle attacks. However will win them lots of tight games in wet so swings and roundabouts

Quins 21-22 falcons

Even everywhere and great game. Cruden better than cooper currently. Both great attackers and defensive liabilities. Lowe out of his depth here.

Both back 3a great on front foot but with defensive problems. Great front row battle. Falcons
Bench seal a narrow win. Have loads of experience on bench

4 points!