Summer Cup Finals

Teamsheets due by Saturday evening.
Results due Tuesday morning.


Cup Final

Leicester Tigers v Harlequins

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Leicester Tigers
Manager – Sgt_Pooly

01. Thomas Domingo	09. Ben Youngs
02. Bismark du Plessis	10. Toby Flood
03. Dan Cole
04. Richie Gray	11. Christian Wade
05. Geoff Parling	12. Berrick Barnes
06. Maurie Fa’asalavu	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. Liam Gill	14. James O’Connor
08. Sergio Parisse(c)	15. Rob Kearney

16. Tom Youngs 17. Martin Castrogiovani 18. Marco Ayerza 19. Ed Slater 20. Sam Warburton 21. Karl Dickson 22. Jordan Turner Hall 23. Miles Benjamin

Tactics

We will base our game around high tempo, high intensity rugby. We’ll look to use the set piece as a foundation to work from and turn the screw on the opposition if a weakness is seen. We’ll look for big carries from our pack to give us go forward ball which Youngs thrives upon.

Flood/Barnes will dictate temp and look to get Manu running angles to either punch holes in the opposition midfield or draw the decoy and allow our back 3 into the game.

When the 3 is on in front of the posts we’ll take and the cptain will make the call on set piece if an advantage is seen.

- Turn screw in set piece if weakness seen
- High intensity & keep the ball alive
- Youngs to attack the gaps and allow Flood time to hit the line
- Manu to be used as crash and decoy with back 3 coming into the line
- As needed....turn screw in scrum and JOC to cover 10

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Harlequins

Manager – Driver

01.Alex Corbisero	09.Luke Burgess
02.Joe Grey	10.Owen Farrell
03.James Johnstone
04.Eben Etzebeth	11.George North
05.Alistair Hargreaves	12.Wesley Fofana
06.Chris Robshaw(C)	13.Jared Payne
07.Hienrich Brussouw	14.Adam Ashley-Cooper
08.Willem Alberts	15.Nick Abendanon

16.Jason Harris-Wright 17.John Smit 18.Chris Budgen 19.Mauritz Botha 20.Craig Newby 21.Richard Wrigglesworth 22.Tom Heathcote 23.Scott Hamilton

Tactics

- Use our mobile pack to play the game at a high tempo and put Leicester under pressure from the off. With Farrell kicking the ball deep from the kick off using our pacy back row to get there and pressure the reciever and force Tigers to kick deep to North , AAC and Abendanon who are all fantastic counter attackers.

- From the lineout look to hit our big runners in the midfield to really get us over the gainline with Fofana looking to use his footwork to get the better of his man in defence and use North and AAC coming from behind the midfield to exploit holes.

- Blitz defence with Burguss sweeping to cover any kicks through and line breaks.

- Brussouw to target the breakdown and look to cause a mess there with Robshaw running round and linking play up in the loose between forwards and backs.

- On our throw we can throw to Etz , Hargreaves , Alberts and Robshaw and target the Tigers throw by putting Hargreaves up at 2 and look to push him down the channel with out the lifters stepping into the tunnel. (Which is 100% legal)

- Farrell to kick behind the wings with North and AAC chasing to put pressure on and force a error which could prove vital.

- Farrell to kick for goal and put the opposition under pressure by stretching the lead when in range.

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Cup 3rd/4th Playoff

Waikato Chiefs v Exeter Chiefs

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Chiefs
Manager –

01. Sona Taumalolo	09. Tawera Kerr-Barlow
02. Hika Elliot	10. Aaron Cruden
03. Ben Tameifuna
04. Brodie Retalick	11. Asaeli Tikoirotuma
05. Michael Fitzgerald	12. Sonny Bill Williams
06. Tanerau Latimer	13. Richard Kahui
07. Sam Cane	14. Lelia Masaga
08. Liam Messam	15. Tim Nanai Williams

16. Toby Smith 17. Mahonri Schwalger 18. Ben Afeki 19. Craig Clarke 20. Kane Thompson 21. Brendon Leonard 22. Jackson Willison 23. Andrew Horrell

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Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Luke

01. Tendai Mtawarira	09. Dwayne Peel (c)
02. Neil Clark	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Loius Deacon	11. Gonzalo Camacho
05. James Hanks	12. Ian Humphreys
06. Tom Johnson	13. Richard Kahui
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Paul Sackey
08. Ofisa Treviranus	15. Isa Nacewa

16. Brett Sturgess 17. Rob Webber 18. Hoani Tui 19. James Horwill 20. James Scaysbrook 21. Kevin Barrett 22. Sireli Naqelevuki 23. George Lowe

Tactics

We will play a structured game built around our massive ball carriers, the strength of our set piece and getting our lightning backline into space.

- Attack the scrum as a weapon - and call when we can. Look to really get the shove on.

- Use Wilkinson's boot to attack our strong lineout with Hanks, Deacon and Johnson. We will relentlessly target the opposition's throws.

- Massive line-breakers right throughout the side that will look to tire down Chiefs defence. We will use our big carriers consistently to tire down Chiefs.
The likes of Afoa, Trev, Armitage, Hanks and Johnson used off the shoulder crashing through the opposition defence.

- Armitage is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first and look to turnover possession. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball.

- Box kicks from Peel and up and unders from Wilkinson to give the opposition problems in the air.
Lightning back line to really get the chase on.

- Look to play attacking rugby in the backs, getting the likes of Kahui, Nacewa, Sackey and Camacho on the ball when we can.

- Our back three are encouraged to do what they do best - counter attacking and running the ball back. If isolated all have good kicking games, but the counter is what we ask them to look for.

- Wilkinson to kick all penalites.

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Plate Final

Northampton Saints v Saracens

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Northampton Saints
Manager – SirJohnnyEnglish

01. Soane Tonga'uiha	09. Lee Dickson
02. Dylan Hartley	10. Johnny Sexton
03. Brian Mujati
04. Courtney Lawes	11. Chris Ashton
05. Andries Bekker	12. Sonny Bill WIlliams
06. Stephen Ferris	13. George Pisi
07. Tom Wood	14. Jamie Elliot
08. Kieran Read	15. Ben Foden

16. Steven Kitshoff 17. Richardt Strauss 18. Paul Doran-Jones 19. Samu Manoa 20. Phil Dowson 21. Martin Roberts 22. Stephen Myler 23. Scott Armstrong

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Saracens
Manager – ChequeredJersey

01. Matt Mullan	09. Morgan Parra
02. Schalk Brits	10. Charlie Hodgson
03. Sekope Kepu
04. Charlie Matthews	11. Drew Mitchell
05. Donnacha Ryan	12. Anthony Allen
06. Kelly Brown	13. Conrad Smith
07. Richie McCaw (c.)	14. Leigh Halfpenny (k.)
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Alex Goode

16. Mako Vunipola 17. Harry Allen 18. Carlos Nieto 19. Steve Borthwick 20. Chris York 21. Ben Spencer 22. Shane Geraghty 23. Chris Wyles

Tactics

- We are looking to set up a solid set piece, but will bring on Nieto adn Borthwick if things look scrappy

- Really attack the breakdown with McCaw, if we give away penalties so be it, we question Sexton's goal-kicking under pressure

- Parra and McCaw really pressurise Dickson. If we force him to give poor ball to Sexton, Sexton can't get the backs moving

- Smith to help mark SBW. Allen to tackle him low, and know that he is going to offload so Conrad to look for that. SBW is a great player that can make very poor decisions so let's look for the turnover here.

-Ashton will probably come off his wing onto pops from SBW and Sexton. I want Halfpenny man-marking him. As a FB he has experience moving on defence

- Happy to have the back 3 play a kicking game against theirs, they will be forced to run it back and we will be ready for them in defence

- Bring on Geraghty after 60 mins to break the game up.

- Use our kicking prowess in a kicking duel to pressurise Saints into forcing the game then strike off turnover ball

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Plate 3rd/4th Playoff

London Irish v Stormers

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London Irish

Manager – Pullthestrings

01. Max Lahiff	09. Joe Simpson
02. Tatafu Polota-Nau	10. Quade Cooper
03. Euan Murray
04. Tom Palmer	11. Sailosi Tagicakibau
05. Simon Shaw	12. Daniel Bowden
06. Jerome Kaino	13. Regan King
07. David Pocock (c)	14. Alesana Tuilagi
08. Tom Guest	15. Tom Homer (k)

16. James Buckland, 17. Gethin Jenkins, 18. Paulica Ion, 19. Richard Thorpe, 20. Darren Allinson, 21. Brock James, 22. Shontayne Hape, 23. Delon Armitage

Tactics
- The weather suits attacking, running rugby and that's what we'll be going for. Be sensible and keep success percentage high but don't be afraid to have a go when it's on.
- Mobile pack picked to get around the park and ensure our own ball is won.
- Big importance on maintaining possession and playing the phases. If we keep the ball, gaps will appear and the opposition will get tired.
- Keep coming round the corner using big runners to run at 10 and around the fringes to suck in their numbers. Exhaust the whole width of the pitch, really spread them.
- Compete on their ball at the lineout - go from turnovers here
- Target turnovers at the breakdown for potential counter attacks, with Pocock et al staying strong on their feet. Get the ball wide quickly.
- More attacking players on the bench ready to run at tired legs. Gone for a 4/4 split to show emphasis on back play
- Homer to kick pens to keep the scoreboard ticking over. If well ahead we'll go for touch and set an attacking platform.

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Stormers
Manager –

01. Steven Kitshoff	09. Dewaldt Duvenage
02. Tiaan Liebenberg	10. Peter Grant
03. Frans Malherbe
04. Eben Etzebeth	11. Bryan Habana
05. Andries Bekker	12. Jean De Villiers
06. Schalk Burger	13. Juan De Jongh
07. Siya Kolisi	14. Gio Aplon
08. Duane Vermulean	15. Joe Pietersen

16. Deon Carstens 17. Deon Fourie 18. Brok Harris 19. De Kock Steenkamp 20. Rynhardt Elstadt 21. Louis Schreuder 22. Burton Francis 23. Gerhard van den Heever

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Bowl Final

Leinster Rugby v London Welsh

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Leinster Rugby
Manager –

01. Cian Healy	09. Issac Boss
02. Richardt Strauss	10. Johnny Sexton
03. Mike Ross
04. Leo Cullen	11. David Kearney
05. Brad Thorn	12. Fergus McFadden
06. Kevin McLaughlin	13. Brian O'Driscoll
07. Sean O'Brien	14. Isa Nacewa
08. Jamie Heaslip	15. Rob Kearney

16. Heinke Van Der Merwe 17. Sean Cronin 18. Nathin White 19. Devin Toner 20. Shane Jennings 21. Eoin Reddan 22. Ian Madigan 23. Luke Fitzgerald

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London Welsh

Manager – Fluxy

01. Paul James	09. Paul Hodgson
02. David Paice	10. Nick Evans (k)
03. David Wilson
04. Dean Mumm	11. Topsy Ojo
05. Paul O'Connell (C)	12. Gavin Henson
06. Jamie Gibson	13. Dominic Waldlouck
07. Matt Kvesic	14. Adam Thompstone
08. Nick Easter	15. Hugo Southwell

16. Rhys Gill 17. Tom Mercey 18. Tom Lindsay 19. George Robson 20. Chris Hala'ufia 21. Joel Hodgson 22. Steven Shingler 23. Ben Ransom

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Bowl 3rd/4th Playoff

Bath Rugby v Ulster Rugby

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Bath Rugby
Manager – Bathite

01. C.Healy	09. M.Classens (c)
02. C.Tolofua	10. J.Hook
03. A.Perenise
04. R.Caldwell	11. O.Woodburn
05. D.Attwood	12. M.Banahan
06. W.Skuse	13. C.Laulala
07. G.Mercer	14. T.Biggs
08. S.Taylor	15. R.Chisholm

16. K.P-Newport 17. L.Mears 18. N.Catt 19. R.Caldwell 20. M.Lund 21. C.Cook 22. K.Eastmond 23. F.Steyn

TACTICS TBC

General
- Resting some big names for the first league game and blooding the youngster
- We want to make sure that we play rugby in the opposition half and force handling errors, where we can attack the scrum and use the boot of Steyn to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Use the physicality of our pack to our advantage, keeping the ball tight in the middle section of the pitch to retain possession and build a platform to attack from. In our third clear to touch and challenge for the ball at lineout.
- Look to interchange 10 and 12 as the situation sees fit. Utilise Hook as a playmaker on the wrap around and Steyn as a physical threat and cannon of a boot.
- Hook and Steyn to ensure we play sensible rugby in the right areas, kicking long for touch in our 22, using the up and under in the centre of the pitch and delicate grubbers in behind centres to chase and force kickable penalties.
- Steyn leads the rush defence, with Louw/Fearns flying up to cramp 10 for time and space and ensuring he takes the ball deep behind the gainline and starving their outside backs of ball.

Forwards
* Franks to target LH in the scrum. Look to draw penalties for Steyn to gain position and points. Look for a yellow card early on.
* Picked a very physical pack to make sure that we defend strongly and smash over the gainline. O'Brien to lead pack from base of scrum making hard yards and setting up the ruck for Louw and Fearns to clear out. SOB to mark opposite 8 in defence to prevent charges from base of scrum
* At the lineout, Muller will lead the calls and look to pressurise oppoistion hooker and compete at every throw
* Louw is a breakdown specialist and will look to stay on his feet at the ruck and slow opposition ball down. Fearns and Lund to guard to the fringes of the ruck
* Use ball carriers of Franks, Louw, Tolufua, O'Brien, Fearns to make hard yards up the pitch and draw defenders into the ruck area, looking to create space around the fringes for Laulala to exploit

Backs
* Dagg given free rein in attack, looking to come into the line either side of Laulala. Laulala to look for the half gap with power and offload (only if on), with the pace of Biggs and Woodburn on their shoulder to make the break
* Hook to take the ball flat on the gainline, drawing defenders and buying time and space for Steyn in the 2nd playmaker role. Steyn not afraid to bosh it up if nothing on and set up the ruck.
* Vary the point of attack with 10/12 interchanging, look to keep it unpredictable on the gainline + difficult to defend against. Use the inside pass with forward runners of Franks, Caldwell, SOB to keep the inside shoulder honest and force the 10 to make tackles.
* Get Laulala on the ball early on and encourage a very pacy back three to run off his shoulder. Only offload if it is on, otherwise, crash it up and use SOB, Fearns, Caldwell to clear out and Louw to secure.
* Banahan is a huge physical threat. Encourage him to run into the 10 channel early on and test 10 and creates gap behind. Eastmond to come on for last 30 mins in a free role, acting as 2nd receiver, popping up wherever to use his pace, step and get more experience

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Ulster Rugby
Manager –

01. Tom Court	09. Ruan Pienaar
02. Rory Best	10. Paddy Jackson
03. John Afoa
04. Johann Muller	11. Craig Gilroy
05. Dan Tuohy	12. Paddy Wallace
06. Stephen Ferris	13. Darren Cave
07. Chris Henry	14. Andrew Trimble
08. Pedrie Wannenburg	15. Jared Payne

16. Paddy McAllister 17. Nigel Brady 18. Declan Fitzpatrick 19. Lewis Stevenson 20 Willie Faloon 21. Paul Marshall 22. Niall O'Connor 23 Adam D'Arcy

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Shield Final

Gloucester Rugby v Worcester Warriors

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01. Nick Wood ©	09. Dimitri Yachvilli
02. Darren Dawiduk	10. Pat Lambie (k)
03. Adam Jones
04. Sam Whitelock	11. Johnny May
05. Alex Brown	12. Jamie Roberts
06. Alisdair Strokosch	13. Henry Trinder
07. Sam Cane	14. Charlie Sharples
08. JVN	15. Ollie Morgan

16. Scott Lawson 17. Dan Murphy 18. Sean Knight 19. Tom Savage 20. Luke Narraway 21. Rory Lawson 22. Freddie Burns 23. JSD

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Worcester Warriors
Manager – InTheFastLane

01. Joe Marler	09. Will Genia
02. Stephen Moore	10. Dan Carter
03. Tevita Tauempeau
04. Gerhard Mostert	11. David Strettle
05. Graham Kitchener	12. Brad Barritt
06. James Haskell	13. Maa Nonu
07. Michael Hooper	14. Marcel Garvey
08. Ben Morgan	15. Kurtley Beale

16 Ed Shervington 17 George Porter 18 Oliver Tomaszcyzk 19 James Percival 20 Andy Saull 21 Shaun Perry 22 Matt Hopper 23 Luke Rooney

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Shield 3rd/4th Playoff

London Wasps v Sale Sharks

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London Wasps
Manager – Stnick88

01. Tim Payne	09. Danny Care
02. George Chuter	10. Morne Steyn
03. Nicolas Mas
04. Matt Garvey	11. Tom Varndell
05. George Skivington	12. Luke McAllister
06. Thierry Dusatoir(c)	13. Jonathan Joseph
07. Jaques Burger	14. Ugo Monye
08. Thomas Waldrom	15. Mike Brown

16 Zak Tau'lafo 17 Chris Brooker 18 Ben Broster 19 Marco Wentzel 20 Julian Salvi 21 Micky Young 22 Jimmy Gopperth 23 Billy Twelvetrees

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Sale Sharks
Manager – LondonIrishOllie

01.Andrew Sheridan	09.Hadyn Thomas
02.Gary Botha	10.Johan Goosen
03.Matt Stevens
04.Dean Schofield	11.Mark Cueto
05.James Gaskell	12.Jonathon Davies
06.Schalk Burger	13.Jaque Fourie
07.Dave Seymour	14.Tom Brady
08.Jordan Crane	15.Rob Miller

Subs – 16.Marc Jones 17.Davit Kubriashvilli 18.Logovoi Mulipola 19.Kearnan Myall 20.Richie Vernon 21.Scott Mathie 22.Aaron Cruden 23.Jonny Leota

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Saints team is already in the match thread CJ

First and last final for me this year!

Exeter Chiefs
Manager – Luke

01. Tendai Mtawarira	09. Dwayne Peel (c)
02. Neil Clark	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. John Afoa
04. Loius Deacon	11. Gonzalo Camacho
05. James Hanks	12. Ian Humphreys
06. Tom Johnson	13. Richard Kahui
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Paul Sackey
08. Ofisa Treviranus	15. Isa Nacewa

16. Brett Sturgess 17. Rob Webber 18. Hoani Tui 19. James Horwill 20. James Scaysbrook 21. Kevin Barrett 22. Sireli Naqelevuki 23. George Lowe

Tactics

We will play a structured game built around our massive ball carriers, the strength of our set piece and getting our lightning backline into space.

- Attack the scrum as a weapon - and call when we can. Look to really get the shove on.

- Use Wilkinson's boot to attack our strong lineout with Hanks, Deacon and Johnson. We will relentlessly target the opposition's throws.

- Massive line-breakers right throughout the side that will look to tire down Chiefs defence. We will use our big carriers consistently to tire down Chiefs.
The likes of Afoa, Trev, Armitage, Hanks and Johnson used off the shoulder crashing through the opposition defence.

- Armitage is the man charged with reaching the breakdown first and look to turnover possession. We will always look to attack quickly off turnover ball.

- Box kicks from Peel and up and unders from Wilkinson to give the opposition problems in the air.
Lightning back line to really get the chase on.

- Look to play attacking rugby in the backs, getting the likes of Kahui, Nacewa, Sackey and Camacho on the ball when we can.

- Our back three are encouraged to do what they do best - counter attacking and running the ball back. If isolated all have good kicking games, but the counter is what we ask them to look for.

- Wilkinson to kick all penalites.

Bath Rugby
Manager – Bathite

01. C.Healy	09. M.Classens (c)
02. C.Tolofua	10. J.Hook
03. A.Perenise
04. R.Caldwell	11. O.Woodburn
05. D.Attwood	12. M.Banahan
06. W.Skuse	13. C.Laulala
07. G.Mercer	14. T.Biggs
08. S.Taylor	15. R.Chisholm

16. K.P-Newport 17. L.Mears 18. N.Catt 19. R.Caldwell 20. M.Lund 21. C.Cook 22. K.Eastmond 23. F.Steyn

TACTICS TBC

General
- Resting some big names for the first league game and blooding the youngster
- We want to make sure that we play rugby in the opposition half and force handling errors, where we can attack the scrum and use the boot of Steyn to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Use the physicality of our pack to our advantage, keeping the ball tight in the middle section of the pitch to retain possession and build a platform to attack from. In our third clear to touch and challenge for the ball at lineout.
- Look to interchange 10 and 12 as the situation sees fit. Utilise Hook as a playmaker on the wrap around and Steyn as a physical threat and cannon of a boot.
- Hook and Steyn to ensure we play sensible rugby in the right areas, kicking long for touch in our 22, using the up and under in the centre of the pitch and delicate grubbers in behind centres to chase and force kickable penalties.
- Steyn leads the rush defence, with Louw/Fearns flying up to cramp 10 for time and space and ensuring he takes the ball deep behind the gainline and starving their outside backs of ball.

Forwards
* Franks to target LH in the scrum. Look to draw penalties for Steyn to gain position and points. Look for a yellow card early on.
* Picked a very physical pack to make sure that we defend strongly and smash over the gainline. O'Brien to lead pack from base of scrum making hard yards and setting up the ruck for Louw and Fearns to clear out. SOB to mark opposite 8 in defence to prevent charges from base of scrum
* At the lineout, Muller will lead the calls and look to pressurise oppoistion hooker and compete at every throw
* Louw is a breakdown specialist and will look to stay on his feet at the ruck and slow opposition ball down. Fearns and Lund to guard to the fringes of the ruck
* Use ball carriers of Franks, Louw, Tolufua, O'Brien, Fearns to make hard yards up the pitch and draw defenders into the ruck area, looking to create space around the fringes for Laulala to exploit

Backs
* Dagg given free rein in attack, looking to come into the line either side of Laulala. Laulala to look for the half gap with power and offload (only if on), with the pace of Biggs and Woodburn on their shoulder to make the break
* Hook to take the ball flat on the gainline, drawing defenders and buying time and space for Steyn in the 2nd playmaker role. Steyn not afraid to bosh it up if nothing on and set up the ruck.
* Vary the point of attack with 10/12 interchanging, look to keep it unpredictable on the gainline + difficult to defend against. Use the inside pass with forward runners of Franks, Caldwell, SOB to keep the inside shoulder honest and force the 10 to make tackles.
* Get Laulala on the ball early on and encourage a very pacy back three to run off his shoulder. Only offload if it is on, otherwise, crash it up and use SOB, Fearns, Caldwell to clear out and Louw to secure.
* Banahan is a huge physical threat. Encourage him to run into the 10 channel early on and test 10 and creates gap behind. Eastmond to come on for last 30 mins in a free role, acting as 2nd receiver, popping up wherever to use his pace, step and get more experience

Although realised I'm playing two different teams?

I dont know what your talking about Fluxy

Must have been a heavy night last night!

Harlequins

Manager – Driver

01.Alex Corbisero	09.Luke Burgess
02.Joe Grey	10.Owen Farrell
03.James Johnstone
04.Eben Etzebeth	11.George North
05.Alistair Hargreaves	12.Wesley Fofana
06.Chris Robshaw(C)	13.Jared Payne
07.Hienrich Brussouw	14.Adam Ashley-Cooper
08.Willem Alberts	15.Nick Abendanon

16.Jason Harris-Wright 17.John Smit 18.Chris Budgen 19.Mauritz Botha 20.Craig Newby 21.Richard Wrigglesworth 22.Tom Heathcote 23.Scott Hamilton

Tactics

- Use our mobile pack to play the game at a high tempo and put Leicester under pressure from the off. With Farrell kicking the ball deep from the kick off using our pacy back row to get there and pressure the reciever and force Tigers to kick deep to North , AAC and Abendanon who are all fantastic counter attackers.

- From the lineout look to hit our big runners in the midfield to really get us over the gainline with Fofana looking to use his footwork to get the better of his man in defence and use North and AAC coming from behind the midfield to exploit holes.

- Blitz defence with Burguss sweeping to cover any kicks through and line breaks.

- Brussouw to target the breakdown and look to cause a mess there with Robshaw running round and linking play up in the loose between forwards and backs.

- On our throw we can throw to Etz , Hargreaves , Alberts and Robshaw and target the Tigers throw by putting Hargreaves up at 2 and look to push him down the channel with out the lifters stepping into the tunnel. (Which is 100% legal)

- Farrell to kick behind the wings with North and AAC chasing to put pressure on and force a error which could prove vital.

- Farrell to kick for goal and put the opposition under pressure by stretching the lead when in range.

Saracens
Manager – ChequeredJersey

01. Matt Mullan	09. Morgan Parra
02. Schalk Brits	10. Charlie Hodgson
03. Sekope Kepu
04. Charlie Matthews	11. Drew Mitchell
05. Donnacha Ryan	12. Anthony Allen
06. Kelly Brown	13. Conrad Smith
07. Richie McCaw (c.)	14. Leigh Halfpenny (k.)
08. Ernst Joubert	15. Alex Goode

16. Mako Vunipola 17. Harry Allen 18. Carlos Nieto 19. Steve Borthwick 20. Chris York 21. Ben Spencer 22. Shane Geraghty 23. Chris Wyles

Tactics

- We are looking to set up a solid set piece, but will bring on Nieto adn Borthwick if things look scrappy

- Really attack the breakdown with McCaw, if we give away penalties so be it, we question Sexton's goal-kicking under pressure

- Parra and McCaw really pressurise Dickson. If we force him to give poor ball to Sexton, Sexton can't get the backs moving

- Smith to help mark SBW. Allen to tackle him low, and know that he is going to offload so Conrad to look for that. SBW is a great player that can make very poor decisions so let's look for the turnover here.

-Ashton will probably come off his wing onto pops from SBW and Sexton. I want Halfpenny man-marking him. As a FB he has experience moving on defence

- Happy to have the back 3 play a kicking game against theirs, they will be forced to run it back and we will be ready for them in defence

- Bring on Geraghty after 60 mins to break the game up.

- Use our kicking prowess in a kicking duel to pressurise Saints into forcing the game then strike off turnover ball

Props in the states so i think we should just use his team from last week.

Leicester Tigers
Manager – Sgt_Pooly

01. Thomas Domingo	09. Ben Youngs
02. Bismark du Plessis	10. Toby Flood
03. Dan Cole
04. Richie Gray	11. Christian Wade
05. Geoff Parling	12. Berrick Barnes
06. Maurie Fa’asalavu	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. Liam Gill	14. James O’Connor
08. Sergio Parisse(c)	15. Rob Kearney

16. Tom Youngs 17. Martin Castrogiovani 18. Marco Ayerza 19. Ed Slater 20. Sam Warburton 21. Karl Dickson 22. Jordan Turner Hall 23. Miles Benjamin

Tactics

We will base our game around high tempo, high intensity rugby. We’ll look to use the set piece as a foundation to work from and turn the screw on the opposition if a weakness is seen. We’ll look for big carries from our pack to give us go forward ball which Youngs thrives upon.

Flood/Barnes will dictate temp and look to get Manu running angles to either punch holes in the opposition midfield or draw the decoy and allow our back 3 into the game.

When the 3 is on in front of the posts we’ll take and the cptain will make the call on set piece if an advantage is seen.

- Turn screw in set piece if weakness seen
- High intensity & keep the ball alive
- Youngs to attack the gaps and allow Flood time to hit the line
- Manu to be used as crash and decoy with back 3 coming into the line
- As needed....turn screw in scrum and JOC to cover 10

London Irish

Manager – Pullthestrings

01. Max Lahiff	09. Joe Simpson
02. Tatafu Polota-Nau	10. Quade Cooper
03. Euan Murray
04. Tom Palmer	11. Sailosi Tagicakibau
05. Simon Shaw	12. Daniel Bowden
06. Jerome Kaino	13. Regan King
07. David Pocock (c)	14. Alesana Tuilagi
08. Tom Guest	15. Tom Homer (k)

16. James Buckland, 17. Gethin Jenkins, 18. Paulica Ion, 19. Richard Thorpe, 20. Darren Allinson, 21. Brock James, 22. Shontayne Hape, 23. Delon Armitage

Tactics
- The weather suits attacking, running rugby and that's what we'll be going for. Be sensible and keep success percentage high but don't be afraid to have a go when it's on.
- Mobile pack picked to get around the park and ensure our own ball is won.
- Big importance on maintaining possession and playing the phases. If we keep the ball, gaps will appear and the opposition will get tired.
- Keep coming round the corner using big runners to run at 10 and around the fringes to suck in their numbers. Exhaust the whole width of the pitch, really spread them.
- Compete on their ball at the lineout - go from turnovers here
- Target turnovers at the breakdown for potential counter attacks, with Pocock et al staying strong on their feet. Get the ball wide quickly.
- More attacking players on the bench ready to run at tired legs. Gone for a 4/4 split to show emphasis on back play
- Homer to kick pens to keep the scoreboard ticking over. If well ahead we'll go for touch and set an attacking platform.

Chiefs 25-22 Exeter
Saints 28-27 Saracens
Irish 16-18 Stormers
Leinster 27-24 Welsh
Bath 17-22 Ulster
Gloucester 32-34 Worcester
Wasps 24-24 Sale

Pooly, the last match surely can't be a draw- this is KO rugby

Fancy that one for Extra time mate

Better feedback tomorrow-

Tigers 32 - Quins 32 - Tigers win in DG kickout

V close, advantage Tigers in front row , though I reckon Quins have an edge in the backrow. Both sides way better in attack than defence though

Chiefs 25 - Exeter 22

Advantage Exeter in the forwards but chiefs have too much behind the pack.

Irish 26- Stormers 20

Stormers have better backs but I'm not sure they'll get much ball because a) that's not how they play and b) LI's backrow is immense.

Leinster 24- Welsh 19

Too much for Welsh here, they have advantage in HBs but just lose out elsewhere


Bath 20 - Ulster 18

Bath power through Ulster up front, I hate Banahan at 12 but I reckon he could do a job on Wallace and Jackson's defence. I like Chisholm but this would be further in Bath's favour if Dagg were playing

Gloucester 22 - Worcester 14

Genia and Beale way off form and Wuss centres too boshy to cover for it. Close in pack but backline structure for Glos looks better and fits a gameplan.

Wasps 28 - Sale 26

Great squads competing for last place tbh! Pack to Wasps as is breakdown, Evens outside that, pretty much so advantage Wasps

Chiefs 30 Exeter 27

Chiefs strong throughout and sbw will get some joy runningat 10/12, Exter strong through out.

Saints 28 Saracens 26
Irish 23 Stormers 21
Leinster 35 Welsh 31
Bath 18 Ulster 18
Gloucester 32 Worcester 28
Wasps 25 Sale 23

Leicester Tigers 26-19 Harlequins

Can see a slight edge scrum time to Tigers but some serious mobility from both front rows. Tigers can pick a few balls of at the lineout. Good balance to both back rows but Quins with a little more quality overall. Halfbacks edge to Tigers with a better balance and better form. Farrell won’t get the best out of the Quins backline. Two cracking back threes. Quins midfield arguably could struggle to consistently get over the gain line but the back 3 options more than fix that while Barnes is struggling and has had a poor year. Good pack battle but see the Tigers half backs doing more with their ball.

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Waikato Chiefs 29-25 Exeter Chiefs

Exeter edge the scrum here but can see the Waikato backrow causing a few problems. Its in the backs where the damage is done here. Great form for Waikato and see SBW having a lot of fun running at Humps. Tactics will be needed to protect Humps if he’s played at 12 during the season.

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London Irish 15-22 Stormers

Nothing major in it at scrum time but can see the Stormers getting at the Irish lineout a bit. Backrow battle fairly even with form issues for both blindsides but Pocock will poach a ball or two. Great attacking flair from the Irish halfbacks but more form and control for the Stormers. In the backs can see big defensive issues for Irish with no one in the 10-12-13 axis renowned for their tackling. Can see some magic from Irish on attack but see Stormers having more of the ball and getting over the gain line all game.

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Leinster Rugby 20-15 London Welsh

Good set piece battle but can see the Leinster front 5 doing a bit more in the tight. More quality for Leinster on the flanks and see them getting on top at the breakdown as the game goes on. In the halfbacks flyhalf is even but a better balance to the Leinster combo. Edge to Leinster through the backline attacking but McFadden can be got at defensively. Bit more quality through the pack for Leinster sees them with cleaner ball for the win.

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Bath Rugby 18-22 Ulster Rugby

Can see Ulster getting at the Bath set piece particularly the lineout. Man for man Ulster stronger in the backrow. Pieneer the stronger 9 but Hook a class above at flyhalf. See the backlines fairly even. Banahan will offer a bit of physicality but Wallace is pretty sound defensively. Jackson at 10 can be got at but see his pack giving him a bit of an arm ride in this one.

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Gloucester Rugby 26-19 Worcester Warriors

Can see Gloucester causing all sorts of problems at the set piece. Cracking back row battle and neither side will give anything up. In the backs Worcester with some serious quality but Glaws have the players to score some tries and with a dominant set piece they take this one.

Predictions closed knocking up results with what we've already got

I'll get mine in now, hang on a minute, been away over Bank hols

Tigers 19 - 18 Quins
Chiefs 24 - 19 Exeter
Saints 22 - 20 Sarries
Leinster 24 - 18 Welsh
Glos 28 - 22 Wuss
Wasps 18 - 16 Sale

Was gibba do mine now SJE..

Get them in quickly so mate

Leicester 26 - 21 Harlequins

Chiefs 25 - 19 Exeter

Saints 28 - 27 Saracens

Leinster 19 - 15 London Welsh

Bath 22 - 21 Ulster

Gloucester 25 - 23 Worcester

Wasps 26 - 25 Sale (AET)

I think 'gibba' is my favourite word of the day!

Haha! Still slightly jaded from a heavy weekend..

Didnt realise it was a bank holiday over there this weekend we get ours at the start of August

Results:

Leicester Tigers 27-23 Harlequins
Waikato Chiefs 29-22 Exeter Chiefs
Northampton Saints 29-27 Saracens
London Irish 21-21* Stormers
Leinster Rugby 28-20 London Welsh
Bath Rugby 20-21Ulster Rugby
Gloucester Rugby 30-24 Worcester Warriors
London Wasps 26-23 Sale Sharks

* Stormers win after extra time (Higher aggregate score)

Prediction Bonus:

Bathite, Driver, Pooly, Pull, SJE and CJ

As its only a friendly to save the hassle of getting people to re-predict the Irish-Stormers game was decided on who had the highest aggregate score

MARK

ooo I won a cup!!