Summer Cup - Round 2

Team & Tactics - 0000hrs Monday
Predictions - 2000 hrs Wednesday

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Pool A -  Sale Sharks vs Northampton Saints 
Location - Stadio Flamino
Weather - Sunny , 24 degrees, 5 mph light breeze

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Sale Sharks

Manager –  LondonIrishOllie
 

01. Andrew Sheridan	09. Connor Murray
02. Richard Hibbard	10. Aaron Cruden
03. Henry Thomas
04. Yohann Maestri	11. Jonathon Joseph
05. Kearnan Myhall	12. Luther Burrell
06. Matt Garvey	13. Jonathon Davies
07. David Seymour	14. Bryan Habana
08. JMF Lobbe(c)	15. Will Addison

16. Gary Botha 17. Davit Kubriashvili 18. L Molopola 19. James Gaskell 20. Schalk Burger 21. Hayden Thomas 22. Johan Goosen 23. Charlie Aymsebury

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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. Brodie Retalick	12. Jan Senfortein
06. Stephen Luatua	13. George Pisi
07. Tom Wood	14. JP Pieterson
08. Kieran Read	15. Ben Foden

16. Steven Kitshoff 17. Mikey Haywood 18. Paul Doran-Jones 19. Samu Manoa 20. Calum Clark 21. 22. Ryan Lamb 23. Gael Fickou

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Pool A - Gloucester vs London Wasps  
Location - Aviva Stadium
Weather - Sunny , 24 degrees, 5 mph light breeze

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Gloucester

01. Nick Wood	09. Dimitri Yachvilli
02. Darren Dawiduk	10. Freddie Burns
03. Adam Jones
04. Jim Hamilton	11. JSD
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Jaimie Roberts
06. Akapusi Qera	13. Henry Trinder
07. Sam Cane	14. Johnny May
08. JVN (c)	15. Jesse Mogg

Replacements; 16. Rory Best 17. Rhys Gill 18. Rupert Harden 19. Elliott Stooke 20. Tom Savage 21. Dan Robson 22. Pat Lambie 23. Adam Thompstone[

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London Wasps

Manager – Fluxy

01. Paul James	09. Danny Care
02. David Paice	10. Nick Evans
03. David Wilson
04. George Kruis	11. Charlie Sharples
05. Paul O'Connell	12. Brad Barritt
06. Scott Higginbotham	13. Francis Sailli
07. Sam Jones	14. Horacio Agulla
08. Louis Picamoles	15. Maxime Medard

Replacements; 16. Tom Lindsay 17. Scott Wilson 18. Craig Mitchell 19. Steve Borthwick 20. Tom Johnson 21. Ruan Pienaar 22. George Lowe 23. Andrea Masi

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Pool A -  Exeter Chiefs vs Bath
Location - Murrayfield
Weather - Sunny , 24 degrees, 5 mph light breeze

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Exeter Chiefs


Manager – Pooly (Caretaker)

01. Coenie Oosthuizen	09. TJ Perenara
02. Rob Webber	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. Nicolas Mas
04. Pascal Pape	11. Ben Smith
05. James Horwill	12. Billy Twelvetrees
06. Tom Croft	13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Cory Jane
08. Toby Faletau	15. Jack Nowell

16. Brett Sturgess 17. Simon Alcott 18. John Afoa 19. James Hanks 20. Ernst Joubert 21. Kevin Barrett 22. Ian Humphreys 23. Richard Kahui

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Bath

Manager –  Bathite

 

01. Cian Healy	09. Tawera Kerr - Barlow
02. Chris Tolufua	10. James Hook
03. Owen Franks
04. Johann Muller (c)	11. Tom Biggs
05. Dave Attwood	12. Kyle Eastmond
06. Carl Fearns	13. Rene Ranger
07. Frans Louw	14. Eliot Daly
08. Sione Kalamafoni	15. Alex Goode

 
16. Nathan Catt 17. Adrian Strauss 18. Kane P-Newport 19. Rynhardt Eldstadt 20. Guy Mercer 21. Michael Claassens 22. Ollie Devoto 23. Olly Woodburn

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Pool B -  London Irish vs Harlequins
Location - Millenium Stadium
Weather - Sunny , 24 degrees, 5 mph light breeze

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London Irish 

01. Gethin Jenkins	09. Greg Laidlaw
02. Rhys Marshall	10. Quade Cooper
03. Euan Murray
04. Ian Evans	11. Anthony Watson
05. Nick Kennedy	12. Guy Armitage
06. Tom Guest	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. David Pocock	14. David Strettle
08. Imanol Harinodoquy	15. Matt Tait

Replacements; 16. Stephen Moore 17. Tom Smallbone 18. Leo Halavatu 19. Simon Shaw 20. Ally Hogg 21. Joe Simpson 22. Dan Bowden 23. Delon Armitage

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Harlequins

Manager - Driver

01. Marcos Ayerza	09. Richard Wrigglesworth
02. Joe Grey	10. Rhys Priestland (K)
03. James Johnston
04. Ian Henderson	11. Israel Folau
05. Eben Etzebeth	12. Wesley Fofana
06. Marcell Coetzee	13. Jared Payne
07. Chris Robshaw (C)	14. George North
08. Dave Denton	15. Nick Abendanon

16.Ben Kayser 17.Darryl Marfo 18.Will Collier 19.Mo Botha 20.Jamie Gibson 21.Luke Burguss 22.Morne Steyn 23.Ollie Lindsey Hague

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Pool B -  Newcastle Falcons vs Saracens
Location - Stade de France
Weather - Sunny , 24 degrees, 5 mph light breeze

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Newcastle Falcons

01. Tendai Mtawarira	09. Piri Weepu (C)
02. Kevin Mealamu	10. Owen Farrell (K)
03. Hoani Tui
04. Louis Deacon	11. Ugo Monye
05. Marco Wentzel	12. Luke Marshall
06. Richard Mayhew	13. Maxime Mermoz
07. Will Welch	14. Matt Banahan
08. Chris York	15. Stuart Hogg

REPLACEMENTS: 16.Scott Lawson 17.Tom Mercer 18.Scott Macleod 19.Sean Tomes 20.Mike Blair 21.Nicky Robinson 22.Mathieu Basteraud 23.Mike Brown

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Saracens

Manager – ChequeredJersey

01. Sekope Kepu	09. Morgan Parra
02. Rob Buchanon	10.    Beauden Barrett
03. Ben Tameifuna
04.  Bakkies Botha	11. Tom Varndell
05.  Maro Itoje	12.  Anthony Allen
06. Matt Hankin	13. Joel Tomkins
07. Will Fraser (c)	14.  Simon Zebo
08. Mamuka Gorgodze	15. Leigh Halfpenny (k)

16. Mako Vunipola 17. Harry Allen 18. Biyi Alo 19. Tom Jubb  20. Billy Vunipola 21. Jordan Burns 22. Harry Leonard 23. Drew Mitchell

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Pool B -  Worcester Warriors vs Leicester Tigers
Location - Twickenham Stadium
Weather - Sunny , 24 degrees, 5 mph light breeze

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Worcester Warriors

Manager – InTheFastLane

01. Joe Marler	09. Kahn Fotuali'i
02. Ollie Hayes	10. Andy Goode
03. James Currie
04. Nile Dacres	11. Alex Cuthbert
05. Graham Kitchener	12. Robbie Freaun
06. James Haskell	13. Matt Hopper
07.  Matt Kvesic	14. Max Stelling
08. Ben Morgan	15. Tom Homer

16. Tatafa Polota Nau 17. George Porter 18. Juan Figallo 19. Juandre Kruger 20. Michael Hooper 21. Will Genia 22. Dan Carter 23. Kurtley Beale

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Leicester Tigers

Manager – Sgt_Pooly

01. Alex Corbisiero	09. Ben Youngs
02. Tom Youngs	10. Ian Madigan
03. Dan Cole
04. Ed Slater	11. Marlon Yarde
05. Geoff Parling	12. James O'Connor
06. Dan Lydiate	13. Manu Tuilagi
07. Sam Warburton	14. Charlie Walker
08. Sergio Parisse(c)	15. Rob Kearney

16. Bismark du Plessis 17. Thomas Domingo 18. Phil Swainston 19. Tom Price 20. Luke Wallace 21. Karl Dickson 22. Danny Cipriani 23. Berrick Barnes

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Sale Sharks

Manager –  LondonIrishOllie
 

01. Andrew Sheridan	09. Connor Murray
02. Richard Hibbard	10. Aaron Cruden
03. Henry Thomas
04. Yohann Maestri	11. Jonathon Joseph
05. Kearnan Myhall	12. Luther Burrell
06. Matt Garvey	13. Jonathon Davies
07. David Seymour	14. Bryan Habana
08. JMF Lobbe(c)	15. Will Addison

16. Gary Botha 17. Davit Kubriashvili 18. L Molopola 19. James Gaskell 20. Schalk Burger 21. Hayden Thomas 22. Johan Goosen 23. Charlie Aymsebury

Exeter Chiefs


Manager – Pooly (Caretaker)

01. Coenie Oosthuizen	09. TJ Perenara
02. Rob Webber	10. Jonny Wilkinson (k)
03. Nicolas Mas
04. Pascal Pape	11. Ben Smith
05. James Horwill	12. Billy Twelvetrees
06. Tom Croft	13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
07. Steffon Armitage	14. Cory Jane
08. Toby Faletau	15. Jack Nowell

16. Brett Sturgess 17. Simon Alcott 18. John Afoa 19. James Hanks 20. Ernst Joubert 21. Kevin Barrett 22. Ian Humphreys 23. Richard Kahui

Saracens
Manager – ChequeredJersey

01. Sekope Kepu	09. Morgan Parra
02. Rob Buchanon	10. Beauden Barrett
03. Ben Tameifuna
04. Bakkies Botha	11. Tom Varndell
05. Maro Itoje	12. Anthony Allen
06. Matt Hankin	13. Joel Tomkins
07. Will Fraser (c)	14. Simon Zebo
08. Mamuka Gorgodze	15. Leigh Halfpenny (k)

16. Mako Vunipola 17. Harry Allen 18. Biyi Alo 19. Tom Jubb 20. Billy Vunipola 21. Jordan Burns 22. Harry Leonard 23. Drew Mitchell

1.Marcos Ayerza
2.Joe Grey
3.James Johnstone
4.Eben Etzbeth
5.Iain Henderson
6.Marcell Costzee
7.Chris Robshaw(C)
8.Dave Denton

9.Richard Wigglesworth
10.Rhys Priestland
11.Isreal Falou
12.Wesley Fofana
13.Jared Payne
14.George North
15.Nick Abendonan

16.Ben Kayser 17.Darryl Marfo 18.Will Collier 19.Mo Botha 20.Jamie Gibson 21.Luke Burguss 22.Morne Steyn 23.Ollie Lindsey Hague

London Wasps

Manager – Fluxy

01. Paul James	09. Danny Care
02. David Paice	10. Nick Evans
03. David Wilson
04. George Kruis	11. Charlie Sharples
05. Paul O'Connell	12. Brad Barritt
06. Scott Higginbotham	13. Francis Sailli
07. Sam Jones	14. Horacio Agulla
08. Louis Picamoles	15. Maxime Medard

Replacements; 16. Tom Lindsay 17. Scott Wilson 18. Craig Mitchell 19. Steve Borthwick 20. Tom Johnson 21. Ruan Pienaar 22. George Lowe 23. Andrea Masi

London Irish 

01. Gethin Jenkins	09. Greg Laidlaw
02. Rhys Marshall	10. Quade Cooper
03. Euan Murray
04. Ian Evans	11. Anthony Watson
05. Nick Kennedy	12. Guy Armitage
06. Tom Guest	13. Aurelien Rougerie
07. David Pocock	14. David Strettle
08. Imanol Harinodoquy	15. Matt Tait

Replacements; 16. Stephen Moore 17. Tom Smallbone 18. Leo Halavatu 19. Simon Shaw 20. Ally Hogg 21. Joe Simpson 22. Dan Bowden 23. Delon Armitage

FALCONS

01.Tendi Mtawaria
02.Kevin Mealamu
03.Hoani Tui
04.Marco Wenztel
05.Louis Deacon
06.Will Welch
07.Richard Mayhew
08.Chris York
09.Piri Weepu (c)
10.Owen Farrell
11.Ugo Monye
12.Luke Marshall
13.Mamxime Mermoz
14.Matt Banahan
15.Stuart Hogg

REPLACEMENTS: 16.Scott Lawson 17.Tom Mercer 18.Scott Macleod 19.Sean Tomes 20.Mike Blair 21.Nicky Robinson 22.Mathieu Basteraud 23.Mike Brown

Need a U21 player CF

Worcester Warriors

Manager – InTheFastLane

01. Joe Marler	09. Kahn Fotuali'i
02. Ollie Hayes	10. Andy Goode
03. James Currie
04. Nile Dacres	11. Alex Cuthbert
05. Graham Kitchener	12. Robbie Freaun
06. James Haskell	13. Matt Hopper
07.  Matt Kvesic	14. Max Stelling
08. Ben Morgan	15. Tom Homer

16. Tatafa Polota Nau 17. George Porter 18. Juan Figallo 19. Juandre Kruger 20. Michael Hooper 21. Will Genia 22. Dan Carter 23. Kurtley Beale

01. Nick Wood	09. Dimitri Yachvilli
02. Darren Dawiduk	10. Freddie Burns
03. Adam Jones
04. Jim Hamilton	11. JSD
05. Sam Whitelock	12. Jaimie Roberts
06. Akapusi Qera	13. Henry Trinder
07. Sam Cane	14. Johnny May
08. JVN (c)	15. Jesse Mogg

Replacements; 16. Rory Best 17. Rhys Gill 18. Rupert Harden 19. Elliott Stooke 20. Tom Savage 21. Dan Robson 22. Pat Lambie 23. Adam Thompstone

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. Brodie Retalick	12. Jan Senfortein
06. Stephen Luatua	13. George Pisi
07. Tom Wood	14. JP Pieterson
08. Kieran Read	15. Ben Foden

16. Steven Kitshoff 17. Mikey Haywood 18. Paul Doran-Jones 19. Samu Manoa 20. Calum Clark 21. 22. Ryan Lamb 23. Gael Fickou

First time in a long time that I haven't had to alter sides!

Just chucked in the bath side from last week. So predo away boys

FR:
SR:
BR:
HB:
CE:
B3:

Overall:

Sale 27-25 Saints
 
FR: Little edge in the scrum for Sale with a big powerful front 5
SR: Lineouts will be tight, Saints miss a bruiser for me although a very athletic combo and can see Sale putting pressure on the ruck area
BR: Good contest but Saints have def edge, Sale just need a bit more class
HB: Little step up in both positions for Sale off decent ball
CE: Good talented centre pairings, again just a bit more for Sale
B3: Saints a step up but Sale decent outfit

Overall: Really good contest, Saints have bigger names but some are a little off form. Sale have a real gritty physical side and with Cruden pulling the strings can see them just sneaking this. I imagine with SJE's tactical nous he could swing this back but I'm going for a sneaky Sale win.

Gloucester 35-34 Wasps

FR: Good units on show, Dawiduk could be improved by Prop, Wasps stronger scrummaging unit I think
SR: V good pairings, bit more for Gloucester though with one of best engine rooms in league
BR: Pickles prob the standout, Jones a real talent but not quite up to this level.
HB: 2 real contrasting units, both bring plenty here tho
CE: Again 2 good units, both have cracking balance. Really interested to see how Saili develops
B3: Some amazing hard pitch runners, Gloucester esp would be very hard to stop in full flow

Overall: 2 v good sides. Like what Prop is doing, very much a hard pitch side tho. Flux working his magic and looking a highly competitive side. Gloucester just sneak but not much in it

Irish 16-24 Quins

FR: little edge to Quins, not a whole lot in it
SR: Irish just shade, Evans is great purchase and sorts Irish front 5 out
BR: not a great deal in it, see Pocock having a little joy but Irish need a 6
HB: another good signing for Irish in Laidlaw, good contest
CE: Step up for Quins, Irish need better
B3: Quins wings would torture the Irish back 3

Overall: not a huge amount in it but Quins so much better in the backs

Sale sharks 20 Northampton 24

Saints have more power in pack and more in the backs about them.

Newcastle 19-21 Sarries

FR: See Falcons getting advantage in the scrum with slight TH issues for Sarries and Kepu at LH
SR: Deacon needs to come back strong and Wentzal in SA a possible issue for CF, Bakkies the standout not sure on other lad
BR: Step up for Sarries here despite the youngster. York has potential and Welch could be v good but pretty much a championship level backrow for Falcons which would really struggle in this league. Gorgodze's least effective position (prefer at 6 or 4)
HB: strong halfbacks for both, Barrett coming along nicely
CE: little bit more quality in midfield for Falcons with a v good combo
B3: v good contest, 2 good units

Overall: Falcons really compete everywhere except backrow which has potential but needs some quality in there.

No time sorry
Sharks 20-23 Saints
Chiefs 20-18 Bath
Irish 19-24 Quins
Falcons 17-21 Sarries
Warriors 23-25 Tigers

Sharks 18 saints 23
Chiefs 8 Bath 18
Irish 7 Quins 7
Warriors 23 Tigers 25

Sharks 20-26 Saints
Glos 25-19 Wasps
Irish 16-21 Quins
Falcons 14-19 Sarries
Warriors 14-24 Tigers

Sorry, I have an exam today and won't be able to predict properly, I will next week though

Sharks 23 - Saints 27
Gloucester 30 - Wasps 29
Chiefs 20 - Bath 20
Irish 17 - Quins 20
Warriors 23 - Tigers 26

Sale Sharks 25 - 23 Northampton Saints

The set pieces are even here, but there is a little more in the Saints backrow which helps them around the park in terms of work rate and carrying. Decent halfbacks, a little more for Sale here and Cruden will get the best out of his backs division. But Saints have a little more quality, however I just feel Sale can nick it late on with someone like Goosen who can come on and change the game and control it better than Lamb.

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Exeter Chiefs 26 - 22 Bath

Front fives are both great here and neither will take a backward step in the tight and the loose. The Chiefs back row are a class unit now and play off the front five equality well. Bath are a little down here, but as a unit are some big lads. Wilko will bring 36 and TJ through the game, but the all round game of Barlow and Hook means that they can attack more off first phase ball. Like the look of Chiefs backline and it has a good blend of youth/experience and hard runners and soft hands. Chiefs will take this as Bath needed a little change in personnel, but Chiefs look strong for the year.

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London Irish 21 - 25 Harlequins

Irish might nick a few lineouts, with Etzebeths inexperience being exploited a little by Kennedy. Irish just about handle Quins power, with Pocock slowing them down at the breakdown. Irish halfbacks do well to put their pack in good areas and attack of good ball. But will get taken apart a little by Quins good backline.

Newcastle Falcons 20 - 22 Saracens

Falcons look good here with a strong front five and set piece and manage to match Sarries. the back row contains some decent players but not quite up to the standard of the Sarries players. Falcons have a strong back division, but it is a equalled out with the star quality that Saracens possess. I think there is a little more in the bench for Falcons, but with Halfpenny's relentless kicking Saracens will secure the win just.

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Worcester Warriors 19 - 27 Leicester Tigers

Wuss have come on very far under CJB, but the Tigers side here is immense. There is a good mix of grafters and game changers and that sets them up well for the game. Wuss bench will change the game late on, but too little too late unfortunately.

Gloucester 27-21 London Wasps

Edge to Glaws at scrum time and see them getting the better of the breakdown. Not sure their halfbacks are well suited though with both preferring to boss around their partner. More in midfield for Wasps but serious threat in the back three for Glaws and prefer their bench.


Exeter Chiefs 39-35 Bath

No shift in the forward pack either way and fairly even between halfbacks and midfield. Bit more threat out wide for Chiefs though and slight defensive issues for the Bath midfield.


London Irish 20-17 Harlequins

Not much shift at the set piece but Quins front 5 will get through more around the park. Halfbacks are a step up to Irish. Quins will struggle with that combo next year if Priestland doesn’t hit the ground running after injury. More from 11-15 for Quins but the halfbacks won’t get the best out of them.


Newcastle Falcons 23-25 Saracens

Falcons will get a lot of the lineout but struggle in the backrow level . Falcons lacking a creative spark and should consider bringing Mermoz in closer to the action. Sarries midfield a bit one dimensional. Two cracking back threes though.


Worcester Warriors 20-25 Leicester Tigers

Worc struggle at the set piece but theres a decent battle in the back row.  Lack of carryinging in the tight from Tigers pack. Freuen hasn’t the passing game to play 12. Could act as a decoy but good tactics would be needed to get away with him there. Love to see the Tigers halfbacks together in real life.

Sale 23-25 Saints
Gloucester 27-22 Wasps
Exeter 31-24 Bath
Irish 21-23 Quins
Falcons 18-20 Sarries

Results:

Sale 23-27 Saints
Gloucester 31-25 Wasps
Exeter 26-23 Bath
Irish 18-23 Quins
Newcastle 19-24 Saracens
Worcester 20-28 Tigers

Bonus:

Bathite, Prop, Pooly, CF, Flux, SJE, CJ, CJB