European Homepage

Cheers for this Pete!

Good effort Pete

It's a lot easier jazzing up the pages on here than it was on the old 606.

Pool 6 looking fairly harsh!!

You're not wrong SJE. In season 2 I ended up in a pool with Toulouse and London Wasps, was a tough one to get out of and i ended up with an away quarter final and went out.

Will be an intereting year for me. Used to having the amlin so could pretty much rest my 1st team through the group stages doubt i can do that this year.

Luke has got another toughie with Leinster and after Montpeiller having a top year this seaso as well. Really is a balancing act deciding what games to prioritise

Yeah, season 2 Mat made the final of both the Heino and Prem and people went heavily down the fatigue route and he lost both games.

Delicate balancing act if you want to compete on both fronts.

Yeah mate I remember that, I was one of those who picked him on it. Hence his rotation policy last season.

Do we know what way the fixtures are working out yet?

No, not yet mate, but the should be out soon enough.

Cheers Pete
Have to plan out the attack for this season

I doubt Prop and Driver will be impressed with that draw!!

Dont know how serious Lyon will take the Amlin but they are a side with alot of investment on the up. Game management going to be key Driver mate in that group

Driver has got a real tough group, but I think all of the AP teams should do ok in the Amlin though to be honest.

Id expect all the lads to qualify but again squad management will be important for Driver. Will be a very interesting year with the world cup going on. Actually cant wait to get into it again and get the tactical battles going again

I'm the same mate.

When i predict this season I am going to be putting a huge emphasis on peoples tactics. They will need to suit the conditions and the players that are selected to execute them, and like you mentioned the other day, the weight I attach to home advantage will not be the same for every team.

Already developing my tactics for wet and dry! Cut them by about 200 words from the novels I had last year!!

Will be emphasising my unbeaten home record this season every week though!!

I will be giving home advantage as the same weight for each team.

When I'm on the pitch the only voice from off the pitch I hear is my dad's whether I'm playing in front of 10 or 1000 so I don't give much to the crowd that's generated . Only comes into effect during breaks in play.

I do however think the home team gets used to a pitches dimensions and other factors. That is important particularly when kicking from hand.

I think the first 6 AP games, which are during the WC it should be pretty dry conditions so looking more at home/away tactics.

I have these games...

AP R1 vs. London Wasps (h)
AP R2 vs. Bath Rugby (a)
AP R3 vs. Worcester Warriors (h)
AP R4 vs. Leicester Tigers (a)
AP R5 vs. Exeter Chiefs (a)
AP R6 vs. Newcastle Falcons (h)

starting plotting now

My home record in the AP and HC in the 3 seasons we've been playing this game...

P 42
W 38
D 3
L 1

And the defeat was in season one, so unbeaten at home in 2 and a half years!!!

Im got the following mate:-

Worcester (A)
Irish (H)
Wasps (A)
Saints (H)
Quins (A)
Glaws (H)

If any1 can build a bit of momentum over the 1st few games think they will do well through the world cup

I've only got a season and half to compare with for form and when I came into the league Sale were bottom and favourites to be relegated in the game! Done well last season!

Mate, you have done wonders with Sale. Before you took over I think they'd had about 8 managers and had made some crazy deals selling world class players to bring in utter dross.

Fair play to you, finishing top half last season was a fair old achievement.

Hardest pitches to go and play at Welford Road, the Shed and Franklins Gardens - they are out and out rugby stadiums and so different to some of the football grounds that teams play in these days. They have so much history too. Home advantage does definitely benefit.

I wonder whether its worth putting the semi finals in a neutral venue this year for all competitions?

Gunning for your top 2 spot now next season

I looked at the Sale team in season 1 once and they had Sheidan, inform Tait, Barnes, Butch James, Hodgson, AAC, haarrinoraquay etc!

James, Hodgson and Harri were still around when I came along but I remember having a division 2 standard TH starting when I first started. Its amazing how the league has moved on since then. Great group of lads here

Oh i agree Chris mate stated that either this week or last week in my predictions. Welford will be a killer place to go to as well when you consider Lukes record there. Will be taking records in to count as well. As above Pete has a fantastic record at home. I had a great year as well.

Think tactics are crucial. Liked how Pete used pshycology in his key points etc at times last year. Will definately consider things like that if a side can prove they may well have a mental edge over someone. Maybe like my wins home and away against Glaws in the league last year, cost them top 2 in the end, important for me

Chris, I agree they are the 3 toughest places to go to in the league in real life. I think it is one of the problems for London Irish, the Madejski is just too nice a place, not intimidating at all.

In knockout rugby I am not so sure about whether home advantage is as big though, as all teams raise their games.

I don't think that we should go to neutral venues, the whole ethos of this game has always been keeping it as close to the real world as possible.

SJE, we have been lucky with the people we have managing teams here. Most have stuck around for a long time as well, so the league has survived and flourished as a result.

I've played at Welford Road & Franklins Gardens in curtain raisers before big AP matches and it was more intimidating then playing at Twickers! Was funny as the crowd get so behind their teams, was only 18 when I played there. Never got to play at the Shed though...

its unreal the job you've done at Sale SJE. The only manager I remember doing well with them was Arry before he want to Wasps.

I have to confess I am planning very long term in this game. My aim is to really push on for the league in Season 5. Use this season to see how people rate players and combo's etc and just see how things go.

I have the core of the side I want for Season 5 in place already (Cooper, Warburton, Louw, Faiinga, Morahan, Sharpe, Kearney etc) as well as a good set of youngsters. Have a game plan and am looking for players who will fit into that mould but by god it takes time to fit them in place.

That is a long term plan indeed Steve.


I'm barely looking past the end of the World Cup period!

Look at my signings since I started mate Rooney aside (EQ reasons) they were all young very promising players. Its great fun trying to spot the next stars really adds to the game. Would love to see the average ages of everyones squad but really havent the time for that!

Got kinda lucky at times. The draft we had after christmas in season 2 really brought my side on while backing Sexton over Hodson and James I think has payed off for me. Very impressed with what Pooly has done when you think how poor Newcastle are in real life and then look at the side he has. Amazing!


I doubt that now Pete when you have the likes of Elsadt, Spence, 36, Farrel and Goode

Ah, maybe looking just a little further ahead than that then SJE....


Next May!

Yikes that is a tough group!

Toulon will be a real sticky fixture both home and away. coming up against Bakkies , Wilko , Lobbe , Smith , Giteau , Rooney and Basteraud.

I kind of hope i play Toulon away first game as there's less pressure on me to get a result away and i imagine Lyon and Padova will be easy pickings. A bonus point in the south of France will set me on my way.

Easy draw for me. When are the dates for real hc finalised.'we have Connacht and toulouse

Pooly has done a cracking job. The first manager of Newcastle was a very good manager as well. He was a huge Sale fan and pillaged Sale of there top players.

It's the same as Sarries Pete, they shouldnt play at Vicarage Road - its just not intimidating, which goes to show just how well Sarries did last year. They are the most boring team to watch by some distance, but they are so well drilled, know exactly what they have to do and play to their strengths. Really dont like the club, how its run but really respect what they've achieved.

I'm intrigued with how they will play Owen Farrell too - Hodgson was a good signing, but he will easily be first choice - will they play Farrell at 12 and move Barritt to 13? Farrell just has to play to keep developing, he's a special player - let him go as I think George Ford is the best young player in world rugby, hope he gets a few games whilst Flood is in NZ.

Steven you've done exactly the same as me, I've put so much emphasis on youth in my squad that it probably needs at least another season to bed in. Really looking forward to seeing some of the Wasps lads kick on next season too especially Launchbury and Daly.

I'm not convinced that Farrell will go to 12. As I've said before, i can see them rotating him and Hodgson much as they did with de Kock and Wiggles in the 9 shirt last season.

Farrell is a good player, still lots to work on though, but has very good basics so should kick on. Nothing is guaranteed though, going to be interesting to see how he develops.

Watching Farrell play I just see him being a 12, his distribution and kicking makes an ideal foil for a player like Hodgson. He also has a great defence. Think he will make a very good 12, but a more limited 10.

Best example is watching how differently George Ford and Owen Farrell controlled the u20 games during the WC - Ford is an out and out 10, whilst Farrell was a 12 playing at 10.

Think Christain Lewis-Pratt is another very good 10, he's just left Leeds to take up a full time 7s contract with England - he's a very clever player though. Good to see Joe Ford move back to Leeds, his career faltered at Saints.

Can somebody remind me please who won the Amlin in this game last season and the season before.

Ta

Tigers both times I think mate

Definatey Tigers last year anyway

Do you want to drop down to the Amlin to try and win it this year then SJE?

I think im alright with the Heino spot thanks mate

Any news on fixtures?

They'll be up in the next couple of weeks. Not got the time or the motivation for it right now I'm afraid.

Luke we use the real life fixtures and group sets so it's pretty easy to see who your playing


HC Round 1

Pool 1

Munster vs Gloucester
Scarlets vs Castres

Pool 2

Racing Metro vs Cardiff Blues
Sale Sharks vs Edinburgh

Pool 3

Montpillier vs Leinster
Glasgow vs Leicester

Pool 4

Aironi vs Newcastle Falcons
Ulster vs ASM Clermount

Pool 5

Ospreys vs Biarritz
Saracens vs Treviso

Pool 6

Harlequins vs Connacht
Toulouse vs London Irish

That isn't how it works is it?

I thought I'm in a group with Irish.

IE whoever finished top of this league last season is Sarcacens (top of actual AP) and so on and so forth

You are steve error on my part

Its not to hard to work out for each 'team' represents your side in the real draw. Will do it myself if I ever finish my dissertation work this week.

Steve is right. These are the groups as they should be:



1 Castres
2 Munster
3 Gloucester
4 Scarlets


1 Cardiff Blues
2 Edinburgh
3 Leicester Tigers
4 Racing Metro


1 Sale
2 Glasgow
3 Leinste
4 Montpellier


1 Aironi
2 Clermont Auvergne
3 Saracens
4 Ulster


1 Benetton Treviso
2 Biarritz
3 Ospreys
4 Newcastle Falcons


1 Connacht
2 London Irish
3 Northampton Saints
4 Toulouse

And first two sets of fixtures:


Saints v Connacht
Aironi v Saracens
Leicester v Edinburgh
Montpellier v Leinster
Scarlets v Castres
Ospreys v Biarritz
Ulster v Clermont Auvergne
Munster v Gloucester
Glasgow v Sale
Newcastle v Benetton Treviso
Toulouse v Irish


Cardiff Blues v Leicester
Clermont Auvergne v Aironi
Edinburgh v Racing Metro
Gloucester v Scarlets
Benetton Treviso v Ospreys
Biarritz v Newcastle
Castres v Munster
Irish v Saints
Connacht v Toulouse
Saracens v Ulster
Leinster v Glasgow
Sale v Montpellier