Your starting 15 so far

First topic message reminder :

We're in mid pre season signings are underway....as of the moment whats your likely starting 15 come the first game of the season...and is it stronger or weaker than last season?
 
Falcons 
I think our squad and team have improved quite a bit and we will definately have a far more physical edge to us. We have a clinical kicker now and improved quality all over. We do need a new 10 though...unless Rory Clegg can really discover his ability with the quality around him. We also have numerous kids coming through that will definately be getting plenty of gametime.
 
Ours
1 Rob Vickers
2 Rob Hawkins / Lawson (McGuigan)
3 Keiron Brookes
4 Callum Green
5 Dom Barrow
6 Josh Furno
7 Will Welch
8 Chris York / Mark Wilson
 
9 Mike Blair
10 Rory Clegg
 
11 Alex Tuilagi / Sinoti Sinoti
12 Juan Pablo Socino
13 Gonzalo Tiesi / Adam Powell
14 Noah Cato / Zac Kibirige
15 Alex Tait

Bathman_in_London wrote:To be honest HKC, you might have the upper hand this season, the Bath team will be the same plus a (very large) rookie, whereas the Glaws team looks a lot stronger.

There's probably less chance of handbags now your two angry scrum halves have gone too!

But it wouldn't be a derby game if there wasn't the odd bit of handbags!

I'm still expecting this year to be transitional for us given the amount of new players and the whole new coaching set up.  As long as we don't lose at Kingsholm again I'll be satisfied!

Looking at these teams on paper (obviously not the full picture) I'd struggle to see past an AP bottom 3 of Irish, Falcons. Welsh.

For me I reckon the table will be

 1) Leicester
 2) Saracens
 3) Quins
 4) Sale
 5) Wasps
 6) Chiefs
 7) Falcons
 8) Irish
 9) Welsh
10) Bath
11) Glous
12) Saints

 Yes I maybe be slightly biased here.

I'll take that Welly

Ill take that aswell!

GeordieFalcon wrote:Ill take that aswell!

GF with your cracking signings this season I don't think that it too infeasible!

Won't go into reasons now as don't have the time, but think it will look like this:

Leicester
Saracens
Northampton
Bath
Harlequins
Wasps
Gloucester
Irish
Sale
Exeter
Newcastle
Welsh

SirBurger wrote:Won't go into reasons now as don't have the time, but think it will look like this:

Leicester
Saracens
Northampton
Bath
Harlequins
Wasps
Gloucester
Irish
Sale
Exeter
Newcastle
Welsh

I think that's about right. I'd probably put Sale above Irish but I reckon you're close.

SirBurger wrote:Won't go into reasons now as don't have the time, but think it will look like this:

Leicester
Saracens
Northampton
Bath
Harlequins
Wasps
Gloucester
Irish
Sale
Exeter
Newcastle
Welsh

I'd be surprised if Irish finished so highly tbh.

I'd go:

Sarries
Tigers
Saints
Bath
Quins
Gloucester
Sale
Wasps
Exeter
Irish
Falcons
Welsh

bluestonevedder wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:Ill take that aswell!

GF with your cracking signings this season I don't think that it too infeasible!

Eddie, i wouldnt call them cracking signings, more shrewd / efficient signings.

They are players that will definately enhance areas of our game that were below par and should make us much more competitive.

Ie Whilst a couple of games we took a humping...quite a number we very close scores that poor kicking cost us. Now we have the kicking machine Socino who is also a very handy direct runner with th ball and very strong defender.

We might not excite fans all over the country but we'll be a physical tough side to beat this season.

01. Saracens
02. Bath
03. Northampton
04. Leicester
05. Harlequins
06. Gloucester
07. Sale
08. Exeter
09. Wasps
10. Irish
11. Newcastle
12. Welsh

I'm expecting big things from Bath this coming season.
I don't think Gloucester will be as bad again and they've recruited well in the front row.

Saints
Tigers
Sarries
Bath
Gloucester
Quins
Sale
Wasps
Falcons
Exeter
Irish
Welsh

I think a lot depends on how we play rather than the team. The 3G pitch could be a huge bonus or simply other teams to open us up.

Much hinges on our 10 too tbh.

Have faith my good man....have faith ;-)

Lol....fingers crossed GF!

I'll get to more games this season with me only being up the road. We'll have to get the 606 boys together, there must be 4/5 of us.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Lol....fingers crossed GF!

I'll get to more games this season with me only being up the road. We'll have to get the 606 boys together, there must be 4/5 of us.

You'll fill a stand  at Kingston Park GF! 








.....Apologies. That was unnecessarily mean.

Yet not far from the truth.........

This is likely to all change by the time the season starts, but my current call for table at the end of the season is...

1. Leicester Tigers
2. Bath Rugby
3. Northampton Saints
4. Saracens
5. Harlequins
6. Sale Sharks
7. London Wasps
8. Gloucester
9. London Irish
10. Exeter Chiefs
11. Newcastle Falcons
12. London Welsh

To be fair, I reckon 1-5 are pretty interchangeable in that, as are 6-10, with 11 and 12 nailed on.

Certainly seems to be groups again Oz.

I'd put 1-4, 5-8 and 9-12 as mini leagues.

Saracens:

1) Mako Vunipola
2) Schalk Brits
3) James Johnston
4) Alistair Hargreaves
5) Jim Hamilton
6) Kelly Brown
7) Jacques Burger
8) Billy Vunipola
9) Richard Wigglesworth
10) Owen Farrell
11) Dave Strettle
12) Brad Barritt
13) Marcelo Bosch
14) Chris Ashton
15) Alex Goode

So nothing particularly new there. What I am interested to see next season is:
1) Who will be captain?
Ernst Joubert is our current vice captain but he is probably 6th choice back rower behind the starting 3, Fraser and Wray. I would expect it to go to Brown or maybe Burger, with Hargreaves and Wigglesworth also potential candidates. Dare I say it but Owen Farrell could take the armband eventually too.
2) Will Goode be given more time at #10?
Charlie Hodgson isn't retiring yet but I would definitely like to see Alex Goode play some more games at fly half or inside centre next season, potentially alongside Faz. It would make sense for Goode to become #2 kicker over Hodgson as well (will the possibility of challenging Farrell for first choice), judging by his markedly superior kicking percentage last season.
3) Will McCall trust Kruis and Itoje in the engine room?
The fact that he has signed Hamilton would suggest not entirely. I doubt there are question marks with Kruis, who would be on the bench for the starting XV above, but I doubt we will see him paired with Itoje in next season's big games. If Hargreaves (or, shock horror, Hamilton) is made captain then I would expect Kruis and Itoje's game time to be fairly limited.
4) Will we get out of our Champions Cup group?
I'm not confident. The new seeding system is fairer than the old one, and certainly gives more meaning to the league positions, but we've got the two hardest away trips in Thomond Park and the Stade Marcel Michelin.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:Lol....fingers crossed GF!

I'll get to more games this season with me only being up the road. We'll have to get the 606 boys together, there must be 4/5 of us.

Absolutely. I havent got a ST this year unfortunately (though still would like to depending on work situation) but even if i dont ill be at as many games as possible.

We'll have a few two pint pitchers   

Ospreys....probably.

Bevington/Dunc/Nicky Smith
Baldwin/Sam Parry
Adam/Aaron Jarvis
AWJ/Lloyd Peers
King/Rynier Bernado
Tyler Ardron/Tom Smith
Tips/Sam Lewis
Baker/Morgan Allen/Bearman
Webb/Habberfield
Biggar/ Sam Davies
Hassler/ Eli
Bishop/Spratt
Beck/Matevesi
Natoga/Dirksen
Evans/Fuss/Jones

Still waiting for the region to update the squad for 14/15 on the official site.

OMc wrote:Saracens:

1) Mako Vunipola

I thought he was on long term injured - having read he would not be playing again before 6Nations time.

LondonTiger wrote:

OMc wrote:Saracens:

1) Mako Vunipola

I thought he was on long term injured - having read he would not be playing again before 6Nations time.

Oh. I didn't realise that. Slightly annoying considering Auterac's going to Bath. Barrington would be the next cab off the rank, followed by Gill and then presumably Jared Saunders. I don't know in all honesty which side this Kieran Longbottom we have coming in plays, I'm hoping it's tighthead because we're seriously weak there, but if he's a loosehead he will fit somewhere into the pecking order.

Alot of faith for bath in here, i am a bath fan but for me the squad is weaker than last year...still no world class scrum half recplacement, stringer a year older, heathcote, bendy and perenise gone and replaced by nobody, that arscott and Thomas, who are all worse in my opinon than the incumbent. Burgess wont make a difference until 2016. Likley missing James, Webber, Wilson, Attwood, Ford, Eastmond, Watson, Louw, Agulla for patches leaving a possible team as:

Catt
Batty
Thomas
Hooper
Day
Garvey
Houston
Mercer
Stringer
Henson
Banahan
Devoto
Joseph
Roko
Arscott

Im expecting Huge seasons from nathan catt, David sisi, Will Spencer and Chris Cook

For Quins:

Brown
Yarde
Lowe
Turner-Hall
Monye
Evans
Care
Easter
Robshaw c
Wallace
Matthews
Robson
Collier
Ward
Marler

Lambert, Gray, Sinckler, Trayfoot, Clifford, Dickson, Botica, Tikoirotuma

Looking strong at back 3, would like to bolster our pack though

If the pack holds up (and it should) and we are luckier with injuries than last season, we will make top 4. Big seasons needed from Lambert, Matthews, Cliiford and Trayfoot, Botica. Really hope Lowe is fully back

Trayfoot and Clifford could both be massive for us this season. Both looked good in their cameos last year, will be exciting to see how an extended run goes for them.

Worried about lock though. Robson isn't getting younger, Matthews is a slow burner, and then after that it's just academy boys who are pretty untested.

If Lowe is fit and returns anything like he can play, he will be first choice 13 again

How's Lowe looking CJ? Have you heard anything?

Back training by the end of last season, no contact but we've not kept Molenaar and not built at centre so that points to good news. Hopefully we ease him back in as the worst thing for long term injured players is to be forced back into the side for too many games in a row

Good to hear, always rated him.

Still very surprised we let Molenaar go, even if we only kept him for a few months he may have made the transition period a bit easier for Lowe.

Fingers crossed Lowe has a full, injury-free season. He always seems to tease us with glimpses of brilliance before sustaining a season-ending injury.

http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/sport/rugby/quins/11349177.Lowe_prepared_for_Quins_comeback/

Good news