Gallagher Prem - Round 5

First topic message reminder :

Friday
Newcastle v Wasps 19.45 -

Saturday
Bristol v Northampton - 15.00
Exeter v Worcester - 15.00
Gloucester v Quins - 15.00
Saracens v Bath - 15.00

Sunday
Leicester v Sale - 15.00

LondonTiger wrote:

Heaf wrote:This ref needs to up his game - nearly gave a drop out instead of a try (albeit Wasps shouldn't have been in that position in the first place) and then nearly gave a try when the ball was dropped ... for once the assistants are doing their jobs by stepping in.

Thought the Wasps 12 regathered it before it but the ground.

I was surprised that wasn't looked at from more angles. It was a very quick decision and he certainly looked like he regathered before it hit the floor, I was just unsure whether it hit the Falcons player on the way down.

Nearly did it again

Shame though - would have been a cracking try ...

Why did Sinoti not touch the ball in the final five minutes? You need a killer touch and only one of the two star wingers is getting on the ball. He really faded in the second half.

Im absolutely furious we lost that game! We should have been out of sight!!!

I said on the falcons forum we'd rue the missed chances in the first half and I was proved right.

3 games this season we've lost that we should have won...games we were winning last season.

Thought the Falcons were very unfortunate to not get a penalty at the end when Nathan Hughes was clearly offside and interfered with the first receiver (though the referee said he didn't).

Still, the Falcons were at fault for turning down so many three-point opportunities.

Scrappy away win for Quins...should have been more secure but for some poor kicking and lack of cool heads in the dying minutes when we had two golden try-scoring opportunities (Crumpton throwing the ball over the line, Smith slipping after a beautiful clean break).

Puts us in 4th spot on points diff, see I said we'd be playoff contenders

Marler had a really strong game, some huge carries.

We mock the 'Game Changers', but we brought on a fresh front row, and they immediately demolished the glaws scrum in front of the posts and won the game-winning penalty....so.....

Just seeing another round and more high scoring games. I don't watch the games so not sure why it's been so crazy. Any ideas what has caused the increase in scores. Today alone was 250pts (60pts per game). Is it a change in styles of play or Refing or just start of the season adjusting and will all settle down to the usual game we are use to of about 40pts in total

Is the weather still good? That's a big influence.

Great win for Quins, sounds like we made it more nervy then it needed to be but a win is a win is a win.

Alex Goode gave the best display I have seen in many a year by a club full back today.

Seconded on Alex Goode. Second choice backline for us, but he would have cut any team to shreds yesterday

Not sure what Dan Cole in the loose offers anymore.

Really a game we should have won. The lack of depth at fly half really showed today. Think our season will only get going was faf is back, and Ashton's ban ending can only be a positive.

englishborn wrote:Really a game we should have won. The lack of depth at fly half really showed today. Think our season will only get going was faf is back, and Ashton's ban ending can only be a positive.

Lack of a goal kicker. Sam James did a decent job but only one kick slotted isn't premiership standard.

Tigers were rank average. Both sides made plenty of handling errors and both will be left baffled by decisions from Maxwell-Keys.

Any fit scrum halfs and hookers please report to Oval Park.

Good news - we won.

Bad news - we were shocking.

TightHEAD wrote:Not sure what Dan Cole in the loose offers anymore.

Probably more than bath, who were humped by Saracens and another Liam Williams hat trick.

Are Saracens coming out strong or have the last couple of matches been against shoddier opponents? Bath certainly seem to always underperform, something is just not right with their squad.

Bath fielded a 2nd XV because umm ..........................Blackadder thought it was a good idea?

Also Bath didn't want to risk players like Attwood who was busy signing autographs in Bath city centre on Saturday as they were selling merchandise to their long suffering fans and American Tourists.

I think that with a shortened 6 day turn round to the home game on Friday night, Blackadder took the pragmatic decision to rest some players for a match they were always likely to get little from.

A number of players making their first start for Bath this season were fired up enough to keep things interesting at half time though the two interception tries did flatter the away team. The defensive co-ordination was severely lacking (something we know about at Leicester) but even at full strength Bath look no better than a mid-table side.

Blackadder was never as good as the Crusaders made him appear, he struggled when he had the best squad in SR by far, and seems to struggle now with an average Bath side.