Premiership R 13

Friday
Bristol v Sale

Saturday
Quins v Exeter
Newcastle v Northampton
Saracens v Gloucester

Sunday
Bath v Worcester
Wasps v Leicester

Good start by sale, then Curry binned and Bristol try by Capon who's looked very good early doors.

Horrendous attempted tackle....concedes a try

More poor tackling from Sale leads to Bristol's 3rd try - although it should have been scrubbed off for a clear forward pass ...

Play a man at 13 who can't tackle...isn't going to end well...

Was he due to be there or was it re-jigged due to the 2 late withdrawals in the back-line?

Sanderson said before the game they were experimenting with "an Eddie Jones style lineup...with the second receiver at 13"...(ie Slade for England)

Difference being Slade is strong defensively....

Ah - not an experiment to continue with then maybe ...

Defo not....

Do you think Sinkler is actually happy at Bristol?

He looks miserable

Young Harding always seems to have a good game....

Mr Barnes not having a great 250th game IMO.  Much as I'm not a Sale fan these days they're certainly not getting the rub of the green with the officials tonight.  Bristol clear forward pass for a try not even looked at but then they forensically examine Sale's last one to find a finger brushing the ball for a knock-on and the last few scrum decisions have been very suspect too.

Yeah I thought the same....

After a performance like that, Barnsie saying he was a West Country boy before the match may not have been a great idea ...

GeordieFalcon wrote:Do you think Sinkler is actually happy at Bristol?

He looks miserable

Well, it must be a bit galling to have joined a team with genuine title potential only to be languishing at the bottom of the table - especially when the team you left has rubbed your face in it a couple of times.

He might cheer up next season when Gabs Ibitoye joins him at Ashton Gate. One of his reasons for leaving was that a lot of his mates had also left, and I think Gabs was one of those.

Poorfour wrote:

GeordieFalcon wrote:Do you think Sinkler is actually happy at Bristol?

He looks miserable

Well, it must be a bit galling to have joined a team with genuine title potential only to be languishing at the bottom of the table - especially when the team you left has rubbed your face in it a couple of times.

He might cheer up next season when Gabs Ibitoye joins him at Ashton Gate. One of his reasons for leaving was that a lot of his mates had also left, and I think Gabs was one of those.

He'll gain Genge in the front row alongside him as well which will mean less hammerings at scrum time. That might improve his mood significantly.

Quins v Chiefs match was shaping up nicely but then a stupid red card by the Chiefs Loose Head may spoil the rest of the game ....

Falcons look like they are suffering again ...

Falcon's are dire time for a change at the top.

Hepburn deserved a red there...Simmonds lucky aswell mi d

You saw the good and bad of Saints in that first half. The tries were solid counter attacking Rugby and nicely done by the two wings. But giving up possession down deep is their Achilles Heel. This is not remotely over.

By the way, Furbank is playing well.

doctor_grey wrote:You saw the good and bad of Saints in that first half.  The tries were solid counter attacking Rugby and nicely done by the two wings.  But giving up possession down deep is their Achilles Heel.  This is not remotely over.    

Oh yes it is

OK. Maybe now. You don't know what Saints are truly capable of, mate.

Quins have missed a few open goals this half, got to commend Exeter's grit though.

doctor_grey wrote:OK.  Maybe now.  You don't know what Saints are truly capable of, mate.

Whoa.

1 man thread doc?

Harlequins look like they've managed to find a way of losing of losing game then. Really butched some chances.

Sorry Dean Time to go....and take your coaching staff with you

Spoke too soon. Forgot Smith was playing.

Smith's attacking range is amazing. He seems to love pressure too. He is EXACTLY what England need right now.

No 7&1/2 wrote:1 man thread doc?

Harlequins look like they've managed to find a way of losing of losing game then. Really butched some chances.

Yeah, more or less. Quins Exe must have been a good match.

Chiefs did well to keep it close after the red card - also maybe a bit unlucky as the last turnover by Quins could have been pinged for hands on the ground first which would have given Chiefs a kick in front of the posts to win it ...

True, but sir was pretty lenient on the breakdown today. He allowed Exeter to seal off a lot, so it's only fair that Quins got a bit of leeway

Good for me anyway as I had Quins by 1 on Superbru but thought I was going to be miles out after the red card

Also I bet Green breathed a sigh of relief

Even the most loyal Richards fans now questioning how long he has.

10 years in the role and we've not moved forward.

Cumbrian wrote:Smith's attacking range is amazing.  He seems to love pressure too. He is EXACTLY what England need right now.

For a team that was on top for most of the game they really should have scored a lot more and to be fair to Smith he did create opportunities that Green and Lynagh made a hash of. The nerveless last kick was just as impressive as the crossfield for the try, maybe more so. 

Apparently Quins didn't play in the rain once last season, by the looks of it they better hope there's no unusual weather on the play offs or final this year as they looked like they were struggling badly in the wet conditions.

Chiefs were a touch unlucky with a couple of the calls, particularly the last scrum which was a penalty all day. Sometimes that's the way it falls away from home though. Baxter will be pleased with how they battled away with a man down but their lack of penetration in attack must be a concern as should some of the fairly unnecessary penalties.

Ehhh. Quins haven't played much in bad conditions since they adopted their current style of play, but they are continuing to play that way regardless as we get into up your jumper weather.

They've played 3 of the 5 teams around them in the table in the past three weeks. In two of those, kicks and passes weren't going to hand but they stick to their guns and wom all three games.

By doing what they are doing, they will learn how to adjust to the conditions and be readier should they face freak weather in the future. They're still creating chances. Right now, they're not converting them as often as they would want - but as they get more used to trying those plays in the cold and wet, more of them will come off.

To be fair, on another day (even a rainy one) those two chances that Green blew would have stuck and Quins would have been comfortable.

I guess when I talk about Smith's mentality, I am sharing past scars.  I've watched England s hit the proverbial bed too many times. One of the things that I find so frustrating is that when things start to go wrong, our players can't seem to turn things around.  Even against the Boks in the series just gone, I had a feeling of sinking inevitability,  which is why I was so thrilled with what Marchant and Quirke did.  I sometimes think that some of our older guard are just too mentally scarred, they accept the inevitability of a situation, rather than raging against it.  Quins' approach makes me hope that there is a fresh confidence blowing through English rugby.

Cumbrian...what's your thoughts on the falcons...

Poorfour wrote:They've played 3 of the 5 teams around them in the table in the past three weeks. In two of those, kicks and passes weren't going to hand but they stick to their guns and wom all three games.

I'd have backed Quins to beat Glaws, Saints and Chiefs in current form though. I suppose it is the sign of a good team to drag victories out the bag at the death. Shows a confidence within the team to trust their systems and to back each other.

That being said a two point win over a team that you battered for a lot of the game isn't a good result. I do wonder if Quins could do with rotating a few of their key men. Green for instance wasn't his effervescent self but does play 80 mins week in and week out.

If we're talking about misses I think the Lynagh one was the worst. There's no way he should have let the ball bounce, just allowed it to be coated in all the mud and water from the surface of the pitch. Take a step in and catch it clean out the air and the ball should be cleaner and the trajectory easier to guess. Should have been a walk in. Chiefs should have also taken that as the warning. Smith had identified their lack of cover in the backfield, whomever was in the sweeper role was sitting in behind the play and not reinforcing the winger, presumably keeping players in the line and losing a man from the backfield. Dangerous game to keep playing if the opposition flyhalf is reading it and having players line up to take advantage.

That’s not how it looked or felt in the Ground, Sam.

The conditions (and it was bucketing down for long stretches of the game - enough that sat 10 rows up in the stands I had to zip my coat up) were clearly making it tough to manage the flight of the ball both for kicks and long passes, because both teams were struggling. It looked from where we were sat as if the ball to Lynagh died on him a bit.

As for Exeter’s defence, they were down a winger for half the game and actually did an excellent job of covering. I think Quins were looking to use the kick pass as a way to get it out past the cover defender - it was just a matter of whether they could pull it off.

As for whether winning by a small margin is a good result, good teams find a way to win even when it’s not going their way. Quins created enough chances and ultimately just needed one to come off. Had a couple more gone to hand the scoreline would have better reflected the run of play, but when they absolutely needed to score, they did.

Poorfour wrote:That’s not how it looked or felt in the Ground, Sam.

The conditions (and it was bucketing down for long stretches of the game - enough that sat 10 rows up in the stands I had to zip my coat up) were clearly making it tough to manage the flight of the ball both for kicks and long passes, because both teams were struggling. It looked from where we were sat as if the ball to Lynagh died on him a bit.

As for Exeter’s defence, they were down a winger for half the game and actually did an excellent job of covering. I think Quins were looking to use the kick pass as a way to get it out past the cover defender - it was just a matter of whether they could pull it off.

As for whether winning by a small margin is a good result, good teams find a way to win even when it’s not going their way. Quins created enough chances and ultimately just needed one to come off. Had a couple more gone to hand the scoreline would have better reflected the run of play, but when they absolutely needed to score, they did.

Glad you agree with me.

Fair on the ball dying on Lynagh. It looked like he just held his line on the TV and looked to guess the bounce which wasn't as kind as he wanted and then slippy ball for reaching hand meant knock on. It looked like if he'd stepped into it then it would have been an easier catch but you'd have had a better idea of the wind factor than me.

The wind was pretty light, but the rain was heavy enough to take just enough distance off the kick, the flight and the bounce

As one would expect, I will have to join the Doc on this one, Saints recently have thrown away matches in the last 20-30 minutes lately, a mixture of bad decision making, poor defending and giving away too many penalties that meant we were playing far too much in our half. Add to that a rampant case of can'tcatchaballitus, means that we have struggled.

Yesterday after the "rampant case" seem to miraculously disappear after about 20 minutes, we actually looked good, tackles were being made many dominant ones, mauls were being defended well, the scrum had parity most of the time and was in ascendancy for the rest. Ball in hand has not really been an issue, but even when we had to change things about, the loss of Biggar and Dingwall didn't phase them; Furbank is beginning to look more than just a capable 10, Litchfield despite his tender years looks every bit a Premiership player and Freeman is just class.

Saints are seriously spoilt for choice in the backs when everyone is fit.

Three tries crafted from around the half way line or further back and run in with multiple levels of support, just in case some one got back, plus Collins taking advantage of some sloppy Falcons handling and a drive over by Matavesi all excellent in their own way.

Hopefully it sets us up for a much better showing next week against Ulster

Ow. Youd imagine the wasps pack isn't going to be enjoying scrums today.

WPI

You were playing us....we are hideously bad st the moment...

Class by Potter there

No 7&1/2 wrote:Ow. Youd imagine the wasps pack isn't going to be enjoying scrums today.

Tomooga-Allen is immensely strong and can dominate less technical LHs but at 6'4" he's tall for a TH and astute scrummagers such as Genge can get him out of shape. He's a bit like a TH version of Andy Sheridan in that regard. Genge had hinging at that first scrum.

Cole gets West going back at the second scrum as well. I really rate West so that should be a good battle but perhaps not an even one if Genge and Montoya are on top next to him.

There are nearly 190 caps in that Tigers front row. The addition of Montoya has made the scrum even more dynamic.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Class by Potter there

Potter and Porter have been such good signings for Tigers.

Rob Taylor our brief serving Aussie attack coach brought them over from Sydney University. They've developed into excellent players.

Potter could realistically be the lowest earning wing at Tigers given where he joined from but he's now a nailed on starter at full strength on merit of his consistently fantastic performances.

I had no idea Potter was an Aussie....thought he had come through rhw academy

GeordieFalcon wrote:I had no idea Potter was an Aussie....thought he had come through rhw academy

Potter is England born, moved to Australia when he was 12, came back to join Tigers. He came to prominence through good performance for Sydney Uni in the Shute Shield.

Very similar story with Porter who's also England born but moved to Australia young and came back to the UK when Tigers signed him.