[2013 Premiership] Round 2

[j'nuh]

Couldn't argue - but we know that's not going to happen.

Why are some people unable to see that Vunipola ends with an A not an O?

Glos's tight five is worse than Australia's (though Savage is good)

We're missing Edmonds, Knight and Hudson, certain first-teamers when fit. I think they can be competitive. It's the depth we're lacking.

Wouldn't say this on Shedweb, but for me, just a few of the "changes" I'd make would include letting Dawidiuk, Dan George, Harden, and Qera (one of my favourite players and would love him to stay, but I see France calling, and we have enough back row resources to offset his departure) leave. I'd target Perenise or Tui as a tighthead signing and whichever of Gray or Buchanan that ends up second choice at Quins as a hooker signing. I'd let Cowan leave and make a second row marquee signing. If we could pry away Mumm, that would be fantastic.

Any extra money needed could be from James and Hazell retiring.

We'd have a smaller squad, but the front 5 would be reasonably strong at last.

 

[bertiec]

Tigers did not implode the ref/linesman did not see the ball slapped from Meles hand at the ruck. Every one else did hence the late chase and try. The decisions about feeding the scrum mystical. Youngs should not have had a card Hooper or Atty, whomever did the slapdown should have. As did Easter in the same situ. So Bath had the rub this weekend, lets hope we get a bit better luck, the injury count is worrying.

 

[bertiec]

Most annoying comment, Stringer is worse or are you bind as well as a numpty. Thats perhaps why Tigers are where they are and Bristol likewise if thats how you see the game.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Youngs shouldn't have been carded - Stankovich should have, although I agree it should probably have been a penalty and a warning rather than a card.

What Easter did is very different to what Rokoduguni did.
Dan Cole's foot knocks the ball out of the ruck and Mele picks it up - as he is passing it Roko leaps and pulls down Mele's arm - causing him to drop the ball.
Nothing illegal about that at all.

 

[Rich Taff]

Watched the 'highlights' on ITV4 earlier (love the Northampton crowd going crazy every time North gets the ball (and the fact the Saints centre was going to kick a knock on he gathered, then looked outside him and thought 'ooh, lets pass it to this guy and see what happens')).
On another note, the Gloucester game.......not read the entire thread, but Wood should receive a massive ban for that (double) stamp on the guys head. Cannot understand what was going through his head (if anything). Absolutely disgusting.

 

[ratsapprentice]

If you watch it in real time - he didn't mean to stamp on his head.
He stamps twice in very quick succession, the first down Jaques' back then his head pops out into the path of Nick's boot for the second.
I think the ban should reflect that.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Wood knew exactly what he was doing. He may not have meant to "Stamp" and rather meant to "ruck" but he deliberately used his boot on the head of another player and should be gone for a while.

 

[Patchey]

Didn't Wood get carded in the first and of the season too? Not good.
The way Saries were playing in the first half I think Gloucester would have would have out a few ttries on them with a full team. Real shame that from 78 minutes the result was a forgone conclusion.

 

[ratsapprentice]

he deliberately used his boot on the head of another player

I disagree.

Got 5/6 right, just got the Sale one wrong.

 

[Packman]

I got 4 out of 6 right.

Well done newcastle for a great away win in terrible conditions! I never saw that coming

Well done London Irish for pulling off a similar away win at Sixways. Suddenly the pressure is a bit on Worcester but I reckon Dean Ryan will keep 'em up.

The Bath v Leicester match was great fun. Great come back but seriously guys, why get yourselves in the situation??? Bath were excellent. Cudos for the way they closed the game out. The Tigers just couldn't get the ball.

 

[psychic duck]

The Dan Cole is "the best in the world" camp appear to have quietened ever since the 6 Nations game against Wales. By the looks of the Bath match, he wasn't adapting all too well the new scrum rules either and not the first time in his career was getting marched back at a rate of knots by Paul James.

 

[Peat]

Meh. In form he's fantastic, he's not in form at the moment, largely because he has been chronically overplayed. Still pretty good, can't be bothered arguing about a tiny amount of evidence.

 

[ratsapprentice]

He's never been any more than "really good", and is often average as a scrummager.
As Peat says, he's been out of form for a good while now... when he is on form, it certainly isn't his scrummaging that makes him world class.

 

[j'nuh]

What if depowering the hit means the advantage that used to be gained by having powerful 6'2/6'3 tighthead props driving to win the hit is now not enough compared to their relative difficulty in anchoring the scrum if they cannot win the hit? It does seem to be that the sides match each other at the hit, but Bath wins the contest the longer it goes on.

Wilson is the same height as Cole (6'2). But whereas Paul James (6'1) is slightly shorter than Cole and can try to get underneath him, Mulipola (6'4) isn't going to do the same to Wilson. I wonder if Wilson will run into similar problems if he faces off against eg Corbs?

Harden (6'3) is also having immense difficulty with the new rules. He was never amongst the top scrummagers in the league, but he wasn't previously as bad as he's playing now.

Whereas I've been told Samson Lee (5'11) has had a cracking start to the season...

 

[ratsapprentice]

We'll see. Wilson has always been a stronger scrummager than Cole though, it's nothing new. (he's also 187cm tall compared to Dan's 189)
If Dan can't bring his form back up and suffers under the new directives then I can't see any reason to play him over Wilson.
Bear in mind Attwood is locking for Davey and I'd wager he's a stronger scrummager than Slater is.

 

[Peat]

Can't say I'd agree with Wilson always being a stronger scrummager than Cole. Certainly wasn't the case when Cole basically leapfrogged Wilson to become England incumbent.

 

[ratsapprentice]

By "always" I mean the last couple of seasons

 

[BRSTLDRGN]

Wood gets 8 week ban.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p>BREAKING NEWS Gloucester's Nick Wood receives 8 week suspension for stamping <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23btsportrugby&amp;src=hash">#btsportrugby</a></p>&mdash; BT Sport (@BTSport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BTSport/statuses/380422893374820354">September 18, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[j'nuh]

Healy got one week for his stamp, right? Horwill - did he even get a ban?



I mean, it's probably a fair punishment, but not by the benchmark set by the bans for internationals. Some consistency in sentencing, please.

 

[Peat]

Wood stamped on the head though, no? Explains a fair bit of the extras on the ban.