2018/19 Match Day Squads

[Scotty]

Seen the same thread on pro 14 section and stole it .

So now the summer tours are done post your teams match day squads for the start of the new season and what you hope for your team this season.

So Chiefs,

Hepburn
LCD
Williams
Hill
Skinner
Ewers
Armand
SSimmonds

White
JSimmonds
Woodburn
Hill
Slade
Nowell
Cordero

Yendle
Moon
Holmes/Francias
Lees(need young lad to come through. or a big signing to take us forward
Kvesic ( waldrom, salvi and horstmen gone)
Maunder/townsend
Steeno( start to source a replacement this season for next)
Cuthbert (we bought him, may as well use him lol)

Devoto, campanero, whitten. Devoto may take the 22 shirt or take over hill.
Forwards, second and back row we are abit light now in depth, we need a big bruising 8 and a lock as skinner/hill are not experience enough and lees has not been performing and getting on abit.

We need a plan B and that isnt just a kicking game but a plan b ball in hand as atm we are just aimlessly and continuously taking contact and recycling yet not making ground, need to bring in the tip on pass and attack the gaps not just try run through brick wall.

I want to see cordero show his potential and step up this season and nail down that FB position and nowell get back his form.

Want maunder to get some game time to, he was coming along nicly and just dropped off the grid. He's young with potential and needs a shot even as 3rd choice.

Thats what i want from my team, whats your team?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

My team would be
1. Genge
2. Polota-Nau
3. Cole
4. Spencer
5. Kitchener
6. Kalamafoni
7. O'Connor
8. Thompson
9. Youngs
10. Ford
11. May
12. Toomua
13. Manu
14. Holmes
15. Veianu

16. Youngs
17. Bateman
18. New prop we have apprently signed but can't announce just yet.
19. Williams
20. Denton
21. Simmons
22. Hardwick
23. Tait

Honestly happy with the squad it now comes down to everything clicking.
Players wise I hope Olowofela can push Tait for that 23 shirt.

 

[Scotty]

Leicester have done some very smart signings in denton, thompson and spencer. Would have loved to get spencer to Chiefs anf denton tbh, we lack depth at lock and denton wpuld have fit in well in chiefs back row.

But honestly with that squad can see tigers deffinatly being top 4 without question.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

1. Harrison
2. Webber
3. WG John
4. Ostrikov
5. Evans
6. Ross
7. Curry
8. Strauss
9. Faf
10. McGinty
11. McGuigan
12. Rohan
13. James
14. Solomona
15. O'Connor

16. Neild
17. Flynn
18. Taurus
19. Beaumont
20. Curry
21. Cliff
22. James
23. Yarde


Unless we make some surprise signings there'll be very little change in the Sale squad.
Philips will rotate in to rest a lock or Strauss, and Jones will rotate in to rest tightheads, but I can't see either really pressing for first XV.
Hopefully this is the year that Neild shits or gets off the pot WRT becoming a hooker. He's still adamant, and Jones was poor last season, so he should get a shot, but it's last chance saloon really.
We need another 9 now that Faf is back in international contention - Cliff is a decent player but not really a starter for a side with top 6 aspirations, and beyond him we've only got young academy lads who haven't played any senior rugby yet. If Cliff gets crocked while the 4 Nations is on then we're in the plop.
Also it looks like JOC won't be fit for the start of the season so I expect McGuigan will start at 15.


Edit: Rohan booooyyyyyyyyy

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

If Sale could sort their Tight 5 they could have a massively dangerous team.
But Diamond likes to Bargain hunt for them, and IMO it just hasn't worked for him he gets some decent club players but none of them are great.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yup, we've needed a big lock since Nathan Hines retired, And a loosehead for as long as I can remember

We've definitely uncovered some gems in our searches but they should be found while we've got a solid front 5, not in the hope they'll slot straight in

 

[Triple Exe]

Lees(need young lad to come through. or a big signing to take us forward

Hopefully this is Josh Caulfield's breakthrough season. There's also Salmon and van der Sluys.

It'll be interesting to see how the new signings from the academy go. Rus Tuima could be the 8 we're looking for eventually. I think Jack Maunder's brother is a 10 - you'd hope they'd be on the same wavelength as a 9/10 axis...

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

1. Marler
2. Elia
3. Sinks
4. Horwill
5. Symons
6. Robshaw
7. Clifford
8. Bothma
9. Care
10. Smith
11. Earle
12. Tapuai
13. Marchant
14. Walker
15. Brown

16. Ward
17. Auterac
18. Collier
19. Merrick
20. Chisholm
21. Lewis
22. Catrakilis
23. Ibitoye

 

[Scotty]

Hopefully this is Josh Caulfield's breakthrough season. There's also Salmon and van der Sluys.

It'll be interesting to see how the new signings from the academy go. Rus Tuima could be the 8 we're looking for eventually. I think Jack Maunder's brother is a 10 - you'd hope they'd be on the same wavelength as a 9/10 axis...

I hope all you say is true and they come in and step up but i think we need some experience to take us forward tbh. Van der sluys is average, hes not going to take us forward.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Hopefully this is Josh Caulfield's breakthrough season. There's also Salmon and van der Sluys.

The jury's still out for me on Caulfield, but his style is well suited to the way that Exeter play, so I think he has a decent chance of becoming a starter. What do you make of van der Sluys? I didn't understand his signing when it was made and haven't seen anything to change my mind since then.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

If Sale could sort their Tight 5 they could have a massively dangerous team.
But Diamond likes to Bargain hunt for them, and IMO it just hasn't worked for him he gets some decent club players but none of them are great.

Bizarre that a former front rower would think that way.

 

[Triple Exe]

What do you make of van der Sluys? I didn't understand his signing when it was made and haven't seen anything to change my mind since then.

We haven't seen very much of him at all, but the management team still have credit in the bank as far as recruitment goes so I'll reserve judgement for now...

 

[RedruthRFC]

We haven't seen very much of him at all, but the management team still have credit in the bank as far as recruitment goes so I'll reserve judgement for now...

True, although I think that there's a bit of perception bias when it comes to Baxter. He doesn't set himself up for a fall by making massive signings, when he signs players from lower levels, he's hailed as a genius when they turn into AP starters and nobody much remembers when they don't make the grade.

Didn't van der Sluys play A-League games? I assumed that his lack of game time in the LV Cup was indicative of the esteem he's held in / place in the pecking order. He seems like a weird project to pick - he'll be 27 by the start of next season, at this rate, if he does come good, he'll be retiring 5 minutes later!

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Hopefully this is Josh Caulfield's breakthrough season. There's also Salmon and van der Sluys.

It'll be interesting to see how the new signings from the academy go. Rus Tuima could be the 8 we're looking for eventually. I think Jack Maunder's brother is a 10 - you'd hope they'd be on the same wavelength as a 9/10 axis...

Nope; Sam's a 9 as well. I'm interested to see how Petch develops; he's mostly been a tighthead up to this point but is fully capable at loosey and this is where Chiefs are lacking quality players ATM. Would be good to see him make the switch. I can see Tuima picking up a fair bit of game time this season with our current lack of back row depth.

 

[Scotty]

Who is tuima? How old is he? Does he have real potential? Heard alot about claulfield and salmon but not him.

I mean is he a strong carrying 8 like billy v or quicker like simmonds(Who i get is more of a 7 bust still)

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Who is tuima? How old is he? Does he have real potential? Heard alot about claulfield and salmon but not him.

One of the youth academy that's been given a senior contract. 124kg back rower, played for England U18s this year. Nephew of Akapusi Qera, the Fiji captain, cousin of Joe Cokonasiga and brother of Lagi Tuima who plays for England women.

 

[Scotty]

One of the youth academy that's been given a senior contract. 124kg back rower, played for England U18s this year. Nephew of Akapusi Qera, the Fiji captain, cousin of Joe Cokonasiga and brother of Lagi Tuima who plays for England women.

Nice, on paper a real prospect, hopfully gets some time off the bench. Knowing baxter he will play him at 6 lol, but ive been saying we need to sign a real ball carrying 8, but maybe developing him is the way to go with the experience we have, still think we need to make a big signing to really compete in europe, second row maybe but someone world class to take us forward.

 

[Scotty]

One of the youth academy that's been given a senior contract. 124kg back rower, played for England U18s this year. Nephew of Akapusi Qera, the Fiji captain, cousin of Joe Cokonasiga and brother of Lagi Tuima who plays for England women.

Just watched a video of rusi tuima, he is huge! Also seen on the highlight vid and he was played in both the 8 and 16 shirts that i seen, quite tall for a hooker. Is that a 1 off or regular thing?

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Just watched a video of rusi tuima, he is huge! Also seen on the highlight vid and he was played in both the 8 and 16 shirts that i seen, quite tall for a hooker. Is that a 1 off or regular thing?

I think it was a case of that the games in which he was wearing 16 were 'trial' matches rather than official and so the players didn't have their shirts fitted for them. I'd imagine that being as big as he is, the standard 8 shirt probably didn't fit him so he had to wear 16 instead.

 

[BPM]

I'd go for:

1. Marler
2. Buchanan
3. Sinckler
4. Symons
5. Horwill
6. Robshaw
7. Clifford
8. J. Chisholm
9. Care
10. Smith
11. Visser
12. Tapuai
13. Marchant
14. Walker
15. Brown

16. Elia
17. Auterac
18. Collier
19. Merrick
20. Wallace
21. Mulchrone
22. Lang
23. Ibitoye

The squad is good in some areas and weak in others. We have little in the way of very good.

I'm hoping Gabriel Ibitoye makes a breakthrough this season and becomes our own version of Christian Wade.

I'm also really curious to see how Alex Dombrandt gets on. He looks great on YouTube at uni level but there's no telling whether that can translate to senior rugby. With so little depth at lock, he'll get a chance and if he can take it, he could turn out to be a very good leftfield signing.