Anglo Welsh Cup 17/18

[Scotty]

Final date now set 30th March.

 

[Which Tyler]

Final date now set 30th March.

On the one hand - it's a pity it has to be the Friday; but so be it.
On the other - that's Good Friday; so I won't have to leave work early to catch the first half!

 

[Scotty]

Player management will be key as chiefs and bath are playing this friday and next friday. They are starting joe simmonds this weekend so can only imagine steeno starting next weekend. No LCD in the AP game, does that mean hes been rested for the AW final and jack innard in bench in each.

Hope they dont both play a first team in the AW final.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

LCD out with an ankle injury according to the team sheet I saw (BBC i think)

 

[Scotty]

Damn! Hes on such good form he needs to string together games to get a shout in the summer, plus chiefs need him he brings so much

 

[FLOBALOB]

Player management will be key as chiefs and bath are playing this friday and next friday. They are starting joe simmonds this weekend so can only imagine steeno starting next weekend. No LCD in the AP game, does that mean hes been rested for the AW final and jack innard in bench in each.

Hope they dont both play a first team in the AW final.

It 'll be baths first team against Chiefs 2,3,4th string if they name the same sides they were going to put out last week before the postponement. Cant believe Bath were expecting their first team to play Chiefs twice in 5 days- 2 different Chiefs side mind you.
The postponement certainly did Bath a favour.

Tonight should be close.

 

[Which Tyler]

It 'll be baths first team against Chiefs 2,3,4th string if they name the same sides they were going to put out last week before the postponement. Cant believe Bath were expecting their first team to play Chiefs twice in 5 days- 2 different Chiefs side mind you.
The postponement certainly did Bath a favour.

Tonight should be close.

who else should Bath have picked? Name names please. Uninjured ones

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

who else should Bath have picked? Name names please. Uninjured ones

The Anglo Welsh is an annual competition, it hasn't been sprung upon Bath out of nowhere. They, like Chiefs, should've built squad depth to be able to field a 2nd choice team. Also it wouldn't hurt to dig into your youth academy a bit and play guys like Partington, as Chiefs have done with the likes of Kenny, Snow and Morley.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

How is Friday to the following Friday only 5 days?

 

[FLOBALOB]

How is Friday to the following Friday only 5 days?

The game was going to be last sunday ,not friday , and that is 5 days ago if my maths havent deserted me.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

How do you know what side Bath would have put out today if they did play 5 days ago?

Kinda just sounds like you're trying to score points at how Exeter aren't playing their 1st XV in the final and throw shade at anyone who puts out even close to a strong side in the LV=.

 

[Which Tyler]

The Anglo Welsh is an annual competition, it hasn't been sprung upon Bath out of nowhere. They, like Chiefs, should've built squad depth to be able to field a 2nd choice team. Also it wouldn't hurt to dig into your youth academy a bit and play guys like Partington, as Chiefs have done with the likes of Kenny, Snow and Morley.

Yes, I had noticed.
I'm absolutely sure, that the hallowed Exeter would have coped in a far superior manner to 20+ players out injured.


We do have depth to field a second team - just not the third team that you're demanding (though, from what I recall, 3rd choice would be a better descriptor of our named squad for Sunday than 1st)


ETA: tell you what, let's go through the Bath team named for last Sunday:
Homer - 2nd choice
Banahan - 1st choice
Hurrell - emergency transfer, about 4th choice?
Wilson - emergency transfer, about 4th choice?
Vuna - emergency transfer, about 7th choice?
Burns - appears to be 2nd choice
Fotuali'i - 2nd choice - maybe 1st equal...

Obano - 2nd choice
Charles - mid-season signing, about 4th choice
Lahiff - 2nd choice
Douglas - 3rd choice
Ewels - 2nd choice
Ellis - 3rd choice
Bayliss - 4th choice
Phillips - 4th choice

On average, that 3.066666th choice (or bang on 3rd if you count Kahn as 1st choice), so more suitable for the A league than the AWC by your definitions

Yep, a full, first choices quad there, and no ignorance son display from Exeter fans at all. They're also the only choice in most positions.
As opposed to the perfection of Exeter who named a complete 2nd choice 23... Assuming you believe that Stevenson, Devoto and Short are all 2nd choices that is... erm...

 

[FLOBALOB]

How do you know what side Bath would have put out today if they did play 5 days ago?

Kinda just sounds like you're trying to score points at how Exeter aren't playing their 1st XV in the final and throw shade at anyone who puts out even close to a strong side in the LV=.

I,m assuming, but I would have thought there would be a very strong chance Bath would put out their strongest team tonight to try to attain top 4 or top 6 which would be severely dented by a defeat tonight.

Not sure what you mean by points scoring, I think its great that Chiefs can put out their 2,3,4th string against good sides first team ,and still come out on top (a la Newcastle).

As we've recently been hearing so much about how tired players are , playing so much and how they need rest, it struck me as slightly incongruous to that,that they would be playing twice in 5 days.

 

[Which Tyler]

Again though, Baths current first team and third team are exactly the same players.
You're also still outright wrong.

 

[Triple Exe]

Kinda just sounds like you're trying to score points at how Exeter aren't playing their 1st XV in the final and throw shade at anyone who puts out even close to a strong side in the LV=.

And I'm pretty sure we've fielded strong sides in previous seasons in order to win the thing - after all, a cup's a cup.

Bath are in a tricky position though. Go hell for leather to get a top 6 spot, or stick all your money on the LV= and spin the wheel.

 

[Thingimubob]

Interesting to see this debate on the strength of sides considering that this season the majority of AP sides have fielded more or less strongest available sides in the pool stages? Definitely seems to be the most serious the AP sides have taken the LV since it was switched over to a development competition.

Exeter fielded what looked to be a close to strongest available side (not including international call ups of course) back in November vs what was essentially a Scarlets academy side, so not completely sure they have a leg to stand on in moaning about the Bath side being strong?

Clearly this season has shown that teams can and will approach the cup however way they want. Whether or not that's a good thing I don't know, as it's muddling the identity of it and has kinda ended up somewhere between a serious cup and a cup for developing strength in depth. Not even sure I see the point in it anymore and can't say I've watched much of it since the last time it was considered a top level competition.

Wouldn't mind seeing a FA cup style knock out tournament instead, with maybe the top Championship clubs (especially if ring fencing comes in) as well as the Welsh Regions, maybe even with the top Welsh Prem sides too considering the demise of the B&I Cup.

 

[Triple Exe]

Clearly this season has shown that teams can and will approach the cup however way they want. Whether or not that's a good thing I don't know, as it's muddling the identity of it and has kinda ended up somewhere between a serious cup and a cup for developing strength in depth. Not even sure I see the point in it anymore and can't say I've watched much of it since the last time it was considered a top level competition.

It's only seen as a development cup because it's about the only chance there is to rest players with little downside. I don't think that's intended to be its identity as such. As for what it's for, I guess just to scratch out a little more money on fallow weekends?

 

[FLOBALOB]

Interesting to see this debate on the strength of sides considering that this season the majority of AP sides have fielded more or less strongest available sides in the pool stages? Definitely seems to be the most serious the AP sides have taken the LV since it was switched over to a development competition.

Exeter fielded what looked to be a close to strongest available side (not including international call ups of course) back in November vs what was essentially a Scarlets academy side, so not completely sure they have a leg to stand on in moaning about the Bath side being strong?

Clearly this season has shown that teams can and will approach the cup however way they want. Whether or not that's a good thing I don't know, as it's muddling the identity of it and has kinda ended up somewhere between a serious cup and a cup for developing strength in depth. Not even sure I see the point in it anymore and can't say I've watched much of it since the last time it was considered a top level competition.

Wouldn't mind seeing a FA cup style knock out tournament instead, with maybe the top Championship clubs (especially if ring fencing comes in) as well as the Welsh Regions, maybe even with the top Welsh Prem sides too considering the demise of the B&I Cup.

Just to put the record straight.
Of the 15 who started that match only Dollman and Short had started in any of 3 important games prior to it (1 Aviva and 2 european games) and Short had only stated 1. They had some players returning from injury that took part ,which is also what the AW is used for. It was nowhere near 'close to strongest side'.

 

[Which Tyler]

2nd time lucky, and still not remotely first choice (unless you mean simultaneously the best and worst we can put out); hell that's 7 who've arrived mid-season to cover injuries.


Bath: Homer; Banahan, Hurrell, Wilson, Vuna; Burns, Cook; Obano, Charles, Knight, Douglas, Ewels (capt), Ellis, Bayliss, Phillips.

Replacements: Walker, Noguera, Delmas, Charteris, Grant, Green, Priestland, Atkins.


Exeter: Cordero; O'Flaherty, Hendrickson, Devoto, Short; J Simmonds, Townsend; Low, Innard, Holmes, Salmon, Dennis, Kvesic, Salvi, Horstmann (capt).

Replacements: Malton, Kenny, Owlett, Van der Sluys, Freeman, Snow, Steenson, Strong.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Wouldn't mind seeing a FA cup style knock out tournament instead

Like the John Player / Pilkington of old. You'll be suggesting that the champions are the team that finish top of the league next

Before professionalism, knock outs were great. In 86/7 Old Reigatian beat Exeter and Saracens before losing creditably at Kingsholm. The senior clubs all put out proper sides - the Glaws front row was Preedy (capped) Dunn (Eng bench) and Pascall (Eng tourist). We'll never see that again, mores the pity. Now way too dangerous to put amateurs in with pros.

This comp as is seems pointless. Make it u21 or get shot.