Aviva Premiership - Round 3

[Peat]

It's been a long time since Joseph's played wing and near as long since he's regularly had outstanding club form iirc. I like him a lot as a player, but I'd be a little chary about promoting him back to the England team so quickly and a little out of position. Besides, I'd like to think most outside centres in the Premiership would have recognised and made those breaks; he wasn't the only guy being given it on a plate.

Think we'll have to see what things are looking like after Northampton.

I have to say, I'd love to watch more and comment more, but equally having see two cards that are harsh at best and bull at worst, I'm slightly sour about the game. It reeks of instructions from the top to sanitise the game. The reality is its crap that turns the game into a lottery and the ref into the most important man. Can't stand it. Is Mele's a red? Maybe, but you see that not given all the time. Is Whitten's a yellow? Bloody awful.

 

[TheSaffycen]

Attwood was excellent, watch him in the maul on the coast to coast eastmond try.



Agree with this, he has looked good, but they've dismantled London Welsh and Leicester and on both occasions that's been because the pack has been immense.

The guy who's really impressing me is Joseph, how about him for the England right wing?

Joseph went off with a knee injury. I haven't heard anything since, but I would put him at 13 not 14 as he is a great 13 and with someone like may or Nowell outside him he will bring them into the game. Put him at 14 with Manu inside and he might as well not be on the pitch. For the Samoa game I would play Ford-Eastmond-Joseph see how they go, but who knows that might be our starting axis for New Zealand ?

 

[ratsapprentice]

There has been almost universal criticism of the two cards in the Glos/Exe game and I hope it is heeded.
Less on the Mele red, but that's probably just because I've been reading the Bath board!
Never a red for me, definite yellow if the ball is not visible and directly under someones hand/arm.


Joesph went off with cramp.

 

[Patchey]

Not a good weekend for cards at all. Mele was unlucky, although I guess the moment you raise the boot and the ball isn't in sight you're taking a risk with any ref. The cards for Kvesic and Whitten were mad. Healey (I think) made a good point in the commentary. Suppose Whitten had taken the high ball instead of Sharples, it is highly unlikely Sharlples would have been penalised for recklessly jumping into a a player, endangering himself and Whitten, it would have been viewed as Sharples competing for the ball and coming off worse. Thats fair enough, because they were competing for the ball, but obviously that makes Whitten's card for taking Sharples out while competing for the ball complete rubbish. As for Kvesic, he didn't even do the lifting and I'd hardly call the tackle a spear tackle anyway. You could see just how shocked he was when the ref carded him.

Going to watch back some of the games today. My only other really impressions from the weekend are 'LULZ @ TIGERZ' and a near certainty that had Jackson been on the pitch for Wasps, I would not be a happy Quins fan today.

Also, while we're talking about 13, just going to reaffirm my life long devotion to the cult of Daly.

 

[goodNumber10]

O'Shea sticks up for Robshaw:

http://www.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/story/242201.html

 

[ratsapprentice]

Just to note that when Barnes gave the red he specifically cited Mele "using the boot three or more times" - which suggests to me that there is a directive that directly states that three rakes is a red card.

 

[Maverick1987]

O'Shea sticks up for Robshaw:

http://www.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/story/242201.html

Tbh I though he had a decent game against Sarries just the team as a whole were well beaten . If Robshaw was wearing a sarries shirt that day and Fraser a quins one even if the performances individually were exactly the same nobody would say anything about Robbo

Moving onto the Leicester game Bath were very very good but it was the worst Leicester performance I've ever seen . They offered very little in the way of aggression and were making shocking mistakes over and over again . Although the front row is short of a serious amount of power . Ayerza and Cole are amongst the best props in the world and to be without both is bad without losing both centres aswell !

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Hammersley is a class act at FB especailly at 21yo.
Brookes and Scott Wilson are two cracking props.

Agree with this.
I'd not heard of Hammersley before yesterday, but he played very well. Kicking could use a bit of work, but running the ball back he was excellent, and never gave up even after getting smashed a few times by some very big players.

Brookes and Wilson both had solid games. Brookes looked at home at on the loosehead, and really had Ma'afu under pressure. I hope he gets a chance to get some decent time on the tighthead before the EPS is announced as I want him to be our 2nd choice going into the AIs.

 

[Peat]

Think the difference Anthony Allen makes to Tiggers has to be recognised in terms of organisation and leadership.

 

[Geordie]

Agree with this.
I'd not heard of Hammersley before yesterday, but he played very well. Kicking could use a bit of work, but running the ball back he was excellent, and never gave up even after getting smashed a few times by some very big players.

Brookes and Wilson both had solid games. Brookes looked at home at on the loosehead, and really had Ma'afu under pressure. I hope he gets a chance to get some decent time on the tighthead before the EPS is announced as I want him to be our 2nd choice going into the AIs.

He's been around the A side for a few years. He wanted to complete all his Durham University degree course before going full time. He did that this summer and joined full time now and has looked great. Yes his kicking indeed needs a bit of work but they can work on that. Also at 6'2 he has some physical presence.

Brookes will generally be our 1st choice TH. The problem is that Vickers our LH is injured and every other LH at the club is....well....garbage! Brookes can play both sides so he moved there with Scotty Wilson coming in to replace the lazy useless Tomaschyk.

Peat,

Totally agree about Allen. Englands missed a trick not selecting him. I would consider him now alongside Manu.

But ive been impressed with Eastmond. Ill be watching him closely against some of the top sides. Shame we didnt get a chance to see him against Allen and Manu.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Next week burrell against eastmond will be a good watch! I'm hoping eastmond keeps his performances up as I really want to see him do well as a player and for England.

On JJ, although he looked good we won't drop Manu ever so he might as well move to France now!

 

[goodNumber10]

Next week burrell against eastmond will be a good watch! I'm hoping eastmond keeps his performances up as I really want to see him do well as a player and for England.

On JJ, although he looked good we won't drop Manu ever so he might as well move to France now!

yeah, that's shaping up to be the game of the month isn't it?

 

[TheSaffycen]

Going to be a great game Saints v Bath, then they play us the week after I think ? Will be good to see how Ford and Eastmond do on the back foot, and how they do against Farrell and Barritt. So match ups for next week
Wilson v Corbs/ Webber v Hartley/ Attwood v Lawes/ Fearns v Wood/ Cook v Dickson/ Ford v Myler/ Eastmond v Burrell plus Roko, Joseph and Foden in the back line !!

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Tom youngs out till Christmas is the rumour around Leicester, Tait and morris also out.

Someone hold me.

 

[Maverick1987]

Going to be a great game Saints v Bath, then they play us the week after I think ? Will be good to see how Ford and Eastmond do on the back foot, and how they do against Farrell and Barritt. So match ups for next week
Wilson v Corbs/ Webber v Hartley/ Attwood v Lawes/ Fearns v Wood/ Cook v Dickson/ Ford v Myler/ Eastmond v Burrell plus Roko, Joseph and Foden in the back line !!

Who says Bath will be on the back foot ? Longbottom and Barrington are gonna have a tonne of pressure coming through from James and Wilson, and Attwood will provide the ballast from the second row . I think Bath will win the forward battle . I was thinking more how well a sarries gonna do going backwards Farrell, Barritt, Goode, Ashton and Strettle in the same back line makes me worry for sarries a bit tbh

 

[TheSaffycen]

I was talking about the saints scrum really. I think Barrington and Longbottom can hold their own, if Figallo gets fit then who knows ? Kruis and Hamilton aren't small guys in the locks either. Also we have gonne backwards quite a few times with Farrell, Barritt, Ashton and co. and we normally do fine. Last year down at Bath we weren't on top forwards wise and we didn't even have a 10 on the pitch the whole game and we still won quite comfortably. Our defence doesn't really rely on having an on top pack, we could be going back in the scrums but teams still struggle to break us down. I think it will be a test for Eastmond and Ford as for all our faults try walking through Farrell and Barritt the way they did against Tigers. But eastmonds real test will come against Burrell and Pisi, if Bath get through that game with Ford and Eastmonds defence unquestioned I would be thrilled, but I don't know if North, Burrell and Pisi will be stopped all that well by them.

 

[Tony Manx]

Just to note that when Barnes gave the red he specifically cited Mele "using the boot three or more times" - which suggests to me that there is a directive that directly states that three rakes is a red card.

You could have a point there! What I saw though was Mele stamping on an arm repeatedly yet the ball was being held by a standing player in a tackle some 5 yards from where Mele was stamping?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

You could have a point there! What I saw though was Mele stamping on an arm repeatedly yet the ball was being held by a standing player in a tackle some 5 yards from where Mele was stamping?

There was no way Mele could've seen that.
It slipped out of the ball carriers hands as soon as he hit the floor and was immediately picked up by someone else.
As far as mele could know the ball was underneath the tigers player that attwood was pinning to the ground.

 

[Tony Manx]

There was no way Mele could've seen that.
It slipped out of the ball carriers hands as soon as he hit the floor and was immediately picked up by someone else.
As far as mele could know the ball was underneath the tigers player that attwood was pinning to the ground.

I understand maybe he should have looked up!!

Also, if you cannot see the ball, what on earth of you doing stamping indiscrimately on someone who may have the ball?

Do not get me wrong, I do think that a red was over the top and a yellow would have sufficed as it was on an arm not a head and do think that Barnes had a poor game but can see where he was coming from on at least this one!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Look up at what? The wall of players in front of him?
There's no chance he could've seen the ball carrier.

I do agree he shouldn't have used his foot unless attwoods arm was over the ball - he was trying to "encourage" attwood to roll off the man, wheras you're only legally allowed to do it if they're on the ball.