Champions Cup - Pool 3, Round 1 (Leicester, Toulon, Scarlets, Ulster)

[TRF_Olyy]

Round 1 Fixtures

Live on BT Sport

Live on Sky Sports/beIN/FR2
​

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Mulipola out till December having sugary to Achilles!!!!!

Leicester euro squad is up:
Also Euro squad up.

Here is the breakdown per position.
Prop: Ayerza, Balmain, Bristow, Cole, Mulipola, Rizzo (6)
Hooer: Briggs, Ghiraldini, Thacker, T.Youngs (4)
Lock: De Cheves, Kitchener, Parling, Thorn (4)
Back Row: Barbieri, Crane, Croft, Gibson, Pearce, Salvi, (6)
Scrum Half: Harrison, Mele, Tresidder, B.Youngs (4)
Fly half: Burns, Williams (2)
Center: Allen, Bai, Hepetema, Loamanu, Smith, Manu (6)
Outside Backs: Benjamin, Goneva, Morris, Scully, Tait, Thompstone (6)

Notable omissions due to injury: Hamilton, Deacon, slater Matera, Camacho.
Also: Pohe, Pasquali, Bruganara, Price all seem to have been left out (although Pas will prob be brought in a injury cover for Mulipola)

 

[Amiga500]

From what I'm gathering (having not paid much attention to the AP this season), there are virtually no tiggers fit to play in the front row

vs. our pretty dynamite tight 5 that could be pretty disastrous. Scrums and mauls all day long.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Ayerza is back so don't know about no front row forward considering he is view as the Best LH in the world.

Ayerza, Ghilrandi, Balmain looked better in the second half and a full week and 2 days of training and playing together will help.

The pack will prob look like this.

1) Ayerza
2) Ghilrandi
3) Balmain
4) Kitchener
5) Thorn
6) Gibson
7) Salvi
8) Crane/Barbieri

TBF Thorn looked very very good against Quins was fit and added some needed aggression, Gibson is coming to his own and Croft would struggle to get ahead of him ATM and Kitchener has been amazing in the lineouts stolen multiple lineouts in each game.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

342 injuries and Tigers can still put out a pack like that :lol:

I imagine depth is paper thin, though, so they'll be praying everyone comes through unscathed.


How far off is Anthony Allen, do you know? With Ayerza back, and Thorn starting to bed in nicely, bring back AA and Tigers will be back in business.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Allen and Bai are maybe cockers did say he thinks they can play but will beilive when it happens.

Could potentially see a team of:

1) Ayerza
2) Ghilrandi
3) Balmain
4) Kitchener
5) Thorn
6) Gibson
7) Salvi
8) Crane/Barbieri
9) Youngs
10) Williams (Burns if Allen is out)
11) Goneva
12) Allen (Williams if Allen is out)
13) Manu
14) Scully
15) Tait

16) Briggs
17) Rizzo
18) Pasquli
19) De Cheves
20) Barbieri/Crane/Pearce
21) Mele
22) Burns (Harrison/Bai depending who is fit)
23) Benjamin/Bai

 

[Big Ewis]

Scarlets coming here to the Var on the weekend ?
the smiley ? Oh nothing, just parce que Toulon.
I think the RCT have got a point to prove though and will feel highly insulted... THERE'S ONLY ONE RED AND BLACK IN DAT POO', FOO' !!!!!

P.S.: Ultra underrated 10, aka Nicolas Sanchez, may play for the first time I reckon this weed ken.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

No Allen

15 Mathew Tait
14 Blaine Scully
13 Manusamoa Tuilagi
12 Owen Williams
11 Vereniki Goneva
10 Freddie Burns
9 Ben Youngs (c)
1 Marcos Ayerza
2 Leonardo Ghiraldini
3 Fraser Balmain
4 Brad Thorn
5 Graham Kitchener
6 Jamie Gibson
7 Julian Salvi
8 Jordan Crane

Replacements
16 Harry Thacker
17 Michele Rizzo
18 Tiziano Pasquali
19 Sebastian de Chaves
20 Robert Barbieri
21 David Mele
22 Sam Harrison
23 Miles Benjamin

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

also have 20 year old Harry Thacker on the bench and a 20 year Tight head.

Big test for Thacker if he comes on.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Very excited to see what sort of impact Harry can make at this sort of level.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Very excited to see what sort of impact Harry can make at this sort of level.

Will be a big if he comes on, Huge ask for him. But if he does come on and performs then we could have something here, would be interesting to see if his size will really affect him as much as his critics thing it could.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

well he is 4,11 and 9st 6 according to the ERc squad list http://www.epcrugby.com/matchcentre/player_archive.php?player=97868&includeref=dynamic

 

[lynam1104]

Thats bloody tiny for a front rower.

 

[collace]

Ulster
15: L Ludik
14: T Bowe
13: J Payne
12: S McCloskey
11: C Gilroy
10: P Jackson
9: P Marshall
1: A Warwick
2: R Best (cpt)
3: W Herbst
4: L Stevenson
5: F van der Merwe
6: R Diack
7: C Henry
8: N Williams

Replacements: R Herring, C Black, D Fitzpatrick, C Ross, R Wilson, M Heaney, S Olding, D Cave.

Getting fed up with the Payne at 13 experiment, Cave should be starting this game. No other real complaints.

Injuries have hit us hard in the second row - Stevenson really needs to step up. Also going to miss the experience of Trimble and the class of Pienaar.

 

[Big Ewis]

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Ulster
15: L Ludik
14: T Bowe
13: J Payne
12: S McCloskey
11: C Gilroy
10: P Jackson
9: P Marshall
1: A Warwick
2: R Best (cpt)
3: W Herbst
4: L Stevenson
5: F van der Merwe
6: R Diack
7: C Henry
8: N Williams

Replacements: R Herring, C Black, D Fitzpatrick, C Ross, R Wilson, M Heaney, S Olding, D Cave.

Getting fed up with the Payne at 13 experiment, Cave should be starting this game. No other real complaints.

Injuries have hit us hard in the second row - Stevenson really needs to step up. Also going to miss the experience of Trimble and the class of Pienaar.

Boo-hoo

 

[TRF_Olyy]

well he is 4,11 and 9st 6 according to the ERc squad list

Is that a miss print or is he actually an umpa lumpa!?

 

[ratsapprentice]

Mis-print - It's probably the lowest figure the database accepts.
According to their list, those are Maro Itoje's stats too!

Thacker is an inch shorter and 20kg lighter than Tom Youngs according to the prem website.
So that's roughly 4" shorter and 30kg lighter than most international hookers.

Great player though!

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

He is 5ft 8 and 12stone 12 according to the tigers site although he looks bigger than that muscle wise when I last saw him.

 

[profitius]

McCloskey v Tuilagi should be a good match up. McCloskey is one of the form players in Ireland this season so we'll see if he can keep that going.