Premiership 24/25 - Round 5

[TRF_Olyy]

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[Geordie]

Well at least Exeter will get their season off to a start this weekend.

 

[Which Tyler]

Loving this season.
Never look at the fixtures and think "phew, really ought to be winning this"

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Saints vs sale, no idea. We have tons of injuries, sale seem to be getting a lot of theirs back. Think we either run round then or get smashed by their physicality.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Yeah, really tough one to call - hopefully we can win the battle up front, I know that's where you're suffering the most atm, and it all goes from there

Don't think we've any more returners this week - just a couple more clarifications (Reed 50/50, Ford back in training, Schonert a setback so maybe another month added to his time off, and JLdP being assessed week on week as he's having headaches but it might actually be due to a neck issue they've discovered rather than lingering concussion, so seeing a specialist)

Would imagine we'll put out the same 23 as vs Newcastle (with Reed the only 50/50), though I'd rather we went 5:3 rather than 6:2

 

[Scotty]

Well at least Exeter will get their season off to a start this weekend.

God I hope so we need a win badly but I know so do your guys.

If Slade has been named in the AI training squad then does that mean he should be fit this round? Surely he will get a couple of games if he's been named.

 

[OllyM97]

Winners this weekend:
Exeter
Northampton
Bristol
Bath
Gloucester


Really want Falcons to get a W from somewhere but sadly the gulf in class between them and the rest is too big at the moment - even a struggling Chiefs team who are poor travellers should have enough to put them away with a bit in hand.

Saints/Sale and Bristol/Sarries I genuinely don't have a clue about. Picking Saints over Sale is probably a bit of a punt given their injury list, but they've still got a brilliant back division. I think Bristol will carry on the momentum and pip Sarries in a very close one.

I think Bath will have too much for Quins who will struggle to replicate their performance against Saracens.

As for predicting Gloucester to beat Leicester?. Well it's Glaws, they are hopelessly inconsistent, and winning at Welford Road after shipping 55 at home to Bath would be Gloucester all over. Plus they have beaten Bristol and pushed Sale close away from home.

 

[West Country Wail]

I'm off to the Falcons game because I want to be there at the moment when the tanker starts to turn or experience the clubs lowest point in over a decade. Disaster tourism. £17 though so....

 

[Scotty]

I'm off to the Falcons game because I want to be there at the moment when the tanker starts to turn or experience the clubs lowest point in over a decade. Disaster tourism. £17 though so....

Tbh we were within 1 score for 3 of the games, this season seems a disaster and feels like it but we have also lead and looked good for alot of the tigers and Bristol game.

We ain't winning this season but it isn't over. I bloody hope Slade comes back at 13.

 

[Rinkadink]

Definitely felt like going against Exeter of old last week as a Bristol fan; the possession and territory control from Exeter was genuinely impressive/intimidating. I don't think Bristol would have won if that game was played in the first half of last season or the season before that as things have greatly improved for us since then. Newcastle have not taken opportunities in the matches I've watched so a replication of the game plan employed at Sandy Park should logically result in a fairly comfortable win for Exeter, Slade or no Slade.

I honestly think Newcastle started out the season looking much improved, in their opener it was a two point game at half time before Bristol scored 19 unanswered points (which is less than the late haul at Exeter) and the following game away at The Stoop whilst being a big ask, wasn't a disaster with Falcons coming back into the game after Quins came flying out the blocks. Leicester was where their season turned for me, it's like the players didn't have that belief they started the season with or something, and it ended up getting pretty ugly in what I guess would be a targeted game at Kingston Park. I don't think they've looked right since, sadly. Injuries haven't helped either but it looked deeper than that. I'd have been fuming at Blamire for giving away a silly yellow out of frustration when there were league points on the table in the Leicester game, but that seems to typify where Falcons are currently at. I really hope they turn it round and get some wins but even Diamond looked emotional after Sale away. It is a worry.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Sale Sharks Starting Line-Up:
15. Joe Carpenter, 14. Tom Roebuck, 13. Waisea Nayacalevu, 12. Sam Bedlow, 11. Tom O'Flaherty, 10. Rob du Preez, 9. Gus Warr; 1. Si McIntyre, 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3. Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 4. Ernst van Rhyn, 5. Hyron Andrews, 6. Tom Curry, 7. Ben Curry ©, 8. Dan du Preez.

Replacements:
16. Ethan Caine, 17. Tumy Onasanya, 18. James Harper, 19. Ben Bamber, 20. Sam Dugdale, 21. Nye Thomas, 22. Tom Curtis, 23. Luke James.

Happy enough with that - hopefully the extra weeks of training have gotten Waisea on the same wavelength as everyone else

 

[Which Tyler]

Is that AOF's 4th start of the season?
Getting concerned that he's getting too much game time this year.
2022/23 and 22/23 were fine, and looked well managed, but this year?

NB: I'm concerned about his long-term health, not his skill level.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

He and Harper are splitting game time, we literally don't have any other tightheads atm - think Schonert is due back next month, WGJ about the same

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Still a load of injuries, it's not going to be our year with this luck. We've also gone for the lightest back row we could out out which is odd but also probably driven by who is actually fit.

5 starting players missing and 2 bench players so 7 overall. Not a good place to be.

 

[Which Tyler]

He and Harper are splitting game time, we literally don't have any other tightheads atm - think Schonert is due back next month, WGJ about the same

Fair enough then. The concern is if it's planned, and what that would look like going forward.