Premiership 24/25 - Round 6

[Reiser99]

I've got some bad news for you Olly - bad news for both sides...

Spoiler

Bath Rugby v Sale Sharks - The Rec, 3.05pm
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant Referees: Joe James and John Meredith
TMO: David Rose

Hey! He's an international standard ref he is.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

I forgot Davison as well, so that's 10 out of our first 15 missing.

I do think any team that wins the premiership (apart from when sarries cheated) is as much luck and skill with injuries.

It is, and usually the Prem winners will struggle the season after as their reward for doing well is missing a chunk to England

 

[TRF_Olyy]

There is some talk that Marler may be allowed to play given how little rugby he's played recently. No idea how accurate that is.

Sanderson has said that Ford might be released to play for Sale if he comes through England training well this week/meets his fitness markers etc., so looks like it's something they're considering for players with minimal game time

 

[West Country Wail]

So Slade will be back riggggghhttt? (Not likely)

 

[Scotty]

So Slade will be back riggggghhttt? (Not likely)

England centre Henry Slade will play for Exeter this weekend in a bid to prove his fitness ahead of the autumn opener against New Zealand on 2 November.

Slade to prove England fitness with Exeter before NZ game - https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/articles/ckgzw2zv6pqo

 

[Which Tyler]

Bath coming up against a Sale team, desperate to see a backlash after their last game.
Olly's covered Sale's absences, and the problems being cause.
Bath will lose

Feeling less cocky now, especially in the backs.
Up front, we're only losing Stuart, Ewels, Barbeary and Underhill, all starters, but we have perfectly decent cover.
In the backs, we're losing Spencer - for whom we have no adequate cover (and JvG diagrees with about 80% of fans, as to who's the best backup), but also Redpath, Ojomoh, Lawrence from the centres, whilst the back 3 absences are Muir, Grace and Harris injured, with McConnochie and De Glanville facing late fitness tests.

After the Blackadder & Hooper years though, this is nothing!

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Coles back is brilliant but this is a very scratch side.

Will be interesting to see Makepeace-Cubitt at 10. I really want him to do well but he's only played for Bedford twice.

 

[Becca]

View attachment 21457
Coles back is brilliant but this is a very scratch side.

Will be interesting to see Makepeace-Cubitt at 10. I really want him to do well but he's only played for Bedford twice.

Really is a scratch side. But hey ho….

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

England centre Henry Slade will play for Exeter this weekend in a bid to prove his fitness ahead of the autumn opener against New Zealand on 2 November.

Slade to prove England fitness with Exeter before NZ game - https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/articles/ckgzw2zv6pqo

Annoyed about that from a Quins perspective tbh.

We've been hugely weakened here and Chiefs haven't. Could kill off our playoff hopes

 

[IT157]

Find it crazy that an 18 match season and there are still dates overlapping with internationals.
Ideal opportunity to play a Prem/Champ cup over the next 5 weeks.

Yeah I've always found it ridiculous tbh.

 

[Which Tyler]

And yet we're still waiting for an acceptable solution

 

[IT157]

And yet we're still waiting for an acceptable solution

higgik's idea sounds plausible.

 

[Scotty]

Annoyed about that from a Quins perspective tbh.

We've been hugely weakened here and Chiefs haven't. Could kill off our playoff hopes

Understandable, just as I'm happy from a Chiefs point of view, tbh Slade should be available, should he have been picked for England in the first place is the question, given zero gametime.

But I get the fustration

 

[Which Tyler]

higgik's idea sounds plausible.

If you mean the one quoted above - then you mean shifting 1 premiership match from the AI window into the 6N window, I'm not sure that counts as "acceptable". I guess that depends on what problem you're trying to solve? I thought it was avoiding Prem and International (+training) clashes - not purely clashes in October/November.

You'll notice that the PRC is already being played during both the AI and 6N windows

 

[West Country Wail]

Annoyed about that from a Quins perspective tbh.

We've been hugely weakened here and Chiefs haven't. Could kill off our playoff hopes

Similar happened when Smith was a released for you against us a while back. All turns around in the end.