Premiership Rugby 2018/19 Round 5

[Every Time Ref]

Out of interest, I make that Saracens' 1.33th choice; Bath's 2.4th choice...

I have literally no clue what this is...

 

[Which Tyler]

https://www.therugbyforum.com/threads/2018-19-match-day-squads.41648/page-5#post-913914

I have literally no clue what this is...

 

[Every Time Ref]

Wow

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

If we beat Exeter next Friday it will be entirely vindicated. If not, it's still the right call in the circumstances IMO

I'm sure those who've shelled out £50 for a ticket and will be spending much of the day on motorways between London and the West Country will wholeheartedly agree.

 

[Reiser99]

Where were any of the Newcastle backs. Twice they got past the last defender on the outside and twice they had Welch, how was as quick to start as ten tonne lorry.

As for Simpson, first kick charged down, handed off with ease and leaving large gaps in defence.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Bassett is such an odd one,
Nothing about him screams top level winger but he scores tries for fun and is, rightfully, one of the first names on the team sheet.
Think he just does everything well, rather than standing out in any one thing.


That frosted tip comb forward to try and hide the hairline is dreadful though

 

[Reiser99]

So I accept that pundits don't always get it right, though personally while Healey is annoying, he's usually very astute in his observations. Earlier Healey was talking about the gaps in the Wasps defence in the last few games and how as they drift, they leave bigger and bigger gaps and the attacker just has to get past the first defender. It's now happened quite a few times and as they have shown Newcastle have targeted it and it's their game plan.

If it's been identified by pundits and the opposition from previous games, how can the Wasps coaches not have spotted it and if so why are they not working on it in training, because clearly they haven't fixed it?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Healy is probably my favourite comms guy
Great analyst and brings the bants

 

[Reiser99]

Now do I think Newcastle should have taken the points or that Karl Dickson bottled it at the end and that Newcastle should have had a penalty...

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Good game, that.
Very tense at the end, Hughes has done nothing to dissuade me from the opinion that he is literally the stupidest player in professional rugby. Some of his ruck/offside play in the last 10mins was just ridiculous.

Le Bourgeois has to be the find of the season, so far.
Anyone else think he looks a bit like a country bumpkin version of Dom Waldouck?

Now do I think Newcastle should have taken the points or that Karl Dickson bottled it at the end and that Newcastle should have had a penalty...

There were several that he could have given, to be fair, haha.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Understandable, but sad to see - it's the start of a ridiculous 2nd 4 week period.
A Sarries
H Exeter
H Toulouse
A Wasps

The thing that pleases me is that it still ooks a pretty decent squad, even with a sum total of 2 first choice starters.

In terms of the table, I think the best we can hope for is that Sarries run up a score, and get loose in defence as a result, allowing us a TBP of our own - we shouldn't be getting close to a LBP after all.
I'd still back that team to push the mid-table sides close though.

The annoying thing is most Bath squads look decent on paper but we have had a habit the last few years of performing less than the sum of our parts.

 

[will311293]

Good game, that.
Very tense at the end, Hughes has done nothing to dissuade me from the opinion that he is literally the stupidest player in professional rugby. Some of his ruck/offside play in the last 10mins was just ridiculous.

Le Bourgeois has to be the find of the season, so far.
Anyone else think he looks a bit like a country bumpkin version of Dom Waldouck?



There were several that he could have given, to be fair, haha.

your right about Hughes and it's infuriating.... he will do something brilliant and you think 'ahh here is the first season hughes when he burst onto the scene' then he gives away a stupid penalty and your like .... nope.

Le Boug has been really strong so far.. we have had huge success with champ players like Thompson/Bassett so glad he's done well.

Interestingly when wasps full backrow is back... i really dont think Hughes is making it... J Willis, Carr, Shields, Youngs are class and Rieder and T Willis are strong contenders too.. with all this money hughes reportedly wants having just had a pay rise... maybe Bristol or France is calling.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I think Hughes is far better than Ashley Johnson tbh
Young is huge and hits the line at real pace....but then makes zero yards. It's probably cause defences double up on him, but he's a really ineffectual carrier

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

I think Hughes is far better than Ashley Young tbh
Young is huge and hits the line at real pace....but then makes zero yards. It's probably cause defences double up on him, but he's a really ineffectual carrier

He's got nowhere near as much pace as Sterling though

 

[Every Time Ref]

I'm sure those who've shelled out £50 for a ticket and will be spending much of the day on motorways between London and the West Country will wholeheartedly agree.

if you're a Bath fan who's made that decision, it can't have not crossed your mind that there's a possibility that you might be wasting your day to watch your team get thrashed...

 

[TRF_Olyy]

He's got nowhere near as much pace as Sterling though

loooooool
I had to google that guy to find out who he was, God knows how his name got in my head

 

[Which Tyler]

if you're a Bath fan who's made that decision, it can't have not crossed your mind that there's a possibility that you might be wasting your day to watch your team get thrashed...

Just said that the aggregate for this fixture over the last 2 years is 94:16, and that was without rotating the squad; and without Sarries setting a new record run for taking 5 from each match.

 

[Which Tyler]

That was a sexy line from Goode

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Pretty much as expected from Bath although I am getting tired with the club. We have the players but the coaching simply isn't there and it's clear the upper echelons of the management don't know what the hell they are doing.

 

[Reiser99]

Tbh already you are looking at the table and thinking this is roughly how it will end. Sarries and Exeter top. Wasps third being best of the rest, though they haven't looked as strong as in recent years and have been on the right end of some close results, Friday especially for example. Afterwards Harlequins, Bath and Gloucester chasing the last play off space. Leicester could get in the mix if they shore up their defence, but at the moment they are with Northampton and probably Newcastle eventually trying to get the last top 6 spot for champions cup. Then it's who gets relegated, with Bristol picking up wins and bonus points, that might be the most exciting part of the table come the end.