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

[Big Ewis]

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[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Easy win for Leicester here.

 

[Every Time Ref]

Scarlets will be sniffing blood for a useful away win. How have they been playing in the Pro12?

 

[UlsterRugby2012]

Scarlets will be sniffing blood for a useful away win. How have they been playing in the Pro12?

Don't count on it. Although we're effectively out I don't think the players see it that way, I'd imagine we'll send out a pretty full strength team..

 

[Big Ewis]

Scarlets will be sniffing blood for a useful away win. How have they been playing in the Pro12?

ouch !...doesn't that then go into, like, your mouth through the nasal conduct..ahhh wtvr wtvr..

Easy win for Leicester here.

mmm, surely. But to answer your adorable post on the other thread, here's what the local blog proposes (from Var Matin, the local paper) as a "probable xv to Leicester":

1/ Xavier Chiocci
2/ Guilhem Guirado
3/ Martin Castrogiovanni
4/ Bakkies Botha
5/ Ali Williams
6/ Steffon Armitage
7/ Mamuka Gorgodze
8/ Chris Masoe
9/ Sébastien Tillous-Borde
10/ Nicolas Sanchez
11/ Bryan Habana
12/ Maxime Mermoz
13/ Mathieu Bastareaud
14/ Drew Mitchell
15/ Delon Armitage

So still no Giteau, JOC taking his sweet time to return, or not then he's off to his country again as the new year starts. Too bad he was playing some FAN-TAS-TIC Rugby, unreal stuff for Toulon.
I'm guessing a bench of:
Orioli - Menini - Hayman - Taofifenua - Juan Smith - Escande - and then two backs (since Nico Sanchez should last 80min) - David Smith and Rudi Wolf ?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Looking forward to Thorn V Botha. A heavy weight enforcer clash there. Also looking forward to Castro returning against Ayerza.

If Tigers had Manu then I would be expecting a wing but without him I can see it being a Toulon win.

What's Sanchez kicking from the tee been like? Owen Williams boot will be our biggest weapon.

 

[Big Ewis]

Sanchez has been so-so this year, pretty good overall. He was great for country during spurts, but then showed irregularity in form. He's no Halfpenny, but he seems like a guy who doesn't shy away from the big moments. And otherwise he's looked just as expected for Toulon: clearly looks new to the roster and is findings his marks, but has shown some interesting ball distribution and hand/foot alternating.

Toulon are also coming off an interesting effort against Clermont in Nice last weekend.

Finally, Castro has spoken to the Italian press and in an interview he said he'd spent 7 beautiful years in England playing for the Tigers and returning there this weekend he knows he'll cry. He says he hopes the cams won't catch him, but he knows it'll happen, that's just "the way I am" he said. He "left his heart" there.
About his current form, he says since he got operated on, his legs lack the power they once had and he needs time.
The interview ends with him saying as long as he's "good in the head", then he'll continue playing Rugby, despite him already being 33 years old.

 

[Every Time Ref]

ouch !...doesn't that then go into, like, your mouth through the nasal conduct..ahhh wtvr wtvr..

Um yeah, that should be "scenting blood" maybe ... did I just get corrected on my English by a Frenchman? Oh, the ignomy. And me a former TEFL teacher...

 

[Big Ewis]

Um yeah, that should be "scenting blood" maybe ... did I just get corrected on my English by a Frenchman? Oh, the ignomy. And me a former TEFL teacher...

The words "English" and "Frenchman" are wayyyy too close in that sentence so you leave me no choice but to blast a Kamehameha 'in your general direction'

 

[Every Time Ref]

...

 

[Big Ewis]

Toulon : 15.Delon Armitage ; 14.Drew Mitchell, 13.Mathieu Bastareaud, 12.Maxime Mermoz, 11.Bryan Habana ; 10.Nicolas Sanchez, 9.Sébastien Tillous-Borde ; 7.Steffon Armitage, 8.Chris Masoe (capt), 6.Mamuka Gorgodze ; 5.Ali Williams, 4.Bakkies Botha ; 3.Martin Castrogiovanni, 2.Guilhem Guirado, 1.Xavier Chiocci.

Remplaçants : 16.Jean-Charles Orioli, 17.Florian Fresia, 18.Carl Hayman, 19.Juanne Smith, 20.Rudi Wulf, 21.Jocelino Suta, 22.Eric Escande, 23.Romain Taofifénua.



Leicester : 15.Matthew Tait ; 14.Blaine Scully, 13.Matt Smith, 12.Anthony Allen, 11.Vereniki Goneva ; 10.Owen Williams, 9.Ben Youngs (capt), 7.Julian Salvi, 8.Jordan Crane, 6.Jamie Gibson ; 5.Graham Kitchener, 4.Brad Thorn ; 3.Dan Cole, 2.Tom Youngs, 1.Marcos Ayerza.

Remplaçants : 16.Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17.Michele Rizzo, 18.Fraser Balmain, 19.Geoff Parling, 20.Robert Barbieri, 21.Sam Harrison, 22.Freddie Burns, 23.Miles Benjamin.

- - - Updated - - -

Toulon going for only one flyhalf for the match, Nico Sanchez. Tall, tall task...but with both Giteau still out and Michalak nursing that long-term injury...
Opted for two locks off the bench, a Wallis et Futuna French Polynesia flavor for the pair. So 6 forwards 2 backs (SH, center) off the bench.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

The front 5 battle will be good.

 

[Big Ewis]

The front 5 battle will be good.

advantage Tigers in the scrum. I don't know what form Dan Cole is in, haven't seen him in a bunch of time. But the Castro of the last 2 years + young Chiocci VS Ayerza and Cole...mmm....that's second choice vs first choice; Menini is taking a break after the int'ls and RCT captain Hayman is freshly coming off injury and will play in the second act.

Too bad this isn't from 4-5 years ago: prime Barcella + Hayman in the same front row :lol:

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

advantage Tigers in the scrum. I don't know what form Dan Cole is in, haven't seen him in a bunch of time. But the Castro of the last 2 years + young Chiocci VS Ayerza and Cole...mmm....that's second choice vs first choice; Menini is taking a break after the int'ls and RCT captain Hayman is freshly coming off injury and will play in the second act.

Too bad this isn't from 4-5 years ago: prime Barcella + Hayman in the same front row :lol:

Cole has been mixed but has played only 1 game with Youngs and Ayerza in the past year or so so they should certainly give him a boost..

Thorn adds the grunt and will keep Botha in check.

Salvi V Armitage will be interesting. I prefer Salvi at the breakdown personally.

 

[Big Ewis]

Salvi V Armitage will be interesting. I prefer Salvi at the breakdown personally.

seriously, there's a *relative* nobody you prefer to Steffon Armitage...at the breakdown ?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Seriously I do, but then I watch every weekend pretty much.

 

[TommiG88]

The first ulster try has a huge forward pass.

 

[big ginger 8]

Ok win for Ulster yesterday, very hot and cold. Thought they could have done with Olding staying on. Best performance was probably from the ref. Luke Pearce I think it was, only his second Euro game but controlled it very well.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Good try.

Cole looking like he's getting back into the swing of things.

 

[TheSaffycen]

20 mins in and 13-0 to Tigers !
@BigEwis Do you think that Toulon really miss Wilko and Giteau's partnership as they have pretty much no kicking game here.