Aviva Premiership 17/18 - Round 1

[curtbob7]

Interesting to note Worcester got turned over in the A league Monday night too.

Personally I see a relegation scrap between Warriors and Irish but nothing like the 12th team we've had in previous years.

 

[Scotty]

Thanks BPM!

Well we've still got the optimism around the club from the run we went on under GG to finish last season so I think we'll do OK. Losing so badly to a team like Newcastle wasn't in the script but the scoreline was harsh on us, we had loads of possession & territory but just couldn't turn it into points. Also, we were obviously missing so many players & it felt like maybe the season came a week too early for us whereas Newcastle were straight into it. Definitely expect a big response v Wasps whatever the result ends up being, the fact Sale put 4 or 5 tries past them is our cause for optimism.

Basically we could finish anywhere between 7th-10th I think, it's gonna be a season of consolidation with all the stories surrounding our ownership but there are worse teams than us. Hopefully get a few players back & surprise a few teams along the way!

Just what Tyler said on the injuries, we were worried Te'o had fractured his arm at first but he's back in training already. Pennell should be back for Wasps but I read Denton has had another setback.

I kind of see a religation battle between worcester, Lirish and quins if sale and newcastle can out their signings to good use (enough quality for quins to be 10th though) i just think Worcester havnt strenthened their squad enough.

I see a tough season ahead

 

[BPM]

What interests me about Worcester under Gold is that they score tries.

Players like Adams, Olivier, Hammond and Heem aren't likely to be players other teams' fans immediately fear, but at the tail end of the season, Worcester were playing nice rugby and scoring lots of tries. If they do that, they'll win a few more games and pick up a few more losing BPs than they did last season.

With London Irish, it's really hard to say where they're at. From what I've seen, they played with lots of ambition against Quins, but given how poorly we played, I'm not sure how much of that was down to the quality of their attack or the abject nature of our defence? Exeter at Sandy Park will be a better barometer. If they don't get smashed and score a few tries in the bargain, then that will be a better indication of how competitive they'll be.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Thanks BPM!

Well we've still got the optimism around the club from the run we went on under GG to finish last season so I think we'll do OK. Losing so badly to a team like Newcastle wasn't in the script but the scoreline was harsh on us, we had loads of possession & territory but just couldn't turn it into points. Also, we were obviously missing so many players & it felt like maybe the season came a week too early for us whereas Newcastle were straight into it. Definitely expect a big response v Wasps whatever the result ends up being, the fact Sale put 4 or 5 tries past them is our cause for optimism.

Basically we could finish anywhere between 7th-10th I think, it's gonna be a season of consolidation with all the stories surrounding our ownership but there are worse teams than us. Hopefully get a few players back & surprise a few teams along the way!

Just what Tyler said on the injuries, we were worried Te'o had fractured his arm at first but he's back in training already. Pennell should be back for Wasps but I read Denton has had another setback.

Welcome to the forum. I'm not sure Wasps can really be used as a guide for attacking ability. Wasps operate on the basis of it doesn't matter how many points you concede as long as you score more. I think a fair few sides will put a reasonable number of points past them but just let in even more. Great fun to watch though and Worcester seemed to operate on a similar basis last year (emphasis on attempting to outscore in high scoring games) although just not as good as Wasps.

It would be nice to see another team do what Exeter did and actually manage to stay in the Prem, I'd like to see the 2nd tier being more competitive rather than the yoyoing of the same clubs between the 2.

 

[Sixways Cheryl]

I kind of see a religation battle between worcester, Lirish and quins if sale and newcastle can out their signings to good use (enough quality for quins to be 10th though) i just think Worcester havnt strenthened their squad enough.

I see a tough season ahead

I don't think there's going to be much between the bottom six this year - Worcester, London Irish, Gloucester, Northampton, Newcastle & Sale. (Not including Quins in that, they've got too much quality IMO)

Worcester - Last weekend wasn't a true reflection on us & expecting a big response on Sunday. We improved so much under Gary Gold last year & ended the season feeling we could beat anyone (and we did beat teams like Sarries & Bath). Once we get players back & some momentum going we should be alright.

London Irish - Their attacking play was so good v Quins but can they keep up that tempo for the whole season? They impressed me but I'm not gonna change my opinion on 1 game, I still think they'll go back down.

Gloucester - People who know a lot more than me were suggesting they might go down this year & obviously they lost Jonny (or is it Johnny?!) May. Suppose it all depends on how the new coach goes - didn't get off to a bad start!

Northampton - I was looking at their line-up v Saracens & almost did a double take at how weak it looked on paper (by their standards). Didn't watch the game but heard they were absolutely dreadful in the first half. Maybe Mallinder is just past his sell by date there? They're gonna struggle I think - my outside tip to go down.

Newcastle - Seems a bit bitter of me to say this after they've battered my team, but I don't think they're going to live up to the hype they're getting (do they have shares in BT Sport or something?!). Can always pull something out the bag on their own patch but generally are pretty poor when they have to leave the arctic circle.

Sale - To me they're the hardest team in the league to gauge, they're always flattering to deceive. I don't think I've ever fully made my mind up on Sale so I'm not about to change now.

 

[BPM]

That's not a bad overview to be fair.

Quins definitely DON'T have too much quality to be dragged in to the bottom half, bit I do think we have enough to avoid relegation. I'll hold-off before I start revising my predictions for the season, but I agree that Saints could go in to free fall (pretty much certain I've said so on other posts). I don't think they'll be under genuine threat of relegation but I can see them at the bottom-end of the battle with Quins, Sale and Gloucester for 6-10th place.

One player doesn't make a team, but my take is that King Louis bailed them out in a lot of games last season and his absence will be massively felt. Allegedly they have signed a replacement for him (Brad Shields?) who won't be arriving until January. That may be too late to save them from struggling.

 

[curtbob7]

That's not a bad overview to be fair.

Quins definitely DON'T have too much quality to be dragged in to the bottom half, bit I do think we have enough to avoid relegation. I'll hold-off before I start revising my predictions for the season, but I agree that Saints could go in to free fall (pretty much certain I've said so on other posts). I don't think they'll be under genuine threat of relegation but I can see them at the bottom-end of the battle with Quins, Sale and Gloucester for 6-10th place.

One player doesn't make a team, but my take is that King Louis bailed them out in a lot of games last season and his absence will be massively felt. Allegedly they have signed a replacement for him (Brad Shields?) who won't be arriving until January. That may be too late to save them from struggling.

100% agree.

Without King Louis they'd have been a good 15 points lower last season.

 

[Scotty]

I don't think there's going to be much between the bottom six this year - Worcester, London Irish, Gloucester, Northampton, Newcastle & Sale. (Not including Quins in that, they've got too much quality IMO)

Worcester - Last weekend wasn't a true reflection on us & expecting a big response on Sunday. We improved so much under Gary Gold last year & ended the season feeling we could beat anyone (and we did beat teams like Sarries & Bath). Once we get players back & some momentum going we should be alright.

London Irish - Their attacking play was so good v Quins but can they keep up that tempo for the whole season? They impressed me but I'm not gonna change my opinion on 1 game, I still think they'll go back down.

Gloucester - People who know a lot more than me were suggesting they might go down this year & obviously they lost Jonny (or is it Johnny?!) May. Suppose it all depends on how the new coach goes - didn't get off to a bad start!

Northampton - I was looking at their line-up v Saracens & almost did a double take at how weak it looked on paper (by their standards). Didn't watch the game but heard they were absolutely dreadful in the first half. Maybe Mallinder is just past his sell by date there? They're gonna struggle I think - my outside tip to go down.

Newcastle - Seems a bit bitter of me to say this after they've battered my team, but I don't think they're going to live up to the hype they're getting (do they have shares in BT Sport or something?!). Can always pull something out the bag on their own patch but generally are pretty poor when they have to leave the arctic circle.

Sale - To me they're the hardest team in the league to gauge, they're always flattering to deceive. I don't think I've ever fully made my mind up on Sale so I'm not about to change now.

Fair one thats a good review but i see Newcastle on the up i actually think they could end up above the likes of sale and saints. Looking very strong end of last season. I like worcester but i dont know i just think quite tight between Lirish and Worcester at the bottom of the table.

My concern is top of the table being a chiefs fan. Loss to Gloucester but minor set back we lost loads start of last season but still smashed it with like 17 wins in a row at the end.