Aviva Premiership 17/18 - Round 2

[Scotty]

Chiefs injuries -

James Short
Michele Campagnaro
Ollie Devoto
Sam Hill
Alec Hepburn
Luke Cowan-Dickie
Dave Dennis
Dave Ewers
Thomas Waldrom

Damn thats a bad list for the chiefs. Oh well just have to make a comeback in the second half of the season again and take the title haha

 

[BPM]

Yes and no ... for every club lining-up to take a risk, I imagine there would be at least two more who wouldn't want to spend what they'd need to shell out in wages to secure a player with Manu's injury record.

 

[BPM]

Hard to think of a more dramatic example of somebody's career flatlining. It's frustrating to think that the player who ripped apart the All Blacks is still in there somewhere but he's never going to fulfil his potential. You're probably right about a move being best for all parties, I'm sure there'd be no shortage of clubs lining up just on reputation alone.

Yes and no ... for every club lining-up to take a risk, I imagine there would be at least two more who wouldn't want to spend what they'd need to shell out in wages to secure a player with Manu's injury record.

I'm starting to think we should re-title this as the injury woes thread ... Renaldo Bothma broke his arm again this week, so Quins are back down to 3 fit senior back row players (Robshaw, Clifford and Luamanu) + Ward covering 7.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

Yes and no ... for every club lining-up to take a risk, I imagine there would be at least two more who wouldn't want to spend what they'd need to shell out in wages to secure a player with Manu's injury record.

I doubt there'd be any shortage of takers. Some form of pay per play might be the answer.

Feel very sorry for him though. There are only so many setbacks someone can take.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

I feel bad for finding it sort of funny that Manu was injured this quickly. I mean we were all joking about it but damn...

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Being Chief Fluffer does have it's perks

Lol.

Not sure what Tigers do here now.

Would like to see Thacker have a run out at 13 he has been playing well in the preseason and A league so now might be his chance.

 

[Hound]

Hearing we've lost Fitzgerald for 3 months so that doesn't help. Expect both Mike Williams and Luke Hamilton to come in for Kalamafoni and Kitchener to add physicality. Hoping Bateman goes back to hooker too because as good as Thacker and Cole are individually, they don't form a good scrum due to the sheer height difference.

Holmes or Brady for Malouf too.

Yeah... I'd probably plant Malof on the bench and try to use his energy as a utility in the last 10-15 in anywhere they're flagging.

Be very interested to see how he'd do as a late game flanker when there's tired, weary bodies out there despite all accounts the Tigers seem to view his 7s time as = wing, outside centre.

Personally, seeing his positional play on the wing last week would drive any immediate outside centre plans for him waaay out of my mind. That 9-10-11-12-13 of Youngs-Ford-May-Toomua-Tuilagi is should send shivers down spines though... if their forwards can let them cut loose.

 

[BPM]

Results for this round are tricky to call ...

I'm going for:

Sale vs. Falcons - home win, losing BP

Bath vs. Saracens - away BP win

Chiefs vs. L. Irish - home BP win

Harlequins vs. Gloucester - home win, losing BP

Saints vs. Tigers - away BP win

Worcester vs. Wasps - away BP win

 

[curtbob7]

Literally couldn't make it up. Tuilagi out for 6 weeks at least from what I've been told. Charlie Thacker and Gareth Owen for 13 then.

 

[curtbob7]

You did look shaky on the wing, to be fair.

Croft for line out purposes. Let Barrow, Williams and Hamilton do the dirty work.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Do Premiership sides intentionally hide their line-ups? Its Thursday and I havn't been able to pull the line-ups for a single team up off the internet..

 

[BPM]

Do Premiership sides intentionally hide their line-ups? Its Thursday and I havn't been able to pull the line-ups for a single team up off the internet..

It's 10am in the UK. Teams normally get announced at around lunchtime (normally on Thursday). Sometimes Friday.

 

[ratsapprentice]

They normally get announced the day before the game.

 

[curtbob7]

They normally get announced the day before the game.

or in Cockers' case it was announce them last minute on Friday and then change one or two places an hour before the game due to 'injuries'

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Thanks, guys. I am used to SR where all teams are announced by Thursday afternoon latest even for the Saturday matches and are usually spot on apart from the rare occasion someone pulls out sick or injured at the last minute.

 

[Which Tyler]

Usually Thursday lunchtime (except Sunday matches). Teams very rarely change between announcement and KO, and it's usually because of geniune injury, or the odd player failing a late fitness test.
London Welsh tried playing silly buggers like that and got slapped down - Cockerill had a bit of a reputation for doing so with 1-2 selections; but was more likely a case of being optimistic on recovry times than anything else.

 

[Hound]

Literally couldn't make it up. Tuilagi out for 6 weeks at least from what I've been told. Charlie Thacker and Gareth Owen for 13 then.

Yeah, that's probably my fault for just talking up that backline...

 

[Lancashire Nick]

They normally get announced the day before the game.

Is there a time by which they MUST be announced?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Lol.
Not sure what Tigers do here now.

Should try and get a SR centre in as injury joker, they'd be home by the SR season start if manu is back on schedule (big If, though)

 

[curtbob7]

are there any decent crash-ball centres about that aren't getting gametime?