Your Teams First Game Team

[scar123]

We have something similar on the Pro12 Forum, as a I have a massive interest in the Premiership, what do you guys think your best side will be for the first game?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Okay for Tigers

1) Mulipola (if Rizzo is out), 2) Youngs/Ghiraldini, 3) Balmain (Mulipola if Rizzo is fit), 4) Kitchener/Deacon, 5) Parling, 6) Croft, 7) Salvi, 8) Crane/Barbieri

9) Youngs, 10) Burns, 11) Goneva 12) Allen, 13) Manu, 14) Morris, 15) Tait

Bench: 16) Ghiraldini/Youngs, 17) Bristow, 18) Pasquali (Balmain if Rizzo is fit), 19) Kitchener/Deacon, 20) Crane/Barbieri/Gibson, 21) Mele, 22) Williams/Bai (don't know when Williams ban ends), 23) Scully/Loamanu.

Players def out: Ayerza, Cole, Slater, Matera, Benjamin, Camacho can't think of many others. Pearce I think will be fit.

 

[TheSaffycen]

Sarries -
1.Barrington 2.George 3.Longbottom 4.Hargreaves 5.Hamilton 6.Brown 7.Fraser/Burger 8.Vunipola 9.Wigglesworth 10.Farrell 11.Strettle 12.Barritt 13.Streather 14.Ashton 15.Goode
16.Spurling 17.Gill 18.Johnston 19.Kruis 20.Wray 21.Spencer 22.Hodgson 23.Wyles/Taylor

Injuries-Mako Vunipola, Figallo may be fit but will probably be slowly eased in, Bosch is with Argentina, De Kock is injured, Brits with SA

 

[Geordie]

Ah looking at that Tigers side...we're in for a long afternoon!

1 Vickers
2 Lawson / McGuigan
3 Brookes
4 Barrow
5 Furno
6 Kolo'ulai
7 Welch
8 Wilson

9 Blair
10 Clegg
11 A.Tuilagi
12 Socino
13 Tiesi
14 Sinoti
15 Tait

16 Fry 17 McGuigan / Lawson 18 S.Wilson 19 Green 20 Mayhew 21 Tipuna 22 Powell 23 Hammersley

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Going off of the pre-season games, I think our side for Bath will be:

1. AdM
2. Jones
3. Cobilas
4. Paterson
5. Hines
6. Braid (c)
7. Seymour
8. Easter
9. Cusiter
10. Cipriani
11. Cueto
12. Tuitupou
13. Addison
14. Brady
15. Mclean

Neild, Harrison, Lewis-Roberts, Ostrikov, Lund, Cliff, Ford, Macleod/Ingall

Macleod and Ingall both got decent amount of game time in the preseason so could be either. Dimes has gone with a Ford/Macleod bench in the past, but I don't particularly like it as there's no wing cover, and Cueto/Addison/Ford can all cover 15, so I'd rather Ford/Ingall on the bench, with Cueto covering centre from the pitch.

Not a bad side. Can't help but feel we lack a bit of fire power on the carry with Leota out injured and no big carrying backrower signed - Seymour, Easter and Braid are all great carriers but aren't really built to smash over the gain line. Hines should see a lot of action, along with AdM and Jones. Ostrikov off the bench will help, though. Nervous about Neild getting game time, he's only this season nailed down hooker as his position - even as recently as the JRWC, with England, he's been playing openside as much as hooker. Going to be a baptism of fire, but with Taylor out and the Georgian not here yet there's no other choice.
Excited to see Addison back properly. Missed best part of a year through various injuries. Will be interesting to see how we go with him at 13. Tuitupou and Leota are a great centre partnership, not the classiest but huge work-rate and defence. At times it's like having 5 backrowers (especially in the maul - those two flying into mauls has helped stop more than a few in our 22).

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Nice to see that young player you keep talking about get a start even if out of position at 7, has he played much there in the pre-season Seymour?

 

[Geordie]

Ok with all the preseasons over ill say this will be the starting team next weekend.

1 Vickers
2 McGuigan
3 Brookes
4 Barrow
5 Furno
6 M.Wilson
7 Welch
8 Hogg

9 Blair
10 Socino
11 Sinoti
12 Powell / Helleur
13 Tiesi
14 Cato / Brown
15 Hammersley

16 Fry 17 Lawson 18 S.Wilson 19 Green 20 Mayhew 21 Tipuna 22 Powell / Helleur 23 Cato / Brown

 

[glawsfan]

For us I would go with
1 Murphy
2 Hibbard
3 Afoa
4 Stooke
5 Palmer
6 Kalamafoni
7 Kvesic
8 Morgan
9 Laidlaw
10 Hook
11 May
12 Twelvetrees
13 Trinder
14 Sharples
15 Cook

That is pretty much our first team the only players who may come in that are currently unavailable would be Wood who is out injured instead of Murphy and Galarza who's away with Argentina for Palmer.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Looking at it Morris will play 15 he has been brilliant at 15 in the preseason and dare I say looking like a more robust looking Murphy. the way he is starting this season he better not go back to Ireland.

reckon
11. Goneva
14. Scully
15. Morris

22. Williams/Bai
23. Tait.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Bath - at a guess:

1. Paul James
2. Rob Webber
3. Davey Wilson
4. Stuart Hooper
5. Dave Attwood
6. Carl Fearns
7. Guy Mercer
8. Leroy Houston
9. Mickey Young
10. George Ford
11. Matt Banahan
12. Kyle Eastmond
13. Jonathan Joseph
14. Semesa Rokoduguni
15. Anthony Watson

16. Tom Dunn
17. Nathan Catt (Shiells/Auterac - unsure which is considered 3rd choice ATM)
18. Henry Thomas
19. Dom Day/Will Spencer
20. Dave Sisi
21. Peter Stringer
22. Gavin Henson
23. Luke Arscott

That's probably near enough what it'll look like.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Very much a attacking backline there, although would still question Young and also Ford in the big games.

Forwards are certainly big but I think Sale may get the better of you at the breakdown what with Braid and that young Seymour a certain someone keeps talking about.

Can't see that Bath team losing TBH, but it could well be very very close.

 

[Patchey]

Rough guess for Quins this weekend, although we've got so many outside backs that I could well be quite wrong.

1 Joe Marler (c)
2 Joe Gray
3 Kyle Sinckler
4 Charlie Matthews
5 George Robson
6 Luke Wallace
7 Chris Robshaw
8 Nick Easter
9 Danny Care
10 Nick Evans
11 Charlie Walker
12 Jordan Turner-Hall
13 Matt Hopper
14 Marland Yarde
15 Mike Brown

16 Will Collier
17 Mark Lambert
18 Rob Buchanan
19 George Merrick
20 Jack Clifford
21 Karl Dickson
22 Ben Botica
23 Ollie Lindsay-Hague

Bath - at a guess:

1. Paul James
2. Rob Webber
3. Davey Wilson
4. Stuart Hooper
5. Dave Attwood
6. Carl Fearns
7. Guy Mercer
8. Leroy Houston
9. Mickey Young
10. George Ford
11. Matt Banahan
12. Kyle Eastmond
13. Jonathan Joseph
14. Semesa Rokoduguni
15. Anthony Watson

16. Tom Dunn
17. Nathan Catt (Shiells/Auterac - unsure which is considered 3rd choice ATM)
18. Henry Thomas
19. Dom Day/Will Spencer
20. Dave Sisi
21. Peter Stringer
22. Gavin Henson
23. Luke Arscott

That's probably near enough what it'll look like.

On paper, that team should tear everyone bar Tigers/Sarries/Saints a new hole and is more than capable of beating the aforementioned three sides.

On paper.

 

[ratsapprentice]

No idea how it will go tbh.

Assuming Sale are at least as strong as last year then this will be a very interesting game.
Last year we struggled against blitz defenses and when the opposition was strong at the breakdown - two issues which Sale will give us.
Those were the two obvious problems we had last year, so I would expect the coaches to have focused on them massively.

 

[Big Ewis]

Injuries-Mako Vunipola, Figallo may be fit but will probably be slowly eased in, Bosch is with Argentina, De Kock is injured, Brits with SA

gonna be such a boost for the Sarries. A dominant scrum complements their game so well. I was just reading an article, and Clermont's HC defeat to the Saracens came up. Man, although a French club got smashed by an English club, I wasn't mad at all. Sarries looked so good doing it, and fk it was total destruction, 46-6. I'll be checking them out when I can this year, good luck to the club, they're sort of "my Prem team".

 

[TheSaffycen]

I'm really optimistic that we will win something this year. Our pack has now got a genuine world class prop in Figallo and if we have a scrum which can destroy others instead of holding up on our own ball and being ****e on the opponents scrum then we should win something. Loved that game against Clermont, the best game i have seen us play, everyone turned up Burger, Ashton, Brits, Barritt and we were incredible. Some poor decisions from the ref but there you go.

 

[Big Ewis]

I'm really optimistic that we will win something this year. Our pack has now got a genuine world class prop in Figallo and if we have a scrum which can destroy others instead of holding up on our own ball and being ****e on the opponents scrum then we should win something. Loved that game against Clermont, the best game i have seen us play, everyone turned up Burger, Ashton, Brits, Barritt and we were incredible. Some poor decisions from the ref but there you go.

AAAAH !!!! "something" ?!! How DARE you insinuate anyone but a French team will win the H Cup !!?! HERETIC !!!!!
You could've/should've said "I'm really optimistic that we will win the Prem this year"...

And I don't know if you're implying the ref helped out the Sarries in that game there, but they were easily much, much better than Clermont so I don't think that deserves a mention.

 

[SelimNiai]

My preferred Bristol XV

1. Traynor
2. Brooker
3. Perenise
4. Evans
5. Sorenson
6. Lam
7. Rennie
8. Eadie
9. Peel (c)
10. Morgan
11. Short
12. Mosses
13. Maule
14. Lemi
15. Wallace

A prem team in all but name

 

[big ginger 8]

My preferred Bristol XV

1. Traynor
2. Brooker
3. Perenise
4. Evans
5. Sorenson
6. Lam
7. Rennie
8. Eadie
9. Peel (c)
10. Morgan
11. Short
12. Mosses
13. Maule
14. Lemi
15. Wallace

A prem team in all but name

How likely would you say it is that Darron Hudson and Jack O'Connell will be in the 23/get much gametime this year?

 

[ratsapprentice]

AAAAH !!!! "something" ?!! How DARE you insinuate anyone but a French team will win the H Cup !!?! HERETIC !!!!!
You could've/should've said "I'm really optimistic that we will win the Prem this year"...

And I don't know if you're implying the ref helped out the Sarries in that game there, but they were easily much, much better than Clermont so I don't think that deserves a mention.

Clermont were also really, really bad.

I know what it's like to be on the end of a Sarries shafting - but that result was just as much down to Clermont's apathy as Saracens quality.

 

[SelimNiai]

How likely would you say it is that Darron Hudson and Jack O'Connell will be in the 23/get much gametime this year?

To be honest I'm not sure, Id imagine being used in rotation and cup game starts. By all accounts theyve done ok through pre season

Edit: O'Connell is starting the first game