Aviva Premiership 13/14 season thread

Davei141

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Yeah, but the commentators made it sound as if he should be taken off for Stuart Lancaster's sake!

3 great players all go off at the same time there. Hopefully Borthwick is alright for the finals.

Didn't hear the Lancaster bit, that's stupid alright.

sydneybound

Not really about the Aviva Prem but as the game was played in England I'll post here.

Anyone see the piss poor crowd at the London Wasps V Stade European playoff match? Game seemed to have been a triller ended 30-29 to Waps but only a crowd of 5,000 odd turned up.

Considering Wasps are a London club, I use the term lightly as their really based a good bit out, with such poor support their a nothing club. Connacht get better turn outs for what would be deemed a fairly big match against a decent French side.

irishbucsfan

sydneybound wrote: »

Not really about the Aviva Prem but as the game was played in England I'll post here.

Anyone see the piss poor crowd at the London Wasps V Stade European playoff match? Game seemed to have been a triller ended 30-29 to Waps but only a crowd of 5,000 odd turned up.

Considering Wasps are a London club, I use the term lightly as their really based a good bit out, with such poor support their a nothing club. Connacht get better turn outs for what would be deemed a fairly big match against a decent French side.

They're absolutely not a "nothing club". They're based in Wycombe, not in London. The game wasn't advertised because there was no body to advertise it and there were planned disruptions to rail services in the area making it impossible for some to travel (made it impossible for me, I happen to live around the corner from them, although I ended up heading in to work yesterday anyway).

Their attendance figures this season have been pretty good considering the very low capacity of Adams Park, might be worth actually looking them up.

sydneybound

I know the club and that part of London quite well as it goes. It seems we don’t live too far apart.. very defensive post in fairness.

Adams Park is one of the less glamorous grounds in the prem and holds just over 10,000 which Wasps have ever got near this season. http://www.premiershiprugby.com/matchcentre/fixtures/fixtures.php
Even a high profile game against Leicester back in October which I watched on BT Sport when Andy Goode had a brilliant game only 7,000 attended. Two weeks later they played Bath another high profile club and had 5,000 to attend.

What artificially boosts their overall attendance figures is the London double header at the start of the season and the other game played in Twickenham in April against Gloucester and only got 35,000 odd. This was heavily promoted in the Evening Standard (free paper) in the two weeks leading up and the tickets where dirt cheap and yet they couldn’t get near the 74,000 Harlequins got when they played their Christmas match albeit at a different time of year

I feel a club coming up like Bristol, which is a good rugby town, will offer more to the Aviva more than Wasps. They’ll have a steady crowd of 7 to 8,000 (which they got against London Welsh) and upwards of 10,000 for big games against Leicester or West Country derby’s.

matthew8

Bristol are in massive trouble in the promotion playoff. Ryan Jones looks like he's broken his leg and they're down 22-5 away to London Welsh.

thomond2006

matthew8 wrote: »

Bristol are in massive trouble in the promotion playoff. Ryan Jones looks like he's broken his leg and they're down 22-5 away to London Welsh.

There's a few Irish players going there next year so I hope they can turn it around.

What a cluster**** it will be if they don't go up. There will be a lot of contracts to rip up or pay off.

Grandpa Hassan

My old man lives in Bristol. Tells me about the local expectation. Promotion to the premiership is almost an assumption, and with the new stadium the chat is about Bristol becoming a force in English rugby. I still fancy them to overcome this in the 2nd leg (if it is dry and they can play their expansive game), but they are making it hard for themselves and one mores score by the welsh, or a rainy day in Bristol, and it's all over for Andy Robinson. Would be a monumental disaster

Grandpa Hassan

And there's a yellow and another 3

Buer

27-8.

Looks very likely that this tie is done and dusted after the first leg. Bristol will need to do something special in the return leg. LW know they can just play a very tight game, wind the clock, play territory and make sure they don't lose by a big margin.

There will surely have to be one or two contracts torn up (or were signed on the basis that Premiership rugby was achieved). Jack Lam surely cannot still join them. Guys like Dwayne Peel, Matthew Morgan and Ross Rennie must be trying to figure out how to get out of it.

Very disappointing for JOC and Hudson. They'll have signed their deals with the aim of establishing themselves in the AP.

matthew8

I wouldn't say it's quite done and dusted. Bristol have scored a lot of tries this year and are capable of putting up a big score. Just over a month ago they won at home to Welsh 25-21 but it was 25-0 after 70 minutes.

matthew8

Saracens-Northampton in the final today. Should be a cracker, both semis were brilliant.

Saracens:
15. Alex Goode
14. Chris Ashton
13. Marcelo Bosch
12. Brad Barritt
11. David Strettle
10. Owen Farrell
9. Neil de Kock
1. Richard Barrington
2. Schalk Brits
3. Matt Stevens
4. Steve Borthwick
5. Mouritz Botha
6. Kelly Brown
7. Jacques Burger
8. Billy Vunipola

Replacements;
16. Jamie George
17. Rhys Gill
18. James Johnston
19. Alistair Hargreaves
20. Jackson Wray
21. Richard Wigglesworth
22. Charlie Hodgson
23. Chris Wyles

Northampton:
15 Ben Foden
14 Ken Pisi
13 George Pisi
12 Luther Burrell
11 George North
10 Stephen Myler
9 Kahn Fotuali'i
8 Sam Dickinson
7 Tom Wood
6 Calum Clark
5 Courtney Lawes
4 Samu Manoa
3 Salesi Ma'afu
2 Mike Haywood
1 Alex Corbisiero

Replacements:
16 Dylan Hartley
17 Alex Waller
18 Tom Mercey
19 Christian Day
20 Phil Dowson
21 Lee Dickson
22 James Wilson
23 Tom Stephenson

JP Doyle the referee.

For me these 2 teams have been without doubt the best teams in England this year. It's meant to stay dry so we should see not only great physicality but great skills too.

ScrubsfanChris

About to get started.... I fancy Northampton to win (If Hartley keeps his mouth shut this time :pac: )

Davei141

I stuck 40 quid on Sarries to win the Aviva prem at the start of the year, i just hope playing a final last week doesn't catch up with them.

corny

Some fantastic tackling from the Saints forwards so far.

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

If Northampton had a decent set of halfbacks they'd be some outfit. Myler is just so painfully average

ScrubsfanChris

A lot of kicking so far but Saracen's doing it better, 6-0 now to Saries

ScrubsfanChris

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience wrote: »

If Northampton had a decent set of halfbacks they'd be some outfit. Myler is just so painfully average

Reminiscent of the first half against Bath, having a stinker.

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

Reminiscent of the first half against Bath, having a stinker.

I've never ever seen him perform in a high pressure game tbh. Kahn F is even worse than Dickson, if that's even possible

thomond2006

C'monnnnnnnnnnnnnn youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaints

ScrubsfanChris

Sarries gave away about 3 penalties at that maul, so cynical.

Edit: Northampton scored the try, if they didn't someone was getting carded

matthew8

Finally Northampton show signs of life, and doing the usual reject the 3 points.

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

Boom, well worked try

Deserved too, Saints have played all the rugby

matthew8

Try for Foden! Come on the Saints.

Davei141

Side entry? what this ref smoking the guy is blind. Try Northampton.

corny

Great hands.

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

North far more entertaining to watch outside of centres who can pass

matthew8

Corbisiero and Stevens are scrummaging so sideways they're essentially parallel to each other.

matthew8

Lawes has saved Northampton's skin twice now in the maul.

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

Is Corbs slightly overrated as a scrummager? Two of the biggest feathers in his caps have been destroying an awful Ozzie TH and Tom Court playing at 3

irishbucsfan

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience wrote: »

Is Corbs slightly overrated as a scrummager? Two of the biggest feathers in his caps have been destroying an awful Ozzie TH and Tom Court playing at 3

No, he's an excellent scrummager. He has many more feathers in his cap than those, I think they must have just been the ones you saw.

sydthebeat

irishbucsfan wrote: »

No, he's an excellent scrummager. He has many more feathers in his cap than those, I think they must have just been the ones you saw.

Unfortunately he didn't seem to have too much else to his game lately.

irishbucsfan

sydthebeat wrote: »

Unfortunately he didn't seem to have too much else to his game lately.

No, he's been poor lately. It may be the case that the injuries have caught up with him. Which would be a shame.

matthew8

Lets get Hartley on.

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

irishbucsfan wrote: »

No, he's an excellent scrummager. He has many more feathers in his cap than those, I think they must have just been the ones you saw.

Like?

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

Good man Myler, jesus

matthew8

What a chance they have wasted.

Davei141

If Northampton had as much possession as Sarries they would be walking this game Sarries are awful with the ball in hand today.

ScrubsfanChris

North had two players outside and decides to run towards the corner flag..... then Myler did that!

matthew8

Kahn took about 5 minutes to listen to Doyle's use it call there.

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

matthew8 wrote: »

Kahn took about 5 minutes to listen to Doyle's use it call there.

Ya it was bizarre the amount of time he was given, but it was bizarre that he was told to use it from a maul going forward in the first place

irishbucsfan

matthew8 wrote: »

Kahn took about 5 minutes to listen to Doyle's use it call there.

Doyle's call was way too early though, so I thought he made the right decision to give him more time.

irishbucsfan

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience wrote: »

Like?

The two seasons before the Lions tour he was consistently the most destructive loosehead in the UK. (when fit)

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

cracking game

matthew8

Saracens hanging on by their fingernails here.

irishbucsfan

Fair play to Farrell there! Never seen someone stop North that effectively

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

how did Doyle miss that knock-on from Borthwick?

ScrubsfanChris

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience wrote: »

how did Doyle miss that knock-on from Borthwick?

Worse than missing it, he said it went backwards :eek:

matthew8

Huge turnover by Dickinson. Poor by Wood at the lineout.

Davei141

JP Doyle is such a crap ref. Northampton allowed lie all over the ball slowing the feck out of it.

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

BOOM!