Northampton v Leicester

[tigermad]

Leicester travel to Franklins Gardens this weekend after a cracking performance against Gloucester while Northampton will be looking to bounce back after a surpirse loss at Quins. Never an easy place to get a result as Leicester look to maintain top spot in the Guinness Premiership.

[tigerfeet13]

I think it will be very tough.

We will be losing a lot of players to international squads, whilst the Stains only miss a few. We will do well to come out of the game with more than 1 point. But I remain hopeful.

Of course if both had a full squad I'd be wanting and expecting 5 points!

I'm still expecting Tigers v Stains as the GP final.

[salcombe bob]

nice and early Tigermad. Will be very difficult with us missing so many but..........

[Mersey Tiger]

Does anyone know if Julian will be available at tight head for the Stains match?
If not then I am very worried, because Dan Cole and Castro will be on international duty.

The pack - without any of these - were pushed around all over the place by the Leeds pack last week. Robbie Harris did a good job but is more of a loose head covering for tight head.

So I await the injury update on Jules with trepidation!

Looking to next season, there is a genuine need for Tigers to get tight head cover, particularly if MJ might still want to use Jules for England, with the World Cup on the horizon.

This serves to highlight why the Premiership's sharing out of the RFU cash, whilst keeping a strict salary cap, can really be unfair to a team that has quality strength in depth in one particular position.

[Ads677]

Can't believe that with just one full game this season under his belt Geordan has bee nicked to join the Irish squad - not that he doesn't deserve it, but I was hoping he would be at least one international we might retain this week.

[tigerben]

Does anyone know if Julian will be available at tight head for the Stains match?
If not then I am very worried, because Dan Cole and Castro will be on international duty.

The pack - without any of these - were pushed around all over the place by the Leeds pack last week. Robbie Harris did a good job but is more of a loose head covering for tight head.

So I await the injury update on Jules with trepidation!

Looking to next season, there is a genuine need for Tigers to get tight head cover, particularly if MJ might still want to use Jules for England, with the World Cup on the horizon.

This serves to highlight why the Premiership's sharing out of the RFU cash, whilst keeping a strict salary cap, can really be unfair to a team that has quality strength in depth in one particular position.

Didn't Ayerza move to tight-head when Stankovich came on? Perhaps looking at it as a combination for next week, although the scrum did seem to suffer after the change.

I seem to remember Ayerza playing at 3 for Argentina on a few occasions so its not as if inexperienced there.

[chinnjamie]

Looking to next season, there is a genuine need for Tigers to get tight head cover, .

We could do our usual pre season raid on poor old Newcastle and tempt the ever impressive Jon Golding to the club, the problem however is that i can see him being high up the England pecking order too.

[sunbeamer]

presumably we will be seeing 12Ts in the squad....

[G.K]

I hope that Jules was rested last week as Castro was available and not because he was injured. Hipkiss looks like he might be out so it could be Allen at 13 and 12T at 12 unless Mauger is fit again.

Hopefully Kay will be fit and Youngs will be available so we should have a pretty good side. I'd expect Foden to be in the England 22 so that will be one less thing to worry about.

[sunbeamer]

I hope that Jules was rested last week as Castro was available and not because he was injured. Hipkiss looks like he might be out so it could be Allen at 13 and 12T at 12 unless Mauger is fit again.

Hopefully Kay will be fit and Youngs will be available so we should have a pretty good side. I'd expect Foden to be in the England 22 so that will be one less thing to worry about.

yes, fair points Barson - though maybe Allen 12 and 12Ts 13

[Darc Tiger]

I think I read somewhere that Jules only has a calf strain or something before the Leeds game. Would think he would have recovered sufficiently by now.

[MurphysLaw]

Player availability will be key to this game. Unfortunately,Dan Hipkiss looks like he might be crocked for a while, and now we look like losing Geordan, as well as Castro, Moody, Flood, Deacs and Cole. We should, hopefully get Youngs and Crane released, and if Whitey makes it, we will still be able to field a stronger team than the one we put out for the LV comp.

Does anyone have any news on Tom Croft? He seemed to be moving around on the pitch ok on Saturday, could he be back soon?

I think there might be a little more pressure on Saints this time - home record to preserve, and they won't want to lose more ground after their no-show at Quins.
It's perhaps telling that, now he has a couple of players in the England squad, Malinder has felt the need to have a public whinge about losing players.

[quote="sunbeamer"]
yes, fair points Barson - though maybe Allen 12 and 12Ts 13[/quote]

I am not convinced with AA at 12 - thought he had a decent game against Glaws, but was better after he moved to 13. Without a fully fit and in-form Mauger, I don't know what the answer is there.

[G.K]

Yes I was starting to think I was the only one that felt that Allen was a more natural 13 than 12. I thought that even when he was as Glos' as he doesn't seem to have much of a kicking game for an IC.

I think 12 will come down to who is fully fit out of Mauger and Vesty although neither have exactly set the world alight lately.

Still could be looking at a line up of 1: Ayerza, 2: Davis/Chuter, 3: White, 4: Parling, 5: Kay, 6: Newby, 7: Woods, 8: Crane. 9: Youngs, 10: Stanton, 11: Tualigi; 12: Mauger/Vesty/12T, 13: Allen/Smith/12T, 14: Tuquiri, 15: Hamilton.

Would still leave a bench of Stankovitch, Harris, Chuter, Green, B. Deacon, Grindall/Ellis, Mauger/Vesty/12T/Smith and possibly J. Murphy and Amorisino.

Not exactly weak that so it will all depend on how well they click on the day, which has been pretty variable this season.

[kingol22]

i think youngs has a very good chance at getting on to the bench for england.