Sale Away

[Doghashadhisday]

The next game could be the defining point of our season. Lose to Sale and we may be too far behind the teams trying for the top 4, win and we are right in the mix. The usual suspects will of course bleat on about how we should be beating teams like Sale. Sale have only lost once at home in the league and have won some vital away games so it won't be easy. Will our hopes sail away, sail away or will we be cheerfully singing Sale away, sale away?

[sapajo]

The next game could be the defining point of our season. Lose to Sale and we may be too far behind the teams trying for the top 4, win and we are right in the mix. The usual suspects will of course bleat on about how we should be beating teams like Sale. Sale have only lost once at home in the league and have won some vital away games so it won't be easy. Will our hopes sail away, sail away or will we be cheerfully singing Sale away, sale away?

Well I think it is time to mix things up a bit. Bring in Burns, Bell, Loamanu ( RC said he would be fit for this match:smt017 ) with Pierce and Bai (RC said he is fit for the Saints match:smt017 )both on the bench.

[Spicer]

After the :censored: I watched yesterday we could and should drop over half of that team. But predictably we will keep the same team and there will be 4 articles this week, in the Mercury, about how we need to keep doing what we are doing and we will get it right.

[Doghashadhisday]

After the I watched yesterday we could and should drop over half of that team. But predictably we will keep the same team and there will be 4 articles this week, in the Mercury, about how we need to keep doing what we are doing and we will get it right.

Not sure what game you were watching. It was a close blood and thunder East Midlands derby where the lead changed quite a few times and we lost narrowly. So who would you drop and who would you bring in

[RagingBull]

I would go for:

1) Ayerza, 2) Leo, 3) Balmain
4) Kitchener, 5) Parling
6) Gibson (If corft injured Or even Barieri if Gibson not fit) 7) Salvi (Gibson or even Thacker if Croft Fit), 8) Bariberi (Or Pearce if Gibson not fit)
9) Youngs, 10) Burns
12) Allen, 13) Bai
11) Benjamin, 14) Goneva, 15) Bell

Bench: Youngs, Rizzo, Cole, De Cheves, Pearce/Crane, Harrison, Williams, Tait.

Doubt that would be the team though. IMO some players could do with a rest.

[Spicer]

After the I watched yesterday we could and should drop over half of that team. But predictably we will keep the same team and there will be 4 articles this week, in the Mercury, about how we need to keep doing what we are doing and we will get it right.

Not sure what game you were watching. It was a close blood and thunder East Midlands derby where the lead changed quite a few times and we lost narrowly. So who would you drop and who would you bring in

Close against a team with one less player for 60 minutes. After 60 minutes of playing with one more player we should of been out of sight. Also I meant us as being awful, not the game. Well leave the front three, Thron coming in for either Paling or Kitchener, Croft I barely noticed and got himself stupidly sin binned 1 minute before half time so put Gibson back in.
I didn't think any of the backs had a good game, except Goneva. Youngs and Williams kept kicking it away and did nothing else, Allen was solid in defence but did nothing that I remember creative or even remotely threatening, Smith likewise and acted like a footballer, Tait was appalling, I guess Scully is injured now so likely won't be playing next week, Benjamin created a try and let one in, although I won't blame him for the final try as our defense didn't get across so it was about 4v1.
As for replacements I would put Bai in for Smith, Bell for Tait, Thompstone in for Benjamin, Gibson for Croft, Thorn for one of the locks, then maybe Ben and Owen but the captain won't be dropped and Burns has to have a back up kicker on the pick with him so would have to be with Bell as well.

[Tigerbeat]

Crofts yellow card was harsh and was given it as the second team high tackle.

[WhitecapTiger]

Croft got himself stupidly sin binned 1 minute before half time so put Gibson back in.

The Croft yellow card was, IMO soft, harsh and Doyle appeasing the home crowd. Not a player getting himself stupidly binned.

A far worse tackle last night in the Glaws v Bath derby match match went unpunished, and it wasn't the first either, Bath second row, Day, came frome similar position to Croft but Day's forearm covered the Glaws players face. No uproar, no problem, no yellow card. Just differences in referees applying the same laws.

Didn't think Parling's first 'high' tackle was worthy of anything either.

[RagingBull]

Spicer Thorn is injured.

And Gibson may be injured.

Tigerbeat I feel that the decision went against us a lot more after that Red card.

[Spicer]

It was soft, but Croft still gave the referee a decision to make. He is experienced and should been smarter.

[Spicer]

Spicer Thorn is injured.

And Gibson may be injured.

Tigerbeat I feel that the decision went against us a lot more after that Red card.

If I am not mistaken Cockerill said Thorn would be out for the Saints match but back the week after? Also no idea what happened to Gibson may of been injured or rested. Nobody knows.

[RagingBull]

Last I heard Brad Thorn was going to be out for 2 weeks.

[WiggoTiger]

Is Scully injured as well? Why did he go off yesterday??

An earlier post puts Benjamin in the team?......his defence was awful yesterday, what's happened to Thompstone as well?

[RagingBull]

Scully prob needs a rest he looked battered.

Thompstone has been mixed still very rusty in terms of handling.

Personally I feel that Benjamin needs another chance he was always stuck with 2 on 1 which as a winger is generally a lose lose esp against saints.

He also gave us our only actual piece of dangerous attacking.

[LE18]

I wonder if Scully was subbed, with 15 against 14, did they intend to create an overlap and use Benjamin's extra pace to run in loads of tries? Benjamin did show that one piece of extra pace on the outside but overall we created no overlaps because we did not have the skill or speed to get the ball down the line fast enough, so we kicked the ball away. Benjamin's defence was terrible but how can we really blame him when with 14 men they managed to suck in so many of our men to be able to create 2/3 men overlaps? We just struggled to win back any of the ball we kicked away. I dont think we should blame the ref, he gave us a 1 man advantage which we did not take. Many of you have said we cannot expect to win 15/14, you also say that at 15/15 a side we were on a par, logic and skill says that 15 should adapt and beat 14, especially if we were holding our own before that! They stepped up, we did not!