Leicester Tigers in the rugby world cup. update 2

[RagingBull]

So far:

Players who are in the 31:
Fiji (1): Viriniki Goneva (11/13/14)
Italy (2): Leonardo Ghiraldini (2), Michele Rizzo (1)
Samoa (1): Mulipola (1/3)
Tonga (1): Opeti Fonua (8/4/5)

Training squads:
Argentina (1): Marcos Ayerza (1),
England (3): Dan Cole (3), Ben Youngs (9), Tom Youngs (2)

Currently leaves our depth for pre-season (With O'Connor and Kitto unlikely to be here):
LH (3): Riccardo Brugnara, Aniseko Sio, Matt Parr
H (2): Greg Bateman, Harry Thacker, (Farnworth)
TH (3): Fraser Balmain, Tiziano Pasquali, Greg Bateman
LK (6): Ed SLater, Graham Kitchener, Mike Fitzgerald, Sebastian De Chaves, Dom Barrow, Mike Williams (
BF (8): Tom Croft, Mike Williams, Lachan McCaffrey, Mike Fitzgerald, Dom Barrow, Laurence Pearce, Christian Loamanu, Ed Slater (Beckett)
OF (2): Lachan McCaffrey, Harry Thacker (Will Owen)
N8 (3): Jordan Crane, Laurence Pearce, Christian Loamanu.
SH (1): Sam Harrison (Tresidder)
FH (3): Owen Williams, Freddie Burns, Seremaia Bai, Tommy Bell (Bryant)
IC (3): Seremaia Bai, Manusamoa Tuilagi, Jack Roberts, Owen Williams (Bryant)
OC (7): Manusamoa Tuilagi, Mathew Tait, Christian Loamanu, Seremaia Bai, Peter Betham George Catchpole, Matt Smith, Adam Thompstone
W (7): Peter Betham, Adam Thompstone, Miles Benjamin, Niall Morris, Chrsitan Loamanu, George Catchpole, Matt Smith
FB (4): Mathew Tait, Niall Morris, Tommy Bell, Peter Betham, Christian Loamanu

Red are players who might not be fit. Green Development squad player Also Tom Croft is 50/50 with england looking at it:

Looking at that ATM our best team IMO for the first preseason might be:
1) Brugnara, 2) Bateman, 3) Balmain,
4) Slater, 5) Kitchener
6) Croft/williams/Fitzgerald, 7) McCaffrey, 8) Crane
9) Harrison, 10) Burns
12) Roberts, 13) Loamanu
11) Betham, 14) Thompstone, 15) Tait

16) Thacker, 17) Parr, 18) Tiz
19) Fitzgerald/Williams, 20) Pearce
21) Tresidder, 22) Bell, 23) Smith/Catchpole

[Noddy555]

Ok RagingBull point taken but other teams will have players absent, notably Saracens more so than the tigers, and anyway to my mind the proper season doesn't start until Mid October when barring miracles we will have all our team members back as I can't see any of the teams where we have players ie. England, Argentina, Fiji and Samoa making the semi finals, which I think will be frequented by New Zealand Australia and South Africa together with either France or Ireland.

[RagingBull]

Ok RagingBull point taken but other teams will have players absent, notably Saracens more so than the tigers, and anyway to my mind the proper season doesn't start until Mid October when barring miracles we will have all our team members back as I can't see any of the teams where we have players ie. England, Argentina, Fiji and Samoa making the semi finals, which I think will be frequented by New Zealand Australia and South Africa together with either France or Ireland.

Wasn't making a point? Was just trying to give people an idea about who will be avaible for the preseason games.

No point making about it.

[fleabane]

Thanks for another set of interesting info!

[JerryGas]

Good stuff RB - only point I would make is Loamanu who is probably an out and out back now - can't see him ever playing in the pack, we are in a right mess if he does!!
Incorrect into from Noddy - Irish away clashes with quarter finals which if my maths is right involves 8 teams!!! Argentina will certainly expect to make it that far - England? Who knows! !!

[RagingBull]

Good stuff RB - only point I would make is Loamanu who is probably an out and out back now - can't see him ever playing in the pack, we are in a right mess if he does!!
Incorrect into from Noddy - Irish away clashes with quarter finals which if my maths is right involves 8 teams!!! Argentina will certainly expect to make it that far - England? Who knows! !!

True but he has played there so put him down.

We have plenty of depth in the back row (bar 7) anyway.

[4071]

Good stuff RB - only point I would make is Loamanu who is probably an out and out back now - can't see him ever playing in the pack, we are in a right mess if he does!!
Incorrect into from Noddy - Irish away clashes with quarter finals which if my maths is right involves 8 teams!!! Argentina will certainly expect to make it that far - England? Who knows! !!

When he arrived here last season, Loamnau was an out and out forward. He was first choice blindside for Treviso. I'm not so sure he'll have forgotten everything, so at the very least he's a back-row option in the 23 (on occasion last season we saw a 4-4 bench split because of Loamanu's versatility).

[Noddy555]

Sorry Raging if I misread your post, my post wasn't intended as a criticism though I now realise that it may have come across that way.
If England make it to the quarter finals I would count that as a success. If they make it to the final I may just place a bet on a horse
to see if my luck's in also.

[h's dad]

Sorry Raging if I misread your post, my post wasn't intended as a criticism though I now realise that it may have come across that way.
If England make it to the quarter finals I would count that as a success. If they make it to the final I may just place a bet on a horse
to see if my luck's in also.

Hi Noddy. So you will count it as a success if England make it to the last eight of the competition when the benefit from home advantage? Your sights are set much lower than I would have expected. Frankly I do not have the confidence to expect much more but with all their advantages I would set the bar much higher to count it a success.

[Pellsey]

Sorry Raging if I misread your post, my post wasn't intended as a criticism though I now realise that it may have come across that way.
If England make it to the quarter finals I would count that as a success. If they make it to the final I may just place a bet on a horse
to see if my luck's in also.

Hi Noddy. So you will count it as a success if England make it to the last eight of the competition when the benefit from home advantage? Your sights are set much lower than I would have expected. Frankly I do not have the confidence to expect much more but with all their advantages I would set the bar much higher to count it a success.

I also see it as quite unlikely that England will get out of the group. A likely stuffing from Australia, and the Wales and the Fiji games could be very close. So getting out of the group would be a success IMHO.

[h's dad]

Sorry Raging if I misread your post, my post wasn't intended as a criticism though I now realise that it may have come across that way.
If England make it to the quarter finals I would count that as a success. If they make it to the final I may just place a bet on a horse
to see if my luck's in also.

Hi Noddy. So you will count it as a success if England make it to the last eight of the competition when the benefit from home advantage? Your sights are set much lower than I would have expected. Frankly I do not have the confidence to expect much more but with all their advantages I would set the bar much higher to count it a success.

I also see it as quite unlikely that England will get out of the group. A likely stuffing from Australia, and the Wales and the Fiji games could be very close. So getting out of the group would be a success IMHO.

Blimey. Does anybody want to set the bar for success any lower than simply getting out of the group? Smudge must be spitting feathers at the lack of ambition of some of you lot.

[RagingBull]

Updated OP now Leo G and Rizzo confirmed in the Italian 31 sqaud.

[Noddy555]

Hoewever much I follow England (not as half as I follow the Tigers) I sincerely hope that none of our lads on world cup duty get injured. Plenty of prayers please.