Team for Sarries

[Pellsey]

I'm disappointed as well. Yeah yeah, it's a long season/the title isn't won in December blah blah it's a marathon not a sprint. I'd rather see what we're made of and put the big guns out and take them on. Anyone can get injured at any time, even vs Treviso !! Players recover really well now, with physio, strength and conditioning etc so playing every week isn't a massive issue to these athletes. If I were a player, I'd want to see how I matched up vs the best current side in Europe potentially.

Possibly, but I would prefer to win the league and the European at the end of the season, after having managed the squad successfully and without injury. "Overplaying" (for want of a better word) players on a IMHO substandard plastic pitch where it could be said that injuries are more likely is not a good idea.

I think Cockers et al have done a really good job with the selection. If we win, great, if we don't, then we focus on the Sinners next week, which I would prefer Tigers to win anyway (I would obviously prefer to win both), and Europe for the next few weeks. We can still win the league having finished in fourth (albeit possbly harder), but we need to continue with the European winning streak.

Let them come to Welford Road when we actually do have a full strength team (with Manu and JDV etc) and let them prove themselves to us!!

[tigerburnie]

Doom and gloom? Realism.....pragmatism.......call it what you will. It's just a management of expectation. With a "rotated" squad in certain positions I don't feel the starting 15 is at volume 11. Therefore Sarries to win.

If anything else happens, red cards, yellow cards, Sarries do a Tigers and bomb chances, their kicking game and blitz defence gets refereed properly, we do a Sarries and take chances we may come away with something..................but I wouldn't bet on it.

Save resources for the important games ahead. Don't try to boil the ocean, unless it's a teaspoon at a time.

Livin' in the "valleys" is having a seriously detrimental effect on your well being, move somewhere nice and sunny like I did...
Mind it's better than some parts of the East Midlands Dai.

[Big Dai]

Livin' in the "valleys" is having a seriously detrimental effect on your well being, move somewhere nice and sunny like I did...
Mind it's better than some parts of the East Midlands Dai.

I've often said that. Especially after monsoon times such as we currently live in. However Sarries away is like a classic FA cup game with the under"cats" playing away. We could win it, but it would mean a bunch of extraneous factors going our way......leave alone playing out of our skins. Like I said, managing expectation. I just wish we were playing on the mud of my local pitch instead of horrid plastic.

[fortysix]

It doesnt take a rocket scientist to work out that RC / AM must consider this an expendable match...

If Tigers get a bad beating, it could back fire, but a narrow one with a LBP with a throw away pack would be their main expectation.

One good thing about teams who win a lot is--------sooner or later Saffas will lose, and lets hope its a crucial one towards the seasons end. v Tigers...

Nerves and pressure build up dramatically when you are always the favourite-----and suddenly when you unexpectedly ship two silly tries and get well behind, the :censored: hits the fan...

[Old Hob]

It doesnt take a rocket scientist to work out that RC / AM must consider this an expendable match...

Wrong

Harrison and Thacker presage a lightning fast start with a top class back line. Power to come off the bench. With Burns injured this is a very strong team. Tigers to win by 7

[WhitecapTiger]

With Burns injured this is a very strong team. Tigers to win by 7

Burns injured? He's starting at 10. Or have I misunderstood somewhere along the line?

[G.K]

With Burns injured this is a very strong team. Tigers to win by 7

Burns injured? He's starting at 10. Or have I misunderstood somewhere along the line?

I think OH must be on his way to Freddie's house right now to make sure

[The Boy Dave]

Just checked in to see if the team was up yet as I am going to this one.
Shouldn't comment half cut! Burns injured?
Squads are like for like, as if they all have a crystal ball, should be a good game.
Huge opportunity for Balmain and Kitchener to stake international claims.
Balmain has Ayerza for company and Kitchener has good darts from Thacker so no excuse's.
Good to see Ayerza back, and a mouth watering battle with Du Plessis is on, two of the best scrummaging props in the league for me.
Some mouth watering battles all over to be fair and opportunities for many to stake big claims, Burns v Hodgson, Bosch v Tait, Pearce v Billy Vunipola, Barrow v Itoje.
Can't ever say Cockers doesn't give blokes a chance!

[teds]

2015 was a rubbish year. I am now directing all my cosmic powers at a great start to 2016 with a tigers victory over a full strength, settled Sarries squad.

[Big Dai]

2015 was a rubbish year. I am now directing all my cosmic powers at a great start to 2016 with a tigers victory over a full strength, settled Sarries squad.

Well done mate! Although I find it difficult to condone optimism, I do admire courage!

[Cagey Tiger]

With the sorries playing their first 15 every week, we can hope they they tire by the end of the season. We can then throw a fully fit Manu at them :)

Just read an article in the Merc, (sorry, can't do a link) they have used 38 players this season. Probably not played their first 15 every week, especially as they have been rotating their squad for years.

[Pellsey]

Ah.. Seems I was wrong! Thanks for pointing that out

[jgriffin]

I cannot see anything more than a LBP. I think this is the target set by RC/AM. My prediction? 21-15 to Saffas.

[Hot_Charlie]

All this nonsense of the "best team".

Whatever 23 we put out we should be in a position to mount a challenge; it's not too far away in our history we had Sam Vesty starting at 10 for the business end of the season and gave Leinster a decent challenge in the HC Final (if he'd been injured during the game either Geordan or Julien Dupuy would have had to slot in at FH!).

Some people must seriously be suffering form the post-Christmas Blues. Any realist would be daft to expect us to come away from Saracens with a win - and I expect very few, if any, teams expect the same coming to WR.

As for individual selections, I doubt we'll see BOC much in the AP until at least the end of the European pool games, so he is as fresh as he can be for any knockout stage and the back end, and hopefully play-offs, of the AP. Until then McCaffrey and Croft will fill the 7 shirt to give him as much as a break as we can. That said it's a very mobile pack (Balmain probably offers more ball in hand than Cole and the back-row are all strong runners) who should be suited to the surface.

[Jimmy Skitz]

great to see Camacho start would have liked to have seen Betham play on the other wing with Tait inside but no matter, good to have Williams back on the bench too, should allow Bell to work at full back again in training