Away vs Bath 18th April

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Traveller
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by Traveller »

Wayne Richardson Fan Club wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:08 pm The selection of WW on the bench is very strange, I have a feeling we aren't going to be trying to play any rugby on Sunday.

The lack of a genuine 10 for Bath in the starting XV is a bonus.

Seeing how Weisse does against that back row will be interesting, Underhill doesn't miss many tackles.
Why its it very strange to select a SH on the bench who this time last year was good enough to be playing for one of the most successful teams in European club history? It's just a selection for me . Genuinely asking. Not being argumentative. I'm a great fan of JVP, and would not have had any issue with him being selected. Seems to be we are just blessed with choice at 9.
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by Tigerbeat »

Jack VP may just be given a week off or may have a niggle, hence the selection of Wigglesworth.
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Scott1
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by Scott1 »

Do you remember the one about about Sarries or Leinster or England etc playing different game plans? Me neither!
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by fentiger »

Scott1 wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 5:41 pm Do you remember the one about about Sarries or Leinster or England etc playing different game plans? Me neither!
The thing is, if plan A is good enough why deviate? Under previous regimes our masterplan was not good enough. From what I've seen so far on this 'journey' our A plan is sound and only requires minor in-game tweaks :smt023
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by Wayne Richardson Fan Club »

But we have shown this season when it's not working we just carry on regardless, Sale at home, Bristol & Irish away.
Not every team is going to fall at the feet of our almighty driving maul..

As for WW on the bench he isn't exactly going to change a game..possibly shut the game down but on the basis of some of his recent performances more likely present opportunities to the opposition.
The best teams do vary their games.
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Ian Cant
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by Ian Cant »

That’s why this will be an excellent test against a Bath side that has a pack to bully ours and backs that are used to running the ball.
Bath are a little further along their road to recovery and would be higher up the table if they hadn’t been affected with quite a few players out due to internationals, injuries and red cards
It should be an intriguing game. Doubt thought if Fords spiral bombs will be so effective this time!!
Last edited by Ian Cant on Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
sam16111986
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by sam16111986 »

Scott1 wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 5:41 pm Do you remember the one about about Sarries or Leinster or England etc playing different game plans? Me neither!
You wouldn't see a wholesale change but it might be tailored slightly to the opposition. So if you were Sarries and you were playing a team whose fullback loves to run it back but who doesn't kick well you'd kick long and let them try and run it back into the upcoming defensive line backing your defensive to hold him back deep in his half. If the opposition fullback is a good kicker you'd then kick shorter and to contest so that he doesn't get chance to try and pin you back etc.

Like when Bath played us last time they looked to kick short and low to try and stop Steward from being able to come forward and claim the ball. They tried to instead pressure the wingers or turn the forwards. Spencer normally kicks long and high to use Bath's speedy wingers but they obviously were worried about Steward's ability under the high ball.
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by JP14 »

We definitely have momentum on our side, Bath haven’t been doing too badly lately but still with the squad they have got they have underperformed slightly, however I expect them to turn up for this fixture. Let’s just hope Lavanini doesn’t fall for Matavesi’s dummy again :smt003.
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ourla
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by ourla »

Wayne Richardson Fan Club wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:14 pm But we have shown this season when it's not working we just carry on regardless, Sale at home, Bristol & Irish away.
Not every team is going to fall at the feet of our almighty driving maul..
How are we are going to get any good at Plan A if we change it every time it's not going so well?
Wayne Richardson Fan Club wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:14 pmThe best teams do vary their games.
It maybe semantics here. Vary could mean many things to many people.
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by Traveller »

Wayne Richardson Fan Club wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:14 pm But we have shown this season when it's not working we just carry on regardless, Sale at home, Bristol & Irish away.
Not every team is going to fall at the feet of our almighty driving maul..

As for WW on the bench he isn't exactly going to change a game..possibly shut the game down but on the basis of some of his recent performances more likely present opportunities to the opposition.
The best teams do vary their games.
We probably ‘carry on regardless’ because the current Head Coach inherited a ‘team’ without any foundations at all apart maybe from a scrummage. A ‘team’ ranked 11th and 11th in the previous two seasons. A Head Coach who took over at the start of a pandemic. A mass clear out of players. Nine of tomorrows squad new to the club this season. Training repeatedly restricted because of covid. England internationals absent for nearly all the season. Key players still missing (Montoya and Nadolo). In January 2020 we were unfit, we couldn’t tackle, win a lineout, a breakdown, a re-start. Not my opinion, that's what the league position tells us. We had fifteen guys who wore the same uniform, but weren't a team. Given that context the change wrought by SB and his team in my opinion has been remarkable.

True ‘not every team is going to fall at the feet of our mighty driving maul’, but I suspect Borthwick is aware of that. But by the same token, if you don’t have one, the opposition know it, and so don’t have to defend it.

As for RW, it depends what you mean by change a game. If we are chasing it JVP would be the better option. If we are two points up with ten to go and we want to close it down. I can’t think of anyone better than Wigglesworth.

The best teams do vary their game. But the best teams also take more than six months to go from being the worst team in the league in successive seasons to becoming the best teams. Although maybe I'm wrong and you can name one.

That was certainly the case with Saracens and Exeter, and as of tonight I was unaware that Bristol, Sale, Northampton, Harlequins, London Irish had won anything yet.

Humility and patience.
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by Scott1 »

Traveller wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 9:32 pm
Wayne Richardson Fan Club wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:14 pm But we have shown this season when it's not working we just carry on regardless, Sale at home, Bristol & Irish away.
Not every team is going to fall at the feet of our almighty driving maul..

As for WW on the bench he isn't exactly going to change a game..possibly shut the game down but on the basis of some of his recent performances more likely present opportunities to the opposition.
The best teams do vary their games.
We probably ‘carry on regardless’ because the current Head Coach inherited a ‘team’ without any foundations at all apart maybe from a scrummage. A ‘team’ ranked 11th and 11th in the previous two seasons. A Head Coach who took over at the start of a pandemic. A mass clear out of players. Nine of tomorrows squad new to the club this season. Training repeatedly restricted because of covid. England internationals absent for nearly all the season. Key players still missing (Montoya and Nadolo). In January 2020 we were unfit, we couldn’t tackle, win a lineout, a breakdown, a re-start. Not my opinion, that's what the league position tells us. We had fifteen guys who wore the same uniform, but weren't a team. Given that context the change wrought by SB and his team in my opinion has been remarkable.

True ‘not every team is going to fall at the feet of our mighty driving maul’, but I suspect Borthwick is aware of that. But by the same token, if you don’t have one, the opposition know it, and so don’t have to defend it.

As for RW, it depends what you mean by change a game. If we are chasing it JVP would be the better option. If we are two points up with ten to go and we want to close it down. I can’t think of anyone better than Wigglesworth.

The best teams do vary their game. But the best teams also take more than six months to go from being the worst team in the league in successive seasons to becoming the best teams. Although maybe I'm wrong and you can name one.

That was certainly the case with Saracens and Exeter, and as of tonight I was unaware that Bristol, Sale, Northampton, Harlequins, London Irish had won anything yet.

Humility and patience.
Great post! Imagine how good we will be next season if we carry on at this rate of improvement, the ceiling is high for me. Our backs havnt even clicked yet!
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by KiwiTig »

Good points well made. With a squad seemingly united to a common strategy and collectively pulling in the same direction I look forward to the game with growing confidence. Earlier posts rightly point out that Plan A is working well so continue and we will see what happens when it needs to change 👍
ourla
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by ourla »

Good post Traveller
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by Tiglon »

If we're 2 tries behind with 10 minutes to go, I'm not sure the odds of us snatching the win are very high, regardless of who our bench 9 is.

If it's a tight game then RW is a very good person to bring on.

Plan A, plan B, plan Z? To be honest, we probably need to perfect Plan A before we worry about the rest of the alphabet. I don't recall Sarries or Chiefs having much of a plan B. I don't really care, just let SB carry on doing what he's doing - I'm in little doubt now that he knows exactly what he's doing and is a very good head coach. I can't imagine how much better off anyone thought we might be at this stage?

Agree with the bookies having Bath as favourites, but Tigers have every chance if they are at their best.

Matavesi, for me, is not a very good 10. Him being there will likely put extra pressure on Spencer - both with kicking and playmaking. I think we'll see a lot more going through the very capable hands and feet of Spencer and that could make them more predictable and easier to defend against. No offence to Matavesi, but from what I've seen over the years he has slightly buttery hands and a pair of equal feet that add up to £1. Now I've said that I'm sure he'll have an outstanding game...
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Re: Away vs Bath 18th April

Post by JP14 »

Agreed with Tiglon, as much as I rate Matavesi he’s not a flyhalf, although Spencer will be kicking for goal I suspect.
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