Premiership Rugby Cup

[Scott1]

I'd rather lose with our 3rds than win with our 1sts in this competition any day of the week

[OakhamTiger32]

Looks like there are some cracking games on today:

Sarries 28 Quins 21
Exeter 24 Bristol 26
Newcastle 29 Wasps 27
Tigers 25 Sale 18
Saints 7 Irish 26

[OakhamTiger32]

So the matches today between some fairly well matched sides nearly all of whom are buying in to this competition:

Sarries 28 Quins 21 (7 point winning margin)
Exeter 27 Bristol 33 (6 point winning margin)
Newcastle 34 Wasps 27 (7 point winning margin)
Tigers 32 Sale 23 (9 point winning margin)
Saints 26 Irish 36 (10 point winning margin)

and then yesterday Glos decide they want to be the big guns sending out their A team to play a Bath side made up of Academy players and Uni players with a few senior lads thrown in and beat them 71-10 (61 point winning margin)..

I think we all know which club isn't taking the Premiership Cup at face value.. a cup designed to give the youngsters and fringe players a chance to shine.. I reckon Steve Borthwick will have learned far more about his squad today than Glos did about theirs last night.. I might have to amend my 'which club would you support' list to drop Glos down into the Bristol, Sarries group.. squad selection is one thing.. watching the A team take on the academy side and jeering and booing the young Bath mistakes is unacceptable. Glad I'm a Tigers fan

[Scuttle]

I might have to amend my 'which club would you support' list to drop Glos down into the Bristol, Sarries group..

Having started that threat I tend to agree. Gloucester were at the top of my "ambivalent" middle group but I turned over the channel last night when I realised Gloucester's selection policy would totally neuter any sense of competition and hence enjoyment. I am not sure I can put them down with Sarries in my bottom group albeit I am tempted to bow to the experience of others, and what I see on TV, concerning the boorish behaviour of some in the shed.

[ABClub]

That Gloucester team had a lot of rotation to be fair. Bath are just in a horrible place with injuries and unavailability.

It was a good Gloucester backline but completely second string. Similar with Tigers having a strong back line today by PRC standards but that's due to good depth rather than picking any first XV players.

9.Varney 10.Hastings 11.May 12.Atkinson 13.Harris 14.LZR 15.Woodward/Carreras

All absent from the backs. Meehan was on the bench but with Varney in the Italy squad and only 3 scrum-halves in the Gloucester set-up that's going to happen for them. Nature of a small squad with the lower cap.

1.Ruskin 2.Singleton 3.Gotovstev 4.Alemanno 5.Slater - All missing in the tight five so completely second string there too.

Balmain is a good TH as Tigers fans know but him and Gotvotsev have rotated so I see no difference in Balmain starting or Tigers having Leatigaga and Heyes in their XV. Again that's just good TH depth for them.

The only area of it I'd take issue with is the back row. Morgan, Ackerman and Ludlow isn't necessary in the PRC. Especially when you've got a cracking talent like Clement on the bench.

Bath are just in a rubbish place. Poorly balanced squad at full strength. Poor coaching. Ridiculous injury list. They've got Leinster and La Rochelle coming up in the ERCC as well.

[OakhamTiger32]

That Gloucester team had a lot of rotation to be fair. Bath are just in a horrible place with injuries and unavailability.

It was a good Gloucester backline but completely second string. Similar with Tigers having a strong back line today by PRC standards but that's due to good depth rather than picking any first XV players.

9.Varney 10.Hastings 11.May 12.Atkinson 13.Harris 14.LZR 15.Woodward/Carreras

All absent from the backs. Meehan was on the bench but with Varney in the Italy squad and only 3 scrum-halves in the Gloucester set-up that's going to happen for them. Nature of a small squad with the lower cap.

1.Ruskin 2.Singleton 3.Gotovstev 4.Alemanno 5.Slater - All missing in the tight five so completely second string there too.

Balmain is a good TH as Tigers fans know but him and Gotvotsev have rotated so I see no difference in Balmain starting or Tigers having Leatigaga and Heyes in their XV. Again that's just good TH depth for them.

The only area of it I'd take issue with is the back row. Morgan, Ackerman and Ludlow isn't necessary in the PRC. Especially when you've got a cracking talent like Clement on the bench.

Bath are just in a rubbish place. Poorly balanced squad at full strength. Poor coaching. Ridiculous injury list. They've got Leinster and La Rochelle coming up in the ERCC as well.

I do concur for a few of the points above but I’m not sure I completely agree with this. About 14 of their match day 23 in the PRC had played in the previous 2 premiership matches against Newcastle and Exeter. Retaining 14/23 and dropping in some squad players (only because the likes of May, Atkinson, Varney, LRZ, Harris, Carreras were unavailable due International duty) seems very much like going pretty much as strong as possible not letting the youngsters have a go. Don’t think Glos selection was anything other than OTT for the PRC. Just IMHO of course.

And we did retain some players that had played against Bath and Saints (the likes of Muri, Hegarty, Brink, JvP, Porter, FVW, Heyes, Chessum and Leatigaga have all featured for us) but many were on the bench for Prem games and stepped up to start in the PRC. Very different feel to how the vast majority of squads were selected (including ours) and how Glos opted to select theirs. And as I said it’s their prerogative if that’s what they want to do. It’s not what I would have chosen as a manager as I said and I’m sure Steve and other managers will have learned far more about their youngsters and fringe players than the Glos coaches will have learned about their players. But the behavior of their fans is what annoyed me.

[ABClub]

How many of those quality players Tigers have had on the bench or getting limited game time has a lot to do with such good availability though it's important to note. Our first XV availability since the RC players returned has been fantastic, hence we've had consistent 23s. With a few more knocks and unavailability those bench players you name suddenly have a lot more starts in the Prem this season.

Up until the back row selection there's a lot of similarities in Tigers and Gloucester XVs I think.

When I look at Tigers side from yesterday I see a strong second choice back line, props that I'd expect to be on the bench at full strength, a really talented second choice lock in Chessum, then a completely rotated back row.

The Gloucester team I see a strong second choice back line, props that I'd expect to be on their bench at full strength, a good second choice lock in Clarke, then a first choice back row.

Rapava Ruskin being on the bench could raise an eyebrow but to be fair Tigers brought van Wyk on for Nephi so our starting and bench LHs were both experienced Premiership players rather than up and coming ones.

The back row is the only place I really take issue with. Which I take quite a bit of issue with I'd add. Clement should definitely be starting and Thomas from their academy seems really talented as well. I can't see anything they gain from starting Ackermann, Ludlow and Morgan together in that fixture.

[Scott1]

Theres no comparisons between the two 23 for me ,certainly not in the packs anyway. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 23 with 6 props in it at any level. That has to be a first! Ok our backs looked strong on paper but as I recall getting my fingers burnt when we played Exeter quoting their “stellar” back line it means nothing if you havnt got a pack in front of them. Ours was a mish mash team you would expect to see in a cup,Gloc was close to a team you would see in the league when internationals are on,MASSIVE difference for me.

[RagingBull]

Tigers had
3rd choice loosehead
5th choice Hooker
2nd choice Tighthead
Loan from Nottingham
4th/5th choice lock
4th choice loosehead at 6
Loan from Nottingham
3rd choice 8
2nd/3rd choice 9
3rd choice 10
4th choice wing
3rd choice 12
4th choice 13
5th/6th choice wing
3rd/4th Full back

[Scott1]

Tigers had
3rd choice loosehead
5th choice Hooker
2nd choice Tighthead
Loan from Nottingham
4th/5th choice lock
4th choice loosehead at 6
Loan from Nottingham
3rd choice 8
2nd/3rd choice 9
3rd choice 10
4th choice wing
3rd choice 12
4th choice 13
5th/6th choice wing
3rd/4th Full back

Thanks,I bet the bench skews it even more

[RagingBull]

Gloucester wise
9 of that starting xv have started in at least 3 of their 7 perm games
V
2 of our staring xv starting 3 or more of our last 8 prem games

[tigerburnie]

Superb result for the Tigers

[OakhamTiger32]

Tigers had
3rd choice loosehead
5th choice Hooker
2nd choice Tighthead
Loan from Nottingham
4th/5th choice lock
4th choice loosehead at 6
Loan from Nottingham
3rd choice 8
2nd/3rd choice 9
3rd choice 10
4th choice wing
3rd choice 12
4th choice 13
5th/6th choice wing
3rd/4th Full back

Thanks,I bet the bench skews it even more

16. 6th choice Hooker
17. 4th choice loosehead
18. 4th choice tighthead
19. 2nd choice loosehead playing back row
20. Maybe 5th choice back row
21. 4th/5th choice 9
22. 4th choice 10
23. 5th choice 13

[Scott1]

Tigers had
3rd choice loosehead
5th choice Hooker
2nd choice Tighthead
Loan from Nottingham
4th/5th choice lock
4th choice loosehead at 6
Loan from Nottingham
3rd choice 8
2nd/3rd choice 9
3rd choice 10
4th choice wing
3rd choice 12
4th choice 13
5th/6th choice wing
3rd/4th Full back

Thanks,I bet the bench skews it even more

16. 6th choice Hooker
17. 4th choice loosehead
18. 4th choice tighthead
19. 2nd choice loosehead playing back row
20. Maybe 5th choice back row
21. 4th/5th choice 9
22. 4th choice 10
23. 5th choice 13

Its a fantastic result mate considering!

[Scott1]

7 debutants too,how many debuts in the Gloc squad?