PRC Round 1 - Warriors vs Tigers

[Hot_Charlie]

Really not sure how you can judge Browning as not there yet based on 1 sevens showing?


RE Captain I think Wells could do a good job as captain in a team like that.

Agree x 2!

[RagingBull]

Just my opinion on Browning. Still seems positionally naive, yes I think 7s is relevant for that, and his pace and strength is not quite the advantage when he isn’t playing against other 18 year olds.
We shall see I may be proved wrong

Maybe it was positionally naive cause it was 7's.
For example you don't tend to have a 20 M or so gap between yourself and wing, more like a 5M gap.

The spacing between XV's and 7's really does make defending a different ball game especially if you are defending more out wide.

Seeing him in the A league v Sale last season against older players he did just fine. Including making about a 40M break past 4 defenders.

[RagingBull]

Are Hills and Costelow fit?

No clue.
But a fractured Jaw tends to be about 8 weeks roughly.
It's been 12 since the injury.

didn't know Hills had injury or has been injured this whole Preseason?

[JP14]

I know Hills has had injury issues and was training towards the end of last season, I think maybe I had somewhere in my head he was carrying a niggle.

[JP14]

Are Hills and Costelow fit?

No clue.
But a fractured Jaw tends to be about 8 weeks roughly.
It's been 12 since the injury.

didn't know Hills had injury or has been injured this whole Preseason?

If so good news, I would love to see Costelow play at a senior level.

[Leicestertinytiger]

Need to see Sam Lewis get some gametime at 6 over Lavin. Could be very dynamic in the same mould as Croft, has some decent pace and a good offload. Looked good for us in the games last year in the limited chances he got.

[johnthegriff]

Nice to see people mentioning so many young players, a little surprised how many have apparently seen the young guys play. Obviously lads aged 18 or 19 are not the complete article but given game time with the more experienced players will improve their game and some possibly only a few will develop into Premiership players. I am convinced that Tigers currently have a greater than usual number of genuine prospects and given time and patience by coaches (and fans) will boost the quality of our first team squad hugely with maybe a few going on to achieve full international honours in a few years time.

[Jimmy Skitz]

I'm sure they said on RL Tigers show last Wednesday that Simmons is recovering from an injury

[JP14]

He posted on his instagram that the new season was “just around the corner”, so I guess it’s up in the air as to whether he’s fit.

[JP14]

Brett Deacon will be in charge of the Tigers this week in Murphy’s absence and the team will feature “70% academy graduates” so that’s 15/16 players, this is probably counting Calum Green and Charlie Clare.

[JP14]

This means the team will be far more developmental than what people were predicting.

[Bunchy]

treating this cup as normal preseason - which usually consists of 2 away games as part of a training camp with very developmental teams and ending with something approaching our team for the first league game.....expect this cup to be the same

[sam16111986]

Brett Deacon will be in charge of the Tigers this week in Murphy’s absence and the team will feature “70% academy graduates” so that’s 15/16 players, this is probably counting Calum Green and Charlie Clare.

So presumably some of the props will be not from the academy and centres to. At a guess:

1. Leitagaga
2. Kerr (does he count as an academy graduate? Maybe development squad graduate)
3. Heyes
4. Wells
5. Jordan
6. Lewis
7. Reffell
8. Smith (he didn't feature in the sevens so either being saved for this or injured)
9. White
10. Hardwick
11. Owolfela (if fit)
12. Thomas
13. Forsyth
14. SAP
15. Worth

Bench; Clare, Hills, Cortes, Green, Lavin, Costelow, Steward.

Might see one of the younger locks instead of Green. If Worcester decide to turn up a strong team it might be a long game for our boys.

[Leicestertinytiger]

Oh wow anyone seen the team Sale are putting out for their first game? They’ve got a very good squad for next season, to think that isn’t their first choice backrow.

[sk 88]

This means the team will be far more developmental than what people were predicting.

Perhaps, though Youngs, Clare/Stevens, Green, Wells, Harrison, Forsyth are all "academy graduates", Worth is no longer a young player really. If Kerr and Aspland-Robinson are stretched to be included as "development squad graduates" which he may well have meant you can get to 70% (10 players) easily e.g.

1. Bateman
2. Youngs
3. Heyes
4. Green
5. Wells
6. Coughlan
7. Reffell
8. Boladau

9. Harrison
10. Costelow
11. Aspland-Robinson
12. Taute
13. Forsyth
14. Olowofela
15. Worth

Is 11 "academy graduates" but is not particularly inexperienced and is mixing some young players with a lot of older heads around them. That's actually more experienced than I expect us to pick for instance in this game.