Other matches - 05-07th January 2024

[fentiger]

Is Bath v Glos still going ahead or is the Rec flooded?

[Tigerbeat]

Is Bath v Glos still going ahead or is the Rec flooded?

Game is on.

[fentiger]

Is Bath v Glos still going ahead or is the Rec flooded?

Game is on.

[Ian Cant]

Hi Tiglon.
Saints has already beaten Quins, Sarries and Sale in the last 6 weeks.
Personally, and I’ve not seen yesterday’s game v Chiefs as I was at Tigers, but from the matches I’ve seen, Saints now have a pack and defence to go with their great back play.
I don’t think Lawes played yesterday v Chiefs so I’m backing Saints to go all the way to the final. Vests is again doing a fantastic job with the backs.

[Tiglon]

Hi Tiglon.
Saints has already beaten Quins, Sarries and Sale in the last 6 weeks.
Personally, and I’ve not seen yesterday’s game v Chiefs as I was at Tigers, but from the matches I’ve seen, Saints now have a pack and defence to go with their great back play.
I don’t think Lawes played yesterday v Chiefs so I’m backing Saints to go all the way to the final. Vests is again doing a fantastic job with the backs.

You may well be right, they are certainly on a good run of form.

However, I think when you get to the business end of the season and games get tight, having the 3rd worst defence in the league will mean they fall short.

As Harlequins proved a few years ago (with the fourth worst defence that season), it is possible to win the Premiership with a "who cares about defence, we'll score one more than you" attitude, but it's a pretty rare thing and the odds are not good - which is why Saints are still only joint 6th favourites with the bookies at 10-1.

With the Harlequins example, Quins were by far the highest scorers that season, whereas this year Saints are not even top 3 for points scored.

Time will tell though and it should certainly be an exciting second half of the season!

[Tigers86asw]

Classic example of how the TMO is ruining rugby. De Glanville catches and then drops a high ball, when coming down he marginally, and I mean very marginally, tackled just before he hits the ground (having already dropped the ball). Play continues down in the Bath half, TMO intervenes, then initially gets the place for the penalty wrong. A minute of play is wasted for an innocuous incident that happens all the time.

No wonder we all despair!

[Tiglon]

Hi Tiglon.
Saints has already beaten Quins, Sarries and Sale in the last 6 weeks.
Personally, and I’ve not seen yesterday’s game v Chiefs as I was at Tigers, but from the matches I’ve seen, Saints now have a pack and defence to go with their great back play.
I don’t think Lawes played yesterday v Chiefs so I’m backing Saints to go all the way to the final. Vests is again doing a fantastic job with the backs.

You may well be right, they are certainly on a good run of form.

However, I think when you get to the business end of the season and games get tight, having the 3rd worst defence in the league will mean they fall short.

As Harlequins proved a few years ago (with the fourth worst defence that season), it is possible to win the Premiership with a "who cares about defence, we'll score one more than you" attitude, but it's a pretty rare thing and the odds are not good - which is why Saints are still only joint 6th favourites with the bookies at 10-1.

With the Harlequins example, Quins were by far the highest scorers that season, whereas this year Saints are not even top 3 for points scored.

Time will tell though and it should certainly be an exciting second half of the season!

But... having said that, Saints have conceded 23.4 points per match this season, and both Sarries last season and Quins in 2021 conceded more than 25 per match during the regular season but won the title.

Although... in those two seasons Sarries and Quins scored more than 31 points per game, whereas Saints are only averaging just over 25 this season so far.

Conclusion is... anything could happen

[Tiglon]

Classic example of how the TMO is ruining rugby. De Glanville catches and then drops a high ball, when coming down he marginally, and I mean very marginally, tackled just before he hits the ground (having already dropped the ball). Play continues down in the Bath half, TMO intervenes, then initially gets the place for the penalty wrong. A minute of play is wasted for an innocuous incident that happens all the time.

No wonder we all despair!

To be fair though, if you're a Bath fan you'd be livid if the tackle in the air wasn't picked up by the TMO.

[ay2oh]

Classic example of how the TMO is ruining rugby. De Glanville catches and then drops a high ball, when coming down he marginally, and I mean very marginally, tackled just before he hits the ground (having already dropped the ball). Play continues down in the Bath half, TMO intervenes, then initially gets the place for the penalty wrong. A minute of play is wasted for an innocuous incident that happens all the time.

No wonder we all despair!

To be fair though, if you're a Bath fan you'd be livid if the tackle in the air wasn't picked up by the TMO.

Like the one on Steward yesterday you mean ?

[Tiglon]

Classic example of how the TMO is ruining rugby. De Glanville catches and then drops a high ball, when coming down he marginally, and I mean very marginally, tackled just before he hits the ground (having already dropped the ball). Play continues down in the Bath half, TMO intervenes, then initially gets the place for the penalty wrong. A minute of play is wasted for an innocuous incident that happens all the time.

No wonder we all despair!

To be fair though, if you're a Bath fan you'd be livid if the tackle in the air wasn't picked up by the TMO.

Like the one on Steward yesterday you mean ?

Exactly, which Tigers got a penalty for, didn't they?

[Tigers86asw]

To be fair though, if you're a Bath fan you'd be livid if the tackle in the air wasn't picked up by the TMO.

Like the one on Steward yesterday you mean ?

Exactly, which Tigers got a penalty for, didn't they?

I just thought it was so minimal. We’ve got the same thing as yesterday with Kelly’s ‘try’. Try given and TMO saying it is held up- ref was right on top of it as well.

It is ruining the game!

[Tiglon]

Like the one on Steward yesterday you mean ?

Exactly, which Tigers got a penalty for, didn't they?

I just thought it was so minimal. We’ve got the same thing as yesterday with Kelly’s ‘try’. Try given and TMO saying it is held up- ref was right on top of it as well.

It is ruining the game!

De Glanville's feet were only a few inches off the ground when tackled, but it's still a tackle in the air.

I thought they got the decision right re the Kelly almost-try.

[Tigers86asw]

Exactly, which Tigers got a penalty for, didn't they?

I just thought it was so minimal. We’ve got the same thing as yesterday with Kelly’s ‘try’. Try given and TMO saying it is held up- ref was right on top of it as well.

It is ruining the game!

De Glanville's feet were only a few inches off the ground when tackled, but it's still a tackle in the air.

I thought they got the decision right re the Kelly almost-try.

You may well be right about Kelly. I agree it probably wasn’t a try, but if we are saying every decision has to be right, no matter what or when it happens, we will be stopping the game for the TMO all the time- and we are.

We can’t stop the game as often as we are for the the TMO - the point I am making not whether the calls are right but wrong.

It’s like the knock on nonsense. Sometimes the TMO intervenes for a knock on and other times they don’t.

It is so inconsistent.

[Tiglon]

I just thought it was so minimal. We’ve got the same thing as yesterday with Kelly’s ‘try’. Try given and TMO saying it is held up- ref was right on top of it as well.

It is ruining the game!

De Glanville's feet were only a few inches off the ground when tackled, but it's still a tackle in the air.

I thought they got the decision right re the Kelly almost-try.

You may well be right about Kelly. I agree it probably wasn’t a try, but if we are saying every decision has to be right, no matter what or when it happens, we will be stopping the game for the TMO all the time- and we are.

We can’t stop the game as often as we are for the the TMO - the point I am making not whether the calls are right but wrong.

It’s like the knock on nonsense. Sometimes the TMO intervenes for a knock on and other times they don’t.

It is so inconsistent.

Completely agree that there should be more consistency about when they get involved. Some games they pipe up about everything, others you wonder if they've wondered off for a pint.

[ay2oh]

De Glanville's feet were only a few inches off the ground when tackled, but it's still a tackle in the air.

I thought they got the decision right re the Kelly almost-try.

You may well be right about Kelly. I agree it probably wasn’t a try, but if we are saying every decision has to be right, no matter what or when it happens, we will be stopping the game for the TMO all the time- and we are.

We can’t stop the game as often as we are for the the TMO - the point I am making not whether the calls are right but wrong.

It’s like the knock on nonsense. Sometimes the TMO intervenes for a knock on and other times they don’t.

It is so inconsistent.

Completely agree that there should be more consistency about when they get involved. Some games they pipe up about everything, others you wonder if they've wondered off for a pint.

It’s also the influence that the pundits in the studio have on the TMO that winds me up