NPR

Pearson

Looks like it's a bad Saints kind of evening.

SaintK wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 5:50 pmPearson

Very nice play. Have bad saints turned up today?

petej wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 5:54 pm

SaintK wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 5:50 pmPearson

Very nice play. Have bad saints turned up today?

Very bad Saints!!!
God knows how powder puff the forwards will be when Ribbans departs for Toulon

On the balance of play, to only be 7 points down is pretty good for Saints.

sockwithaticket wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 6:21 pm On the balance of play, to only be 7 points down is pretty good for Saints.

Reckon it will be quite a few more by full time

SaintK wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 6:31 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 6:21 pm On the balance of play, to only be 7 points down is pretty good for Saints.

Reckon it will be quite a few more by full time

yep, Irish should have the try bonus point by now.

That's an astonishing flub from Powell.

sockwithaticket wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 6:55 pm That's an astonishing flub from Powell.

I would be very not happy if i was loader.

Saints shockingly still in this game

Cracking try from Freeman. He really should have had more of a shot with England.

petej wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 6:58 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 6:55 pm That's an astonishing flub from Powell.

I would be very not happy if i was loader.

Saints shockingly still in this game

I'd be making sure we play that over and over in the game review to make a point.

Dived way too early there.

Second time a team mate has squandered a gift from Loader, he'd be better off going it alone on the next one.

sockwithaticket wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 7:09 pm Dived way too early there.

Didn't even need to dive. Superb dropgoal from Jackson.

Remarkable to see two tries bombed in the act of scoring by two of the best attackers in the league today.

Pearson is so good to watch. I'd have him leapfrog straight into the England 6 shirt. Shame Dombrandt couldn't make his case to hold on to the 8 shirt today, just too many errors even through he's heavily involved and running great lines - it all means nothing if you drop the ball.

Sarries/Quins game was weird, and Pearce had an almighty stinker; getting very annoyed with his hyper-focus on some technical aspect he then ignores for long periods while also missing huge events (e.g. Earl's huge forward pass for the first Saracens try, the Chisholm high shot on Earl, Dombrandt dropped the ball forward off a kickoff and it being picked up by an offside player and called "backwards", Goode knocking on in the tackle then playing the ball on the floor a phase before the Care yellow, and a heap of other infuriating things).

Fun contest though, both sides scoring some superb tries. Murley with two outstanding finishes that will give Malins nightmares for the rest of the season, plus David bombing what would've been the try of the weekend, plus Smith playing with real threat and end product meant Quins were always in with a shout even though the Sarries pack was on top. Northmore had a dreadful game, sadly, and Lozowski (my MOTM by a mile) hammered that point home with a magnificent defensive display. Didn't expect a win against a side with that much quality in the squad and while it's annoying to see all the foot-shooting with the knock-ons and cards, at least we have some semblance of our old lethality with ball in hand back on display. Farrell v Smith was a very good contest - both created space from tight situations, Farrell actually had a better day off the tee and Smith had a better day in defence, which was amusing. Smith pinged some gorgeous passes for tries, made a great break-and-pass for David's fuckup-try, and even managed his best cross kick in ages while playing scrum half.

Annoyed Lewies withdraw before the game, he's a vital player for us but he just can't stay fit. Bugger.


also - austin has become unlistenable now. Just unbearable. Ruining every game he's on.

Watching replay of Irish Saints and just mentioned Hinkleys sudden departure - any Saints fans heard real reason?

Friends son was at Hartbury with him and rated a a player but suggested he was not nice after a drink or around girls.

Good day out yesterday. Thought both Sarries and Quins did themselves a lot of credit with the way they played.

It was easy to see why Faz and Smith struggle to reproduce their club form for country - both play in a system where they are the main character and people feed off what they know to expect from them, in Smith’s case attempting a break himself and finding a pass into space, in Faz’s keeping the ball alive and whipping it wide with defenders already committed. England don’t attempt to do either so both lose their attacking threat. Obviously both are playing off much quicker ball as well.

Crowd was good, stadium is certainly the best in the country, they understaffed it pretty woefully though meaning getting any food or drink was impossible if you wanted to watch the game. Oh well.

Bullet wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 9:04 am Watching replay of Irish Saints and just mentioned Hinkleys sudden departure - any Saints fans heard real reason?

Friends son was at Hartbury with him and rated a a player but suggested he was not nice after a drink or around girls.

Heard it was "gross misconduct" but nothing specific.

SaintK wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 10:45 am

Bullet wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 9:04 am Watching replay of Irish Saints and just mentioned Hinkleys sudden departure - any Saints fans heard real reason?

Friends son was at Hartbury with him and rated a a player but suggested he was not nice after a drink or around girls.

Heard it was "gross misconduct" but nothing specific.

I've heard rumours of recreational drugs, but that's all they are at the moment, rumours.

Looks like a relatively strong Bath side, Exeter by 35

Hell of a score that.

Something very amusing about the Premiership refs making a huge effort to see incidents in real time and apply mitigation

Ironic Exeter losing to Barf via a combo of indiscipline and rolling maul.

2 conclusions from this w/e
1) Glaws will be hammered next week at LaR with the margin to determined by how many times LRZ waves players through to the tryline.
2) Exeter v Montpellier is shaping for a tilt at the title of Rugby Cancer Contest of all time.

Exeter are really bad. Scrum half has just let a bad pass nutmeg him...

Exeter embarrassing themselves here

Honestly it looks like so many of Exeter's experienced players leaving next season could be a blessing in disguise. They've been in partial rebuild mode for the last couple of seasons, but I think it's clear that they need to progress to full rebuild.

sockwithaticket wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:25 pm Honestly it looks like so many of Exeter's experienced players leaving next season could be a blessing in disguise. They've been in partial rebuild mode for the last couple of seasons, but I think it's clear that they need to progress to full rebuild.

Do they keep Baxter? There’s been some desperate stuff recently

Paddington Bear wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:26 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:25 pm Honestly it looks like so many of Exeter's experienced players leaving next season could be a blessing in disguise. They've been in partial rebuild mode for the last couple of seasons, but I think it's clear that they need to progress to full rebuild.

Do they keep Baxter? There’s been some desperate stuff recently

Definitely worth considering his position. Sometimes an environment just gets stale after a certain amount of time with the same personnel and that includes coaching staff. Late Mallinder/West era Northampton being a prime example and then Leicester with Cockers and succession of short term replacements who were still steeped in the club. In both cases improvement came from a new head man.

"It's been a fabulous game"

FM, the paucity of skills, discipline and decision making.

Thought Bath played pretty well considering their form this season

SaintK wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 4:03 pm Thought Bath played pretty well considering their form this season

Pretty relative given how spineless they've been and how abject Chiefs were on this one. Chiefs' penalty count and the succession of them was eye watering. Still, I expect them to beat the most anti-rugby club side in the world next week.

Paddington Bear wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:26 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: Sun Mar 26, 2023 3:25 pm Honestly it looks like so many of Exeter's experienced players leaving next season could be a blessing in disguise. They've been in partial rebuild mode for the last couple of seasons, but I think it's clear that they need to progress to full rebuild.

Do they keep Baxter? There’s been some desperate stuff recently

I think you either have major surgery on the squad or the guys in charge, not both.

Exeter need to go into what NFL pundits call "burn it down" territory.

Hasn't Hepher been leading Exeter this season while Baxter takes more of a back seat?

Prembore wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 12:46 pm Hasn't Hepher been leading Exeter this season while Baxter takes more of a back seat?

Hepher and Hunter are in the hot seats.

Hal Jordan wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 12:15 pm Exeter need to go into what NFL pundits call "burn it down" territory.

Yeah this is my thinking. Baxter's methods seemed stale a couple of years ago and the side he brought through are all leaving.

Paddington Bear wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 1:50 pm

Hal Jordan wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 12:15 pm Exeter need to go into what NFL pundits call "burn it down" territory.

Yeah this is my thinking. Baxter's methods seemed stale a couple of years ago and the side he brought through are all leaving.

Might be worth giving him a longer run to see what he can make of a truly fresh crop, rather than giving a new coach the added task of developing through a half a new starting XV?

inactionman wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 1:53 pm

Paddington Bear wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 1:50 pm

Hal Jordan wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 12:15 pm Exeter need to go into what NFL pundits call "burn it down" territory.

Yeah this is my thinking. Baxter's methods seemed stale a couple of years ago and the side he brought through are all leaving.

Might be worth giving him a longer run to see what he can make of a truly fresh crop, rather than giving a new coach the added task of developing through a half a new starting XV?

Interesting to see if Baxter can build a new side, and especially one with a different playing style.

But actually if you are after a new coach many would prefer building the skillset within a new squad to be able to support the style they'd want, though some will take whatever you give them and mould a style to what they have. As long as the board understand what they're after either can work

Exeter have to rebuild, they have lost so many key players.
Hogg is going as well. (rumoured retirement)

Paddington Bear wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 1:50 pm

Hal Jordan wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2023 12:15 pm Exeter need to go into what NFL pundits call "burn it down" territory.

Yeah this is my thinking. Baxter's methods seemed stale a couple of years ago and the side he brought through are all leaving.

My mate was talking with Sam Skinner at an Edinburgh training session. Skinner told him that everything at Exeter was beginning to feel old and stale once they won the ERC and the Premiership. Same faces leading them and coaching them and that there was little or no change to their playing style or game devlopment.