NPR

That is good to see. At least he won't have to deal with Faz in this one.

18 yo Will Joseph (brother of JJ) set to make his debut off the bench for LI tomorrow in in the Challenge Cup.

My son played the Milfield side that included Will Joseph when they come through here on tour a couple of years ago.

I might have been unfairly expecting too much just based on the name. But I remember thinking that he didn’t stand out that much.

Be interesting to see what kind of an impact the returning internationals make. Our lock situation was starting to get pretty ropey, which is never ideal, but I think Robson's absence has been most keenly felt.

There's surely no way Sopoaga can total dogshit 2 weeks in a row (right..?) and his better performances have come from fullback.

Barbeary continuing at 8 is interesting as is Morris replacing the other Willis on the bench. Not aware that he's injured?

Nice to see Zhvania back on the bench too, it's been a while for him and he's very, very good.

If ever there was a team to try and get back in the swing of things against it's probably Dragons.

Sinkers wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:44 pm My son played the Milfield side that included Will Joseph when they come through here on tour a couple of years ago.

I might have been unfairly expecting too much just based on the name. But I remember thinking that he didn’t stand out that much.

It's always tough for youngsters. It'll take a few years before he's good enough to get picked regularly for Bath, I think.

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:50 pm

Be interesting to see what kind of an impact the returning internationals make. Our lock situation was starting to get pretty ropey, which is never ideal, but I think Robson's absence has been most keenly felt.

There's surely no way Sopoaga can total dogshit 2 weeks in a row (right..?) and his better performances have come from fullback.

Barbeary continuing at 8 is interesting as is Morris replacing the other Willis on the bench. Not aware that he's injured?

Nice to see Zhvania back on the bench too, it's been a while for him and he's very, very good.

If ever there was a team to try and get back in the swing of things against it's probably Dragons.

Tom was withdrawn from last weeks game, and pulled early against Glaws I believe. Suspect they want to get him fully healthy.

Sinkers wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:44 pm My son played the Milfield side that included Will Joseph when they come through here on tour a couple of years ago.

I might have been unfairly expecting too much just based on the name. But I remember thinking that he didn’t stand out that much.

He's looked decent on the few occasions I've seen him at U18s where he had a good season. Nothing out of this world though. Looks and plays very similar to his brother.

Time will tell. Speaking of a Singapore connection, I see Josh Basham is starting for the Falcons at 7 tomorrow.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:51 pm

Sinkers wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:44 pm My son played the Milfield side that included Will Joseph when they come through here on tour a couple of years ago.

I might have been unfairly expecting too much just based on the name. But I remember thinking that he didn’t stand out that much.

It's always tough for youngsters. It'll take a few years before he's good enough to get picked regularly for Bath, I think.

Ouch

Raggs wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:54 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:50 pm

Be interesting to see what kind of an impact the returning internationals make. Our lock situation was starting to get pretty ropey, which is never ideal, but I think Robson's absence has been most keenly felt.

There's surely no way Sopoaga can total dogshit 2 weeks in a row (right..?) and his better performances have come from fullback.

Barbeary continuing at 8 is interesting as is Morris replacing the other Willis on the bench. Not aware that he's injured?

Nice to see Zhvania back on the bench too, it's been a while for him and he's very, very good.

If ever there was a team to try and get back in the swing of things against it's probably Dragons.

Tom was withdrawn from last weeks game, and pulled early against Glaws I believe. Suspect they want to get him fully healthy.

Ah, thanks. I missed the first 20 of the Newcastle game last week, so didn't notice any team sheet changes. Never caught up with the Glaws game after seeing the score.

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:55 pm Ah, thanks. I missed the first 20 of the Newcastle game last week, so didn't notice any team sheet changes. Never caught up with the Glaws game after seeing the score.

Only caught all that through the twitter feed, wasn't able to watch the games. Don't regret that :D. Only bit of the Glaws game I actually saw in any detail was Barbeary chipping over the defence, tackling the catcher, then the ref getting it completely wrong and penalising him for not retreating 10m out of the landing area of the kick.

Raggs wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:58 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:55 pm Ah, thanks. I missed the first 20 of the Newcastle game last week, so didn't notice any team sheet changes. Never caught up with the Glaws game after seeing the score.

Only caught all that through the twitter feed, wasn't able to watch the games. Don't regret that :D. Only bit of the Glaws game I actually saw in any detail was Barbeary chipping over the defence, tackling the catcher, then the ref getting it completely wrong and penalising him for not retreating 10m out of the landing area of the kick.

Yeah, missing the Falcons game was no bad thing, it actually made me quite miserable for a spell.

I swear they used to post a "not available for selection" with team announcements on the website. As a non-Twitter person I appreciated that.

Have definitely seen Barbeary put in a very useful chip in another game this season, possibly the opener? Really not sure hooker's going to be his position.

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 1:04 pm

Raggs wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:58 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:55 pm Ah, thanks. I missed the first 20 of the Newcastle game last week, so didn't notice any team sheet changes. Never caught up with the Glaws game after seeing the score.

Only caught all that through the twitter feed, wasn't able to watch the games. Don't regret that :D. Only bit of the Glaws game I actually saw in any detail was Barbeary chipping over the defence, tackling the catcher, then the ref getting it completely wrong and penalising him for not retreating 10m out of the landing area of the kick.

Yeah, missing the Falcons game was no bad thing, it actually made me quite miserable for a spell.

I swear they used to post a "not available for selection" with team announcements on the website. As a non-Twitter person I appreciated that.

Have definitely seen Barbeary put in a very useful chip in another game this season, possibly the opener? Really not sure hooker's going to be his position.

Bobby Bridge posts regular injury updates on the Coventry telegraph website.

It's because of his extra skills that makes Barbeary a good hooker for me.

Margin__Walker wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:55 pm

Sinkers wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:44 pm My son played the Milfield side that included Will Joseph when they come through here on tour a couple of years ago.

I might have been unfairly expecting too much just based on the name. But I remember thinking that he didn’t stand out that much.

He's looked decent on the few occasions I've seen him at U18s where he had a good season. Nothing out of this world though. Looks and plays very similar to his brother.

Time will tell. Speaking of a Singapore connection, I see Josh Basham is starting for the Falcons at 7 tomorrow.

Yup - Josh is our arch rival and next door neighbour club.
Somehow Singapore had a purple patch for a couple of years back then, putting out players like Basham, Marcus Smith and Kai Devine (wales 7s), Josh Gillespie and a few others all in the space of a couple of years I think

Saints for tonight's horror show

15 George Furbank
14 Ahsee Tuala
13 Matt Proctor
12 Rory Hutchinson
11 Taqele Naiyaravoro
10 Dan Biggar
9 Alex Mitchell

1 Nick Auterac
2 Sam Matavesi
3 Owen Franks
4 David Ribbans
5 Nick Isiekwe
6 Courtney Lawes
7 Tom Wood (c)
8 Shaun Adendorff

Replacements:
16 James Fish
17 Francois van Wyk
18 Paul Hill
19 Api Ratuniyarawa
20 JJ Tonks
21 Henry Taylor
22 Fraser Dingwall
23 Ryan Olowofela

Not available due to injury:
Alex Coles (shoulder), Teimana Harrison (calf), Mikey Haywood (knee), Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi (achilles), Lewis Ludlam (shin), Reece Marshall (concussion), Alex Moon (ankle), Ollie Sleightholme (ankle), and Kayde Sylvester (achilles).

Sinkers wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:44 pm My son played the Milfield side that included Will Joseph when they come through here on tour a couple of years ago.

I might have been unfairly expecting too much just based on the name. But I remember thinking that he didn’t stand out that much.

So he won't be off to Bath any time soon, then, like other LI young guns?

EDIT: JMK beat me to it!

Saint wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 2:00 pm Saints for tonight's horror show

15 George Furbank
14 Ahsee Tuala
13 Matt Proctor
12 Rory Hutchinson
11 Taqele Naiyaravoro
10 Dan Biggar
9 Alex Mitchell

1 Nick Auterac
2 Sam Matavesi
3 Owen Franks
4 David Ribbans
5 Nick Isiekwe
6 Courtney Lawes
7 Tom Wood (c)
8 Shaun Adendorff

Replacements:
16 James Fish
17 Francois van Wyk
18 Paul Hill
19 Api Ratuniyarawa
20 JJ Tonks
21 Henry Taylor
22 Fraser Dingwall
23 Ryan Olowofela

Not available due to injury:
Alex Coles (shoulder), Teimana Harrison (calf), Mikey Haywood (knee), Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi (achilles), Lewis Ludlam (shin), Reece Marshall (concussion), Alex Moon (ankle), Ollie Sleightholme (ankle), and Kayde Sylvester (achilles).

I've gone all sentimental and put them to win b y+7 on Superbru.
Not so sure now haaving seen the team

The Harry Mallinder comeback didn't last long.

We're looking unexpectedly competent at the moment. Plenty of time to screw it up though

Saint wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 5:47 pm We're looking unexpectedly competent at the moment. Plenty of time to screw it up though

Left at least 1 try out there
Lost 3 lineouts as well

Furbank blew that, white line fever

How big is Ben Tameifuna? That boy is a heart attack in waiting

Saints have really butchered this

Implosion. That all came from a shocking pass from Biggar

Tampon couldnt win a raffle where they hold all the tickets

Saint wrote: ↑Fri Dec 11, 2020 7:23 pm Implosion. That all came from a shocking pass from Biggar

Taylor's passing was pretty shite when he cam eon as well.
Usual service resumed

There just seems to be no heart, no belief and no leadership there it is a club in a really significant crisis

Boyd might be in trouble there, all but saying he is going to throw the competition.

We've already thrown the league so why not.

The match thread is a fucking abortion so... Bristol looked decent but it's such a shame we didn't get to see most of their stars on display today, could've been an all-time great match.

From an England perspective:

Malins was phenomenal from fullback, slightly less so when he moved to 10 - he didn't look comfortable there and things were a bit staccato, plus his butchery of the kick to touch cost them a bonus point. Keep him as a 15, his ability to inject himself in wider spaces with superb acceleration, decision making, and running with the ball in two hands makes him a rare beast in English rugby. He had little direct defensive work / high ball fielding to do today and those'll be his real challenges, but in an attacking sense there's none better at the moment.

Earl was busy without standing out, his attitude and talent cannot be questioned, but he made a fair few errors and was pretty wild. One shocker of a pass cost them 3 points and a lot of momentum, he gave away some daft penalties, mouthed off the ref, and needed to just calm down a bit. I think he's a bit error prone to be considered a better option than Jack Willis.

Sinckler was excellent in the scrum and either "OK" (some of his work at 10) or just bad (penalties and other errors). Is he fit?

Piers O'Connor is an interesting player. Quite a big bloke, a silky runner with great feet, and a very positive attacking player. Dunno if he's international class but he looks pretty good.

Harry Randall had a good game, though sorry ASMO he's no Dan Robson or Ben Spencer.

Malins does looks class at 15. Everything Eddie wants I would help. Better in the air than Daly I'd imagine, and surely no worse in defence.

I think O'Conner is a solid prem player, who can cover multiple positions fairly well. Perhaps slightly damning with faint praise, but I see him as quite similar to Whitten at Exeter. It's nearly always possible to find him somewhere on the pitch to play, but I don't think he's international class.

What happened between Cips and Gloucester?

BBC saying left with immediate effect

Glaston wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 2:28 pm What happened between Cips and Gloucester?

BBC saying left with immediate effect

Adam Hastings signed for next season

I assume some combo of Danny staying with Gloucester looking to give England one last shot, and that not working out, and then Gloucester looking to trim costs hampering any chance to build something special with Gloucester. Overall if Cipriani has a chance to go somewhere to boost his earnings or develop chances elsewhere then credit to Gloucester for letting him to take such chance, not that getting his wages off the books hurts them right now

Rhubarb & Custard wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 2:59 pm I assume some combo of Danny staying with Gloucester looking to give England one last shot, and that not working out, and then Gloucester looking to trim costs hampering any chance to build something special with Gloucester. Overall if Cipriani has a chance to go somewhere to boost his earnings or develop chances elsewhere then credit to Gloucester for letting him to take such chance, not that getting his wages off the books hurts them right now

All a bit odd as Cips had a couple of year left on his contract.
Sounds like a major falling out between former Wasps colleagues Skivington and Cips.

There will be a few Wasps fans who will want him back.

Glaston wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 3:07 pm

Rhubarb & Custard wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 2:59 pm I assume some combo of Danny staying with Gloucester looking to give England one last shot, and that not working out, and then Gloucester looking to trim costs hampering any chance to build something special with Gloucester. Overall if Cipriani has a chance to go somewhere to boost his earnings or develop chances elsewhere then credit to Gloucester for letting him to take such chance, not that getting his wages off the books hurts them right now

All a bit odd as Cips had a couple of year left on his contract.
Sounds like a major falling out between former Wasps colleagues Skivington and Cips.

There will be a few Wasps fans who will want him back.

Ex Wasps Alex King and Dom Waldouck both on coaching team as well
Maybe some old baggage surfaced again

Glaston wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 3:07 pm

Rhubarb & Custard wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 2:59 pm I assume some combo of Danny staying with Gloucester looking to give England one last shot, and that not working out, and then Gloucester looking to trim costs hampering any chance to build something special with Gloucester. Overall if Cipriani has a chance to go somewhere to boost his earnings or develop chances elsewhere then credit to Gloucester for letting him to take such chance, not that getting his wages off the books hurts them right now

All a bit odd as Cips had a couple of year left on his contract.
Sounds like a major falling out between former Wasps colleagues Skivington and Cips.

There will be a few Wasps fans who will want him back.

I don't know specifics, but I gather he's had a lot of stuff going on personally. It can't help while trying to sort that out to know that you're a big name, big money player expected to be leading the team every week.

I wouldn't mind him back at Wasps once he's sorted himself out, but I don't know if we could afford him.

Quins could use him. We have basically nothing behind Smith and wouldn't need to play him all the time either.

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 4:20 pm Quins could use him. We have basically nothing behind Smith and wouldn't need to play him all the time either.

Wouldnt you be conflicted have an ex Waspie play for the Queens?

Glaston wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 4:30 pm

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 4:20 pm Quins could use him. We have basically nothing behind Smith and wouldn't need to play him all the time either.

Wouldnt you be conflicted have an ex Waspie play for the Queens?

It's only Wasps fans who get really weird about ex-players, tbh.

Though whether he still has the stench of Steve Diamond on him will be a crucial factor IMO

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 4:38 pm

Glaston wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 4:30 pm

JM2K6 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 15, 2020 4:20 pm Quins could use him. We have basically nothing behind Smith and wouldn't need to play him all the time either.

Wouldnt you be conflicted have an ex Waspie play for the Queens?

It's only Wasps fans who get really weird about ex-players, tbh.

Though whether he still has the stench of Steve Diamond on him will be a crucial factor IMO

OOH , thats true I had forgotten his time up North

he is a bit of a wandering slag

PS , my posting is today is down to extra wine at lunch

His time with the Rebels was particularly joyous