Pre-season

[Epaminondas Pules]

A thread for all pre-season type stuff.


Saints playing Bedford today. Being streamed live.

https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/saintstv

Very exciting Saints lineup!

BEDFORD BLUES vs NORTHAMPTON SAINTS
Saturday 26 August, 2023
Goldington Road
Kick-off: 1.30pm

15 George Hendy
14 Will Glister
13 Tom Litchfield
12 Joel Matavesi
11 Tom Seabrook
10 James Grayson
9 Archie McParland

1 Luke Green*
2 Tom Cruse (c)
3 Elliot Millar Mills
4 Emeka Atuanya
5 Angus Scott-Young
6 Reuben Logan
7 Henry Pollock
8 James Cherry*

Replacements:
16 Aston Gradwick-Light
17 Craig Wright
18 George Patten
19 Ed Prowse
20 Theo Vukasinovic*
21 Izaiha Moore-Aiono*
22 Henri Lavin*
23 Jake Garside
24 Matthew Arden
25 Toby Fricker*
26 Oscar Daniel*
27 Ewan Baker

*Denotes guest/loan player

BEDFORD TEAM TO FACE SAINTS:
15 Matt Worley; 14 Pat Tapley, 13 Ethan Grayson, 12 Jordan Venter, 11 Dean Adamson, 10 Will Maisey, 9 James Lennon; 1 Jamie Jack, 2 James Fish (c), 3 Bryan O’Connor, 4 Robin Williams, 5 Alex Woolford, 6 Jac Arthur, 7 Kieran Curran, 8 Joe Howard.
Replacements: Joey Conway, Jacob Fields, Oisín Heffernan, Jordan Onojaife, Luke Frost, Cameron King, Alex Day, Louis Grimoldby, Seán French, Ed Coulson.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Bedford leading 7 v 0, then Saints score wide through Hendy. Lovely sharp ball from McParland to Grayson who send a looper wide for Hendy to score.

7 v 5

[Epaminondas Pules]

Hendy scores a minute later in the same corner. Steeping box kick from McParland, great chance from Hendy who picks up the loose ball and canters into the corner! Touchline conversion made.

7 v 12

[Epaminondas Pules]

McParland’s left to right pass is a thing of beauty!!

Pollock and Logan both showing up well!

[Epaminondas Pules]

Nice play from Saints. McParland puts Logan through a hole (good line) and he offloads to Scott-Young for the score!

7 v 19

[Epaminondas Pules]

Bedford score before the break and it’s 12 v 19 at half time. Enjoyable game. Scrappy as you’d expect, but good fun.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Bedford score first on the second half and it’s 19 v 19

[Epaminondas Pules]

Bedford in again for their fourth try from Worley!

26 v 19

[Epaminondas Pules]

Lovely break from Garside and hi breaks into the 22 and offloads to put Pollock on.

26 v 24

[Epaminondas Pules]

Bedford in again 33 v 24

[Adam_P]

Pollock continues to look like the real deal

[Epaminondas Pules]

Pollock continues to look like the real deal

Yep. He looked slight, but packs a real punch. McParland also. For a smaller (thinner) guy he did everything physically you could want from him. Logan was very good too.

Slight in comparison, as you’d expect having just left school.

[Danno]

Is there more of this that doesn't clash with the International warm ups?

[FKAS]

Tigers Vs Notts Friday 1st September. Shamelessly half inched from the Offy

STARTING XV:
15 MIKE BROWN
14 HARRY SIMMONS
13 PHIL COKANASIGA
12 DAN KELLY
11 JOSH BASSETT
10 CHARLIE ATKINSON
9 JOE POWELL
1 JAMES CRONIN
2 CHARLIE CLARE
3 JOE HEYES
4 CAMERON HENDERSON
5 SAM CARTER
6 HANRO LIEBENBERG (c)
7 EMEKA ILIONE
8 MATT ROGERSON

REPLACEMENTS: ARCHIE VANES, JAMES WHITCOMBE, DAN RICHARDSON, ROB CARMICHAEL, TOM MANZ, MIKE WILLIAMS, JOSHUA MANZ, FINN CARNDUFF; SAM EDWARDS, KIERAN WILKINSON, JOE WOODWARD, CHARLIE MYALL, JACOB CUSICK. MARCUS RAMAGE, ELLIOT GOURLAY

1 Kai Owen
2 Harry Clayton
3 Xavier Valentine
4 Iosefa Maloney-Fiola
5 Come Joussain
6 Josh Poulett (ex loan for us in PRC)
7 Nathan Tweedy (c) (ex loan for us in PRC)
8 Richard Clift (His Instagram suggests he may have been jointly signed by us along with Nottingham)
9 Michael Stronge
10 Morgan Bunting
11 David Williams (ex loan for us)
12 Daffyd-Rhys Tiueti
13 Michael Green
14 Harry Graham
15 Jordan Olowofela (ex Tiger)

Subs
Jack Dickinson
Archie Van De Flier (rumored in our Senior Academy)
Jack Bridges
Sam Green
George Cox
Scott Hall (ex loan for us in PRC)
Jay Eccelsfield
Will Yarnell (ex Tiger)
Sam Hollingsworth
Javiah Pohe (ex Tiger)
Ronnie du Randt (ex Tiger)
Ellis Mee
Henry Joule (ex Tiger)
Josh Goodwin

Tigers going pretty strong for this one but it is the only friendly before the PRC replacement kicks off.

[Puja]

13 PHIL COKANASIGA

Puja

[FKAS]

13 PHIL COKANASIGA

Puja

New coach, new chance.

[Margin_Walker]

Personally, I've just never thought he was that good. Some nice moments here and there where his athleticism carries him, but not the all round game and consistency you need at the top level.

That said, I'm often wrong and if you're going to be an EQP playing these days, do it as a centre. As your path to the top isn't the toughest.

[fivepointer]

Bristol Bears squad to face Exeter Chiefs on Friday night:

15. Rich Lane, 14. Jack Bates, 13. Piers O’Conor, 12. Harry Ascherl, 11. Gabriel Ibitoye, 10. AJ MacGinty, 9. Harry Randall (c); 1. Jake Woolmore, 2. Harry Thacker, 3. Max Lahiff, 4. Ed Holmes, 5. Joe Owen, 6. James Dun, 7. Dan Thomas, 8. Magnus Bradbury.

Replacements: Tomas Gwilliam, Fred Davies, George Kloska, Yann Thomas, Andrew Turner, George Taylor, Paddy Pearce, Jake Heenan, Aaron Tull, Macenzzie Duncan, Kieran Marmion, Sam Wolstenholme, Callum Sheedy, Sam Worsley, Joe Jenkins, Harry Rowson, Deago Bailey, Matthew Jones.

Unavailable: Will Capon, Gabriel Oghre, Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler, Chris Vui, Joe Batley, Josh Caulfield, Steven Luatua, Santiago Grondona, Fitz Harding, Kalaveti Ravouvou, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Siva Naulago, Max Malins.

[fivepointer]

[Puja]

Personally, I've just never thought he was that good. Some nice moments here and there where his athleticism carries him, but not the all round game and consistency you need at the top level.

That said, I'm often wrong and if you're going to be an EQP playing these days, do it as a centre. As your path to the top isn't the toughest.

It's possible you're right - he looks like has the material, but there's been a couple of well-regarded coaches now who have taken a look and then put him to the sidelines.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Bristol Bears squad to face Exeter Chiefs on Friday night:

15. Rich Lane,

Bristol by 92 etc etc
Yes. You all have another season of this bs.

[Danno]

Am I really late to the party in finally understanding that Rich Lane is your actual son

[Mellsblue]

I dread to think how good he would be if he did have some of my genes. I played flyhalf at school…

[Mikey Brown]

It’s funny being reminded that Dan Kelly was for and available. But maybe it’s best he was spared a part in all this?

[FKAS]

Bristol Bears squad to face Exeter Chiefs on Friday night:

15. Rich Lane,

Bristol by 92 etc etc
Yes. You all have another season of this bs.

Shouldn't the team sheet read RICH LANE!!!