RugbyRebels

I'm rather concerned about this one. Saints are looking a very good side.

Who on earth is P Scholtz?

Puja

Tighthead we recruited after Brookes left.

Watson at fullback. 3 words I never thought I would say.

Mikey Brown wrote:Watson at fullback. 3 words I never thought I would say.

See this Watson has actually played fullback a fair bit. Shame Anthony was never given a chance there, but you can't expect him to perform there without experience.

Raggs wrote:

Fine work getting yourself into the promotional photo!

I have far more hair on the top of my head, and far more at the bottom too.

Good to see Dingwall and Proctor given more time together, they're working very nicely together. Bit odd we've gone 6/2 bench for two weeks running. Think Lawes, Ludlam and Augustus is a nicely balanced back row.

Hopefully they'll be a reasonably dry pitch and plenty of tries.

Yeah it’s not like you guys to go 3 games in a row with the same pairing. Frantic and Hutchinson injured or just out of favour?

Mikey Brown wrote:Watson at fullback. 3 words I never thought I would say.

Crossdale was poor last week, but he's much more reliable than Marcus at 15. Not sure on that call, to be honest. Bringing Booj in over Gopperth is an interesting call, that isn't going to do much for our playmaking and taking the pressure of Umaga. Think Saints might take this.

Usually get a good open game with plenty of tries when these 2 meet.

Cue a 9-9 draw.....

Nah, it'll be a good one. Interested to see how Spink does at centre for Wasps. Those 2 young wings for Saints are worth keeping an eye on.

Mikey Brown wrote:Yeah it’s not like you guys to go 3 games in a row with the same pairing. Frantic and Hutchinson injured or just out of favour?

Hutch picked up a niggle a couple of weeks ago, but is back on the bench for Sunday. Francis had some surgery, can't remember on what, over the summer so on his way back. Really hard to pick what my favoured centre pairing is when all are fit and firing.

Hougaard out and porter in.

Oghre is very lucky there. Maxwell Keys has gone completely off script from the protocol to give him a yellow

I thought he grazed the shoulder first too, but it was a bit of a confusing process.

Direct contact to head/neck starts at red and mitigates down. It's not yellow because CMK 'feels like it's a yellow'. The process is in place to make it easy for refs to get it right when it comes to high tackles, and he just completely disregarded it.

I couldn’t tell if he was saying it was ‘indirect’ due to hitting the ball first or the shoulder (which I think he did). Not clear at all really.

Was there much between that and Coles/Moon a couple of minutes later?

Coles was a clear seat belt tackle, over the top of the shoulder. Oghre was a forearm to the head.

The arm could be argued to graze the shoulder and the ball before sliding off them into the head, but it really felt like CMK was trying to keep it at yellow. I'm grateful he did, but that could have easily been red.

Oghre was a bit lucky. We've seen reds issued for challenges like that. It was way too high and frankly a bit reckless.

Overall the game was a bit of a let down.

Saints were largely terrible after a bright start. Wasps keep their composure and did enough with the opportunities they had.

Not sure the England coaches would have got much out of the game.

Aye the game overall was a let down. Very scrappy with plenty of unforced errors and little structure. Frustrating.

fivepointer wrote:
Overall the game was a bit of a let down.

Agreed but I was entertained. I've always had spectator leanings towards rugby though I spent more time playing football. The entertainment value of last season's play-offs was right up with the best sport I have ever seen.

Conversely, the Lions debacle was a huge turn-off.

Now the Premiership season is doing it. I even enjoyed the commentators' fringe debate on how England will play. I'd suggest the run-up to the RWC is real soul-defining stuff for the game. I make no secret of loathing Jones. He might just sway me a bit if he accepts that for the first time in living memory we have the playing-talent capacity to lead the world in an open style of play. We could win the RWC playing entertaining rugby. Bliss, if it happens!!!!

There was at least a lot of enterprise. Even if it didn't come off. It felt like defences were generally up to the task, without being simply suffocating.

Raggs wrote:The arm could be argued to graze the shoulder and the ball before sliding off them into the head, but it really felt like CMK was trying to keep it at yellow. I'm grateful he did, but that could have easily been red.

I don't think CMK felt it was particularly dangerous and so was trying to find an excuse to only give a yellow. By the letter of the law probably should have been red. If the Saints player stays down then Oghre gets the red.

Felt like a game that was always on the cusp of getting going. Decided by a moment of real skill from Young but both teams will feel they probably didn't fire the shots they should have done.

Oghre been cited