RugbyRebels

Bristol team is up and there's 13 changes, seems Pat isn't focusing on this one.

15. Max Malins; 14. Alapati Leiua, 13. Piers O’Conor, 12. Siale Piutau (c), 11. Jack Bates; 10. Tiff Eden, 9. Andy Uren; 1. Jake Woolmore, 2. Will Capon, 3. Yann Thomas, 4. Ed Holmes, 5. Joe Joyce, 6. James Dun, 7. Jake Heenan, 8. Ben Earl.

Replacements: 16. George Kloska, 17. Peter McCabe, 18. Kieron Assiratti, 19. John Hawkins, 20. Mitch Eadie, 21. Harry Randall, 22. Ioan Lloyd, 23. Charlie Powell.

9 Bristolians, 10 Academy graduates and 13 under 23!

Sale doing the complete opposite:

1. Harrison
2. van der Merwe
3. Oosthuizen
4. J. du Preez
5. de Jager
6. T. Curry
7. B. Curry (c)
8. D. du Preez
9. de Klerk
10. MacGinty
11. Yarde
12. Tuilagi
13. S. James
14. Solomona
15. L. James

16. Langdon
17. Morozov
18. John
19. Postlethwaite
20. Ross
21. Cliff
22. van Rensburg
23. Reed

Are Sale doing any rotating? At all?!

Interesting that BCurry's kept the captaincy.

Puja

Bris had to make changes. They are obviously seriously stretched in the front row. A few good youngsters get an outing but they are going to be up against Sale's first choice side.

Puja wrote:Are Sale doing any rotating? At all?!

Interesting that BCurry's kept the captaincy.

Puja

They've rotated quite a lot there. There's always going to be repeated names, they don't have the numbers to do a completely different 23.

fivepointer wrote:Bris had to make changes. They are obviously seriously stretched in the front row.

Afoa & Armstrong both went down injured on the same day and Sinkler has played to the limit, so we've had to bring in cover (McCabe and Assiratti).

Hopefully we can get something from it. But looking at the side and imaging the last prem squad with that many changes shows Bris have a lot more depth now.

Raggs wrote:

Puja wrote:Are Sale doing any rotating? At all?!

Interesting that BCurry's kept the captaincy.

Puja

They've rotated quite a lot there. There's always going to be repeated names, they don't have the numbers to do a completely different 23.

Don’t they have something mad like 34 players?

Having not rotated the first two rounds, then changed a lot versus Wasps, Sale can actually pick a blend of first choice guys with others that showed versus Wasps that they should be considered first choice.

Early still, but this has been unedifying so far.

Eden showing why he has never started there....

Could be as bad I feared this.

Couple of nice offloads by the Du Preez boys, but that aside its proper training run stuff for Sale.

jimKRFC wrote:Eden showing why he has never started there....

Could be as bad I feared this.

Yep. Not sure which is worse, his hair or his first 17 mins.

Eden is comedically bad so far.

Though on an England front I did like the hugely optimistic support line Manu ran after he made his pass inside

Bristol maybe wishing they had rotated more themselves across the first three rounds....

Scrumhead wrote:

Raggs wrote:

Puja wrote:Are Sale doing any rotating? At all?!

Interesting that BCurry's kept the captaincy.

Puja

They've rotated quite a lot there. There's always going to be repeated names, they don't have the numbers to do a completely different 23.

Don’t they have something mad like 34 players?

it might even less than that. I listened to an interview with their owner Simon Orange and he said their plan regarding the salary cap was two good level players in each position rather than squad depth with academy lads filling in. I thought it was a risky strategy any way giving how attritional rugby is as a sport any way, but certainly it's worse giving COVID and the fixture lists.

It does make me wonder how well they'll be doing come the end of the season.

Fairly huge knock on to enable that intercept for Bristol.

Ben Curry getting lucky on that pass. Defender doesn't touch that and it's going about 5 yards forwards and over the head of the wing.

Was really hoping for a high skill, competitive game

Dallaglio doesn’t half talk some rubbish at times.

Mellsblue wrote:Dallaglio doesn’t half talk some rubbish at times.

What do you mean "at times"?

Positives for me, we won't be billed and Bates and Dun looking comfortable at this level (in a disjointed team).

That was nicely worked. Hell of a pass by Faf.

This carries on and we could end up in the weird position of 3rd in the league having a negative points difference.

Every time a 2 v 1 is blown a winger dies.