Northampton v Exeter Sunday

[fivepointer]

Saints: Freeman; Sleightholme, Proctor, Hutchinson, Naiyaravoro; Biggar, James; Waller (cc), Matavesi, Painter; RIbbans, Ratuniyarawa; Lawes, Ludlam (cc), Wood.

Replacements: Haywood, Iyogun, Hill, Moon, Coles, Mitchell, Grayson, Dingwall.

Exeter Chiefs: Hogg; Cordero, Slade, Whitten, O'Flaherty; J Simmonds (c), Maunder; Moon, Cowan-Dickie, Williams; Gray, Hill; S Skinner, Kirsten, S Simmonds.

Replacements: Yeandle, Hepburn, Street, Lonsdale, Capstick, Townsend, H Skinner, Devoto

[Scrumhead]

Saints have been in poor form but that’s a pretty strong side.

After last night’s result the pressure is on Exeter. Could be an interesting game.

[FKAS]

This looks like a painful time for Saints. Chiefs are in great form and have a brutally strong team out.

[Adam_P]

Shame Ribbans copped a red, because Saints are well up for this and until then he was having a stormer. Officials have ignored a couple of high tackles from Chiefs and also one of their forwards flying into a ruck completely horizontal like a missile right in front of the touch judge. Hutch raised it and was ignored too.

Lawes has been on fire - think he's on about 5 turnovers already

[Adam_P]

That's got to be the best half of rugby we've played all season. 14 men for most of the half and still dominating physically.

[16th man]

Shame Ribbans copped a red, because Saints are well up for this and until then he was having a stormer. Officials have ignored a couple of high tackles from Chiefs and also one of their forwards flying into a ruck completely horizontal like a missile right in front of the touch judge. Hutch raised it and was ignored too.

Lawes has been on fire - think he's on about 5 turnovers already

Just got a bit of a BS scrum pen to get in range for their first try too.

Seem to have reached the point where Refs believe they're the best team so will let loads of stuff go that they would ping other teams for.

[Adam_P]

Agreed - it's like the perennially ignored Saracens offside defensive line in seasons gone by

[16th man]

Harsh on Ludlum there too. Definitely tried to use his arm.

[16th man]

Agreed - it's like the perennially ignored Saracens offside defensive line in seasons gone by

Refs have pretty much ignored them sealing off rucks, going off their feet on their own ball for 2 years.

Looks like they're getting more and more their way now though.

[Adam_P]

Aye, how is that a penalty but Cowan-Dickie's one in the first half was fine?

[Adam_P]

Freeman really is excellent - so calm and intelligent. Definitely first choice for me above Furbank.

[16th man]

Cracking bit of attacking play by Saints.

[Adam_P]

Another shite penalty against Ludlam

[Raggs]

Should have been a pen for Exeter with multiple men in that lineout maul bringing it down.

[Adam_P]

Straight in the side to clear out Ludlam, right in front of the ref, crack on

[Adam_P]

Not too disappointed with that - man down since 14 mins the slow down in the 2nd half was inevitable.

[16th man]

Rules question

The Exeter front jumper punched the ball out of the hands of the Saints lock as they came down firm a line out.

Should that be a deliberate knock on as it went forward.?

[fivepointer]

If you deliberately play the ball forward it should be a penalty.
Saints got away with plenty too.
Ultimately they ran out of steam and Exe got some control in the game. It was a tremendous effort from Saints and it was a terrific contest for the neutral.
Ribbans red, which had to be given, probably means he wont play for England this summer. Bollocks!

[Raggs]

Rules question

The Exeter front jumper punched the ball out of the hands of the Saints lock as they came down firm a line out.

Should that be a deliberate knock on as it went forward.?

My favourite ever deliberate knock on was Marcus Garratt doing that for Wasps in an A league game. We'd been pinned on our 5m line, multiple infringements. He went up and absolutely belted the ball up field. Given as a knock on, advantage over within a few phases around our 22.

[Digby]

Seem to have reached the point where Refs believe they're the best team so will let loads of stuff go that they would ping other teams for.

When they first promoted and were being frank not even close to premier league quality they stayed up largely by cheating like utter bastards, so back then they got the refs on their side by being the underdog. Now they're working the refs as top dog. It could just be Baxter is quality when working out what they can get away with

[morepork]

Seem to have reached the point where Refs believe they're the best team so will let loads of stuff go that they would ping other teams for.

When they first promoted and were being frank not even close to premier league quality they stayed up largely by cheating like utter bastards, so back then they got the refs on their side by being the underdog. Now they're working the refs as top dog. It could just be Baxter is quality when working out what they can get away with

Thank goodness that sort of brainless cynicism has not been carried over to the national team.

[Digby]

Seem to have reached the point where Refs believe they're the best team so will let loads of stuff go that they would ping other teams for.

When they first promoted and were being frank not even close to premier league quality they stayed up largely by cheating like utter bastards, so back then they got the refs on their side by being the underdog. Now they're working the refs as top dog. It could just be Baxter is quality when working out what they can get away with

Thank goodness that sort of brainless cynicism has not been carried over to the national team.

If you're getting away with it is it brainless?

[morepork]

The quantity of open mouthed "wot?" reactions that the players sport when faced with a sentient ref (usually standing right in front of them when they rather unsubtly digress from the rule book) does not argue against brainless.

[Adam_P]

Couple of thing come to mind from Ribbans' red. Now there is no disputing that the tackle was a red under the current framework - however, as the officials rightly pointed out there was contact was a high degree of force directly to the head. Surely then, the result of that should be a HIA for Cowan-Dickie to ensure player welfare - after all that is the whole point of the framework. No HIA took place.

Following on from that - a bit later Sleightholme is cleared out from a ruck by Slade. Its not clear from the broadcast camera angle exactly how it goes, but Sleightholme isn't happy with it and goes for Slade afterwards. Sleightholme is then taken for a HIA and fails, but there is no review of the clear out. Surely that has to be looked at?

[Puja]

Couple of thing come to mind from Ribbans' red. Now there is no disputing that the tackle was a red under the current framework - however, as the officials rightly pointed out there was contact was a high degree of force directly to the head. Surely then, the result of that should be a HIA for Cowan-Dickie to ensure player welfare - after all that is the whole point of the framework. No HIA took place.

Following on from that - a bit later Sleightholme is cleared out from a ruck by Slade. Its not clear from the broadcast camera angle exactly how it goes, but Sleightholme isn't happy with it and goes for Slade afterwards. Sleightholme is then taken for a HIA and fails, but there is no review of the clear out. Surely that has to be looked at?

Longheld pet peeve of mine - any and all significant contacts with the head should result in an HIA. The whole point of them is that you can't tell if someone is concussed from a quick pitchside examination and yet we're still only employing them if somebody "doesn't seem right".

Would it be disruptive to have 10 players go off for HIAs every match? Yes, of course. Is it better than the inevitable cavalcade of lawsuits that will bankrupt the game, as well as the pesky minor moral issues? Yes, of course.

Puja