Saints vs Worcester - Friday 1945

[Adam_P]

Friday 22 October 2021
cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens
Kick-off: 7.45pm

15 Tommy Freeman
14 Ollie Sleightholme
13 Fraser Dingwall
12 Rory Hutchinson
11 Courtnall Skosan
10 Dan Biggar
9 Alex Mitchell

1 Alex Waller
2 Sam Matavesi
3 Paul Hill
4 David Ribbans
5 Api Ratuniyarawa
6 Courtney Lawes
7 Lewis Ludlam (c)
8 Teimana Harrison

Replacements:
16 Mike Haywood
17 Emmanuel Iyogun
18 Ehren Painter
19 Tom Wood
20 Juarno Augustus
21 Frank Lomani
22 Piers Francis
23 Alex Coles

Not considered for selection:
Matthew Arden, Callum Burns, George Furbank, Oisín Heffernan, Dani Long-Martinez, Ollie Newman, Matt Proctor and JJ Tonks.

Warriors
15 Jamie Shillcock, 14 Harri Doel, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Willi Heinz (C), 1 Rory Sutherland, 2 Niall Annett, 3 Christian Judge, 4 Andrew Kitchener, 5 Graham Kitchener, 6 Kyle Hatherell, 7 Sam Lewis, 8 Matt Kvesic.
Replacements | 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Jack Owlett, 19 Joe Batley, 20 Sione Vailanu, 21 Will Chudley, 22 Oli Morris, 23 Noah Heward.

[Adam_P]

Excited by that Saints back 3, interested to see how Skosan goes. We seem to really be plugging away with a 6/2 bench this season for some reason.

[Puja]

Excited by that Saints back 3, interested to see how Skosan goes. We seem to really be plugging away with a 6/2 bench this season for some reason.

I guess if you've got Frank Lomani's versatility available, you may as well use it?

Puja

[Scrumhead]

And to be fair, it might not have been a 6:2 had Proctor, Furbank or Collins been available.

[Mellsblue]

Excited by that Saints back 3, interested to see how Skosan goes. We seem to really be plugging away with a 6/2 bench this season for some reason.

I guess if you've got Frank Lomani's versatility available, you may as well use it?

Puja

He was all over the place when he came on at wing last week.

[Puja]

Excited by that Saints back 3, interested to see how Skosan goes. We seem to really be plugging away with a 6/2 bench this season for some reason.

I guess if you've got Frank Lomani's versatility available, you may as well use it?

Puja

He was all over the place when he came on at wing last week.

As in he got involved a lot, or as in he was a mess? Cause he has started games on the wing for Fiji, so you'd like to assume that he knows what he's doing.

Puja

[Adam_P]

And to be fair, it might not have been a 6:2 had Proctor, Furbank or Collins been available.

Given we've done it for thr previous 2 or 3 games I think it's a deliberate strategy rather than availability driven. Just read an interview with Dowson where he says it's to do with the fast paced game we're trying to play tiring the big boys out

[Mellsblue]

I guess if you've got Frank Lomani's versatility available, you may as well use it?

Puja

He was all over the place when he came on at wing last week.

As in he got involved a lot, or as in he was a mess? Cause he has started games on the wing for Fiji, so you'd like to assume that he knows what he's doing.

Puja

In a mess defensively.

[FKAS]

Worcester look awful again. Their head coach trying to say it's the effect of the yellow card is frankly wishful thinking.

Saints, well it's hard to tell. Error strewn but explosive. Odd combination. For a team playing with three locks they set a brutal tempo, no wonder there's a 6:2 bench split.

[Adam_P]

Mixed bag for Freeman so far - definitely should have given the pass to Sleights who would have walked a try in, but then very smart in another move to pull his hands away and chip the ball up to Skosan for his first Saints try

[Scrumhead]

Yeah. Mitchell’s been the pick of the Saints players so far IMO, but Freeman also looking good.

Worcester looking poor again.

[Adam_P]

Aye Mitchell is going very well, Dingwall also looking good as per

[FKAS]

Rumours Chris Ashton and Matt Garvey were suspended by Worcester and so unavailable for this game.

[Oakboy]

It was the 37th minute before I realised Kvesic was on the pitch.

[Scrumhead]

Rumours Chris Ashton and Matt Garvey were suspended by Worcester and so unavailable for this game.

That rumour has been floating around for a couple of weeks now. Garvey’s only just joined!

[Raggs]

Dvdm looking like a well spent check. Absolutely nothing going on inside him so even though he makes yards there's nothing going on.

Saints just look so well oiled, but wuss are making it easy on them.

[Adam_P]

Liking the look of Skosan very much based on this game so far. Solid under the high balls, rapid and quality finishing

[Adam_P]

Enjoyed that! Think next weekends East Mids Derby might be the best one we've seen for a while - back to the days of Saints and Tigers playing well!

[Gloskarlos]

Worcester were terrible, saints played with a lot of energy.

Bugbears for me, refereeing entry through the gate seems to have disappeared (both teams) and also offside line behind a scrum not policed at all, three saints tries came from a pass from 9 at the back of a scrum literally parallel to the back foot. Or have I missed a law change that says the ball doesn't have to be out before backs gain 10m?

[Mikey Brown]

Dvdm looking like a well spent check. Absolutely nothing going on inside him so even though he makes yards there's nothing going on.

Saints just look so well oiled, but wuss are making it easy on them.

Yeah I still don't get what the draw was, unless they were offering him insane money. I would have thought many clubs would have gone for him.

Not that I have a huge amount of sympathy having fled Scotland the second he qualified.

[Mikey Brown]

Also where is Harry Mallinder? Has he left Saints?

That's a real shame if his skill, size and pace doesn't get put to good use. Where did he go?

[Scrumhead]

Dvdm looking like a well spent check. Absolutely nothing going on inside him so even though he makes yards there's nothing going on.

Saints just look so well oiled, but wuss are making it easy on them.

I know this wasn’t what you meant, but that’s also be the case if you sign for Worcester solely for money.

Worcester are terrible ATM. I genuinely thought they were making some positive steps, but so far this season suggests the total opposite.

[Adam_P]

Also where is Harry Mallinder? Has he left Saints?

That's a real shame if his skill, size and pace doesn't get put to good use. Where did he go?

Aye he's in Japan. Apparently some kind of agreement was come to that if he decides to return to the Prem at some point then Saints is the first port of call. Think a season or so playing in Japan could do him the world of good.

[Scrumhead]

Agreed. Although IIRC, he’s gone to Japan to play 10 which isn’t the right option for him IMO.

[Mikey Brown]

Agreed. Although IIRC, he’s gone to Japan to play 10 which isn’t the right option for him IMO.

I wouldn’t see his long term future as a 10. But maybe as a matter of taking control of a game and being right in the firing line defensively it will be a good thing?

Some time away from England is probably a very good idea overall.