Newcastle vs Leicester - Saturday 3pm

[Puja]

Newcastle Falcons team v Leicester Tigers (Saturday, 3pm, Kingston Park Stadium)

15 Alex Tait, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Joel Hodgson, 9 Michael Young; 1 Adam Brocklebank, 2 George McGuigan, 3 Trevor Davison, 4 Greg Peterson, 5 Philip van der Walt, 6 Gary Graham, 7 Josh Basham, 8 Callum Chick (captain).

Replacements: 16 Jamie Blamire, 17 Logovi'i Mulipola, 18 Mark Tampin, 19 Freddie Lockwood, 20 Carl Fearns, 21 Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti, 22 Will Haydon-Wood, 23 Iwan Stephens.

Leicester Tigers: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Matías Moroni, 12 Guy Porter, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 George Ford, 9 Richard Wigglesworth; 1 Ellis Genge (captain), 2 Nic Dolly, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Ollie Chessum, 5 Harry Wells, 6 George Martin, 7 Hanro Liebenberg, 8 Jasper Wiese.

Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 Nephi Leatigaga, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Cameron Henderson, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Jack van Poortvliet, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Matt Scott.

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe.

[Mellsblue]

There’s some…. err…. experience (old b@stards) in those back lines.

[Puja]

Cameron Henderson returning from the black hole of injury news without warning. I think a fair few Leicester fans had forgotten that we had him on the books.

Good to see Chessum starting at lock and hopefully settling down there. Good opportunity for Martin to get some miles under his belt on his return from injury. Fun looking backline for Leicester - a little bit worried about Radwan running at Nadolo, but otherwise, we should be all right. Wouldn't bet against Ashton being on 98 tries after tomorrow.

Puja

[FKAS]

Mild bit of rotation by Tigers. Great to see Henderson back, be interesting to see if we get to see him and Chessum form up the second row in the second half. Good to see Martin starting.

No Robinson is a blow for Newcastle, he would have been the main threat to the Tigers lineout and rolling maul.

[Peej]

Surprisingly strong selection from Tigers. But Newcastle put a big shift in against Sale last time out, so shouldn't be written off

[FKAS]

Surprisingly strong selection from Tigers. But Newcastle put a big shift in against Sale last time out, so shouldn't be written off

Similar to what expected, rotation but still strong. I'd have had Burns and Heyes starting but otherwise happy with that. We had a week off last week and think we get a week off from playing pre playoffs so managing player workload shouldn't be too tough.

[Puja]

Surprisingly strong selection from Tigers. But Newcastle put a big shift in against Sale last time out, so shouldn't be written off

Similar to what expected, rotation but still strong. I'd have had Burns and Heyes starting but otherwise happy with that. We had a week off last week and think we get a week off from playing pre playoffs so managing player workload shouldn't be too tough.

Indeed - week off last week, week off next week for the Euro final, so it's a fairly relaxed schedule right now with plenty of recovery time. Not great news for Newcastle as it means we can go fairly full-bore with the aim of getting first place sewn up before the final weekend.

Puja

[FKAS]

Final weekend I want us going hard. Undefeated league season at home and don't want Wasps getting the double. I'm of the opinion that all games at Welford Road should be taken seriously and away games are for rotation. Get the fear factor of Welford Road back, it's slowly coming.

[Peej]

As a Wasps fan, you'll understand if I disagree!

[Banquo]

Cameron Henderson returning from the black hole of injury news without warning. I think a fair few Leicester fans had forgotten that we had him on the books.

Good to see Chessum starting at lock and hopefully settling down there. Good opportunity for Martin to get some miles under his belt on his return from injury. Fun looking backline for Leicester - a little bit worried about Radwan running at Nadolo, but otherwise, we should be all right. Wouldn't bet against Ashton being on 98 tries after tomorrow.

Puja

Is lock the best place for Chessum? Genuine q, but I thought he looked good at 6 for England tbh unless I've confused myself .

Obviously JVP doesn't start

[FKAS]

Cameron Henderson returning from the black hole of injury news without warning. I think a fair few Leicester fans had forgotten that we had him on the books.

Good to see Chessum starting at lock and hopefully settling down there. Good opportunity for Martin to get some miles under his belt on his return from injury. Fun looking backline for Leicester - a little bit worried about Radwan running at Nadolo, but otherwise, we should be all right. Wouldn't bet against Ashton being on 98 tries after tomorrow.

Puja

Is lock the best place for Chessum? Genuine q, but I thought he looked good at 6 for England tbh unless I've confused myself .

Obviously JVP doesn't start

He played a bit at lock for England as well iirc. He's got the potential to be an outstanding lock based on how he's developed so far or a good blindside flanker. He's very mobile, for a lock and that goes for a lot of his strengths compared to other locks his work rate his high and his carrying good etc vs blindsides not as impressive but what is impressive is how he can do the tight work at lock and still get round the field.

I think he's likely to be predominantly a lock at Tigers going forwards, particularly of he keeps growing like he has been. He's a unit and very good at lineout time. Martin and Liebenburg will be fighting over the 6 shirt.

[Banquo]

Cameron Henderson returning from the black hole of injury news without warning. I think a fair few Leicester fans had forgotten that we had him on the books.

Good to see Chessum starting at lock and hopefully settling down there. Good opportunity for Martin to get some miles under his belt on his return from injury. Fun looking backline for Leicester - a little bit worried about Radwan running at Nadolo, but otherwise, we should be all right. Wouldn't bet against Ashton being on 98 tries after tomorrow.

Puja

Is lock the best place for Chessum? Genuine q, but I thought he looked good at 6 for England tbh unless I've confused myself .

Obviously JVP doesn't start

He played a bit at lock for England as well iirc. He's got the potential to be an outstanding lock based on how he's developed so far or a good blindside flanker. He's very mobile, for a lock and that goes for a lot of his strengths compared to other locks his work rate his high and his carrying good etc vs blindsides not as impressive but what is impressive is how he can do the tight work at lock and still get round the field.

I think he's likely to be predominantly a lock at Tigers going forwards, particularly of he keeps growing like he has been. He's a unit and very good at lineout time. Martin and Liebenburg will be fighting over the 6 shirt.

On very limited viewing time, I thought he was more impressive at 6 for England than Martin. He does have enough heft for second row tho.

[Puja]

Cameron Henderson returning from the black hole of injury news without warning. I think a fair few Leicester fans had forgotten that we had him on the books.

Good to see Chessum starting at lock and hopefully settling down there. Good opportunity for Martin to get some miles under his belt on his return from injury. Fun looking backline for Leicester - a little bit worried about Radwan running at Nadolo, but otherwise, we should be all right. Wouldn't bet against Ashton being on 98 tries after tomorrow.

Puja

Is lock the best place for Chessum? Genuine q, but I thought he looked good at 6 for England tbh unless I've confused myself .

Obviously JVP doesn't start

The JVP thing is being done deliberately to annoy you.

Chessum could certainly make a decent 6, but decent 6s of varying types are a dime a dozen, especially for England at the moment, while high-quality and mobile locks are worth their weight in gold. He'll be good either way, but I'd far rather have him as a dedicated lock that's got the mobility to act as a fourth back row, than have another back-row-cum-lock that's dropped if there's a game where we want to pick a backrow to attack the breakdown.

Puja

[Banquo]

Cameron Henderson returning from the black hole of injury news without warning. I think a fair few Leicester fans had forgotten that we had him on the books.

Good to see Chessum starting at lock and hopefully settling down there. Good opportunity for Martin to get some miles under his belt on his return from injury. Fun looking backline for Leicester - a little bit worried about Radwan running at Nadolo, but otherwise, we should be all right. Wouldn't bet against Ashton being on 98 tries after tomorrow.

Puja

Is lock the best place for Chessum? Genuine q, but I thought he looked good at 6 for England tbh unless I've confused myself .

Obviously JVP doesn't start

The JVP thing is being done deliberately to annoy you.

Chessum could certainly make a decent 6, but decent 6s are a dime a dozen,

Are they? Not many so good come the lineout time, but fair point.

[FKAS]

Is lock the best place for Chessum? Genuine q, but I thought he looked good at 6 for England tbh unless I've confused myself .

Obviously JVP doesn't start

He played a bit at lock for England as well iirc. He's got the potential to be an outstanding lock based on how he's developed so far or a good blindside flanker. He's very mobile, for a lock and that goes for a lot of his strengths compared to other locks his work rate his high and his carrying good etc vs blindsides not as impressive but what is impressive is how he can do the tight work at lock and still get round the field.

I think he's likely to be predominantly a lock at Tigers going forwards, particularly of he keeps growing like he has been. He's a unit and very good at lineout time. Martin and Liebenburg will be fighting over the 6 shirt.

On very limited viewing time, I thought he was more impressive at 6 for England than Martin. He does have enough heft for second row tho.

Martin got about five mins Vs Ireland. Not sure I'd judge him based on that. Martin is also very good in the lineout and puts in some big and very legal hits in defence, he's got good technique (watch that be a jinx for the weekend). Needs to improve his carrying but he's more like for like with Lawes in suiting that hybrid role or big 6 whichever you call it.

With Hill at Wuss and Martin England have two potential understudies to Lawes. At lock England are desperate for a partner for Itoje. Internationally it might suit Chessum to concentrate on lock and at club level the competition for the second row is far less than in the backrow.

[fivepointer]

Been really impressed with Chessum's development. Already he looks a key player for Tigers and i suspect he's going to get a lot of England caps primarily at lock.
Martin needs to get some games under his belt. He seems to have missed a lot of rugby this season.

[FKAS]

Martin has played 18 games this season it's just he's been out injured for a couple of months having played quite a bit before then. Unfortunately might be to late a comeback to push his way into the England tour squad.

[Banquo]

He played a bit at lock for England as well iirc. He's got the potential to be an outstanding lock based on how he's developed so far or a good blindside flanker. He's very mobile, for a lock and that goes for a lot of his strengths compared to other locks his work rate his high and his carrying good etc vs blindsides not as impressive but what is impressive is how he can do the tight work at lock and still get round the field.

I think he's likely to be predominantly a lock at Tigers going forwards, particularly of he keeps growing like he has been. He's a unit and very good at lineout time. Martin and Liebenburg will be fighting over the 6 shirt.

On very limited viewing time, I thought he was more impressive at 6 for England than Martin. He does have enough heft for second row tho.

Martin got about five mins Vs Ireland. Not sure I'd judge him based on that. Martin is also very good in the lineout and puts in some big and very legal hits in defence, he's got good technique (watch that be a jinx for the weekend). Needs to improve his carrying but he's more like for like with Lawes in suiting that hybrid role or big 6 whichever you call it.

With Hill at Wuss and Martin England have two potential understudies to Lawes. At lock England are desperate for a partner for Itoje. Internationally it might suit Chessum to concentrate on lock and at club level the competition for the second row is far less than in the backrow.

… as I said, on limited time seen for me, he just looks a better player than Martin, in or out of intls. It seems Eddie agrees - Hill and Martin don’t seem to be in the frame at the mo—- but it will be interesting to see how it pans out. I just was surprised at how at home Chessum seemed at 6 intl level given he seems to be slated as a lock by the Tigers cognoscenti-it’s a great thing given the RWC squads are limited.
As an aside, think Jonny Hill getting fit would help. Itoje needs a bruiser alongside him imo.

[FKAS]

Martin was liked by Eddie but was given a work on with Eddie wanting him to improve his carrying. He is doing that but it's an area that still needs work. He will come back into the England squad but probably post world cup. Martin's impact off the bench Vs Leinster was certainly telling though, cutting down Conan and Doris really helped limit Leinster's ability to get out their own half. He's a defensive monster.

You're right that Chessum benefits from being able to play both lock and six to a good level. Makes him an ideal bench option for Eddie. He's not a small bloke either at 6ft7 and north of 18 stone. He's definitely bulked up for the last 12 months and has the frame and is at an age where he might add more to his frame yet which would put him in real contention to partner Itoje. Johnny Hill coming back in will help England, his time with the Lions seemed to have benefited him in the AIs where he looked more like his club self.

[Banquo]

Martin was liked by Eddie but was given a work on with Eddie wanting him to improve his carrying. He is doing that but it's an area that still needs work. He will come back into the England squad but probably post world cup..

One of the benefits of getting guys into camp early- but Chessum has leapfrogged him seemingly.

[FKAS]

Martin was liked by Eddie but was given a work on with Eddie wanting him to improve his carrying. He is doing that but it's an area that still needs work. He will come back into the England squad but probably post world cup..

One of the benefits of getting guys into camp early- but Chessum has leapfrogged him seemingly.

Yeah getting him in when he was 19/20 was good for Martin. He might be advised to play a bit more lock and 8 going forward just to show some versatility as that's popular with international coaches with small squads.

Chessum's ability to target the opposition lineout and cover multiple positions is always going to be popular. He's had a stellar season and deserves the call ups. Most if not all Tigers fans would have him in the starting XV for all the big games, just at 4 or 5 not 6.

I'm looking forward to seeing Henderson back in. He was the big lock hope before his nasty injury. Needed to bulk up a bit and increase his physicality but was good at the lineout and had a knack of getting over the gain line ball in hand. A combination of him and Chessum has the potential to grow into the quality second row combination we need but can't afford to acquire what with the salary cap constraints.

[Puja]

Fair play to Newcastle, looks like they put up a better fight than expected. Still a regulation win, but no bonus point.

Puja

[Scrumhead]

Yeah. I thought the same. Davison’s effort looked like it was a try to me. Shame there wasn’t the angle to see whether it was or not.

Sounds like Dolly’s injury is serious. Sad for him, but a definite opportunity for McGuigan to tour.

[Tigersman]

Tigers discovering how important Kelly is to their attack.

[Puja]

Tigers discovering how important Kelly is to their attack.

Porter's cross-field kick looked nice though. Was he any good the rest of the game?

Puja