%spartans Teddy Tiger Ryan Gayler Ben Storer John McGrath Nick Scott Denzel Petrucci Charlie Downes Jono Chewie Scott Flack Jake Luffman Al Farnsworth Kyle Tait Neil Barry Ali Farhat Peter Jackson %crabs Lloyd Townsend Ryu Yamadera Samuel Vimes Oscar Wood Hal Teja Mike Martyn JD Hurricane Pretzel Spark Bill Kirk Uve Locity Dan Wayne Alec Bannerman Mathew Mitchell Hache Emm Sticky Phlegm
Well, in theory no. If the Crabs want to give Indipper dispensation to play, then I'd be happy to provide some time off the bench. I don't think it would be fair on Tiger/Ryan/Storer to drop any of them to give Indipper a full game. Up to you guys.
Well I certainly would. With so few active sims it seems a shame for a new member to miss out. (Edit: If they played ahead of your fillers that would be great :ninja
We've had to play backs in the forward line for reserves. Actives should play ahead of inactives. Fine with indipper playing.
Preview Another day, another finals match takes to the field. Two increasingly bitter rivals will contest both the Seasonal Rugby Championship and Reserve Rugby Championship across two days at The Hot Gates; promising a veritable festival of rugby. In the curtain raiser to this veritable smorgasbord of sport is the Reserve Rugby Championship final between the Olympians and the Nippers. The Olympians' challenge this year has been propped up by a number of veterans who have continued to play for the Olympians despite a noticeable drop in their interest and intensity of training. Jake Luffman is a reliable first-five who has vast experience in Premier Rugby and Al Farnsworth is a destructive force on the wing that many other clubs would love to have in their first team. These two have torn apart RRC defences all season and represent the biggest threat to the Nippers. The Olympians also have some first-grade quality in their back row in the the form of Jono Chewie and Charlie Downes. Both have been playing exceptionally well throughout the season and have been looking to displace quality players from the Spartans first XV. After a destructive cameo for New Zealand against England, Peter Jackson is another player that the Nippers have to beware of. Ali Farhat is another underrated player who could potentially gain a first team spot elsewhere, but has has to be satisfied with reasonable minutes off the bench for the Spartans. Elsewhere, the depth looks a bit sketchy. Teddy Tiger and Ryan Gayler have been in awful form slumps, and whilst Isaac Dipper was given late clearance to play, he is expected to only appear off the bench in the tail end of the game. Denzel Petrucci isn't a back rower's armpit and Neil Barry is a clear weak link in the centres. So, the Olympians have some real quality but a couple of gaping holes. The Nippers on the other hand look to be high quality pretty much across the board. JD Hurricane has no business playing at this level and it must be pretty embarrassing for the Crabs to have such riches on their 2nd XV playing roster. Similarly, despite being a somewhat mercurial player and prone to errors, would find a space in the first XV for many clubs. If the Nippers have a weakness, then it must be in the centres. Alec Bannerman doesn't belong there by any stretch of the imagination and has form has suffered as he has played there. Mathew Mitchell does belong there, but lacks the class of the rest of the team. Ryu Yamadera is a reasonable player, but is suffering from poor form too, and we're likely to see scrum errors and penalties a plenty from the two front rows on show here. So, what does this all mean? Well, the Nippers should be clear favourites here, but they have been beaten by the Olympians twice this season 18 - 17 at the Hot Gates and 24 - 17 at James' Place. This suggests the Olympians have the wood over their opposition. One reason for these two shocks is that the Nippers had no proper place kicker for either game and in terms of tries scored, the Nippers lead 6 tries to 5 across the two fixtures. Sticky Phlegm, however, should provide a greater kicking accuracy and balance the ledger from this angle. Either way, this will be a closer game than the bookmakers think. The Olympians' star players are in epic form and will scythe the Nippers asunder given even the slightest opportunity. The Nippers are more solid, but also have a bit less flair. A forwards orientated game should suit the Nippers. Key Players Jono Chewie: With the quality in the Nippers back row, this correspondent hopes to see a real ding-dong battle between Chewie & Downes and Spark & Hurricane. Whichever team gets the upper hand here will get one hand on the trophy. Chewie has shown exceptional character this season and is itching to guarantee himself a starting berth in the first XV for Season 6 and we should expect a big performance from him. Sticky Phlegm: The Nippers' challenge against the Olympians this season has come unstuck twice purely because their place kicking hasn't been up to scratch. Phlegm has great ability in this area, but sometimes has allowed the pressure to get to him. In a nip and tuck battle, Phlegm will need to be accurate off the tee, otherwise the Nippers could find themselves on the wrong side of a tight one yet again. The Verdict: The Olympians have recent history on their side, but the Nippers have quality across the board. The Nippers should have too much for the Olympians. Olympians 24 - 31 Nippers