Sale Sharks Vs Gloucester - Thursday 7.45

[FKAS]

Starting XV:

15.Joe Carpenter, 14. Tom Roebuck, 13. Rob du Preez, 12. Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, 11. Tom O’Flaherty, 10. George Ford, 9. Gus Warr; 1. Bevan Rodd, 2. Nathan Jibulu, 3. Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 4. Ernst van Rhyn ©, 5. Ben Bamber, 6. Jacques Vermeulen, 7. Ben Curry, 8. Sam Dugdale.

Replacements:

16. Ethan Caine, 17. Simon McIntyre, 18. WillGriff John, 19. Hyron Andrews, 20. Tom Burrow, 21. Dom Hanson, 22. Arron Reed, 23. Tristan Woodman.

Gloucester Rugby starting XV
15 Charlie Atkinson
14 Ben Loader
13 Max Llewellyn
12 Seb Atkinson (VC)
11 Ollie Thorley
10 Ross Byrne*
9 Tomos Williams (C)
1 Harrison Bellamy*
2 Jack Innard
3 Afolabi Fasogbon
4 Arthur Clark (VC)
5 Matias Alemanno
6 Freddie Thomas
7 James Venter*
8 Jack Clement

16 Kealan Freeman-Price*
17 Archie McArthur
18 Kirill Gotovtsev
19 Cam Jordan
20 Lewis Ludlow
21 Caolan Englefield
22 Will Joseph
23 Josiah Edwards-Giraud*

*Denotes Gallagher PREM debut

[FKAS]

Sale are doing the annoying 6-2 bench numbering. Glaws look like they are going pretty physical for the start of the game.

Byrne Vs Ford should be entertaining.

[fivepointer]

Great to have the Prem back.

Could be a very entertaining opening match. Fasogbon-Rodd caught my eye, plus the match ups at 12 and on the wings.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Starting XV:

15.Joe Carpenter, 14. Tom Roebuck, 13. Rob du Preez, 12. Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, 11. Tom O’Flaherty, 10. George Ford, 9. Gus Warr; 1. Bevan Rodd, 2. Nathan Jibulu, 3. Asher Opoku-Fordjour, 4. Ernst van Rhyn ©, 5. Ben Bamber, 6. Jacques Vermeulen, 7. Ben Curry, 8. Sam Dugdale.

Replacements:

16. Ethan Caine, 17. Simon McIntyre, 18. WillGriff John, 19. Hyron Andrews, 20. Tom Burrow, 21. Dom Hanson, 22. Arron Reed, 23. Tristan Woodman.

Gloucester Rugby starting XV
15 Charlie Atkinson
14 Ben Loader
13 Max Llewellyn
12 Seb Atkinson (VC)
11 Ollie Thorley
10 Ross Byrne*
9 Tomos Williams (C)
1 Harrison Bellamy*
2 Jack Innard
3 Afolabi Fasogbon
4 Arthur Clark (VC)
5 Matias Alemanno
6 Freddie Thomas
7 James Venter*
8 Jack Clement

16 Kealan Freeman-Price*
17 Archie McArthur
18 Kirill Gotovtsev
19 Cam Jordan
20 Lewis Ludlow
21 Caolan Englefield
22 Will Joseph
23 Josiah Edwards-Giraud*

*Denotes Gallagher PREM debut

A 20 year old loosehead on debut against AOF and an 18 year old reserve hooker might be a bit of a disadvantage. Freeman-Price is straight out of school and into a potential debut. Only converted to hooker last year too.

Good to see Tom Burrow on the Sale bench. Could be a big year for him.

[charlesdeboeuf]

Pleased to see Ben Loader back in the PREM™ - wonder if he'll get close to an England call-up this year? Perhaps one for the upcoming A games.

[Puja]

Some great young English talent being given its head. Ma'asi-White vs SAtkinson is an obvious one, plus Fasogbon, AOF, and Jibulu in the front rows. Interested to see Tom Burrow go from the bench for Sale, who is very highly rated.

Gloucester look very light in the front row. Neither their 1 nor 17 have a single Premiership appearance between them, not even off the bench, Innard is an honest pro who is very much their third choice, and the replacement hooker is 18 with one PRC sub appearance under his belt. Could be a long night for them.

Puja

[Puja]

A 20 year old loosehead on debut against AOF and an 18 year old reserve hooker might be a bit of a disadvantage. Freeman-Price is straight out of school and into a potential debut. Only converted to hooker last year too.

Good to see Tom Burrow on the Sale bench. Could be a big year for him.

Hah! I should've typed quicker!

Puja

[Captainhaircut]

Quirke injured already?

[Scrumhead]

Pleased to see Ben Loader back in the PREM™ - wonder if he'll get close to an England call-up this year? Perhaps one for the upcoming A games.

Good player, but can’t see it TBH.

Based upon recent call-ups (including A squad), the pecking order is probably something like:

Freeman
IFW
Roebuck
Sleightholme
Murley
Muir
Arundell
OHC
Ibitoye
Elliott
Hendy

He could conceivably leapfrog that last few, but he’d also have the likes of Radwan to contend with as well as young up and coming wings like Bracken or Cleaves.

[Danno]

Great to have the Prem back.

Thank gawd. I've been bored during the week.

[FKAS]

Pre game predictions?

Sale to give Glaws a going over up front and win with a TBP, Glaws to run in some tasty tries but come up short.

[Danno]

Well this is a rusty old game

[FKAS]

Well this is a rusty old game

Almost like a pre season game. So many dropped passes and misjudged lines.

[Danno]

Well this is a rusty old game

Almost like a pre season game. So many dropped passes and misjudged lines.

Sale lucky that knock on didn't get caught for their try. Officials need a bit of match sharpening as well!

[Puja]

Well this is a rusty old game

Almost like a pre season game. So many dropped passes and misjudged lines.

Sale lucky that knock on didn't get caught for their try. Officials need a bit of match sharpening as well!

I actually agree with the officials on that one - it's clearly Thorley's hand that knocks the ball from BCurry's hand, which goes backwards from BCurry's perspective. It then bounces off his legs and goes forwards.

Puja

[Danno]

Almost like a pre season game. So many dropped passes and misjudged lines.

Sale lucky that knock on didn't get caught for their try. Officials need a bit of match sharpening as well!

I actually agree with the officials on that one - it's clearly Thorley's hand that knocks the ball from BCurry's hand, which goes backwards from BCurry's perspective. It then bounces off his legs and goes forwards.

Puja

Ah fair enough, I wasn't watching terribly closely having been lulled into a slightly bored hypnosis by then. I fear I've been spoiled by the WC matches.

[fivepointer]

For me, if you lose the ball in contact then its a knock on. Thats the way the game has been reffed and what players understand. There was a virtually identical situation later in the game - as noted by Healey - that was called a knock on and incidents like this are commonplace in the game.

Sale came through and were good winners in the end. Glos a little disappointing in attack.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Quirke injured already?

Just a slight calf strain.