And unless his defence improves big style he will be letting a few in as well.

Hall has defensive frailities and against Saints they will definately be punished and targeted. Some games no matter what a player brings in attack it will not compensate for what it loses in defence.

Most people are expecting a tight game and in a game like one silly defensive mistake can cost you 2 points. As we have seen Hall is a confidence player and the last thing he needs is a mare in the first game.

Moa only got a contract because of the swell of public opinion. If it was up to agar he wouldn't even be at the club. His whole ethos is to play a defence orientated game and hopefully manage to scrape more points than the opposition. It's why he plays a prop at LF where the successful teams play a runner or someone with a bit of creativity.

dowes, cusack and radford as 3 of our props means we'll be on the back foot against graham, fa'asavalu and puletua.

I think moa would have given us something different

I thought Moa was always goign to be 5th choice prop and has not done to much in pre season to change that for me. Also I dont think Agar would drop Calderwood for Hall as Hall has never done well on the wing can only be down to injury. I dont know how fast Turner is but surely he has as much chance as Hall of starting on the wing, He'd probably do better returning the ball out of his own 20.

Don't think pace is that much of an issue. neither meli or gardner are that quick.

Big issue is to stop their good go forward they get from their front 5

The team for Saints

Tansey Briscoe Yeaman Whiting Turner
Horne Long
Radford Houghton Downs
Manu Tickle
Fitzgibbon
Subs Berrigan O'Meley Lauaki Cusack

Meli is not in the Saints 19

Wheeler will be on the wing , Meli is still in NZ

yeah if they get quick play the balls Puletua and graham will run over us. be interesting to see how they play the three hookers

1 Tansey
2 Hall
3 Whiting
4 Yeaman
5 Tom Briscoe
6 Horne
7 Long
8 Dowes
9 Berrigan
10 Radford
11 Manu
12 Tickle
13 Fitzgibbon

14 Houghton
15 Cusack
16 Lauaki
17 O'Meley

Disappointed with Calders and Moa missing out whatever the reasons may be, but I'm sure their chances will come.

We shouldn't have offloaded Raynor!

Still not seen anyone name the same team that ive heard we are using

...are we talking about Hall or Yeaman??

Thought he was very impressive in the Rovers game.

still think turner will be ahead of whiting

nothing against whiting but we need pace in the centres and sadly whiting doesnt

After the pre-season Whiting has had, and with Calderwood missing, he (Whiting) must start in the centre. If not, I really don't know what the guy has to do.

Agree with Avogadro, Whiting impressed in the friendlies and was pushing for a place. Now that Calders is out he must get a start. Hall to miss out with Turner partnering Whiting.

Agreed. Would be extremely dissappointed if he did not feature.

However, isn't he too slow to play centre?

Well in that case it Could be Washy or Turner along side Long

R Horne to miss out

So some would have you believe...

keep suessing raymondo

Expecting him to start with a 3rd prop at loose man. Fitz n tickle starting in the 2nd row. With both of them able to kick for goal either can be spelled.

Anybody thought that we could be using Radford in the 2nd row and Lauaki as the other prop? For example :-
Dowes
Berro
O'meley

Radford
Tickle
Fitz

with a bench of :-
Houghton
Lauaki
Manu
Cusack

Horne on the wing, he's a GB international in that position



seriously though didn't g horne score a near length of the field try against them when playing on the wing last season. So pace isn't the be all and end all against saints.

And which wing would you put briscoe on ? if hall was on the wing could he be playing left allowing for him and yeaman to alternate during the game. what an attacking side that would be!

Good opinion

but for i would like 1 of Lauaki and Manu on the field at all times