Porterbelly wrote:

tomsauce2000 wrote: I blame Lam for this. It's a shambles. Anyone who starts talking about the TMO or ref is delusional

Lam plus players

The likes of Parks and Duffy were appalling. Players of their experience shouldn't be playing like that

Duffy's greatest strength is in the air. I know he had a bad knock on tonight but our game plan doesn't suit him. He should be let garryowen and challenge when he receives ball at full back. It was a strength if our team. The try tonight was not his fault. It was Murphy's pass but it's madness running from there on first phase possession. I completely blame Lam for that try. I do accept he obviously didn't play well but I don't think he looks comfortable with our tactics.

Dan Parks is not a running out-half so trying to play that game with him is always going to lead to problems. He doesn't seem to be a happy man.

Square pegs in round holes and all that

Not going blaming officials but really the whole link up between the ref and the TMO was embarrassing. He had good English in fairness to him but in his job there can be no room for misinterpretation and it certainly didn't help anyone. How the 2nd try which he ruled out could be given as a scrum 5 to Treviso is beyond me, either it was a try or a scrum to Connacht.

Just a by the way more than anything. Officials should be bottom of everyone's list in terms of blame for tonight.

tomsauce2000 wrote: I blame Lam for this. It's a shambles. Anyone who starts talking about the TMO or ref is delusional

100% agree. Regardless of whether it was a knock on or not (I think it may have been a slight one) that's the closest thing you'll get to an own try in rugby. You might do that with 5 minutes left when you are losing but we have got it back to 6, get your lines cleared and get reset again. The first half gave a warning in this area when Duffy played a hospital pass to Poolman on the wing after which he was shunted over the line when the ball should easily have been lamped clear of the danger zone.

Lowlights for me:
Parks going up the line at 6-0 with a kickable penalty and barely getting inside the 22.

Free kick in midfield in the first half, look around for a minute, tap the ball not knowing what we are doing with it and end up conceding a penalty as happened against Cardiff 3 weeks back.

A minute or so in the first half sums us up for me. Parks missing touch from a penalty ball goes forward, Treviso player picks it up (possibly should have been a penalty but anyway), dominant scrum, can't control the ball at the back, POD gets the ball out we throw the ball across the pitch with no real purpose, Duffy throws a hospital pass to Carr, we are turned over and Treviso get a scrum ahead of where the original scrum was in which they dominate us and win a penalty. There is a lesson in there, do the simple things right first of all no matter how boring it may be and work yourselves into the right position where you can play rugby.

We are far too loose at the breakdown. One ball left completely unprotected 2m from our own line, we got away with it but it was madness. Really it was only Treviso's incompetence that kept us in the game.

With Nathan White going off injured and Ronan Loughney also, Saracens looks like a car crash in waiting. Even a victory away to Zebre is looking more unlikely as the weeks go by.

tomsauce2000 wrote: I blame Lam for this. It's a shambles. Anyone who starts talking about the TMO or ref is delusional

Lam plus players

The likes of Parks and Duffy were appalling. Players of their experience shouldn't be playing like that

I blame Lam for this. It's a shambles. Anyone who starts talking about the TMO or ref is delusional

We don't have the skill set to play the Lam way unfortuntately. Does the coach not have a plan B? Gonna break that record losing streak at this rate.

Full marks for spit and vinegar but, I'm sorry, it just isn't enough at this level. The age old problems of being poor with turnovers and no clear line breaking ability has cost us and will cost us this season.

Wonder what Clarke must be thinking ?

Oh and congrats to Treviso - won with loads to spare and I hope their away performances start matching their home form.

I'm usually a glass-half full sort of guy but that was like watching Forrest Gump shift your little sister.

Let's have none of this "officials shafted us" crap. Sure the TMO gave a questionable try, but he ruled out a perfectly good one a couple minutes later. And what were we doing playing basketball on our own line for anyway?

What with the prop and Griffin injuries we could be in bug trouble next weekend, but looking at tonight's game what summed it up for me was that, after the Italian 8 was sent to the bin for obstruction, we conceded penalties for the same offence on our next two visits to their 22.

Jesus that was an appalling watch. You don't try and ping the ball around your own 5 metre line when the opposition has that sussed, and why we were not applying boot to ball towards the corners, when Muldowney and Clarke showed very well when they had a chance in the lineout is just baffling and so frustrating. Poolman should go to the wing, looked far too flappy at 13. Duffy looks like age is catching up to him. I have no idea why we cannot shape our tactics to the opposition in front of us, and the lack of common sense being applied was just mind boggling. Couple that with a lack of any attacking nous (Carr tried gallantly as did Marmion when he came on) and you have a big problem.

Anyway it was a shocker, treviso was by far the best team.. 18 all last year... such worrying for Saracens

We are a shambles

Fucking hell that was coming a mile away. But my god what in the name of god was the TMO looking at. Inconclusive my hole, it was a clear and obvious knock on. We have been absolutely awful and deserve nothing from this game but neither do Treviso. The referee and TMO have absolutely gifted them 13 points. First the penalty for POD yellow was a clear and obvious pen the other way. Textbook from POD. The Heenan getting up after not being held is penalised for it. Then this try. The officials incompetence in this game is absolutely incredible.

Oh and just as we say that......FFS! What in the name of God was that? :pinch:

I know - it's laudable in a way, but every single time? Madness, especially when Treviso are up so quick too.

Brilliant break from Carr there - pity there was no one in support

And is it me or does Eamonn Molloy sound like a gaelgoir version of Hank from King of the Hill?

This is what watching the match at home will do to you - I need a pint!

Ugh.

Rodney has actually done quite well considering, didn't collapse most of the time while the th illegally bound on the arm and moved to th without imploding. Things can only get worse in the scrum when trevisos subs come on though.

that should never have been a yellow for pod. Poolman isn't a centre. I'm not sure Murphy can hack the physicality. we need to stop running everything from our own tryline!!!!! ffs.