Scott Baldwin leaving the Ospreys? =(

Interesting rumour I hard today is that Scott Baldwin wants to quit the Ospreys.

He is regarded as the most promising young hooker in Wales at the moment, he has been annoyed at his lack of first team rugby earlier in the season when Bennett was at the World Cup, with Hibbard injured, and the Ospreys decided to give 39 year old coach and former Welsh international Mefin Davies a run in the team instead. Baldwins contract expires at the end of the season.

He was offered a new contract but wants better terms, and more first team rugby. He would be a cracking signing for any other Welsh region. That would probably be one of the biggest blows out of all the players leaving this season.

I suspect the Dragons will take him

Not sure how he can make demands for better terms when he is only an academy player with no real regional experience. Seems a bit premature doesn't it?

Impossible Standards wrote:I suspect the Dragons will take him

Not sure how he can make demands for better terms when he is only an academy player with no real regional experience. Seems a bit premature doesn't it?

I can only think that he doesn't want to be on accademy wages when he is old enough to be earning proper money.

Well to be fair he has done well when he has been given a chance, it's just a pity that the Ospreys have just decided to let him rot, he is 23 now I think so he really needs to play if he is going to develop. He can't really afford to wait much longer. You'd think with Bennett now 39, and Bennett leaving they would give him more of a chance to stake a claim.

I think he would be a good signing for the blues now that Thomas is off.

Just thinking about it he is 24 so surely he must be thinking that if he doesn't get any game time now he may as well hang up his boots. That said Mef must be due to retire, Bennett is off to pastures new, and Hibbard may well get more call ups internationally if Bennett is abroad. So leaving the Ospreys may well be a silly decision. After all they don't have millions of hookers there.

Alyn - great minds think alike eh.

He wants to be careful, he's not cutting off his nose to spite his face. As already mentioned, between players leaving and possibly retiring he could get oodles of game time next season. I don't understand why he's so impatient. Is that what rugby players are taught these days? You have to have this by the time your whatever age?

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Just thinking about it he is 24 so surely he must be thinking that if he doesn't get any game time now he may as well hang up his boots. That said Mef must be due to retire, Bennett is off to pastures new, and Hibbard may well get more call ups internationally if Bennett is abroad. So leaving the Ospreys may well be a silly decision. After all they don't have millions of hookers there.

Which is why I can't understand why they want him on another academy contract, surely he would be given a proper chance as back up next season, or even first choice when Hibbard is away with Wales. The rumors of financial problems at the Ospreys, that are in fact much, much worse than is being reported might be coming into play here. But losing Baldwin in my opinion would be a massive blow. He's the kind of guy that is the future of the region.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Alyn - great minds think alike eh.

I was just thinking that!

Didn't realise he was 24. Thought he was 19 or so.

Impossible Standards wrote:Didn't realise he was 24. Thought he was 19 or so.

http://www.ospreysrugby.com/rugby/fixtures/squad_seniors.php?player=85291&includeref=dynamic

12th July 1988, for some reason I can't work it out if he is 23 and 24 in July, or 24 now and 25 in July, my brain is struggling with the maths today for some reason.

Alyn - I can only compare it to things I know well. When I started my job I was a 17 year old apprentice, and I was happy to be on less than the going rate. However by the time I finished serving my apprenticeship on of the first things I did was ask when I was going to get paid the going rate. And to be honest that is pretty much what Baldwin is doing. He is not a kiddy anymore, he is a grown man, and I guess he wants to be getting paid, and utilised as a fully grown man. I appreciate that the Ospreys have money problems (well the whole of the UK has money problems really), but I guess that he has to look after his own interests and not those of a side that have not really done much to push him forward (considering he is in the same age bracket as Ken Owens).

Cari wrote:He wants to be careful, he's not cutting off his nose to spite his face. As already mentioned, between players leaving and possibly retiring he could get oodles of game time next season. I don't understand why he's so impatient. Is that what rugby players are taught these days? You have to have this by the time your whatever age?

I'm guessing that the plan was for Baldwin to start the season as first choice while Hibbard and Bennett were away on World cup duty with Wales, but decided to give Mefin a chance instead.

I think the Ospreys did this is because they realised they would have Duncan Jones, Mefin Davies, Cai Griffiths, Ian Gough and Ian Evans as their front 5, going up against teams who had been decimated by World Cup call ups, this would enable them to get a good start to the season. Which of course did happen with them winning their first 5 games, which gave them a great start.