Newport-Gwent Dragons v Benetton Rugby Treviso

First topic message reminder :

Anyone actually watching this game as I couldnt see a thread for it?

Crowd looks average not that good not that bad

Poor by the Dragons losing at home to an Italian team.

You'd have to start wondering if Edwards is really worth keeping on as a coach, at the start of the season the Dragons were a hard team to beat at home but now they look a very very soft side.

People think the Ospreys and Blues have problems but neither side has anything like the problems the Dragons do.

Yep, great coaching and tons of money to build a squad on show at the Library and the City of Cardiff Stadium next season, I'm sure...

You're right though, that which the Dragons thrived on, that team spirit that our more financially benefactored brethren envied in seasons gone by, has been extinguished. Now we are a team of individuals. WTF the game plan is I do not know, we just line up flat and fling the ball around. Edwards is out of his depth.

Alyn, the Blues and Ospreys problems are financial while the Dragons do not have fiancial problems. The Blues and Ospreys have spent the money on better players, hence they've been consistently better than the Dragons in the last 8 years. The Dragons have spent within their means and therefore have not had the players, or the subsequent success that the blues and O's have had. There's a pattern there!

What has happened though, IMO, is that the national structure has been very god and has developed a large number of regional players beyond the means of the regions, I.e. Warren Gatland and his crew have done such a good job that the Wales players' stock has risen beyond what the regions can afford, at a time unfortunately when the money is decreasing in the regional game. Hence the players are leaving. However, this has always been the case for the Dragons, but not being able to afford to keep players is a relatively new concept for the blues and O's.

So, the Dragons problems are not new. There's just more regions in the same boat now. Expect the blues and O's to sink to the dragons level in the next few seasons!

Griff wrote:Expect the blues and O's to sink to the dragons level in the next few seasons!

I don't see that happening Griff sorry. The Blues and Ospreys have a massive talent pool within their academies. The Dragons have produced very few quality young players, and even many of your better players have been late developers or journey men like Brew who were unable to settle at any other region.

But they won't be challenging for the Pro 12 or HC with kids. That's my point. It's great for welsh rugby that they'll get the chance, but with the Irish teams ever improving and Scottish teams strengthening rather than losing too many players, I don't think the Blues and O's will compete in the pro12 and HC as well as in the past. Therefore, by my logic, they'll be further down towards the Dragons part of the table (pro12). Or do you think that the academy players will be able to trounce the likes of Leinster, Munster, et al.?

Griff wrote:But they won't be challenging for the Pro 12 or HC with kids.

Have you seen the Ospreys team this season?

15
14 Hanno Dirksen / Age 20 / 20 games
13
12 Ashley Beck / Age 21 / 20 games
11 Eli Walker / Age 19 / 13 games
10 Dan Biggar / Age 22 / 23 games
9 Rhys Webb / Age 23 / 23 games
8
7 Justin Tipuric / Age 22 / 18 games
6
5
4 James King / Age 21 / 20 games
3 Jo Rees / Age 21 / 13 games
2
1

What about half a team of kids?

And this year was their worst Heineken cup campaign for a good few years. The blues got though but got thumped. With good players leaving them and no big stars replacing, how will they compete.

If you think everything is rosy with the regions and that they'll be as competitive next season as the youngsters are really good (U20 results anyone?!) then that's great, and I admire your optimism, but I don't see any reasons to be jolly. Maybe as I've been a season ticket holder for 8 years at the Dragons, and have seen what less and less money does to a side, I.e. a downward spiral, then i feel well placed to be pessimistic when I see it happening in other regions!

AlynDavies wrote:

Griff wrote:Expect the blues and O's to sink to the dragons level in the next few seasons!

I don't see that happening Griff sorry. The Blues and Ospreys have a massive talent pool within their academies. The Dragons have produced very few quality young players, and even many of your better players have been late developers or journey men like Brew who were unable to settle at any other region.

Dragons have only really had an academy for about three seasons though, and now its up and running look how many we've got in the under 18s...

As for the Blues the way the've brought through players with TWO academies is the real scandal. There's no point having this 'massive talent pool' if you're going to punt on SH journeymen all the time.