Ospreys v Dragons Thread

[mrzimmerman]

First topic message reminder :

A tad early i know but looking forward to this so thought i'd start a thread to see if i'm not alone. Ospreys start as favourites for the second east - west Welsh derby in the space of 7 days BUT i believe the Dragons will prove to be a much sterner test for the title chasing Swansea based region. Historically the Dragons have a good record against the Ospreys and i think it would mean as much to the Dragons if they win on Friday as it did for Ospreys when they won away to Leinster a couple of weeks back. The Ospreys will look to continue their strength in the strum and up front in general. Hopefully Mr Owens will police the scrum area a lot better than Clancy did last week.

I, for one, am looking forward to a good game and hoping for a home win. Saying that i don't have the confidence i did last week. The Dragons will pour men into the breakdown to slow the Ospreys and frustrate them. If they succeed and get enough posession to their dangerous backs then we could have a real game on our hands.

It looks like the biggest rugby attendance of the season so far at the Liberty which is great news. That could finally mean the Ospreys fans can do to the Dragons as the Dragons fans have so brilliantly done to the Ospreys players and that is to make it a real hostile environement where every mistake is magnified and every postive attacking home play is welcomed with deafening noise.

It's clear who i support and i'm sorry for the clear bias in my post. Please please can Dragons fans place their perspective on the thread. If a dragons fan wants to post a lenthy message on the thread i'll post it here in the openning post. The teams will be posted here when they become available.

Further info found on match preview on pro12 website;

http://www.rabodirectpro12.com/matchcentre/13817.php

The teams

Ospreys Dragons

15 Ross Jones 15 Hallam Amos
14 Hanno Dirksen 14 Tonderai Chavhanga
13 Tom Isaacs 13 Adam Hughes
12 Andrew Bishop 12 Ashley Smith
11 Shane Williams 11 Aled Brew
10 Dan Biggar 10 Lewis Robling
9 Rhys Webb 9 Wayne Evans
1 Ryan Bevington 1 Nathan Williams
2 Richard Hibbard 2 Steve Jones
3 Adam Jones 3 Nathan Buck
4 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt) 4 Luke Charteris (c)
5 Ian Evans 5 Jevon Groves
6 Ryan Jones 6 Danny Lydiate
7 Justin Tipuric 7 Lewis Evans
8 Joe Bearman 8 Toby Faletau

Replacements:

16 Scott Baldwin 16 Sam Parry
17 Paul James 17 Phil Price
18 Joe Rees 18 Dan Way
19 James King 19 Rob Sidoli
20 Tom Smith 20 Tom Brown
21 Kahn Fotuali'I 21 Joe Bedford
22 Matthew Morgan 22 Martyn Thomas
23 Ashley Beck 23 Pat Leach

[Cari]

Awh bless he's converted it!!!

31 - 12. FT

WOOOOOOOPDEEEEDOOOOOOOOO!

Diolch Shane. You've been a leg-end!

[Cardiff Dave]

Shane's blood is black. Never doubted it.
Good finish.

[idris]

I used to watch him week in week out for Neath and he took all the kicks for a season or two. He is amazing.

[glamorganalun]

Well done Dragons put up a good performance just a shame they could not compete at scrum time as most predicted.

[eirebilly]

I honestly cant think of anyone that would begrudge Shane that.

Simply a fantastic player.

[mckay1402]

I think the Ospreys would have played all week until Shane got his try

[idris]

Apparently Shane has 2% George North DNA. This may explain why he's so good.

[Guest]

Now our support is told to sit down so somebody two rows back can see. Yet the Ospreys were on our line, so why aren't the Ospreys "supporters" stood up anyway. Absolutely pathetic ground and support.

To be fair Risca, maybe people at the front don't like to stand up (unless a try is being scored) because they know the people behind can't see, or because the stewards tell them to remain seated? I doubt it's lack of support from them.

Dragons told off again at the scrum. Another binning for a Dragons prop.

Maybe you need to read that again. An Ospreys " supporter" two rows behind some of our support moans when we are stood up and they are in our line. Surely any rugby "supporter" worth his salt would be stood up shouting for his own team.

Absolute shambles of a ground for vocal supporters for all I mentioned. One of ours got kicked out for the sponsorship covering thing, yet your lot are allowed to bait us from behind. I now see why you don't attend here at least. Absolute joke of a bunch of support. Hope you're proud and the rest of your lot.

[glamorganalun]

Good result for the Scarlets Ulster lost

[idris]

It was built for Swansea City. I bet it's pretty vocal and a good atmosphere when it's actually FULL.

[Knowsit17]

Felt they must have let him through at first, no room for Shane all night and then a monster gap opens up with no fullback defending. Or maybe it was just the Dragons giving up with the result beyond doubt...

I'd rather not know. Great run Shane, it's been an honour being of your time

[idris]

Williams still has it.

He might come out of retirement in 3 years time for the next grand slam.

[Guest]

It was built for Swansea City. I bet it's pretty vocal and a good atmosphere when it's actually FULL.

I bet it is. I bet the Swans are better supporters too and back their team to the hilt. I hope any Ospreys supporter who were in the ground is embarrassed. Easy to try commenting when you aren't there. Worst away ground ever. I've seen Dragons lose worse than that and walked away from a stadium happier.

Good on Shane though. You couldn't write that script again.

[Morgannwg]

i for one appreciate your honesty on the ground and support Risca.

The game was always a foregone conclusion, both teams played some good rugby at times. Why haven't the Ospreys utilised their forwards this way for the past 3 seasons? No arguements with the result, Dragons have no chance so I'd be supporting the Ospreys anyway, that was a vital 5 points for them. I enjoyed the dramatic finish too.

[munkian]

You could gear the Dragon's supporters singing, fair play clarts

[Guest]

You could gear the Dragon's supporters singing, fair play clarts

So proud of our support tonight. 50 or so v 14500 or something. Like I have said before, it's easy to support your region from your sofa or sat in the stadium doing chuff all. Only 2 Regions have support worth mentioning. The "poor relations of Welsh rugby" and the Scarlets.

[munkian]

In my defense I live in Bristol, I try to come over when I can but only so many early Friday finishes I can make. Got tickets for Leinster game though, should be a packed Dave parade

[sheephead]

Risca rev are you throwing your toys out of the pram because you lost or because you're too short and need to stand up constantly to see? On a serious note I think the ospreys need to play more games at venues with terraces to put together some songs.

[Guest]

I don't criticise those with a genuine reason. I tend to get more annoyed with those who could attend, but don't or those who sit in a stadium and don't back their team. The latter especially.

People mention crowd numbers etc, but I'd rather have passionately backed regions than what I've seen tonight. That support doesn't deserve anything, particularly as they're probably our strongest region.

Sheephead, no I'm not short and it wasn't me complaining either. Switch on. Plus I brought it up before the final result. Next.

[sheephead]

Your not complaining? Yet in your previous posts what are you doing whilst mentioning stewards asking you to sit down and lack of atmosphere or people baiting you? I think you may need to keep up my friend. Is support judged on how vocal they are or numbers? If its the first that is the reason you say the dragons are the "poor relations" .... Im not picking a fight but maybe the atmosphere is better at the scarlets and dragons because they are still club side??

[maestegmafia]

Great fun really enjoyed that. Well played Dragons, thanks to the fans who came too.

And a fitting farewell shane, one of the greatest players of his generation...!

[Valleyboy]

Risca Rev, the Liberty is primarilly a football stadium and I agree the atmosphere wasn't great last night but the attendance was largely made up of children and casual fans coming to say farewell to Shane. It was great to see so many turn up and show interest, why any need to be embarrased (your word), I don't understand.
The Dragons fans a few blocks in front of us were like a bunch of football fans, hardly watching the game, more concerned with watching and baiting those around them, one even had a megaphone and spent most of the game chanting at the Ospreys fans behind.
Have to say this was a different bunch from the good natured Dragons fans we encountered at Rodney Parade earlier in the season, where we took our loss in good spirit.

[Seagultaf]

As a neutral I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Dragons. The scrums were a total mess, the Ospreys front row got away with not binding, twisting, boring in etc every scrum, but Nigel only penalised the Dragons.

The IRB must act on the mess that the scrums have become, it completely spoilt last nights game as a spectacle.

Two final points:

Nigel should not really be refereeing Ospreys games, he is too close to the players and always has a poor match.

And….What a finish from Shane………….A bit stage managed but you can’t decry him that…………..an entertainer to the end!

[Guest]

Enjoyed that game it got pretty physical at times, also so glad shane got a try at the end.
Well done shane welsh rugby will miss you.
May I also bring up the subject of how much better the ospreys look under the direction of tandy, almost looking like the side they used to be at their peak under lyn jones.
Also please tell me that they haven't give khan another season,the guy is a poor scrum half with a wild pass

[munkian]

Risca Rev, the Liberty is primarilly a football stadium and I agree the atmosphere wasn't great last night but the attendance was largely made up of children and casual fans coming to say farewell to Shane. It was great to see so many turn up and show interest, why any need to be embarrased (your word), I don't understand.
The Dragons fans a few blocks in front of us were like a bunch of football fans, hardly watching the game, more concerned with watching and baiting those around them, one even had a megaphone and spent most of the game chanting at the Ospreys fans behind.
Have to say this was a different bunch from the good natured Dragons fans we encountered at Rodney Parade earlier in the season, where we took our loss in good spirit.

Why wasn't the attendance made up of 'actual' Ospreys fans though ?

[Valleyboy]

It was the nature of the game. I'm sure many went along who were Rugby fans but not necessarily Ospreys fans, I've even seen some non-Ospreys fans on this board saying they may be going along. It was one of the last chances to see a great of Welsh Rugby. Why anyone wants to spoil the party by having a go at the people who made the effort to get there I don't know.

[Breadvan]

Good game last night. O's should've been 20 odd up at HT if the players that cut thru the defence had passed! Absolute beut of a tackle on Dirks by Brew when he was nearly in at the corner. Dirksen is going to be a quality player for us.
On the fans issue. Fair play to the dozen or so Dragons fans over the West-North corner. Sang all game. What were they singing to Biggar? 'You've only got one_____' You've only got one song more like! Some of the stewards at the Lib are jobsworths tho. There's a disbled lad behind us who gets told to take his banner down as it covers a sponsor. It is pathetic sometimes. A bit rich to complain about the home support because you can't stand up and abuse players.

[munkian]

They were singing ' you've only got one arm' to the ref

And in their defense I'm not surprised they were only singing that the way Nigel ' I was born under a Swansea star' Owens was reffing the game

[glamorganalun]

It was the nature of the game. I'm sure many went along who were Rugby fans but not necessarily Ospreys fans, I've even seen some non-Ospreys fans on this board saying they may be going along. It was one of the last chances to see a great of Welsh Rugby. Why anyone wants to spoil the party by having a go at the people who made the effort to get there I don't know.

It is called "Jealously" with the players, the ambition and the facilities including clean toilets.

[Morgannwg]

Surely, it can't be jealousy. I and many others are happy to get behind the Ospreys when they aren't playing our own team, and who would be jealous of watching live games at the Library? Give me RP any day.

[Morgannwg]

Your not complaining? Yet in your previous posts what are you doing whilst mentioning stewards asking you to sit down and lack of atmosphere or people baiting you? I think you may need to keep up my friend. Is support judged on how vocal they are or numbers? If its the first that is the reason you say the dragons are the "poor relations" .... Im not picking a fight but maybe the atmosphere is better at the scarlets and dragons because they are still club side??

Surely complaining about how these stewards managed the crowd and not the rugby is fine? I mean, shouldn't live games be handled with more professionalism.

And no, the Scarlets and Dragons aren't clubs. I suppose you are a believer of the 'one true region' and decided to jump on the bandwagon? Shouldn't a region get far better support than clubs?

[munkian]

If a 'region' needs the retirement of one of it most unique and talented players to just over half fill its stadium on a Friday night derby I'd rather be a 'club' as you say

[Cari]

I'm wondering if some of the stewards can't tell the difference between football and rugby fans...?

[Guest]

Never had a problem in the numerous occasions I have been to the lib but on the last two occasion I have been to the rodney both this season may I add we have had trouble, dragons v scarlets massive man sausage up with the seats and the stewards were as useful as a man sausage flavored lollipop when we asked for help,my father inlaw had sit six rows down from me in the end.
Then in the Edinburgh game a man sausage up again with our seats but luckily it was a bit quieter so we found some seats else where on our own, then leaving the stadium some idiot dragon fan was vandalizing cars and kick a mirror off a rather tidy BMW.

Yes the lib is a bit soulless but at least it feels professionally run.

[Shifty]

Felt they must have let him through at first, no room for Shane all night and then a monster gap opens up with no fullback defending. Or maybe it was just the Dragons giving up with the result beyond doubt...

I'd rather not know. Great run Shane, it's been an honour being of your time

I was wondering if anyone would pick this up...

Toby Faletau was marking Shane, Toby had a look over his left shoulder and saw a bit of a gap, and then drifted past Shane, towards Shane's right shoulder, which opened up a massive gap. Shane just hit the space that Toby opened up for him. I also noticed the Dragons boys in no great hurry to cover the space. We were all glad Shane scored but most of the people in the stands realised Toby let him score as nothing could be salavaged from the game for the Dragons.
They pretty much let Shane score that try in all honesty.

It's not nice to read problems from Ospreys or Dragons fans with regards to the stadium, I have had problems as I attend games at both grounds. I bought a Dragons ticket for their Russia game and it was printed Leeds on the ticket.

I have also been sold tickets in the Hazel ground that don't exist, where the seats should be the area is actually a wooden table. It's section B, Row J seat 40 ish from what I remember off memory. While some of the people in the Liberty stadium ticket office lack any kind of common sense or Initiative.

Nigel should not really be refereeing Ospreys games, he is too close to the players and always has a poor match.

Nigel is a Turk, he hates the Ospreys. We rarely ever get him anyway. We have Irish refs 90% of the time, normally Deadly Dudley, or Wally Wilkinson!

[Guest]

Alyn, mark Jones said on the red zone that faletau did nothing wrong, the defensive error was from the dragons fb who did not stay to cover the space left by Toby who was tracking across

[sheephead]

Morgannwg and munkian u both say a region should have more support than a club? Im pretty sure the ospreys do have more support than the dragons. Im not a believer of the "one true region" but do believe they do more with their region than the dragons. Dragons fans keep shouting that the parade has a better atmosphere and I agree but that's easy when they haven't needed to draw in much new support because the Newport faithful will be there.

[Guest]

Morgannwg and munkian u both say a region should have more support than a club? Im pretty sure the ospreys do have more support than the dragons. Im not a believer of the "one true region" but do believe they do more with their region than the dragons. Dragons fans keep shouting that the parade has a better atmosphere and I agree but that's easy when they haven't needed to draw in much new support because the Newport faithful will be there.

Not all of the Newport faithful though, let me tell you. There's thousands that didn't buy into the regional concept. I know of a good 10 or so people on my own circle of friends who refused to support the Dragons. They carried on supporting Newport RFC in the welsh prem, and that's fine. Each to their own. However, it would be incorrect to say that crowd is just made up of the old faithful Newport RFC fans. Actually, I now attend the dragons with some old Newport fans plus people from Pontypool, Cwmbran, Pontllanfraith and Usk that never supported Newport. The dynamic of the Dragons crowd is much more than just Newport.

[Stone Motif]

Morgannwg and munkian u both say a region should have more support than a club? Im pretty sure the ospreys do have more support than the dragons. Im not a believer of the "one true region" but do believe they do more with their region than the dragons. Dragons fans keep shouting that the parade has a better atmosphere and I agree but that's easy when they haven't needed to draw in much new support because the Newport faithful will be there.

Myths like this really keep the regions down. As Griff said the Newport RFC hardcore are amongst the most scathing opponents of all things Dragons. Most of the Dave Paraders are those that have managed to strike a happy medium between being a Superclubber or electing to be one of the disenfranchised.

Can I ask which valley you are from, Sheephead?

[Guest]

Felt they must have let him through at first, no room for Shane all night and then a monster gap opens up with no fullback defending. Or maybe it was just the Dragons giving up with the result beyond doubt...

I'd rather not know. Great run Shane, it's been an honour being of your time

In his immediate post-match interview, Shane seemed to hint he might have been given a slightly easy run through. But what the heck - he deserves the accolades from Welsh fans - 58 tries for Wales.

[Shifty]

Alyn, mark Jones said on the red zone that faletau did nothing wrong, the defensive error was from the dragons fb who did not stay to cover the space left by Toby who was tracking across

Dreamer I sit 6 rows in, and was perfectly aligned to see what happened. Toby looked over his left shoulder then drifted over which opened up the gap. None of the Dragons players around the ruck were interested in closing the space down. They let shane score.

No offence but they are not going to say in public they let shane score because it got the Ospreys a bonus point and gaps are tight for those play off spaces, that try could mean the Ospreys get a home draw instead of Munster in the play offs.

[sheephead]

Stone; I'm from the Rhondda. Why do you ask? There doesn't seem to be much interest from ebbw and caerphilly mind, or is the same scenario with few being tempted?

[Stone Motif]

Wondered why you thought the Dragons are less regional than the O's.

Caerphilly town and the Rhymney Valley aren't really in Gwent, they're should be in the Blues region.

[sheephead]

The cheesemen are under the dragons region though aren't they?

[Stone Motif]

Yeah, but that just shows the daft way the regional boundaries work. 'Gwent' of old only included the eastern half of Caerphilly (Iswlyn).

You will see a fair few Dragons shirts in Risca, for example. Caerphilly is nearer Cardiff.

[Cari]

Caerphilly town and the Rhymney Valley aren't really in Gwent, they're should be in the Blues region.

Stone - Caerphilly does come under the Blaenau Gwent area in terms of local councils though. However, I'm not sure how that translates into rugby regions.

[sheephead]

I know I'm opening a can of worms on what's is my 4th post....but it sounds like the same daft boundaries that put the rhondda valleys with the blues =(

[Shifty]

I know I'm opening a can of worms on what's is my 4th post....but it sounds like the same daft boundaries that put the rhondda valleys with the blues =(

they didn't the boundaries set the Rhonndda and Caerphilly in the Celtic Warriors with Bridgend (Mid Glamorgan)

Basically you had

Scarlets - Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion + North Wales
Ospreys - West Glamorgan
Celtic Warriors - Mid Glamorgan + Powys + Caerphilly borough
Blues - South glamorgan + Vale of Glamorgan
Dragons = Gwent and Monmouthshire

When the Warriors closed, Caerphilly went to the Dragons, the ceremonial county of Caerphilly is actually Gwent so Caerphilly is in the right region. If you mention Newbridge to any Welsh fan they will think it's a Gwent club, Newbridge is in Caerphilly Borough.

The Rhonndda went to the Blues.

Bridgend went to the Ospreys.

[sheephead]

Alyn- it still makes baby Jesus cry :'(

[Shifty]

Alyn- it still makes baby Jesus cry :'(

Ok I will make it simple, Caerphilly is the largest town in Caerphilly Borough, it has the largest population but the town itself is right on the border next to Cardiff.
But in rugby terms the strongest teams are the ones like Bedwas, Cross Keys, and Newbridge and they are closer to the Gwent border.

Where's Maesteg Mafia when I need something explained well....

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