It's a team game so move over Rhys Priestland

Most people thing 10 is the most important position, sorry but you won't win a game with an on form 10 and 14 poor players. Teams CAN and HAVE won things with a poor/average 10. It is a team sport.

Wales won the slam and Rhys Priestland was the worst performer during the tournament in most peoples eyes. He is still good and has a huge international future, but there is other, possibly better talent waiting in the wings.

The difference between Biggar and Priestland is that Dan Biggar has achieved things with his club which is why it baffles me that he hasn't played that much for Wales. He has helped the Ospreys win the league TWICE in 2 years, both times in a play off final in Dublin against Leinster. The pressure that he has been under ha been immense and we must no forget he is still incredibly young.

Bigger is an awesome kicker too, but obviously that doesn't mean too much with Halfpenny being the Wales kicker but what does matter is when Halfpenny isn't selected or is injured. Rhys Priestland is not an international standard goal kicker and when Wales don't have Halfpenny they CAN and DO suffer.

I really hope Rob Howley thinks long and hard about who is in form and in the right frame of mind before picking his XV to face Australia.

Biggar will need a run of games to make the step up.

At the moment, I don't think we can afford that.

If he plays for Wales like he does for the O's, then he could well be the Welsh 10 in 2015.

He needs a helping hand to get into the starting 15 for a few weeks - either injury, desperation or a string of meaningless games.

Remind me what Priestland did to get into the Wales team?

I remember one good performance for the Scarlets v Perpignan. Biggar can't do enough!

Outsider look-in. Never could understand Biggar being overlooked. But then I'm not Gatland. He obviously sees what he wants to see in the players that he chooses and most of them have proven him right. I think Gatland in ways wanted to create a 5th Region in the Welsh International team - I mean players who might feel down the pecking order in League selections but who would then see International as their time to shine.

There is something in that actually but it needs fine balancing - continuously. Next year will be kinda the real crunch one if Ospreys continue to perform and continue to miss out on International selections - tensions rise in that environment.

It's only recently that Biggar has matured as a person, He did have a attitude problem but hopefully he has grown out of that and can now be relied upon to be a team player..

I agree with most of you're post. Rhys is way off being an international class, he's a good player but not in the class of many others out there.

Biggar - very good goal kicker, decent tactical kicker, not bad defensively and isn't a bad defender BUT he can't play heads up rugby. He often makes the wrong choice and doesn't really possess the attacking flair needed to unlock defences at international level. He gets an armchair ride at the Ospreys and he bosses the game. He won't get that for Wales.

Im not a fan of Rhys or Dan but they both hsve their qualitys and I wouldn't be to worried with them playing if we have our strongest 14 around then.
If Tovey pulles his finger out he is the most gifted 10 at the moment. He is all about heads up rugby.
Steffan jones is another who could contest in years to come.

BLOODY AUTO TEXT

Yeah I hate it, every time I type Fran's steyn it does this: Fran's

Just happy to see Biggar find some form. I would much rather see Priestland at ten though. Priestland is the more intelligent player.

Great to have good competition for the shirt though.

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Is it me or are there a few posts without text appearing on the site ?

It is invisble ink cymro, I think they used tippex

I'm sorry, that last one was just me deleting something I said... which was something that wasn't relevant when I worked out what the guys were talking about with the auto text comments.

Fly then don't use tippex, you clogging up my monitor.

Tippex?

Hmmm................. in The Super Euro Poverty Club we don't rightly know what that is??!!! We still use a hammer and chisel to erase our mis-spellings.

Well now, that'll really do some damage

RP hasnt been in the greatest form but his distribution from ten allows the backline to tick and he does provide a running threat, somthing the Australians know about, however his tactical kicking is so hit and miss and place kicking similar.

Biggar is grat kicking the ball from hand or from the tee, but his distribution is still poor, even today we had a couple of wayward passes. He is less of a threat with the ball in hand but better defensively than RP

Tovey can pass, kick and run but seems to be a bit frail physically. the move to the blues could be the making of him.

Morgan is too small for an intermnational ten, defensively hes a liability but his broken field running is superb and a good kicker of the ball.]

Steffan Jones looks to have the lot to me and has a physical edge, personally I prefer him to Robling down at the Dragons.

Shigler is in the doghouse but a couple of years in exile and he could be back in contention.

Hook is Mr Versatility and its going to take somthing very special for him to get the ten shirt back.

At the moment RP is our first choice with all these guys nipping at his heels. At the moment it could be anyone of them, escept MM.

Biggar's last cap was against Fiji in 2010, I think. In that game, he nearly lost us the game. He was too busy mouthing off at his own players than looking at his own game and concentrating on Fiji. (i know it wasnt just him, a few of our 15 were poor in that game but in my eyes he had the most detrimental effect.)

He has had to mature. This season he has played fantastically at the Os and I would have no qualms with him starting against the BaaBaas (although i think Howley has said none of the Os will be playing to allow them to rest) or maybe 2nd or 3rd test against Oz

3rdGrandslamCame wrote:The difference between Biggar and Priestland is that Dan Biggar has achieved things with his club which is why it baffles me that he hasn't played that much for Wales.

Hmm, perhaps it's because the Welsh management look at the player rather than the club and are wise enough to realise that it's possible for a better player in any one position to be playing for a less successful club. Would you drop Dan Lydiate because the Dragons lose more games than they win?

I have to say the initial post makes me laugh. Priestland has won a grand slam and come 4th in a world chip. What had biggar done in a Wales shirt?

Admittedly he has come on but I still think Rhys suits our style of play better than biggar. Even when his game isn't on the greatest form he allows the rest if the team to play well. You say he was out worst player in the six nations but we still won a grand slam. Would we have won it with biggar playing poorly?

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:

3rdGrandslamCame wrote:The difference between Biggar and Priestland is that Dan Biggar has achieved things with his club which is why it baffles me that he hasn't played that much for Wales.

Hmm, perhaps it's because the Welsh management look at the player rather than the club and are wise enough to realise that it's possible for a better player in any one position to be playing for a less successful club. Would you drop Dan Lydiate because the Dragons lose more games than they win?

No, no you wouldn't. But the pressure will build on you to do so from players outside the inner circle if they are doing the business at the regional business (Pro12 + HC) That's when the pressure grows and you can't stop it or talk it away. Players who do well in regional sides will be getting huffy about no International rewards. And that's when the management of national and regional will become a much more complicated and dicey affair. Just look over at us (Ireland) for evidence on that one. One exceeds the other and yet the other keeps getting picked....

Depends what you mean by 'one exceeds the other', Fly. It's not enough for that player to play well in a more successful side; he also has to play better than his rival in a less successful side.

Dan Biggar's been playing well and he's got a Wales call-up as a result. The system seems to be working fairly well.

SecretFly wrote:

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:

3rdGrandslamCame wrote:The difference between Biggar and Priestland is that Dan Biggar has achieved things with his club which is why it baffles me that he hasn't played that much for Wales.

Hmm, perhaps it's because the Welsh management look at the player rather than the club and are wise enough to realise that it's possible for a better player in any one position to be playing for a less successful club. Would you drop Dan Lydiate because the Dragons lose more games than they win?

No, no you wouldn't. But the pressure will build on you to do so from players outside the inner circle if they are doing the business at the regional business (Pro12 + HC) That's when the pressure grows and you can't stop it or talk it away. Players who do well in regional sides will be getting huffy about no International rewards. And that's when the management of national and regional will become a much more complicated and dicey affair. Just look over at us (Ireland) for evidence on that one. One exceeds the other and yet the other keeps getting picked....

The ospreys are the best welsh side but they dont contribute to the bulk of the welsh side anymore. In fact against Australia only Adam Jones is likely to be in the starting lineup. However I dont think that the Os despite their success have better options that the welsh team. As for DB he has had an armchair ride from the forwards in the run in and has benefitted from that. When he has been put under pressure this season he has crumbled. Even yesterday we had a couple of wayward passes. So he deserves his call up but I dont think hes going to displace RP for the Aus game or Hook for the Babas game.

3rdGrandslamCame wrote:Most people thing 10 is the most important position, sorry but you won't win a game with an on form 10 and 14 poor players. Teams CAN and HAVE won things with a poor/average 10. It is a team sport.

Wales won the slam and Rhys Priestland was the worst performer during the tournament in most peoples eyes. He is still good and has a huge international future, but there is other, possibly better talent waiting in the wings.

The difference between Biggar and Priestland is that Dan Biggar has achieved things with his club which is why it baffles me that he hasn't played that much for Wales. He has helped the Ospreys win the league TWICE in 2 years, both times in a play off final in Dublin against Leinster. The pressure that he has been under ha been immense and we must no forget he is still incredibly young.

Bigger is an awesome kicker too, but obviously that doesn't mean too much with Halfpenny being the Wales kicker but what does matter is when Halfpenny isn't selected or is injured. Rhys Priestland is not an international standard goal kicker and when Wales don't have Halfpenny they CAN and DO suffer.

I really hope Rob Howley thinks long and hard about who is in form and in the right frame of mind before picking his XV to face Australia.

Worst performer in your eyes you mean.
Biggar wasn't picked at the WC cup selection stage because Priestland was playing better, and he proved Gatlands selection by having an awesome debut match v England at Twickers..... only what 5 mins when he was told he was playing, so taking that into account and viewing how he galvanised the whole Welsh team in a great TEAM performance bringing the forwards into play and then releasing the backs to me proved what the Welsh coaching team saw in his potential. He carried that on into the WC, his form did dip in the 6Ns but he often was instrumental in the welsh offensive play.

If you look at the stats from a deadball kicking viewpoint.......you will find that Rhys has a comparable record with the recent 10s, and that includes Stephen Jones, Hook or Biggar.

What you should be asking is
why Biggar wasn't selected as the backup to Priestland coming into the WC2011 or the 6Ns 2012?,

If you can only remember Priestlands one match then you should maybe watch a few more games, I have seen loads of Biggar MOM matches and also seen a few of Rhys great matches...........I am sure if you try hard you will remember a few of them

Heres one to start you off
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NragDTd9SYM