Tipuric or Warburton

For all you Ospreys fans clambering for tipuric to get his chance ahead of
Sam how did you think he did. Personally I thought he was pretty anonymous. He deserved his chance and more in the future but I think now we see the difference between playing with an ospreys front five going forward all the time and scrummaging with Adam at prop and what Sam is going through with the blues pack constantly in reverse.

Lions seems a long way away for both at the moment to be honest.

One good turn over...

He did pretty well I thought. I am pretty sure he topped the tackle count, or was up there at least. Plus he made some great steals and was a general nuisance.

I still think Wales should experiment more with Warburton at 6 and Tipuric at 7.

You won't get any responses from those championing the changes, those who claimed the team was tonight correct.

I thought the team was correct for tonights match. I was more than happy with it.

I'd stick with Tipuric though, Warburton is dire at the moment and doesn't deserve to be in the squad.

Happy with the performance too? Selection was incorrect two games in a row, dropping the captain showed!!!

Bluesman, people on here earlier in the week were saying they thought the team named for tonights game was a better selection and that Howley had picked "the form players". I don't follow Welsh club rugby closely so I have no idea if this is true. But if the conventional selection did poorly and the "form" players similarly, who do you feel is missing from the starting line up? (bar injuried players). Who should Wales choose next week? What are the key changes and how will they structure the game plan around them?

AWOP

Firstly the majority of the team who started tonight shouldve started last week, Warburton and Roberts were nowhere near int level last week and needed more club gametime!!!

The selection last week were of a lot of senior players who weren't playing for their clubs Jenkins, Rees, Warburton, Knoyle, Roberts, for one reason or another. 5 players in key positions who weren't ready for int rugby, then the captain was dropped in an attempt to apeese the media and crowd, as well as Rees dropped from squad, and a number of others drafted in last minute.

8 changes were alwys going to be 8 more players who would take a while to get into the game, Jones captain lacking was off the pace because he wasn't fit, and Tipuric had to replace his captain against a very destructive breakdown team.

I hate to say it but everything I predicted came true, so simple to read.

So what are your suggestions for next week? and how should Wales approach the game? Specifics here, I'm not looking for waffle about being committed and taking it to the opposition and giving 100% and leaving it all out there or any of that other Jiffyesque waffle.

thebluesmancometh wrote:You won't get any responses from those championing the changes, those who claimed the team was tonight correct.

bluesman, Warburton isn't even the best 7 at the Blues at the minute. The team tonight was the correct one.
Tipuric did the best he could in a dire performance by the rest of the pack.
Definitely did enough to start next week.

Also, are you genuinely slating Ryan Jones? Wales' best player for the last 12 months? He wasn't great tonight in terms of giving a few penalties away, but at least you knew he was on the field, unlike Warburton at present.

- he missed 2 tackles early on
- he made 1 good turnover and was decent at slowing down Samoa

Hard to judge with the inept tactics from 10 but he's yet to perform at warburtons level. He's great in attack and in sure he will have some very good days in a welsh shirt.

I think faletau was top tackler and didn't miss any, massive effort as always and IMHO he was very destructive at ruck time.

stevetynant you just put tipuric in your lions 15 on another thread.....

It doesn't matter what we think Howley has all but admitted that Warburton will start next week and I bet he is even quietly glad that Tipuric didn't have a stormer, it makes dropping him easier

Ground

I agree Navid is playing far better, but my comments on this selection were based after last week, you don't drop your captain after game 1, especially as he'll have something to prove and is gaining fitness.

Tipuric shouldve started last week but he never, Jones wasn't fit enough last week and wasn't tonight. And for your argument of knowing Jones was on the pitch, the only time he was obvious was while giving away penalties, and he was captain!!

This game was never going to help Tipuric, Samoa are reckless at the breakdown and commit numbers, a fetcher was never going to shine tonight and therefore thats why I wouldve made Warburton play.

Youngguns

Falatau was again lightweight, and very ineffective at the breakdown, like all welsh forwards.

Infact I'd go as far to say that the best forward on the park in a wales shirt was bradley davies, solid at the breakdown, and carried from the base very effectively.

Good points bluesman, Jones was a little off the pace, and Tipuric was probably nullified by the Samoan surges at the breakdown. I'd still like to see them start together.

"Falatau was again lightweight, and very ineffective at the breakdown, like all welsh forwards."

Il wait to see the official stats but the amount of tackles and rucks cleared by Toby were very high.
I admit I do look out for him more than others being a Dragons fan but his rucking technique was quality, the grab and roll worked all night against a big Samoan team. He made a lot of tackles and he always knocks them down at impact. Very rarely will you find a played make yards before he's taken down.

Going forward he's making hard yards but he's not used as the attacking weapon he could be, that said all of Wales attack play was poor.
He is in no way lightweight