Wales team MUST be packed with Ospreys. It's a no brainer.

First topic message reminder :

This isn't a dig at other players or other Welsh regions. This is common sense.

Gatland started 13 Ospreys against England in 2008 because he was unfamiliar with the Wales squad and the Ospreys squad at the time was packed with household names. The gamble paid off. It also worked because that entire team would have been used to playing with each other week in week out.

We have seen some ridiculous selections from Howley and Gatland since Wales won the grand slam. OK we are not coaches but we can see on a weekly basis who are consistent performers and who are not. We can also see which region is consistently playing youngsters that are punching above their weight and have a maturity beyond their years.

This season all the Welsh regions bar the Ospreys are ABSOLUTELY terrible. There is no hiding from this. Many of the Wales players in the dragons, blues and Scarlets are also playing distinctly average. The Ospreys have lost nearly all their big names but are still on a very good run in the league and have beaten several european heavyweights. The biggest downer would be Leicester's comeback in Welford road. The Ospreys are the only Welsh side who can still qualify while the others are a million miles away.

Someone please explain to me how these players can be ignore at present?

BIGGAR
TIPURIC
HIBBARD
BEVINGTON
BEARMAN
KING
BISHOP
FUSSELL
WALKER

These players plus many more should walk into the Wales squad. Hook is the most talented player now that Shane Williams is gone, but Biggar is by FAR the best 10. Fussell or Lee Byrne are the best 15's. Halfpenny is a wing. Liam Williams just likes a fight he isn't as good as people say. I want to see this Wales team play Ireland. I have to be realistic about what talent is still in the other regions, but this is who is playing well at the moment.

15. Richard Fussell - He's amazing. Sick of this rubbish "he's a club player at best BLAH BLAH"
14. George North
13. Jon Davies
12. Andrew Bishop
11. Leigh Halfpenny
10. Dan Biggar
9. Mike Phillips

8. Toby Faletau
7. Justin Tipuric
6. Ryan Jones
5. Ian Evans
4. Alun-Wyn Jones
3. Adam Jones
2. Richard Hibbard
1. Paul James

16. Ryan Bevington
17. Ken Owens
18. Dan Lydiate (if fit)
19. Sam Warburton
20. Rhys Webb / Gareth Davies
21. James Hook
22. Cuthbert / Eli Walker

gboycottnut wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:

gboycottnut wrote:Why don't Wales just go back to their tried and tested formula which works of having 4 fly-halves in the back division just as was the case in 1988 V England at Twickenham when Jonathan Davies played at 10, with Bleddyn Bowen at 12, Mark Ring at 13 and Tony Clement at 15.

Because we don't have four fly halves that good.

Mind you neither does anyone else in the championship.

I'm sure you still do. What about Priestland, Biggar, Hook, Sweeney and that young precocious talent Rhys Patchell? Biggar can play the Jonathan Davies starring role at 10, with Priestland at 12, Hook at 13 and Patchell at 15 to play the same role at full-back that Tony Clement played that day V England.

Priestland and Hook are injured.

Maybe a better suggestion would be flyhalves that have played 12, 13 and 15 regularly like Biggar at FH, Henson at inside centre, Hook at outside centre and Tovey at fullback...!

Henson I forgot about! He can play at 13 in the Mark Ring role, with Tovey at 12 in the Bleddyn Bowen role. So with Biggar at 10 in the Jonathan Davies role and the young lad Patchell at 15 in the Tony Clement role, Wales suddenly have their best and most dangerous back division since that 1988 Five Nations match V England at Twickenham!

gboycottnut wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:

gboycottnut wrote:Why don't Wales just go back to their tried and tested formula which works of having 4 fly-halves in the back division just as was the case in 1988 V England at Twickenham when Jonathan Davies played at 10, with Bleddyn Bowen at 12, Mark Ring at 13 and Tony Clement at 15.

Because we don't have four fly halves that good.

Mind you neither does anyone else in the championship.

I'm sure you still do. What about Priestland, Biggar, Hook, Sweeney and that young precocious talent Rhys Patchell? Biggar can play the Jonathan Davies starring role at 10, with Priestland at 12, Hook at 13 and Patchell at 15 to play the same role at full-back that Tony Clement played that day V England.

For starters, Preistland is injured.

If he wasn't then surely he would play at FB and Patchell at 12 (where both have actually played well)

And no, playing 4 flyhalves doesn't work - otherwise everyone would do it and the number of missed tackles in a game would be increase by 100%

Worked well in 88 because all those players also played centre or fullback... Clement moved to fullback fulltime soon after, Bleddyn Bowen and Ring played plenty of rugby in the centre.

wales606 wrote:

gboycottnut wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:

gboycottnut wrote:Why don't Wales just go back to their tried and tested formula which works of having 4 fly-halves in the back division just as was the case in 1988 V England at Twickenham when Jonathan Davies played at 10, with Bleddyn Bowen at 12, Mark Ring at 13 and Tony Clement at 15.

Because we don't have four fly halves that good.

Mind you neither does anyone else in the championship.

I'm sure you still do. What about Priestland, Biggar, Hook, Sweeney and that young precocious talent Rhys Patchell? Biggar can play the Jonathan Davies starring role at 10, with Priestland at 12, Hook at 13 and Patchell at 15 to play the same role at full-back that Tony Clement played that day V England.

For starters, Preistland is injured.

If he wasn't then surely he would play at FB and Patchell at 12 (where both have actually played well)

And no, playing 4 flyhalves doesn't work - otherwise everyone would do it and the number of missed tackles in a game would be increase by 100%

All right then, what about Wales trying out the strategy they used V England at Cardiff in 1991 whereby they had a lock forward in Paul Arnold as the number 8 with 2 brothers Glyn and Gareth Llewellyn in the second row. This strategy of trying out Arnold at number 8 was an attempt I believe by the then Welsh selectors in the hope that Arnold provided the answer to Wales long search for a number 8 forward who played for Swansea to become the natural successor to the great Mervyn Davies.

gboycottnut wrote:

wales606 wrote:

gboycottnut wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:

gboycottnut wrote:Why don't Wales just go back to their tried and tested formula which works of having 4 fly-halves in the back division just as was the case in 1988 V England at Twickenham when Jonathan Davies played at 10, with Bleddyn Bowen at 12, Mark Ring at 13 and Tony Clement at 15.

Because we don't have four fly halves that good.

Mind you neither does anyone else in the championship.

I'm sure you still do. What about Priestland, Biggar, Hook, Sweeney and that young precocious talent Rhys Patchell? Biggar can play the Jonathan Davies starring role at 10, with Priestland at 12, Hook at 13 and Patchell at 15 to play the same role at full-back that Tony Clement played that day V England.

For starters, Preistland is injured.

If he wasn't then surely he would play at FB and Patchell at 12 (where both have actually played well)

And no, playing 4 flyhalves doesn't work - otherwise everyone would do it and the number of missed tackles in a game would be increase by 100%

All right then, what about Wales trying out the strategy they used V England at Cardiff in 1991 whereby they had a lock forward in Paul Arnold as the number 8 with 2 brothers Glyn and Gareth Llewellyn in the second row. This strategy of trying out Arnold at number 8 was an attempt I believe by the then Welsh selectors in the hope that Arnold provided the answer to Wales long search for a number 8 forward who played for Swansea to become the natural successor to the great Mervyn Davies.

Successor to Richard Moriartymaybe but not a chance of ever being like Mervyn Davies.

Paul Arnold was only playing because we had lost all our good players to rugby league...!!!

We can't field 2 fit locks at the moment, let alone 3

wales606 wrote:We can't field 2 fit locks at the moment, let alone 3

Once upon a time it was rugby league these days its injuries and rich rugby union clubs that take our best.

10. patchell
11. Walker
12. J davies
13. Hook
14. Cuthbert
15. Leigh halfpenny

Pace in abundance in the back three, flyhalf and inside center with hook pulling the strings in midfield. But no place for north. What do you think?

Scrumdown wrote:10. patchell
11. Walker
12. J davies
13. Hook
14. Cuthbert
15. Leigh halfpenny

Pace in abundance in the back three, flyhalf and inside center with hook pulling the strings in midfield. But no place for north. What do you think?

I would have :-

10 Henson (To play the Jonathan Davies 1988 starring role)
11 North
12 Biggar
13 Tovey
14 Cuthbert
15 Patchell

gboycottnut wrote:

Scrumdown wrote:10. patchell
11. Walker
12. J davies
13. Hook
14. Cuthbert
15. Leigh halfpenny

Pace in abundance in the back three, flyhalf and inside center with hook pulling the strings in midfield. But no place for north. What do you think?

I would have :-

10 Henson (To play the Jonathan Davies 1988 starring role)
11 North
12 Biggar
13 Tovey
14 Cuthbert
15 Patchell

Why?

maestegmafia wrote:

gboycottnut wrote:

Scrumdown wrote:10. patchell
11. Walker
12. J davies
13. Hook
14. Cuthbert
15. Leigh halfpenny

Pace in abundance in the back three, flyhalf and inside center with hook pulling the strings in midfield. But no place for north. What do you think?

I would have :-

10 Henson (To play the Jonathan Davies 1988 starring role)
11 North
12 Biggar
13 Tovey
14 Cuthbert
15 Patchell

Why?

Because just like in 1988 with Jonathan Davies, Gavin Henson has the most experience of playing against the Home Nations out of the 4 Fly Halves that I have chosen in the back division. Also like Jonathan Davies, Henson is an expert at drop goals.

But Patchell has played a lot of games at 12, but only one at 15 (where he wasn't very good) meanwhile Tovey has never (to my knowledge) played 12, but plays 15 for the Blues. Why?

The starting backline will be

9. Phillips
10. Biggar
11. North
12. Roberts
13. Davies
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

and I have not problem with any of those selections

Henson is still injured too i think...! no chance he will make the squad on wednesday.

maestegmafia wrote:Henson is still injured too i think...! no chance he will make the squad on wednesday.

Well if Wales are truly desperate to find players, they can always ask Jonathan Davies if he would like a one-off game!

wales606 wrote:But Patchell has played a lot of games at 12, but only one at 15 (where he wasn't very good) meanwhile Tovey has never (to my knowledge) played 12, but plays 15 for the Blues. Why?

The starting backline will be

9. Phillips
10. Biggar
11. North
12. Roberts
13. Davies
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

and I have not problem with any of those selections

Scott Williams and Steve-o on the bench. Hopefully a FORM scrum half aswell. Which means they have to take a look at guys like Jonny Evans and Richie Rees. I desperately hope it isn't Knoyle, but that is quite likely.

Morgannwg wrote:

wales606 wrote:But Patchell has played a lot of games at 12, but only one at 15 (where he wasn't very good) meanwhile Tovey has never (to my knowledge) played 12, but plays 15 for the Blues. Why?

The starting backline will be

9. Phillips
10. Biggar
11. North
12. Roberts
13. Davies
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

and I have not problem with any of those selections

Scott Williams and Steve-o on the bench. Hopefully a FORM scrum half aswell. Which means they have to take a look at guys like Jonny Evans and Richie Rees. I desperately hope it isn't Knoyle, but that is quite likely.

What about Gareth Edwards?

gboycottnut wrote:

maestegmafia wrote:Henson is still injured too i think...! no chance he will make the squad on wednesday.

Well if Wales are truly desperate to find players, they can always ask Jonathan Davies if he would like a one-off game!

I would expect him to either be injured or get injured to be honest, we are not having much luck with players staying fit this season...

gboycottnut wrote:

Morgannwg wrote:

wales606 wrote:But Patchell has played a lot of games at 12, but only one at 15 (where he wasn't very good) meanwhile Tovey has never (to my knowledge) played 12, but plays 15 for the Blues. Why?

The starting backline will be

9. Phillips
10. Biggar
11. North
12. Roberts
13. Davies
14. Cuthbert
15. Halfpenny

and I have not problem with any of those selections

Scott Williams and Steve-o on the bench. Hopefully a FORM scrum half aswell. Which means they have to take a look at guys like Jonny Evans and Richie Rees. I desperately hope it isn't Knoyle, but that is quite likely.

What about Gareth Edwards?

What about him? I wasn't aware he had made himself available for selection.

Surely this back-line of 10s would be better

10. Biggar
12. Henson
13. Hook
15. Priestland

All have played in these positions regular in the past,