Selection issues re- Baa Baa's

No this is not about "You Know Who". much more to do with the general makeup of the squad.
What stands out for me is the lack of Blues players. Great to see that Sam Warburton has not only been included, but has been made captain, congratulations go to him. But him aside there are very few Blues players that have made the cut, admittedly many are either rested or injured, but where are the blues youngsters? Does this highlight the problem facing the blues, a seeming reluctance to give youth a head?
What do you think?

Ospreylian - I would say there is a definite problem with the lack of youth coming through at the Blues.

I commented on a thread at somepoint on 606 about how old the Blues pack is, and they have very, very few youngtsers coming through there. The only really successful one to have come through is Warburton. Their forwards are going to be a huge cause for concern in the next couple of seasons I reckon, with their scrum already creaking.

They have a few more youngsters coming through in the backs like Lloyd Williams and Dan Fish but it is worrying how few they are producing in comparison to the other three regions. It's something the Blues as a region really need to look at. Are the youngsters not there, or are they simply not being given the chance?

RD I'd guess it's the latter, and it's something that all the regions have at some time or another had issues with.
Given that the rugby hotbed of Ponty is in their region then with a north and south academy they really ought to be producing MORE talent than the other three.
Bottom line is that if you play your youngsters then you, as head coach, could end up out of work.

On 606 when i criticised the Dragons a year ago for the lack of talent coming through, Dragon fans went ballistic, I hope the blues fans will see that I'm not having a go just pointing out a glaring obvious.

ospreylian:

I am not sure the relationship with the Blues and Ponty are great and it was Ponty that provided 6 U20's players and the Blues/Cardiff 1. It seems to me Neath and Ponty are in similar positions both great clubs but not getting recognition. Watching Ponty on TV they have some more than useful players other regions should look at, their handling skills and team work would put the Ospreys to shame on recent performances. M Morgan was really shown up against Ponty playing for Swansea and the Ponty wing on that day scored 3 tries (O Williams, I think) he is 6ft 4ins and plays a bit like North and he is from Blackwood (Dragons missed this one)!

To give the Blues a bit of credit, they have been using some Ponty players this season. I believe the Ponty no.2 has played for them a few times, struggling for his name at the moment though, think it's something like Deasy.

What I'm concerned about is that they aren't bringing them through quick enough so that they already have replacements in place for when their older players retire. The Blues are setting themselves up for a big fall it appears, unless they have some big master plan for next season.

This Baa Baa's game appears to be trying out new players and combinations and reward S Jones with a 100th cap. IMO this trial should have been completed during the AI's it is now too late and these games should be bringing the team together with minor tinkering. I believe no more than 3 changes should be made to the core of the side or we could end up with another Fiji and learn nothing. Look what happened to D Biggar, Brew etc. It is obvious to me this game is a money making exercise for the WRU as Wales will be fielding a seconds side in the hope of winning! I suspect we will learn very little from this game and provide more questions than answers. I hope I am wrong.

With regards to lack of Blues players, this may be due to enforced resting/recovery.

For instance Roberts, Gethin, (Halfpenny?) are not playing.

It's a shame the Blues season fizzled out, after the Amlin win last year they were playing some great rugby - committing few to the breakdown and producing some great running rugby.

ponty flanker darren waters rumoured to have rejected an offer from the blues in favour of the dragons.....

If Waters move to the Dragons is true it probably confirms my thoughts there is no love lost between Ponty and the Blues. Good on the Dragons he looks a very good player, the Dragons wil have a lot of strength in depth in the back row next year.

I heard Waters held discussions with Blues and Dragons, but apparently didn't want to risk being made to play for Cardiff in the Prem.

I'm not sure how that can be right mind, as surely he would just play for Ponty if not needed by the Blues?

The Blues are slow at putting youngsters in, but on the other hand, the Blues young players seem to fit straight in at the top level and perform - Warbs, B.Davies, Halfpenny and Roberts have all moved up quickly.

So although they dont have many, the youngster pushing for a 1st team spot, like L.Williams and Fish will likely be in the welsh squad in a few years.

Other youngster like Robinson, O.Williams and Dacey will start coming through soon.

The Blues produce a lot of U20s players (more than the other regions this year) and the youngster seem to have the right attitude - lots of Blues captains for the U20 - Cook, Navidi, Andrews etc...