Rabo Direct players to watch 2013/2014

Inspired by the other thread on AP players to watch, who are the Rabo Direct players to watch this season?

For the Blues:
Rhys Patchell had a very good start last season, keeping the more experienced Tovey out of the 10 shirt, he is a very promising player and I expect there is a lot more to come, for the first time since 2009 the Blues have a decent fly half.

For Edinburgh:
The ever prominent try scorer Tim Visser
Matt Scott - I think he will have a great season with Edinburgh (hopefully) getting some stability back

for the Soap dodgers (sorry, Glasgow):
Tim Swinson - I can see him taking on the Scotland Jersey and forming a partnership with Ritchie Gray
Sean Maitland - Now that he should hopefully have found his feet with the west coasters, I can see Sean showing more of what he can do! Possible next top try scorer of the league?

For Leinster hopefull TH prop Martin Moore can make an impact this year,he has bags of potential in a problem position for Irish rugby.
I also want to see a lot more of scrumhalf Luke McGrath,he only started one game last season but it was an important end of season game against the Ospreys who have had a bit of a hex over us.He came through it really well and it showed that Schmidt had real faith in him since he trusted him in such a crucial match.

 

Richie Vernon. Whether at centre or in the back row, he's awesome.

For Edinburgh:

Nel (tighthead) - expecting big things this season now he's settled in. Decent scrummager - awesome ball carrier.

VDW (lock) - see above, wasn't prepared properly for last season, but has been fully involved pre-season, and looking forward to seeing what he's made of.

Fife (wing/centre) - seems to be rated by the new regime and was really solid on the wing towards the end of last season. Looks composed, and is an elusive runner with a decent top speed. I think we'll see quite a bit of him this season.

Walker (wing) - experienced old pro, but I think he'll work really well for Edinburgh. Our backline isn't particularly physical and we've long needed a powerful crash ball option. If we use Walker correctly I think he'll serve us really well.

I am looking forward to seeing Connacht in general next season. They seem to have bought in some bulk in the pack with some good young Irish talent in the backs. I think they can push on this season and surprise a few on the bigger teams.

In terms of the other Irish teams there are individual battles within the squads that will be more interesting

For Leinster obviously seeing now Madigan deals with the pressure will be interesting in itself. I think Leinster may struggle in the pack and slower ball may cause him difficulties.

At Munster the out half situation is again interesting. Who will it be Keatley or Hanrahan? May be Keatley at the start but JJ to push towards the end of the season

Ulster i think it will all be about the centre combinations. Will Marshall come back strong or will Olding continue from where he left off?

There is some good young talent coming through and the next 2 seasons could mean a lot of break thoughs in all the teams

Leinster; Luke McGrath
Munster; JJ Hanrahan
Ulster; Stuart Olding
Connacht; Robbie Henshaw

Bonus one for Ulster since I didn't name a forward; Iain Henderson

Scarlets:
Jordan Williams, one of the players in the Junior World Cup that shown for Wales, lovely feet.
Samson Lee, last season was touted as being the next Adam Jones, will see what the new scrum laws do to him.

Ospreys:
Sam Davies, time to see the next generations of fly halves battle it out and try and oust their more settled players.

Dragons:
Jonny Evans, highly rated scrum half down there.

Chris Farrell

For the Blues

Up and coming - Cory Allen - Our replacement for Roberts in midfield, very good young centre at U20 and 7s level

New signing - Matthew Rees - New captain, needs to shore up our front row issues

Established - Rhys Patchell - Continuing his outstanding form from last year into the preseason.

Jack Dixon at the Dragons is going to be some player, next best thing to Dr Jaw

Standulstermen wrote:Chris Farrell

I really hope he gets decent game time this season, Stand. I'm not sure he will though.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:

Standulstermen wrote:Chris Farrell

I really hope he gets decent game time this season, Stand.  I'm not sure he will though.

He started last season ahead of Olding and was possibly our best player last week. That allied with his obvious physical advantages and I think he will see plenty of gametime.

I'm not sure if this will ever happen, but; Vernon, Niko's mate and Fozzy would make an amazing back row for Glasgow. Actually, just for the devilment put Harley the tackle monster and Bluto in the second row too. Light blue touch paper and retire as they say.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Richie Vernon. Whether at centre or in the back row, he's awesome.

For Edinburgh:

Nel (tighthead) - expecting big things this season now he's settled in. Decent scrummager - awesome ball carrier.

VDW (lock) - see above, wasn't prepared properly for last season, but has been fully involved pre-season, and looking forward to seeing what he's made of.

Fife (wing/centre) - seems to be rated by the new regime and was really solid on the wing towards the end of last season. Looks composed, and is an elusive runner with a decent top speed. I think we'll see quite a bit of him this season.

Walker (wing) - experienced old pro, but I think he'll work really well for Edinburgh. Our backline isn't particularly physical and we've long needed a powerful crash ball option. If we use Walker correctly I think he'll serve us really well.

I find this Richie Vernon obsession unhealthy

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:Richie Vernon. Whether at centre or in the back row, he's awesome.

For Edinburgh:

Nel (tighthead) - expecting big things this season now he's settled in. Decent scrummager - awesome ball carrier.

VDW (lock) - see above, wasn't prepared properly for last season, but has been fully involved pre-season, and looking forward to seeing what he's made of.

Fife (wing/centre) - seems to be rated by the new regime and was really solid on the wing towards the end of last season. Looks composed, and is an elusive runner with a decent top speed. I think we'll see quite a bit of him this season.

Walker (wing) - experienced old pro, but I think he'll work really well for Edinburgh. Our backline isn't particularly physical and we've long needed a powerful crash ball option. If we use Walker correctly I think he'll serve us really well.

I find this Richie Vernon obsession unhealthy

It is warranted though! He is a far better rugby player than say, Mark Bennett!

tigertattie wrote:

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:Richie Vernon. Whether at centre or in the back row, he's awesome.

For Edinburgh:

Nel (tighthead) - expecting big things this season now he's settled in. Decent scrummager - awesome ball carrier.

VDW (lock) - see above, wasn't prepared properly for last season, but has been fully involved pre-season, and looking forward to seeing what he's made of.

Fife (wing/centre) - seems to be rated by the new regime and was really solid on the wing towards the end of last season. Looks composed, and is an elusive runner with a decent top speed. I think we'll see quite a bit of him this season.

Walker (wing) - experienced old pro, but I think he'll work really well for Edinburgh. Our backline isn't particularly physical and we've long needed a powerful crash ball option. If we use Walker correctly I think he'll serve us really well.

I find this Richie Vernon obsession unhealthy

It is warranted though! He is a far better rugby player than say, Mark Bennett!

Oh dear, you silly boy - Bennett will rack up many, many more caps than RV has to date or ever will  

Ospreys

Tom Youngs openside in waiting behind Tipuric

Scott Baldwin hooker with a great all round game.

Tom Habberfield, best Scrumhalf we have had some Justin Marshall

Ben John an abbrassive and quick outside centre will work well with Ashley Beck

CJ Stander at Munster
Leonard and Vunisa at Zebre
Nakarawa at The Warriors even though he should be 4th choice lock
Van der Westhuizen at Edinburgh, hit rucks just for fun
Copeland on that new pitch at The Blues.

Scarlets -: Rob Evans, missed last season through injury, but was part of the same U20s front row as fellow Scarlets Samson Lee and Kirby Myhill, and I think the three of them will be used a fair bit as a unit this season.

I am hoping that all the youngsters from the JWC get a chance this coming season, we have some serious talent coming through, the big names which have already been mentioned, the likes of Corry Allen at the Blues, Jordan Williams at the Scarlets and so on, but for me all the kids from that competition looked very good and showed maturity beyond their years, so this season will be the season for them to kick on so to speak and I can say with the utmost confidence that a few Welsh gems will be unearthed this coming season.

maestegmafia wrote:Ospreys

Tom Youngs openside in waiting behind Tipuric

Scott Baldwin hooker with a great all round game.

Tom Habberfield, best Scrumhalf we have had some Justin Marshall

Ben John an abbrassive and quick outside centre will work well with Ashley Beck

Had no idea we'd signed Tom Youngs and are going to be playing him at 7, wouldn't get a look in at hooker anyway. Think you mean Sam Lewis.

For Ospreys it has to be Eli Walker, if he stays fit and we put him in a bit of space then we will score tries against anyone.

Sam Lewis. Sounds right, not sure what i was thinking there.

For Glasgow:
New signing - Leone Nakarawa (lock): Commonly known now as 'Niko's mate', if this guy can have as much of an impact as Matawalu, you'll see some pretty smug Weegies on here. As an experienced part of the Fiji sevens setup, Nakarawa is very much in the athletic ball-carrying mould for locks, so doesn't look like a bruiser. With this in mind though, he should fit in well with the extremely high-tempo recycling game that Glasgow play (Chris Fusaro describes Glasgow's aspiration to be "the quickest in Europe").

Youngster - Ali Price (scrum-half): 'One for the future' for Glasgow and Scotland, I can see an interesting battle between Mr Price and Edinburgh's Sean Kennedy for the Scotland 9 jersey once Greig Laidlaw hangs up his studs. After spells with Bedford Blues and Saracens 'Storm', Price played for Scotland U20 this year and was impressive in his pre-season stints against Aberdeen Grammar and Harlequins.

Club man - Byron McGuigan (centre/wing): The Namibian-born utility back has represented Scotland at sevens and last year was often used by me as an example of a rare Glasgow signing that just 'didn't really do much'. However, in this year's pre-season matches, he has scored four tries in three games and shown a real improvement in his skills. He's unlikely to be called up to the main Scotland side (he is probably too small and inconsistent), but his versatility makes him exactly the kind of player that drives clubs forward during the international window.



Other players:
Rhys Patchell (Cardiff Blues, fly-half): Patchell impressed me immensely during Cardiff's match at Scotstoun last year. While his team were generally outclassed, it was clear that the young flame-haired stand-off oozes ability from every pour. I think he's the answer to the great Welsh 10 question. All he needs is a chance and a patient Welsh public to let him grow into the role and the rewards could be immense.

Dan Evans (Dragons, basically everywhere, I think): Your archetypal 'club man'. He probably won't play for Wales again, but I love his intensity. Even when Dragons conceded eight tries against Glasgow last year, Evans exuded sheer effort and aspiration to the very end - a classic example of one fine player being let down by all his team mates. If the Dragons can sort themselves out (and pre-season form would suggest so), Evans will get his just rewards.

maestegmafia wrote:Sam Lewis. Sounds right, not sure what i was thinking there.

were you thinking of the blues openside Thomas Youngs? Dai's son?

Dragons,

Really hope Johnny Evans can have another top season and get some International recognition, will also be good to see how Tovey goes back at Dave.

I will pick 2 form each welsh region
Scarlet's:
Rob Evans = A rising prop who has always been the stand out player when I have seen him play, has played very well in the friendlies as well from other sources. I think he is the man to take over from Geth when he retires, he just needs game time to prove to show everyone the talent he has.
Jordan Williams = will do nicely for us with our current wing crisis, he is mainly a fullback but with a stature like Shane and skills to go with it i can see him shining on the wing for us this season.

Cardiff Blues:
Gethin Jenkins =  Still one of the leading props in world rugby, didn't have much game time last season but when he got back to full fitness at the end of last years six nations he reproduced his pure class. With game time under his belt at the blues he will be back to best and an experienced head int he blue pack.
Rhys Patchell =  Every time i saw him last season he was great and have heard that he has been amazing in the warm up games. Can see him as our leading 10 in a season or two.

Ospreys:
Eli Walker =  was gutted he got injured before the Six Nations last year,, we all ready have North and Cuthbert but he has the class and skill Shane had.
Alyn Wyn =  Already known as a leading lock in the world and does get acknowledgement but it's not enough. He is the most hard working lock going and to go form leading and deserve to be the series winning captain in Oz. He is a great captain, player and leader and I personally belie he should be Wales captain

Dragons:
Jack Dixon =  Only 18 but is definitely a player for the future, he has already shown promise for Wales U20's. The Dragons didn't have much attack in their back line last season and could be the answer to all their questions.
Andrew Coombs =  came form nowhere, called up for Wales fr the six nations, had the best stats in the tournament and has become captain all in one season. A great player who like Alyn Wyn works hard and leads from the front.

Eli Walker will be interesting, he improved a lot last season - certainly in attack, but before that he was a complete liability on the wing (I remember him getting embarrassed in his first ever HC game) - I hope the injury hasn't set him back to old ways, especially in defence.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Scarlets -: Rob Evans, missed last season through injury, but was part of the same U20s front row as fellow Scarlets Samson Lee and Kirby Myhill, and I think the three of them will be used a fair bit as a unit this season.

Have only seen him play once but thought Samson Lee looked very good, will be keeping an eye out this season, and expecting some great things. Certainly wouldn't mind if he ended up on the bench rather than the pitch for the Glasgow match.

Dunbar is my one to watch for Glasgow this year - hits some very good lines.