Ospreys 2015/16 Season

by wayne Wed 02 Sep 2015, 12:43 pm

First topic message reminder :

Never done one of these here before, yet cannot do any worse than last years idiot.
Head Coach Steve Tandy
Backs Coach Gruff Rees
Forwards Coach Chris Gibbes
Squad Alphabetically
TYLER ARDRON 24 Back Row Rhodri Hughes 20 Lock
Dimitri Arhip 26 Prop PAUL JAMES 33 Prop
Lloyd Ashley (Peers) 24 Lock AARON JARVIS 29 Prop
Dan Baker 23 Back Row Ben John 24 Centre
SCOTT BALDWIN 27 Hooker ALUN WYN JONES 29 Lock
Adam Beard 19 Lock JAMES KING 25 Back Row
Joe Bearman 36 Back Row Brendon Leonard 30 S/H
Ashley Beck 25 Centre DAN LYDIATE 27 Back Row
Rynier Bernardo 24 Lock JOSH MATAVESI 24 Centre
Ryan Bevington 26 Prop Scott Otten 21 Hooker
DAN BIGGAR 25 OH Sam Parry 23 Hooker
Andrew Bishop 30 Centre Kristian Phillips 24 Wing
Jordan Collier 20 Back Row Martin Roberts 29 S/H
Olly Cracknell 21 Back Row Nicky Smith 21 Prop
Sam Davies 21 O/H Johnathon Spratt 29 Centre
Gareth Delve 32 Back Row De Kock Steenkamp 28 Lock
Hanno Dirksen 24 Wing Dan Suter 23 Prop
Mathew Dwyer 30 Hooker Gareth Thomas 23 Prop
Dan Evans 26 F/B Marc Thomas 25 Prop
Lloyd Evans 24 Back Row Rory Thornton 20 Lock
Richard Fussell 31 F/B JUSTIN TIPURIC 26 Back Row
Tom Grabham 24 Wing Eli Walker 23 Wing
Cai Griffiths 31 Prop RHYS WEBB 26 S/H
Tom Habberfield 23 S/H The following 2 are either temporary
JEFF HASSLER 24 Wing or with feeder clubs
Dafydd Howells 20 Wing Sam Underhill 19 Back Row
Oliver Tomaszczyk 28 Prop
The players in CAPITALS will not be available until after the first 3 games of the Guinness League due to WC call ups
The past 5 seasons we have finished 3, 5, 3, 3 and 4 at the end of the regular season, I envision us finishing around the same position this season.
We will also be without Bernardo and Suter for a while early season, we have recruited Tomaszczyk to cover Suter, Underhill came on as a substitute in the Saracens friendly and there were favourable reports about him. If we have injuries in a few key positions especially early season, that prophecy above could be out the window. There has been talk we have signed a T/H from NZ, who had a serious ankle ligament injury, we are still waiting on his rehab. It needs to be soon or we will have to rely on Jarvis, which is not a good thought.
Just to add we won our first 7 matches last season, against most peoples and my expectations, and it will be more of a shock to me if we win either of our first 2 matches this season. Too many missing through injury and International call ups.

by GavinDragon Tue 24 Nov 2015, 8:23 pm

what happened there then?

by wayne Tue 24 Nov 2015, 8:27 pm

GavinDragon wrote:what happened there then?

I'll PM you

by Cardiff Dave Tue 24 Nov 2015, 8:29 pm

GavinDragon wrote:hi think he's pulled more uturns than osborne since then

Sure Uncle Pete conducts the twisting and turning when there's any twisting or turning to be done.

by Cardiff Dave Tue 24 Nov 2015, 8:36 pm

wayne wrote:
GavinDragon wrote:what happened there then?
I'll PM you

Young man! Shocked

by **George Carlin** Wed 25 Nov 2015, 5:55 am

https://www.606v2.com/t61382-ospreys-v-cardiff-blues-28-november

by wayne Fri 27 Nov 2015, 8:04 am

More good news, Eli Walker has signed a one year extension to his contract which was due to finish at the end of this season, I just wish it had been for a longer period, is there anything else in the future planned?

by wayne Fri 27 Nov 2015, 2:18 pm

If it's true really disturbing news in the Fail, that Dan Biggar hasn't signed a DC, and will not until he knows what Rhys Webb is going to do, according to the article both have received French offers, as much as I was pleased that 4 Ospreys signed DCs a few weeks ago, I would much preferred these 2 sign than the likes of Thornton, King, Baker and Baldwin, the article also mentions the fact of AWJ not yet signed up. Would any top French or English teams be interested in those 4, I doubt it, we (not only Ospreys) can not afford to lose that calibre of player, I think the wrong kind of player is being offered these DCs at the moment

by Stone Motif Fri 27 Nov 2015, 11:07 pm

wayne wrote:If it's true really disturbing news in the Fail, that Dan Biggar hasn't signed a DC, and will not until he knows what Rhys Webb is going to do, according to the article both have received French offers, as much as I was pleased that 4 Ospreys signed DCs a few weeks ago, I would much preferred these 2 sign than the likes of Thornton, King, Baker and Baldwin, the article also mentions the fact of AWJ not yet signed up. Would any top French or English teams be interested in those 4, I doubt it, we (not only Ospreys) can not afford to lose that calibre of player, I think the wrong kind of player is being offered these DCs at the moment

Luke Charteris disagrees with you there.

In all likelihood the DC pot is no more capable than the pro team's in terms of competing with the French.

by wayne Sat 28 Nov 2015, 8:10 pm

Stone Motif wrote:
wayne wrote:If it's true really disturbing news in the Fail, that Dan Biggar hasn't signed a DC, and will not until he knows what Rhys Webb is going to do, according to the article both have received French offers, as much as I was pleased that 4 Ospreys signed DCs a few weeks ago, I would much preferred these 2 sign than the likes of Thornton, King, Baker and Baldwin, the article also mentions the fact of AWJ not yet signed up. Would any top French or English teams be interested in those 4, I doubt it, we (not only Ospreys) can not afford to lose that calibre of player, I think the wrong kind of player is being offered these DCs at the moment

Luke Charteris disagrees with you there.

In all likelihood the DC pot is no more capable than the pro team's in terms of competing with the French.

Heard some fantastic news from somebody within the inner circle of Welsh Rugby today on this matter.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 29 Nov 2015, 9:35 am

wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.

by Stone Motif Sun 29 Nov 2015, 9:51 am

bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.

What an utter waste of money that was

by bedfordwelsh Sun 29 Nov 2015, 9:54 am

Stone Motif wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.

What an utter waste of money that was

Stone,

It seems to have been yeah but I am really surprised by it. I have always rated Delve and he has always been held in high regards by the teams he has played for, I really thought it was a good signing for them and like said expected him to show up a lot during the WC with their absentees.

by Stone Motif Sun 29 Nov 2015, 10:32 am

I'm not, he was always injured in Japan, £200k+ a year down the drain

by rumpelstiltskindoh Sun 29 Nov 2015, 11:15 am

He's played twice so far - against Ulster and as a replacement against Treviso back in October. Was named in the 23 for the B&I game against Leeds on 15th November but withdrawn "due to an ongoing shulder concern"

by wayne Sun 29 Nov 2015, 1:17 pm

mikey_dragon wrote:I'm not really a fan of the One True Region slogan - I don't really see how it works either. I think that's a bit arrogant of Hore to make such a claim, and it's also derogatory to the other three (or maybe just two of them ). In other news the Ospreys Select lose at home to the mighty London Scottish - not exactly what you'd expect if this was the one true region.

Mikey, just to let you know London Scottish used 19 of the 23 players that they used against our development team in a match in the Championship against Bristol a couple of days ago, so basically it was 23 Full time Professionals, against one or two experienced and a load of Academy players in which the Professionals won by 4 points. So who do you think benefited the most from this match?

by mikey_dragon Sun 29 Nov 2015, 2:59 pm

wayne wrote:
mikey_dragon wrote:I'm not really a fan of the One True Region slogan - I don't really see how it works either. I think that's a bit arrogant of Hore to make such a claim, and it's also derogatory to the other three (or maybe just two of them ). In other news the Ospreys Select lose at home to the mighty London Scottish - not exactly what you'd expect if this was the one true region.
Mikey, just to let you know London Scottish used 19 of the 23 players that they used against our development team in a match in the Championship against Bristol a couple of days ago, so basically it was 23 Full time Professionals, against one or two experienced and a load of Academy players in which the Professionals won by 4 points. So who do you think benefited the most from this match?

London Scottish. Perhaps Ospreys select would benefit more from having a few more professional players, kind of like the other teams are doing.

by mikey_dragon Sun 29 Nov 2015, 3:01 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.

What an utter waste of money that was

Stone,

It seems to have been yeah but I am really surprised by it. I have always rated Delve and he has always been held in high regards by the teams he has played for, I really thought it was a good signing for them and like said expected him to show up a lot during the WC with their absentees.

I think Delve might do well if given the opportunity as the Ospreys have a good first team. I'd like to see him between Lydiate and Tips - but we'll have to face the fact that their No.8 jersey is blocked by two of the most worthless dual contracts in Wales (no offence Wayne). The regions have aired their concerns over some of these players being offered the contract as we were all under the impression it would be used to bring back the top Wales players.

by wayne Sun 29 Nov 2015, 3:55 pm

mikey_dragon wrote:
wayne wrote:
mikey_dragon wrote:I'm not really a fan of the One True Region slogan - I don't really see how it works either. I think that's a bit arrogant of Hore to make such a claim, and it's also derogatory to the other three (or maybe just two of them ). In other news the Ospreys Select lose at home to the mighty London Scottish - not exactly what you'd expect if this was the one true region.
Mikey, just to let you know London Scottish used 19 of the 23 players that they used against our development team in a match in the Championship against Bristol a couple of days ago, so basically it was 23 Full time Professionals, against one or two experienced and a load of Academy players in which the Professionals won by 4 points. So who do you think benefited the most from this match?

London Scottish. Perhaps Ospreys select would benefit more from having a few more professional players, kind of like the other teams are doing.

Mikey, Northampton did the same against us in an LV game a few years ago, there are very few of those first team players for Northampton still playing there, you did the same last year and now London Scottish this, from last year how many of your lot have made an impact in advancing towards either establishing themselves in the International arena or making a significant impact in Guinness League games (and I mean Games not game) there are quite a few from those 2 games that have for us, and perhaps more importantly it has shown us who will not make it. I will have a Very Happy

wager with you, that at least 4 of those inexperienced youngsters will make it into 50 Regional appearances for us and at least 2 will play for Wales one day, nearly as many as your team has contributed in 10 years of Regional Rugby, so going by past success I think I'd rather stick to our proven successful system.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 29 Nov 2015, 3:58 pm

mikey_dragon wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.

What an utter waste of money that was

Stone,

It seems to have been yeah but I am really surprised by it. I have always rated Delve and he has always been held in high regards by the teams he has played for, I really thought it was a good signing for them and like said expected him to show up a lot during the WC with their absentees.

I think Delve might do well if given the opportunity as the Ospreys have a good first team. I'd like to see him between Lydiate and Tips - but we'll have to face the fact that their No.8 jersey is blocked by two of the most worthless dual contracts in Wales (no offence Wayne). The regions have aired their concerns over some of these players being offered the contract as we were all under the impression it would be used to bring back the top Wales players.

Mikey,

That wasn't the only aim of them they were also going to used to keep players in Wales. Who are the two you are on about out of interest?

by wayne Sun 29 Nov 2015, 4:10 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.

Bedford, you were told by a number on here me included, that it was not as clear cut as you were making out, after a couple of appearances that were slightly under whelming to put it mildly, he has had a series of injuries, he was IIRC supposed to play in the Regional Select XV against London Scottish but he pulled out on the day of the match injured and he is still in that position, (as for the £200000 wage it's nice to know that a supporter of NGD who regularly gets thing wrong about the Ospreys, knows the contract details of a recent signing for us) not aimed at you BW.

by wayne Sun 29 Nov 2015, 4:11 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:
mikey_dragon wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.

What an utter waste of money that was

Stone,

It seems to have been yeah but I am really surprised by it. I have always rated Delve and he has always been held in high regards by the teams he has played for, I really thought it was a good signing for them and like said expected him to show up a lot during the WC with their absentees.

I think Delve might do well if given the opportunity as the Ospreys have a good first team. I'd like to see him between Lydiate and Tips - but we'll have to face the fact that their No.8 jersey is blocked by two of the most worthless dual contracts in Wales (no offence Wayne). The regions have aired their concerns over some of these players being offered the contract as we were all under the impression it would be used to bring back the top Wales players.

Mikey,

That wasn't the only aim of them they were also going to used to keep players in Wales. Who are the two you are on about out of interest?

BW, I'll answer that Baker and King

by bedfordwelsh Sun 29 Nov 2015, 4:13 pm

Wayne,

Hadn't realised he was injured, still think he would have pushed for a regular slot but guess injuries and time now getting better of him.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 29 Nov 2015, 4:15 pm

wayne wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:
mikey_dragon wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.

What an utter waste of money that was

Stone,

It seems to have been yeah but I am really surprised by it. I have always rated Delve and he has always been held in high regards by the teams he has played for, I really thought it was a good signing for them and like said expected him to show up a lot during the WC with their absentees.

I think Delve might do well if given the opportunity as the Ospreys have a good first team. I'd like to see him between Lydiate and Tips - but we'll have to face the fact that their No.8 jersey is blocked by two of the most worthless dual contracts in Wales (no offence Wayne). The regions have aired their concerns over some of these players being offered the contract as we were all under the impression it would be used to bring back the top Wales players.

Mikey,

That wasn't the only aim of them they were also going to used to keep players in Wales. Who are the two you are on about out of interest?
BW, I'll answer that Baker and King

I'll agree with King, he has never impressed me one bit, as for Baker he just hasn't seemed to have recovered his pre injury form but at what 22/23 he has plenty in hand and keeping him here in Wales is a good thing IMO.

by wayne Sun 29 Nov 2015, 4:40 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:
wayne wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:
mikey_dragon wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.

What an utter waste of money that was

Stone,

It seems to have been yeah but I am really surprised by it. I have always rated Delve and he has always been held in high regards by the teams he has played for, I really thought it was a good signing for them and like said expected him to show up a lot during the WC with their absentees.

I think Delve might do well if given the opportunity as the Ospreys have a good first team. I'd like to see him between Lydiate and Tips - but we'll have to face the fact that their No.8 jersey is blocked by two of the most worthless dual contracts in Wales (no offence Wayne). The regions have aired their concerns over some of these players being offered the contract as we were all under the impression it would be used to bring back the top Wales players.

Mikey,

That wasn't the only aim of them they were also going to used to keep players in Wales. Who are the two you are on about out of interest?
BW, I'll answer that Baker and King

I'll agree with King, he has never impressed me one bit, as for Baker he just hasn't seemed to have recovered his pre injury form but at what 22/23 he has plenty in hand and keeping him here in Wales is a good thing IMO.

Bedford, the problem with King, and this might sound odd is that he is a very good lineout option wherever he plays, last year he had to even play 7 against your lot IIRC, this was his first game selected in that position and Cudd was MOTM, he regularly played 4 and 5, first because of the indifferent form of Ianto (Ian Evans) then when AWJ was away, but primarily he was a 6, so giving us another lineout option and he was not bad in open play, and possibly more to the point in the case of Ianto he was not a penalty magnate.
As I said in other posts I would willingly have the DC taken from him Thornton and Baker to keep any two of AWJ, Biggar and Webb, it is imperative in my eyes to keep them 3, as I said in an earlier post there is some good news coming on this front, (did you see who from the WRU coaching staff was at our game yesterday) not just about my Region.
This series of games is the first series of games King has played as an 8, perhaps this is of Gatland's making.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 29 Nov 2015, 4:45 pm

Any side would want to keep hold of those 3 and of course the flip side is any side would want to sign them so I can see your point of view from that.

It sounds like King is another who is suffering from his own versatility, a good standard in a lot of positions but not high enough standard in one (if that makes sense).

The money being talked about with regards to AWJ is for him to good to turn down if the offer is made and I don't think anyone would blame him.

by Stone Motif Sun 29 Nov 2015, 4:49 pm

wayne wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.
Bedford, you were told by a number on here me included, that it was not as clear cut as you were making out, after a couple of appearances that were slightly under whelming to put it mildly, he has had a series of injuries, he was IIRC supposed to play in the Regional Select XV against London Scottish but he pulled out on the day of the match injured and he is still in that position, (as for the £200000 wage it's nice to know that a supporter of NGD who regularly gets thing wrong about the Ospreys, knows the contract details of a recent signing for us) not aimed at you BW.

The £200k was from an Osprey fan, incidentally one who unlike you hasn't got his head up his own bottle and glass.

by wayne Sun 29 Nov 2015, 4:57 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:Any side would want to keep hold of those 3 and of course the flip side is any side would want to sign them so I can see your point of view from that.

It sounds like King is another who is suffering from his own versatility, a good standard in a lot of positions but not high enough standard in one (if that makes sense).

The money being talked about with regards to AWJ is for him to good to turn down if the offer is made and I don't think anyone would blame him.

Agree entirely ish, perhaps you are a bit harsh about his capability as a 6, he is an excellent lineout option and carries very well and tackles well, I've told you in the past many on our boards thought Lydiate was a waste of money, as he was only a tackling machine, with no other significant contributions, but if you watched any of our recent games he is now making hard yards and is being used as a target in the lineout, he is winning most over.
Let me just add we also have Tyler Ardron to come back pretty soon, you have to have these battles for places to keep up the standard

by wayne Sun 29 Nov 2015, 4:57 pm

Stone Motif wrote:
wayne wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.
Bedford, you were told by a number on here me included, that it was not as clear cut as you were making out, after a couple of appearances that were slightly under whelming to put it mildly, he has had a series of injuries, he was IIRC supposed to play in the Regional Select XV against London Scottish but he pulled out on the day of the match injured and he is still in that position, (as for the £200000 wage it's nice to know that a supporter of NGD who regularly gets thing wrong about the Ospreys, knows the contract details of a recent signing for us) not aimed at you BW.

The £200k was from an Osprey fan, incidentally one who unlike you hasn't got his head up his own bottle and glass.

LIAR
Just to add when I put information on here, I get it from the horses mouth, I don't get it from another fan. As though I would take any information from you about the NGD, I would more often than not believe the exact opposite.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 29 Nov 2015, 5:04 pm

Lydiate would be first name on any of my team sheets so we have had to agree to dis-agree on that one and agree teams need competition for places across the board to raise/keep standards.

by wayne Sun 29 Nov 2015, 5:22 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:Lydiate would be first name on any of my team sheets so we have had to agree to dis-agree on that one and agree teams need competition for places across the board to raise/keep standards.

BW, I asked on here at the time of the DC being disclosed, did Dan have any other attributes when he was playing for NGD to get him into the International set up, as I wanted him to succeed with us. Nobody answered. Furthermore I said it was on our board I didn't say it was my opinion. Finally when we played the Scarlets, at the Liberty not long after Lydiate signed, 3 of us that travel to every game had hospitality, at these gatherings a player or players attend, our attending player was Ryan Bevington and he told the room that James was not very happy that Dan had been signed ( I mentioned this on here at the time without naming the player).
When I give facts I can back them up, when I give opinion it is obviously just that.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 29 Nov 2015, 5:46 pm

Lydiate has never been known as a ball carrier, though he has started to add that element to his game since coming back from France (he most probably realises he needs to evolve) but he was never picked by us or by Wales as a ball carrier he was picked for his defence and that is what his game is developed around.

If the Os don't need him in that role then someone like King may well be a better fit into the team but he also does so much of the unglorified/unseen work that then allows his No8 and No7 to concentrate on their own jobs.

For Wales I still say that our best backrow is Lydiate Faletau and Warburton but as I said maybe the Os don't need Dan in such a defensive role and want more from him, which he seems to be at least trying to deliver.

by wayne Sun 29 Nov 2015, 6:18 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:Lydiate has never been known as a ball carrier, though he has started to add that element to his game since coming back from France (he most probably realises he needs to evolve) but he was never picked by us or by Wales as a ball carrier he was picked for his defence and that is what his game is developed around.
We have for a number of years had the 6 as a lineout option, Jonathon Thomas, Ryan Jones and Jerry Collins they were all decent to good carriers as well and we know how good Jerry was in the tackling department, the other 2 not so much, we are obviously trying to get Dan to do the same.

If the Os don't need him in that role then someone like King may well be a better fit into the team but he also does so much of the unglorified/unseen work that then allows his No8 and No7 to concentrate on their own jobs.
I think we are trying to get different combinations to have some of each others attributes, you have to be able to put different combinations in for whoever you are playing, it is not a one fits all

For Wales I still say that our best backrow is Lydiate Faletau and Warburton but as I said maybe the Os don't need Dan in such a defensive role and want more from him, which he seems to be at least trying to deliver.
For Gatland's game plan I entirely agree, with the players at our disposal (not great big hulks) would I have Sam over Justin? never in a million years.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 29 Nov 2015, 6:58 pm

Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

by Stone Motif Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:07 pm

wayne wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
wayne wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.
Bedford, you were told by a number on here me included, that it was not as clear cut as you were making out, after a couple of appearances that were slightly under whelming to put it mildly, he has had a series of injuries, he was IIRC supposed to play in the Regional Select XV against London Scottish but he pulled out on the day of the match injured and he is still in that position, (as for the £200000 wage it's nice to know that a supporter of NGD who regularly gets thing wrong about the Ospreys, knows the contract details of a recent signing for us) not aimed at you BW.

The £200k was from an Osprey fan, incidentally one who unlike you hasn't got his head up his own bottle and glass.
LIAR
Just to add when I put information on here, I get it from the horses mouth, I don't get it from another fan. As though I would take any information from you about the NGD, I would more often than not believe the exact opposite.

You'd know a lie when you saw it I suppose, watching your Swansea owned based and run team trot out that One True Region (TM ) cobblers.

I can see why they went for the Batman logo, given your team's propensity to include fiction on their shirt designs.

by Cardiff Dave Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:14 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

Wales, Wales, Wales.......

by bedfordwelsh Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:17 pm

Cardiff Dave wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

Wales, Wales, Wales.......

Gets my vote

by Cardiff Dave Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:18 pm

bedfordwelsh wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

Wales, Wales, Wales.......

Gets my vote

Not mine.

by Cardiff Dave Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:20 pm

Stone Motif wrote:
wayne wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
wayne wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.
Bedford, you were told by a number on here me included, that it was not as clear cut as you were making out, after a couple of appearances that were slightly under whelming to put it mildly, he has had a series of injuries, he was IIRC supposed to play in the Regional Select XV against London Scottish but he pulled out on the day of the match injured and he is still in that position, (as for the £200000 wage it's nice to know that a supporter of NGD who regularly gets thing wrong about the Ospreys, knows the contract details of a recent signing for us) not aimed at you BW.

The £200k was from an Osprey fan, incidentally one who unlike you hasn't got his head up his own bottle and glass.
LIAR
Just to add when I put information on here, I get it from the horses mouth, I don't get it from another fan. As though I would take any information from you about the NGD, I would more often than not believe the exact opposite.

You'd know a lie when you saw it I suppose, watching your Swansea owned based and run team trot out that One True Region (TM ) cobblers.

I can see why they went for the Batman logo, given your team's propensity to include fiction on their shirt designs.

Bruce Wayne?

by Stone Motif Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:20 pm

Cardiff Dave wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

Wales, Wales, Wales.......

Warburton is I reckon one of the few Welsh forwards who'd get in one of the big three SH teams.

by Cardiff Dave Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:28 pm

Stone Motif wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

Wales, Wales, Wales.......

Warburton is I reckon one of the few Welsh forwards who'd get in one of the big three SH teams.

Can't we leave team Wales stuff to the international section?

by Stone Motif Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:44 pm

wayne wrote:
mikey_dragon wrote:
wayne wrote:
mikey_dragon wrote:I'm not really a fan of the One True Region slogan - I don't really see how it works either. I think that's a bit arrogant of Hore to make such a claim, and it's also derogatory to the other three (or maybe just two of them ). In other news the Ospreys Select lose at home to the mighty London Scottish - not exactly what you'd expect if this was the one true region.
Mikey, just to let you know London Scottish used 19 of the 23 players that they used against our development team in a match in the Championship against Bristol a couple of days ago, so basically it was 23 Full time Professionals, against one or two experienced and a load of Academy players in which the Professionals won by 4 points. So who do you think benefited the most from this match?

London Scottish. Perhaps Ospreys select would benefit more from having a few more professional players, kind of like the other teams are doing.
Mikey, Northampton did the same against us in an LV game a few years ago, there are very few of those first team players for Northampton still playing there, you did the same last year and now London Scottish this, from last year how many of your lot have made an impact in advancing towards either establishing themselves in the International arena or making a significant impact in Guinness League games (and I mean Games not game) there are quite a few from those 2 games that have for us, and perhaps more importantly it has shown us who will not make it. I will have a wager with you, that at least 4 of those inexperienced youngsters will make it into 50 Regional appearances for us and at least 2 will play for Wales one day, nearly as many as your team has contributed in 10 years of Regional Rugby, so going by past success I think I'd rather stick to our proven successful system.

Just having a look back through the line-ups from last year's LV cup so see if I was right in thinking the above One True Regional contribution in the post above was, in fact, tripe.

Now who should I see in those line ups, (just for argument's sake seeing as someone mentioned a magic number of four who will make it to 50 regional appearances and at least two who will play for Wales one day) but Tyler Morgan, Elliot Dee, Jack Dixon, and Ollie Griffiths.

Looks as though my tripe detector is working just fine then...

by mikey_dragon Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:54 pm

wayne wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:
wayne wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:
mikey_dragon wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:wayne,

What's happened to Delve, he's hardly figured is he injured or just not fitting in. I thought that would have been a really good signing for them this year, especially during the WC.

What an utter waste of money that was

Stone,

It seems to have been yeah but I am really surprised by it. I have always rated Delve and he has always been held in high regards by the teams he has played for, I really thought it was a good signing for them and like said expected him to show up a lot during the WC with their absentees.

I think Delve might do well if given the opportunity as the Ospreys have a good first team. I'd like to see him between Lydiate and Tips - but we'll have to face the fact that their No.8 jersey is blocked by two of the most worthless dual contracts in Wales (no offence Wayne). The regions have aired their concerns over some of these players being offered the contract as we were all under the impression it would be used to bring back the top Wales players.

Mikey,

That wasn't the only aim of them they were also going to used to keep players in Wales. Who are the two you are on about out of interest?
BW, I'll answer that Baker and King

I'll agree with King, he has never impressed me one bit, as for Baker he just hasn't seemed to have recovered his pre injury form but at what 22/23 he has plenty in hand and keeping him here in Wales is a good thing IMO.
Bedford, the problem with King, and this might sound odd is that he is a very good lineout option wherever he plays, last year he had to even play 7 against your lot IIRC, this was his first game selected in that position and Cudd was MOTM, he regularly played 4 and 5, first because of the indifferent form of Ianto (Ian Evans) then when AWJ was away, but primarily he was a 6, so giving us another lineout option and he was not bad in open play, and possibly more to the point in the case of Ianto he was not a penalty magnate.
As I said in other posts I would willingly have the DC taken from him Thornton and Baker to keep any two of AWJ, Biggar and Webb, it is imperative in my eyes to keep them 3, as I said in an earlier post there is some good news coming on this front, (did you see who from the WRU coaching staff was at our game yesterday) not just about my Region.
This series of games is the first series of games King has played as an 8, perhaps this is of Gatland's making.

King and Baker are indeed the players I referred to. The regions are concerned because they were hopeful of the money being used to help bring back the likes of Halfpenny, Davies, Roberts, etc... And perhaps even lure the likes of Moriarty and Francis. Now don't get me wrong I think Baker still has potential, but he's not really playing well and neither player was on any French radar - and likely won't be for a good while.

by Guest Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:54 pm

Cardiff Dave wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

Wales, Wales, Wales.......

Warburton is I reckon one of the few Welsh forwards who'd get in one of the big three SH teams.

Can't we leave team Wales stuff to the international section?

OK, but only if you leave club stuff out of the regional threads.

by mikey_dragon Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:58 pm

wayne wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Any side would want to keep hold of those 3 and of course the flip side is any side would want to sign them so I can see your point of view from that.

It sounds like King is another who is suffering from his own versatility, a good standard in a lot of positions but not high enough standard in one (if that makes sense).

The money being talked about with regards to AWJ is for him to good to turn down if the offer is made and I don't think anyone would blame him.
Agree entirely ish, perhaps you are a bit harsh about his capability as a 6, he is an excellent lineout option and carries very well and tackles well, I've told you in the past many on our boards thought Lydiate was a waste of money, as he was only a tackling machine, with no other significant contributions, but if you watched any of our recent games he is now making hard yards and is being used as a target in the lineout, he is winning most over.
Let me just add we also have Tyler Ardron to come back pretty soon, you have to have these battles for places to keep up the standard

A year ago you would have been right. But I'm happy to see he has developed his game in other areas. So as it stands Wales have one the best 6' and 7' around.

by Cardiff Dave Sun 29 Nov 2015, 7:58 pm

Griff wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

Wales, Wales, Wales.......

Warburton is I reckon one of the few Welsh forwards who'd get in one of the big three SH teams.

Can't we leave team Wales stuff to the international section?

OK, but only if you leave club stuff out of the regional threads.

Can't fib mun.

by VinceWLB Sun 29 Nov 2015, 8:00 pm

Stone Motif wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

Wales, Wales, Wales.......

Warburton is I reckon one of the few Welsh forwards who'd get in one of the big three SH teams.

Now that McCaw retired possibly but no way does he make the Aussie nor the SA (who much prefer bigger guys) teams.

The only player i'm confident would make one of the big 3 SH teams is AWJ and thats not in the SA pack.

by Stone Motif Sun 29 Nov 2015, 8:07 pm

VinceWLB wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

Wales, Wales, Wales.......

Warburton is I reckon one of the few Welsh forwards who'd get in one of the big three SH teams.

Now that McCaw retired possibly but no way does he make the Aussie nor the SA (who much prefer bigger guys) teams.

The only player i'm confident would make one of the big 3 SH teams is AWJ and thats not in the SA pack.

Pocock is streets ahead of any other seven but Warburton is certainly up there with any of the others. AWJ is the only other real certainty, possibly Faletau but not as an 8.

by mikey_dragon Sun 29 Nov 2015, 8:08 pm

Stone Motif wrote:
wayne wrote:
mikey_dragon wrote:
wayne wrote:
mikey_dragon wrote:I'm not really a fan of the One True Region slogan - I don't really see how it works either. I think that's a bit arrogant of Hore to make such a claim, and it's also derogatory to the other three (or maybe just two of them ). In other news the Ospreys Select lose at home to the mighty London Scottish - not exactly what you'd expect if this was the one true region.
Mikey, just to let you know London Scottish used 19 of the 23 players that they used against our development team in a match in the Championship against Bristol a couple of days ago, so basically it was 23 Full time Professionals, against one or two experienced and a load of Academy players in which the Professionals won by 4 points. So who do you think benefited the most from this match?

London Scottish. Perhaps Ospreys select would benefit more from having a few more professional players, kind of like the other teams are doing.
Mikey, Northampton did the same against us in an LV game a few years ago, there are very few of those first team players for Northampton still playing there, you did the same last year and now London Scottish this, from last year how many of your lot have made an impact in advancing towards either establishing themselves in the International arena or making a significant impact in Guinness League games (and I mean Games not game) there are quite a few from those 2 games that have for us, and perhaps more importantly it has shown us who will not make it. I will have a wager with you, that at least 4 of those inexperienced youngsters will make it into 50 Regional appearances for us and at least 2 will play for Wales one day, nearly as many as your team has contributed in 10 years of Regional Rugby, so going by past success I think I'd rather stick to our proven successful system.

Just having a look back through the line-ups from last year's LV cup so see if I was right in thinking the above One True Regional contribution in the post above was, in fact, tripe.

Now who should I see in those line ups, (just for argument's sake seeing as someone mentioned a magic number of four who will make it to 50 regional appearances and at least two who will play for Wales one day) but Tyler Morgan, Elliot Dee, Jack Dixon, and Ollie Griffiths.

Looks as though my tripe detector is working just fine then...

4 players making it through the ranks within a year or two is highly likely, Wayne; actually don't you have a player in there who was already played 50 games for the Ospreys? But really it should be more like 15 players pushing, and I doubt any region has that right now. What I was saying is that your prem select, in comparison to others is hopeless because of the players the selected. A stronger team would benefit the younger generation and there should be a distinct number of u20 and u18 players rather than an entire team. The dragons select is mostly former u20 players with some regional heads and premiership players - they have a competitive team. There's a few in there whom I don't believe will go on to greater heights, but they'll be transitioned out of the team in a couple years making way for the other next gen who also look capable.

I agree I think we have been poor with developing most players. But I guess when one partner isn't really contributing to their half of the team then it's going to be tough. Things are changing though and hopefully the signing of dross is over.

by mikey_dragon Sun 29 Nov 2015, 8:13 pm

Stone Motif wrote:
VinceWLB wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

Wales, Wales, Wales.......

Warburton is I reckon one of the few Welsh forwards who'd get in one of the big three SH teams.

Now that McCaw retired possibly but no way does he make the Aussie nor the SA (who much prefer bigger guys) teams.

The only player i'm confident would make one of the big 3 SH teams is AWJ and thats not in the SA pack.

Pocock is streets ahead of any other seven but Warburton is certainly up there with any of the others. AWJ is the only other real certainty, possibly Faletau but not as an 8.

You should know by now Stone that everybody hates Welsh players, even the good ones, and regularly beating the teams still won't convince them otherwise.

by Stone Motif Sun 29 Nov 2015, 8:20 pm

mikey_dragon wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
VinceWLB wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:
bedfordwelsh wrote:Horses for courses and Sam suits our (Wales) current style and I thought he had a great WC

Wales, Wales, Wales.......

Warburton is I reckon one of the few Welsh forwards who'd get in one of the big three SH teams.

Now that McCaw retired possibly but no way does he make the Aussie nor the SA (who much prefer bigger guys) teams.

The only player i'm confident would make one of the big 3 SH teams is AWJ and thats not in the SA pack.

Pocock is streets ahead of any other seven but Warburton is certainly up there with any of the others. AWJ is the only other real certainty, possibly Faletau but not as an 8.

You should know by now Stone that everybody hates Welsh players, even the good ones, and regularly beating the teams still won't convince them otherwise.

Yes, it was a bizarre post.

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