Ospreys 2015/16 Season

by wayne Wed 2 Sep - 12:43

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 Fri 8 Jan - 6:48

Stone Motif wrote:
GavinDragon wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
GavinDragon wrote:Who are the stand out welsh 8 and 5 who learnt from xavier rush and Paul tito?

Who are the stand out Welsh open side, inside centre and full back who established themselves playing alongside Rush and Tito,instead of being thrashed week in week out like their neighbours down the road because they had a couple of semi pros in the pack

Toby faletau and Dan Lydiate didn't seem to suffer

Who has produced more international players and won more trophies?

OK so which young dragons players do you think could have gone on to play for Wales if they gad more top quality foreigners to learn from

by LordDowlais Fri 8 Jan - 9:23

Look, I am all for NWQ players like Xavier Rush who will actually contribute to the Welsh players, it's players like Blane Scully that I do not want to see, he is now taking up a spot in the Cardiff Blues squad, and I do not think he has started a game yet, WTF is that all about ?

Also you cannot in a million miles tell me that Blane Scully is going to inspire the young fans and the younger players around him either.

by ScarletSpiderman Fri 8 Jan - 11:58

Western Fail http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/ospreys-call-specific-international-test-10702938 wrote:Ospreys call for specific international Test window as they demand more financial support for loss of Wales players

Liberty chief Andrew Hore has reiterated his strong belief something has to change for the Ospreys to keep competing moving forwards

The Ospreys have called on World Rugby to introduce a specific international Test window in the northern hemisphere as the game reaches a “tipping point” at the turn of the year.

And Liberty chief Andrew Hore has reiterated his belief the Pro12 region need greater financial support for providing such large numbers of players to Wales both at senior and age-grade level.

Hore argues the Ospreys are at a disadvantage because large numbers of their squad spend so long away with the national team.

He says the Swansea-based side are being punished rather than rewarded for supporting Welsh success and wants some form of compensation for providing Warren Gatland with such a large percentage of his current squad.

Hore believes that part of the problem is the clash between the club and international game and thinks a big rethink is in order for the game to move forward into the future.

“The key thing we're trying to say is reward what you value,” he told the region's TV channel.

“At the moment there are clubs, regions and provinces who are contributing the most and often they are the ones suffering the most because they're supporting the international game.

“Rugby is not grasping the issues and as a result the clubs who want to be actively involved with the unions are actually the ones penalised.

“If we want to compete domestically there needs to be a rapid rethink.”

The Ospreys could lose up to 12 players to Wales duty for the upcoming Six Nations, significantly hindering their chances of domestic success.

The likes of Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Biggar, Justin Tipuric and the currently injured Rhys Webb – to name but a few – are regulars for their country leaving Steve Tandy's men short of crucial talent just when it matters most.

It's a situation which doesn't happen in the southern hemisphere where Super Rugby takes place at a different time to international action for New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.

“I would say to World Rugby, who I think are putting their head in the sand on this issue, that at the moment it's only really England and France who are taking off at club level,” Hore added.

“When I talked to Steve Hansen when he was over for the World Cup he was very clear on the number of weeks an international window would apply for. It's easily workable."

He continued: “I also think the club game has to have a look at itself. Between the two I think there needs to be some form of cutback.

“You don't have those same issues in the southern hemisphere because they've thought out their international windows.

“There is a little bit of overlap at the moment but I think the Celtic nations and the Italians are more closely aligned to the southern hemisphere.

“Maybe it's time we formed an alliance with them which is far stronger and looks at a calendar which is good for the game and not necessarily good for one broadcaster for instance.

“From there we can develop something like rugby league. They have a good balance between the international game where they've seen growth and a really strong club game.

“There's growth there because they've grappled with these issues.”

Hore has previously called for the Welsh regions to be allowed more foreign players to close the gap on their rivals from foreign countries.

The four sides this side of the Severn Bridge have struggled to impress in cross-border competition since the game turned professional.

The Ospreys, though, have had success having claimed four domestic titles since 2005.

“There's a real disconnect with the competitions we're playing in and it also links into a disconnect about the global season structure,” Hore added.

“We still want to develop players but it's hard to develop young players when they're surrounded by young players.

“We want to ensure we have a spine of talent who are of a high quality so we can compete and make the top six and stay in Europe.

“We feel the national bodies need to get together and look at this global season otherwise they're going to very much kill the entities which produce the players and coaches they need to develop.

“There's a massive tipping point at the moment where the competitions we're in don't have the same revenue as others.

“We don't want the same money as the French and the English because there are more factors to success than just cash."

Hore concluded: “It made me laugh when I picked up the newspaper and it said we should be like Connacht. Well, let's be like Connacht shall we?

“A significant amount of time, resource and energy is going into that and on top of that they contribute the least to the Irish national cause.

“If the papers want us to be like Connacht then I don't think that's going to be particularly satisfactory when it comes to the Welsh national cause moving forwards.”

Maybe an over sensationalised headline. But how can he moan “At the moment there are clubs, regions and provinces who are contributing the most and often they are the ones suffering the most because they're supporting the international game.", yet the Ospreys have more NDC players that the other three regions combined.

by True Raven Fri 8 Jan - 14:02

LordDowlais wrote:Look, I am all for NWQ players like Xavier Rush who will actually contribute to the Welsh players, it's players like Blane Scully that I do not want to see, he is now taking up a spot in the Cardiff Blues squad, and I do not think he has started a game yet, WTF is that all about ?

Also you cannot in a million miles tell me that Blane Scully is going to inspire the young fans and the younger players around him either.

The problem is, you can never tell who is going to be good or not. Filo Tia Tia only had two caps before he joined us but became a legend at the Ospreys for what he brought to the team. We signed Dmitri Arhip from Bucharesti in Romania and now he is a cornerstone of our pack, without him wed be stuck with the useless 'homegrown' players of Jarvis, Suter, Griffiths.

Who's to say that after a season of being 'bedded' in at the blues, that Blaine Scully wont be a big success. He could be the type of player like Fionn Carr (at Connacht a few years ago) or Tim Visser who scores treis for fun at this level which hopefully would lead to blues challenging for the top six at least.

The other option for the blues is young Aled Summerhill (who in TIME) could well become a very good player but he's not yet at the level to play regular rugby in the pro12. They signed a welsh qualified winger from Bristol two years ago becasue he was welsh but released because he wasnt good enough for the pro12.

by bedfordwelsh Fri 8 Jan - 14:19

True Raven wrote:
LordDowlais wrote:Look, I am all for NWQ players like Xavier Rush who will actually contribute to the Welsh players, it's players like Blane Scully that I do not want to see, he is now taking up a spot in the Cardiff Blues squad, and I do not think he has started a game yet, WTF is that all about ?

Also you cannot in a million miles tell me that Blane Scully is going to inspire the young fans and the younger players around him either.

The problem is, you can never tell who is going to be good or not. Filo Tia Tia only had two caps before he joined us but became a legend at the Ospreys for what he brought to the team. We signed Dmitri Arhip from Bucharesti in Romania and now he is a cornerstone of our pack, without him wed be stuck with the useless 'homegrown' players of Jarvis, Suter, Griffiths.

Who's to say that after a season of being 'bedded' in at the blues, that Blaine Scully wont be a big success. He could be the type of player like Fionn Carr (at Connacht a few years ago) or Tim Visser who scores treis for fun at this level which hopefully would lead to blues challenging for the top six at least.

The other option for the blues is young Aled Summerhill (who in TIME) could well become a very good player but he's not yet at the level to play regular rugby in the pro12. They signed a welsh qualified winger from Bristol two years ago becasue he was welsh but released because he wasnt good enough for the pro12.

You'd like to the the scouts or whoever are advising these clubs would know what they are on about but also agree with the Tia Tia reference. Look at Ben Blair when he signed for the Blues he only had what 4-5 caps but played a huge part in the Blues side at that time.

by True Raven Fri 8 Jan - 15:34

bedfordwelsh wrote:
True Raven wrote:
LordDowlais wrote:Look, I am all for NWQ players like Xavier Rush who will actually contribute to the Welsh players, it's players like Blane Scully that I do not want to see, he is now taking up a spot in the Cardiff Blues squad, and I do not think he has started a game yet, WTF is that all about ?

Also you cannot in a million miles tell me that Blane Scully is going to inspire the young fans and the younger players around him either.

The problem is, you can never tell who is going to be good or not. Filo Tia Tia only had two caps before he joined us but became a legend at the Ospreys for what he brought to the team. We signed Dmitri Arhip from Bucharesti in Romania and now he is a cornerstone of our pack, without him wed be stuck with the useless 'homegrown' players of Jarvis, Suter, Griffiths.

Who's to say that after a season of being 'bedded' in at the blues, that Blaine Scully wont be a big success. He could be the type of player like Fionn Carr (at Connacht a few years ago) or Tim Visser who scores treis for fun at this level which hopefully would lead to blues challenging for the top six at least.

The other option for the blues is young Aled Summerhill (who in TIME) could well become a very good player but he's not yet at the level to play regular rugby in the pro12. They signed a welsh qualified winger from Bristol two years ago becasue he was welsh but released because he wasnt good enough for the pro12.

You'd like to the the scouts or whoever are advising these clubs would know what they are on about but also agree with the Tia Tia reference. Look at Ben Blair when he signed for the Blues he only had what 4-5 caps but played a huge part in the Blues side at that time.

Exactly my point, the regional game is littered with players who weren't experienced internationals but have benefited Welsh Rugby. Hadleigh Parks is another one....no doubt hes had a big influence on the Scarlets and their great start to the season when they were missing Scott Williams at the world cup

by Cardiff Dave Fri 8 Jan - 20:56

GavinDragon wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:
Stone Motif wrote:
GavinDragon wrote:Who are the stand out welsh 8 and 5 who learnt from xavier rush and Paul tito?

Who are the stand out Welsh open side, inside centre and full back who established themselves playing alongside Rush and Tito,instead of being thrashed week in week out like their neighbours down the road because they had a couple of semi pros in the pack

Aye. And that inside centre you mention would've been a great full back for Wales. I blame Ben Blair for being too blydi marvelous.

Wasn't it gatland who switched Roberts to centre?

Oh aye. I'd forgotten about that.

by Cardiff Dave Sat 9 Jan - 18:36

Ospreys boat taking on water. Cardiff boat is catching.

by Cardiff Dave Sat 9 Jan - 18:49

LordDowlais wrote:Look, I am all for NWQ players like Xavier Rush who will actually contribute to the Welsh players, it's players like Blane Scully that I do not want to see, he is now taking up a spot in the Cardiff Blues squad, and I do not think he has started a game yet, WTF is that all about ?

Also you cannot in a million miles tell me that Blane Scully is going to inspire the young fans and the younger players around him either.

Dunno. Thought you knew as you're doing the whinging.
Hey, maybe they signed him just coz he's a Yank.

by Guest Sat 9 Jan - 18:55

Cardiff Dave wrote:Ospreys boat taking on water. Cardiff boat is catching.

Meanwhile, the old Dragons steam boat is chugging along at its normal pace, never faster, never slower, just a nice steady pace towards the back of the flotilla.

by Cardiff Dave Sat 9 Jan - 19:01

Griff wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:Ospreys boat taking on water. Cardiff boat is catching.

Meanwhile, the old Dragons steam boat is chugging along at its normal pace, never faster, never slower, just a nice steady pace towards the back of the flotilla.

Reminds me of the Africa Queen; requires a hefty whack now and again to wake it up and keep it chugging.

by Guest Sat 9 Jan - 21:47

Cardiff Dave wrote:
Griff wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:Ospreys boat taking on water. Cardiff boat is catching.

Meanwhile, the old Dragons steam boat is chugging along at its normal pace, never faster, never slower, just a nice steady pace towards the back of the flotilla.

Reminds me of the Africa Queen; requires a hefty whack now and again to wake it up and keep it chugging.

Sounds more like the Blues: give 'em a whack, a kick up the backside, and they start performing. The Dragons are more like that old reliable car that starts first time, every time, but is never going to win any races or points for style. The family wagon of the regional car pool.

Anyway, less of the analogies. Congrats on your turnaround in fortunes. clap

by Cardiff Dave Sun 10 Jan - 19:22

Griff wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:
Griff wrote:
Cardiff Dave wrote:Ospreys boat taking on water. Cardiff boat is catching.

Meanwhile, the old Dragons steam boat is chugging along at its normal pace, never faster, never slower, just a nice steady pace towards the back of the flotilla.

Reminds me of the Africa Queen; requires a hefty whack now and again to wake it up and keep it chugging.

Sounds more like the Blues: give 'em a whack, a kick up the backside, and they start performing. The Dragons are more like that old reliable car that starts first time, every time, but is never going to win any races or points for style. The family wagon of the regional car pool.

Anyway, less of the analogies. Congrats on your turnaround in fortunes.

Austin Allegro?

by wayne Wed 13 Jan - 10:12

Tandy in his weekly Press Conference said that Arhip is out and they are monitoring Lydiate and Matavesi with the former very doubtful with a stinger, although it is not a long term injury, unlike Ardron who it appears has had a relapse and could be out for 6 to 8 weeks further, in other news it appears Rhys Webb will not be available until the end of February.
It would be nice if we could partner Watkin and Matavesi in the centre if Josh makes a recovery, we could be in serious trouble in the scrum if we have Jarvis and Fia as our selected tight heads, although I must admit Jarvis had a decent game last weekend, when he had a good battle with McGrath, it must be obvious now that our best 2 second row options are AWJ and Thornton, as good in the endeavour department Ashley is, he is not good enough in this Tier of Rugby

by Coleman Thu 14 Jan - 7:32

You've signed JJ Englebrecht until the end of the season. Good bit of work that. Congrats.

by wayne Thu 14 Jan - 8:21

Coleman wrote:You've signed JJ Englebrecht until the end of the season. Good bit of work that. Congrats.

Yes good signing, BUT only till seasons end and we don't have him till February.

by ScarletSpiderman Thu 14 Jan - 8:49

wayne wrote:
Coleman wrote:You've signed JJ Englebrecht until the end of the season. Good bit of work that. Congrats.
Yes good signing, BUT only till seasons end and we don't have him till February.

Good signing to either help you push for euro gold (if you make the QFs), or help you continue the march up the Pro12.

by mikey_dragon Thu 14 Jan - 11:16

wayne wrote:
Coleman wrote:You've signed JJ Englebrecht until the end of the season. Good bit of work that. Congrats.
Yes good signing, BUT only till seasons end and we don't have him till February.

Why? Seems a bit of a money earner on his part. Are Ospreys hoping he re-signs after this contract?

by True Raven Thu 14 Jan - 11:21

I'm hoping the management dont think that when Beck comes back next season we'll be well stocked at centre so wont need Engelbrecht.

I'd be more than happy having Matevesi and Engelbrecht in the midfield next season with Beck as back up and develop Owen Watkin for the future.

Hopefully the days of a Ben John and Spratt midfield will be well and truly over

by ScarletSpiderman Thu 14 Jan - 11:24

True Raven wrote:I'm hoping the management dont think that when Beck comes back next season we'll be well stocked at centre so wont need Engelbrecht.

I'd be more than happy having Matevesi and Engelbrecht in the midfield next season with Beck as back up and develop Owen Watkin for the future.

Hopefully the days of a Ben John and Spratt midfield will be well and truly over

Tandy said something about the Ospreys having a good succession plan in place. So it would look like they have faith in the youngsters coming though.

by True Raven Thu 14 Jan - 13:41

I really hope not..... Owen Watkin has just turned 19 and although he has a huge ceiling needs to be nurtured properly and not flogged at a young age. Any other youngster we have in our acadamy cant surely be ready for pro rugby by September.

I'm hopeful he'll be on a longer term deal at the end of the year. Hopefully AWJ re-signs and then spend any money saved up by NDC on a quality NWQ back three player and we'll be set for a title challenge next year

by wayne Thu 14 Jan - 13:58

True Raven wrote:I'm hoping the management dont think that when Beck comes back next season we'll be well stocked at centre so wont need Engelbrecht.

I'd be more than happy having Matevesi and Engelbrecht in the midfield next season with Beck as back up and develop Owen Watkin for the future.

Hopefully the days of a Ben John and Spratt midfield will be well and truly over

Absolutely Spot on True Raven, Owen in a couple of seasons will be a seasoned 12 or 13 learning off them 2.

by wayne Thu 14 Jan - 17:18

Ospreys selected team for CA match on Friday
Evans, Dirksen, Spratt, Matavesi, Walker, Biggar, Leonard, James, Baldwin, Jarvis, Ashley, AWJ, Underhill, Tipuric, King with Parry, Smith, Fia, Thornton, Baker, Habberfield, Davies and Watkin on the bench. Baldwin makes his 100th appearance for us.
He still persists with Ashley over Thornton I and many on our Forum wouldn't, a number also would have played Watkin over Spratt, it would have been nice to have been able to select Engelbrecht if we could have had him now, although he should be around by the time the 6N is on.
We have to take all the opportunities that come our way and then that might not be enough, we just have to hope and pray.
PS, there is no fool like an old fool, I did put the team up earlier, but it seemed to have been erased by myself. Senility breaking out early.

by ScarletSpiderman Thu 14 Jan - 17:20

Wayne, is Thornton seen as AWJs replacement as an athletic line out type lock, and Ashley as more of a lump? That's the only reason I could think of.

by VinceWLB Thu 14 Jan - 17:35

Ashley a lump? he is more like a failed back rower who tries to make it in the 2nd row despite a considerable lack of grunt and weight for him to be a successful one.

by wayne Thu 14 Jan - 18:41

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Wayne, is Thornton seen as AWJs replacement as an athletic line out type lock, and Ashley as more of a lump? That's the only reason I could think of.

SS, I think in a way Lloyd has been shoved in because he is a willing lad, he would have not have had anywhere near the number of appearances if either Bernardo or Steenkamp hadn't suffered the injuries they had here, why he's in there now is mystifying Thornton as you could see last week is far superior, Beard who was in the U20s with Thornton has been injured and only recently returned, 4 or 5 years down the line them 2 with Rhodri Hughes will be our 2nd row options.

by wayne Thu 14 Jan - 18:54

VinceWLB wrote:Ashley a lump? he is more like a failed back rower who tries to make it in the 2nd row despite a considerable lack of grunt and weight for him to be a successful one.

Vince, I've put on here before, about Ashley having a stat record of around 370 (think) tackles last year without missing any, and these figures were not at seasons end, there was a short period when he was out injured and he bulked up to 18st 3lb, is that big enough? who knows, he won't let you down, but he definitely doesn't have the influence that Thornton does.

by mikey_dragon Thu 14 Jan - 20:22

He looks a bit light, I'd say the 18st is exaggerated, which the stats collectors have been known to do. It's not hard to tell, just compare him to other players - he looks more like Aaron Shingler's build.

by wayne Thu 14 Jan - 21:20

mikey_dragon wrote:He looks a bit light, I'd say the 18st is exaggerated, which the stats collectors have been known to do. It's not hard to tell, just compare him to other players - he looks more like Aaron Shingler's build.

You could be right Mikey, those figures were given by the Ospreys on their website, but on the Forum those figures are believed to be questionable, as is the figures about his height. I know that the figures for one of our lesser props for his height is at least 2" too tall probably 3", because I've stood right by the side of him and I was practically looking into his eyes.
According to the website just now he is 17st 13lb and 6ft 5" whether that has been updated I don't know

by mikey_dragon Thu 14 Jan - 21:27

One thing you can say though, is the stats for Beard and Thornton probably aren't exaggerated.

by wayne Thu 14 Jan - 21:30

mikey_dragon wrote:One thing you can say though, is the stats for Beard and Thornton probably aren't exaggerated.

Look at my edit above Mikey

by VinceWLB Thu 14 Jan - 21:40

Wayne, with his commitment and pretty high workrate Ashley would make an ok blindside but no way he should be packing down in the row at this level. The other day he was driven back in the tackle by a scrumhalf.

by wayne Thu 14 Jan - 21:41

mikey_dragon wrote:One thing you can say though, is the stats for Beard and Thornton probably aren't exaggerated.

No, at 6'8" and 6'7" respectively and still a couple of years to still grow, they could be some specimens

by wayne Thu 14 Jan - 21:45

VinceWLB wrote:Wayne, with his commitment and pretty high workrate Ashley would make an ok blindside but no way he should be packing down in the row at this level. The other day he was driven back in the tackle by a scrumhalf.

Vince you are obviously looking out for him, I don't, I have all our games on Sky+, when did this happen, you don't have to be exact just which game and around what time?

by VinceWLB Thu 14 Jan - 21:54

It was fairly recent, not the Scarlets and Bordeaux away games as i missed them. Possibly the Dragons or Leinster or maybe even the Zebre away game but i have this memory of him being driven back by a scrumhalf.

by wayne Fri 15 Jan - 12:16

VinceWLB wrote:It was fairly recent, not the Scarlets and Bordeaux away games as i missed them. Possibly the Dragons or Leinster or maybe even the Zebre away game but i have this memory of him being driven back by a scrumhalf.

I'm afraid you're going to have to be a lot more accurate than that, you can't even distinguish between 2 matches in the last fortnight and another 6 weeks ago (that is not recent), was that game even televised? was he knocked back after being tackled by someone else? did he get tackled as he was receiving the ball standing still, if it is so prominent in your memory you would know which match and probably which half. Let me just add this incident has not been mentioned specifically as you put it on our Forum, it has been mentioned how he is poor in contact.Give me an idea and i'll have a look for it.

by Guest Fri 15 Jan - 12:28

Lighten up Wayne!

by wayne Fri 15 Jan - 13:26

Griff wrote:Lighten up Wayne!

Griff I'm cool, I've already said what I think of Lloyd, he shouldn't be where he is IMO, I think he is decent enough as a squad filler, he should be around the 3rd or 4th 2nd row as a front of the line jumper. In other words 5th or 6th choice 2nd row overall. He gets the same amount of stick off a number on our own board.
Don't forget we were down to our 5th and 6th choice loose heads in the early part of last season, all teams NEED those types of players and IMO Lloyd gets too much stick.

by mikey_dragon Fri 15 Jan - 15:15

Yeah, Tandy should probably be the one getting more stick. #jobsfortheboys

by VinceWLB Fri 15 Jan - 15:21

I'm sorry Wayne but i wont be able to be more specific, best leave it at the fact he is a very poor ball carrier and he shouldn't be put into that position. With him and King thats quite an underpowered set of forwards to face a team like Clermont, thankfully for you Underhill will be playing.

Best of luck tonight but i think Lydiate and Arhip injuries wont give you a fair chance to qualify for the final stage.

by mikey_dragon Fri 15 Jan - 15:24

Yeah good luck tonight boyo's, it's needed.

by wayne Fri 15 Jan - 15:52

mikey_dragon wrote:Yeah good luck tonight boyo's, it's needed.

Same to you Mikey, I agree we do need some good luck, there couldn't have been a better incentive than what whocares says in the other thread about the Teams selected for the other game in our group tomorrow, will be leaving in about an hour and hopefully coming home hoarse from cheering a win.

by Cardiff Dave Fri 15 Jan - 17:53

mikey_dragon wrote:Yeah good luck tonight boyo's, it's needed.

Come on Foxy! He's a boyo too btw.

by eirebilly Fri 15 Jan - 18:02

Could not find a thread on tonight's game, will be tuning into hopefully see an Osprey's win.

Best of luck tonight lads thumbsup

by Cardiff Dave Fri 15 Jan - 18:37

Come on Montferrand. Let's be 'aving ewe!!!

by eirebilly Fri 15 Jan - 19:55

ASM are in, worst possible start for the Ospreys as Lopez slips through the defence and sends Fofana over.

Not sure if I am seeing things but I am sure Biggar copped two nasty little whacks to the head from the ASM defence after about 2mins...

by **Notch** Fri 15 Jan - 20:19

Respect for Alun Wyn-Jones asking Barnes not to send Kolelishvili to the bin. Great sportsmanship.

Probably the right call from Barnes though!

by eirebilly Fri 15 Jan - 20:21

Alun Wynn Jones, take a bow for sportsmanship.
There was a little niggle and he asked Barnes not to send him to the bin. Love sportsmanship like that clap

by VinceWLB Fri 15 Jan - 20:23

I suspect Kolelishvili went to the bin for both this as well as his stupid push on Barnes.

by eirebilly Fri 15 Jan - 20:25

VinceWLB wrote:I suspect Kolelishvili went to the bin for both this as well as his stupid push on Barnes.

I thought the push was comical but you cant do that I do think that Barnes said that the yellow card was cumulative so his earlier push is what sealed the YC.

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