Ospreys 2015/16 Season

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.

Shouldn't it have been a flanker? How are the scrums holding up?

nathan wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

VinceWLB wrote:hahaha what a joke of a competition, yellow card for that?

Appeasing their French and English masters aren't they.

We got one in our game too, silly comment.

Get off this thread if you're going to do your usual whinging and telling tales - nobody wants you in here.

https://vine.co/v/iiqHJmpVAQq

Yellow seems fair enough to me, it's stupid, reckless play. You'd get away with it at club level, but not European rugby

Then again could always just blame the English

mikey_dragon wrote:

nathan wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

VinceWLB wrote:hahaha what a joke of a competition, yellow card for that?

Appeasing their French and English masters aren't they.

We got one in our game too, silly comment.

Get off this thread if you're going to do your usual whinging and telling tales - nobody wants you in here.

Get stuffed, you are the one whinging! I am allowe an opinion you know.

BamBam wrote:https://vine.co/v/iiqHJmpVAQq

Yellow seems fair enough to me, it's stupid, reckless play. You'd get away with it at club level, but not European rugby

Then again could always just blame the English

Actually didn't think that was too bad, stupid and possibly a penalty but the guy makes the most of it that's for sure.

nathan wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

nathan wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

VinceWLB wrote:hahaha what a joke of a competition, yellow card for that?

Appeasing their French and English masters aren't they.

We got one in our game too, silly comment.

Get off this thread if you're going to do your usual whinging and telling tales - nobody wants you in here.

Get stuffed, you are the one whinging! I am allowe an opinion you know.

All you do is whinge in every comment, and you're on here an awful lot of the time. Go sort your life out and stop derailing this thread.

Ospreys throwing it all away against Exeter. From possible home quarter final to being knocked out completely.

eirebilly wrote:

BamBam wrote:https://vine.co/v/iiqHJmpVAQq

Yellow seems fair enough to me, it's stupid, reckless play. You'd get away with it at club level, but not European rugby

Then again could always just blame the English

Actually didn't think that was too bad, stupid and possibly a penalty but the guy makes the most of it that's for sure.

Maybe he did when already on the floor, but it was definitely a hard enough hit for him to go to ground like that, especially considering his body was facing the other way and had probably relaxed after making the pass 

Don't think yellow is excessive at all

eirebilly wrote:

BamBam wrote:https://vine.co/v/iiqHJmpVAQq

Yellow seems fair enough to me, it's stupid, reckless play. You'd get away with it at club level, but not European rugby

Then again could always just blame the English

Actually didn't think that was too bad, stupid and possibly a penalty but the guy makes the most of it that's for sure.

Oh he sure does, possibly playing the wrong sport. It was a bit of a shoulder charge too so I don't think the ref had a choice.

Come on Sprey's. Keep the dream alive.

Ohhhh well.

Costly 10 minutes in the bin now. Silly penalty/yellow really

Pot Hale wrote:Ospreys throwing it all away against Exeter. From possible home quarter final to being knocked out completely.

The running and line break stats are quite overwhelming in exeters favour.

Three more Os tries in the last quarter would be great for Ospreys

Aimless kick by Sam Davies. Right to Exeter's big runner.

And Clermont deliver a hammer blow with the bonus point in the bag. But Bordeaux aren't giving up at least.

BamBam wrote:

eirebilly wrote:

BamBam wrote:https://vine.co/v/iiqHJmpVAQq

Yellow seems fair enough to me, it's stupid, reckless play. You'd get away with it at club level, but not European rugby

Then again could always just blame the English

Actually didn't think that was too bad, stupid and possibly a penalty but the guy makes the most of it that's for sure.

Maybe he did when already on the floor, but it was definitely a hard enough hit for him to go to ground like that, especially considering his body was facing the other way and had probably relaxed after making the pass 

Don't think yellow is excessive at all

I guess we all see things differently, To me it looks like he is going to make the tackle, the ball is offloaded and less than 1/2 a second passes before the contact. Looks to me like the Exeter boy knew exactly what he was doing there. That said, the Osprey's lad should have done a lot better in pulling away from the contact and pretty much left the ref with no choice other than to penalise, just feel the yellow was harsh.

Clermont now back in the lead and have the 4 try bonus point.

I think it was a big ask anyway to get a win down there but they been making it harder for themselves all game.

mikey_dragon wrote:

nathan wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

nathan wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

VinceWLB wrote:hahaha what a joke of a competition, yellow card for that?

Appeasing their French and English masters aren't they.

We got one in our game too, silly comment.

Get off this thread if you're going to do your usual whinging and telling tales - nobody wants you in here.

Get stuffed, you are the one whinging! I am allowe an opinion you know.

All you do is whinge in every comment, and you're on here an awful lot of the time. Go sort your life out and stop derailing this thread.

You are such a hypocrite, anyway back to the rugby

Exeter have the bonus as well.

What a turnaround for Ospreys. Do they go bottom of the pool if this keeps up?

I believe here! The O's have been cracking away from home in the last 10 mins.

THERE WE GO! How about a yellow?

This will be a close finish, what do Ospreys need?

Is it just the win with a bp?

Bordeaux Begles may just beat ASM

Why did they bring Davies on at wing, an injury? If he's made errors (like he usually does) then I guess we will have seen the last of fans touting him for Wales honours.

eirebilly wrote:Bordeaux Begles may just beat ASM

Bordeaux have scored. Back in the lead

Coleman wrote:THERE WE GO! How about a yellow?

Why didn't they get one then?

Bordeaux ahead with a bonus point. Exeter ahead with a bonus point.

This is thrilling - even on the BBC lives scores section!

As it stands, I think Exeter will go through!

Alex_Germany wrote:Bordeaux ahead with a bonus point. Exeter ahead with a bonus point.

This is thrilling - even on the BBC lives scores section!

As it stands, I think Exeter will go through!

I think it makes Exeter level on points with clermont with clermont still going through

eirebilly wrote:Bordeaux Begles may just beat ASM

And deny ASM a LBP
One for the glory

Oh well, shocking result for Ospreys then.

Bordeaux have TBP as well I think

No - I think Ospreys on points difference, unless Exeter get another try, or Cleremont draw.

That's it for the Osprey's. Really gutted for them and their fans.

Well done to Bordeaux Begles though

eirebilly wrote:That's it for the Osprey's. Really gutted for them and their fans.

Well done to Bordeaux Begles though

+ 1.

mikey_dragon wrote:

Coleman wrote:THERE WE GO! How about a yellow?

Why didn't they get one then?

I have no idea. Ref bottled it is my guess. I certainly felt it was a card.

Do Exeter need to win by 16 points to beat Ospreys on points difference?

Ospreys were +12, Exeter -19, so 31 points. +16 points would send Exeter through by 1 point?

Pot Hale wrote:Bordeaux have TBP as well I think

Yes but our H2H against Exeter is not good so we were out as soon as Exeter scored a TBP.
First home defeat of ASM in 28 games I think.

whocares wrote:

eirebilly wrote:Bordeaux Begles may just beat ASM

And deny ASM a LBP
One for the glory

Happy days

Finished 28-37 for BB. They really are some force when it comes to running rugby. French flair is alive and well down that way.

Fair play to Joe Worseley

BT says Exeter through.

So are Exeter through by a points difference of +1.

That must be the closest result ever.

Blimey, commiserations Ospreys - best team of the pro12 this year for me

Not sure Parra didn't opt to kick a penalty with seconds to go that would have given them the LBP and 16 points in total.
Anyway it's been fun and Ckermont are really the ultimate chokers so sort of glad they are out before embarrassing themselves further. Shame we lost at home to them.

Wow. Some result for McCafferty & Co. Five of the quarter final spots home ties over the French and the PRO 12 completely routed.

Bottle of champagne to that man.

If true then well done Exeter. Their rise from championship rugby to this level is remarkable. From what I've seen they're also an entertaining team to watch play rugby with a squad of mostly homegrown players. Them and Quins are my favourite English teams.