Alex Cuthbert - real deal?

Before the 6N, he showed great promise but had some flaky moments. However in the red shirt of Wales he has looked a class act and hardly put a foot wrong in a spectacular tournament. Fast forward to last Friday night against the Scarlets, he showed some class at times but far too many errors to be considered top class.
Will he eliminate these errors as he gains experience?

I'm sure he will. Stupidly conceded the Fenby try by not diving on the ball second time ball was put through he was magnificent in diving on it and securing play.

A great example of a young guy learning from their mistakes.

Needs to work on his tackling after North ran over him far too easily.

Great footwork for a big lump though!

Tattie Scones RRN wrote:Needs to work on his tackling after North ran over him far too easily.

Great footwork for a big lump though!

He sure does, though if not being able to tackle George North is the measure of a player most of world rugby will be found wanting, he is also a lump of a man with great footwork.

Ach, he's only a young lad, I'm sure there's plenty more to come from his yet - wish him the best

He is still young, considering that he had a great start and I am sure the beleif the coach and players around him has in him wil help a lot.

He will improve with experience and in my view shows as much promise as North if not more.

young guy, massive promise. Has the skills, needs a bit more experience, which he'll get.

No problem & a great prospect for Wales

Just another Banahan IMO, he'll have his moments but I think defences will work him out.

North is a little different as he has a great rugby brain for someone so young, not in the Lomu class just yet mind, but he'll get his fair share of tries at the top level.

HERSH wrote:Just another Banahan IMO, he'll have his moments but I think defences will work him out.

North is a little different as he has a great rugby brain for someone so young, not in the Lomu class just yet mind, but he'll get his fair share of tries at the top level.

Rubbish, his try agaisnt France was superb, Banahan wouldn't have spotted the gap and jiinked and swerved like him.

Whaddup hersh?

Haven't seen you around, I have missed your spritely personality, been on holiday?

HERSH, you relocated to Capetown?

biltongbek wrote:HERSH, you relocated to Capetown?

They needed someone to stand next to PDV to make him look good

munkian wrote:

biltongbek wrote:HERSH, you relocated to Capetown?

They needed someone to stand next to PDV to make him look good

Sadly that won't help.

munkian wrote:

HERSH wrote:Just another Banahan IMO, he'll have his moments but I think defences will work him out.

North is a little different as he has a great rugby brain for someone so young, not in the Lomu class just yet mind, but he'll get his fair share of tries at the top level.

Rubbish, his try agaisnt France was superb, Banahan wouldn't have spotted the gap and jiinked and swerved like him.

One swallow doesn't make a summer!

Once he gets a little older he'll lose that nimbleness and just become another battering ram.

Attack the post not the poster guys!

Hersh, you are sneaky my friend, I know what you removed there.

I think that after the Ireland game when they couldn't tackle North, he attracted more of the defence, freeing up sapce for Cuthbert. They'll close him down now. Of course this means there will be more space for someone else. As long as Wales use him correctly I don't doubt he can crack on.

Matt Banahan
age 25
Place of birth St Helier, Jersey
Height 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
Weight 116 kg (18 st 4 lb) [1]
Caps 16 Points 20

Alex Cuthbert
age 21
Place of birth Gloucester, England
Height 198 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Weight 104 kg (16 st 5 lb)
Caps 6 Points 15


Not too many differences IMO, once Cuthbert puts on some bulk and gets moved to Centre.

not in the Lomu class just yet mind, but he'll get his fair share of tries at the top level.

Depends on how you look at it though HERSH, North is better under the high ball and has a better kicking game. Lomu wasn't great in those regards. Ok ball in hand Lomu does have the edge over north but then he never faced big wingers like North does. SA managed to contain Lomu in the 95 world cup fairly well once they worked him out.

2 stone is quite a difference, at least 3 or 4 pints

HERSH wrote:Matt Banahan
age 25
Place of birth St Helier, Jersey
Height 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
Weight 116 kg (18 st 4 lb) [1]
Caps 16 Points 20

Alex Cuthbert
age 21
Place of birth Gloucester, England
Height 198 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Weight 104 kg (16 st 5 lb)
Caps 6 Points 15


Not too many differences IMO, once Cuthbert puts on some bulk and gets moved to Centre.

Other than points scored per caps

Alex Cuthbert. aka George North mk2.

The differences between Cuthbert and Banahan.....

1 has shown large amounts of physicality at this level, one couldnt get past shane williams 5 metres from the line one on one.......

1 has shown real pace and an understanding of running angles, one has some nice tattoos.......

1 is on his way to matching the others points scored in half as many games with a grandslam under his belt.......

1 rides horses, the other is a donkey......

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

HERSH wrote:Matt Banahan
age 25
Place of birth St Helier, Jersey
Height 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
Weight 116 kg (18 st 4 lb) [1]
Caps 16 Points 20

Alex Cuthbert
age 21
Place of birth Gloucester, England
Height 198 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Weight 104 kg (16 st 5 lb)
Caps 6 Points 15


Not too many differences IMO, once Cuthbert puts on some bulk and gets moved to Centre.

Other than points scored per caps

Was going to point that one out but it felt like kicking a puppy

Comfort wrote:Alex Cuthbert. aka George North mk2.

The differences between Cuthbert and Banahan.....

1 has shown large amounts of physicality at this level, one couldnt get past shane williams 5 metres from the line one on one.......

1 has shown real pace and an understanding of running angles, one has some nice tattoos.......

1 is on his way to matching the others points scored in half as many games with a grandslam under his belt.......

1 rides horses, the other is a donkey......

This is completely ridiculous.

Bananaman's tattoos are awful

When Banahan was just a winger his tries per caps was very similar, it's since his confidence was shattered by moving him to Centre that the tries have dried up.

Two peas in a pod!

It’s good that the Welsh hold an Englishman in such high regard for once.

It is his first season - he learns with every game, and no doubt will learn more from his mistakes.

sorry HERSH, but being moved from wing to centre doesnt negate your physicality/pace on the field. He was out on the wing when he came up against shane too.

I think banahans a good club player, but he isnt dynamic enough for test level, thats why he gets found out.

Cuthbert on the other hand, has shown he has all of the attributes to be a star for wales at test-level, he has a alot to improve upon, but at his age thats expected, and its things he can be coached which is encouraging.

I think Cuthbert will surpass banahans acheivements within the next calender year and hopefully go on to bigger things.

He'll have a lot of competition with Morgan Stoddart back and able to cover wing/FB, theres 4 test-level players vying for the back 3 spots with Wales, and with players like Liam Williams, Hanno Dirksen, Eli Walker & Harry Robinson coming through, this battle for spots will only intensify.

For what its worth I think part of the reason Banahan never really worked out was that he was a victim of Johnsons inability to work tactics around the players he had available, he just kept trying to shoehorn players into his system that didnt seem to work out.

"Once he gets a little older he'll lose that nimbleness"

Given that he's 21, I don't think we need worry just yet.

It doesn't take long for someone of that size, North already has a glass ankle.

He's tall, he isn't excessively bulky.

Not yet!

Why will he bulk up HERSH? Can big men not keep their weight down?

Because his 7's days are behind him, he'll end up in the gym just like all the rest of them, and he'll bulk up.

Why?

I need a reason, does he have a glandular problem, is he diabetic, or is he addicted to protein shakes?

Sam Warburton has been in the gym since the age of 12, and is one of the biggest gym bunnies known to man, how big is he?

Why not?

Well if thats the case I cannot wait for Farrell to pile on the pounds... WHY NOT?

why not indeed

Farrell, the next andy goode!

To be fair to Cuthbert he seems to make his mistakes at regional level and not international level, and he is young and still learning. George North went through a rather poor patch at the back end of last season, where he was over running passes, missing some tackles, dropping balls etc. He worked through thta iffy patch and has played well since, so I can't see why one silly mistake (and no support from any other Blues player) means Cuthbert has been found out/not up to the job.

Is that the same Andy Goode who has more HC winners medals than the rest of wales put together?

HERSH wrote:Is that the same Andy Goode who has more HC winners medals than the rest of wales put together?

Ieuan Evans and Rob Howley have HEC winners medals!

Two Welsh greats!

Which Englishman do the Welsh hold in high esteem? Banahan or Cuthbert?

I'm starting to think that anyone with a decent amount of talent can be the real deal for their first few caps, while they're still relatively unknown by the teams they're playing against.

Unfortunately after various spaces of time all player will get singled out and focused on by the opposition defences. This'll happen to Cuthbert at some point. The trick is to have gamebreakers in as many positions as possible. The opposition can't easily divide special attention the more players they have to focus on.

Wales' recent exploits are a fine example, in NZ Roberts led the charge and was making ground against ridiculous numbers.
In Dublin he was covered more effectively but North stepped up and devastated the Irish.
For the rest of the tournament North was mainly surrounded by defenders, which was Cuthbert's cue to shine.
You could even mention Scott Williams at Twickenham, the English came prepared for extreme physicality and as a result looked a little stumped by Williams' angles and speed when he came on.

It must also be said that the defensive lines employed by France and Italy and to a degree England have worked far too effectively for my liking. It started with 6 tries in two games and ended with just 4 in three. The backs must be more intelligent when confronted with thick defences, break them down with penalties and kick over the top to put them under pressure in their own half. We're in danger of becoming too one-dimensional.

Knows it, I'd look more at the France game to see Roberts and JD2 vary their tactics a lot more. Halfpenny kicked at every opportunity whereas he ran nearly everything else back before that French game.

they're all still very young and learning, Roberts is the daddy of midfield and he's not even the wrong side of his 20's yet. Says it all!

Priestlands had his wobbles, but he's delivered when its mattered and Gatlands already said he wants this team to go through extremely tough situation/games to toughen them up. I have no doubt that the loss against France in the World cup set us up for this 6nations. Now is the real time to see them kick on against Oz.

Every single player in the back line now has the attention of international coaches. Even the replacements have proved themselves capable of turning a game on its head. It'll be interesting to see defensive formations over the next year or so.

The best tactic so far has been the English/Italian one of throwing 3 defenders at Priestland every time he gets the ball, problem is, if the ball gets out as far as JD2, theres gaps, and he will find them or put 1 of the back 3 into them.

The try he scored against France was right in front of me (I'm still having corrective surgery on my larynx ), he's the real deal.

thebluesmancometh wrote:Why?

I need a reason, does he have a glandular problem, is he diabetic, or is he addicted to protein shakes?

Sam Warburton has been in the gym since the age of 12, and is one of the biggest gym bunnies known to man, how big is he?

Apprently, Warbs and North who both used to use some gym up in Pontypridd have been told to stay off the weights to keep their weight down.