TIME TO PICK FORM PLAYERS.

Timme for welsh set up to stop picking mates ie,WARBURTON,ROBERTS,PREISTLAND etc and select players on form ie TIPS,BIGGS AND MP. AT THIS RATE WE WON,T WIN A GAME ,OH AND NOT FORGETTING P JAMES INSTEAD OF GETH THE GRASS EATER.

My worry, like has been mentioned before is who will play l/head against Australia.

I agree that James should start ahead of Jenkins who can't get regular starts for Toulon at the mo BUT neither will be available for the Australia game so is there maybe a case for starting Bevington in the next two in preperation?

Most on this forum have been saying pick on form but the Welsh management ignore form there seems to be a bias towards Cardiff players since Howley has been involved, how can you justify Warburton and Roberts starting based on form this season or last. It is a wonder they have not selected Tom James again or Scott Andrews, if these last two played for any other team they would not get near the Welsh team.

How many Welsh supporters would pick Knoyle and Preistland to start outside of the Scarlet region?

How many supporters would not have second row cover on the bench?

How many supporters would pick Turnbull at 6, most would pick Shingler who is first choice at the Scarlets and can cover second row.

I don't rate out number 8 based on his form and poor handling but R Jones is not fit so Toby was probably the best option today.

I can see Henson back for the 6N after a disaster of an AI series.

The reason for some of the selections is the Welsh management like gym monkeys and ignore talent.

P.S. I hope Howley is gone before the 6N but I doubt it.

Alun,

Howley won't be gone so might as well give us the wooden spoon now, I thought Faletau had good game today.

bedfordwelsh wrote:Alun,

Howley won't be gone so might as well give us the wooden spoon now, I thought Faletau had good game today.

I think he had a better game than at least 6 of his mates in the pack - but not necessarily a good game.

The team won't change. To do so would be admitting that he made a mistake, that's not his style. The only changes will be in the 2nd row if AWJ is injured, and Biggar will come onto the bench with Liam Williams dropping out of the 23.

Best thing about us losing today is that he can't stick out a scratch pack next week and start Biggar at 10 to be made to look bad as per usual, which is EXACTLY what he would have done to him.
Everyone saw that coming today, it's really quite worrying that the management team couldn't. See, that's the difference between looking good in TRAINING and in an ACTUAL GAME Mr Howley.

"He trained well in Poland...*

The Lions will be off to Poland after the 6N next year to select the starting gym monkeys.

I can agree on two players whom have not impressed me since the world cup.

Warburton has lost complete form, his impact yesterday again was virtually non existent.

Priestland for me just doesn't seem that he controls much, his decision making at times also lethis team down.

samuraidragon wrote:"He trained well in Poland...*

What is so special about Poland? They seem to their every year before the tournament starts.

It kinds of reminds me about Graham Henry. when he was in charge of the All Blacks. I think it was before 2007 rugby world cup, he took every all black player out of the super 14 comp and put them into a special training camp. And they still did not win the rugby world cup that year. ( it seems like a waste of time) to me any way.

majesticimperialman wrote:

samuraidragon wrote:"He trained well in Poland...*

What is so special about Poland? They seem to their every year before the tournament starts.

It kinds of reminds me about Graham Henry. when he was in charge of the All Blacks. I think it was before 2007 rugby world cup, he took every all black player out of the super 14 comp and put them into a special training camp. And they still did not win the rugby world cup that year. ( it seems like a waste of time) to me any way.

Facilities which we cant match in Wales for short term fitness gains, but it cant help if the players are off form

quite right hg, exactly what i was saying this last week , they'll chuck biggar on and crucify him, howleys way as he just doesn like the guy, end of.

shaun edwards said replacements are not as good as our 'first choice 15, and 'we had no impact from the bench' well they picked the bench!!!where was shingler? biggar?

ok some of our first 15 are injured, but jarvis did ok. tipps and hibbard were at least trying , edwards is now joining howley with his one size fits all comments.

In all fairness gav lots of coaches just switch off and rattle the same tired comments off!!

Well maybe now that the elusive 4th place in the ranking has gone maybe he will pick form players.

The sad truth is that picking form players will only do so much if the gameplan remains the same. It's a limited, attritional gameplan and it only works when a) it's played at pace and intensity, and b) we're bigger and stronger than our opponents. There's a genuine absence of skill in what we do. We don't play any football. This has been the case for a good few seasons and recent sucess has blinded people to it.

It was saddening to see a Welsh side with so little creative attacking threat on Saturday. We used to take pride in our footballing ability. Saturday's performance was almost the betrayal of a heritage.

'Form players' may well have earned a cap, but we haven't anyone waiting on the sidelines who's going to come on and make the slightest difference. At best it's swapping like-for-like, at worst throwing in good Rabo players who will never cut it at test level.

As Luckless says - it's all about Gatland's Gameplan. We've played one way, regardless of opposition and regardless of scoreline, since 2008. When we have our absolute best XV on the pitch we often get away with it. When we have even one or two of the first team missing, it all falls apart.

Getting away with it is right. Most of our recent wins have been by narrow margins, because international defences are hard to unlock - and we're not bothering with the lock in any case, we're just trying to smash the door in.

i'm hoping that if biggar gets a chance he will try something different to 'the plan' if its not working.

BUT if he does change something he will never be picked again..........

' 'you are players, not coaches, do as you are told, you are not supposed to think and play what is infront of you, you stick to the game plan...OR ELSE !!!

and that friends is the problem, no one wants to lose their place, so they put up and shut up.

gavstar.

Shouldn't you ( the coaches )that is, only pick the most in form players anyway?

Surely they should know that by now.

I was just wandering how many changes ( if any) will be made for the Samoa game. We no they have to make 2 for sure, Alun Wyn, Jamie Roberts.

But how many more will they be?

I can see whole sale changes majestic, but where the logic of picking the form players fails in Wales is we think that the players will up their game playing test rugby.

maj , i expect players to think , and make decisions with regards to whats in front of them.

also, players are told if xyz is not working, captain or whoever has been given the call, will have the go ahead to call a different move from the first pattern of play if the opposition have been smashing us for the last half hour, and we havent been out of our own half!!

good coaches do not have to wait for the half time whistle to see the team react to what is happening around them.