Wales (Home) v Wales Exiles

First, apologies if this has been done before, I cant recollect seeing a post in this form, but the old grey matter isn't what it used to be...

With no plan agreed to stop the Welsh player exodus, and with confirmation yesterday that Dan Lydiate and Jamie Roberts will sign for Racing Metro, I thought I'd put together a Wales v Wales (Exile) side to see what it would look like...

Based on players stated intentions from next season (2013-14), my thoughts are:-

Wales (HOME)
1 Gethin Jenkins
2 Richard Hibbard
3 Adam Jones
4 Alun Wynn Jones
5 Ian Evans
6 Ryan Jones
7 Warbs/Tuperic
8 Toby Falateu
9 Lloyd Williams
10 Dan Biggar
11 Eli Walker
12 Scott Williams
13 Jon Davies
14 Alex Cutherbert
15 Leigh Halfpenny

Wales Exiles
1 Paul James
2 Huw Bennett - (Thanks to jimlewtheblue)
3 Craig Mitchell
4 Luke Charteris
5 Olly Kohn - (Thanks to jimlewtheblue)
6 Dan Lydiate
7 Andy Powell
8 Gareth Delve
9 Mike Phillips
10 Gavin Henson
11 George North
12 Jamie Roberts
13 James Hook
14 Aled Brew - (Thanks to jimlewtheblue)
15 Lee Byrne


I accept there could be some switching around in positions (ie. Exiles Hook and Henson swap)...

Anyone suggest alternatives...

However, looking at it from another angle, it does give me some encouragement that we could field 2 very strong sides. Perhaps we should put the Welsh Exiles into the 6 Nations to make the 7 Nations or even play a Home v Exile game along the lines of the Probs v Poss used to be played...

Exiles
1. Paul James (Bath)
2. Huw Bennett (Lyon)
3. Craig Mitchell (Exeter)
4. Luke Charteris (Perpignan)
5. Olly Kohn (Harlequins)
6. Dan Lydiate (Racing Metro)
7. Andy Powell (Sale/Wigan)
8. Gareth Delve (Melbourne Rebels)

9. Mike Phillips (Bayonne)
10. James Hook (Perpignan)
11. Aled Brew (Biarittz)
12. Gavin Henson (L Welsh)
13. Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro)
14. George North (Northampton)
15. Lee Byrne (Clermont Auvergne)

16. T Rhys Thomas (wasps)
17. Rhys Gill (Saracens)
18. Eiffion Lewis-Roberts (Sale)/ Ben Broster
19. Damien Welch (Exeter)
20. Dwayne Peel (Sale)/M Roberts (Northampton)
21. Nick McLeod (Sale)/Nicky Robinson (Bristol)/Lee Thomas(Wasps)
22. Jamie Robinson (Agen)

biggles, you've got your 'home' props the wrong way round.

Nice ... I forgot about Bennet, Kohn and Brew

Thanks Cyril, spotted that typo and changed it... you just posted a little before my edit

Home back up team

Bevington
Owens
Jarvis
Davies
Coombs
Shingler
Warbs/Tipuric (whichever is left out of the first choice)
Petorious

Rees
Patchell
Dirkson (almost qualified, if not Harry Robinson)
Beck
Bishop
Prydie
Li Williams

To be honest that is far better than some sides we have feilded as aour first choice before.

Exiles side:

James
Bennett
Mitchell
Charteris
Kohn
Lydiate
Powell
Delve

Phillips/Peel
Hook/Jones

North
Roberts
Robinson
Brew
Byrne

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Home back up team

Bevington
Owens
Jarvis
Davies
Coombs
Shingler
Warbs/Tipuric (whichever is left out of the first choice)
Petorious

Rees
Patchell
Dirkson (almost qualified, if not Harry Robinson)
Beck
Bishop
Prydie
Li Williams

To be honest that is far better than some sides we have feilded as aour first choice before.

Wow that is 3 sides we could field... that is in line with All Black expectations...

So we should make the 6 Nations the 8 Nations with :-

England; France; Ireland; Scotland; Italy;
Wales (1st XV); Wales (Exiles); Wales (2nd XV)

Actually joking aside, surely this demands the bringing back of the Wales A side and compete in A Side competition like the England Saxons and Irish Wolfhounds.

Wales Home team 3

Rh Jones
M Rees
S Lee
L Reed
J King
J Turnbull
J Navidi
R McCusker

R Webb
R Priestland (jesus forgot him earlier)
T Isaacs
A Warren
O Williams (Blues)
C Czekaj
G Owen

I think if Wales were to bring back their 'A' side it would require the dumping of the LV and probably a break over the 6N in the AP/Rabo/Top14 so that all teams could field 'A' sides and make it an actual tournament...

But that would never work as the rugby calender is too full!

And the regions would really be in poop street, they lose enough players to the national sides already.

ScarletSpiderman - stop finding more Wales sides, or we can just get rid of the other nations and hold our own tournament (Only joking before someone picks up on this and not the thread in general)....

UlstermaninGlasgow - I think I would rather see the A side tournament brought back than the LV which is just pointless...

Me too Biggles, but the point I'm trying to make is the A tournament wouldn't be feasible without a longer break over the 6N...

We agree that the calendar is too long, but we want more competition at A international level, but we don't want to move the 6N from their traditional slot.

Only option is to move the League to before the 6N and the Euro comps to after and scrap the Autumn and Summer internationals...

If more players play abroad, that opens up opportunities for players at home. It's like having a 5th region paid for by the French and the English.

sirBiggles wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Home back up team

Bevington
Owens
Jarvis
Davies
Coombs
Shingler
Warbs/Tipuric (whichever is left out of the first choice)
Petorious

Rees
Patchell
Dirkson (almost qualified, if not Harry Robinson)
Beck
Bishop
Prydie
Li Williams

To be honest that is far better than some sides we have feilded as aour first choice before.

Wow that is 3 sides we could field... that is in line with All Black expectations...

So we should make the 6 Nations the 8 Nations with :-

England; France; Ireland; Scotland; Italy;
Wales (1st XV); Wales (Exiles); Wales (2nd XV)

Actually joking aside, surely this demands the bringing back of the Wales A side and compete in A Side competition like the England Saxons and Irish Wolfhounds.

Or another region.

sirBiggles wrote:ScarletSpiderman - stop finding more Wales sides, or we can just get rid of the other nations and hold our own tournament (Only joking before someone picks up on this and not the thread in general)....

UlstermaninGlasgow - I think I would rather see the A side tournament brought back than the LV which is just pointless...

Just shows how many decent players are still at home dispite the player drain.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

sirBiggles wrote:ScarletSpiderman - stop finding more Wales sides, or we can just get rid of the other nations and hold our own tournament (Only joking before someone picks up on this and not the thread in general)....

UlstermaninGlasgow - I think I would rather see the A side tournament brought back than the LV which is just pointless...

Just shows how many decent players are still at home dispite the player drain.

which is why the player drain in Wales doesnt bother me. I have faith in what we have coming through the system.

I wouldn't pick Gavin Henson for the simple fact he would pick up an injury in training... Owen Williams would by choice for the exiles fly-half. He is one that will hopefully come back to Wales like Shingler did.

Leaving the likes of Lydiate, Roberts and North aside for a moment as they haven't gone yet, there are some class players outside of Wales.

Some have had their chances with Regions (Hook, Byrne, Mitchell, Charteris, James etc).

Some I really wish the Regions would snap up and bring into Wales (Gill, Lewis Roberts and Delve)

Some from a purely selfish view point I wish had never left Wales (Charteris and Brew - Lydiate to follow)

Whilst there are some who are nowhere near International standard and wouldn't or shouldn't (kohn) have got anywhere near a Welsh cap.

I'll try a Scottish version:

Home
1 Ryan Grant
2 Ross Ford
3 Geoff Cross
4 Al Kellock
5 Tim Swinson
6 Rob Harley
7 Ross Rennie
8 David Denton
9 Greig Laidlaw
10 Duncan Weir
11 Tim Visser
12 Matt Scott
13 Alex Dunbar
14 Sean Maitland
15 Stuart Hogg

Exiles
1 Al Dickinson
2 Scott Lawson
3 Euan Murray
4 Richie Gray
5 Jim Hamilton
6 Kelly Brown
7 John Barclay
8 Johnnie Beattie
9 Mike Blair
10 Tom Heathcote
11 Max Evans
12 Duncan Taylor
13 Alex Grove
14 Joe Ansbro
15 Hugo Southwell

Exiles struggling for backs a bit, all our first choice internationals are home based at the moment. Had to resort to players retired from test rugby, currently long-term injured etc.

Scottish Exiles are only ok providing that it is a Saturday match mind.

Yes, can't think of any other tightheads outside of Scotland. Exiles are particularly strong in second and back rows, but the home side isn't bad in those positions and stronger elsewhere so it would be a home win for me.

3 teams based on home players

15. Leigh Halfpenny/Liam Williams/ Dan Evans
14. Alex Cuthbert/Kristian Phillips/Aaron Hughes
13. Jon Davies/Corey Allen/Gavin Evans or Andrew Bishop
12. Scott Williams/Ashley Beck/Gareth Owen
11. Eli Walker/Harri Robinson/Richard Fussell
10. Dan Biggar/Rhys Priestland/Rhys Patchell
09. Lloyd Williams/Rhys Webb/Tavis Knoyle (plus Jonnie Evans and the 3 others from the scarlets)
01. Gethin Jenkins/Ryan Bevington/Rhodri Jones
02. Richard Hibbard/Ken Owens/Kirby Myhill
03. Adama Jones/Scott Andrews/Matt Jarvis or Samson Lee
04. AWJ/Bradley Davies/Jonathan Thomas
05. Ian Evans/Andrew Coombs/James King
06. Sam Warburton/Ryan Jones/Lewis Evans
08. Toby Faletau/Rob McCusker/Andries Pretorious
07. Justin Tipuric/Nic Cudd/Josh Navidi

Owen Williams at 10 for the away team

ScarletSpiderman wrote:And the regions would really be in poop street, they lose enough players to the national sides already.

The rabbo should not be played during international call up.

If the season ran from First weekend in Sept to last weekend in May there are 39 weekends.

9 weekends for HEC
8 for 6Ns (5 match day weekends, 2 rest weekends and weekend before tournament when most players are unavailable)
5 for AIs (4 match day weekends plus weekend before they start)

That would leave just 17 weekends to play the Rabo in.

LondonTiger wrote:If the season ran from First weekend in Sept to last weekend in May there are 39 weekends.

9 weekends for HEC
8 for 6Ns (5 match day weekends, 2 rest weekends and weekend before tournament when most players are unavailable)
5 for AIs (4 match day weekends plus weekend before they start)

That would leave just 17 weekends to play the Rabo in.

15 as there are weekends prior to Internationals that are part of the training program for international rugby in Wales

I thought it was just the one weekend before, which i had built in.

Either way it is hard to play a domestic tournament in just free weekends, unless some rugby (and more than just the LowValue) is cut.

Can't wait for Dirksen...

t1000advancedprototype wrote:Can't wait for Dirksen...

Really?

I would have thought you had so many wingers better than him that it would take a massive injury jinx for him to play.

My Kiwi one

1 Afoa
2 de Malmanche
3 Hayman
4 Jack
5 Ross
6 Collins
7 Thompson
8 Kaino
9 Cowan
10 Evans
11 Rocokoko
12 SBW (sort of)
13 Payne
14 Sivivatu
15 Muliaina

Must be some better players out there as the team looks a little old in the tooth especially locks.

Wales A should definitely join the six nations.