Silly season transfer rumours (continued)....

First topic message reminder :

Continuation of the previous thread from the esteemed Mister GeordieFalcon:
https://www.606v2.com/t57129-silly-season-transfer-rumours

LT. Probably but as a midlander and some one who went to Uni in Yorkshire I can safely say that no one else would.

Sgt_Pooly wrote:He's just spent 2-3 months training with Wales hasn't he? He looked pretty good at the end of the AP season. Perhaps it's the Welsh coaching set-up that is dragging him down? It certainly seems that way with Cuthbert who's a shadow of him former self, I'm seeing a theme..........

North didn't play the last month or so of the AP season as he was recovering from concussion from another kick in the head. His form has gone steeply down hill for the last two seasons, which is in sharp contrast with when he was at the Scarlets where he just got better and better. All players get lean spells but he just is not the same player he was. Can't really compare North with Curthbert who is big and quick but can't play rugby!

Hes looked good for Saints when hes played though.

Seagultaf wrote:

Sgt_Pooly wrote:He's just spent 2-3 months training with Wales hasn't he? He looked pretty good at the end of the AP season. Perhaps it's the Welsh coaching set-up that is dragging him down? It certainly seems that way with Cuthbert who's a shadow of him former self, I'm seeing a theme..........

North didn't play the last month or so of the AP season as he was recovering from concussion from another kick in the head. His form has gone steeply down hill for the last two seasons, which is in sharp contrast with when he was at the Scarlets where he just got better and better. All players get lean spells but he just is not the same player he was. Can't really compare North with Curthbert who is big and quick but can't play rugby!

Why can't you compare North & Cuthbert? Both were playing some very good rugby 2/3 years ago for Wales and they aren't now. Seems to be you're just trying to dig at something (Saints, The AP, England??) yet you're ignoring that the exact same has happened to Cuthbert, he's half the player he was a few years back.

Is Cuthberts dramatic loss in form due to Cardiff's training or the Welsh set-up? If the same thing is happening with North, you'd suspect something with the International regime imo.

Poorly, I would say Cuthbert is down to the Blues. His form disappeared there, but his Welsh form remained. Then eventually he lost that too.

It's Pooly.

So it's a club thing rather than a league or national? Cardiff and Saints are not progressing their players significantly whilst Scarlets are producing real top quality?

North was pretty good this day:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/european-rugby/11187646/Northampton-Saints-34-Ospreys-6-European-Champions-Cup-match-report.html


Then his season went wrong. He reported for Wales duty, got concussed in the AIs, concussed in the 6Ns and finally concussed against Wasps and his season was over and he returned to the Wales camp.

While he struggled to adapt to the intensity levels in his first season in the AP, he was looking really good last autumn.

Michael Collins of Otago has signed for the Scarlets (I believe on a 8 month deal).

http://www.scarlets.co.uk/eng/news/10828.php#.Vi4P2U0ny70

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Michael Collins of Otago has signed for the Scarlets (I believe on a 8 month deal).

http://www.scarlets.co.uk/eng/news/10828.php#.Vi4P2U0ny70

We'll expect him to be world class by the end of the season then eh

Sgt_Pooly wrote:

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Michael Collins of Otago has signed for the Scarlets (I believe on a 8 month deal).

http://www.scarlets.co.uk/eng/news/10828.php#.Vi4P2U0ny70

We'll expect him to be world class by the end of the season then eh

We can hope.

As for the North thing, I am not too sure if he would have 'progressed' any more at the Scarlets than he would have at the Saints. His final season with us was hit and miss, he was either a world beater, or not even up to regional standards (especially his last game at PYS, it was woeful). Pretty sure all the head injuries last season must have had a bit of an impact on his form too.

Cuthbert on the other hand was never that good a player, but he did manage to have a good strike rate (being a big man on the wing when others were not), once people noticed all he could do was run in a straight line he struggled at regional level. However at international level, he was usually given the ball in a position where he only needed to run in unopposed, which made his form seem better, but as soon as he needed to beat a man to the line he would falter, which has lead to everyone accepting he is not up to much anymore.

(p.s. that was an auto-correct mistake with your name earlier)

LondonTiger wrote:North was pretty good this day:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/european-rugby/11187646/Northampton-Saints-34-Ospreys-6-European-Champions-Cup-match-report.html


Then his season went wrong. He reported for Wales duty, got concussed in the AIs, concussed in the 6Ns and finally concussed against Wasps and his season was over and he returned to the Wales camp.

While he struggled to adapt to the intensity levels in his first season in the AP, he was looking really good last autumn.

That was the Scarlet in him wanting to beat the jacks.

No bother Scarlet

JDV confirmed by Tigers on twitter

Toulouse got the Fijian tighthead Manasa Saulo. Great scrummager and a Huge missed opportunity for Glasgow as he would have fitted very well among the other Fijian players.

Bath > Pro 12

VinceWLB wrote:Toulouse got the Fijian tighthead Manasa Saulo. Great scrummager and a Huge missed opportunity for Glasgow as he would have fitted very well among the other Fijian players.

I was wondering when someone was going to sign him. He was playing in Romania up until the RWC; great player.

Burgess -> RL

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/34662659

lostinwales wrote:Burgess -> RL

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/34662659

Shame. I expected more from him.

No great loss.

I always thought he lacked a bit up top to make the grade, seems he's now coming to that conclusion too.

I'm not shocked by Burgess returning to League at all. I expected it to happen, it's the reason I found it difficult to get overly excited about him as a union player. I believed that even if he was a massive success he would be lost to the team eventually.

It is a shame as given time he probably could have made a good backrow player, but he has become media circus show and probably for his own sanity a return to RL is the best option.

Alternatively, perhaps Bath had to let him go due to the salary cap investigations...

Thank Lancaster for ruining the chances of him being a decent backrow.

I guess this also means we can have our bribe back from the other clubs as we will be well under the cap now!

It is not a forgone conclusion yet - and in time he could be a terrific 6 but we'll wait and see

He's gone, I heard rumours of this a few weeks back from a guy in the know.

On the TV news this morning it said the club management said he was definitely staying ... so based on the level of honestly currently around the AP he must be off ...

I agree he could be a very good blindside flanker. He needs to work on his technique in the tackle and the breakdown but we're talking tweaks to a very competent physical athlete. He's suffering a bit because he's been thrown in the deep end out if position by an international coaching set up who were out of their depth.

If he runs back to RL it smacks of cowardice and laziness for me. It's the easy option by someone who doesn't want to man up and put in the hard work and make the move to Bath happen.