Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

by LordDowlais Wed Oct 19, 2011 5:09 pm

Well, as the title asks, who out of our four regions will benefit the most when all their players return from New Zealand ?

Cardiff Blues

Jamie Roberts
Sam Warburton
Lloyd Williams
Bradley Davies
Leigh Halfpenny
Gethin Jenkins
Tau Felise
Dan Parks

Ospreys

Paul James
Alyn Wyn Jones
Adam Jones
Ryan Jones
Huw Bennett
Tommy Bowe
Kahn Fatuali'i
George Stowers
Shane Williams
Ryan Bevington

Scarlets

Scott Williams
Jonathan Davies
Stephen Jones
Tavis Knoyle
Sean Lamont
Deacon Manu
George North
Ken Owens
Rhys Preistland
Sione Timani
Riki Tipuna

Dragons

Aled Brew
Lloyd Burns
Luke Charteris
Toby Faletau
Danny Lydiate

Of all the regions, although the Dragons have the least players away on World Cup duty I think that they will benefit the most as they have the smallest squad and the players they have lost are really irreplaceable for them. Also we can add Gavin Henson to the Cardiff Blues list, although he is not on World Cup duty he will be playing at about the same time as the internationals get back. Also if I have missed anybody, or included anybody by mistake feel free to point it out to me and I will amend my lists thumbsup

Also please feel free to add the players who are returning for your own club/region as I only have time to see who is comming back to the four Welsh regions and not all the other teams thumbsup

by LordDowlais Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:32 pm

oh well, nobody's got any view's on this subject, I guess nobody cares Crying or Very sad

by Guest Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:37 pm

awww Dowlais, I've only just seen it.

I would say the Scarlets.

Whilst our forwards have been getting a lot of criticism so far this season (often justified!) they are still providing our backs with ball to use. Tis just that our backs, just don't have quite the level of ability to use it as effectively as the backs we have away with the rwc can.

But then, I am a Scarlet so I would see it that way. After the Scarlets, I would say the Dragons. Players like Faletau and Lydiate are invaluable and can make a huge difference to them I reckon. They've really missed all of their players.

by LordDowlais Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:50 pm

rugbydreamer wrote:awww Dowlais, I've only just seen it.

I would say the Scarlets.

Whilst our forwards have been getting a lot of criticism so far this season (often justified!) they are still providing our backs with ball to use. Tis just that our backs, just don't have quite the level of ability to use it as effectively as the backs we have away with the rwc can.

But then, I am a Scarlet so I would see it that way. After the Scarlets, I would say the Dragons. Players like Faletau and Lydiate are invaluable and can make a huge difference to them I reckon. They've really missed all of their players.

rugbydreamer, when is smiler back ? He will add invaluable ability and experience to your pack. I suppose the players that are with Wales will do a lot more with the possetion your forwards get you, also what do you think of that new young center you have unearthed, I have forgotten his name, but he did get two tries and a man of the match against Edinburgh thumbsup

by wales606 Wed Oct 19, 2011 8:29 pm

With the Blues performances at the breakdown I cant wait for Warburton, Gethin, Davies and L.Williams to get back.

by Guest Wed Oct 19, 2011 9:25 pm

Adam Warren I think he's called Dowlais, and eye he seems to be a bit of gem. Will create good competition with the likes of Reynolds coming throuh I reckon, can only be good for us Smile

And Smiler is targetting the Ulster match on the 29th as his come back game, and we really need him fit for that one as Ulster will most probs have their world cup contingent back for that one.

by Gibson Wed Oct 19, 2011 10:39 pm

Dowlais. Should not Wales be in that title? Its not old 606.

My answer. Scarlets. By a mile.

by red_stag Wed Oct 19, 2011 10:56 pm

Scarlets IMO

by Smirnoffpriest Wed Oct 19, 2011 11:52 pm

Also tipuna isnt at the world cup,hell b leaving in december. But (being biased) id say the scarlets as their backline has been ridiculously weak (gomer being the experiencd player!)

by ScarletSpiderman Thu Oct 20, 2011 9:40 am

I was discussing this in the pub the other day. The way i see it

Blues

They will be getting their first choice props and abll running lock/flanker back. So their pack should improve. However behind the scrum they getting the likes of Roberts and Halfpenny back (and Parks to bench warm), so they will gain a fair bit of experience there. Providing that the players return with the same attitude as they have had at the RWC then they should be pretty keyed up going into the HC. However the players will be returning to a new coaching set up so we shall have to see how they fit into the coaches plans.

Dragons

I think that seeing as the reputation of Lydiate, Faletau and Charteris has risen during the RWC that the Dragons may well find a real boost having htese players back. Especially as refs do tend to go with reputation of 50-50 calls. Aled Brew will be keen to show that he is ready to step into the shirt that Shane will be vacating soon. And Burns should hopefully offer them the option of a decent hooker.

Ospreys

Pretty much getting a new pack back from the RWC, so I would expect them to start showing some real dominance up front. Their backs have been showing really well so far, and with Bowe and Williams returning they will just have a few more options.

Scarlets

Ken Owens will return eager to prove that he should have had more game time, as will Tavis Knoyle. From what I have seen of the region during the RWC Manu will be in a battle with Rhys Thomas for the tighhead shirt. The obvious thing with the Scarlets players is that post RWC they should be feilding a backline looking something like (9-15) Knoyle, Jones, Lamont, Davies, Williams, North, Priestland. The not so obvious thing is that the Scarlets did spend the first few weeks of the season without a forwards coach (McBryde being in NZ), so I think that his return may well be pretty important too.

Honestly I think that after all the players return the strongest region may well be the Ospreys or Blues, however I think that the Scarlets will improve dramatically, considerably more than the other regions, when they get their players back.

by LordDowlais Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:56 am

Gibson wrote:Dowlais. Should not Wales be in that title? Its not old 606.

My answer. Scarlets. By a mile.

Gibson, I only put the Welsh regions as I did not have enough time to go through every club/region who's players are at the world cup. Please feel free to add a list of the players that your team will be having back so that we can all see what improvements can be made thumbsup

by D24tress Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:08 pm

Well leinster have

healy
cronin
ross
cullen
SOB
jennings
heislip
boss
redden
sexton
mcfadden
darcy
BOD
kearney

I'd say some of them might make a small difference

by LordDowlais Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:32 pm

D24tress wrote:Well leinster have

healy
cronin
ross
cullen
SOB
jennings
heislip
boss
redden
sexton
mcfadden
darcy
BOD
kearney

I'd say some of them might make a small difference

There's a lot of players there I must admit, Leinster must make up the bulk of Irelands side Shocked

How many of these player's can we expect to see in the league ? To be honest though, I think the league might be a bit of a stretch for Leinster after the start you have made, but I can see you going far in the HC with those players comming back

by **rodders** Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:35 pm

Ulster will have:

Rory Best (Ire)
Tom Court (Ire)
Stephen Ferris (Ire)
Andrew Trimble (Ire)
Paddy Wallace (Ire)
John Afoa (NZ)
Simon Danielli (Sco)
Ruan Pienaar (SA)
Johan Muller (SA)

by Mickado Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:37 pm

LordDowlais wrote:
D24tress wrote:Well leinster have

healy
cronin
ross
cullen
SOB
jennings
heislip
boss
redden
sexton
mcfadden
darcy
BOD
kearney

I'd say some of them might make a small difference

There's a lot of players there I must admit, Leinster must make up the bulk of Irelands side How many of these player's can we expect to see in the league ? To be honest though, I think the league might be a bit of a stretch for Leinster after the start you have made, but I can see you going far in the HC with those players comming back

We’re already 3rd in the league. We’ve only lost two games and while the Ospreys might be tough to catch in first place we only need to make the playoffs.

by LordDowlais Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:42 pm

Mickado wrote:
LordDowlais wrote:
D24tress wrote:Well leinster have

healy
cronin
ross
cullen
SOB
jennings
heislip
boss
redden
sexton
mcfadden
darcy
BOD
kearney

I'd say some of them might make a small difference

There's a lot of players there I must admit, Leinster must make up the bulk of Irelands side How many of these player's can we expect to see in the league ? To be honest though, I think the league might be a bit of a stretch for Leinster after the start you have made, but I can see you going far in the HC with those players comming back

We’re already 3rd in the league. We’ve only lost two games and while the Ospreys might be tough to catch in first place we only need to make the playoffs.

Fair enough, but unless you play your centrally contracted players in the league, you will struggle to remain in the top four, especially the way the so called lesser teams are playing, the likes of Conacht, Glasgow, Edinbugh, Dragons, Arioni and Treviso are not givens any more and they are all becomming tough nuts to crack at their home grounds.

by **rodders** Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:44 pm

Mick how confident are you about the HEC? Leinster have a decent draw but do you think some of the Irish guys might suffer a bit of a RWC hangover? Winning back to back titles would take a huge effort.

by D24tress Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:50 pm

roddersm wrote:Ulster will have:

Rory Best (Ire)
Tom Court (Ire)
Stephen Ferris (Ire)
Andrew Trimble (Ire)
Paddy Wallace (Ire)
John Afoa (NZ)
Simon Danielli (Sco)
Ruan Pienaar (SA)
Johan Muller (SA)

court
best
afoa

muller

ferris

pienaar

trimble

That makes a massive difference to the team
the spine of the team one might say. great front row if everyone is fit

by Mickado Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:51 pm

I’m not sure how this player welfare program is going to affect us this season. Presumably we won’t be required to rest as many players as often given that the world cup is over? There are a good few of the 14 WC players who got little or no game time so in terms of them coming back tired I can’t see it happening. Plus they’ve had 2 weeks rest and won’t play again for 2 more weeks.

Rodders, I’m not sure how things will go, having an “easier” group is not a good thing in my opinion. The group of death is what made us unbeatable in the knockout rounds. I suppose if you look at the strengths from last year, there’s no good reason that they won’t improve this year, we weren’t exactly slicing each team open with BOD and Darcy. It was more holistic than that. I’m a bit worried about this lad Sykes though, Hines is a massive loss. Just can’t wait until Schmidt gets his hands on the lads again.

by **rodders** Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:54 pm

Yeah the pack is were we have been struggling D24tress so hopefully those guys will make a big difference.

Half back too so Pienaar should add a bit of control there and hopefully guys like Spence, Cave, Gilroy etc. will get a bit of front foot ball.

Can't wait to see Ferris back in an Ulster jersey. Wasn't sure that we ever would to be honest. I was amazed at how well he played in the RWC.

by D24tress Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:05 pm

yeah ferris will need to be managed when he gets back.
plenty of rest.

It will be interesting to see how these welsh players play when they return

Will it be a step down for them playing with there teams(will they be able to keep up the high level )

Will they be able to play aswell now that the world knows about them
(warburton will be marked, they will know whats coming)

Regarding leinster, i would say we will make the semi finals and lose to a team, that has gone through a hard route and it battle hardened, unless we pull a france

by asoreleftshoulder Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:16 pm

roddersm wrote:Mick how confident are you about the HEC? Leinster have a decent draw but do you think some of the Irish guys might suffer a bit of a RWC hangover? Winning back to back titles would take a huge effort.

I think the Heino is a bit of a lottery,Leinster should reach the semis but after that who knows.The aim is to win the group and qualify as a top seed so having a home quarter final.We'd expect to beat any team at home but then it's in the lap of the gods whether we get a home or away semi final.Were we to lose to Toulouse or Clermont in France then making the semis would still be a decent tournament although I'd love if we could win it that way.

by Shifty Thu Oct 20, 2011 10:45 pm

rugbydreamer wrote:I would say the Scarlets.

I agree they badly need an effective back line. The Ospreys will benefit the least because their experienced front 5 has given them a huge advantage during the world Cup, being able to call on an international quality pack has meant they winning their first 6 games and beating the 4 Irish teams, which is a massive advantage for th rest of the season, that is one loss, Munster, Ulster and Munster will never get back.

by Gibson Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:44 am

The real answer is - the IRB. Not World Rugby.

by Rava Fri Oct 21, 2011 8:28 am

roddersm wrote:Ulster will have:

Rory Best (Ire)
Tom Court (Ire)
Stephen Ferris (Ire)
Andrew Trimble (Ire)
Paddy Wallace (Ire)
John Afoa (NZ)
Simon Danielli (Sco)
Ruan Pienaar (SA)
Johan Muller (SA)

Don't forget Tommy Bowe Whistle

Oh sh1t they haven't made that announcement yet, have they?

by **rodders** Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:17 am

Wow you serious Rava??! Shocked

by D24tress Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:09 am

ospreys have been getting rid of the galacticos
so tommy could be on his way out the door soon.

by Standulstermen Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:52 am

Rava wrote:
roddersm wrote:Ulster will have:

Rory Best (Ire)
Tom Court (Ire)
Stephen Ferris (Ire)
Andrew Trimble (Ire)
Paddy Wallace (Ire)
John Afoa (NZ)
Simon Danielli (Sco)
Ruan Pienaar (SA)
Johan Muller (SA)

Don't forget Tommy Bowe

The positive (or negative if you wish to look at it a different way) for Ulster is that of those players

Court, Trimble, Wallace, Afoa, Danielli, Pienaar, Muller have all played relatively little rugby. They will be fresher than most returning players. The welsh lads looked wrecked today and rightly so, they gave their all and that will take its toll over the season.

Oh sh1t they haven't made that announcement yet, have they?

by **rodders** Fri Oct 21, 2011 11:45 am

Ulster? Tommy Bowe? HELLO?? Anyone???? steam

by Standulstermen Fri Oct 21, 2011 11:59 am

roddersm wrote:Ulster? Tommy Bowe? HELLO?? Anyone????

Just rava stirring I imagine rodders.

by **rodders** Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:20 pm

Standulstermen wrote:
roddersm wrote:Ulster? Tommy Bowe? HELLO?? Anyone????

Just rava stirring I imagine rodders.

Yeah I thought so furious

! But hey you've got to dream Very Happy

by Standulstermen Fri Oct 21, 2011 2:28 pm

Only thing i would say rodders is that there was talk they were trying to get someone as cover for payne. I doubt very much that they got anyone though never mind Tommy

by **Notch** Fri Oct 21, 2011 2:42 pm

I'm certain we won't see Tommy Bowe back in an Ulster shirt before next season lads. Settle down.

by Rava Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:18 pm

Notch wrote:I'm certain we won't see Tommy Bowe back in an Ulster shirt before next season lads. Settle down.

You have information to back that up?

by **rodders** Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:23 pm

Ahhh where's Geoff when you need him?!

Spill the beans Rava!

by **Notch** Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:57 pm

Rava wrote:
Notch wrote:I'm certain we won't see Tommy Bowe back in an Ulster shirt before next season lads. Settle down.

You have information to back that up?

...do you?

It seems like foolishness to buy Bowe out of his contract now when he's a free agent in the summer. He's returned to training with the Ospreys.

But other than that- no Smile

I'd fall off my virtual barstool.

by LordDowlais Wed Oct 26, 2011 5:29 pm

When is Tommy Bowe back and playing for the Ospreys? Will he be starting on Friday night against Glasgow ?

by Sponsored content

Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?

Re: Who will benefit the most now the World Cup is over ?