Castres v Scarlets

Scarlets up for a spanking I think.

20 players unavailable.

Yep, here's the team and injured players:

Scarlets team against Castres Olympique Saturday 21st January 2012: 15 Rhys Priestland, 14 George North, 13 Scott Williams, 12 Jon Davies, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Stephen Jones (capt), 9 Rhodri Williams, 1 Phil John, 2 Ken Owens, 3 Peter Edwards, 4 Lou Reed, 5 Dominic Day 6 Aaron Shingler, 7 Johnathan Edwards, 8 Matt Gilbert.

Replacements: 16 Emyr Phillips, 17 Iestyn Thomas, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Sione Timani, 20 Richie Pugh, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Gareth Maule, 23 Viliame Iongi.

Scarlets not available for selection through injury:

Rob McCusker, back row, shoulder injury
Damian Welch, second row, thumb injury
Morgan Stoddart, back three, double leg fracture (out until March)
Dale Ford, back three, double leg fracture (out season)
Sean Lamont, wing, calf strain
Dan Newton, full-back, hamstring strain
Andy Fenby, wing, concussion
Nic Cudd, back row, knee injury
Kieran Murphy, back row, ankle sprain
Josh Turnbull, back row, shoulder sprain
Ben Morgan, no 8, knee joint bruising
Rhodri Gomer Davies, centre, knee joint injury
Matthew Rees, hooker, shoulder bruising
Rhys Jones, no 10, knee injury
Owen Williams, no 10, abdominal muscle strain
Aled Thomas, no 10, shoulder sprain
Aled Davies, scrum-half, knee injury (out season)
Tavis Knoyle, scrum-half, shoulder injury (operation, out until May)
Rhys Thomas, Prop, neck strain
Deacon Manu, Prop, dead leg


That's almost an LV pack from us! Really, really up against it now. I do like our backline though

Ah. Oh well.

We only have one backrow replacement as well - Pugh!

Timani would do a job at 6. But not ideal.

yes but then, we have not a 2nd row replacement! Unless we move Shings up there I guess....

how did they managed to have that much injured players !
and what does dead leg actually means ? (will the poor guy have his leg removed?)

well thanks for giving a chance to Castres to get their 2nd HC win (they will be playing their best side with tekori and tales the only players out worth of notice)

dead leg is like heavy bruising I think - can put you out for min 3-4 weeks.

Our pack is going to have to play out of their skin for us to even have a remote chance. But we need to win this one to have any chance for the Amlin. Ymlaen!

rugbydreamer wrote:We only have one backrow replacement as well - Pugh!

Should be starting anyway, twice the player Jedward is.

Dead Leg is a haematoma. What George North had when he played in the incredibly important Wales fixture v Australia.

Its v painful.

That scrum is going to be demolished. Can't see a good result for the Scarlets in this one.

ok thanks for the clarification !

Whats happened to Gardiner? and I really thought we'd let Gomer-Davies go for being so pants.

This really doesn't look good for us - I can't believe how many players we've got out - funnily enough though we've still got another few Hookers who could do the business though (Llanelli does have the best hookers )

Looking at the injury list we may well struggle to feild a competitive side come the LV= as we will be missing the internationals too.

That said this is a good chance for some players to show they can do a job.

I don't think our scrum will be too badly munched. If there's one thing Peter Edwards can do, is lock in the scrum. Just highly doubtful he can last more than 40 mins!

Glas - paid nawr! Pugh is in no way better than JEdwards.

rugbydreamer wrote:I don't think our scrum will be too badly munched. If there's one thing Peter Edwards can do, is lock in the scrum. Just highly doubtful he can last more than 40 mins!

Glas - paid nawr! Pugh is in no way better than JEdwards.

What about if we dangle a pie in front of Peter Edwards face - I reckon he'd be charging around the field and battering the opposition scrum like there's no tomorrow for the entire 80mins!

perhaps!

He certainly can get about the parc if the mood takes him, he was really enjoying himself in the help for heroes match, and I'm always hearing reports about him doing dinky little moves in the midfield for the Drovers. I think he's fantastic. Bit of a shame we've found him so late on in his career really.

rugbydreamer wrote:I don't think our scrum will be too badly munched. If there's one thing Peter Edwards can do, is lock in the scrum. Just highly doubtful he can last more than 40 mins!

Glas - paid nawr! Pugh is in no way better than JEdwards.

Glas a du wrote:

Interesting post.

I agree though Edwards just shades Pugh. They are both lightweight and not HC level though.

ah c'mon, cast your mind back to our wonder try against Castres - guess who started it off? JEdwards!

Also we started with both Shings and Jedwards away against Saints, and Gilbert came on as a sub, and we know how that match ended up.


(and I'm not desperate for good omens. O no, not at all...... )

rugbydreamer wrote:ah c'mon, cast your mind back to our wonder try against Castres - guess who started it off? JEdwards!

One passeth does noteth a quality player maketh.

If that pass had gone to a Castres player we'd be stuffed.

Also we started with both Shings and Jedwards away against Saints, and Gilbert came on as a sub, and we know how that match ended up.


(and I'm not desperate for good omens. O no, not at all...... )

I've got some more straws for you to clutch at if you want

Chunky Norwich wrote:

Glas a du wrote:

Interesting post.

I agree though Edwards just shades Pugh. They are both lightweight and not HC level though.

If you want a blind side ball carrier. If you want an open side ball disruptor then Pugh is your man (Edwards not having his pace to pressure opposition back lines)

Glas a du wrote:

Chunky Norwich wrote:

Glas a du wrote:

Interesting post.

I agree though Edwards just shades Pugh. They are both lightweight and not HC level though.

If you want a blind side ball carrier. If you want an open side ball disruptor then Pugh is your man (Edwards not having his pace to pressure opposition back lines)

They both get bullied off ball due to their lack of physicality.

That's not Pugh's strength. Pugh will cause the opposition backs all sorts of havoc with his speed. He will get there first. If he's knocked off the ball before the ref blows up then so what, the ref wouldn't change his mind because he was standing there with his hands on the ball, in fact he's likely to get pinged (as Edwards is constantly). Good lord, you can't dismiss a player of his calibre on one meaningless aspect!

Ok they're both amazing.

Thank you.