Welsh scandal bigger than Mike Ruddock. THE HOWLEY HOWLER.

What has Preistland done and what has Biggar NOT done to explain this farcical selection? I think I'm gonna have to give Howley the sack.

Priestland is not a good goal kicker, however he has a proven track record with Tavis Knoyle at scrum half and with both Jamie Roberts and Scott Williams in the centre. With Tuppance at fullback we have a goal kicker, who would most likely be the first choice goal kicker regardless of the choice at fly half.

take his god awful place-kicking out of the equation (thanks Mr 1/2p) and he isn't actually too bad. better distribution and less interception passes than Dan. Think he's unlucky mind.............

It's the sort of team you have a nightmare about, and then are almost glad you had it, because of the wave of relief you get when you realise it wasn't real. But it is.
This is not a very charitable thing to say, But Jenkins, Rees, Priestland and Turnbull do not deserve their place on the team.
Next person who talks about 'balance' in the back row is gonna get my internet foot up their internet 4r5e. YOU DO NOT LEAVE A PLAYER LIKE TIPURIC ON THE BENCH, you incompetent schoolboy. For ANY reason.

I think people are going to be suprised by Turnbull, especially if he gets a run of games for wales, as he does put in a heap of hard work. I said when he started he seemed like a young Daf Jones in how he plays. I believe he is the Scarlets top tackler by some distance this season.

Also you need to have ballance in the back row HG!

haha, Scarlets, I think Turnbull is a good player, so hopefully he'll take this opportunity. I don't think he should have been selected for Saturday though, when Tipuric - even out of position - is Wales' best player by a country mile at the minute. Closely followed by Dan Biggar. Sigh.

HG going on form alone then the back row should have been Shingler, Tipuric and Perorious (is he qualified now?) or McGog. But I would guess looking at the whole team that the management team are banking on players finding their international form regardless of what they are doing at their regions.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:HG going on form alone then the back row should have been Shingler, Tipuric and Perorious (is he qualified now?) or McGog. But I would guess looking at the whole team that the management team are banking on players finding their international form regardless of what they are doing at their regions.

I disagree about Pretorious, I don't think he has played well at all. Showed dramatically last weekend vs Munster when Copeland took his place at the last minute and played much better than the South African lad has all season.

Howley said in the Press conference that a number of players had really proved themselves in Poland and that has pushed them forward for selection over other players that may have been on form during the early part of the season.

Lets hope Poland has encouraged some better form from some of the surprise selections.

To be honest though this is not a bad selection and I am happy to see some variation in the squad, helping to experience peripheral squad members.

Maes - i only went for Andres as I honestly can't think of a single welshman who has looked good in the 8 shirt at all.

My problem and fear is who the back up is off then bench as in Hook. I know he has been having some good games in France but how many more chances does he need?

bedfordwelsh wrote:My problem and fear is who the back up is off then bench as in Hook. I know he has been having some good games in France but how many more chances does he need?

Probably just one more, well after this one

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

bedfordwelsh wrote:My problem and fear is who the back up is off then bench as in Hook. I know he has been having some good games in France but how many more chances does he need?

Probably just one more, well after this one

Nice one SS

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Maes - i only went for Andres as I honestly can't think of a single welshman who has looked good in the 8 shirt at all.

Jon Thomas and Andy Powell are both playing very well.


Toby has been great for Dragons, again in his absence last weekend you saw the difference, though the opposite of Blues minus Pretorious.

Who the feck did we play in Poland 'cos according to that criteria we must have beaten The fecking All Blacks and S Africa when we were there. What a shoite suggestion. I've played with players who have been great in training camps but come the real deal they are about as effective as Derwyn Jones and Arthur Emyr combined. Showed up well in Poland my arxx!

Anyone else notice we have not got a lock on the bench?

If I were an Argentinian I would be looking to give some extra attention to AWJ and Ianto, as if we lose on of them then we are going to be hamstrung in both the lineout and the scrum!

That is a serious selection blunder, yet no-one seems to have picked up on it as they are too busy moaning about the halfbacks, who may not see much ball if we go down to one lock.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Anyone else notice we have not got a lock on the bench?

If I were an Argentinian I would be looking to give some extra attention to AWJ and Ianto, as if we lose on of them then we are going to be hamstrung in both the lineout and the scrum!

That is a serious selection blunder, yet no-one seems to have picked up on it as they are too busy moaning about the halfbacks, who may not see much ball if we go down to one lock.

Come on SS, it's not like Ian Evans is the type to be provoked into doing something rash.

Cas - I was actually thinking more about the Argentinians maybe just bumping into them a bit hard when up in the air for a line, or accidentally miss placing a foot at rucks when they are on the ground, after all even a blood sub would leave us weakened in the second row, but a full on injury would be disasterous.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:Cas - I was actually thinking more about the Argentinians maybe just bumping into them a bit hard when up in the air for a line, or accidentally miss placing a foot at rucks when they are on the ground, after all even a blood sub would leave us weakened in the second row, but a full on injury would be disasterous.

Don't think they'll need to go that far. One Argie will, e.g., call his mum a name, Ianto will hit him. Red card. Game over.

Priestland was always the starter, Biggar needs to be eased in or he will just throw intercept passes, etc.. I don't see how Rees and Knoyle are starters though.

For God's sake, can anyone reference an intercept pass that Biggar has thrown apart from the Leicester game?!?!??!

Against Samoa.

Higher_Ground wrote:For God's sake, can anyone reference an intercept pass that Biggar has thrown apart from the Leicester game?!?!??!

There was a time when it was the Ospreys' fly half trademark, both he and Hook seemed to be pretty regular with them, for both region and international sides. Hook even come out and said something along the lines of 'I play an attacking style and sometimes these things happen, but I am not changing how I play'. Admittedly Biggar has improved a bit since then.

Priestland will play like a vampire after a blood transfusion when he comes back from Poland, and all will be perfect with the topsy turvy Welsh world yet again.

"Who questioned his absolute brilliance???? - Not I" said the Dog
"Not I!",said the Pig
"And not I too!" squeaked the mouse with the bad grammar that wot he learned off the Cat, who purred "Never doubted' im, me!"

SecretFly wrote:Priestland will play like a vampire after a blood transfusion when he comes back from Poland, and all will be perfect with the topsy turvy Welsh world yet again.

"Who questioned his absolute brilliance???? - Not I" said the Dog
"Not I!",said the Pig
"And not I too!" squeaked the mouse with the bad grammar that wot he learned off the Cat, who purred "Never doubted' im, me!"

SecretFly wrote:Priestland will play like a vampire after a blood transfusion when he comes back from Poland, and all will be perfect with the topsy turvy Welsh world yet again.

"Who questioned his absolute brilliance???? - Not I" said the Dog
"Not I!",said the Pig
"And not I too!" squeaked the mouse with the bad grammar that wot he learned off the Cat, who purred "Never doubted' im, me!"

In fact Fly we'll all be on here on Sunday agreeing with Howleys insight and wisdom and we will follow that with a "Sack Gatland campaign"

I will decide who gets the sack.

....so it's Howley then? Forgive me for being able to read your mind.

Roger - Pickering has become the welsh Rob Andrew

Pickering has more money than the Sultan of Brunei. I've pleaded with him to give just an extra 1% of his wealth to the regions, but he things an extra £38 million is too generous.

tatterd wrote:take his god awful place-kicking out of the equation (thanks Mr 1/2p) and he isn't actually too bad. better distribution and less interception passes than Dan. Think he's unlucky mind.............

Priestland's out-of-hand kicking is also dire. Looks like he's Teflon now, though.

samuraidragon wrote:

tatterd wrote:take his god awful place-kicking out of the equation (thanks Mr 1/2p) and he isn't actually too bad. better distribution and less interception passes than Dan. Think he's unlucky mind.............

Priestland's out-of-hand kicking is also dire. Looks like he's Teflon now, though.

I've come to the conclusion that, following some good results with Stephen Jones at 10, having an outside half that can't punt a ball is actually a deliberate tactic.

Maybe short distance kicks, in random directions, keep the opposition guessing, or something.

Higher_Ground wrote:haha, Scarlets, I think Turnbull is a good player, so hopefully he'll take this opportunity. I don't think he should have been selected for Saturday though, when Tipuric - even out of position - is Wales' best player by a country mile at the minute. Closely followed by Dan Biggar. Sigh.

I remember Turnbull outplaying Lydiate in a NGD v Scarlets match a few seasons ago and the following week against the Ospreys he destroyed a certain Jerry Collins in the derby. I believe he then got injured which let Lydiate in and boy did he take his chance fantastic!!. However Turnbull is now getting back to that sort of form and I think he has by far the best stats for tackles made of any player, this is where he is better than Tuperic is and that is vital on the blindside of the scrum.

Higher Ground
The point is that anyone who says that Tuperic is Wales best player without justifying by examples is well...... lets just say a tad naive. Do you honsestly think that Tuperic is a better tackler than Turnbull on the blindside of the scrum?

Remember who you are playing...... horses for courses

I agree with you on Biggar tho, he should be starting or at least on the bench, as Hook is not playing as well as alot of posters are suggesting as under his control Perpignan have lost 6 out of 10 games and could have lost two more if not for last minute kicks

Fhf, we can all quote times when players have performed well, how about the barbarians game where Tipuric had about 5 turnovers in the first 10 minutes? Consistency is the key though, and if you look at Wales' regular international squad players, he is playing by far the most consistently well. He's like Warburton was a year ago, except he's a better ball carrier.
I'm sure Turnbull will do us proud, but you can't tell me he's any more a specialist six than he is a seven.
Point being, in a makeshift back row, you have to make room for the best back rower, and we haven't. That's all.

HG - Turnbull is probably the closest we will get to a lydiate style tackling flanker. Where he is a natural blindside, openside or bloody fullback does not matter. The welsh backrow, at its best, has a tackling flanker on the blindside, a linkman/pilferer on the openside, and a barnstorming runner at No.8. Seeing as the Lydiate, Warburton, Faletau combination worked well, then theoretically Turnbull is the best placed player to keep that style going.

I can agree with that, but I don't think it's a good thing to start propagating the myth that Tipuric is some sort of stand-off back rower who doesn't get down and dirty, because he does. Give me the ball, not big tackle stats.
I used to be a big fan of Turnbull, before he sort of went under the radar, so I'm hoping to be impressed again on Saturday.
Looks like we'll either be seeing Tipuric on for Turnbull to make up a back row that apparently won't work, or we'll be substituting our captain. Not ideal.

priest will need help and 1/2p will be a target. if opposition can scupper both we're in trouble.. fingers crossed no shoulder injury for 1/2p

What you should worry about is the headless chicken at 9 and whether he can actually get the ball out to the backs before the opposition defence is in their face. Poor for 2 seasons and he still gets picked somehow.

well morgannwg, you have highlighted the 60 million dollar question at 9 and 10 and at..., and at ..., and at .........,why? because howley is a ***, first order.

i will pick these players because everyone else thinks they know a bit about rugby and want people in form, what do they know. oh and scarlet red is my fav colour, this week anyway. omg!!!!

Go Tav

Just to play devils advocate I want to say that Tavis, although not my first choice will be a solid little performer against an abbrassive pack. He'll give the snipe a go and keep the pack honest.

Davies speed of delivery may go against the backline, as will Knoyles delivery in general, but this game is won up front, 1/2p and RP can go deeper if they need time.

Plus Phillips is out of the Aus game so someone needs gametime, and we all know Williams isn't the answer!!!

Higher_Ground wrote:For God's sake, can anyone reference an intercept pass that Biggar has thrown apart from the Leicester game?!?!??!

The Wales game against Fiji? He threw a wild pass and they scored from it.

ok my turn!
Reference me a time when biggar has attempted a drop goal and scored it