Anscombe, is this an admission?

First topic message reminder :

With it increasingly looking like we are just giving out a Welsh cap to this Kiwi no questions asked,
is this an admission from Gatland that all our available 10's are crap?
Or does Gatland think this lad is the missing link of Wales becoming a world beating team?
Is he admitting 10 is a problem position?
Or does he just owe his Dad a favour?

The Saint wrote: Gatland also wanted to cap Andries Pretorious, and did so, when we had better available. Our coaches work in strange ways sometimes.

He has also said that when he capped Tom Prydie, George North and Alex Cuthbert he was thinking about their potential, and that they were English Qualified, and that he capped them to ensure they were tied to Wales. Then there was also the Steve Shingler (I always want to call him Scott Shingler for some reason) farce..........mmmm maybe a cap for Anscombe and then let him play regional rugby, after all he will be tied in then.

fa0019 wrote:I think the way the chiefs have played over the last few seasons, had they faced a 3N side they certainly would have taken victories... including those over NZ. Yes, I stand by that. They may not have been regular but they would have taken victories and against SA and AUS it would have been 50/50 where you would expect them to win their home games etc.

In the form the tri-nations were in I don't think they would have. Aus were maybe the weakest, but only struggled against NZ/SA. They wiped the floor with most others and still do so. Also, saying the chiefs (assuming their internationals would be with the ABs) would beat a fully fledged NZ or SA is just ridiculous.

The Saint wrote:

fa0019 wrote:I think the way the chiefs have played over the last few seasons, had they faced a 3N side they certainly would have taken victories... including those over NZ. Yes, I stand by that. They may not have been regular but they would have taken victories and against SA and AUS it would have been 50/50 where you would expect them to win their home games etc.

In the form the tri-nations were in I don't think they would have. Aus were maybe the weakest, but only struggled against NZ/SA. They wiped the floor with most others and still do so. Also, saying the chiefs (assuming their internationals would be with the ABs) would beat a fully fledged NZ or SA is just ridiculous.

Who said anything about stripping them of their ABs?

Its a hypothetical scenario. The chiefs as they play in SR week in week out would be more than simply good competition for any test side in the world, they would be a genuine world class unit in their own right and not because they simply have a clutch of of ABs.

fa0019 wrote:

The Saint wrote:

fa0019 wrote:I think the way the chiefs have played over the last few seasons, had they faced a 3N side they certainly would have taken victories... including those over NZ. Yes, I stand by that. They may not have been regular but they would have taken victories and against SA and AUS it would have been 50/50 where you would expect them to win their home games etc.

In the form the tri-nations were in I don't think they would have. Aus were maybe the weakest, but only struggled against NZ/SA. They wiped the floor with most others and still do so. Also, saying the chiefs (assuming their internationals would be with the ABs) would beat a fully fledged NZ or SA is just ridiculous.

Who said anything about stripping them of their ABs?

Its a hypothetical scenario. The chiefs as they play in SR week in week out would be more than simply good competition for any test side in the world, they would be a genuine world class unit in their own right and not because they simply have a clutch of of ABs.

Considering a good few of their team represent All Blacks every time international duty calls...

They would be, though don't think that'd be enough to beat the top 3 in world rugby.

It seemed last season as though the guy the Welsh coaches had their eye on was Patchell, but unfortunately he got injured twice and ended up missing most of the season. At the moment, it looks more likely to be Patchell at 10 and Anscombe at 15 for the Blues, I would have thought?

It could well be, but expect Anscombe to be given the 10 jersey at some point too.

I watched Zulu when I was 10............. oh s*** I'm a valley boy and I never even knew it!!!

Ahh well ZULU! (although a cracking film which is still worth watching) has elements of ‘Braveheart’ in it. What you should have seen was B Company, the 2nd Battalion 24th Regiment of Foot (aka 2nd Warwickshire) take on two or three regiments of Zulu’s (who were very naughty boys and should not have been there), however it seems that the ‘South Wales Borderers’ were actually present. Yes Stanley Baker, I’m looking at you.

Instead of singing Men of Harlech they should have been humming some English midlands ditty.

It’s noticeable that in the follow on prequel - Zulu Dawn - there is no mention of any ethnicity of the 1st Battalion or 2nd Battalion 24th Regiment of Foot, both of whom got chopped to bits. Possibly Stanley had done some research by then and recognised his error, or perhaps he didn’t want to see the ‘South Wales Borderers’ getting their arses handed to them by the Zulus. Although to be fair, it WAS at altitude, away from home and they did have a few injuries.

They were renamed the South Wales Borderers about 3 years after the battle. So an English unit from the Brum area being rebranded as Welsh, sounds a bit like Colin Charvis dunnit?

From what I have read there were a significant number of welsh players in the team that contested Rorke's Drift, but in general they came from everywhere.

lostinwales wrote:From what I have read there were a significant number of welsh players in the team that contested Rorke's Drift, but in general they came from everywhere.

Pre 2005, the bar man at my local (an English gent) used to constantly say whenever rugby was on "the welsh haven't won anything since Rorke's drift", he even put boxes of tissues out on every table when Wales played England, because we would need them.

there a museum in brecon south Wales all about rorke s drift . what struck me most of all was how tiny the uniforms was on display . reminds me of Welsh rugby players in the 80s

there a museum in brecon south Wales all about rorke s drift . what struck me most of all was how tiny the uniforms was on display . reminds me of Welsh rugby players in the 80s

Anyway, back to rugby...Some suggestion from Dale McIntosh that patchell may move to 12 at the Blues. I wonder if hammett wants Anscombe as a grant fox type controller at 10 and patchell as a creative distributor in the kiwi 5/8 style ? Blues don't have an inside centre at the moment. And they seem to be playing a super rugby offloading game. Not sure how that will fair againsy the grunt of the frnech and english forwards when Blues are back in European cup. He does seem better at 15, whereas Blues have a few average options at 15. trying them out at the moment it seems.

And wait till a wet Friday night at ravenhill...................

Ireland have been also catapulted ' foreign ' players into international rugby - what was that prop called last year ? If those are the rules then you can't blame pro teams who need success to follow them.

I would prefer a longer residency period if over 16, eg 5 years. Anscombe's mum is Welsh, so he's Welsh. Even if he speaks with a funny accent.

Solid game by Anscombe this afternoon, 17 points from the boot, in a game played in inclement weather.

Thank you auckland laurie for the update - thats encouraging !