Cardiff Blues 2016/2017

First topic message reminder :

Surprised one of these isn’t up yet. If I’ve missed players just let me know and I’ll pop them in.

Squad

Hookers: Matthew Rees, Kirby Myhill, Kristian Dacey, Liam Belcher, Ethan Lewis
Props: Gethin Jenkins, Taufa'ao Filise, Rhys Gill, Scott Andrews, Dillon Lewis, Bradley Thyer, Anton Peikrishvili
Locks: Jarrad Hoeata, George Earle, James Down, Seb Davies
Back Row: Macauley Cook, Ellis Jenkins, Josh Navidi, James Sheekey, Josh Turnbull, Sam Warburton, Cam Dolan, Nick Williams
Scrum Half: Lloyd Williams, Lewis Jones, Tomos Williams
Fly Half: Gareth Anscombe, Jarrod Evans, Steven Shingler
Centre: Cory Allen, Garyn Smith, Rey Lee-Lo Willis Halaholo* (Joins after NPC)
Wing: Alex Cuthbert, Tom James, Blaine Scully
Fullback: Dan Fish, Matthew Morgan, Aled Summerhill, Rhun Williams

Pre-Season Results:
Dragons (L) 28-38
Bristol (W) 25-24

Hoping for a good season from the Blues. We’ve signed well in some areas, such as adding Nick Williams to our already well stocked back row. The addition of Shingler and Morgan should help our squad rotation in the backs but I can’t help but feel we’re lacking in the centre a bit. More so with Corey Allen’s potential for injury.

Pre-season has gone alright. Hammered by the Dragons for 50 mins, but we came back to score a few tries in the last 30. The Bristol game gave me worries about our scrum. Ma'afu looked more unfit against the Dragons then when he joined, it seems that he has a poor attitude and needs to buck his ideas up. Gill didn’t look great against Bristol and Thyer had a tidy game when he came on. Cam Dolan seems to have improved in the off season along with Down who had a good game against Bristol. Shingler and Morgan went well in the Bristol game as did Allen. Ray Lee-Lo will be our most important player this season I feel, he has a great attitude and really puts in a shift. Excited to see him and Halaholo link up later in the year.

Looking forward to the Edinburgh game on 3rd of September. C’mon the Bloooooooooos!

You cannot criticize any Blues player, former or present, without being an idiot and wrong. Should of learnt that by now.

munkian wrote:You cannot criticize any Blues player, former or present, without being an idiot and wrong. Should of learnt that by now.

That's a particularly ignorant comment if it is aimed at me.

PhilBB wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:He was poor for Scarlets on a consistent basis too, happy with that? Waiting for the "but Bath signed him so he must be class" retort...

Why is that at odds with facts? I read for ages from numerous Cardiff fans across a few forums that they thought he'd be better at 12 or 15. Have to say now I agree with them.

He was so poor he has multiple caps and a healthy contract. I think that it's your use of language, or your incredibly high yardstick, that I'm struggling to empathise with.

Its an odd with the facts of the shirt number he wore.

Yeah he's poor. How many caps, 3? I can't see how expecting a fly-half to do the fly-half basics well and not have a high error count is a high yardstick, that's possibly the lowest yardstick ever for a 10. If you can't do that then you're simply not good enough to play 10.

I really don't follow you now, you've lost me.

mikey_dragon wrote:
Yeah he's poor. How many caps, 3? I can't see how expecting a fly-half to do the fly-half basics well and not have a high error count is a high yardstick, that's possibly the lowest yardstick ever for a 10. If you can't do that then you're simply not good enough to play 10.

I really don't follow you now, you've lost me.

Priestland has 48 caps.

Patchell wasn't shunted from 10. He was selected there throughout his Cardiff career.

Ah, RP. His selection confuses me as well as millions of others. Surely you noted how he doesn't get game time, maybe a token 5 minutes here and there? I guess you understand, given Cardiff's signing of Morgan confused you too.

So why did he feature a lot at 15 too? He was shunted from there to allow fly-halves such as Humberstone and Anscombe manage the game better.

mikey_dragon wrote:Ah, RP. His selection confuses me as well as millions of others. Surely you noted how he doesn't get game time, maybe a token 5 minutes here and there? I guess you understand, given Cardiff's signing of Morgan confused you too.

So why did he feature a lot at 15 too? He was shunted from there to allow fly-halves such as Humberstone and Anscombe manage the game better.

No, Patchell got shunted for Anscombe. Not for Humberstone.

RP's selection doesn't confuse me. Morgan is now at his first club where he is solely a full back.

No celebration of Gethin Jenkins signing on for another year?

Jenkins, Rees, Filise = combined age of 109!

Surely the oldest front row in professional rugby?

You'd hope they'd help to bring through the very talented young lads we have coming up at the monent. I guess in the case of Jenkins, Rees and Filise, if you're good enough you're young enough.

If any of you lads are about tomorrow there are a few of us Leinster fans heading over. On the way now.

I'm not really the enforcer. I'm just a naughty boy.

Pints with any of you even Buletin Board Phil would be good. Be interesting to see what he looks like with his clothes on.

PM if you are up for it.

Peace and Rugby

PhilBB wrote:No celebration of Gethin Jenkins signing on for another year?

And S4C adding the "Caerdydd" suffix.
Wonder if Ponty Charles will say it?

I think Cardiff will lose their unbeaten run here. Their pack is very well drilled but they're far weaker than the Leinster pack - that's where the game will be won. I hope to be wrong .

Cardiff Dave wrote:

PhilBB wrote:No celebration of Gethin Jenkins signing on for another year?

And S4C adding the "Caerdydd" suffix.
Wonder if Ponty Charles will say it?

It's almost as though they were asked to do it.....

PhilBB wrote:

Cardiff Dave wrote:

PhilBB wrote:No celebration of Gethin Jenkins signing on for another year?

And S4C adding the "Caerdydd" suffix.
Wonder if Ponty Charles will say it?

It's almost as though they were asked to do it.....

My thoughts too. Wonder if they'd also been asked before?

A fair few changes for the Bristol game, some guys being reintroduced from injury while others seem to have vanished. Is Wilson taking this seriously?

Its not like they've got Gavlar back - if Cardiff have any serious aspirations in Europe then they should walk this.

Cardiff Blues Premiership Select 21 London Scottish 26....

Typical negativity I see, chortle chortle. Better get out the sewing kit again I guess. Marvelous stuff.

PhilBB wrote:

Cardiff Dave wrote:

PhilBB wrote:No celebration of Gethin Jenkins signing on for another year?

And S4C adding the "Caerdydd" suffix.
Wonder if Ponty Charles will say it?

It's almost as though they were asked to do it.....

"End of an era at Arms Park2"...

Vid shows Gareth, Gerald, etc in the all blue jersey. Could rattle some cages.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/cardiff_blues/8050589.stm

Some commenting on Zebre... Mmmm...

Biarritz 75-25 Cardiff
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/european/2664801.stm

Cardiff Blues 25-30 Zebre
http://www.cardiffblues.com/rugby/6497.php

Zebre 15-10 Cardiff Blues
http://www.cardiffblues.com/rugby/6852.php

Ma'afu and Knoyle have left then. That frees up a NWQ spot and a bit of salary cap. The SH domestic cups are coming to an end as well. Any chance we will be signing anyone off of the back of that? Regardless of Andrews recent change in form we still need another TH but more than that we need a propee second row.

Dillon Lewis is a tight head so between him, filise and Andrews we're ok for this season but agree that we'll need someone to come in next season as filise can't go on for ever.

I would want us to scour the South African landscape for some second rows, we have earle and downs (with others filling in like Hoeata) at the moment but I would rather earle be partnered with a more imposing lineout specialist. If we could signed 2 locks, a lineout and a carrier, that would improve our pack immensely.

I've not seen any of the Currie Cup this year. Anyone you think we could and should go for? Hoping that Seb Davies kicks on in the next few seasons now. We seem to struggle to produce good second rows in Wales. They seem to end up playing at six.

Anybody heard that Cardiff are apparently after Dai Landman?

Sorry, but I'm a little mystified by this Ma'afu thing - and can find nothing about it in the press (i.e. Fail). They signed a foreign international prop then send him packing almost immediately...?! What's the story?

MarcusHalberstram wrote:Sorry, but I'm a little mystified by this Ma'afu thing - and can find nothing about it in the press (i.e. Fail). They signed a foreign international prop then send him packing almost immediately...?! What's the story?

Double movement?
Dunno what the story is btw.

MarcusHalberstram wrote:Sorry, but I'm a little mystified by this Ma'afu thing - and can find nothing about it in the press (i.e. Fail). They signed a foreign international prop then send him packing almost immediately...?! What's the story?

He came in back end of last season on a short term contract. He was unfit but helped to hold the scrum steady so there was optimism that we could get him fit in pre season and have a tidy player with a lot of experience which would allow us to rest Felise and bring along Lewis. What happend over pre season I would love to know. Anyone who attended the Dragons fixture could see that he had infact gained more weight, looked uniterested and was clearly an all around waste of space. I'd assume we either agreed a mutual termination or Danny got shot of him. There are no details in the media but I think Glos are mental to take a punt on him.

RiscaGame wrote:Anybody heard that Cardiff are apparently after Dai Landman?

Not heard anything but it would be a great signing for them, and an awful loss for us.

It's fine, we'll just sign whichever lock the Blues get rid of.

MarcusHalberstram wrote:Sorry, but I'm a little mystified by this Ma'afu thing - and can find nothing about it in the press (i.e. Fail). They signed a foreign international prop then send him packing almost immediately...?! What's the story?

Based on his brief showing in the pre-season it appears he spend the entire summer eating pies. Then was getting pushed around in the scrum playing for Cardiff RFC.

Gethin and Felise has been huge in defense. They're both wrote a couple ot people off. Younger lads need to take note.

We've signed a 29 year old Georgian tight-head.

http://www.cardiffblues.com/news/8501.php#.WBj7ny2LSUm

If he was on Ulster's books then why hasn't he featured for them?

mikey_dragon wrote:If he was on Ulster's books then why hasn't he featured for them?

Too busy shagging ?

Almost certainly.

munkian wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:If he was on Ulster's books then why hasn't he featured for them?

Too busy shagging ?

These Georgian forwards are supposedly like wild bears.

mikey_dragon wrote:

munkian wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:If he was on Ulster's books then why hasn't he featured for them?

Too busy shagging ?

These Georgian forwards are supposedly like wild bears.

Hung like a Panda?

The car or the animal?

Coleman wrote:We've signed a 29 year old Georgian tight-head.

http://www.cardiffblues.com/news/8501.php#.WBj7ny2LSUm

Gorgeous Georgians!

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:The car or the animal?

Who cares? He aint Welsh which is good.

Looking forward to watching the centre tonight. I also expect Blues will score from their driving line out at some point.

mikey_dragon wrote:Looking forward to watching the centre tonight. I also expect Blues will score from their driving line out at some point.

On telly is it?

Sky Sports 2.

Urggg, this could be a new low - which is saying something

mikey_dragon wrote:Sky Sports 2.

Guess i'm stuck with the bbc2 Os game, Steele and TFW updates.

wales606 wrote:Urggg, this could be a new low - which is saying something

Treviso are playing really well and yet Cardiff are still in with a chance of winning. Defence looks very poor for the blues so Treviso had clearly done their homework.

You have a point though as I expected more from this team that Wilson put out.

Great bloody try from Halaholo, that was champagne S15 rugby. Blues in the lead.

Cardiff win, finished 28-34. Ref was poor for both sides. Lloyd Williams was very poor and shouldn't be third choice 9 for Wales.

mikey_dragon wrote:Cardiff win, finished 28-34. Ref was poor for both sides. Lloyd Williams was very poor and shouldn't be third choice 9 for Wales.

Agree, Lloyd didn't have a good game - but to be fair he has been playing a lot better than this.

Try each for the players on debut. Rhun looked good in bits, bit jittery at times. Halaholo was good. Will take time for people to figure out what he is going to do. Treviso were very good and didn't deserve to lose but thems the breaks. Wish they were that competitive every week.

Coleman wrote:Try each for the players on debut. Rhun looked good in bits, bit jittery at times. Halaholo was good. Will take time for people to figure out what he is going to do. Treviso were very good and didn't deserve to lose but thems the breaks. Wish they were that competitive every week.

Wish all were able to be competitive everyweek.
Os nilled tonight. The league aint worth the proverbial, but that's how it has been for donkeys unfortunately.