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!

Hello gents. Can I just ask hows your season been going? I had you boys down as my team to watch this year. But I notice your hanging around the same spot as us (Ulster) so I assume your as disappointed as me.

carpet baboon wrote:Hello gents. Can I just ask hows your season been going? I had you boys down as my team to watch this year. But I notice your hanging around the same spot as us (Ulster) so I assume your as disappointed as me.

In a sentence: ruined by injury.

There's a good first team in the squad, just about, but the number of injuries has killed a small squad.

In reference to the Brad Thyer incident, I was only putting on here what somebody from his family told me, he said he was left to his own devices and was in the Royal Glamorgan hospital for about 3 days with no contact from his club.

I will ask again if this info was correct but they had no reason to tell me otherwise. If it is wrong, then I will apologise. But I am only going on what I was told. If anybody would like to PM on this I can speak about it in more detail.

LordDowlais wrote:In reference to the Brad Thyer incident, I was only putting on here what somebody from his family told me, he said he was left to his own devices and was in the Royal Glamorgan hospital for about 3 days with no contact from his club.

I will ask again if this info was correct but they had no reason to tell me otherwise. If it is wrong, then I will apologise. But I am only going on what I was told. If anybody would like to PM on this I can speak about it in more detail.

Whoever told you about this got even the most basic information wrong about the hospital. You gave no 'health warning' with the information, you presented it as fact and made judgements on the club based on the information you presented as fact. 

This caused a number of us to seek out the view of the club and made the club put out a statement on the health (not fitness, but health) of one of its players. Everything in that statement disproved your viewpoint that was presented as fact.

Even for that, you should apologise.

PM me Philip, then I will talk to you about it in more detail.

By all means send me one.

If you have evidence of wrongdoing, let's see it.

After the warning of the moderators I am not prepared to discuss this openly on a forum.

I will however openly apologise for posting inaccurate information given to me, but the person who was telling me did not come across as telling lies, in fact the person was quite upset.

Happy to receive more by PM.

So is it all going to finally go Clark's Pies ie don't look the same, don't feel the same, don't taste the same?

Losing at home to Treviso.....o dear bet Jack roberts regrets signing that contract

Bit premature haha.

I watched it. Might only be Treviso, but good to see Cuthbert show glimpses of what he can do. His try was nice and the break and offload for Halaholo's try was lovely too.

Olaaay, Olay, Olay, Olaaay......Cardiff...Cardiff...!

The WRU may be taking over the Cardiff Blues and buying out Peter Thomas?!

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/wru-to-take-over-blues-and-dragons-7ctrvqv0x

Can they afford it? I was hoping it would be just the one team being run by the WRU... This is perhaps the beginning of central contracting.

Who would live in a house like this? Let's look at the clues.....
CAP is key by the look of it and Rodders the key out East, I reckon.

Can someone go round to phpBB's house and make sure he's ok?

St John The Enforcer wrote:Can someone go round to phpBB's house and make sure he's ok?

I'm sure his Mam has brought his crispy pancakes down to his basement.

Interesting news coming through about Halfpenny. He was keen to go back to the Blues, but the contract they offered stopped just before the World Cup. Halfpenny asked for 2 extra months to take him through until after the World Cup, which was agreed by the WRU as part of the NDC, however the Blues said no.

Halfpenny then resigned with Toulon, a shame to lose a star in my opinion.

chris_501 wrote:Interesting news coming through about Halfpenny. He was keen to go back to the Blues, but the contract they offered stopped just before the World Cup. Halfpenny asked for 2 extra months to take him through until after the World Cup, which was agreed by the WRU as part of the NDC, however the Blues said no.

Halfpenny then resigned with Toulon, a shame to lose a star in my opinion.

Flip WRU/Blues and you're correct.

Haven't seen Mike Hall in ages. Just saying like.

Not the finished article yet, obviously.

I propose a new law that every team should have to field a MM kinda player at all times. Imagine it.

Cardiff Dave wrote:I propose a new law that every team should have to field a MM kinda player at all times. Imagine it.

It's about time you concentrated on your OWN REGION, not gallivanting around the countryside getting involved with Teams that you should have NO affinity to, judging by last nights performance they really need all the help they can get.

wayne wrote:

Cardiff Dave wrote:I propose a new law that every team should have to field a MM kinda player at all times. Imagine it.

It's about time you concentrated on your OWN REGION, not gallivanting around the countryside getting involved with Teams that you should have NO affinity to, judging by last nights performance they really need all the help they can get.

BTW, an anagram of region is IGNORE. Which is what I do when it comes to that silly word as it happens.
I'll have 2 from the top and 1 from behind please Rachel.

Just to let everybody know CARDIFF BLUES are playing ULSTER RUGBY TONIGHT.

There are obviously NO CARDIFF BLUES SUPPORTERS on this FORUM, as there has NOT been a mention of this game here.

wayne wrote:Just to let  everybody know CARDIFF BLUES are playing ULSTER RUGBY TONIGHT.

There are obviously NO CARDIFF BLUES SUPPORTERS on this FORUM, as there has NOT been a mention of this game here.

Ulster on a Friday evening? Now there's a novelty.
Think we need Cardiff to get nulled with regards to the Euro play-offs.

And Connacht to win too.

BBC2 NI link.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/rugby-union/39386369

It's on Chum V too.

How come the random caps Wayne? Not going a bit Madge?

RiscaGame wrote:It's on Chum V too.

None of the bloo reejunaljism Welsh bollux with BBC2 NI though.
Just Cardiff.

RiscaGame wrote:It's on Chum V too.

How come the random caps Wayne? Not going a bit Madge?

Rev with how Dave is always on your site, perhaps the solution is to merge the two of you.

Good win lads. Played some beautiful stuff.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Good win lads. Played some beautiful stuff.

Yes Rory a real good performance by the Blues, who was MOTM?

wayne wrote:

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Good win lads. Played some beautiful stuff.

Yes Rory a real good performance by the Blues, who was MOTM?

I know we can be a defeatist bunch at times Rory but giving away our 2 points for the draw is a bit drastic

In all seriousness though, you boys should have had that game won before half time. Seemed too focused on putting it through the hands rather than attacking the space that was in front of you but fair play to your coaches for switching the focus at half time, don't suppose we can do a coaching swap until the end of the season?

Lol I don't know why I thought we lost. Whoops. Good moral victory lads. 

Blues could have won, but they have too many average players in their team. Wilson can only do so much, plus there's the dire need for a proper defence coach....

Whoever didn't offer Halfpenny the extra few months on his proposed contract needs the word MUPPET tattooed on their forehead.

mikey_dragon wrote:Blues could have won, but they have too many average players in their team. Wilson can only do so much, plus there's the dire need for a proper defence coach....

Whoever didn't offer Halfpenny the extra few months on his proposed contract needs the word MUPPET tattooed on their forehead.

Who needs Halfpenny when you have the blistering x-factor presence of Matthew Morgan?

Stone Motif wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Blues could have won, but they have too many average players in their team. Wilson can only do so much, plus there's the dire need for a proper defence coach....

Whoever didn't offer Halfpenny the extra few months on his proposed contract needs the word MUPPET tattooed on their forehead.

Who needs Halfpenny when you have the blistering x-factor presence of Matthew Morgan?

I think he's great, in an edge of your seat type way. Thoroughly entertaining and people pay to be entertained.
A try making machine. For both sides. Everyone's a winner ffs!

Excellent performance against Ulster, I must say. The Pieman must be dusting off his cheque book after that. Just need to strengthen here and there and look out Europe, the Cardiff boys are back in town.

Cardiff Dave wrote:

Stone Motif wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Blues could have won, but they have too many average players in their team. Wilson can only do so much, plus there's the dire need for a proper defence coach....

Whoever didn't offer Halfpenny the extra few months on his proposed contract needs the word MUPPET tattooed on their forehead.

Who needs Halfpenny when you have the blistering x-factor presence of Matthew Morgan?

I think he's great, in an edge of your seat type way. Thoroughly entertaining and people pay to be entertained.
A try making machine. For both sides. Everyone's a winner ffs!

I cannot believe there were, and still are, people out there who want him at the NGD. Imagine him on the bayou shorn of his me me me 3-second highlight reel horsesh4t

Any news of Warburton's knee scan? Does he need surgery or not?

majesticimperialman wrote:Any news of Warburton's knee scan? Does he need surgery or not?

Always checkout the TFW website (temporarily the TFL website of course) for the latest on Warbs or similar. Latest news usually always appears on there first.

Err......

I've just one question.

Where the fu** was this Cardiff side earlier this season?

Smashing victory by the Blues - Ospreys on the other hand......

Just the Blues tradition. Get everyones hopes up before next season. Win the first few games of the season. Then fail to win another game until April.

Rinse. Repeat.

But seriously, Blues performances have been very good in the last 3 league games, if we were a bit fitter, best composed in the last 20 or a stronger bench then we could/should have won all 3.

And now we have the Dragons besting the Scarlets????

6-3 at half time and they deserve to have a better lead.

wales606 wrote:Just the Blues tradition. Get everyones hopes up before next season. Win the first few games of the season. Then fail to win another game until April.

Rinse. Repeat.

But seriously, Blues performances have been very good in the last 3 league games, if we were a bit fitter, best composed in the last 20 or a stronger bench then we could/should have won all 3.

And the Pieman scouring the world in his yacht, or at least the Bristol channel, every summer.

Still not convinced that all realise that 4 tries equates to a point on the league table. Exciting finish. I was cheering on the Ities at the end there.

Eastern Chiefs all giving up the fight d'you reckon?
Gonna be a trail of tears.

Lawks a lordy!

"WRU in talks over temporary Cardiff Blues takeover...
It is unclear whether this temporary agreement would become permanent in future."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/39861919