Biggest Welsh Team Ever?

chrisglynn wrote...

Yes Wil. A few bruisers there. Hope Brew gets a good grip on his game.

wilbach says - and robinson, too...

Posted by: chrisglynn  | July 31, 2007 2:57 PM

Teg Davies wrote...

You are being sarcastic aren't you ?
Ok this is not the first choice team but this lot could get slaughtered.
From past it , to very inexperienced, to never were any good. Two or three really good players can not beat England in Twickenham.

Byrne , not good enough
Brew , too inexperienced
Shanklin, all hype and hasnt really played well since before lions tour.
Dafydd , Oh no !
Sweeney, not good enough
Cooper, dreadful , should have played something other than rugby
Horsman , will probably punch someone.
Sidoli, , zombie like , someone seems to drug his tea before each game.
Owen, past it for a long time, pleading to be let back in.
Alun Wynne FANTASTIC

What a depressing bunch.

Wilbach says - what a depressing comment. It is a lovely team to play in a game such as this - there is no real point to this game in itself, whatsoever, therefore we can give a different team a run. I think you are being harsh in your judgements of certain players except Sidoli - i would agree with you in your interesting suggestion of where his form has gone.

and cooper lost us the 1st Aussie test by doing about the only thing that COULD have lost us the first Aussie test! I will put good money (ie my own) on it being a closer game than you imply. You fancy?

ps what is wrong with horse hitting someone, especially an english someone.
pps you taking the same stuff as sid if you think shanklyn is or ever was 'all hype.'
the slant of the blog was on size of the team for a no-lose game rather than a first choice XV - if you think we need a different combination in the centre i would counsel caution - we need to big units to go up and down the track all day to allow our game to develop - any more nonsense about 'a ball playing 2nd five eighth' (we don't feckin' well HAVE em in europe - they are 'inside centres'. not that you were suggesting this mind, teg - sorry, just get carried away somethimes) and i will rampage through the streets of cheltenham weilding a sharpened hoe and wreaking a trail of destruction not seen since lomu.

wilbach says (the tuesday after the slaughter) - well, teg, you were right indeed. i must admit i was shocked as to HOW poor we were - really. the only good thing to come out of this is that the english now think they are better than they really are. But, i suppose, it was veer thus. our pack simply didn't turn up, so i don't think anyone from 9 up can be judged on the game. very disappointing.

Posted by: Teg Davies  | August 1, 2007 3:15 PM

Gwentlager wrote...

"The dinosaurs's eloquent lesson is that if some bigness is good, an overabundance of bigness is not necessarily better." - Eric Johnston

wilbach says - oooh, get you, all clever and araldite, mister!

ps who's eric johnston?

Posted by: Gwentlager  | August 3, 2007 4:08 PM

MERF wrote...

teg davis couldnt agree more with you its a shame will cvwac cwack sorry will bach...lol dosnnt understand international rugby. people like sweeney cooper and sidoli and owen are just not good enough neither is brew. look at the kiwis they would slaughter this team 100+ points to 0. PLS PLS CAN THE WRU SACK JENKINS BEFORE HE MAKES A LAUGHING STOCK OF US ALL..
CYMRY AM BYTH ####### POB SAIS

wilbach says - now, now - I think it all went rather well. and what, may one ask, could sweeny have done better? or brew? or james? or shanklyn? or thomas? byrne, granted, is clearly not up to the mark but, surely, the blame lies squarely with the pack and the selectors? and although i 'dosnnt (sic) understand international rugby' i do have very painful memories of coaches being sacked weeks before RWC in wales and I can tell you this now, MERF, you are a bigger fool than I if you think THAT idea will work...

Posted by: MERF  | August 4, 2007 5:35 PM

mick hughes wrote...

I don't think Jenkins is up to the job of Wales coach, infact i could do a better job.
Jenkins is full of lies and more lies, as soon as the team to play England had been announced i knew we were heading for disaster. 3rd choice scrum half and flyhalf. Alun Wyn-jones and Colin Charvis out of their best positions. A weak second row and the front row, Okay Chris Horseman scrummaged well but the rest were rubbish. How long has Jenkins been in the hotseat and still he can't sort out the lineout!!!!
This is after we were told from now on my team selection will be close to the rugby World cup team. I feel like banging my head against the wall.
Poor Gavin must be gutted, being told to go for being injured (not where he wants him to be) but on the other hand watching Shane Williams and Stephen Jones being given a chance, right down to the last minute. Double standards or what.
Jenkins, what are you doing to my beloved Wales? How dare you take a 2nd/3rd choice team to Twickenham and allow us to be humiliated. If you are not up to the job of Wales manager, step aside and I will take over. I could'nt do worse could I?
wilbach says (perhaps ironically) - i am sure you could, mick, but, have no fear, this is all part of the Grand Plan of GJ. It is all working with the precision of a military operation: the retreat from Moscow springs to mind.
If you can work our lineout to be efficient, mick, i'd give you the job right now! we were dreadful. aye.

Posted by: mick hughes  | August 5, 2007 11:37 AM

welshbob wrote...

Teg had it spot on BEFORE the game "this lot could get slaughtered" they were. End of. Shout all you like for GJ's head, it won't happen. Not right now, anyway. Proof, if any were needed that we fool ourselves into the mistaken belief that we have strength in depth in the Welsh game - we don't. we can only just manage with the odd first choice missing. When we're into 3rd and 4th choices - forget it. I don't understand why we have to be totally, completely and utterly humiliated as a nation to find out what we already knew. If Jenkins had to do that to find out for himself then we really do have a twpsin at the helm. What on earth have they been doing all summer? Practicing lines-out? don't think so!

wilbach was impressed with the comments of emyr 'Tarw' lewis on the radio today: he agreed with most of what you said but wasn't that worried about the result for the very reasons you outline above. he questioned why the lineouts can't be improved. my mate big col asked the same but went further and questioned why we had McBride doing the lineouts when he was totally pants at it himself?! (i am paraphrasing somewhat as there may be miners reading this). I am trying to be sanguine about all this but it is geting to feel all sir clivey here...

one ray of hope - farrel is shoite and their scrum half is rubbish. worse even than cooper. apparently the crowd went all mad and wavey when farrel touched the ball but i don't think he is as good as iestyn was. and we all remember how 'special' HE was at union... it is the same scenario - union & club pay a shedful for league player and then the selectors HAVE to pick him to justify the cost. my openside nephew spanked him when Farrel was at 10 for Sarries B's. Ed said he was big and strong (not quick, though...) but predictable and susceptible when tackled from the side or behind - the classic league weakness in union. i was intrigued to read that the engerrland coaches like him becasue he is a 'north-south runner'... that used to be called predictable when i was playing. even smokin' joe stanley had a change of angle to his game. why not just play Farrel and tindall in the middle with cohen and handley on the wings and cueto at the back. THAT is what they really, really want! oh grrrrr.

Posted by: welshbob  | August 6, 2007 10:45 PM

welshbob wrote...

Got quite a little "conversation" going here, for a change - amazing what a complete stuffing brings forth. I'm afraid I have no access to the "Tarw Lewis" programme in saisland, is it available as a podcast?
Hadn't realised that McBride was "coaching" the lineout - I now understand. Trouble is I can't remember far back enough to think who WAS good at it for us in the pro era to suggest we have a rather urgent masterclass. There is this feeling, with "sir" Gareth ap Jenkins, that - don't worry, we know what we're doing, I'm the man, etc. etc. PATRONISING or what? He was good for the Scarlets (mind you, they are even better without him!)but I think this is a job and a step up too far. We've NEVER played well - as a team - since Scotty left. Hope we can get him back some time.

wilbach says - it could happen... with bowring on his way?

Posted by: welshbob  | August 8, 2007 8:17 PM

EnglishKen wrote...

Cheers lads. It warms me heart to read your comments. Let’s face it, don’t send boys to do a man’s job. When you do send a proper side, you sometimes even beat us ….

wilbach says - aye, but all too rarely for my tastes. can i ask you, Ken, what do you think of Farrell? is he being selected because he cost a lot of dosh? we had a similiar issue here with iestyn 'take the money and run' harris... you really have much better centres than him, i think, why not play em?

Posted by: EnglishKen  | August 9, 2007 3:40 PM

EnglishKen wrote...

willbach, you have hit the nail on the head, but as a former front row player, what the backs get up to is a mystery to me!

It seems to be the case that the RFU paid a lot of cash for a player that a) is too old and b) was completely un-proven in Union. I think they saw what Jason Robinson had brought the English side, and believed Farrell would do the same – for kicking and distribution anyway. I have not seen it in international games and he has had the opportunities.

The RFU, via Ashton, play him to save face.

wilbach says - as a chipper little former centre cum wing cum full back (and once, for a few terrifying minutes, openside [you chaps are so ROUGH!]), i shall be asking you questions in the future about the grunt merchants up front, if thats ok!

it is nice to have an Englishman on board posting sane comments rather than the rabid though admittedly amusing rantings of all us Welshies. I really do wish these union money types would learn that with perhaps 2 exceptions, league-to-union converst aren't all that much kop. Sailor and Robinson have done well but I can't think of Northern Hemisphere examples other than Billy. He was, without a shadow of doubt, at one time the most exciting broken play runner I have seen in years.. And then someone taught him how to kcik and it all went horribly wrong - in the Henson/Tait game, every time JR got the ball there were some seriously flexible rectal spasms in Welsh shorts. Then he did the normal, union thing and kicked... Phew, we all said. As soon as the ball leaves his hands he is kjust another player. Jonathan Davies recalls paying a game early in his league career and receiving a kick at full back. Now we all know what you do: run it up, but JD saw space behind the defence, waited for the up-rushing line to nearly reach hiim and chipped and chased and scored. He was a bit bemused with the bollacking he got at half time and admitted he had heard a sharp gasp from the whole crowd as he put boot to ball. In the same way as his unorthodxy made him special so did/does JR's feet. Sailor, when not caned on charlie, is special, too - 'we knew he couldn't kick off his right for toffee and thats his stronger foot!' said G Henry after WS had run the length of the field against Wales. Knew what he was going to do but culdn't stop him. I dont' think league players should be bought for defense and distribution to union, only for 'cut and kill' out wide. Please, if things go ok for us in the RWC, don't play Catt against us - select Farrell and Shaun Perry!

Anyway, should be interesting to see how you boys go against JohnnyFrog. My mate West Country Will will no doubt be keeping me up to date with developments in his inimitable, non-biased fashion (" gareth edwards, phil bennett, barry john - your boys are taking one HELL of a beating!" thanks, willO....)

Posted by: EnglishKen  | August 10, 2007 9:09 AM