Rhys Priestland?

[Olliekooga]

Hi guys just wanted to float an idea.

If Rhys Priestland is not kicking goals (couldnt hit a cows a**e with a banjo yesterday) does he add anything to the team that someone who isnt obviously injured doesnt?

I dont think his distribution is spectacularly better than the other options (Hook et al) for instance and if his knee isnt 100% what else does he bring to the party?

Who would Wales fans like to see at 10 if RP is out?

Cheers
ollie.

 

[Ozzay]

Preistland is the best 10 In Wales for our gameplan!
Everyone has An off day plus halfpenny was there to kick when things weren't going his way.

every time hook has The ball I get scared these days

 

[lynam1104]

Hook I suppose he's been playing fairly well there in france if i'm not mistaken.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

As above, Priestland is the best Welsh 10. Get Halfpenny taking the kicks and you're sorted.
Hook is incredibly overrated.

 

[Feicarsinn]

As above, Priestland is the best Welsh 10. Get Halfpenny taking the kicks and you're sorted.
Hook is incredibly overrated.

Agree, Hook's hype irritates the hell out of me. The guy has done **** all, but some seem to think he's one of the best centres in the world.

Priestland would want to get his act together though, we're going to need another outhalf option come 2014.

 

[psychic duck]

people for some reason like to forget Hook's faults, he can't dictate a game like Priestland, he can't calm the game down by pinning the opposition into their half with kicks to the corners, I would never want him at 10 during a tight knockout style of match

people have a go at the Ospreys for putting him to 12 and playing Biggar 10, but seem to forget that Hook was playing dreadfully at 10 at that time

 

[ThatFellowEdwards]

Whenever someone talks about James Hook, they either display ignorance of his faults, or blind faith in his ability. There's no middle ground.

To suggest that Priestland should be in over Hook if he has ANOTHER bad game would be madness though. I think Gatland is going to give him another chance, if he screws up against Scotland then there's not much argument for keeping him in the side. He played as bad as I've ever seen an International outside half play on Sunday, excluding the off-load for the try. I don't know what was up with him but he clearly had demons.

Hook is a class-apart going forward, there's a reason that the Froggies paid a shedload of money to get him, and it's nothing to do with tired, old-fashioned and out-dated notions of "Game control".

 

[Feicarsinn]

Whenever someone talks about James Hook, they either display ignorance of his faults, or blind faith in his ability. There's no middle ground.

To suggest that Priestland should be in over Hook if he has ANOTHER bad game would be madness though. I think Gatland is going to give him another chance, if he screws up against Scotland then there's not much argument for keeping him in the side. He played as bad as I've ever seen an International outside half play on Sunday, excluding the off-load for the try. I don't know what was up with him but he clearly had demons.

Hook is a class-apart going forward, there's a reason that the Froggies paid a shedload of money to get him, and it's nothing to do with tired, old-fashioned and out-dated notions of "Game control".

By tired and old fashioned I'm assuming you mean effective and incredibly important.

 

[ThatFellowEdwards]

By tired and old fashioned I'm assuming you mean effective and incredibly important.

No. I actually mean tired and old-fashioned.

It's the most ridiculous cliche that the professional era has thrown up. I'm not anti-Scarlets, but it was the same notion that kept Stephen Jones in the side for two years longer than he should have been.

In the modern era, and more importantly in line with the way the Southern Hemisphere sides play, an outside half is first and foremost an attacker at first reciever. Tries win matches and flair with ball in hand should always get put before "Game control" (Whatever the hell that means these days)

Knowing when to kick, and where, and conversely when not to kick, is the staple skill of ANY 10 the world over, and it's the first thing you learn at youth level. A lot of the time it's blindingly obvious when to put boot to ball and for any International outside half worth their salt it's instinctive.

Priestland had an amazing World Cup, but if he carries on like that he'll catch Biggar-itis.

 

[Olliekooga]

How many "off days" can a player (Not just RP) have in a five game tournament before he is dropped?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I don't get it - People are going on as if Priestland was dire in that match.
Missed kicks aside he had a good game, he caried well, passed well and all but one (I think) of his kicks through/upfield were very well done.

Like I said, give the kicking to Halfpenny and Priestland is easily the best option at 10.

 

[ZeFrenchy]

I think Priestland is the keystone to the welsjh backline. The guy is surrounded by straight-runners and he somehow manages to keep it flowing. Seriously, the guy has Phillips inside him and Roberts and Davies outside. They are all very good players, but they need a playmaker like Priestland to use them.

I think Adam Jones, Warburton, Priestland and Halfpenny are irreplaceable atm.

 

[Aedaphon]

I don't get it - People are going on as if Priestland was dire in that match.
Missed kicks aside he had a good game, he caried well, passed well and all but one (I think) of his kicks through/upfield were very well done.

Like I said, give the kicking to Halfpenny and Priestland is easily the best option at 10.

I'm a big fan of Priestland but I'd have to disagree with that. His carrying and passing was definitely as good as I would hope coming back from injury but his tactical kicking left a lot to be desired.

Admittedly Kearney was superb but by and large he failed to put enough pressure on the Irish back three and made a few mediocre kicks.

Still head and shoulders above Hook in my mind though.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

The thing to remember with his kicking was that a lot of the time he wasn't looking for touch as Ireland were turning over the lineouts, he was skimming them across the floor just to push them back - I think he did that well

 

[dullonien]

Priestland's kicking at goal was obviously poor, but I think the rest of his game was top drawer yesterday. His distribution is always good, with the ball always put in front of his outside backs. He attacks the line well, as demonstrated by Davies' first try and in the build up to the final penalty where he made two half-breaks to get Wales up the field and out of our 22. His kicking from hand is the best of any Welsh 10, and especially in the first half yesterday he pinned Ireland back time and time again. His brave kick to touch from a penalty in the lead up to Davies' second try was also good to see, for too long Wales fly halves have been so conservative here, only gaining 20m or so.

Halfpenny is the best kicker in Wales full stop, and with time will get even better. He's first choice kicker at the Blues, even when Parks is playing which should say something, because Parks' one strength is his goal kicking. I don't understand the need to have the outside half kicking if there's someone better playing in another position. Goal kicking has always been Priestland's weakness, so take that pressure off him and watch him flourish (in a similar way Nicky Robinson flourished at the Blues once the kicking duties were handed over to Blair). The rest of Priestland's game is top notch, well his tackling can be a bit dodgy, but with monster players either side, we can deal with that.

Finally, the most important thing. He plays heads up rugby. His decision making is always spot on because he plays what's in front of him. This cannot be underestimated.

Edit. ThatFellowEdwards. You clearly have no clue if you think game control is outdated. Hook is a great talent, but sometimes he just looks like a headless chicken. Priestland's all round game is far superious than any other Welsh 10 at present. Priestland had a solid game yesterday if you overlook his goal kicking. If you think otherwise, you're delluded.

 

[DuncTheDoodle]

Whenever someone talks about James Hook, they either display ignorance of his faults, or blind faith in his ability. There's no middle ground.

To suggest that Priestland should be in over Hook if he has ANOTHER bad game would be madness though. I think Gatland is going to give him another chance, if he screws up against Scotland then there's not much argument for keeping him in the side. He played as bad as I've ever seen an International outside half play on Sunday, excluding the off-load for the try. I don't know what was up with him but he clearly had demons.

Hook is a class-apart going forward, there's a reason that the Froggies paid a shedload of money to get him, and it's nothing to do with tired, old-fashioned and out-dated notions of "Game control".

I thought Priestland had a good game. He was far better than Sexton, who didn't have a particuarly poor game by any strech. The thing is that with RP, he mixes his game up and is nowhere near as predictable as Hook (Who 90% of the time either hoofs the ball or attempts to break the line himself) or Steve (Who either statically passes or takes contact). If nothing else, it's nice to see someone with the complete range of skills, even if he often makes mistakes. Obviously his goalkicking isn't as good as it could be, but we've got Halfpenny for that.

 

[Draggs]

My biggest issue with Priestland was his kicking away of possession with cross kicks. They rarely ever work, and after the first one failed I would have expected him to stop it.
After he missed the sitter, the kicking duties should have immediately gone to Halfpenny, who I regard as our first choice now.

 

[Peat]

I really like Priestland as a fly-half, I think he regularly makes good options and gets his backline moving. A lot of the kicking seemed to be targeting Trimble as a possible weak link - which imo was a good move - and a fair bit of it stopped after he realised Trimble was up to it. Hard to kick tactically when your line-out's wobbling too. He was rusty, but it was his first game back. I'd always pick him when fit imo for Wales.

 

[Me 1]

Priestland's kicking at goal was obviously poor, but I think the rest of his game was top drawer yesterday. His distribution is always good, with the ball always put in front of his outside backs. He attacks the line well, as demonstrated by Davies' first try and in the build up to the final penalty where he made two half-breaks to get Wales up the field and out of our 22. His kicking from hand is the best of any Welsh 10, and especially in the first half yesterday he pinned Ireland back time and time again. His brave kick to touch from a penalty in the lead up to Davies' second try was also good to see, for too long Wales fly halves have been so conservative here, only gaining 20m or so.

Halfpenny is the best kicker in Wales full stop, and with time will get even better. He's first choice kicker at the Blues, even when Parks is playing which should say something, because Parks' one strength is his goal kicking. I don't understand the need to have the outside half kicking if there's someone better playing in another position. Goal kicking has always been Priestland's weakness, so take that pressure off him and watch him flourish (in a similar way Nicky Robinson flourished at the Blues once the kicking duties were handed over to Blair). The rest of Priestland's game is top notch, well his tackling can be a bit dodgy, but with monster players either side, we can deal with that.

Finally, the most important thing. He plays heads up rugby. His decision making is always spot on because he plays what's in front of him. This cannot be underestimated.

Edit. ThatFellowEdwards. You clearly have no clue if you think game control is outdated. Hook is a great talent, but sometimes he just looks like a headless chicken. Priestland's all round game is far superious than any other Welsh 10 at present. Priestland had a solid game yesterday if you overlook his goal kicking. If you think otherwise, you're delluded.

My thoughts exactly, plus one for you.

 

[big ginger 8]

With regards to his tactical kicking yesterday they clearly identified Trimble as a weakness and kept trying to turn over. One of my friends plays for Wanderers' club where the Welsh had a session and he said Priestland was practicing a lot of dinks over the top to that wing.