Round 15

[Groundhog]

Maybe time have something to eat and a cup of tea?

Was fully sober when I wrote that.

Game went about as I expected to be honest given the selection. Scoreline was very poor though. Time for Van Graan to make some bold decisions and promote Casey permanently, let Healy start a big game and stop picking that front row. Ahern also has to jump the que, certainly ahead of Jenkins who was anonymous. Also that back three is just not it. If we were signing players, I would love a big monster on the wing to complement Conway. VG won't realistically make big changes, because he's on his way out. I hope Coombes isn't as bad as it appears. He was on crutches at the end. Was a dirty clearout on him that the ref didn't spot, but we should have whipped him off immediately. Stinker of a performance, will need to turn it on a dime next week. Still think we have a good chance vs Exeter.

As for Leinster they got their aggression right and schooled us. Way less sloppy and got the ball wide at the right times. Will be tough to stop on either comp..

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Stormers moving up the log nicely. Possibly we got away with one vs Ulster but for me we were.. unlucky not to get over the line vs Benetton and Edinburgh (those two games at least) so it kinda evens things out.

It will probably look ridiculous to complain about a refereeing performance in which your side got a W with a BP and the other team nothing.. so I won't.. even if I feel I could. Though I suppose I just did so there's that. I am still very excited about the competition and feel the format is feasible. Just the refereeing in general terms can be more consistent.

So I'm starting to get thoughts that maybe, if we can manage a few more results starting with a tough fixture vs the Bulls we can possibly even see a home QF but the tournament seems to be Leinster's to lose.

 

[dullonien]

Any fellow Ospreys fans on here?

Ospreys looked decent on paper, but there's some real issues with some of their squad that aren't being addressed.

1. Dan Evans is finished, has been for years. He's lost all of his pace and has become anliability in defense. Yet Booth keeps starting him, and on the hard piches in SA he was terrible.

2. Like Evans, Bradley Davies is stealing a living atm. Haven't seen him play well since joining the Ospreys really, and they've just given him another contract! Again he looks pedestrian in conparison to the dynamic SA locks.

3. Webb has also lost his pace and looks past it. His service is slow and he makes mistakes. Somehow pundits still talk about him as a contender for Wales, mainly because he still scores the odd try from 5m out. But the reality is that he's past-it.

4. Outside half is a massive issue for them. Myler steadied the ship when they were on the brink a couple of seasons back, but he's well and trully past it now. After this weekend I'm also concerned for Anscombe's future after his horror injury. He was terrible, and hasn't put in a good performance since returning. No idea how he was selected for Wales in the 6N. Can he regain his pace which always set him apart? Not sure there are any great youngsters coming through either!

5. I'm also concerned for Giles. He was put into space a few times v Stormers and on one of those occasions he was caught from behind by their no.7! To me that shows that he's lost the devastating pace he had when he burst onto the scene, with those knee injuries taking their toll. Like Anscombe, Giles' future will depend if he can regain that pace.

Doesn't help that Owen Watkin had an absolute mare as well, with a handful of really poor decisions/mistakes.

One positive was Jac Morgan. He was exceptional v Stormers, turning ball over, making breaks, carrying. If only the rest of the team performed like that!

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

concerned for Giles. He was put into space a few times v Stormers and on one of those occasions he was caught from behind by their no.7! To me that shows that he's lost the devastating pace he had when he burst onto the scene, with those knee injuries taking their toll. Like Anscombe, Giles' future will depend if he can regain that pace.

That winger looks a lively stepper!

I'm not in a position to remark on his pace or lack thereof because the weekend was my introduction to the player but I just wanted to mention for what its worth that the tackler who ran him down, Dayimani is a converted winger. I don't suppose anyone outside of SA would know of him? I'm certainly not saying here that your point doesn't stand but thought some context might be helpful.

 

[dullonien]

That winger looks a lively stepper!

I'm not in a position to remark on his pace or lack thereof because the weekend was my introduction to the player but I just wanted to mention for what its worth that the tackler who ran him down, Dayimani is a converted winger. I don't suppose anyone outside of SA would know of him? I'm certainly not saying here that your point doesn't stand but thought some context might be helpful.

Suppose that's something. Back in 2017, when he first broke into the Ospreys side few players could live with his pace. If you search youtube for him, there's a few highlight videos from back then. He was included in the Welsh squad and appeared on the bench v Japan, but didn't make it into the pitch in a nervy win. He was seen as the next big thing, but he shattered his knee in a bad collusion (think it was with Hallam Amos) and was out for more than a year. Has had a couple more injuries since and is a few months back into his latest comeback.

Those sort of injuries take their toll though, especially on players that rely on pace and agility. The last few percent makes all the difference between being effective and just being a small winger who's not quite good enough. Fingers crossed for him, but pace like his is usually natural, and it can be tough to recover when it's taken away.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Always a pity to hear about how injury impacts so heavily on particularly winger.

 

[mdaclarke]

Bulls have just owned the Stormers

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Bulls have just owned the Stormers

That's not cool in my book. Denigrating the integrity of the competition in your debut year for a cheap joke? I know its tongue in cheek, but the official team Twitter page. Next they'll be posting how URC is okay but they rather play in French D2 (Italy) or in a non-existent British Isles tournament (Welsh).

Don't defecate where you eat, even with the smallest stuff.