[Wales] What happened to this star-spangled side ?

[Draggs]

I will believe Hook will become a 10 once he settles in France, and I see Jones retiring after the RWC to be fair. Tovey is another candidate that is forgotten at 10.

Maybe by some, not I
I prefer Tovey over Priestland (not just because he is a Dragon...) as I think he is a more dynamic player. His tactical kicking is really the best in any Welsh region, and he performs well with a poor pack in front of him. His place kicking and confidence need work, along with his defence- Those can be taught. He is undoubtedly talented, something which most certainly isn't taught.

Wellies' move to France really saved his career and helped him massively. I think it will be a good move for Hook (and Byrne, Phillips) and look forward to seeing them perform over there.

Perhaps this is better suited for the Wales WC thread, but we will only really see Shane, Stephen, and Martyn retire after the world cup. Warburton has passed Nugget, while Hook and Wellies are both legitimate starters. Hopefully North or Harries can fill the huge void left by Shane. We could still have the same front row for 2015; perhaps Owens stepping in for Matthew Rees and Bevington for Gethin if needed.

 

[TVH11]

Well i can honestly say that no matter who we have at 10, we won't get any back moving if Phillips continues to play 9 (in his current form). If we are to play a wide game, then we need someone with faster distribution - Peel, Rees etc.... If Wales are to play a "forward" orientated game (which i hope we dont cause we'll get smashed vs bigger sides) then by all means play Phillips, he's like having an extra flanker.... saying that i'm sure Martyn Williams can pass more efficiently than Phillips (and doesn't take a step before releasing the ball).

I do think that Jones is our 10 (atm at least). He offers more solidity (yes he's old school). You know what your getting (whether you see it as positive or negative). With Hook you have a more "modern" flyhalf, likes to run. In some aspects he does lack "control", but so would anyone if given service from Phillips (slow ball, catches ball, smashed! lol).

We have this huge problem with the link between backs and forwards though. Our forwards play well, back are poor. Backs are "firing" = no forward platform

Injuries are our huge downfall, we have our 1st 15 of a good quality (can hold their own) but we lack strength in depth (not gonna start ranting about our regional/youth structure). We lose one or two players, and we spiral in a huge downfall towards oblivion

 

[Thingimubob]

Still very un-decided on the whole Welsh fly half arguement, still think that Jones is probably the most steady player out of our options. Hook can control a game, but it seems that sometimes if something puts him off in the game everything will fall apart. When he was no.10 in this years game against Scotland, I thought he was fantastic, and was a big part in one of the most clinical 20 mins that Wales have played in a long long time, but then after being stuck in defence during the sin-bins he didnt seem quite the same. Personally I think Jones is our best option as he knows how to control the game and is pretty rock solid in defence, but we do need to try out Hook in the upcoming games in August. Would love Tovey to get a crack, think he's one of our best prospects, though his goal kicking isnt brilliant so you'd need Halfpenny in the team too.

Am a bit worried about this World Cup, we're a better team than in 07 and can close out games a little bit better, but the way the team keeps just falling apart against the Pacific Islanders is very worrying. Momentum will be a big factor, which is why I think the 3 warm up games are going to be huge. If we can get 3 good wins that will give us a hell of a lot of confidence going into the South Africa match. We're more than capable of beating England twice and we should really be beating Argentina at home no matter what.