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Welshdragon2000

Welshdragon2000

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Quite simply a thread where people can discuss what or who your team needs. There's always room for improvement in every team so there should be no shortage of chatter
 
Exeter Chiefs
What we need:
  • Top class lock - Parling didn't really fit into this category anyway but with him on his way out we could really do with a star second row.
  • Top class fullback - Dollman and Turner are both fine but neither has any star ability or has the starting shirt nailed down. We need a fullback who can really attack the line and tear a defence apart, we're lacking that in our backline ATM.
  • To lose a centre - We have Devoto, Hill, Whitten, Slade and Campagnaro, all top class centres battling for 2 shirts. Imo we could really benefit from losing one and getting some dollar. Would also be easier to build a more solid understanding of who our best centre combo is.
  • Back-up fly half - Steeno's really getting on and Slade isn't ready for 10. After those 2 Simmonds is our only 10 option left. Very worring.
Dream Wish List:
  • Itoje
  • Williams
  • Lose Whitten
  • Joey Carberry
 
Don't know the contract status of these but I'd go for Rob Miller, Billy Searle and make Launchbury or Lawes an offer, I love the way Chiefs are run, so I'm sceptical of big name SH players coming to sandy park, I'd rather homegrown or younger British player's with potential come in...
 
Chief Pete said:
Don't know the contract status of these but I'd go for Rob Miller, Billy Searle and make Launchbury or Lawes an offer, I love the way Chiefs are run, so I'm sceptical of big name SH players coming to sandy park, I'd rather homegrown or younger British player's with potential come in...
Click to expand...
Rob Miller is a very good shout and I've thought for a while that I'd love to see Launchbury at Sandy Park. 10 is what I really worry about though.
 
Quins most pressing need is probably a change at the top. Our club motto is Latin for 'never sleeping' which is deeply ironic considering we are doing very little to improve in comparison to the clubs we're competing with who are all showing much more ambition.

Last season's results were OK, but Kingston and Mapletoft are as uninspiring a combination as you will ever find and our transfer policy is very odd. With the recent exception of Saili, we seem to rely on signing other clubs' reserves (i.e. Lewis or Swainston) in some odd believe that we can inspire them to reach new heights.

On the playing side, we need:

  • A top class hooker. Buchanan has improved but if we do have top four ambitions, he's not good enough to be a first choice.
  • A top class lock. Horwill is excellent, but needs a better partner. Merrick and Twomey are good, but not quite good enough to take us to the next level. Don't even get me started on Charlie Matthews.
  • An openside flanker. Wallace is good but Ward has basically become our second choice 7 which is not an ideal situation. Ideally we'd be looking for a first choice, but I'd be OK with a good squad option. I'm annoyed we didn't go in for Gill or Favaro.
  • A top class fly half. Evans' boots are very hard to fill. Catrakilis may turn out to be an inspired signing, but we need at least one more 10 and I'd like us to sign a star rather than a relative unknown.
  • Another centre or two. With Lowe and Sloan struggling with long term injuries and Stanley not good enough, we need reinforcements. I would happily sacrifice Roberts for two less feted but probably more effective players.
Wish list:

  • Hooker: a tough one ... not sure on the answer there. Maybe someone like Fraser Brown?
  • Lock: Nakarawa. We know he wants a move and his style is tailor made for Quins. If not, I'd settle for Rob Simmons.
  • Flanker: Lewis Ludlam. We could give him the game time he's not getting at Saints.
  • Fly Half: Finn Russell. Why go to Montpellier to play second fiddle to Cruden?
  • Centre: lose Roberts and bring in Serfontein or one of the Exeter centres. I'd love to have Slade, but I'd be very happy with Hill or Whitten.
 
Leicester Tigers
Need
  • A ball carrying number 8 - Although not important for this season, but need to be looking for next season.
  • A centre - Would prefer a top class one
  • A 15 - starting calibre would prefer both but might not happen we need more finishers in the outside backs.
  • A winger - Out and out speedster like the flash.
  • A squad utility back

Dream List
  • ermmmm Manoa just to **** of saints fans.
  • Te'o - MOC brought him to Union soooooo
  • DMAC - One can dream
  • May - I like him and he is on holiday with George Ford so must like each other
  • Would take marty Mckenzie who we have been linked with
 
Gloucester

Direction.

Pure and simple, the club imo needs to know what the score with regards future ownership will be as the Altram bid is seemingly dead in the water for good.

The club appear to be falling behind teams which once we could look upon as 'easy to beat'. The hunter has become the hunted with us, and unless this changes we could well lose our proud record of never having been relegated from the top league.

IF we get investment down the line, fans have to be listened to - what changes will the new owner want, will he/she want to make changes to The Shed or to put down a 3G/4G pitch? What plans will he/she have in order to bring through young talent from the area (or further afield) and when will we be able to challenge Saracens etc. at the right end of the table.
 
Scarlets
- Ball carrying 8. They've been lacking a no. 8 who can make the hard yards since Ben Morgan left. Barclay is a fine player, but he's not an 8 at the top level, and imo they'll continue to struggle against the very best without complimenting their ultra mobile pack with a ball carrier. Rob Evans and Jake Ball can't do it all themselves.
- Gnarled second row. Whilst Lewis Rawlins and Tadhg Beirne ended the season extremely well as a lock pairing, I'd fear that they'd come up short physically v's some of the bigger European packs. Jake Ball slots into the starting lineup when fit, but a backup lock would be beneficial over the course of a long season.
- Winger. It'll be difficult to cover the loss of both Liam Williams and DTH. Steff Evans will be a certainty on one wing, but I'm not even sure who'll occupy the other wing berth atm.

Ospreys
- Strong scrummaging props. They really came unstuck at the tail end of last season after a couple of injuries to their front row. Arhip is their only decent tighthead, whilst Nicky Smith (talented as he is) struggles in the scrum. It's a far cry from the days where they could boast a front row of Duncan Jones/Paul James, Richard Hibbard, and Adam Jones!
- Ball carrying 8. O's too are lacking a ball carrying 8, with Dan Baker inconsistent in his performances. They've tried switching King to 8, but he's far from what's required at the back of the scrum vs quality opposition.

Cardiff Blues
- Props. They've got 2 decent but ageing props in Gethin Jenkins and Tau Felise, and some promising youngsters, but there's a complete dearth of options in between. They'll always struggle vs the best with such pitiful resources in the front row.
- Second row. Not sure they really have 1 top quality lock in their squad.
- No. 8. When fit Nick Williams is a fine player, but neither age or fitness are on his side, and the Blues suffer when he's not there. Navidi has filled in well on occasion, but he's simply not big enough v's the best.
- Fullback. Morgan is too defensively frail (Blues should try him on the wing imo), and Fish struggled with injures last season.

Dragons
- Props. They really, really need to develop or lure a couple of strong scrummaging props. It's been an issue for as long as I can remember, and it kills so many games for them. There's some very promising young props at the region, but they need some quality to tide them over until they're ready. It should be Jackman's no. 1 priority.
- Locks. As with the Blues, they don't really have any top quality locks on their books.
- No 8. Hopefully Harry Keddie can fill this gap, but he's not proven yet. Certainly wouldn't hurt to have another option.
- 10. Gavin Henson's arrival will hopefully help, but it'd be a mistake to expect him to stay fit all season. I don't think much at all of their other options at 10.
- Fullback. I'd like to see Amos given a run in the 15 shirt sometime next season, whilst Kirchner could turn out to be a decent signing, although I thought he was poor during his time with Leinster.

Wales
- Tighthead. When fully fit I think Samson Lee is a fine player. He was starting to add more in the loose towards the end of the Pro12 with the Scarlets and had regained his solidity in the scrum. Imo Francis is relatively poor. We need more depth here, and we really need a tighthead prop with a little more mobility. Dillon Lewis looks promising, but he's young and has yet to make the breakthrough at the Blues due to injury.
- Second row. The Lions tour showed that age is catching up with AWJ. The same is true for Charteris. Ball and Bradley Davies are a little limited in what they offer. There's a large jump afterwards in terms of age and experience. The hope is that some players will start to really prove themselves this coming season.
- No. 8. Considering I identified this position as a problem one at every one of the regions it's no surprise that it's also a problem position at international level. Luckily we have a world class option in Faletau, but there's an absolute chasm afterwards. We need someone to step-up and offer some genuine backup, or even challenge Faletau.
- Inside Center. Jamie Roberts should be the past now, and we desperately need to change tact here anyway. Scott Williams hasn't grabbed his chance like I'd have hoped, and I still worry about his distribution under pressure. Davies is nailed on at 13, so we need to look at our 10-12 axis and find/manufacture a partnership that's capable of getting the ball into our outside backs hands in space.
- Coaching. I simply want rid of Howley and McBryde, if that would also mean Gats then fine, he's the one that hired them in the first place despite a complete lack of experience, and he's the one that kept them when it was obvious things needed freshening up.
 
Last edited:
Pretty much agree with you re: Wales.

For 10-12 I would say Biggar, Giles (would like to see more of him) and Allen/Morgan if Scott Williams has missed the boat.

I'm not sure if/when Cuthbert will be in a Wales shirt again, so if Giles could have a few games at 11 then he will have the chance to prove himself.
 
dullonien said:
Scarlets
- Ball carrying 8. They've been lacking a no. 8 who can make the hard yards since Ben Morgan left. Barclay is a fine player, but he's not an 8 at the top level, and imo they'll continue to struggle against the very best without complimenting their ultra mobile pack with a ball carrier. Rob Evans and Jake Ball can't do it all themselves.
- Gnarled second row. Whilst Lewis Rawlins and Tadhg Beirne ended the season extremely well as a lock pairing, I'd fear that they'd come up short physically v's some of the bigger European packs. Jake Ball slots into the starting lineup when fit, but a backup lock would be beneficial over the course of a long season.
- Winger. It'll be difficult to cover the loss of both Liam Williams and DTH. Steff Evans will be a certainty on one wing, but I'm not even sure who'll occupy the other wing berth atm.

Ospreys
- Strong scrummaging props. They really came unstuck at the tail end of last season after a couple of injuries to their front row. Arhip is their only decent tighthead, whilst Nicky Smith (talented as he is) struggles in the scrum. It's a far cry from the days where they could boast a front row of Duncan Jones/Paul James, Richard Hibbard, and Adam Jones!
- Ball carrying 8. O's too are lacking a ball carrying 8, with Dan Baker inconsistent in his performances. They've tried switching King to 8, but he's far from what's required at the back of the scrum vs quality opposition.

Cardiff Blues
- Props. They've got 2 decent but ageing props in Gethin Jenkins and Tau Felise, and some promising youngsters, but there's a complete dearth of options in between. They'll always struggle vs the best with such pitiful resources in the front row.
- Second row. Not sure they really have 1 top quality lock in their squad.
- No. 8. When fit Nick Williams is a fine player, but neither age or fitness are on his side, and the Blues suffer when he's not there. Navidi has filled in well on occasion, but he's simply not big enough v's the best.
- Fullback. Morgan is too defensively frail (Blues should try him on the wing imo), and Fish struggled with injures last season.

Dragons
- Props. They really, really need to develop or lure a couple of strong scrummaging props. It's been an issue for as long as I can remember, and it kills so many games for them. There's some very promising young props at the region, but they need some quality to tide them over until they're ready. It should be Jackman's no. 1 priority.
- Locks. As with the Blues, they don't really have any top quality locks on their books.
- No 8. Hopefully Harry Keddie can fill this gap, but he's not proven yet. Certainly wouldn't hurt to have another option.
- 10. Gavin Henson's arrival will hopefully help, but it'd be a mistake to expect him to stay fit all season. I don't think much at all of their other options at 10.
- Fullback. I'd like to see Amos given a run in the 15 shirt sometime next season, whilst Kirchner could turn out to be a decent signing, although I thought he was poor during his time with Leinster.

Wales
- Tighthead. When fully fit I think Samson Lee is a fine player. He was starting to add more in the loose towards the end of the Pro12 with the Scarlets and had regained his solidity in the scrum. Imo Francis is relatively poor. We need more depth here, and we really need a tighthead prop with a little more mobility. Dillon Lewis looks promising, but he's young and has yet to make the breakthrough at the Blues due to injury.
- Second row. The Lions tour showed that age is catching up with AWJ. The same is true for Charteris. Ball and Bradley Davies are a little limited in what they offer. There's a large jump afterwards in terms of age and experience. The hope is that some players will start to really prove themselves this coming season.
- No. 8. Considering I identified this position as a problem one at every one of the regions it's no surprise that it's also a problem position at international level. Luckily we have a world class option in Faletau, but there's an absolute chasm afterwards. We need someone to step-up and offer some genuine backup, or even challenge Faletau.
- Inside Center. Jamie Roberts should be the past now, and we desperately need to change tact here anyway. Scott Williams hasn't grabbed his chance like I'd have hoped, and I still worry about his distribution under pressure. Davies is nailed on at 13, so we need to look at our 10-12 axis and find/manufacture a partnership that's capable of getting the ball into our outside backs hands in space.
- Coaching. I simply want rid of Howley and McBryde, if that would also mean Gats then fine, he's the one that hired them in the first place despite a complete lack of experience, and he's the one that kept them when it was obvious things needed freshening up.
Click to expand...

Comprehensive.

With Wales seemingly so short on number 8s, I'm surprised Keddie hasn't been fast-tracked a little bit more?

I know he's young, but he's playing for the Dragons so it's not like they were ever going to be in the mix for the Pro12 anyway.

Re. Wales at test level, lock is the obvious issue. Other than AWJ, Charteris is getting on now, Ball is good but not great and Davies is not the player he was a few seasons ago. Fair play to McBryde for trying to blood the youngsters over the summer but there doesn't look to be a player of AWJ's class coming through the ranks.
 
GarethGriffiths said:
Pretty much agree with you re: Wales.

For 10-12 I would say Biggar, Giles (would like to see more of him) and Allen/Morgan if Scott Williams has missed the boat.

I'm not sure if/when Cuthbert will be in a Wales shirt again, so if Giles could have a few games at 11 then he will have the chance to prove himself.
Click to expand...

Giles in the center? Way too small, he's an out and out winger, and hopefully he's prove to be an absolute peach.

Imo our best option at 10 is Sam Davies, even if he looked rather shaky at the tail-end of last season. 12 is a tricky one. Scott Williams has all the tools, but he needs to be allowed to play more of an offloading game like he does for the Scalets, which would mean a change in tactics in attack from Gatland/Howley, having players running support lines instead of spreading wide. Gatland and Howley's tactics have always been to go through the phases and try to isolate a forward in the backline to exploit/generate an overlap. This requires accuracy and quick ruck ball, which can be a real challenge. Scarlets don't care about phase play, they rely on individual skill, and tons of support runners running clever angles which gives numerous options. A half break leads to a full break because there's someone either side to receive an offload. Back to options at 12, Biggar could provide the Farrell like option, but firstly I don't think all that much of Farrell, and I don't think Biggar has the required skillset. I really like Beck when fit, but he's always bloody injured! His lack of pace could be exposed at international level as well. Patchell is another option that I quite like. He's got a very rounded game, pace, distribution, he's not small, and he's got a big boot, imo he could be an interesting 2nd 5/8th type player.

There's a few more options, but those are the main few imo.
 

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