Your Side's Traditional Weak Position

[Feicarsinn]

Was pondering this the other day. Leinster haven't produced a scrum half for Ireland (by my reckoning) since Alain Rolland back in the early 90's. Do any of guys have sides that have similar records of just not being able to produce talent in a specific position?

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

Ross ford not able to throw in for quite a while! and needs another hooker which edinburgh hasn't produced

 

[nickdnz]

Player retention .

For the Hurricanes, it would have to be lock. We haven't had a good, hard grafting lock in years...maybe ever. The ones we've had we've let go (Craig Clarke as an example). Jason Eaton, Jeremy Thrush and James Broadhurst are all quality lock, but none of them are incredibly physical.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Wallabies - missing a good tight head

 

[welshglory]

I would say that traditionally forwards in general have never been Wales' strongest area.
In particular i would say lineout specialist locks (AWJ is a hybrid and an average lineout caller) and world class 6's.
Don't produce many 8's but the top ones we do are very very good, same with prop.

Ospreys:
Running outside backs.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

WP/Stormers

We've not had a decent scrum- or fly-half in a good while... since Stransky in fact.

Not that we don't produce them mind you, we just can't keep hold of them; they either move to the Bulls (Steyn, Hougaard, Pollard etc) or Europe (Hume, De Kock, Schreuder now etc)

 

[Bada-Bing!]

England - inside centre. We have not had a truly world class 12 (who wore the 13 shirt) since Will Greenwood.

 

[Big Ewis]

if any really, perhaps fly-half ?...and even that honestly, Guy Camberabero, Jean-Pierre Romeu, Didier Camberabero, Mesnel, Penaud, Deylaud, "***ou" Lamaison, Michalak, Trinh-Duc and I'm by nooooo means a historian whatsoever, I focus on current Rugby, but those are names I've heard, read of, and just checked stats for and honestly they have a damn solid résumé, in world Rugby that is not just within borders.
As cocky as it may sound, because you know, French cock and all that; we may not really have a traditionally weak position. It's quite possible we don't, I don't have the knowledge to categorically say, or even make a case for it, but I can think of world class players throughout from all kinds of eras, and it's not like we're lacking anywhere today, if not somewhat, if any, the second row. But even that's not really true.
Maybe FrenchFan and gaston and Tony could throw in a few words and thoughts about this more accurately than me.

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

being serious here for Edinburgh

we have not produced a decent fly-half or second row

 

[welshglory]

Yea in the second row you tend to have big heavy scrummagers and you use your flankers as jumpers instead.
It's just your style i suppose because of the importance of the scrum.

 

[Peat]

Was pondering this the other day. Leinster haven't produced a scrum half for Ireland (by my reckoning) since Alain Rolland back in the early 90's. Do any of guys have sides that have similar records of just not being able to produce talent in a specific position?

I'd suggest that in general Ireland struggle with scrum-halves.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Meh, we're still above sending Shaun Perry, Peter Richards and Andy Gomarsall to a world cup.

 

[FrenchFan]

weakest position? coach.

 

[Big Ewis]

weakest position? coach.

yeh but as an all-time tendency. We haven't had a history of coaches sucking, well, not as a constant at least. What position would you say for France, do you agree we don't really have a particular weakness ?

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Weakness the refs always making the wrong calls against us, (Unless we win).

Trying to think of Traditional weaknesses we have think attacking 10s (well since stransky but our 10 did the jobs we wanted them to).

Our traditional strength would be the Forwards mainly the front 5 we have had some amazing locks.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Meh, we're still above sending Shaun Perry, Peter Richards and Andy Gomarsall to a world cup.

We've come on leaps and bounds in the last decade though. Remember the days when Brian O'Meara was competing for the 9 jersey?! Leinster also struggle to produce centres at times, apart from O'Driscoll and D'Arcy we haven't produced an international class centre in the professional era. (Fitz and Ferg may have developed differently under different circumstances and could still make it) We're a D'Arcy injury away from a possible Reid - Macken partnership in European rugby but a Madigan - Ferg could look a lot better.

 

[Peat]

Meh, we're still above sending Shaun Perry, Peter Richards and Andy Gomarsall to a world cup.

That's a weak answer on oh so many levels.

Pretty much every All Time Ireland XV thread on every forum I've ever seen has featured a lot of embarassment and head scratching when it comes to 9. In pretty much every other position, you either see absolute legends of the game shutting down debate, or arguments over some very good players. The scrum-half position? Murray's already close to being the best Irish scrum-half ever, lets be honest here. The evidence of him having a great deal of competition in his lifetime isn't wonderful either.

 

[Geordie]

For England, we have struggled with number 12 and number 7.

We just cant get a top notch inside centre after Carling and then Greenwood.

And since Back was in his prime we've had gutsy triers like Moody or good alrounders like Robshaw but no top class fetchers.

 

[TRF_heineken]

For the Bulls

Not having a fetcher.

 

[Feicarsinn]

That's a weak answer on oh so many levels.

Pretty much every All Time Ireland XV thread on every forum I've ever seen has featured a lot of embarassment and head scratching when it comes to 9. In pretty much every other position, you either see absolute legends of the game shutting down debate, or arguments over some very good players. The scrum-half position? Murray's already close to being the best Irish scrum-half ever, lets be honest here. The evidence of him having a great deal of competition in his lifetime isn't wonderful either.

I wont lie to you Peat, I was only trying to bait you here.