Pro 14 week 2

[ALunpg]

So this weekend first two matches start as we ended last week.
Both sides seem to manage to keep in the hunt for a period and then the doors swing open and they forget to shut them.
The Blues were doing OK and looked like they could step up when Leinster were a man down ..but didn't capitalise on that great chance and that was the game really .
Henson gave some small respectability to the Dragons score board but Edinburgh look to be a clinical unit these days . I know its still early doors but a change in coaches and WRU participation has not yet taken seed as yet ...needs more grass feed and some good compost.

So Ospreys at Glasgow ...that will see if Ospreys are in the hunt at the start of the season. Glasgow will be up for it and have a good team so it will need Davies to get their centres moving,then it may be interesting .

Scarlets should have too many firecrackers for Zebre , their only potential trip wire will be complacency and not being patient and clinical. That aside Zebre will make a go of it so may be a handful for a while.

[Sandydragon]

Dragons were poor. Henson added some points and some lovely touches, but there is still plenty of work to do there. Our backline isn't too shabby, but our forwards need some beef. Keddie is still very inexperienced but thats fine and the rest of the back row has decent club players. Front 5 is too easily out muscled.

[ALunpg]

Another 60 minutes display it seems the theme for Welsh sides this weekend....just on the train back home

Ospreys were underwhelming in a lot of their play...not any real leadership to put their foot on the ball and breath deeply and take on where they arejust seemed helter skelter at times.
They did not deserve to win by any meadure and although they gave a few stupid tries away my gut daid they played better than the scoreline.

They showed that the back line as a group have never played together and oftenot looked that way..some nice touches but not the well tuned defensive engine we are used to...maybe that is a sacrifice they must pay to become more creative. I just wish it would have led to more points for the Ospreys than Glasgow. ..

I shall have some coffee with a few drams and let the train down the work .

[Son of Mathonwy]

Another 60 minutes display it seems the theme for Welsh sides this weekend....just on the train back home

Ospreys were underwhelming in a lot of their play...not any real leadership to put their foot on the ball and breath deeply and take on where they arejust seemed helter skelter at times.
They did not deserve to win by any meadure and although they gave a few stupid tries away my gut daid they played better than the scoreline.

They showed that the back line as a group have never played together and oftenot looked that way..some nice touches but not the well tuned defensive engine we are used to...maybe that is a sacrifice they must pay to become more creative. I just wish it would have led to more points for the Ospreys than Glasgow. ..

I shall have some coffee with a few drams and let the train down the work .

I am generally a fan, but Sam Davies had a bad day - 2 tries from interceptions. The Os had loads of possession, but rarely got close to getting points from it. Cory Allen looked good early on, a nice half-break could have got us a try had the next guy (Fonotia?) dropped the ball, although he was a bit anonymous in the second half. Hook was lively when he came on. But as a whole, definitely missing something.

[Numbers]

Another 60 minutes display it seems the theme for Welsh sides this weekend....just on the train back home

Ospreys were underwhelming in a lot of their play...not any real leadership to put their foot on the ball and breath deeply and take on where they arejust seemed helter skelter at times.
They did not deserve to win by any meadure and although they gave a few stupid tries away my gut daid they played better than the scoreline.

They showed that the back line as a group have never played together and oftenot looked that way..some nice touches but not the well tuned defensive engine we are used to...maybe that is a sacrifice they must pay to become more creative. I just wish it would have led to more points for the Ospreys than Glasgow. ..

I shall have some coffee with a few drams and let the train down the work .

I am generally a fan, but Sam Davies had a bad day - 2 tries from interceptions. The Os had loads of possession, but rarely got close to getting points from it. Cory Allen looked good early on, a nice half-break could have got us a try had the next guy (Fonotia?) dropped the ball, although he was a bit anonymous in the second half. Hook was lively when he came on. But as a whole, definitely missing something.

When the Os are attacking they are static far too often, if Webb had been playing we would have seen some more box kicking rather than the side to side attack the Os seem to be patenting over the last few seasons, the Os just need to get quicker ball during the phases and some gaps will open up, the forwards seem to look for someone to run into rather than around with zero off-loading so not really surprised their attack is so static as there is no continuity to the play and the defences are aligned in plenty of time.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Harsh on Sam Davies who was one of the O's biggest attacking threats. Dunbar intercepted that first ball in the midst of 4 or 5 Osprey's defenders. He had absolutely no right to score that. Giles did well to catch him up but too little too late. Davies should never have thrown the intercept, no but Dunbar should never have been allowed to score that in a million years.

Think the second one is just a combination of some serious defensive pressure from Glasgow & Ospreys panicking and desperate for a score. Davies didn't have many options given the line speed.

[ALunpg]

Harsh on Sam Davies who was one of the O's biggest attacking threats. Dunbar intercepted that first ball in the midst of 4 or 5 Osprey's defenders. He had absolutely no right to score that. Giles did well to catch him up but too little too late. Davies should never have thrown the intercept, no but Dunbar should never have been allowed to score that in a million years.

Think the second one is just a combination of some serious defensive pressure from Glasgow & Ospreys panicking and desperate for a score. Davies didn't have many options given the line speed.

I agree with the comments but don't think they are hard on the Ospreys in general...just showed that they are really not used to playing as an unit. Allen has hardly played centre for quite a while. I would say years ..perhaps others can correct me..but for sure has never played there competitively with Davies or Fonatia that I can remember..but hey ..it won't be the first time I am wrong

I know Ospreys have some injury issue in the centre and Ben John suspended but it again shows that Matavesi gave them some options in the last few seasons in kicking and attack that they have not yet restructured successfully to manage.

The Glasgow line speed was very effective but the Ospreys alignment was at times poor and not offering much of an alternative option to challenge the up tempo defence . It seemed like they were often attacking the wrong shoulder with the switch runner .Only Dan Evans seemed to get this right on occasions and split the defence .

It will be interesting how the Ospreys react.. as the idea is often good just the execution is not on the money as yet and it will only come with more game time together. I would prefer a few matches of this type of performance if it steps them up in the future as they will only improve if they embrace this wholeheartedly.

[Numbers]

Harsh on Sam Davies who was one of the O's biggest attacking threats. Dunbar intercepted that first ball in the midst of 4 or 5 Osprey's defenders. He had absolutely no right to score that. Giles did well to catch him up but too little too late. Davies should never have thrown the intercept, no but Dunbar should never have been allowed to score that in a million years.

Think the second one is just a combination of some serious defensive pressure from Glasgow & Ospreys panicking and desperate for a score. Davies didn't have many options given the line speed.

I agree with the comments but don't think they are hard on the Ospreys in general...just showed that they are really not used to playing as an unit. Allen has hardly played centre for quite a while. I would say years ..perhaps others can correct me..but for sure has never played there competitively with Davies or Fonatia that I can remember..but hey ..it won't be the first time I am wrong

I know Ospreys have some injury issue in the centre and Ben John suspended but it again shows that Matavesi gave them some options in the last few seasons in kicking and attack that they have not yet restructured successfully to manage.

The Glasgow line speed was very effective but the Ospreys alignment was at times poor and not offering much of an alternative option to challenge the up tempo defence . It seemed like they were often attacking the wrong shoulder with the switch runner .Only Dan Evans seemed to get this right on occasions and split the defence .

It will be interesting how the Ospreys react.. as the idea is often good just the execution is not on the money as yet and it will only come with more game time together. I would prefer a few matches of this type of performance if it steps them up in the future as they will only improve if they embrace this wholeheartedly.

He didn't play much there last season after the blues got Halholo in, but prior to that he's been first choice but injured most of the time, I like him I think he could do a job at the Os no problem if he can just stop getting injured.

He was being touted as the form back prior to the last World Cup but then got injured again after scoring a hat-trick against Uruguay.

[ALunpg]

Thanks ...

[Sandydragon]

Cory Allen looked pretty tidy for Cardiff. I think once he gets a few games under his belt he will be far more effective. At the moment the ospreys look disjointed, which is a bit odd as there haven't been that many changes. They will get better, but they need to improve soon or else this season they will be playing catch up (although the Scarlett's lost their opening three games and still won the league, so anything is possible).

[Numbers]

Cory Allen looked pretty tidy for Cardiff. I think once he gets a few games under his belt he will be far more effective. At the moment the ospreys look disjointed, which is a bit odd as there haven't been that many changes. They will get better, but they need to improve soon or else this season they will be playing catch up (although the Scarlett's lost their opening three games and still won the league, so anything is possible).

I thought they looked pretty disjointed last season as well, they go wide before they have made any significant ground forwards and they don't offload at all it seems.

I think they may need to shake up the coaching staff in all honesty.

[ALunpg]

Cory Allen looked pretty tidy for Cardiff. I think once he gets a few games under his belt he will be far more effective. At the moment the ospreys look disjointed, which is a bit odd as there haven't been that many changes. They will get better, but they need to improve soon or else this season they will be playing catch up (although the Scarlett's lost their opening three games and still won the league, so anything is possible).

I thought they looked pretty disjointed last season as well, they go wide before they have made any significant ground forwards and they don't offload at all it seems.

I think they may need to shake up the coaching staff in all honesty.

That ship has sailed unless they can get someone in support for a discount price. With the exception of Scarlets no Welsh region has a signature coach these days and I still have an opinion that Wellies is the foundation of their success.If any other regions can unearth or identify a talent like that then they can move it forward.

I often wonder how much effort and money is invested into the identification and development of coaches my suspicion is not a lot.

Would be interested if anyone has knowledge about how this part of the game is developing to compare with what I have gleamed over the years.