Wales v Barbarians

[UKHamlet]

Tips needs a fucking haircut. Bloody hippy.

[UKHamlet]

I wish we'd stop trying to be the Harlem Globetrotters

[UKHamlet]

Hardie does the hardie yards

[UKHamlet]

42-26

[Sandydragon]

That’s better. Nothing fancy just precision and some good carries. These barbarian matches a regard to judge sometimes since players just give anything a bash but sometimes it’s just plain daft.

[UKHamlet]

Hardie does the easie yards

[UKHamlet]

FT 49-26

[Sandydragon]

B E A utiful try. Plumbtree has real potential

[UKHamlet]

Impressed with Rogers, Hardie, that young fellah HP, J Williams, Dyer, Morgan, Plumtree, Lake, and a few others, but it was all pretty meaningless. If I had to pick three bolters for the 6N it woukd be

Johnny Williams
Rio Dyer
Kieren Hardie

[Sandydragon]

Impressed with Rogers, Hardie, that young fellah HP, J Williams, Dyer, Morgan, Plumtree, Lake, and a few others, but it was all pretty meaningless. If I had to pick three bolters for the 6N it woukd be

Johnny Williams
Rio Dyer
Kieren Hardie

Is Dyer a bolter? I think he’s firmly a match day squad player now and if LRZ is going to move to FB then he’s our next winger.

J Williams did well today and I like the look of Plumtree with a bit more experience. Skilful and dynamic and sizeable.

Thought Costelow did well until he got injured. Less impressed with Evans at fly half.

[UKHamlet]

Rio is a bolter as a starter. I'd seriously consider switching Dyer and Adams. He offers much more of a threat.

Evans was awful. He commanded nothing.

[Sandydragon]

Rio is a bolter as a starter. I'd seriously consider switching Dyer and Adams. He offers much more of a threat.

Evans was awful. He commanded nothing.

Adams is stronger defensively but Dyer is improving there. He does have that hunger of a younger player and keeps popping up looking for work whereas Adams can be a bit quiet at times. Dyers decision making can’t be off but that will change with experience.

Not sure if Evans was ever planned to replace Costelow but he looked very much a makeshift fly half. Decent boot at times but I’m not seeing him as an international fly half yet.

[UKHamlet]

Funnily enough I noticed Costelow has a siege gun boot. The thing that annoys me the most about Costelow is he's Wellies #2 and has absolutely no pace. That's what impressed me most about Rogers, his first five metres is searing. He might not have the top speed of the Z man but he would get away from him in traffic.

[Sandydragon]

Funnily enough I noticed Costelow has a siege gun boot. The thing that annoys me the most about Costelow is he's Wellies #2 and has absolutely no pace. That's what impressed me most about Rogers, his first five metres is searing. He might not have the top speed of the Z man but he would get away from him in traffic.

Rodgers did alright today. Not enough to force his way ahead of Adams or LRZ, or Dyer either, but it's nice to see some depth emerging in at least one position. Does he play at full back as well?

[UKHamlet]

Meanwhile, Steffan Thomas at Wales Online watched a game played in an entirely different space/time dimension.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... vYeVpoY9to

[UKHamlet]

Funnily enough I noticed Costelow has a siege gun boot. The thing that annoys me the most about Costelow is he's Wellies #2 and has absolutely no pace. That's what impressed me most about Rogers, his first five metres is searing. He might not have the top speed of the Z man but he would get away from him in traffic.

Rodgers did alright today. Not enough to force his way ahead of Adams or LRZ, or Dyer either, but it's nice to see some depth emerging in at least one position. Does he play at full back as well?

I see LRZ moving permanently to fullback, where his long range pace will be an asset. Neither Adams nor Dyer work particularly well on the right, so Rogers is a good option.

[Sandydragon]

Meanwhile, Steffan Thomas at Wales Online watched a game played in an entirely different space/time dimension.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... vYeVpoY9to

I’ve always assumed those ratings to be from a random number generator.

[pompey-zebra]

Just watched the game ( after deciding to record it and go and watch Havant in the pissing rain), and I got my wish of Wales scoring tries and rounding off the year with a win. Bit of a mixed bag, but these things often are once the ball starts being chucked around , but some good stuff in there. Line out went well, which even against a scratch team is no guarantee with Wales, as did the scrum. My thoughts on individual performances are much like those already posted. Cai Evans looked more comfortable at 15 than 10- he has a hell of a boot on him, but its not very cultured ( he overhit most if not all of his cross kicks). Like hammy, I'm surprised that Costellow isnt as quick as I thought he was, but shame he got Injured. ( oddly Theo Cabango suffered a similar injury for Cardiff only a couple of hours later. Both looked innocuous diving over the line, but both left with an arm in a sling). I thought Mason Grady looked fast and strong in his short time on the pitch, which bodes well.

Finally the send off for 1/2p AWJ, and Tipuric was great. The ref basically not restarting the game until Halfpenny had taken the crowd applause and shaken hands with practically everyone, was well judged I thought.

[Sandydragon]

Just watched the game ( after deciding to record it and go and watch Havant in the pissing rain), and I got my wish of Wales scoring tries and rounding off the year with a win. Bit of a mixed bag, but these things often are once the ball starts being chucked around , but some good stuff in there. Line out went well, which even against a scratch team is no guarantee with Wales, as did the scrum. My thoughts on individual performances are much like those already posted. Cai Evans looked more comfortable at 15 than 10- he has a hell of a boot on him, but its not very cultured ( he overhit most if not all of his cross kicks). Like hammy, I'm surprised that Costellow isnt as quick as I thought he was, but shame he got Injured. ( oddly Theo Cabango suffered a similar injury for Cardiff only a couple of hours later. Both looked innocuous diving over the line, but both left with an arm in a sling). I thought Mason Grady looked fast and strong in his short time on the pitch, which bodes well.

Finally the send off for 1/2p AWJ, and Tipuric was great. The ref basically not restarting the game until Halfpenny had taken the crowd applause and shaken hands with practically everyone, was well judged I thought.

Totally agree. I thought he reffed the game well yesterday but that pause was class.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Just watched the game ( after deciding to record it and go and watch Havant in the pissing rain), and I got my wish of Wales scoring tries and rounding off the year with a win. Bit of a mixed bag, but these things often are once the ball starts being chucked around , but some good stuff in there. Line out went well, which even against a scratch team is no guarantee with Wales, as did the scrum. My thoughts on individual performances are much like those already posted. Cai Evans looked more comfortable at 15 than 10- he has a hell of a boot on him, but its not very cultured ( he overhit most if not all of his cross kicks). Like hammy, I'm surprised that Costellow isnt as quick as I thought he was, but shame he got Injured. ( oddly Theo Cabango suffered a similar injury for Cardiff only a couple of hours later. Both looked innocuous diving over the line, but both left with an arm in a sling). I thought Mason Grady looked fast and strong in his short time on the pitch, which bodes well.

Finally the send off for 1/2p AWJ, and Tipuric was great. The ref basically not restarting the game until Halfpenny had taken the crowd applause and shaken hands with practically everyone, was well judged I thought.

Totally agree. I thought he reffed the game well yesterday but that pause was class.

Yeah, he was good . . . except for the incredibly strict yellow for Beard.

[Son of Mathonwy]

Meanwhile, Steffan Thomas at Wales Online watched a game played in an entirely different space/time dimension.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... vYeVpoY9to

I’ve always assumed those ratings to be from a random number generator.

Loving all those 8s. Unfortunately ESPN didn't do stats for this game, so there's no obvious sanity check.

Great send off for those legends though (. . . Shingler too, and possibly Lydiate).

[Sandydragon]

Meanwhile, Steffan Thomas at Wales Online watched a game played in an entirely different space/time dimension.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... vYeVpoY9to

I’ve always assumed those ratings to be from a random number generator.

Loving all those 8s. Unfortunately ESPN didn't do stats for this game, so there's no obvious sanity check.

Great send off for those legends though (. . . Shingler too, and possibly Lydiate).

Not heard anything about Lydiate so who knows. Given that he didn’t feature in the RWC it suggests he is seen as a depth player, but perhaps he doesn’t want to call it quits whilst still playing regularly at regional level?

[pompey-zebra]

I’ve always assumed those ratings to be from a random number generator.

Loving all those 8s. Unfortunately ESPN didn't do stats for this game, so there's no obvious sanity check.

Great send off for those legends though (. . . Shingler too, and possibly Lydiate).

Not heard anything about Lydiate so who knows. Given that he didn’t feature in the RWC it suggests he is seen as a depth player, but perhaps he doesn’t want to call it quits whilst still playing regularly at regional level?

Lydiate did play in the RWC, against Portugal but was subbed after an hour. But yes, it doesn't look as if he's at the front of the back row pecking order.

[Tuco Ramirez]

Impressed with Rogers, Hardie, that young fellah HP, J Williams, Dyer, Morgan, Plumtree, Lake, and a few others, but it was all pretty meaningless. If I had to pick three bolters for the 6N it woukd be

Johnny Williams
Rio Dyer
Kieren Hardie

Bolter.... is dark horse not an accepted phrase nowadays?

[Son of Mathonwy]

Impressed with Rogers, Hardie, that young fellah HP, J Williams, Dyer, Morgan, Plumtree, Lake, and a few others, but it was all pretty meaningless. If I had to pick three bolters for the 6N it woukd be

Johnny Williams
Rio Dyer
Kieren Hardie

Bolter.... is dark horse not an accepted phrase nowadays?

I'm sure dark horse is fine (unless it has some problematic history/associations I'm not aware of). Like black hole, white Christmas, black swan . . .