Six Nations 2023

[Professor]

Newport will be the one to go, unless Ospreys are insolvent or want to pack up (there's some talk about a take over by Ealing and playing out of London ffs...only in Wales).

Newport is WRU owned and not a private company. The legal issues of trying to forcibly abolish Ospreys would be much greater if WRU want 3 (it won't go to 2).

That said, who knows with this pit of snakes.

Swansea, Newport, Cardiff and Llanelli are the famous names of Welsh rugby and should have been preserved. No bugger wants to watch any of them now mind.

Nothing would surprise me. The problem is the Ospreys were the only 'real' region and if the product on show were better then the 10-15K crowds they had in the early (and more successful) days could me maintained. The problem is the league they play in. The opposition are not attractive. The WRU should have moved to join the English League system. A two conference split of 8 Welsh and 16 English clubs perhaps. Say Llanelli, Swansea, Neath, Bridgend, Pontypridd, Cardiff, Newport and another Gwent or North Walian clubs. Scope for local derbies and traditional rivalries like Gloucester, Bath and Bristol too.

It's what Swansea and Cardiff tried to force. Pontypridd, Neath and Bridgend all had bigger crowds than the regions.

 

[Niigata Jack]

The Ospreys will go and the major reason that will be given is that they don’t own their ground.

That'll be rather ironic really, considering that they are the only real region and one that truly embraced the concept, the others were just concerned with themselves.

 

[Neath_Jack]

Newport will be the one to go, unless Ospreys are insolvent or want to pack up (there's some talk about a take over by Ealing and playing out of London ffs...only in Wales).

Newport is WRU owned and not a private company. The legal issues of trying to forcibly abolish Ospreys would be much greater if WRU want 3 (it won't go to 2).

That said, who knows with this pit of snakes.

Swansea, Newport, Cardiff and Llanelli are the famous names of Welsh rugby and should have been preserved. No bugger wants to watch any of them now mind.

Point of order, let’s not forget Neath if we’re talking about famous names of Welsh rugby. Not many more well known that the Welsh All Blacks.

 

[Neath_Jack]

Not as simple as that really, so many things are reliant on Saturdays game (worrying in itself) that there would be no union to negotiate with after the fact

That’s exactly what it needs, smash the old boys network to smithereens. Otherwise it will be the same old same old in another 50 years.

 

[Mount St Helens]

This team selection isn’t right for me.
AWJ and 1/P are yesterdays men and Tips has been poor
Reffell is one of the best 7s in English game and loses his starting spot.
Very worrying selection but who knows
Gatland clearly has his favourites ,like Russy

 

[monmouth]

Point of order, let’s not forget Neath if we’re talking about famous names of Welsh rugby. Not many more well known that the Welsh All Blacks.

Who?

:lol:

 

[TheLoneRanger]

Gatland's team v England ...


Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Mason Grady, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Louis Res-Zammit, 10 Owen Williams, 9 Tomos Williams; 1 Gareth Thomas, 2 Ken Owens (c), 3 Tomas Francis, 4 Alun Wyn Jones, 5 Adam Beard, 6 Christ Tshiunza, 7 Justin Tipuric, 8 Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: 16 Bradley Roberts, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Dafydd Jenkins, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Dan Biggar, 23 Nick Tompkins.

 

[Mount St Helens]

Hope there s not too many scrums .
Hoping halfpenny gets off the bus ok

 

[CygnusX1]

Hoping halfpenny gets off the bus ok

Yep. I get the feeling if he does eventually make the start of the game, he’ll get injured before halftime.

 

[Mount St Helens]

Yep. I get the feeling if he does eventually make the start of the game, he’ll get injured before halftime.

Sanjay is a walking card for sure but LRZ could have started at 15 and we kept young Dier and JA on wings.

It’s the second row selection that baffles me

AWJ is the finest servant Wales has ever had without doubt but I d like to see him retire from internationals and go out in style .I love the guy.
Beard is very very lucky to keep his spot
What a way to treat Daf Jenkins.
Gatland is morphing into Martin which means pain

 

[Niigata Jack]

Gatland's team v England ...


Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Mason Grady, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Louis Res-Zammit, 10 Owen Williams, 9 Tomos Williams; 1 Gareth Thomas, 2 Ken Owens (c), 3 Tomas Francis, 4 Alun Wyn Jones, 5 Adam Beard, 6 Christ Tshiunza, 7 Justin Tipuric, 8 Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: 16 Bradley Roberts, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Dafydd Jenkins, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Dan Biggar, 23 Nick Tompkins.

Antony Watson is back for the Saes and he loves playing Wales, big and quick a right old power house.

 

[Skippyjack]

Let's be honest, it's the worst Wales team in a good few years, it's like Gareth Bale, Joe Allen and Ramsey for Wales at the World Cup, well beyond their best

 

[Mount St Helens]

Let's be honest, it's the worst Wales team in a good few years, it's like Gareth Bale, Joe Allen and Ramsey for Wales at the World Cup, well beyond their best

Fair comment and it doesn’t need to be
The best players at Amur ray field were the kids
I’m fearful

 

[Niigata Jack]

Fair comment and it doesn’t need to be
The best players at Amur ray field were the kids
I’m fearful

Can't see anything other than the Saes running riot, think we need to prepare for a bit of a twonking, hope I'm wrong though.

 

[MrSwerve]

Big game today.