If the players want to play for Wales then thy have to move back to the regions. I understand why they are doing it to try and strengthen the provinces, only the Scarlett’s last year have done anything worth taking note of. I think that they could drop the dragons and just have the 3 teams which would help them get stronger rather than diluting the players across all the teams ala what has happened in Australia

CUW, as you can see from the amount of injuries this season the game is faster and more physical than ever. The guys that went on the Lions tour would have played, Premiership, European Cup and 6 Nations rugby, that is a lot of high level rugby.

By the end of the season you will struggle to find a player that is playing at 100% fully fit after the battering these guys bodies get week in week out. Players need the off season to just relax switch off mentally as well as physically from rugby, the guys that went on the Lions tour didn’t get that, in fact it couldn’t have been more opposite than that with the hype that went into the tour.

As you are seeing with Wasps at the moment, yes clubs have big squads but there is a clear divide between your front line match day 23 and the rest of the squad so you want to have your best players as much as possible and here is the problem.

Rugby clubs are a business now. There is a lot of money in the game, more coming in every year and fans want to see the best players week in week out. Clubs want the fans so they play the best players week in week out. PLayer welfare is unfortuantely not too high on their agenda, the bottom line is. Look at Welford Road. Yes Leicester get good crowds weekly but when they had the glory days of Johnson, Back, Rowntree, Healey, Greenwood etc yout couldn’t get a seat for love nor money there, now they barely ever sell out.

That is a whole other discussion but players certainly need to be managed better to help them get the best out of their careers

A really good discussion going on here. I think the big thing is the injuries at the moment. It has been pointed out how many players Wasps are missing but all teams have have suffered just not as much as them.

With the Lions tour in the Summer, players will need a rest, I know a few boys missed the start of the season but they are all back into it now and players are dropping like flies. I can seen EJ playing as near to a full strength team against Australia as he can, that includes Itoje and Farrell. Against Samoa and Argentina you will see a lot of the players that went on tour to Argentina in the summer.

I would love to see form players getting a chance, players like Trinder, Sam Simmonds at Exeter etc. They are playing extremely well and it would be great to see what they do on the INternational stage with different coaches and different patterns of play.

Whatever happens, at the moment England are blessed with a deep level of competition in most positions

Sarries are the new Leicester at the moment. Seem to get away with being offside a lot. Yes their rush defence is quick but on at least 3 occasions they were either not behind the back foot or up too early in the middle of the park.

Wasps just need to ride this and when they get their players back fit they will be a force again.

Marcus Smith looks a huge talent

It’s very poor. Ashton got 10 weeks for reckless use of the hand when he made contact with the eyes. Sinckler rips off Patterson’s headgear then clearly goes back and gets his eye on the 2nd go. It is just one of those things that should never be done. Throwing a punch in the heat of the moment I get, stamping on someone on the wrong side of the ruck (as long as it isnt the face) I still don’t see a problem with but gouging is very low and he should have gone for longer

100% agree, it was a very poor match Wasps v Bath. Yes Wasps have injuries but they have to adapt their game plan. They need some go forward before they can try and throw the ball around. Defences are too good now to that to work, esp as most are adapting a rush defence. Cipriani is a miss, he has got that moment of magic in him to unlock a defence but they do need to take a leaf out of the Exeter book and just keep it tight at times.

He should have got more, that was shocking.

Exeter’s discipline was superb. They went through phase after phase, never panicked or deviated from their game plan and there wasn’t a lot Wasps could do. I don’t think it will be too long before Armand will be in the squad as the Chiefs game plan suits his game to a tee but England have a lot of depth in the back row with Haskell also not making it. With player like Itoje and Lawes who can play both back row and second row it will be a very competitive position.

A lot of players have started the season very well. Will be very interesting to see who Jones picks

Did you see Saracens play this weekend? Superb

Whilst I normally hate to pass the buck (yeh right) this was not my mistake. I put the correct scoreline down but when it went through the editing phase to get onto the website they changed it and made Worcester the victors.

Agree with you tough was a poor game, far too many errors from skilled players.

Yes he was absolute class. A big reason that Bath won. If they an get him and Falateau firing week on week they are going to be a real dark horse

Hi Rt,

I agree they are over complicating things at times but with regards to kicking the ball out of the ruck, this is one i tend to agree with. It just makes the game a bit sloppy, I am all for a good contest at the break down but someone managing to get their foot into the ruck as they are cleared away, to me, isn’t particularly skillful and annoying to all.

That’s professionalism for you. Players watch what they eat and drink now, spend hours int he gym and coaches keep having to come up with new ways to break those defences down, one of the reason Wasps are so good to watch as they have players running angles all over the shop but also conceed tries as well. Will be a great season though.

Thanks Rt much appreciated. Yes pretty sure Holmes is injured. Exeter are looking good at the moment, they have taken it back to doing what they do best and have tightened the game up. They can’t live with the likes of Wasps and Sarries should they try and play the same expansive rugby.

A lot depends on how much of the game Wasps can play. If they can make the game a fast, free-flowing game then they have more than a chance to beat them. Back for back I would say they have a sronger team with the likes of Cipriani, Wade, Daly, Le Roux and Beale. IF Sarries can keep a stranglehold on it and make it more of an arm wrestle then their back are simply too good. Will be very interesting.

And that is a fine way of doing it but that doesn’t happen in SR with these conferences and the chances that 2 teams on equal points would have played each other is slim

I wholeheartedly agree with your arguments Sheek. The problem is that , as you have said, NZ and SA already have an established national competition in the Currie Cup and NPC. These are breeding grounds for Super Rugby players, and all players aspire to be in those competitions as Rugby is the National sport, this is where Australia falls down.

They tried a few years ago to get the NRC going and failed. The current attempt, I would argue, is struggling. There is a huge drop off in talent from Super Rugby to NRC. It was a lot more interesting when teams used local top level players (Shute Shield in Sydney, Premier Grade in Brisbane etc). Nowadays there are only a sprinkling of these players and most teams are made up of fringe Super Rugby players that didn’t play much during the season and Super Rugby players that aren’t on the Wallabies tour.

Rarely, there will be a bolter from this competition who makes a Super Rugby spot their own but they are very few and far between. The other problem that Australia has is the level of commitment players have to give and the amount of money that is involved. Players that are not fully professional, cannot afford to travel all over the country taking days off work to do so and some aren’t interested in the 4 nights a week training. I know that is a ‘poor us’ attitude but it is one that is prevalent amongst many players.

With the amount of money involved in Rugby League as well turning players heads at a young age the ARU is also fighting a battle there to ensure the best players are kept in the game rather than going to League and coming back when they want a big payday from the ARU.

I agree the Pacific Islands have to be involved and with Pichot at the head of World Rugby, I am hopeful they will get a bit more help and funding, but at the moment there is no financial gain from the Pacific Islands so unfortunately they keep getting shunned which is the professional world we live in.

Apologies, oversight on my part

Couple of thoughts on this, firstly I think you are vastly over expecting with regards to the Stormers, whilst I think they will win their conference, they are always on the end of a couple of poor results, they will not finish above many NZ teams and the Highlanders are a lot stronger than 8th.

They certainly are but they have the added expectation of being champions this year and lots of teams have found that hard to live up to. I would not be surprised if they won it though. In my view, the Highlanders have a superb squad with strike players everywhere.

Very interesting thoughts Mitch. Quite different to my thoughts that you can find here http://www.theroar.com.au/2017/01/26/super-rugby-2017-preview-australian-conference/

Super Rugby 2017 preview – Africa 2 conference

Super Rugby 2017 preview – African 1 Conference

Apart from th Lions, with the state of South African rugby at the moment I think they will all struggle, especially as a lot of them don’t play NZ teams and will come up against them in th finals ala Stormers last season. Can’t see past a Kiwi team taking out the competition bu there are a few potential bolters

I disagree, certain positions are 80 minute positions, but as you said there the front 3 tend to be go as hard as you can for 60 mins then wholesale changes and that is where the problem will be. They will be bringing off people like Moore and Smith (maybe Smith can last a bit more than Moore) and the players they will be replacing them with will not be as good and if the match is in the balance or the Reds are behind it will be tough for them to hold on or come back and win it with the less experience players IMO.

I think the Rebels are building something. They have a squad there now full of players that are more than capable of playing at this level with a few internationals dotted about. McMahon, Hodge etc. With good coaching they can really make advances ala the Lions last season.

I do live in NSW but originally from England so have no affiliation with any team. The reason for my predictions is the fact that the Tah’s have the firepower behind the scrum that the Reds don’t. Whilst I think the signings of Moore, Smith and Higginbotham are good business it does appear that ehy have been brought in to mentor the next generation. Moore is 34 Smith is 36, whilst I have no doubt they are fit and can still do it at the top level, this sport takes its toll on your body and both have played over 100 tests and lots of top level rugby.

I agree all the Tah’s players were there last season but it was Gibson’s first full year in charge. He is a smart coach and would have learnt a lot, the game against the Chiefs showed what they can do, if they can add consistency to their game then I think they will be a big threat.

On the Folau point, teams may well have worked him out yet he still topped the try scoring charts last season and that was with Beale out for most of the year. Playing him in the 13 channel will get the ball to him quicker and also attract defnenders to him to create space for others.

With regards to the Force comment. All those players were there last season and how did they do?

A lot of love for the Reds. I agree they have recruited well but how many of these players will last a full 80 minutes week in week out? In saying that, if things go their way and players hit top form they could trouble the more fancied sides

Admittedly it is bold but they have proven quality players. A lot of the Sharks boys are not well known outside of SA which may well be an advantage but will they be able to play at the level required on a weekly basis? I think it may be a season of building before making a much more sustained challenge next season but stranger things have happened.