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That is humiliating for Wales.
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June Internationals: Chiefs vs. Wales (14/06/2016)
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I don't know if bizarre is the word I would choose. But the skill levels between the two sides is just staggering really.
Well wasn't expecting that!
There is some talent in that Chiefs squad. Getting off to a flyer probably was a massive boost to the confidence (and adrenaline) for the guys who don't normally get a whole lot of playing time.
There is some talent in that Chiefs squad. Getting off to a flyer probably was a massive boost to the confidence (and adrenaline) for the guys who don't normally get a whole lot of playing time.
Devastating, humiliating. Wow. Just wow.
First off - well played Chiefs! Really impressive and just goes to show the gulf that exists between Wales and the SH sides. Looked fresh, excited and skillful from the first minute to the last.
As for Wales. Well, not sure what to say. Utterly outclassed in every way. No excuses for being a 'B' side. Defended Gatland a million times before in the past. But gotta say, is he going to still be in the job when he gets back to Wales? Time to talk about it, I think.
First off - well played Chiefs! Really impressive and just goes to show the gulf that exists between Wales and the SH sides. Looked fresh, excited and skillful from the first minute to the last.
As for Wales. Well, not sure what to say. Utterly outclassed in every way. No excuses for being a 'B' side. Defended Gatland a million times before in the past. But gotta say, is he going to still be in the job when he gets back to Wales? Time to talk about it, I think.
Thingimubob
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Apparently we enjoy a good humiliation in a pointless game of no benefit to us...
Show's how bloody awful the Welsh Regions are I guess. Would be harsh to put this down to the quality of the Pro12 as the Irish sides and Glasgow have played some very decent rugby this year, while the Welsh have mostly struggled.
Backline we played today was very green and probably wouldn't have set the world alight in the Pro 12... It says something that one of the better performing players (from what I have heard) was Mathew Morgan, who spent this season playing in the RFU Championship...
Either way, hats of to the Chiefs, you deserved it!
As a side note, can we just fly everyone home to play NZ u20's on Saturday instead? I mean we'd probably still lose and all, but it'd be a closer game
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Lack of depth is not an excuse. Remember, this is a Chiefs team that was missing a lot of players
► Eight with the All Blacks (Cruden, Ngatai, Retallick, Cane, McKenzie, Tamanivalu, Kerr-Barlow & Harris),
► Two with the NZ Sevens team (Pulu & SBW)
► Four with injury (Laulala, Bardoul, Tiatia and Fisiiahi).
Are you really suggesting that the Chiefs have greater depth than the whole of Wales?
The Lions play mid-week games, so the issues for June touring teams are no worse. Teams used to go on 30 match tours and play games every few days. Why not take a squad of 46 on tour so that you ideally don't have to use ANY of your test players, then you use these midweek games as a development opportunity
Unfortunately, that has become a "feature" of NZ rugby stadiums (and like you, I absolutely despise the music and the PA announcements). Whenever I go to watch the Tasman Makos play, I take my smartphone and headset and use the SkyGo App to listen to the TV Commentary.
final score 40 - 7
great game from the chiefs, the welsh threatened to bore us to death for a while in that 2nd half but as soon as the chiefs got some ball again they cut lose and showed them how to use the ball to score points.
The welsh held the ball well but didn't really threaten much on attack and lacked creativity.
The chiefs were simply too good, better man for man with individual performances, better as a team.
Beaver led from the front and got stuck into everything, not surprised he got tired he has always been a player that thrived on game time and he hasn't had a full game in a long time.
Lowe was huge, just what he needed surely the AB selectors would have been watching
Midfield of Brown & Horrell was superb
Chiefs hookers had a half each and were both superb
All the young loose forwards were huge, lots of defense and they rand hard and cleaned out everything.
Seu was brilliant.
bird too, that try of his was fricken awesome.
Word for Sam McNicol as well, I have to say I think hes had a great season and he was playing when the chiefs were at their best. He was awesome in that last quarter.
great game from the chiefs, the welsh threatened to bore us to death for a while in that 2nd half but as soon as the chiefs got some ball again they cut lose and showed them how to use the ball to score points.
The welsh held the ball well but didn't really threaten much on attack and lacked creativity.
The chiefs were simply too good, better man for man with individual performances, better as a team.
Beaver led from the front and got stuck into everything, not surprised he got tired he has always been a player that thrived on game time and he hasn't had a full game in a long time.
Lowe was huge, just what he needed surely the AB selectors would have been watching
Midfield of Brown & Horrell was superb
Chiefs hookers had a half each and were both superb
All the young loose forwards were huge, lots of defense and they rand hard and cleaned out everything.
Seu was brilliant.
bird too, that try of his was fricken awesome.
Word for Sam McNicol as well, I have to say I think hes had a great season and he was playing when the chiefs were at their best. He was awesome in that last quarter.
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Quite probably I am suggesting Wales has less depth than the Chiefs..... think this morning showed it!
As for 40/46 man squads, the WRU does not seem able to finance an A team fully and certainly do not think that they could afford that number of players plus back up (and free loaders)!!
Add to that that some of these guys are already hitting too many games per season already - most have not had proper rest for nearly two years with RWC!
Think maybe you and certainly I want to go back to the old days but it ain't going to happen!!!!
I've always said watch out for Lienert-Brown. He's young. Infact, most guys who shined today, were young. The looseys, 6 and 7 were 21 and 22 I think. Lowe is young-ish. Bird is fringe AB, 26 I think he is. Weber is older than Perenara.
Definitely had a few guys in there that have been, could have been if in a different time-line, or still could be All Blacks in the future. Plenty of talent.
Poor Wales... The English are gonna bash on them for years..
Definitely had a few guys in there that have been, could have been if in a different time-line, or still could be All Blacks in the future. Plenty of talent.
Poor Wales... The English are gonna bash on them for years..
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Personally, I would love to see the All Blacks play lead up games when they go on the EOYT; an AP side in the week before the England test, and relevant Pro 12 sides before Wales, Scotland or Ireland, or a Top 14 side before France.
TobesHodges
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This ^^^
Absolutely. Would be fascinated to see them go up against a full-strength Saracens - the absolute clinical definition of NH rugby.
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In theory it's a good chance for Wales to find out who has what it takes to be a squad player. Injuries do happen after all. What you DON'T want is a scenario such as today where not a single player advances a case for test inclusion, with the possible exception of Morgan today. It only got a little better today when Faletau and Roberts tried to drag the other 13 guys on the pitch kicking and screaming towards some sort of respectability.
Smartcooky I don't think Tony is saying depth is an excuse, far from it. Wherever or not Wales should have the depth to do better than that (yes they should) put to one side, today showed Wales simply don't have that depth, whereas a second string provincial side clearly did.
Yep. While the Welsh may bemoan the level of the Pro12 - the poor performance of the regions in the league would indicate that its still at a level most professional Welsh rugby players cannot match.
If it makes the WRU sit up and realise the depth of their problems and further comprehend that without foundations* the national team will eventually wither - then I would consider it well worthwhile.
*I don't know what the solution is; but its obvious the current approach is not working.
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Good times, good times....
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This match goes to show how pointless a Wales probable v possibles would have been. If a second string Chiefs side shorn of its ABs, plus other injured players - Laulala, Manu, Leitch can thrash the Wales second team (plus a few test side players), then what does that say? That the Wales second tier players are not even in the same league as a NZ Super Rugby Franchise's 2nd team.
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Clive Woodward tried a 45-man squad in 2005, and just about every player who went in the tour said that it was awful. The 2 teams were completely split up and it meant that no players in the B got the opportunity to move up, unless there was an injury, in which case they'd never played with the As before so had no clue what they were doing. Just seems like a recipe for disaster to me. I'd keep it down to 35-40 with call-ups if necessary.
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Or to even it out a bit, the winner of Super Rugby vs Saracens. Putting the All Blacks up against them would be a bit one-sided... I'd also like to see a SH side face Wasps, the most SH side in the Prem, just to see what happened when a Nh side which play SH rugby goes against an SH side.
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I was expecting a Chiefs win but... not that. I guess this is what happens when you have such a set-in-stone 1st team. No other players get any development. I really hope that for Wales' sake they do a job on the weekend. Although that'll be hard to do with Warbs, Faletau and Roberts all recovering. even as an Englishman this is just saddening. Pick it up Wales or when Wyn Jones, Roberts and a few of the other lads that are getting on get phased out, you're f***ed.
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I appreciate that many Welsh fans bemoan the pro 12, but I personally don't think that's what's causing the lack of depth. The regions are struggling for various financial reasons and the development pathway isn't working. I only have questions about the pro 12 for the number of fixtures that some of the Welsh fans really aren't interested in, but that's a discussion for another thread.
I'm not sure what they can do. They've had a big push in the last year on participation. They've got a rugby development officer at most schools in South Wales now, and I think it's too early to measure the impact of that difference yet. For me there's a big correlation with participation and the rise of Cardiff city and Swansea city football a few years ago now. Welsh sport is competitive and rugby is probably not the national sport of you look at player numbers.
