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Wales Six Nations Squad 2025

I still think Lancaster would be a great shout for Wales. He's often regarded as only being good with young players, but the Leinster players seemed to really rate him.
No thanks. Would prefer a tactician and he isn't seen as particularly successful here thanks to not being able to beat a depleted wales team, at home Englands own WC. Psychology is important in this decision.

I'd love Schmidt, he was excellent with Ireland, Aus more recently. Attention to detail etc.
 
Kilts all a tumble,


With laughter.

Probably jinxed it now.
Yep lose to England and it'll be has Townsend taken the golden generation as far as possible. He's not made the most of it etc, etc.

An Englishman in charge of Scotland would be more funny than it being Wales.
 
Yep lose to England and it'll be has Townsend taken the golden generation as far as possible. He's not made the most of it etc, etc.

An Englishman in charge of Scotland would be more funny than it being Wales.
Then it's just Italy and France and our conquest is complete.
 
No thanks. Would prefer a tactician and he isn't seen as particularly successful here thanks to not being able to beat a depleted wales team, at home Englands own WC. Psychology is important in this decision.

I'd love Schmidt, he was excellent with Ireland, Aus more recently. Attention to detail etc.
Unfortunately if Aus is too far from home for Schimdt then Wales is almost certainly a no. Then again you both have traditions around sheep so you never know... 🤔
 
Unfortunately if Aus is too far from home for Schimdt then Wales is almost certainly a no. Then again you both have traditions around sheep so you never know... 🤔
Difference is the Aussies can catch the sheep, the Welsh at the moment ...
 
No thanks. Would prefer a tactician and he isn't seen as particularly successful here thanks to not being able to beat a depleted wales team, at home Englands own WC. Psychology is important in this decision.

I'd love Schmidt, he was excellent with Ireland, Aus more recently. Attention to detail etc.
I think that's a bit unfair on Stu, he left England and Leinster in better places than he found them.

Not the guy to bring Wales back to winning Grand Slams but would be a great guy to build a squad and core competencies which looks like it could take at least 3-4 seasons.

I'd rather he goes to Munster to help strengthen Ireland though so I hope he stays on that course.

Easterby is an interesting one, I reckon he'll be on the blower to Farrell to see what his 2028 plans are before making any decision.
 
I think that's a bit unfair on Stu, he left England and Leinster in better places than he found them.

Not the guy to bring Wales back to winning Grand Slams but would be a great guy to build a squad and core competencies which looks like it could take at least 3-4 seasons.

I'd rather he goes to Munster to help strengthen Ireland though so I hope he stays put.

Easterby is an interesting one, I reckon he'll be on the blower to Farrell to see what his 2028 plans are before making any decision.
Sorry, I've no doubt he's a good coach. Wales is still a goldfish bowl and pereception can often be as important as skill and competency.
 
I think that's a bit unfair on Stu, he left England and Leinster in better places than he found them.

Not the guy to bring Wales back to winning Grand Slams but would be a great guy to build a squad and core competencies which looks like it could take at least 3-4 seasons.

I'd rather he goes to Munster to help strengthen Ireland though so I hope he stays on that course.

Easterby is an interesting one, I reckon he'll be on the blower to Farrell to see what his 2028 plans are before making any decision.
Disagree with England
 
No thanks. Would prefer a tactician and he isn't seen as particularly successful here thanks to not being able to beat a depleted wales team, at home Englands own WC. Psychology is important in this decision.

I'd love Schmidt, he was excellent with Ireland, Aus more recently. Attention to detail etc.
I am sorry but lancaster is actually the perfect coach for where you are and what you need, a tactician is someone who will ice the cake but welsh rugby is at the stage of having to buy the ingredients. A tactician would do little to improve the outlook other than make the losses prettier.

You need a DOR, a nucifora, a rassie. Lancaster fits that bill, background in age grade rugby and development systems to help build the infrastructure to sort out the player pool mess. Even for england, eddies early sucess was built on lancaster's squad that he built. What you are saying is you want an eddie jones (of that time good god not now), without the person having built the squad for them to work with. Like Italy wouldnt be making the positive strides they are without the hires of connor oshea, francho smith and keiran crowley to help build the player pool.
 
I am sorry but lancaster is actually the perfect coach for where you are and what you need, a tactician is someone who will ice the cake but welsh rugby is at the stage of having to buy the ingredients. A tactician would do little to improve the outlook other than make the losses prettier.

You need a DOR, a nucifora, a rassie. Lancaster fits that bill, background in age grade rugby and development systems to help build the infrastructure to sort out the player pool mess. Even for england, eddies early sucess was built on lancaster's squad that he built. What you are saying is you want an eddie jones (of that time good god not now), without the person having built the squad for them to work with. Like Italy wouldnt be making the positive strides they are without the hires of connor oshea, francho smith and keiran crowley to help build the player pool.
I really don't want an Eddie Jones. I don't know how you got that from favouring Schmidt if I had the choice.

I hear you, but I think it's all a bit too big for one person at this point. They need a DOR separate to the head coach role.

Lancasters trajectory has reminded me a bit of Andy Robinson post England post. I just don't think he's the right man at the right time, that's no disrespect to him.

I would want someone proven recently at international level as head coach of the first team and to manage the interplay with the pro clubs better. The issues at age grade, the club game and the development pathways can be picked up by someone with their input.
 
Disagree with England
He inherited a team that was in the news for poor behaviour and who were pretty poor. He took them to a side that were within a whisker if winning the 6n multiple times and, with the little extra bite brought in by Jones, went on to win back to back 6ns and set a winning streak record.

He wasn't the guy to achieve what Jones did but it was his team that Jones inherited. I doubt Jones could have done the same if he inherited the team Johnson left.

World cup embarrassment aside where he did **** the bed, the core of the team was definitely better than what it was when he started.
 
He inherited a team that was in the news for poor behaviour and who were pretty poor. He took them to a side that were within a whisker if winning the 6n multiple times and, with the little extra bite brought in by Jones, went on to win back to back 6ns and set a winning streak record.

He wasn't the guy to achieve what Jones did but it was his team that Jones inherited. I doubt Jones could have done the same if he inherited the team Johnson left.

World cup embarrassment aside where he did **** the bed, the core of the team was definitely better than what it was when he started.
You know England won the 6N's literally before Lancaster came in right?
Year before Lancaster England win the 6n's

Year after Lancaster England win the 6n's
All this rubbish about how he bleed in youngster is also overblown outside the summer tour to Argentina he was pretty washy about backing youth and that's why he shat the bed big style in the RWC and never won anything of note
 
He understandably dodged the questions about bringing in new payers and assistant coaches but he didn't rule it out. He could go very Blues centric and go:

9. Williams
10. Evans
11. Adams
12. Thomas
13. Llewellyn
14. Rogers
15. Winnett.

He was directly asked about Anscombe and Llewelyn so it'll probably be Gareth over Jarrod but seeing as he's signed Lloyd for Cardiff you never know. I would like to see the above back line but I'd have Thomas on the bench with Lloyd and play Eddie James at 12 and I'd still like to see Rogers at 15 so would move Murray out wide even though he did well against Italy at 15. I won't be upset to see Winnet brought back in either.
 
I really don't want an Eddie Jones. I don't know how you got that from favouring Schmidt if I had the choice.

I hear you, but I think it's all a bit too big for one person at this point. They need a DOR separate to the head coach role.

Lancasters trajectory has reminded me a bit of Andy Robinson post England post. I just don't think he's the right man at the right time, that's no disrespect to him.

I would want someone proven recently at international level as head coach of the first team and to manage the interplay with the pro clubs better. The issues at age grade, the club game and the development pathways can be picked up by someone with their input.
I think lancaster is proven at international level... world cup was poor yes, but had to integrate a superstar who never played the game on a years notice, and people are quick to forget how truly awful times were before lancaster and the relative highs lancaster had in comparision.

Win% of the 3 previous coaches then lancaster:
Robinson- 40.9%
ashton - 54.5%
Johnson - 55.3%
Lancaster - 60.9%

He reset a flailing team and brought through the foundations of a world cup finals team. I think comparing him to robinson post england is a bit of as well based on a racing spell when racing are batshit and have been spiraling outside one european final regardless of the coach... he was amazing at leinster, I have yet to meet a leinster fan who disagrees. His record basically shows an elite player development coach. He isnt a sexy name right now because of racing but pre racing? I dont think his resume is dissimiliar to andy farrel. Disapointing end to an england career... elite assistant spell... Thats another thing, he put together a hell of a coaching staff in hindsight.

I am not saying you want jones, I was using jones as an example of bringing in a tactician, lancaster is legitimately perfect for what wales need right now.

I agree the job would be easier split, just reading tea leaves though, it seems that more and more the HC is acting like a DOR in international rugby, and even without that I think you need a player development coach over a tactician as players arent getting up to level at club level, and havent for a fair while now.
 

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