Powell is a liability

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Tackle-Bag i'd have Luke over Monye too but i actually think his kicking is decent (it used to be awful but has improved a lot imo) and I think he's a strong tackler as well tbh.

It's one of the funny thing about him. Some people rave about him, some think he's a donkey.

The truth lies somewhere in between (as usual). He's certainly outstanding in some aspects of his game and has improved other areas, like kicking, where he had been weaker.

He's a good player who deserves to be on the tour. I think Fitz is a better option. There are several reasons for that. I like wingers who can play fullback. When the aerial ping-pong starts these guys come into their own. Specialist wingers still have a role to play but in unstructured play the guys with the all round game are worth so much more.

That's what Luke brings. He does everything a wing should but he also does everything else. He flies into rucks, steals ball on the deck or rushes back into the defensive line as necessary. Monye got away with some major errors against Golden Lions. He threw an intercept that was dropped. He didn't link all that well with the players around him in broken play. It's weird at times watching him play, he doesn't look comfortable on the pitch. Like someone who's big, fast and tough can manage on a rugby pitch without really understanding the game. You just need wingers to get more involved in the game than he sometimes does.

Great post! As i said i'm a fan of Monye but you're right he only really gets involved off first phase and seems to need to be told to get involved rather than having Luke's 6th sense of knowing what to do and where to be.I do think he works very hard defensively though.

[Comer Toes]

And you thought this all up by yourself????
Brilliant Sherlock. He's a 1 trick pony and thats bnot how to beat the boks, Worsely as someone said is not a 7, got in on 1 game. POC cannot captain at this level as well.

By 'this level' do you mean the Free State Cheetahs?? I'm not sure what bad calls he made on Saturday. The team lost their way as the game went on but it was more do with management's hand being forced in terms of personnel and Barnes' non-policing of the Cheetahs at the breakdown than POC's leadership.

I was not aware of the new directive at the breakdown that is allowing tackler's more time to compete. Does anyone have a more precise definition of it?

Funny how going off your feet when in possession is now so passé in Barnes' whistling repertoire when he couldn't get enough of it at the start of the season.

[Comer Toes]

The likely test 22 at present is IMHO:-

Byrne
Tommy
BOD
Roberts (D'Arcy if given another game or two)
Monya
Jones
Phillips (Not convinced, but nothing else on offer)
Gethin,
Lee Mears
Ewun
Jones
POC
Ferris
Wallace
Heaslip

Bench
Sheridan
Toss a coin for Hooker - The better lineout thrower.
Shaw maybe (The Scot's not far behind, but suffers from indiscipline)
Croft - A very, very good option to have on the bench.
The Leicester Scrum Half
Hook
D'Arcy (If not selected in the 15)
Kearney (If D'Arcy is selected in the 15)

The Irish back row were the outstanding back row unit in the 6N and so far still look
the best option.

Agree with that team at the moment, unfortunately at this stage there aren't as many slots open for debate as the management would have liked.

Will they go for strongest XV against Western Province? Could mean another odd XV for Wednesday against the Sharks, with a lot of guys from Saturday playing again.

Apparently Flutey only ready for bench slot at the moment

[hugonaut]

I was not aware of the new directive at the breakdown that is allowing tackler's more time to compete. Does anyone have a more precise definition of it?

Funny how going off your feet when in possession is now so passé in Barnes' whistling repertoire when he couldn't get enough of it at the start of the season.

Well said. Just checked the IRB website, because I was pretty curious about Barnes non-refereeing of Brussouw at the breakdown. So much of what he was doing looked illegal, but earlier that morning I'd been watching the BaaBaas vs Australia, and Phil Kearns had mentioned that the reason Deans had picked Smith and Hodgson [two opensides] in the backrow was precisely because of the directive that was issued with the amendment of the ELVs, allowing the tackler to play the ball with his hands once he gets back on his feet, regardless of whether a ruck forms around him or not.

All fine and dandy, because we've seen more and more of this in recent times, not least from Drico. However, the way that Barnes interprets the law [which could be the right way – for the first time in my life, I'm a little confused about the breakdown situation], the tackler does not have to get onside – he can make the tackle, get up and play the ball facing his own goal-line, without spinning around to get on his own side [facing the opposition line] as had previously been the case.

Brussouw looked to have a great game, but Barnes didn't penalise him once, and f*ck me, he cheated more than all the rest of the players on the pitch put together. If you can do whatever the f*ck you want on the pitch, you're going to look pretty sharp!

No matter what laws the match was played under, there were two cast-iron penalties he should have been pinged for: @ 12:30, during a Lions drive in the Cheetahs 22 he makes the tackle, gets rucked over by Donncha O'Callaghan and then passes the ball back from the Lions' side of the ruck from his knees, facing his own goal-line! What the f*uck? Barnes bizarrely gives a scrum against the Lions for a knock-on.

Then, even more irritatingly, @ 56:20 Brussouw legitimately tackles Worsley and regains his feet to compete for the ball. However, for once the Lions support is close by and Hook, Sheridan, Donncha and Ferris Bueller arrive and clear it out. The ball is clearly on the ground for 1/2 second to a second, with absolutely no hands on it. Brussouw has been taken off it, and Worsley has released it. Brussouw, who is on his knees, on the Lions side of the ruck and facing towards his own line, grabs the ball and throws it out of the openside of the ruck to a Cheetah's teammate. It was quite frankly ludicrous - offside at the ruck, handling in the ruck and playing the ball on the ground in the same incident, and Barnes just waves play on. What a c*ck.

If I was to list all the times that Brussouw was competing for possession while his a*se was facing the Lions goal-line [which, as I've said above, may be legal under the new directive], I'd appear to be an even bigger Statto than I already am. Suffice it to say that 28:50, 31:00, 31:10, 43:32, 43:50 and 61:23 were all highly debatable rucks that featured Brussouw getting back on his feet after being involved with a tackle and attempting to play it from the Lions' side [i.e. with his a*se facing the Lions' try-line], rather than spinning to get on the Cheetah's side of the ball. Very contentious.

IRB Directives: http://www.irb.com/mm/document/lawsregs ... y_7684.pdf

15.4 (c) 87 The Tackler
Ruling 13 2003, 3 2004, 8 2004
A tackler who by definition has gone to ground can, when on his/her feet play the ball from any direction. This has been refereed this way and now it is clear in Law.

15.6 (c) 91 Players on their feet at the tackle
Ruling 13 2003, 3 2004, 8 2004
The player who puts a player on the ground and stays on his/her feet has to release that player and can then only play the ball by coming from the direction of his own goal line, behind the ball and the player on the ground nearest his goal line. Please see diagram in appendix 2.

[ceemec]

The likely test 22 at present is IMHO:-

Byrne
Tommy
BOD
Roberts (D'Arcy if given another game or two)
Monya
Jones
Phillips (Not convinced, but nothing else on offer)
Gethin,
Lee Mears
Ewun
Jones
POC
Ferris
Wallace
Heaslip

Bench
Sheridan
Toss a coin for Hooker - The better lineout thrower.
Shaw maybe (The Scot's not far behind, but suffers from indiscipline)
Croft - A very, very good option to have on the bench.
The Leicester Scrum Half
Hook
D'Arcy (If not selected in the 15)
Kearney (If D'Arcy is selected in the 15)

I think Hines is much closer to team than that. Big bloke with a bit of bite. Type of guy that could work well against the Boks. Also, I can't see them ignoring Vickery after his performance during the week. Got through a mountain of work. Carried well, appeared at huge number of breakdowns, tackled well. The fact that he covers both sides almost guarantees him a spot in the 22 if not the 15 (I reckon he's in the 15 at the moment). Can't see Darce making the 22. Roberts is almost nailed on at 12 and matches are running short for Darce to prove himself. On Saturday I'm sure McGeechan will want to put out a large chunk of his test side and I expect Flutey to get a run on Wednesday. Other than those think that could be thereabouts for the team. They'll look at Williams again as openside though. Wallace hasn't set the world alight yet.

[hugonaut]

I'd also argue that Andy Powell isn't a one trick pony - he's a no-trick-pony.

Running into people isn't a trick. If he had a little trick, like getting his hands clear beyond the tackle for the off-load, a Ryan Kankowski-style pneumatic hand-off, a feint and step to the inside shoulder, even a variety of running lines ... even if he had one of these things, then he could parade around the dressage-circle with his shiny, turtle-waxed chestnut legs and blonde-highlighted mane. He'd be a fine-looking one-trick pony. We could even enter him in show-jumping if he was a decent lineout option and showed a bit of spring: he could run at a specially-made course where the barriers are sunbeds and jump over them, or, knowing Powell, into them.

Unfortunately, Andy Powell [owner: Welsh Rugby Union; trainer: Warren Gatland; jockey: whichever opposition player he looks to run into; colours: Garnier Ambre Soleir No Streaks Bronzer and Vidal Sassoon Platinum Blonde #2] is, in horse-racing terms, a nag. At this stage, the Lions management should either cajole him into his horse-box with some mirrors and sugarcubes and send him back to deepest darkest Wales so that they could bring out a No8 who can actually play a little bit of rugby [the two-times Lions tourist Simon Taylor would be my favourite option], or just cut their losses and melt him down for glue so that Rala can use him to stick up notices, repair crash-pads and try and patch up some of the centres' injuries.

[ronk]

I was not aware of the new directive at the breakdown that is allowing tackler's more time to compete. Does anyone have a more precise definition of it?

Funny how going off your feet when in possession is now so passé in Barnes' whistling repertoire when he couldn't get enough of it at the start of the season.

Well said. Just checked the IRB website, because I was pretty curious about Barnes non-refereeing of Brussouw at the breakdown. So much of what he was doing looked illegal, but earlier that morning I'd been watching the BaaBaas vs Australia, and Phil Kearns had mentioned that the reason Deans had picked Smith and Hodgson [two opensides] in the backrow was precisely because of the directive that was issued with the amendment of the ELVs, allowing the tackler to play the ball with his hands once he gets back on his feet, regardless of whether a ruck forms around him or not.

All fine and dandy, because we've seen more and more of this in recent times, not least from Drico. However, the way that Barnes interprets the law [which could be the right way – for the first time in my life, I'm a little confused about the breakdown situation], the tackler does not have to get onside – he can make the tackle, get up and play the ball facing his own goal-line, without spinning around to get on his own side [facing the opposition line] as had previously been the case.

Brussouw looked to have a great game, but Barnes didn't penalise him once, and f*ck me, he cheated more than all the rest of the players on the pitch put together. If you can do whatever the f*ck you want on the pitch, you're going to look pretty sharp!

No matter what laws the match was played under, there were two cast-iron penalties he should have been pinged for: @ 12:30, during a Lions drive in the Cheetahs 22 he makes the tackle, gets rucked over by Donncha O'Callaghan and then passes the ball back from the Lions' side of the ruck from his knees, facing his own goal-line! What the f*uck? Barnes bizarrely gives a scrum against the Lions for a knock-on.

Then, even more irritatingly, @ 56:20 Brussouw legitimately tackles Worsley and regains his feet to compete for the ball. However, for once the Lions support is close by and Hook, Sheridan, Donncha and Ferris Bueller arrive and clear it out. The ball is clearly on the ground for 1/2 second to a second, with absolutely no hands on it. Brussouw has been taken off it, and Worsley has released it. Brussouw, who is on his knees, on the Lions side of the ruck and facing towards his own line, grabs the ball and throws it out of the openside of the ruck to a Cheetah's teammate. It was quite frankly ludicrous - offside at the ruck, handling in the ruck and playing the ball on the ground in the same incident, and Barnes just waves play on. What a c*ck.

If I was to list all the times that Brussouw was competing for possession while his a*se was facing the Lions goal-line [which, as I've said above, may be legal under the new directive], I'd appear to be an even bigger Statto than I already am. Suffice it to say that 28:50, 31:00, 31:10, 43:32, 43:50 and 61:23 were all highly debatable rucks that featured Brussouw getting back on his feet after being involved with a tackle and attempting to play it from the Lions' side [i.e. with his a*se facing the Lions' try-line], rather than spinning to get on the Cheetah's side of the ball. Very contentious.

IRB Directives: http://www.irb.com/mm/document/lawsregs ... y_7684.pdf

15.4 (c) 87 The Tackler
Ruling 13 2003, 3 2004, 8 2004
A tackler who by definition has gone to ground can, when on his/her feet play the ball from any direction. This has been refereed this way and now it is clear in Law.

15.6 (c) 91 Players on their feet at the tackle
Ruling 13 2003, 3 2004, 8 2004
The player who puts a player on the ground and stays on his/her feet has to release that player and can then only play the ball by coming from the direction of his own goal line, behind the ball and the player on the ground nearest his goal line. Please see diagram in appendix 2.

The tackling player has been allowed play the ball from any direction, if they go to ground, for years. So long, I don't recall it coming in. It's been one of those things that has been poorly understood at times and some players don't seem to be too aware of it. The new directive isn't relevant only to this situation.

It clarifies the situation where at a tackle the defending player gets his hands on the ball before the ruck is formed. If an attacking player then arrives does a ruck form, even though the defender already has possession of the ball? This is an important issue because in theory a ruck is formed when the ball is on the ground and no one is in possession of it.

[hugonaut]

The tackling player has been allowed play the ball from any direction, if they go to ground, for years. So long, I don't recall it coming in. It's been one of those things that has been poorly understood at times and some players don't seem to be too aware of it. The new directive isn't relevant only to this situation.

That's certainly the way that it reads ronk. Still, I've rarely seen a player so often on the 'wrong' side of the ruck as Brussouw was last Saturday, either in NH or SH rugby. Drico has been one of the arch-exponents of snaffling ball when he's made tackles, and generally his technique involves spinning out to the 'right' side before attempting to play the ball. Credit to Brussouw though, he realised that he wasn't playing against an established openside, and played the ref's interpretation for the 80mins. Impressive performance.

[dipper]

Powell's a dirt tracker. Simple as. Worsley the same. Neither is dynamic enough to stand up to the Springboks scary backrow.

[Leinster Believer]

Powell drives me mad.

"Oh look there is somebody to run into". Its fine against Magners league oppisition or a weak H-Cup team but not international.