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Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2025 5:34 pm
by Sandydragon
Sandydragon wrote: ↑Sat Nov 29, 2025 5:25 pm
UKHamlet wrote: ↑Sat Nov 29, 2025 5:20 pm
We urgently need to get a defence coach. The head coach can’t do that job, they need to concentrate solely on the big picture.
Our key players need to go through a regime of strength and conditioning to bring them up to standard. We need to find a way to bring players home and that means money. The WRU are going to have to dig deep, or find a half decent sponsor.
Sell the hotel?
Agree on defence coach. Bring back some WRU funded development coaches and urgently recreate the national coaching framework we had until ten years ago. Not a quick fix but best for the long term.
Ask, beg, pay regions to focus on s and c.
You do have to wonder why many of our players who aren’t playing for welsh clubs also look a bit lightweight?
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2025 5:36 pm
by normanski
UKHamlet wrote: ↑Sat Nov 29, 2025 5:15 pm
Where do we go from here? There are no quick fixes, and we can expect more of the same. We know what’s to blame, but how do we put it right?
When you’re in a hole you stop digging. The WRU should shelve all their plans to scrap a team. Then take a deep breath and work out how to increase the pool of eligible players playing in Wales. The strengthening and conditioning that Gatland achieved in his early years with Wales should be a prime objective.
The national academy needs to be restarted but it’s going to be years before we can see results there.
Perhaps a change of board and executives might help.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2025 5:56 pm
by twitchy
Just seen that gouge, brutal. He should be banned for the years, not games.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2025 6:33 pm
by pompey-zebra
Been up in London all day. I take it I can delete the recording when I get home.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2025 6:40 pm
by Sandydragon
pompey-zebra wrote: ↑Sat Nov 29, 2025 6:33 pm
Been up in London all day. I take it I can delete the recording when I get home.
I almost turned off after twenty minutes but kept watching with some forlorn hope that there would be something to cheer.
There was t. I’d delete it and if there were a way I could forgot it instantly I’d do it.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2025 6:41 pm
by Sandydragon
twitchy wrote: ↑Sat Nov 29, 2025 5:56 pm
Just seen that gouge, brutal. He should be banned for the years, not games.
Agreed. He knew exactly what he was doing and then doubled down. And then laughed when the ref appeared to let him get away with it. I hate gouging and that should be the end of his season.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2025 6:50 pm
by paddy no 11
Yeah that can't be some shitty watered down ban
12 weeks minimum, but should be 24
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2025 9:47 pm
by Son of Mathonwy
Men vs boys. Each one of them looked like they had 5cm and 10kg on his opposite number. Talk about winning the collisions, f*king obliterating the collisions. Pushed us back whoever had the ball. Once in our 22 it was almost a dead cert try.
Our scrum wasn't good although not quite as bad as expected. Lineout not fantastic but probably better than in earlier games (he guessed without looking at the stats). Maul was actually pretty good (I don't know how that happened).
At least it wasn't a record loss

. it looked like it could have been. I guess we could have taken a penalty to prevent the whitewash but instead we took a lineout which of course Lake overthrew.
(Minor aside, Mee went pretty well. He did actually compete in the air)
Not sure what Tandy could have done here. Not like there were bigger guys available. Yeah, they need more protein and weight training. Hey at least Grady is fit again. Get big guys like Ratti and Rhys Davies playing 6 or 8. For all his skills and commitment, Murray is looking too small.
Obviously the WRU need to fuck off with their plans to kill a region. Imagine this game with only three regions to pick from. Imagine how depleted each region would be providing a third of the national squad.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2025 9:49 pm
by Son of Mathonwy
Sandydragon wrote: ↑Sat Nov 29, 2025 5:09 pm
Ross. S wrote: ↑Sat Nov 29, 2025 5:06 pm
UKHamlet wrote: ↑Sat Nov 29, 2025 5:06 pm
Ezebeth is such a cunt
That needs to be a good few weeks out. Absolute disgrace
Fucking smiling at the ref. Long ban needed there.
Imagine him getting some real punishment. Yeah, I can't.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2025 10:18 pm
by Graigwen
This was predictably terrible.
I don't blamer Tandy, or the players on the pitch much. It was an unbalanced under strength side. The bad decisions as usual were made by men wearing blazers, or perhaps business suits.
Some of our younger players will talk about this game in future years when their careers have developed. It was a very rough learning experience for some of them. It is the utter stupidity that appalls me. We might have had an entertaining game against, say, Tonga.
.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2025 1:50 am
by newgalesurf
This is all on the suits and will continue until fans don’t buy tickets to bullshit fixtures like this (which is hardly likely to happen)
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2025 8:23 am
by pompey-zebra
newgalesurf wrote: ↑Sun Nov 30, 2025 1:50 am
This is all on the suits and will continue until fans don’t buy tickets to bullshit fixtures like this (which is hardly likely to happen)
I have a suspicion that the suits think that, as long as every seat is sold and the bars are busy, its not that worried if the stadium is full of Welsh fans or not. If it's full of away fans looking for a good day out and a near-guaranteed win, so be it.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 1:16 pm
by Buggaluggs
The RSA bench had more caps than the entire Welsh squad. Luckily I was out meeting old friends and was spared the real time horror.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2025 4:12 pm
by Son of Mathonwy
Buggaluggs wrote: ↑Mon Dec 01, 2025 1:16 pm
The RSA bench had more caps than the entire Welsh squad. Luckily I was out meeting old friends and was spared the real time horror.
I detached myself from the game emotionally at a very early point.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2025 8:05 am
by Stom
No better place...12 weeks!!! I mean, wtf! That's atrocious.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2025 3:22 pm
by Ross. S
Stom wrote: ↑Fri Dec 05, 2025 8:05 am
No better place...12 weeks!!! I mean, wtf! That's atrocious.
Did you expect anything different to choosing the most spineless option possible?
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2025 10:07 am
by Sandydragon
Ross. S wrote: ↑Fri Dec 05, 2025 3:22 pm
Stom wrote: ↑Fri Dec 05, 2025 8:05 am
No better place...12 weeks!!! I mean, wtf! That's atrocious.
Did you expect anything different to choosing the most spineless option possible?
I’m amazed it was that long. I’m stunned there was a debate over whether it was deliberate or not. Should have been double and sends a terrible message.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2025 10:17 am
by Son of Mathonwy
Sandydragon wrote: ↑Sat Dec 06, 2025 10:07 am
Ross. S wrote: ↑Fri Dec 05, 2025 3:22 pm
Stom wrote: ↑Fri Dec 05, 2025 8:05 am
No better place...12 weeks!!! I mean, wtf! That's atrocious.
Did you expect anything different to choosing the most spineless option possible?
I’m amazed it was that long. I’m stunned there was a debate over whether it was deliberate or not. Should have been double and sends a terrible message.
If they replaced weeks with months they'd be on the right track.
The sanction on the pitch is irrelevant if bans are so light for things that would put you behind bars in real life.
Re: Team for South Africa
Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2025 12:18 pm
by Sandydragon
Son of Mathonwy wrote: ↑Sat Dec 06, 2025 10:17 am
Sandydragon wrote: ↑Sat Dec 06, 2025 10:07 am
Ross. S wrote: ↑Fri Dec 05, 2025 3:22 pm
Did you expect anything different to choosing the most spineless option possible?
I’m amazed it was that long. I’m stunned there was a debate over whether it was deliberate or not. Should have been double and sends a terrible message.
If they replaced weeks with months they'd be on the right track.
The sanction on the pitch is irrelevant if bans are so light for things that would put you behind bars in real life.
Agreed. The card had no impact on the game but frankly this is a cop out and equally wtf was wrong with the officials on the day allowing him back onto the pitch. Normally a sending off means leaving the field of play and the support areas and remaining away. Heaven help local referees trying to enforce that at club matches.