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copester
Is Tian Schoeman leaving/left?

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shipwrecked

Quote:

copester
Is Tian Schoeman leaving/left?

Good point, Newcastle were interested but nothing since.

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BathMatt53

Blimey, Will Stuart and Charlie Ewels possibly up then unless they signed something more recently?

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shipwrecked
I'd be staggered if Bayliss left, Redpath has to stay to cover 10 but being injury prone is the problem I fear.

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charlieboa

Quote:

shipwrecked

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copester
Is Tian Schoeman leaving/left?

Good point, Newcastle were interested but nothing since.

Sounded like a done deal in trp but who knows.

Currently contracted 10s bailey and worboys only!

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charlieboa
There was a lot of focus on schicklerlings pace last week (fair enough , he is a prop) but bayliss made up some serious ground to make the try saving tackle.
His stepping makes people look silly!

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BucksBBandW
BBC report on the Montpellier Quins game tried to stoke the 'Zac coming back to the Premiership' rumours (which were obviously denied). Just think what he could add to this squad.

Quote:

joethefanatic

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BucksBBandW
BBC report on the Montpellier Quins game tried to stoke the 'Zac coming back to the Premiership' rumours (which were obviously denied). Just think what he could add to this squad.

Exactly what he added before - lovely feet and a lightning fast gainline line break but then becomes isolated and gets turned over. Zach is not who we need at 8. Nathan Hughes (or reasonable facsimile thereof) is who we need there. Someone the rest of the team can keep up with.

Quote:

BathMatt53

Quote:

joethefanatic

Quote:

BucksBBandW
BBC report on the Montpellier Quins game tried to stoke the 'Zac coming back to the Premiership' rumours (which were obviously denied). Just think what he could add to this squad.

Exactly what he added before - lovely feet and a lightning fast gainline line break but then becomes isolated and gets turned over. Zach is not who we need at 8. Nathan Hughes (or reasonable facsimile thereof) is who we need there. Someone the rest of the team can keep up with.

Agreed JTF, ZM works great is a huge french team where he adds some speed and guile. Bath has the likes of Bayliss for that but lacks the heavy machinery to crash over the gainline on a wet and windy January evening (or frankly any time). Ackerman, the Du Preez twins, Billy V etc. the list goes on.

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shipwrecked
Yikes, add Richards to the back row category and we could have a whole team of back rows! All fine till the ref calls the first scrum

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joethefanatic
That line labeled FH is very, very worrying. Given our luck with these kinds of risks, you can see OB2 doing an ACL in the first minute of the first game of next season.

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Rawce
Maybe Francis will be another ex-Saint center/back up FH doing a wonderful job as a FH like James Wilson?

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charlieboa
Williams may have played at lock mainly and asked to be a lock....I just don't think he is a very good one.
Just my opinion but I guess listing him there is fair enough.

You could argue the same about richards in terms of where he has played this season but I would say that's due to need at his club...he plays 6 for eng u20s.

Dingley has covered lock because of the need at his club but backrow for eng u19s

Quote:

hasta

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charlieboa
Williams may have played at lock mainly and asked to be a lock....I just don't think he is a very good one.
Just my opinion but I guess listing him there is fair enough.

You could argue the same about richards in terms of where he has played this season but I would say that's due to need at his club...he plays 6 for eng u20s.

Dingley has covered lock because of the need at his club but backrow for eng u19s

As a third choice lock I'm not a huge fan of Williams. As 5th choice I think he's pretty good.

Quote:

charlieboa
https://www.bathrugby.com/news/bath-rugby-202223-squad-confirmed/
Just the 17 backrowers plus richards, dingley, williams who I consider as backrows primarily.

Dingley isn't going to be big enough for lock is he? 6ft 4? Played openside for eng u19s!

Feels like trying to balance the look of the squad out like listing a load of utility backs as 10s

Quote:

shipwrecked
Sam Harris is an up and coming fly half from 19 I think, great talent England U18 just out of school.
Ciaran Donoghue also 19 but I've not seen much of him.

To call these frontline Premiership 10s is massively stretching it, they are green, inexperienced and untried. But then so was Orlando Bailey I suppose.

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shipwrecked
I've no illusions of doing a Tigers as JvG will clearly have to sift through a cast of thousands to find the gems.

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shipwrecked
This isn't going to happen overnight!

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charlieboa
I agree re squad still not looking quite right but also do think we are running seriously low on excuses now. Huge change has been delivered and lots of investment to get the right non- playing team in place. The likes of jvg and Don macpherson won't come cheap.
I don't see any reason why fans shouldn't hope for and expect a significant improvement in both performances and league position. Top 8 with a few good performances really shouldn't feel like a pipedream but a decent start is vital for confidence.

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copester
Charlie, I get what you're saying but, for Tiger's Pollard and Watson, we have Francis and Gallagher!.
We are miles away atm.

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charlieboa
Leic are losing two of their best and most influential players.
easy to cherry pick clubs incomings and outgoings to suit your narrative.

A positive sale fan will laud the signings of the likes of hill and ford, others will focus on the losses of de jager, faf etc.

I don't disagree we are light years away from top 4 but I personally think top 8 shouldn't feel an impossible task. If it does we may as well pack up and go home now.....

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Optimist
Top 8 seems like a modest ambition … until you try to name 5 teams who are likely to be less good than us next season.

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Malco
I don't expect us to be competitive with the top six next season with the very young squad we have, which is clearly thin in a couple of vital areas.
I do expect us to be better than we have been this season.

Question is, if we finish in the bottom three will posters on this forum blame the coaches and demand that JVG et al resign, in the same way they have with Hooper and Hatley this season?

Quote:

Malco
I don't expect us to be competitive with the top six next season with the very young squad we have, which is clearly thin in a couple of vital areas.
I do expect us to be better than we have been this season.

Question is, if we finish in the bottom three will posters on this forum blame the coaches and demand that JVG et al resign, in the same way they have with Hooper and Hatley this season?

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CoochieCoo
I wonder when the Club is going to update their squad list? All the leavers are still there!

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P G Tips
I think the merger is deliberate sw.
PG

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shipwrecked
Look on the Offy CC, there isn't one, an academy that is and PG thinks it is intentional. That post is pre JvG's arrival.

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P G Tips
I think the merger is deliberate sw.
PG

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shipwrecked
A] How do you assign the academy players, the Offy has them all as equal. No indication that Richards is seen as academy.
B] Ciaran Donoghue listed as a 10 as well. Surely Piers Francis is our back up fly half. If it Worboys we are in trouble, I'd argue for Sam Harris despite his age, physically stronger but we do have a problem there that needs handling.

C] Interesting that Redpath and Ojomoh are no longer listed as flyhalves but exclusively centres. Worth keeping an eye on the Offy there are changes regularly now.

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Optimist
Do we know who is captain this season?

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joethefanatic
I am still struggling to believe that we proposing to go into this campaign with only one specialist 10 in the squad, and an inexperienced one at that. It's either a master stroke or an act of absolute folly.
The fact that I am relieved that there is no relegation this season tells you where I stand...

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joethefanatic

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Optimist
Do we know who is captain this season?

Given the challenges we have and the game plan its looks like we're going to be playing (at least to begin with), we're going to need an experienced senior player, first choice in their position, who'll stay on the pitch for most of the game and be in a position to be in the ref's ear from minute 1.

Pretty much going to have to be Ben Spencer, isn't it?

Quote:

woodpecker
I think i read Roux has Irish nationality

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P G Tips
Good also to see that he is on the Offy Squad page already.
Comms are much improved, even before the season starts.

PG

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P G Tips
Good also to see that he is on the Offy Squad page already.
Comms are much improved, even before the season starts.

PG

Quote:

hasta
Also this insta post was pretty funny:
[www.instagram.com]

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Susanne

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hasta
Also this insta post was pretty funny:
[www.instagram.com]

Excellent. I think that in itself says a lot about comms going forward - able to take the p1$$ out of themselves

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hasta
Also this insta post was pretty funny:
[www.instagram.com]

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ExiledChameleon
Joe Cokanasiga in a space boot on his instagram

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CoochieCoo
Our list says 75 who have they dropped off?

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by

Quote:

CoochieCoo
Our list says 75 who have they dropped off?

29 forwards + 18 backs + 22 academy = 69??

I think our list is missing the scholars (Pearce, Kirk, Erskine, Lock and Lloyd-Gilmour) which would take it up to 74

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Optimist
A lot of those lads aren't going to play a game of rugby all season.

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Murty7
My guess is some won't be able to play as we will need to exclude them from the cap

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Widcombe Boy

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Murty7
My guess is some won't be able to play as we will need to exclude them from the cap

Surely the club can’t just not pay them ?

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by
Quite a few big names coming up for renewal this season, bit worrying when we know there's going to be some churn to accommodate Lawrence and Hill - with the usual churn associated with change of DOR.
B. Spencer
Redpath
Cokanasiga
Underhill
McConnochie
Francis

These are all players we probably want to keep.

Quote:

woodpecker

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by
Quite a few big names coming up for renewal this season, bit worrying when we know there's going to be some churn to accommodate Lawrence and Hill - with the usual churn associated with change of DOR.
B. Spencer
Redpath
Cokanasiga
Underhill
McConnochie
Francis

These are all players we probably want to keep.

Definitely Spencer, Redpath, Mccon, I know Underhill is a fantastic player but he's often away or injured and I assume hes on a massive wedge

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charlieboa
Good to see Daniel marais (wouldn't fancy meeting him down a dark alley) and luke Graham confirmed on offy
[www.bathrugby.com]

Quote:

BiggusDickus
I think that an awful lot of players will be leaving as hear deals on offer have been reduced significantly and an exodus of "very cheap" Welsh players are flooding onto the market. Not a good time to be a rugby player coming out of contractMust be galling if you are an established player and no doubt being told take it or leave it but they know that the club or Bruce which is the same thing is willing to give a star player nearly a million a year. There will be a lot of p****d off players and what about the impact of the world cup as although league has been delayed take TH as an example We would expect that WS and Du Toit will both be in the world cup until hopefully the very late stages of the tournament so waht happens as i read they must have min 5 weeks break. We would be left with Rae and Venter or would we as both have been here a couple of seasons so we could be relying on Archie Griffin and others if they are out of contract. This could be very messy as relegation is quite rightly back I think and we could easily be marooned at the bottom again.

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JK7
True. Du Toit, Russell, Lawrence and Redpath pretty much certain to go and I imagine Stuart will as well. Beyond that, potentially no others will be absent so we could find ourselves less affected than most at the start of the season.

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JK7
I think there would be nothing short of outrage if Lawrence didn't go to the WC at this point. I have no doubt that he's ahead of Porter in Borthwick's mind. I expect Kelly, Tuilagi and Lawrence to go, with Lawrence as more of a 13.

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shipwrecked

Quote:

JK7
I think there would be nothing short of outrage if Lawrence didn't go to the WC at this point. I have no doubt that he's ahead of Porter in Borthwick's mind. I expect Kelly, Tuilagi and Lawrence to go, with Lawrence as more of a 13.

I agree Lawrence is more of a 13 than a 12 but I think SB has him as his first pick at 12. Tuilagi will be lucky to last through the group stages I'd have though. Kelly decent pick but international experience is short big ask for him to perform at the RWC.

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hasta
It's about balance, not number on shirt. I can see a Faz/Lawrence/Slade midfield.

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Optimist
Squad midfield will be all or 6 (Kelly dropping out if Tuilagi is fit - or possibly even Smith as fall-guy) of:
Ford, Smith, Farrell
Tuilagi, Kelly, Lawrence, Slade

I think that gives England some fantastic permutations of passers/kickers/boshers, and a good range of like-for-like, change-up options on bench.

Would love to be England coach and work with that lot!

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woodpecker
I dont often watch Exeter, but is Slade really that good? For England he is really underwhelming.

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shipwrecked

Quote:

woodpecker
I dont often watch Exeter, but is Slade really that good? For England he is really underwhelming.

I agree Woody but Opti is probably right, for me Slade is an example of "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Hans Christian Andersen.

Quote:

woodpecker

Quote:

shipwrecked

Quote:

woodpecker
I dont often watch Exeter, but is Slade really that good? For England he is really underwhelming.

I agree Woody but Opti is probably right, for me Slade is an example of "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Hans Christian Andersen.

hmm in so far as he's not wearing any?

Quote:

woodpecker
I find it hard to think of anything that stands out positively, his kicking is supposed to be fantastic, but i cant really remember if that's true?!?

Quote:

The Bear

Quote:

woodpecker
I find it hard to think of anything that stands out positively, his kicking is supposed to be fantastic, but i cant really remember if that's true?!?

Long term member of the Slade-is-overrated club here.

I think he serves as kind of a blank sheet you can project your expectations on to.

He can kick really far, he can open up a defence, he can tackle forcefully, he's got such a high rugby IQ... But then proceeds to do none of these things as he serves up mediocre game after mediocre. But he could do any of them, if X,Y,Z...