Yorkshire Carnegie
FRU - The Unholy Trinity
The new Doc?
By Loosehead
July 16 2010
Leeds Carnegie had a good competitive pack last season. During the break Back & Key have strengthened it considerably. This is particularly the case in the front row. Our resident expert on the dark arts appraises the newcomers and what they bring to the squad….
You can never have enough of the fat boys upfront. Props are a precious commodity and if you have a very good tighthead to anchor the scrum they can be worth their weight in gold,(much like in the NFL where the left tackle can earn the big $$$) so it’s not unheard of that the man who wears the #3 shirt can be one of the highest paid players. You only need to look at one of the current best 3's in the world, Carl Hayman, (who was on a reputed £300k per year at Newcastle) and rumours abound that an English international tighthead can command a salary of over £200k per year. Why is it that one of the big boys can now command the big money? Well if your scrum is solid and you go forward then you have a great platform for the backs. It much easier to play rugby on the front foot than going back at a rate of knots!
Looking at the players to join the FRU (Front Row Union) for Leeds this season we have players with a great deal of experience where their main bread and butter has been their ability to scrummage.
First in the door for Leeds, was World Cup winning hooker, Britsh Lion and current England hooker Steve Thompson, a superb scrummager who also carries the ball well. He brings to us a wealth of experience of playing at the top level, not only international rugby, but playing for a number of years at Northampton and Brive. The last time we had a player of this calibre who was wearing the #2 shirt was one Mark 'Ronnie' Regan who helped us a great deal in his 3 years with us, which saw us play in the HEC and win the Powergen Cup in 2005. The signing of another England international part way through last season, Andy Titterell, helped transform our scrum in the 2nd half of the season. He re-signed for another 2 years so, along with Phil Nilsen, an academy graduate, the hooking position looks very healthy.
Next in was Spanish international Jesus 'Brian' Moreno Rodriguez. A huge specimen who comes in at 6.3 and 135kg or just over 21 stone in old money but, when looking at him, it’s all in the right places(he obviously never ate too many pies or sausage roll sandwiches).Although Spain are not yet renowned for their prowess in the forwards Brian learnt his trade in one the most unforgiving environments for forwards where there are no hiding places - namely French rugby. As a youngster he was first at Bayonne, a no nonsense club in the Basque region. Listening to his recent interview on the club website he tells of the training sessions being very hard and very physical which, for a young pup, can be a steep learning curve but in the right direction. After Bayonne he graduated to Clermont for a season in their U23’s. Here, amongst other front row players, he came into contact with the great Argentinian hooker Mario Leadesma from whom he also learnt a great deal. After turning down a chance to sign with Clermont he moved back to the Basque region where he spent 2 years with Bordeaux. He is still only 24 years old so he has the potential to develop into something special. Backy and the scrum doctor, Alex Moreno, are very happy and they are also looking to convert him into that special type of prop - one that is comfortable on both sides of the scrum - a very rare breed indeed.
Joining Brian is 'San' Miguel Alonso, an Argentinian born Italian prop who has spent a number of years playing his rugby in Italy for the likes of Treviso and Viadana. He also played HEC rugby and will be a comfortable, solid no nonsence scrummager who Back describes as “could be something special”. They join an already formidable set of FRU players. Mike 'Big Mac' MacDonald who has had no rugby to play this summer and so will have had a pre-season with Leeds and will be quite fresh, and will be here a lot earlier than last season. With Wine Gums earning the plaudits for Leeds last season, it also saw him recalled to the Argentinian squad for the Scottish tour. With Gareth Hardy and Phil Swainston in the frame, the options and permutations give us plenty of depth upfront. With the ability to change the way the front row plays we can play the big scrummaging front rows, but we can then adapt to play a more open/fluid game.
Last but by no means least is the appointment of our very own scrum doctor, Alex Moreno, who was probably the main architect of improving our scrum last season. Alex is a former Argentinian international who learnt his trade in Argentina and then played in France for Agen & Perpignan and further developed his craft in Italy with Parma Calvisano and L'Aquila. He also played in that bastion of all English teams who know the full value of a strong scrum – Leicester. The scrum doctor also comes with that something extra after plying his trade around Europe. He can speak four languages – Spanish, Italian and French as well as English, so there will not be one player who will not understand what the scrum doctor has ordered. We had a very strong scrum last season and with these additions our scrum will get a lot stronger.
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16/07/2010 07:02
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a good read and an encouraging outlook for next season - especially good news that Alex Moreno is staying on: Star 'backroom' man last season
Thanks Loosy, great article. (Backy will have to be very brave to say 'no' to any of this lot!)
Up the Carnegie TYKES !
Pain is only temporary but victory is forever
Quote:Wildwillie
It is quite possible that our starting "front 3" will change as the season progresses & as form dips/improves. A nice selection headache to have.
Perhaps you'd like to tell that to Mac, Titts, and Wine Gums. With the rest of us watching obviously.
very encouraged after reading that. can't wait for next deason.
One for WW though - can we have a couple of para breaks in it? Get hard to read when scrolling down - tend to lose me place!
Waiting for the good times ...
..and waiting ....
... and waiting ...
