Newport Gwent Dragons v Edinburgh, 27th March

First topic message reminder :

Thought I might as well set up a match thread, even though Dragons and Edinburgh fans have nothing in common / to talk about at the moment...

Kick off: 14.30.

Live on S4C from 14.15.

Dragons tackling is too passive but a decent try.

Edinburgh look completely lacking any energy or spark.

This is brutal!

Decent second half maybe teams are flagging hence more space.

Hidalgo-Clyne choosing a bad day to have a kicking mare.

Hoyland is rotten at defending kicks

I've seen some rank awful, uninspiring Edinburgh performances over the years but this is right up there.

What has happened to Hidalgo-Clyne??

Fairly partisan crowd! SHC doing a great job of playing Pyrgos onto the Scotland bench for the summer matches

Neither team deserve to win this. Call it a draw and we can all go home

I'm tempted to turn the swear filter off to sum up my feelings on this Edinburgh performance.

tigertattie wrote:Neither team deserve to win this. Call it a draw and we can all go make the Edinburgh players walk home

I'd be more in favour of this

Bradbury once again making us ask the question why he's been overlooked all season. He's been a beast since coming on!

Good grief this is bad to watch. Basics being completely forgotten about

I can see them sneaking this.

Why did he not kick to goal??

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:

tigertattie wrote:Neither team deserve to win this. Call it a draw and we can all go make the Edinburgh players walk home

I'd be more in favour of this

The dragons have to chum them up the road then get a megabus back home!

That was rancid. Lets forget that match immediately

Feck me that was dreadful.

Edinburgh will not get a top 6 finish on this showing and we absolutely do not deserve it if we carry on playing like that.

Abysmal.

Well Edinburgh win, but god was it painful and they hardly deserved it. Still it keeps the season alive but it won't stay alive much longer if they keep playing like that.

Yeah Bradbury, standout performance. One of the few players who looked like he knows what he is doing.

Searching for some positives (and its not easy), I thought Ritchie played well and then so did Bradbury when he came on.

I think we saw as well why Toolis did not get picked by VC for the Ireland game, on that showing he clearly is not ready. He needs to learn to look after the ball, as does S H-C need to tidy up his kicking!

Edinburgh can thanks Screech for that win, he was the man responsible of being offside and gifting Edinburgh 3 points on the stroke of half time and then knocked it on going into contact at the end. Semi pro level player i'm afraid.

Appalling stuff, how Faletau got motm ahead of Amos is beyond me too.

What has happened to Hidalgo-Clyne's kicking? They were sitters!

His overall play is terrible just now too.

RDW_Scotland wrote:What has happened to Hidalgo-Clyne's kicking? They were sitters!

His overall play is terrible just now too.

We have been telling you is been awful all year, that award last season ha done him o favours at all. He thought that he had arrived an he most definitely has not.

Edinburgh just have no half backs who can control a game and with he pack they have it is bonkers. Weir will surely make a difference, as will Tovey, I hop h plays next weekend.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Bradbury once again making us ask the question why he's been overlooked all season. He's been a beast since coming on!

Also A. Toolis didn't come on either, no wonder he will most likely be off at the end of the season.

BigGee wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:What has happened to Hidalgo-Clyne's kicking? They were sitters!

His overall play is terrible just now too.

We have been telling you is been awful all year, that award last season ha done him o favours at all. He thought that he had arrived an he most definitely has not.

Edinburgh just have no half backs who can control a game and with he pack they have it is bonkers. Weir will surely make a difference, as will Tovey, I hop h plays next weekend.

Before the 6N I thought he was coming back into his game, but the lack of Scotland gametime then the games he's had for Edinburgh during the 6N he's been poor.

The whole team was flat and lacking urgency - Hidalgo-Clyne was 2nd best to a spilled ball to one of the Dragons props!

I wish Glasgow would take the other Tools brother.

The more I think about it, the more I think that Tovey may turn out to be an inspired signing for Edinburgh. They really are crying out for a playmaker and he is one that really does have something to prove and the prospect of a contract to play for.

Maybe the light has just gone on in Solly's brain and he ha realised that a team just can't do without one and no matter how many centres you try to convert it just does not work.

I have no idea what to do about the SH though. S H-C was playing rubbish and he still did not hook him, which is no great vote of confidence abut your alternatives on the bench. Unfortunately neither Fowles nor Kennedy have inspired this year either.

cakeordeath wrote:I wish Glasgow would take the other Tools brother.

Me too, and that would be good for everyone concerned.

The only positive is we have zebre at home next, albeit with a 5 day turnaround.

I bet we still struggle through and only get the 4th try in the last 10 minutes!

We have a hell of a lot to work on before Munster away.

Well at least two wins should give them some confidence and some momentum. One loss at this stage could end the season, so the longer they go on, the more they have to play for.

From a Glasgow perspective, I would be delighted if they could be competitive against some of the big boys and even more so if they take anything from them.

I thought SHC had a decent game apart from his kicking from the tee. Plenty of zip to his passing. Not a great game but decent

mikey_dragon wrote:

glamorganalun wrote:Dragons need a decent scrum half he is poor.

Perhaps one of the dumbest comments I've read, certainly up there with the stuff that Lord Dowlais types.

It's not that dumb a comment, Pretorius had a stinker.

We were better second half, but it's hard to know how we could have been worse. There was no control from either half back and we looked like we'd barely practised anything over the rest week, which was meant to have reinvigorated the players. There's no lack of commitment, but there's a serious lack of skill and nous.

I was impressed with how our scrum went, I was expecting them to take us to the cleaners.

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

glamorganalun wrote:Dragons need a decent scrum half he is poor.

Perhaps one of the dumbest comments I've read, certainly up there with the stuff that Lord Dowlais types.

It's not that dumb a comment, Pretorius had a stinker.

We were better second half, but it's hard to know how we could have been worse. There was no control from either half back and we looked like we'd barely practised anything over the rest week, which was meant to have reinvigorated the players. There's no lack of commitment, but there's a serious lack of skill and nous.

You could pretty much say the same about Edinburgh as well!

It was a horrible match. At least you have the consolation of having won it!

Congrats Edinburgh! If, that is, you want to be congratulated on that shower?!

Luckless Pedestrian wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:

glamorganalun wrote:Dragons need a decent scrum half he is poor.

Perhaps one of the dumbest comments I've read, certainly up there with the stuff that Lord Dowlais types.

It's not that dumb a comment, Pretorius had a stinker.

We were better second half, but it's hard to know how we could have been worse. There was no control from either half back and we looked like we'd barely practised anything over the rest week, which was meant to have reinvigorated the players. There's no lack of commitment, but there's a serious lack of skill and nous.

I was impressed with how our scrum went, I was expecting them to take us to the cleaners.

I am not overly keen on Sarel to be honest. His service is pretty poor and I think he gets bigged up by some fans just because he bounces around like zebedee. He also box kicks a bit too much and poorly too.

Fair play to Phil Price v Nel. I was worried.

The Scotland front row looked knackered unsurprisingly given how much they've played for Scotland - I don't think Solomons gained much by rushing them back straight after the 6N.

RDW_Scotland wrote:The Scotland front row looked knackered unsurprisingly given how much they've played for Scotland - I don't think Solomons gained much by rushing them back straight after the 6N.

Surely he will rest a few against the Italians next week, if not then, then never!

Some of the subs were the only bright spots for Edinburgh. The front row, Bradbury and Dean all did ok when they came on.

When will Solly learn that you need a squad to carry a season!

What do folk think of Watsons performance? IMO recently he has been trying to hard and lost the ball in contact / got isolated too much but was better in this game bar being just short of the try. I think that was excusable tho - he was only an inch short. Opinions?

BigGee wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:The Scotland front row looked knackered unsurprisingly given how much they've played for Scotland - I don't think Solomons gained much by rushing them back straight after the 6N.

Surely he will rest a few against the Italians next week, if not then, then never!

Some of the subs were the only bright spots for Edinburgh. The front row, Bradbury and Dean all did ok when they came on.

When will Solly learn that you need a squad to carry a season!

I'm fairly certain we'll see exactly the same team even though it's a 5 day turnaround.

Bradbury brought so much physicality - he is absolutely ready for regular gametime.

TJ wrote:What do folk think of Watsons performance?  IMO recently he has been trying to hard and lost the ball in contact / got isolated too much but was better in this game bar being just short of the try.  I think that was excusable tho - he was only an inch short.  Opinions?

Watson isn't effective at the breakdown, he should watch more of Scarlets' James Davies, similar build but ruling the breakdown whenever he plays. Watson will impress with some carries which are impressive for someone his size but not much rugby brains. Have a look at players like Hardie and Rennie, much more intelligent rugby players.

With all that sand, I thought I was watching Springwatch.
Would've been better for Cardiff if the Drags had won I spose, but there we are.
Kings said there were positives which is good for Drags fans.

Missed this game. Sounds dire. Still, four points in the bag and next up is Zebre. We're still in the hunt.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Missed this game. Sounds dire. Still, four points in the bag and next up is Zebre. We're still in the hunt.

It was truly awful - all that is bad about watching Edinburgh lately.

VinceWLB wrote:

TJ wrote:What do folk think of Watsons performance?  IMO recently he has been trying to hard and lost the ball in contact / got isolated too much but was better in this game bar being just short of the try.  I think that was excusable tho - he was only an inch short.  Opinions?

Watson isn't effective at the breakdown, he should watch more of Scarlets' James Davies, similar build but ruling the breakdown whenever he plays. Watson will impress with some carries which are impressive for someone his size but not much rugby brains. Have a look at players like Hardie and Rennie, much more intelligent rugby players.

He got a steal today did he not? I thought that was a strong part of his game. I know what you mean about the rugby brain tho he just seems to try too hard to in the match himself.

Watching it back on S4C and Kingsley again bigging up his boy and talking about him in the same breath as our three Welsh players. Shameless. All hail NGD under 8's

RiscaGame wrote:Watching it back on S4C and Kingsley again bigging up his boy and talking about him in the same breath as our three Welsh players. Shameless. All hail NGD under 8's

Rev,

I guess asking you how we would bring about world peace would be an easier question but what is the answer for the Dragons at the moment?

Surely Lyn has to be on borrowed time and whilst I have always been a Kingsley fan (good Ebbw stock see) he seems to be trotting out the same old excuses these days as what Lyn has been doing. Would KJ be the man to maybe move in to Lyns shoes then bring some other coaches in below him but who?

I honestly would get rid of both. They'll never shake the nepotism tag whilst they're there. There's two Gwent Prem teams at the top, with one playing some cracking rugby on the same sandy pitch as the Dragons.

I'm all for Kingsley giving his boy a lift, but he is not and neither will he ever likely be in the same class as Amos and Morgan and definitely not Faletau.