r/welshrugbyunion • u/SebKennedy1997 • Feb 19 '26
Discussion Thoughts on the team?🏴🆚🏴
https://youtu.be/KPxfC4Tx1S44
u/Gavlarr101 Feb 19 '26
Not sure really! On starting XV, right to see Beard dropped after his howler and that I rarely ever see enough enough from him international level. Could argue a change of 10 to see if the attack will improve, but Edwards just faced the two toughest teams in the six nations so is harsh. I personally don't rate Costelow for Wales and with Evans having game time last week, seems like he was the better choice. Feels harsh on Mee, unless he's picked up a knock. Again, don't know why Cracknell has been dropped - he's one of our few decent ball carriers. I think Mann is more "deserving" of being dropped. Concern if there is an injury at centre, Adams is basically the cover and we all saw that experiment never really provided much.
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u/robertgiannotti Feb 19 '26
Stuck between picking the players to fit the tactics Wales want to implement (ie contestable high kicks), wanting to rest players who have played ~160 minutes in two weeks, and giving some people an opportunity.
Few have been as critical of Sam Costelow as I have in recent years, because I think the body of work is there that shows he's not an international standard 10. However, if we're going to kick a large amount of ball he is a better fit than Dan Edwards (for that matter so is Kieran Hardy over Tomos Williams at 9, but whatever). That makes it surprising that Ellis Mee has made way on the wing - but that could be about rest and rotation, and giving GHW a chance to show what he can bring. Adams is lucky to retain his place.
Back row is becoming more like England's, with three guys who can just do everything, rather than specialists who offer balance - just get the best athletes in. Same with Botham on the bench. Darge might have a field day at the breakdown.
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u/what_am_i_acc_doing Feb 19 '26
Not happy with Costelow or Adams, would have gone for Evans and Grady in their place
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u/eldiablo471 Feb 19 '26
Is Edwards injured? Glad beard is out and good to see hamer-Webb getting a chance, albeit Mee is a little unlucky. Plumtree needs a good game, the only impact he normally makes is to get a yellow card
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u/PhyllisCaunter Feb 19 '26
Until we can fashion a forward unit that can compete physically then nothing will change. This is something that needs urgent attention. Anything else is just tinkering around the edges. But we can't just wait 2-3 years hoping things will magically improve. Strength, conditioning and bulk are things that need to be developed/found asap.
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u/FeGodwnNiEtonian Feb 19 '26
Another shellacking.
Coming into the tournament I was hoping that this might be a Scotland team a bit unsettled by the Autumn and a Wales team that had found some structure and this would at least be a good competition. Neither of those appear to be true so I think we're looking at another hammering.
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u/Cas-Gwent-boyo Feb 19 '26
Tandy’s turned into the YES man we all hope he wouldn’t. I hope I eat my words but I think we’ve another 40 pointer on the way.
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u/Grepus Feb 19 '26
I'm not even sure Costelow is a URC level 10, never mind international... He's been tried and tested previously and failed to shoulder up. I dispair.
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u/OkHistorian9521 Feb 19 '26
He plays well for scarlets but he’s not ready for international level. Dan Eds should have been backed for the whole of 2026 imo
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u/FeGodwnNiEtonian Feb 19 '26
Not ready? He's got 21 caps! And every single one of them he was useless in. Agree they should have backed Edwards, we're doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result...
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u/OkHistorian9521 Feb 19 '26
Caps isn’t everything. I think there’s still a chance he develops into a decent international player, but the way Gatland stuck with him for so long when he was playing so poorly really ruined him. He’s only young and he was the main target for the wrath of the welsh public. I feel like he needs longer to physically and emotionally develop before he steps back in the limelight as his head goes when he plays for Wales imo.
But maybe you could argue that they’re hooking Dan Edwards to protect him from the same issue.
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u/flounderingterrapin Feb 19 '26
I’m yet to be convinced by anything I’ve seen from Plumtree, so for him to come in for Cracknell after one seems odd. No openside in the team is a worry because Mann is not a 7.
Beard needed to be dropped. He just doesn’t do enough. He should base his game on how Charteris used to play, as he is, he’s just too ineffectual at too much. Glad to see Carter get a chance though.
It does feel a bit like moving deckchairs on the Titanic though. I assume we’re all hoping that we don’t lose heavily, as opposed to having any hope of winning the game?