Blog Update - 12th Sep

By Lestyn
September 12 2005

Update of Blog thoughts and opinions over the past week

Taken from http://www.tsop.co.uk

Henson Injury Not as Bad as First Thought

 

Gavin Henson’s injury may not be as bad as first feared, with Golden Boots rated as having an outside chance of recovering in time to play some part in the Autumn internationals.

 

“He’s in extremely capable hands and is on course to make a full recovery, which should see him back playing with the Ospreys within a matter of weeks.”

 

A statement said that Henson was diagnosed with damage to the pubic synthesis, a cartilaginous joint where the pubic bones meet each other.

 

Game time however is the issue for Henson now, if Henson cannot prove his fitness in time for the Ospreys first Heineken cup games, it would be a massive gamble from Ruddock to throw him into the deep end against the All Blacks.

 

Four to eight weeks is a fairly loose timescale and I worry that the gun may have been jumped a little here. The Ospreys hammering by Munster this evening showed just how pivotal he is to the Ospreys, potentially more than Wales.

 

Rugby’s Naughtiest Blunders

 

You know the sort of game your watching when the scrum half belts the ball from the back off a scrum and it cannons off the back of one his props. Cue Mike Phillips and Ben Evans.

 

Rather than counting the number of scores the Blues managed tonight, it was more a case of adding a notch for everytime they strung two passes together.

 

To win in the Celtic League you need to be streetwise, the proverbial barndoor would appear to be a challenge this season for Dai Young and his happy clappers…..

 

Update* they may actually still win this. (deep breath).

 

Kolpak explained

 

WRU partnership agreements aside, there is surprisingly little stopping our regions from going out and stocking up on countless foreign imports.

 

The “Kolpak” ruling more or less makes it a borderless map when it comes to professional sport. Named after Slovakian handball player Maros Kolpak, who went to the European Court in a bid to play in Germany without being classed as a foreigner, claiming restraint of trade.

 

South Africa and most of the Pacific Islands’ are classed as asociate EU members, and thus it would be illegal to restrict there players from earning a living in Britain. Only New Zealand, Australia and the Americas’ can have regulations imposed on them.

 

Either way if one of the regions were to take an agressive stance, it would in my mind start a vicous cycle that would in the long run prove disatorous. With our resources money spent on non Welsh qualified players’ who do not even count as being foreigners, would be a massive snub to the grass roots and Premiership.

 

Henson Sidelined

 

Rollocks.

 

Golden / Silver boots looks like he’ll be out for practically the whole season. A long term groin injury will probaly be out for Six Months, and thus missing the Autumn internationals and the Six Nations.

 

If Wales are to keep playing the second receiver back play then the obvious footballing option in Ceri Sweeney, who went well on tour in North America.

 

The more physical option is a returning Sonny Parker, but I don’t feel that Ruddock really see’s him as fitting in with Wales’s expansive style.

 

Crunch Time Already?

 

Crucial time of the season coming up already domestically. With a round of weekend matches followed by all Welsh midweek games.

 

In terms of squad depth we’ll really start to see who will be the runners this season. The Dragons are fortunate to have a bye week, whilst the Blues play on Friday against Ulster. On the other hand the Ospreys travel to Cork in a potentially bruising match with Munster, whilst the Scarlets have to travel to Borders on Sunday afternoon. Squad rotation is going to be key for both, however the Ospreys have a great deal of depth, but it is going to be a real tester throughout the season.

 

As a consequence you get a situation where we could see the farcical situation where Gareth Jenkins rotates the non-Welsh qualified players, with a South African in Hottie Louw swapping places with a Tongan in Inoke Afeaki, and I bet the reverse occurs on Wednesday.