Al Baxter's successor

[naza]

Baxter is 32 next month. Collapsing scrums is hard work and plenty of guys that age are forced to quit with neck/nerve/back problems. Who is next cab off the rank in the production line ?

Guy Shepherdson fell away badly this season.
Dunning won't be the same after his injury and is getting on anyway. He's never convinced as a tighthead anyway.
Sekope Kepu's experience has primarily been at loosehead. Long way to go for him yet.
Dayna Edwards struggled with the pace of S14 footy and his general play was unimpressive.

Come on down...um..Troy Takiari ?

 

[RugbyReg]

Danya Edwards (Reds)
Laurie Weekes (Reds)
Dan Palmer (Tahs)
Sekope Kepu (Tahs)
Salesi Maafu (Brums)
Rodney Blake (someone)

Shall be interesting to watch Shepherdson next year.

 

[TOCC]

maybe Greg Holmes can switch to tighthead, he seems like a pretty competent scrummager

cant see Dayna Edwards making the Wallabies in the next 12-24 months, needs more experience

 

[formeropenside]

It would have been interesting to see how Deans handled Blake, if the ARU had kept investing in him. I think it would have been good for him.

Its really Connolly's fault for not taking him to the RWC last year.

 

[TOCC]

cant really blame Connoly, Blake had being out injured for most of the Super14 season, and he is definetly one man who needs game time for the fitness aspect

 

[formeropenside]

cant really blame Connoly, Blake had being out injured for most of the Super14 season, and he is definetly one man who needs game time for the fitness aspect

Should have taken Blake ahead of Dunning or Baxter. And he missed the S14 because Connolly ordered him to have a foot operation. As a direct result of all that, the Reds lost a good prop. All will be forgiven only if Blake comes back to the Reds in '10 or so a better prop.

 

[RugbyReg]

David Te Moana (4s)

 

[naza]

Laurie Weekes (Reds)
Dan Palmer (Tahs)
Sekope Kepu (Tahs)

Those guys are all at least a couple of years away. Palmer is all of 20.

The Brumbies thought Nic Henderson was miles better than Ben Alexander. They cannot be trusted to deliver us props. I suspect Shepherdson could be a stop gap player for a season or two until a long term candidate emerges.

 

[Lindommer]

Should have taken Blake ahead of Dunning or Baxter. And he missed the S14 because Connolly ordered him to have a foot operation. As a direct result of all that, the Reds lost a good prop. All will be forgiven only if Blake comes back to the Reds in '10 or so a better prop.

Well, he can come back to the Pirates and play for the Tahs if he's going to come back anywhere. I've known Rodney since he was a ginormous 14 year old at Wests Junior Rugby, weighing in at about 120kg. He came on as a substitute some time on the second half for the BaaBaas and didn't even last out the half, with uncontested scrums at that. He still needs to lose another 15/20kg and do a mountain of work on his fitness.

Connolly and Axle took Baxter and Dunning as they, rightly, doubted Rodney's aerobic ability at international level.

 

[Aussie D]

maybe Greg Holmes can switch to tighthead, he seems like a pretty competent scrummager

cant see Dayna Edwards making the Wallabies in the next 12-24 months, needs more experience

Wasn't je a tighthead prop originally for the Reds? I vaguely recall in his debut season him wearing the 3 jumper on a number of occasions.

 

[Spook]

Laurie Weekes (Reds)
Dan Palmer (Tahs)
Sekope Kepu (Tahs)

Those guys are all at least a couple of years away. Palmer is all of 20.

The Brumbies thought Nic Henderson was miles better than Ben Alexander. They cannot be trusted to deliver us props. I suspect Shepherdson could be a stop gap player for a season or two until a long term candidate emerges.

:fishing I'd take Bill Young and Ben Darwin over any of the current mob. Robinson is good though.

 

[RugbyReg]

Aussie, yep. Holmes did deput at THP with Stiles at LHP. But the reds don't have any other loose head options so Holmes won't move.