Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Mar 28, 2021 12:44 pm  

Pieman wrote:

I couldnt agree more, years ago when I played we played full rules, pitch and had 13 a side from under 8's, now I think its under 14's when they get a full 13 on the pitch so cant specialise in a position

It's u12s when they go to full pitch and 13 a side. It's just what naturally happens I think. Someone's dad is coach and puts the big lads in the forwards and the small lads in the backs. If you get a very good athletic big lad then he usually doesn't play up an age group in the backs, he stays at his age in the forwards as the team's superstar.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Mar 28, 2021 2:09 pm  

I'm not necessarily sure it's the coaching at junior level that's the problem. We seem to do well at international level in the juniors, they just never seem to kick on beyond that.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Mar 28, 2021 3:24 pm  

Grimmy wrote:

It's u12s when they go to full pitch and 13 a side. It's just what naturally happens I think. Someone's dad is coach and puts the big lads in the forwards and the small lads in the backs. If you get a very good athletic big lad then he usually doesn't play up an age group in the backs, he stays at his age in the forwards as the team's superstar.

it is now but never used to be that, used to be 13 a side full rules across all ages, only 3 years to develop before scholarships come

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Mar 28, 2021 3:35 pm  

Pieman wrote:

it is now but never used to be that, used to be 13 a side full rules across all ages, only 3 years to develop before scholarships come

Yeah that's a long time ago though. The players we have now all came through playing 13 a side from u12s. I don't mind them playing smaller numbers from u11s and below to be honest. There's science behind it and means they all get involved a bit more. It's basic skills stuff in primary school rugby anyway regardless of where they're meant to be playing.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Mar 28, 2021 3:57 pm  

Grimmy wrote:

Yeah that's a long time ago though. The players we have now all came through playing 13 a side from u12s. I don't mind them playing smaller numbers from u11s and below to be honest. There's science behind it and means they all get involved a bit more. It's basic skills stuff in primary school rugby anyway regardless of where they're meant to be playing.

thanks

but some players dont have rugby in primary schools and secondary schools, my team I played in at when I was younger wouldnt lose a game now as the basic skills arent where they should be and little to no specialisation for positions

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Mar 28, 2021 7:08 pm  

Jack Burton wrote:

Bradman Best too.

The antipodean centres are a few levels up from ours. Especially in terms of physicality. Our centres never seem to really fill out. Watkins is probably the only one in recent years, but even he didn't seem that big compared to their centres.

The same with any player size is a bonus but not the be all and end all you have the skill. Ian Thornley is a monster of a centre but he’s never quite made the grade.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Sun Mar 28, 2021 10:06 pm  

CobraCraig wrote:

The same with any player size is a bonus but not the be all and end all you have the skill. Ian Thornley is a monster of a centre but he’s never quite made the grade.

And in many ways that is the problem. The likes of Thornley, Karl Pryce, Samy Kibula etc strolled through at a younger age because they didn't have to work at their games because of their size advantage?

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Mar 29, 2021 4:07 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

And in many ways that is the problem. The likes of Thornley, Karl Pryce, Samy Kibula etc strolled through at a younger age because they didn't have to work at their games because of their size advantage?

Yeah again, not sure whether they played an age up where they would have do develop those skills due to not being so much stronger than the other lads, or stayed at their own age where it's easier. Owen Farrell captained the age above at Pats IIRC then dropped to his own age group at service area level.

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:37 am  

Grimmy wrote:

I think it's more how they develop them over there. I think a lot of the bigger lads they develop as centres or wingers over there automatically get put into second row or loose forward over here and spend their junior days focusing on running it in hard and tackling forwards. Then when the pro clubs get hold of them, they only have a short time to get them first team ready before they are no longer academy-eligible so they can't really mess around too much with trying to convert them into centres or wingers.

I do remember from my amateur playing days most of the best players were all Loose Forwards

Re: Rumours and signings v9 : Mon Mar 29, 2021 10:40 am  

Rogues Gallery wrote:

And in many ways that is the problem. The likes of Thornley, Karl Pryce, Samy Kibula etc strolled through at a younger age because they didn't have to work at their games because of their size advantage?

Thornley played aged above as an amateur before Wigan picked him up.