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Team for France |
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hoppy 
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Joined: 22 May 2009 Status: Offline Points: 3267 |
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 Posted: 12 February 2026 at 9:08pm |
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Sounds like it'll be Joe Hawkins and Olly Cracknell in for Ben Thomas and Josh Macleod.
Also looks like Rhys Carre will start. Could well another change in the front-row.
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lofty evans
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Joined: 20 September 2007 Location: Gorseinon Status: Offline Points: 56869 |
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Posted: 12 February 2026 at 9:12pm |
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When.is the team announced
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In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" |
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hoppy
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Posted: 12 February 2026 at 9:28pm |
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Nine o clock tomortow
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Fscarlet
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 9:04am |
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Wales: Louis Rees-Zammit; Ellis Mee, Eddie James, Joe Hawkins, Josh Adams; Dan Edwards, Tomos Williams; Rhys Carre, Dewi Lake (c), Tomas Francis, Dafydd Jenkins, Adam Beard, Aaron Wainwright, Alex Mann, Olly Cracknell. Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Archie Griffin, Ben Carter, Taine Plumtree, Kieran Hardy, Jarrod Evans, Mason Grady. |
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Lincscarlet
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 9:21am |
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To be fair, we didn’t get every change we wanted but Tandy and crew have dropped Thomas entirely, swapped the props and brought Elias onto the bench at least, and Cracknell into the starting team. At least they don’t have their heads fully in the sand.
I’d have started Grady over Adams, dropped beard and put Lake on the bench but I see a positive shift here overall
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lofty evans
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 9:43am |
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Still persisting with Eddie at 13....Elias should start but Captain unreliable continues
The betting odds are insane tbh. |
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In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" |
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gaffer
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 10:04am |
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Centres and second row still wrong, Starting a captain who just fails to the basics of his job and has lost the carrying game he used to have. Still the same 'plan' with a 'playmaker' at 12 and still without a pack that can do the necessary donkey work that it requires. Keeping the same plan means a 6-2 split on the bench would be pretty essential. I can see 10-12 on the loop around being buried well behind the gain line. Tesco value coaches pretending they are doing something. Our only hope is that France try to be too clever and end up leaving 4 or 5 tries unscored. That 10-12-13 combination should have France licking their lips.
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What's going on?
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SA14
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 10:16am |
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I think Beard has had a rough deal on here over the years. He’s always been the why is he in the team player.
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Eastern outpost
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 12:20pm |
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In a world where you can be anything – Be Kind.
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Sir Duckling Tuft
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 12:39pm |
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Sir Duckling Tuft
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 12:40pm |
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anyone rate alex mann?
blair murray will soon return post 6 nations as the best 15 in wales
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philturk
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 2:32pm |
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I'm actually a huge fan of Adam Beard whenever he played for Ospreys and for Wales
When he played for Ospreys there was more chance of us winning When he plays (turns up and wanders around like a lost Giraffe) for Wales, there's 1 less Scarlets player who could potentially get injured
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deilotywi93
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 2:51pm |
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Just because Beard isn't a bulky hard carrier doesn't mean he isn't a good second row. Widely seen as great in the lineout and maul defence, and works hard on the "unseen" stuff. Not a coincidence he's got 61 caps for Cymru and been a regular for Montpellier in the top 14 when fit.
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aber-fan
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 3:40pm |
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Some improvements have been made - no Ben Thomas and added bulk with Cracknell. Not sure about changing Smith for Carre at LH prop, though.
I don't understand why, when you've had the sense to bring in Cracknell, you would then pick Mann (a 6) instead of Macleod or any of the other 7s in the squad. That seems daft. Lake has been useless as a lineout thrower and - to be blunt - as a captain. Elias should have started at hooker. Adams no longer has it... OK, he scored a soft try v England made by a good kick, but otherwise, he doesn't show much nowadays. Eddie would have been a better pick at 12 than Hawkins, but Joe H. has a good bit more power and a bit more bulk than Thomas which should help (I hope!) It seems that various pennies are starting to drop with the coaching team, but not all of them! If the lineout is a disaster area again, Lake simply CAN'T be the starter for the remaining games.
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“You cannot reason a man out of what he never reasoned himself into.” (Jonathan Swift)
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scarletpimp
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 4:32pm |
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Arranging deck chairs on titanic. Cannot understand why so many people waste time discussing it ?
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I stood yer on tanner bank
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Wil Chips
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Posted: 13 February 2026 at 5:09pm |
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By virtue of the bus crash that is Welsh rugby, Tandy has a sort of free pass on results right now...particulalry against top teams.
But his selections are a growing concern for me...starts Thomas at 12 in the AI's, quickly switches to Hawkins...switches back to Thomas for the 6N...quickly switches back to Hawkins... The French pack is actually quite lightweight these days...last week they came in at 874kgs ( you rarely see a team below 900kgs)..so they are deliberately going for a fast paced offloading game through 1-15...( bigger units on the bench) So why would we pick Carre and Cracknell...strong boys yes, but very leaden footed...and when you see the 2nd row match ups you really fear that we'll be chasing shadows. To compound things, we don't pick an openside in the 23 - one of the best ways to slow down the French is at the breakdown....baffling. Finally if you were going to go. like last week, for a 6/2 split it would be when you can cover 10, so we can cover 10? It's obvious Elias should be in the 23, how he didn't get in last week does my swede in. I don't understand Plumtree before Mcleod either. I was hopeful of a spirited showing, but that's diminishing the closer we get to KO. Edited by Wil Chips - 13 February 2026 at 5:53pm |
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hoppy wrote: