Planet Rugby Forum

Dan Biggar has urged more Welsh players to "test themselves" outside Wales.

The Wales fly-half left Ospreys for Northampton at the end of last season and says leaving the constant attention in his homeland has been "great".

The 28-year-old added: "It's been a really good start and I think I'd advise a lot more players to sort of test themselves outside Wales as well because Wales is such a goldfish bowl."

Biggar can still play for Wales because he has won more than 60 Test caps.

However, his former Ospreys and Wales half-back partner Rhys Webb is ruled out of Wales honours unless he returns to his homeland from French side Toulon.

Webb, whose career has been disrupted by injury, has won only 33 caps, but at 29 years old, his Wales career is at least on hold.

After helping Saints beat his former team Ospreys in a pre-season friendly, Biggar said individuals must set their own priorities.

He told BBC Sport Wales: "My situation is I've got enough caps to play outside Wales and be considered for selection.

"Boys have got to decide what's more important to them, but for me, I've really enjoyed taking that plunge outside Wales.

"I had 11 great years here [Ospreys], but I think the time was right for me to move and it couldn't have worked out any better in terms of how everyone's welcomed me; the club has been brilliant, the boys have been brilliant.

"I've really enjoyed the two months I've been here so far and I'm looking forward to sharing the next couple of years."

North 'reinforced' Biggar's choice

As Biggar moved to Northampton, Wales and Lions wing George North went the other way.

Biggar says a "brief" chat with North reinforced his belief he had made the right choice in joining the English top-flight club.

"George said it's a really good group of boys, a hard-working group and a rugby mad sort of town," he said.

"George had been up here for five years and people forget that. It's a long time to be away from home at a young age, I suppose.

"So George made the decision to come back to Wales and my side of it was different because I'd been in Wales for 11 years so it was nice to go the other way.

"George couldn't have said anything more positive about the place and that just reinforced the decision I'd made."

LandOTurk wrote:Scarlets' pre-season fancy dress, but not everyone is happy





I feel a bit mean-spirited now tbh.

GWO2 wrote:

LandOTurk wrote:Scarlets' pre-season fancy dress, but not everyone is happy





I feel a bit mean-spirited now tbh.

That`s not fancy dress down in Llanelli, they always dress like that down there.

GWO2 wrote:Wales assistant coach, Shaun Edwards, will link up with the Ospreys this season in a consultancy role, it was confirmed today.

Edwards will work exclusively with the Ospreys at Regional level this season, combining the role with his national team duties
Links up with the squad in Portugal for this week's training camp
Boasts a wealth of experience across both rugby codes and as a coach has won 3 Six Nations (2 Grand Slams), 2 Heineken Cups and 4 English Premiership titles
The former Wasps head coach, and Wigan Rugby League legend, will combine his role with his ongoing duties with the Welsh Rugby Union, working exclusively with the Ospreys at Regional level.

http://www.ospreysrugby.com/News/Article/52663

LandOTurk wrote:

GWO2 wrote:Wales assistant coach, Shaun Edwards, will link up with the Ospreys this season in a consultancy role, it was confirmed today.

Edwards will work exclusively with the Ospreys at Regional level this season, combining the role with his national team duties
Links up with the squad in Portugal for this week's training camp
Boasts a wealth of experience across both rugby codes and as a coach has won 3 Six Nations (2 Grand Slams), 2 Heineken Cups and 4 English Premiership titles
The former Wasps head coach, and Wigan Rugby League legend, will combine his role with his ongoing duties with the Welsh Rugby Union, working exclusively with the Ospreys at Regional level.

http://www.ospreysrugby.com/News/Article/52663

So he is dropping the Dragons for the Os then??? I genuinely have lost track on who he is supporting. Wasn't he with the Bues as well?

Theflier wrote:Dragons looking good, glad I didn't write them off

GWO2 wrote:Can anything be taken from last weekends games? If they were anything like the Ospreys, it was to give the youngsters a run out. Nothing to be learned from that.

Dragons coach Bernard Jackman says they did not have the budget to bring in Shaun Edwards as a defence consultant.

bessantj wrote:

GWO2 wrote:Can anything be taken from last weekends games? If they were anything like the Ospreys, it was to give the youngsters a run out. Nothing to be learned from that.

It's all warm ups, get the rust knocked off. New season can't start quick enough.

Jeff the Bear wrote:

bessantj wrote:

GWO2 wrote:Can anything be taken from last weekends games? If they were anything like the Ospreys, it was to give the youngsters a run out. Nothing to be learned from that.

It's all warm ups, get the rust knocked off. New season can't start quick enough.

Lets be honest, although individual performances can't be used to deduce anything much, taking all the pre-seasons games as a whole does point to one very stark (and patently obvious) truth...we've still got shit depth.

None/little of the internationals were playing, and se you are left with youngsters and squad players...but the English teams being played would also have been heavily rotating as well.

It's not a good look any way you paint it.

Theflier wrote:

Jeff the Bear wrote:

bessantj wrote:

GWO2 wrote:Can anything be taken from last weekends games? If they were anything like the Ospreys, it was to give the youngsters a run out. Nothing to be learned from that.

It's all warm ups, get the rust knocked off. New season can't start quick enough.

Lets be honest, although individual performances can't be used to deduce anything much, taking all the pre-seasons games as a whole does point to one very stark (and patently obvious) truth...we've still got shit depth.

None/little of the internationals were playing, and se you are left with youngsters and squad players...but the English teams being played would also have been heavily rotating as well.

It's not a good look any way you paint it.

Newcastle beat leinster in dublin by 30 points.

The obvious truth? no one gives a shit about pre season games and the results should only be used to mock the dragons

Theflier wrote:

Jeff the Bear wrote:

bessantj wrote:

GWO2 wrote:Can anything be taken from last weekends games? If they were anything like the Ospreys, it was to give the youngsters a run out. Nothing to be learned from that.

It's all warm ups, get the rust knocked off. New season can't start quick enough.

Lets be honest, although individual performances can't be used to deduce anything much, taking all the pre-seasons games as a whole does point to one very stark (and patently obvious) truth...we've still got shit depth.

None/little of the internationals were playing, and se you are left with youngsters and squad players...but the English teams being played would also have been heavily rotating as well.

It's not a good look any way you paint it.

Newcastle beat leinster in dublin by 30 points.

The obvious truth? no one gives a shit about pre season games and I should walk into on coming, heavy traffic.

bessantj wrote:

Theflier wrote:

Jeff the Bear wrote:

bessantj wrote:

GWO2 wrote:Can anything be taken from last weekends games? If they were anything like the Ospreys, it was to give the youngsters a run out. Nothing to be learned from that.

It's all warm ups, get the rust knocked off. New season can't start quick enough.

Lets be honest, although individual performances can't be used to deduce anything much, taking all the pre-seasons games as a whole does point to one very stark (and patently obvious) truth...we've still got shit depth.

None/little of the internationals were playing, and se you are left with youngsters and squad players...but the English teams being played would also have been heavily rotating as well.

It's not a good look any way you paint it.

Newcastle beat leinster in dublin by 30 points.

The obvious truth? no one gives a shit about pre season games and I should walk into on coming, heavy traffic.

This is the obvious truth.

Not Frankie wrote:The Flier has a real hard on for Newport, did his Mrs get whisked away from his cold, uncaring arms but some lusty Bettws Silurian type? it would explain the hatred.

Theflier wrote:

Not Frankie wrote:The Flier has a real hard on for Newport, did his Mrs get whisked away from his cold, uncaring arms but some lusty Bettws Silurian type? it would explain the hatred.

Far from it grew up in neighbouring cwmbran, and moved to highcross as a teen.
In all of the cities I've lived, never have I come across such a uniformly lazy, thick, inbred bunch of people who's sole desire in life is too blame everyone else for their misfortune rather than do anything about it.
I'm no fan of genocide, but exceptions can be made.
I also resent the money being thrown away trying to polish it whilst Cardiff booms

GWO2 wrote:Between the Ospreys yesterday losing 31-14 to Sarries and the Turks today losing to Bath 45-12 also Dragons loss to Gloucester. Things not looking promising even if they are friendlies.

bessantj wrote:Well like you say, it's pre-season. Though I note that Scarlets Ladies beat Bath Ladies 73-7.

eldanielfire wrote:

bessantj wrote:Well like you say, it's pre-season. Though I note that Scarlets Ladies beat Bath Ladies 73-7.

I would hope so, Bath Ladies aren't even in the top ladies division and more then that all the top division teams have to run a 2nd team who would be above the lower divisions as well. "Phew"

Dan Schofield, 23, who lives in the village, said: "It was a couple of years ago, for the Euros, there was a coach of Belgium fans that came and the driver had just put Wales in the sat-nav and they ended up here when they meant to be in Welsh Wales.

"[My brother] Joe was having a party and one of them knocked on the door and asked for directions, so we said: 'We think you've got the wrong Wales.'"

bessantj wrote:

eldanielfire wrote:

bessantj wrote:Well like you say, it's pre-season. Though I note that Scarlets Ladies beat Bath Ladies 73-7.

I would hope so, Bath Ladies aren't even in the top ladies division and more then that all the top division teams have to run a 2nd team who would be above the lower divisions as well. "Phew"

And I'm not convinced all the Scarlets ladies are ladies.

GWO2 wrote:

bessantj wrote:

eldanielfire wrote:

bessantj wrote:Well like you say, it's pre-season. Though I note that Scarlets Ladies beat Bath Ladies 73-7.

I would hope so, Bath Ladies aren't even in the top ladies division and more then that all the top division teams have to run a 2nd team who would be above the lower divisions as well. "Phew"

And I'm not convinced all the Scarlets ladies are ladies.

I worked down there for ten years and I NEVER met a lady.

GWO2 wrote:

bessantj wrote:

eldanielfire wrote:

bessantj wrote:Well like you say, it's pre-season. Though I note that Scarlets Ladies beat Bath Ladies 73-7.

I would hope so, Bath Ladies aren't even in the top ladies division and more then that all the top division teams have to run a 2nd team who would be above the lower divisions as well. "Phew"

And I'm not convinced all the Scarlets ladies are ladies.

I worked down there for ten years and I NEVER met a lady.

LandOTurk wrote:So Arhip's replacement is sidelined for 6 months, and now Barclay's (Cassiem) appears to be the same for whole season.

It was a dark and stormy night, and the wind howled around the man as he pulled his coat up under his chin. He made his way up the long path to the house at the top of the hill where he had heard rumours of a birth. As he got to the door he could hear screaming, but as he flung the door open, all was quiet. He looked at the nurse.

Is it...?

It's a boy!

Good, he said, you shall be named Daffydd Caradog Ap Tywysogion.

And with that, the man from the WRU turned and was off...he'd heard that a boy was to be born at Holyhead and his father, who was a prop, had a head like a fridge.