TRP

[Neils]

Also on another topic, apparently Quins are suffering ....

Rumours of discontent, Laing & Young off, Brown off, Smith no new contract and Marler apparently requested transfer.

Laing to one of the Scottish regions...i quite rate him as a 12, he'd be a good fit here.
Marlers an idiot, more likely more persona work
Be interested to see if Smith does go to Bath ..think he'd do really well there

Laing and Young both to Edinburgh

[baldpaul101]

Brown & Smith looked to be disagreeing quite a bit during Sundays game.

I am not yet convinced by Smith, yes he's a very gifted player, but his highlight reel is mostly about his own individual skill, rather than running a functioning back line. Maybe that's why he's looking to go somewhere else where he can develop into a more rounded player. Bath with their perennial under achieving may be a good place...


Though Marler isn't everyone's cup of tea, he is far from an idiot, there's many prem teams that would benefit form his presence IMO

I think Gustard is deliberately trying to get rid of the old guard who haven't moved on since the days of Dean Richards. Some of those senior players have been there through some truly shocking performances and maybe he's decided he can't work with them any more and is going down the FIFO route.

[hookender]

Midi Olympique reporting Brooks signed for Toulon

[RogerE]

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/reports-in-france-claim-brookes-signed-by-toulon-du-preez-also-on-their-radar-wasps/

[Hymenoptera]

Brown & Smith looked to be disagreeing quite a bit during Sundays game.

I am not yet convinced by Smith, yes he's a very gifted player, but his highlight reel is mostly about his own individual skill, rather than running a functioning back line. Maybe that's why he's looking to go somewhere else where he can develop into a more rounded player. Bath with their perennial under achieving may be a good place...


Though Marler isn't everyone's cup of tea, he is far from an idiot, there's many prem teams that would benefit form his presence IMO

I think Gustard is deliberately trying to get rid of the old guard who haven't moved on since the days of Dean Richards. Some of those senior players have been there through some truly shocking performances and maybe he's decided he can't work with them any more and is going down the FIFO route.

Do you have evidence of the contrary? Marler opitmises the word idiot. He walks around the park playing the court jester, parading his clown persona to everyone, ensuring he is the center of attention whilst actually playing very little rugby.  On his rugby, when he' not injured or banned, he can scrummage but offers nothing around to park unless someone runs into his 1 meter channel. The water boy covers more ground than achieves Marler all game.
He's retiring from Intl rugby, then he's retiring from the game, now he might want a transfer..no of which are true, it's all attention seeking. I'm sure there is a medical name for it..

[Raggs]

Brown & Smith looked to be disagreeing quite a bit during Sundays game.

I am not yet convinced by Smith, yes he's a very gifted player, but his highlight reel is mostly about his own individual skill, rather than running a functioning back line. Maybe that's why he's looking to go somewhere else where he can develop into a more rounded player. Bath with their perennial under achieving may be a good place...


Though Marler isn't everyone's cup of tea, he is far from an idiot, there's many prem teams that would benefit form his presence IMO

I think Gustard is deliberately trying to get rid of the old guard who haven't moved on since the days of Dean Richards. Some of those senior players have been there through some truly shocking performances and maybe he's decided he can't work with them any more and is going down the FIFO route.

Do you have evidence of the contrary? Marler opitmises the word idiot. He walks around the park playing the court jester, parading his clown persona to everyone, ensuring he is the center of attention whilst actually playing very little rugby.  On his rugby, when he' not injured or banned, he can scrummage but offers nothing around to park unless someone runs into his 1 meter channel. The water boy covers more ground than achieves Marler all game.
He's retiring from Intl rugby, then he's retiring from the game, now he might want a transfer..no of which are true, it's all attention seeking. I'm sure there is a medical name for it..

I think Marler is definitely an acquired taste, and one that not all our team would acquire. I don't think we need him with West.

However, to suggest that he doesn't do much is just wrong. And yes, I have watched him. And in multiple internationals I've counted every single ruck, and every single foward that's hit them, and counted every carry, and every tackle, and graded every ruck on effectiveness. Marler doesn't carry much, but he tackles very hard, and rucks well, his workrate is far from lazy considering he's a prop. He's not Mako or Sinkler, but then they're both freaks, and he's not far off, he's far better than the likes of Cole or Williams.

[PestNproud]

Though Marler isn't everyone's cup of tea, he is far from an idiot, there's many prem teams that would benefit form his presence IMO

I think I could like Marler as a Wasp. Smart, wind up merchant; just what you want to nettle the oppo. Knows exactly what he's doing, and a real character. Sussex boy and family man, though, so not sure he'd seriously contemplate a move.

Hate him as a Quin, and would hate him anywhere else. Not entirely dissimilar to Lol or Hask, perhaps, and in a different way Matthews (more Martin Johnson, and was delighted when he defected as he always caused us grief as a Quin, and sad when moved on).

There's a few flyhalves that have also seemed to up their game against us, and at times beat us single-handedly: Goode (Leicester), Gops and Walder (both Newcastle) and maybe even Fiver at Sale/Glos amongst them that were all good to bring onside -- Twelvetrees, too, though he's always seemed erratic so never coveted. I don't have Smith in this group (yet), and def wouldn't swap for Umaga or Atkinson.

Not sure quite how similar to Marler, but love the niggle that JTA has brought. Maybe only room for one joker in a team/squad...

Genge may be of similar ilk (measured niggler skillfully playing the ref and oppo), while Sinckler always strikes me as a bomb waiting to go off and hurt his own team, and Ward just seemed plain nasty. It's a fine line, and one that Hartley seemed to wobble at least when not captain.

[Hymenoptera]

Brown & Smith looked to be disagreeing quite a bit during Sundays game.

I am not yet convinced by Smith, yes he's a very gifted player, but his highlight reel is mostly about his own individual skill, rather than running a functioning back line. Maybe that's why he's looking to go somewhere else where he can develop into a more rounded player. Bath with their perennial under achieving may be a good place...


Though Marler isn't everyone's cup of tea, he is far from an idiot, there's many prem teams that would benefit form his presence IMO

I think Gustard is deliberately trying to get rid of the old guard who haven't moved on since the days of Dean Richards. Some of those senior players have been there through some truly shocking performances and maybe he's decided he can't work with them any more and is going down the FIFO route.

Do you have evidence of the contrary? Marler opitmises the word idiot. He walks around the park playing the court jester, parading his clown persona to everyone, ensuring he is the center of attention whilst actually playing very little rugby.  On his rugby, when he' not injured or banned, he can scrummage but offers nothing around to park unless someone runs into his 1 meter channel. The water boy covers more ground than achieves Marler all game.
He's retiring from Intl rugby, then he's retiring from the game, now he might want a transfer..no of which are true, it's all attention seeking. I'm sure there is a medical name for it..

I think Marler is definitely an acquired taste, and one that not all our team would acquire. I don't think we need him with West.

However, to suggest that he doesn't do much is just wrong. And yes, I have watched him. And in multiple internationals I've counted every single ruck, and every single foward that's hit them, and counted every carry, and every tackle, and graded every ruck on effectiveness. Marler doesn't carry much, but he tackles very hard, and rucks well, his workrate is far from lazy considering he's a prop. He's not Mako or Sinkler, but then they're both freaks, and he's not far off, he's far better than the likes of Cole or Williams.

His workrate is awful by any modern day prop. Every prop tackles hard and ruck's hard. I can name a plethora of props who offer more in all aspect of play than Marler. I won't ask if you saw this weekends Quins game, because you will have done. His pantomime performance was cringworthy, his rugby bang average.
But if i said the sky was blue, you'd say it was orange anyway.. 

[Rossm]

That final sentence is really petty and completely unnecessary.

[Raggs]

His workrate is awful by any modern day prop. Every prop tackles hard and ruck's hard. I can name a plethora of props who offer more in all aspect of play than Marler. I won't ask if you saw this weekends Quins game, because you will have done. His pantomime performance was cringworthy, his rugby bang average.
But if i said the sky was blue, you'd say it was orange anyway..

I've literally gone through games, ruck by ruck, carry by carry, recording more stats than are available on espn etc (and more accurately many times) that included Marler, measuring every forwards impact, and Marler's workrate is far from awful. I've posted some of those analysis's here in the past. Feel free to argue over the abilities of some players with me, no issue, I'll think you're wrong, you can think I'm wrong, but having spent the time to literally count up interactions and compare them to other players, you'll forgive me for confirming it's bloody orange this time.

[Shugs]

One thing that really annoys me about Marler is his deliberate intention to be controversial. It goes way back. The Haskell spray, the Jones squeeze, etc etc etc. He seeks people out every game. For me he now just makes himself look a bit silly.

[Hymenoptera]

That final sentence is really petty and completely unnecessary.

It has context to something Raggs and I agree on from a past thread, you weren't part of that agreement, so actually its your chastisement that's unnecessary.
If it makes you feel better I have modified and added smiley, will that work?

[Hymenoptera]

One thing that really annoys me about Marler is his deliberate intention to be controversial. It goes way back. The Haskell spray, the Jones squeeze, etc etc etc. He seeks people out every game. For me he now just makes himself look a bit silly.

Totally this Shugs, he was in overdrive this weekend..

[Hymenoptera]

His workrate is awful by any modern day prop. Every prop tackles hard and ruck's hard. I can name a plethora of props who offer more in all aspect of play than Marler. I won't ask if you saw this weekends Quins game, because you will have done. His pantomime performance was cringworthy, his rugby bang average.
But if i said the sky was blue, you'd say it was orange anyway..

I've literally gone through games, ruck by ruck, carry by carry, recording more stats than are available on espn etc (and more accurately many times) that included Marler, measuring every forwards impact, and Marler's workrate is far from awful. I've posted some of those analysis's here in the past. Feel free to argue over the abilities of some players with me, no issue, I'll think you're wrong, you can think I'm wrong, but having spent the time to literally count up interactions and compare them to other players, you'll forgive me for confirming it's bloody orange this time.

It isn't.

[Peej]

Gustard is lowering the playing budget and average age at Quins, so it is inevitable some of the older, big-earning players like Brown will be leaving. Smith is a young talent for sure, but by all accounts on a massive contract. He's still very young, and improving as a player. I'd select him over Umaga.