Isn’t it about time however that a player with team Wales is offered to us, surely if Reffell and LRZ become available and have to sign for Welsh region then they should be offered to us first. 

His second stint here was a disappointment to all as he was such a popular figure and I we had hoped he would have stayed for the final season so we could finally see the Liam that we all loved to see. Sadly this wasn't to be and I wish him well, (except against us of course)!

Its my understanding that there is some width in the salary bands and that teams can also offer a top up. Otherwise why would any Welsh 38 player change teams if there was no salary increase available?

Not a reflection of GPR starting the topic here, just the subject matter and his descent from the peaks of his first stint with us.

link for anyone who's not read the comments.  Reading between the lines he was in talks with Cardiff and Dai Young for a long time and you have to question how he could play well for wales whilst often being anonymous for us, on those occasions he did play.  Someone who's not worried about defamation could infer he did his best to force the move...but I categorically wouldn't say that. 

Thanks for your service Sanj, the first stint will always be remembered fondly.

Not really, he barely played but then suddenly HE wasnt enjoying his rugby. New challenge fair enough but usually after doing everything at your previous club. We got very poor value for money for him, he should be thanking us for letting him go if anything.

It really seemed as if he didn't want to be here. Best for everyone, especially the Scarlets,  that he left.

To be honest I don't really want to know about him anymore. Cardiffs problem 

He was a fantastic asset to us in his first spell, and I am grateful to him for all the entertainment.

In his 2nd stint he was at times, an idiot. Let's be honest. I think his first game back after a lengthy spell ended in a red card for a ridiculous tackle. And it didn't really get much better until his final few weeks.

These days it seems clear to me that we are trying to build a team around fewer players who are team Wales first choice, for lots of reasons including consistency of selection. I am personally wholeheartedly behind that strategy. 

That cheap shot streak seemed to have have been knocked out of him at Saracens, but it returned again last year. 

He has a ton of talent and is very courageous, but once in a while the red mist he gets lets him down.  Other than the above incident, he has been a great asset to Wales, and the Lions, and good luck to him in his new life.

He clearly is a better player when pushing for a place in the team or has someone hot on his heels and he didn’t really have that nor does he have that at Wales at the moment

His comments are pretty innocuous to me - good luck to him!

Agree, I don't think it's an over-reaction. 

As it's already been stated, he was great in his first stint with us.

Wayne Pivac told me, that part of the reason he moved to Sarries , was his on -going relationship, & also obviously joining a top team capable of winning things, was an attraction.

I wished him well with that, and he did fine up there !.

Was pleased when he returned only to be so disappointed by reckless play (costing us points & games), ineffective displays, and a lack of commitment to playing at all.

We are better off without him.

Maybe a comparison in cricket is "Welsh Fire", a bunch of mercenaries, with NO FIRE in their bellies

Maybe sums up some aspects of modern sport

Bring back the old tribal and ultra-parochial...LOL !

Agree 100%

Sad.  Him I mean.

As is our reaction to his petulant and silly comments.

We know that he is being influenced.

We also know that a rugby players career is short, so he is chasing the money.

I do not regret his departure.

The Scarlets are strong enough to survive without a 'celebrity' player.

Precisely Steff. I fail to also see why our comments are deemed petulant & silly when a player clearly is underperforming. How can we compare the superb committment shown by players like Sione to that of Liam over the past two seasons? Bearing in mind that Liam was rejected by his home region I would have thought he at least owed the Scarlets some gratitude for giving him his chance.

For sure none of us could fault the sheer determination & will to succeed that Liam brought in his first contract with us, sadly that memory has been tarnished by the past two years. Far too often Welsh Internationals are guilty of forgetting their committment to their regions once they are Welsh regulars. Of course that does not apply across the board. Players like Cawdor, Tipuric, Faletau & Moriarty are examples of how it should be done. 

I'd take issue with this "only a short career" old chestnut.It's not.Age,just like a complete absence of any kind of form,is no barrier to staying at the very top of the professional game in Welsh rugby.

For the record Leigh Halfpenny and Foxy are two of the best professionals Wales have ever had, for the youngsters to learn off these players is priceless. 

I agree with every word you've written there.

It's a perfect explanation of why professional sportsmen should know when to call it a day.

You can't simply have a thread closed down because you don't like or agree with the content 

I agree with every word you've written there.

It's a perfect explanation of why professional sportsmen should know when to call it a day.

What concerns me is Foxy being made captain. Unless his performances improve then he shouldn't be first choice at 13 or even on the bench. There were times last season where he struggled to get the basics rights at all. 

There's some full-backs who served us well.I can close my eyes and see again something each of them did in a game for the club.Can't say the same for Halfpenny.

His defence has been immense at times. The loss v Toulon his tackle on his opposite number, making up a fair bit of ground. He's done that a hell of a lot for us. Covered hard yards to make the tackle. And many runs from deep with ball in hand being the catalyst for a fair few tries. 

I think he'd struggle to remember that tackle himself as he knocked himself out again...

Sorry,but that's what full-backs do-they  cover a lot of yards in defence and run from deep.Halfpenny's meant to be a superstar and is paid accordingly.It's funny that anybody praising him simply celebrates the prosaic.For what it's worth,I lost interest in him whenhe lost his pace,and he lost his pace long before he came here.

Sorry,but that's what full-backs do-they  cover a lot of yards in defence and run from deep.Halfpenny's meant to be a superstar and is paid accordingly.It's funny that anybody praising him simply celebrates the prosaic.For what it's worth,I lost interest in him when he lost his pace,and he lost his pace long before he came here.

So he did his job then? And the element  of psychology placed on the opposition of not conceding penalties because of his range has also been a positive. 

Tackle technique definitely let him down, I'll agree there. 

Anyway onwards and upwards, Tom Rogers is the future. And what a player he may become. 

So he did his job then? And the element  of psychology placed on the opposition of not conceding penalties because of his range has also been a positive. 

Tackle technique definitely let him down, I'll agree there. 

Anyway onwards and upwards, Tom Rogers is the future. And what a player he may become. 

And that's the concern.Ageing pros on lengthy contracts serve to restrict opportunities.Rogers,and others like him,need to be the present,as well as the future.

Rogers is a cracking player.We need to pick a mid-field that can bring him into the game more,hitting the line with his pace.

Foxy & Halfpenny were not the subject of my concern because, for me, they have been model professionals. I tend to share the view that pace is a pre-requisite for the back 4 in particular. This will not be something lost on Dwayne thats for sure. 

You're right there-Ulster were always quick behind.

I think he played his best rugby on the wing.I could be flippant and say that.3 Lions tours and 100 caps just means that Warren Gatland picked him a lot

Lets also remember that lots had changed down at Y Parc from Liam's first stint to his second after leaving Sarries, so who really knows.

He also had a bad run of injuries too, so better for both parties if a players heart isn't in it anymore with one club, and better to move on to something new with another.

Let's not forget what Liam achieved and the style of rugby that he played during his first stint with us, and for me, I wish him all the best in Cardiff. No bad feeling from me for sure. 

I presume that if its called a pay banding system, then there is at least some width in the bands. So if one Region offers near the bottom of the band and the other offers near the top of the pay band, then potentially there could be quite a big difference? 

Surely if the salary is dictated to the penny by the WRU, then why would any of the Wales 80:20 players be tempted to change teams?

I wouldn't wish injury on any player. Not a good look. 

What a pathetic comment. Spoken like a spoilt brat. 

Yep. 

Double yep

Liam did look good before the injury, let’s hope he recovers quickly, it must be a worry for Cardiff though, this a yet another injury to Liam (who has hardly played 10 club games since being released by Saracens).

All the players were wearing them very quickly into the match. Some of those will be inhaled.

That’s altogether different to inhaling some organic stuff like mud/grass, too, you’d imagine.

let's move on!

So are you THANKFULLY ( well over the last 48 hours anyway 😂) 

he's just warming up.. still in pre-season mode lol

😇😂

We do it all the time Roy at domestic level.

It may have just been a throwaway comment to illustrate how much he's eager to help but it's hardly going above and beyond.

Well Liam will be lucky to play one more game for Cardiff before the end of March 2023. By that time they will have 2/3 more URC games left in the regular season. Unless they make the play offs in either competition that will be his work done. It will be very telling to compare the number of games we get from Fifita in that time. 

In terms of injury records,the same questions were not asked of the Svarlets management when contracts were given to Scott Williams,Shingler and Patchell.

Surely Dic management have to be led by the medics. The three you mentioned were not complicated further by being part of the chosen 38. As far as Scott is concerned he was an ever present last season in fairness. 

He was unavailable for the crucial run-in( last 5 games?)

Although he’s playing In the Championship I’d say the next best option at 15 for Wales would be Jonah Holmes

Other options 

Ospreys = Collins or Nagy (is he Welsh Qualified)

Dragons = Jordan Williams or OBrian

Blues = Matthew Morgan

Scarlets = Halfpenny or Rogers