Wot no prop!!

John is a top class tight head who has been at the very top of the game, and in the season before the Grand Slam was a serious contender to get back into the Welsh team (apart from Hansen's rubbish selection ideas!)

The reality is that to get a player of his quality, but with less miles on the clock is a huge problem.

The recruitment to date has been intelligent and I would ask the question how many tight heads have the other regions got in their squads?

I don't know the answer, but I'd rather have JD playing 3 than what The Blues are having to do and play the best Loose Head in UK (GJ) there and thereby reducing his and the teams impact.

I believe John will cope admirably in the coming season.

turkishrebel wrote: Gene-Steeler i applaud what you say about JD, he has been superb for the club and did deserve a recall to the welsh squad a couple of years ago. But JD cannot do this now on his own, he started to struggle in the scrums last year.  If we really want to make a drive for honours we have to solidify the scrum and make it a weapon. Agree again about the lack of quality tight heads in wales and thats why we have to look elsewhere, broster from saracens or horseman from worcester would be a good signing but both would cost serious money. this could be a very good test of our recruitment policies and GJ's coaching ability

most of us agree that we are in desparate need of a quality tight head jd is not getting any younger and while he has been and will continue to be a fantastic servant of the scarlets he can not be expected to play every game!

foelturk wrote: Ben Broster please.

Would be nice, but he's under contract at Saracens.

Rambo Perego wrote: We haven't seen Ricky D play at this level yet and hopefully we've learnt from our mistakes with the NZ loose head (whose name we don't mention!!) and not recruited blindly - again.  He could be superb - and with an old head like JD to help him along in his first season he could well be a future international.

The reports I've had aren't hugely encouraging to be honest. Although even if he's going to be good, next season is still too early for him - he is a tighthead prop who hasn't yet played a game at CL level, nevermind HC. What if JD gets injured?

God, I'm almost wondering what Ben Evans is up to.

Almost ;-)

If this season's strategy is built around JD then we are in trouble.

Yes he's been a great servant blah blah blah, but he is not going to get better. We saw last season what the crisis policy strategy delivered - where positions were only recruited if there was total disaster and that we would "make do" in other positions (notably OH and IC).

No, you can't just magic up money for players but I stress once again that positions of weakness should have been filled before we started the pack back five recruitments. If there was money left over then by all means go for the Tongan or SA second row options.

He also goes by the name of Soso Nikolaenko had 15 caps and played in all of Georgia's games in the 2003 World cup.

And looks like this