swift4prez wrote: after todays games i would prefer to stick with the three OH that we have under contract and give young lads the chance BUT i would not be surprised if there is already a contract already set up for parks to come here to play and as a coach.

rugby rumours dont come out of no where like soccer ones and are usually a half leaked story.

also heard that is the word around the scotish squad...

watch the space, dont be surprised if this lady is standing in the clan next season

harpermacleod.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/au-revoir-laetitia/

One bit of information you missed however.....

HarperMcLeod wrote: This entry was posted on September 7, 2010 at 12:36 pm

So it referred to her move to Cardiff I believe, backed up bny her LinekdIn profile.....

LinkedIn wrote: Laetitia Guidicelli

Operational Marketing Manager at EADS - Cassidian
Newport, United Kingdom

Certainly welcome her onto the Clan Terrace though... :evil:

He's worth the contract for her alone

after todays games i would prefer to stick with the three OH that we have under contract and give young lads the chance BUT i would not be surprised if there is already a contract already set up for parks to come here to play and as a coach.

rugby rumours dont come out of no where like soccer ones and are usually a half leaked story.

also heard that is the word around the scotish squad...

watch the space, dont be surprised if this lady is standing in the clan next season

harpermacleod.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/au-revoir-laetitia/

Fair enough. Who am I to argue with those verdicts, think the observer one is most interesting, for me I thought he'd be there just to kick the corners but I was surprised by how much ball he was moving. To me Scotland didn't really know what type of game they were trying to play and ended up a bit of a mess.

Poor as he was I don't think Parks should be the scapegoat for the defeat, bar a handful of notable exceptions Scotland as a whole once again failed to deliver when there was an expectation they would.

Borders no.2 wrote: I think its been overstated how poor Parks was. charge down can happen to anyone (ask Rog charged down by a prop v Wales in 05), I think he was done to no favours in the lead up to the try either.

He had far from a good game but he only had two kicks at goal and got both, never really got in a position to try for a drop goal, up and unders were pretty effective (but England dealt with them well), tried to get the back line moving but as with Connacht the backs stand so flat and take up such poor positions its all so pedestrian.

To me it doesn't matter who Scotland have at out half, they just struggle to break down any sort of half decent defence. Take out their back row and Richie Gray who consistently got them front foot ball (where they look to have unearthed another good player in Denton) and they're a very poor side. Laidlaw and Blair helped matters in an attacking sense but the same mistakes and lack of cutting edge that riddled Scotlands play continued when they were on.

Parks imo would be a good signing and that won't change based on today. I'd love if we could get a more rounded out half than Parks in the prime of his career but as a short term signing it'd be good business.

It wasn't overstated at all Borders he was simply dreadful,

TheIndependent wrote: Dan Parks: The Aussie born fly half will surely be hurting after that performance. His charged down kick won the game for England and made several poor errors, particularly with his kicking. With Greg Laidlaw lurking, unlikely to keep his place next week.

4/10

TheObserver wrote: Dan Parks – 4/10 Strange one. His selection was criticised as conservative, yet he looked much happier moving the ball. His kicking game was weaker and ultimately yielded the victory.

TheTelegraph wrote: Dan Parks: Should have put more pressure on England but tactical kicking was poor and his charged down kick gifted decisive try to his opposite number 5/10

SportingLife wrote: DAN PARKS - Kicked possession away too easily in first quarter and gifted Hodgson his try 24 seconds into the second half. 3/10.

For all his experience against a patched together England side he offered absolutely no control or direction at all. Scots won plenty of ball but he kicked it away and badly.

Scotland are a better side than they showed today, but Parks' deficiences completely undermined their efforts and I don't think he was particulalry helped by Cuiseter at 9 either, Blair has more fizz on his passing and generally is better at raising the tempo which is the game Scotland should have been playing England at, not giving them time to settle and work themselves into the game...

From a Connacht point of view we simply could not afford to pay his salary and have him put in shifts like that.....

I think its been overstated how poor Parks was. charge down can happen to anyone (ask Rog charged down by a prop v Wales in 05), I think he was done to no favours in the lead up to the try either.

He had far from a good game but he only had two kicks at goal and got both, never really got in a position to try for a drop goal, up and unders were pretty effective (but England dealt with them well), tried to get the back line moving but as with Connacht the backs stand so flat and take up such poor positions its all so pedestrian.

To me it doesn't matter who Scotland have at out half, they just struggle to break down any sort of half decent defence. Take out their back row and Richie Gray who consistently got them front foot ball (where they look to have unearthed another good player in Denton) and they're a very poor side. Laidlaw and Blair helped matters in an attacking sense but the same mistakes and lack of cutting edge that riddled Scotlands play continued when they were on.

Parks imo would be a good signing and that won't change based on today. I'd love if we could get a more rounded out half than Parks in the prime of his career but as a short term signing it'd be good business.

I rest my case your Honour !!!!

seanin4711 wrote: watching dp having a absolute nightmare against England,he is not RTÉ man we need

He was indeed awful, when he's bad he absolutely stinks the house out....

Laidlaw should have started at 10, at least he would have given Scotland some direction from the off. Very negative decision by Robinson in his choice of half backs, especially at home. By the time Laidlaw got on on the Scots were shot mentally, the England try really knocked the stufffing out of them and they crumbled every time the won back possession.

watching dp having a absolute nightmare against England,he is not RTÉ man we need

mary hinge wrote: Dan Parks is very much in the mind of those who make recruitment decisions at Connacht Rugby. Elwood is a known admirer. It's clear our deficiencies at 10 have cost us dearly this season, and Eric and Billy M are resolute to ensuring this doesn't recur in 2012/3.
Watch this space with Stringer as well. If there's one thing our young tyros in the backline need to get them going, it's someone with his speed of pass. Frank Murphy's days as our No1 S/Half are numbered and O'Donohue is playing at the moment to try to secure more game time next season. Moore's cameo against Toulouse will ensure him more game time between now and the end of the season, but the strong likelihood is Stringer replacing Murphy.

Murphy has a 2 year contract

Dan Parks is very much in the mind of those who make recruitment decisions at Connacht Rugby. Elwood is a known admirer. It's clear our deficiencies at 10 have cost us dearly this season, and Eric and Billy M are resolute to ensuring this doesn't recur in 2012/3.
Watch this space with Stringer as well. If there's one thing our young tyros in the backline need to get them going, it's someone with his speed of pass. Frank Murphy's days as our No1 S/Half are numbered and O'Donohue is playing at the moment to try to secure more game time next season. Moore's cameo against Toulouse will ensure him more game time between now and the end of the season, but the strong likelihood is Stringer replacing Murphy.

just been on the glasgow forum and they have a thread going as 'best rumour ever'.
delete all posts re dan parks before any of them make there way over here.
ehhhhhhhhhhhhh

"The Rugby paper" has a brief article on rumours of DP joining Connacht but says the Connacht branch has denied any truth in the rumour, clear as mud! I'd like to see him here

All you boys over there in Toulouse today will yee try and watch a few second division matches while your over there, do a bit of scouting and bring back a few new lads with yee!!

Darragh507,well said, he's not my cup of tea either.

Borders no.2 wrote: On the NIQ issue. Nikora should be Irish qualified by next season. Fa'aili is out of contract in the summer and isn't worth a NIQ spot in the squad if we can hold on to Tonetti with McSharry and Griffin already signed on.

Definitely scope for a NIQ prop in place of Ah You. I agree that there won't be too many IQ options around this summer though. Munster will be on the look out with 2 1st choice foreign props, Marcus Horan nearing the end and Archer not looking up to it to date.

Munster mightn't be allowed sign another NIQ prop