New signings for 2013/2014 season

[fentiger]

There are some good suggestions for Captain coming out..... strange that Crane isn't among them

[TigerLad]

There are some good suggestions for Captain coming out..... strange that Crane isn't among them

He isn't first in his position at Tigers so he cant be captain, I would like to see Kvesic or an academy flanker signed. I think what we are missing is a tough captain like Johnson or Richards, I know we have Smurph and he is rightfully the captain but I dont see where the leadership will come from when he retires. I am thinking of a player who is going to turn the ref in our favour and scares the living daylights out of the opposition. Who can fill that position? I dont see Croft or Parling as the sort of player who can do that unfortunately.

[sam16111986]

I think the most important signings for next season will be made within the club. New deals are needed for the Youngs brothers and Ford for starters and we simply must keep all three of them. That won't be cheap though so I suspect they'll not be cash for the big names like Dagg and Beale.

On the captain front I'm not in the Parling camp. Great player though he is he seems a bit introspective and not really the kind of guy who would step forward and lead. I think the obvious choice would be Louis Deacon if he's fit, he's done it before and is Tigers through and through. Crane is also a good option, he's done it through the England age grade levels all the way to the Saxons. Long term I think Ben Youngs could step up but he needs to mature a bit first.

Lewington and Morris will provide Tait with competition next season. I think Lewington has scored a try in every A league game this season and a hattrick last night. We have squad options. Having said that either Andre Taylor or Rob Miller would be a great addition.

If we are investing ahead of next season then an openside is an absolute must, possibly two. I'd like to see us bring the Pirates openside Burgess to the AP, he's a great ball carrying seven who gets to the breakdown quickly and is difficult to shift. Failing that I'd like to see us look north of the border where Fusaro is currently operating from the bench but only in the short term he will be a Scotland international before long and Salvi would help him develop nicely.

[kpj tiger]

I would like to see a lot of our academy products signed up long term, We have world class players in every position at the moment so no need for a big name signing IMO, On the Captain front my choice would be Slater, He always leads by example, putting in massive hits and making the hard yards as well as having a pretty good offloading game

[TigerLad]

Agreed, I would like to see Lewington at full back. He has pace and seems to run good lines.

[youngtiger]

We have world class players in every position at the moment...On the Captain front my choice would be Slater.

Really?? Hookers-no. Second Rows-world class? Most of our second five-eighths (ie all but Manu)-no. Back 3 (apart from maybe Geordan)-no. I'd say we need to sign 2 flankers to replace the ones we've lost, and I'm yet to be convinced (doubt) that Jooste and Noone are equivalents to Newby and Woods. Also an experienced hooker wouldn't go amiss, as Mr Chuter must be coming towards the end of his career. Personally I think we seriously downgraded our back 3 at the end of last season, though I am yet to really see their replacements in action for us, so I will refrain from saying that I'd like to see someone brought in until I see Messrs Tait & Benjamin in action.

[sam16111986]

We might not have many outstanding big names at the minute but we do have some quality players. Any signings we make will be about fine tuning the squad as opposed to trying to fix anything.

We add a good young 7 as backup and a classy utility backrower (if we don't keep the cover we signed this season), retain the key players we have at the minute and we are about set. The only reason for us to go on a mission for a big name would be if Hawkins or Tait were unfit for regular first team action.

Anyone think a return for Skinner would be a good idea in the summer? He's behind Robshaw and Wallace at Quins. He'd be a handy backup to Salvi here.

[kpj tiger]

We have world class players in every position at the moment...On the Captain front my choice would be Slater.

Really?? Hookers-no. Second Rows-world class? Most of our second five-eighths (ie all but Manu)-no. Back 3 (apart from maybe Geordan)-no. I'd say we need to sign 2 flankers to replace the ones we've lost, and I'm yet to be convinced (doubt) that Jooste and Noone are equivalents to Newby and Woods. Also an experienced hooker wouldn't go amiss, as Mr Chuter must be coming towards the end of his career. Personally I think we seriously downgraded our back 3 at the end of last season, though I am yet to really see their replacements in action for us, so I will refrain from saying that I'd like to see someone brought in until I see Messrs Tait & Benjamin in action.

Hookers - Youngs has immense potential and Hawkins and Chuter are both top level players. Second Rows - Parling is possibly in the top 5 locks in the world IMO and Deacon, Kitchener and Slater are hardly slouches. No12 - we have Bowden who has proved during his time in NZ he is of All Blacks Quality although admittedly he struggles to maintain that form. Back 3 - Tait and Murphy have both proved their class on the international stage, Goneva and Benjamin have bags of potential and Thompestone, Smith, Hamilton and Lewington are all pretty much there or there abouts

[youngtiger]

Skinner sounds like a good shout to me-has premiership pedigree, was even Quins' captain at one stage I believe? Him plus someone like Kvesic would be great recruitment sense to me, though there is the problem with Kvesic's oncoming international recognition.

I wasn't trying to say that we need to buy in a big name, simply disproving a point that we are a team full of world class players.

I believe we would benefit from getting in an experienced hooker, as with Hawkins' ongoing injury problems and T Youngs' lack of experience, in anticipation of Chutes' retirement at the end of the season (though I don't actually know if that is going to take place) we won't have much experience in the position. We at least must have a 3 hookers next season.

[youngtiger]

Hookers - Youngs has immense potential and Hawkins and Chuter are both top level players. Second Rows - Parling is possibly in the top 5 locks in the world IMO and Deacon, Kitchener and Slater are hardly slouches. No12 - we have Bowden who has proved during his time in NZ he is of All Blacks Quality although admittedly he struggles to maintain that form. Back 3 - Tait and Murphy have both proved their class on the international stage, Goneva and Benjamin have bags of potential and Thompestone, Smith, Hamilton and Lewington are all pretty much there or there abouts

Hookers- yes Youngs does have potential, Hawkins is a good club player who's unfortunately had minimal success, Chutes is years past his best-none are "world class". Second rows- Parling is arguably up there, the rest aren't even in the Elite squad, though I do rate them (not "world class" though). Bowden was unable to break into a super rugby franchise, so I don't see how he could be of NZ international quality, and thus he moved here-good player, not world class. Back 3- Tait hasn't played to that standard in years and his "class" was pretty fleeting. Potential means by definition not currently world class, the other 4 mentioned are good club players, Thompestone and Lewington may well develop, but are not yet even fringe internationals, and thus evidently not "world class". We really ought to be realistic about this.

[Will S]

Why would we want Skinner? We must have aspirations above Quins third choice 7!