Is Boladau worth keeping long-term?

[Tigerbeat]

Thought he was excellent yesterday and his attitude was fantastic. He is well worth a contract and his handling skills, ability to break tackles and pace around the pitch impressed yesterday. Kalamafoni and Veaniu had very good world cups so will come back with confidence high. Last season Kalamafoni had to play out of position and did a pretty good job.
Boladau, however, has shown what he can do, so in my opinion, yes give him a year and then assess at the end of the season. He looked pretty fit to me but of course didn’t play a full game but then again, who does except Fordy.

Boladau was taken off at half time following a HIA.........did not return.

[JP14]

Prior to that he had a good performance, no?

[fortysix]

Most of our youngsters are nowhere near good enough. In fact the only one in the last few years was Thacker, and we sold him.
Compared to Sarries Juniors , ours are two grades below. And thats fact, not fiction.
Sorry our Academy is light years behind other Clubs.

[Tiglon]

Most of our youngsters are nowhere near good enough. In fact the only one in the last few years was Thacker, and we sold him.
Compared to Sarries Juniors , ours are two grades below. And thats fact, not fiction.
Sorry our Academy is light years behind other Clubs.

You know Boladau is a 33 year old Fijian on loan from Nottingham and not an academy player, right?

[BFG]

Most of our youngsters are nowhere near good enough. In fact the only one in the last few years was Thacker, and we sold him.
Compared to Sarries Juniors , ours are two grades below. And thats fact, not fiction.
Sorry our Academy is light years behind other Clubs.

You don't know the half of it!
That name was the cause of Leicester falling behind as quality youngster after quality youngster was cast aside to protect their places.
Then a full on revolution in playing style was demanded and it's been chaos ever since, only now just starting to settle down a little if given half a chance.

[RichieB]

I thought he played well. Safe under the high ball and took responsibility at the restart. Not sure why he came off at half-time, replaced by Guy T. I'd keep him as a good squad player to cover injuries and rotation. Obviously this depends on other players being available.

[Tigerbeat]

I thought he played well. Safe under the high ball and took responsibility at the restart. Not sure why he came off at half-time, replaced by Guy T. I'd keep him as a good squad player to cover injuries and rotation. Obviously this depends on other players being available.

Came off for HIA

[jgriffin]

Good receiver, comparable to Kala in attracting three tacklers.Did good support work especially supporting Spencer and hitting rucks. A keeper for this season IMO.

[sam16111986]

Most of our youngsters are nowhere near good enough. In fact the only one in the last few years was Thacker, and we sold him.
Compared to Sarries Juniors , ours are two grades below. And thats fact, not fiction.
Sorry our Academy is light years behind other Clubs.

Really? We had two 18 year olds playing Championship rugby at the weekend getting a great write up. Costelow scored a try and created a couple more. Steward and Costelow look every bit future internationals.

Smith, Gough and Lavin all 19 are playing regularly for Yorkshire also in the Championship.

Jordan 20 and Lewis 21 are getting game time at Nottingham.

For years we've struggled with the academy but the lads coming through now are developing nicely. That's almost an entire pack down in the Championship toughening up ready for the step into the first team. We've already got Heyes, Owolfela, White and Simmons in the senior squad as recent academy graduates.

[fortysix]

Heyes, maybe.
White, Simmons , Olafewla, ummmmmmmmmm...................

[johnthegriff]

fortysix has apparently not realised that there is not much of a transfer market in rugby. Harry Thacker was not sold he chose to leave because the then coach Matt O'Connor signed Polatau-nau and told Harry he was not big enough, personally I disagree with him and wish Harry had stayed but it was his decision.
Our Academy has been undefeated for two years winning successive under-eighteens championships, I agree we have not had the supply line of the past but that seems about to change our youngsters are definitely not light years behind other clubs infact quite possibly the reverse is true. If Saracens production is so good how come they have to cheat to attract players from other clubs?

[RichieB]

I thought he played well. Safe under the high ball and took responsibility at the restart. Not sure why he came off at half-time, replaced by Guy T. I'd keep him as a good squad player to cover injuries and rotation. Obviously this depends on other players being available.

Came off for HIA

Thanks for that. Sorry I missed your earlier post on this. Let us hope he is OK.

[LE18]

I thought he played well. Safe under the high ball and took responsibility at the restart. Not sure why he came off at half-time, replaced by Guy T. I'd keep him as a good squad player to cover injuries and rotation. Obviously this depends on other players being available.

Came off for HIA

Thanks for that. Sorry I missed your earlier post on this. Let us hope he is OK.

Taufau told me on Saturday you have to be a mathematical genius to remember the sequence of numbers they ask you for your HIA test.

[RichieB]

Came off for HIA

Thanks for that. Sorry I missed your earlier post on this. Let us hope he is OK.

Taufau told me on Saturday you have to be a mathematical genius to remember the sequence of numbers they ask you for your HIA test.

Having recently failed to remember my own year of birth, I can well believe this. And I haven't played rugby for decades!