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Author Topic: Robbo - past it or still got it?  (Read 2455 times)

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TomBuckQuin

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Robbo - past it or still got it?
« on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 12:29* »
This is going to go down like a lead balloon, but...

Have wondered for the past couple of seasons if Robbo's long, hard slog of a career is tailing off now. He's been heroic for us - one of my favourite players ever to play for Quins - but I now have an almost guilty disappointment rush over me whenever I see his name on the team sheet ahead of someone like Clifford or Dombrandt. He just doesn't have the pace or intensity of those guys any more. His engine still tends to see him through 80 mins time after time but I feel like I've also seen him start to have less and less influence on the game. I wonder if his body has just taken way too many impacts now and after those early years of injury problems he's rarely had a break. He looks tired early on in games and it's not for lack of effort because the guy bleeds Quins but he just doesn't do it for me nowadays.

The game has changed - the peak years for your average player used to be the late 20s/early 30s. Now it feels like you're looking at something more like 23-29 being the top of your game. Do others think it's time to let the likes of Clifford/Chis/Dombrandt take over now? I'd absolutely love to see Robbo stick around and become part of the furniture at Quins when he finishes playing - how soon do we think that will be?

ChequeredJersey

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #1 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 12:33* »
Personally I still think he's Quins' best backrower. Adds nous, still does everything well, more abrasive in defence than ever, still cleans up at the breakdown, and is our best leader. I also still think he's one of England's best flankers though I'm glad both club and country now have options.

He's gotten worse at some things but he's actually also gotten better at reading the game
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Quinky

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #2 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 12:53* »
He's one of the few players you would build your team around. What he can't do, you could write on the back of a postage stamp with a two inch paintbrush. One of the finest players ever to pull on a Quins shirt. Not a Clifford, not a Dombrandt, not a Chis... but he's Robshaw and is a unique player. I can only recall one game where he was outplayed by his opposite number. But I wouldn't start him every game - it's good to have options, and we now have a great selection of back row players. Sometimes I'd keep him for the bench, and bring him on to change or steady a game.
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Chipstead Quin

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #3 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 13:13* »
Eddie Jones summed him up well when he came to see us recently . He said he was a rare type of player  that steps up to International Rugby with batting an eyelid and one he considers a 'sticky' player - ie give him a job , and he will stick to it  mainly because he has a sharp rugby brain and reads the game so well .

Injuries and age will always take a toll and he might lose 1/2 metre of pace but ... he's still got it

Gone

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #4 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 13:31* »
He's still got it but we starting to build a really strong squad in those positions so I'd deploy it less often from now on.

NevsLeftBoot

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #5 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 13:35* »
It would be great to be able to manage his game time over the next few seasons to ensure he is playing when we need him and extend his Quins career - look at Schalk Burger at Saracens or George Smith - they offer a lot - but don't need to play every game..
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JammyGit

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #6 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 13:45* »
Dunno yet. Would like to watch him when he's fully fit to see if he still brings enough to the table.

ChequeredJersey

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #7 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 14:07* »
Not just re Robshaw but a lot of people on this site seem very quick to drop proven, consistent players post injuries

toast

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #8 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 14:19* »
IMHO absolutely still got it!

Excepting injuries, think he's got, at least, another 2 - 3 years of top flight rugby in him. 

As others have suggested that could be extended if his game time was managed, however, I wouldn't be surprised (would be gutted though!)  if he went across the channel for a few years to finish his career off...….

Quicker Quin

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #9 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 14:21* »

He's gotten worse at some things but he's actually also gotten better at reading the game

Do you manage to get over from the USA for many games?
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ChequeredJersey

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #10 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 14:24* »
Ouch. Consider me schooled
"Become better", then

Rocker

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #11 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 16:32* »
Still got it for me. Lets see how he plays when properly injury free and given a bit of time to bed back in. His game was never about speed, or power but about rugby intelligence and that tends to get better with age not worse!

Gone

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #12 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 17:24* »
Not just re Robshaw but a lot of people on this site seem very quick to drop proven, consistent players post injuries

Personally not what I think but we have had a massive problem with failing to recruit for the future - now is exactly when we should have the new Robshaw while still have the old pair.

Club’s failure was not planning for succession until now - care, brown, robshaw, etc etc

Rocker

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #13 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 17:53* »
Personally not what I think but we have had a massive problem with failing to recruit for the future - now is exactly when we should have the new Robshaw while still have the old pair.

Club’s failure was not planning for succession until now - care, brown, robshaw, etc etc

Arguably we are at the moment doing just that though?
We've got a good crop of young backrows coming through with baby Chis, Dominator and Clifford...
15 we've got Morris who is a highly rated young player.
9 - who knows?!

poorfour

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Re: Robbo - past it or still got it?
« Reply #14 on: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 18:06* »
Personally not what I think but we have had a massive problem with failing to recruit for the future - now is exactly when we should have the new Robshaw while still have the old pair.

Club’s failure was not planning for succession until now - care, brown, robshaw, etc etc

Hang on, how is developing players like Wallace, Clifford and the Chisholms not planning for the future? The club has been very unlucky in that all four of them have had extended periods out with serious injury, but the very fact that we can talk seriously about whether Robshaw is first choice any more tells us that they've done a good job in building a pipeline of players.

It's a similar story in most places. In the time I've been supporting Quins we've developed at least one and often two generations of players:
Ceri Jones -> Joe Marler - and would have had Seb Adeniran-Olule but for his unfortunate death
Tani Fuga -> Rob Buchanan -> Max Crumpton (again, Buchanan has been injured but you can't legislate for that)
Mike Ross -> James Johnston -> Kyle Sinckler / Will Collier
Ollie Kohn/George Robson -> Merrick / Matthews and others -> South / Lamb - the middle generation didn't work out and we passed on Launchbury, but this is probably one of the areas that hasn't worked
Andre Vos/Will Skinner -> Chris Robshaw / Luke Wallace -> Jack Clifford / James Chisholm
Nick Easter -> Tom Guest -> Alex Dombrandt (must admit, I never thought I'd see another player like Easter, but Dombrandt is like a Frankenstinian combination of the best bits of Easter and Guest if we can develop him properly)

Andy Gomarsall -> Danny Care -> Sam Stuart (derailed badly by injury)  -> Mulchrone / Saunders / Waters
Adrian Jarvis -> Nick Evans -> [numerous attempts that didn't work out] -> Marcus Smith / James Lang
JTH -> ?? the other area where we've failed to find a replacement
Gonzalo Tiesi -> George Lowe (who should still be playing barring that horrendous tackle) -> Joe Marchant
Ugo Monye / Simon Keogh -> Tom Williams, Sam Smith -> Charlie Walker -> Cadan Murley
Can't remember -> Mike Brown -> Ross Chisholm

I've tried to focus on the academy graduates. Not all of them have worked out, and not all of them are fully baked yet - but at the same time our attrition rate has been horrible. JTH and Lowe should by rights still be our centre pairing. Seb should have been coming through. Clifford and Chisholm should have been taking some of the strain off Robshaw a lot earlier.

What do you think the Academy staff do all day? It's all about succession planning. Poorfour Jr is in the first year of a different academy's development programme (because weird catchment areas) and they are watching 2-300 boys in each year group in the knowledge that 1 or 2 of them will make it to Premiership level. It's not an exact science, and it's not easy, but a lot of time and effort goes into it.
« Last Edit: Monday 04-Feb-2019, 18:14* by poorfour »
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