Gatland makes changes

Wales have made two changes to the side tripped up at Twickenham ahead of Scotland’s visit to the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

Jonathan Thomas replaces Luke Charteris to form an all Osprey second row with Alun Wyn Jones, who has escaped further punishment for his indiscretion at HQ, and Leigh Halfpenny coming in to the side at the expense of his regional team mate, Tom James.

Wales head coach, Warren Gatland said: “Jonathan’s been playing well for the Ospreys, we felt we wanted that experience in out tight-five and also he gives us a little more mobility.

“Leigh would give us more options, being a right-footed player, and also his long kicking because we missed a couple of shots at goal from inside our own half, so he gives us a little bit extra there.

“He didn’t train at all in the build-up to the England game, but his return to full fitness allows us to select him in the starting XV.”

Wales captain Ryan Jones added: “JT has matured superbly in the last few years. He brings a lot of experience. He’s composed and logical at lineouts and brings an edge he’s an all-action player and a tremendous athlete.”

Gethin Jenkins also returns to boost the squad, after missing out last week due to a calf strain, but he will have to be content with a place on the bench.

Gatland said: “We think we have a very strong bench with the right mix of players each able to make an impact if called upon.

“We’re pleased to have Gethin back although he will have to pass a fitness test later in the week.

“He didn’t train at all last week and hasn’t so far this week. We are confident he will make it, but we felt it would not be fair to drop Paul James.

“He played well against England and the scrum went well, but Gethin will get a chance.”

Gatland was also quick to defend his selection of Gareth Cooper despite numerous calls for his Cardiff Blues’ teammate, Richie Rees, to be given his first international start.

The Wales boss said: “The fact that people are calling for change, makes no difference. As coaches we have to get through the video. We felt the options he took were the right ones and we feel he will get better with each game.

“Richie came on and made a good impact, but we’ve decided to stay with Gareth at nine.”

Meanwhile, Scotland have made three changes of their own for the trip to Cardiff. The Scot’s have recalled Cardiff Blues’ new recruit Dan Parks along with Euan Murray and Rory Lamont to the starting line-up.

Murray, who missed Scotland’s 18-9 defeat at the hands of France due to his Christian beliefs, will sure up a creaking Scottish scrum and put pressure on a weakened Welsh front-row.

Gatland said: “ I thought the Scots were tenacious. There was a point when the French really looked like they were going to put them away, but they hung in there and dug deep, they weren’t afraid to move the ball and caused the French some problems.

“Their scrum was under quite a bit of pressure but that will improve a lot with Euan Murray. Dan Parks will also play a little bit flatter on the gain line, it looks like they will kick more.

“We were all disappointed with the result last weekend but the good news for these players is that they have an opportunity now, just seven days after losing a game we all feel we could have won, to bounce back against Scotland.”

“The championship is by no means over and we are back home at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday looking to kick-start our campaign.

“This is a must win game for us and the Millennium Stadium factor will have a big part to play, as will the fans, and we are all very much looking forward to coming home.”

WALES: Lee Byrne (Ospreys); Leigh Halfpenny (Blues), James Hook(Ospreys), Jamie Roberts (Blues), Shane Williams (Ospreys); Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Gareth Cooper (Blues); Paul James (Ospreys), Gareth Williams (Blues), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Jonathan Thomas(Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Andy Powell (Blues), Ryan Jones (Ospreys, Captain), Martyn Williams (Blues)

Replacements: Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Gethin Jenkins (Blues), Bradley Davies (Blues), Sam Warburton (Blues), Richie Rees (Blues), Andrew Bishop(Ospreys), Tom Shanklin(Blues)

SCOTLAND: C Paterson (Edinburgh); T Evans (Glasgow), S Lamont (Scarlets), G Morrison (Glasgow), R Lamont (Toulon); D Parks (Glasgow), C Cusiter (Glasgow, capt); A Dickinson (Gloucester), R Ford (Edinburgh), E Murray (Northampton), N Hines (Leinster), A Kellock (Glasgow), K Brown (Glasgow), J Barclay (Glasgow), J Beattie (Glasgow).
Replacements: S Lawson (Gloucester), A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Gray (Glasgow), A MacDonald (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh), P Godman (Edinburgh), M Evans (Glasgow).

Alun-Wyn Jones not to be punished further

Wales kicking coach, Neil Jenkins, says he doubts Warren Gatland will drop Alun Wyn Jones for Wales’s crucial match against Scotland on the weekend.

In the wake of Wales’s 30-17 defeat at Twickenham, Gatland was enraged by Jones’s trip on England hooker Dylan Hartley which saw the lock sin-binned and Wales subsequently concede 17 unanswered points.

Jenkins said: “I think we’ve all made mistakes and Alun made one on the weekend, and we’ve had other players in the past that have been sin-binned, and we’ve come through it unscathed.

“On Saturday we didn’t, we conceded some points, but it’s one of those things. I think we learned from it and we move on.

“I think sometimes some things are said, aren’t they? Alun’s a fantastic rugby player.

“He’s made a genuine mistake and we’ve got to accept that, deal with it and move on and hopefully discipline-wise we’ll be fine next Saturday.”

And Jones’s teammates have continued to back him, Bradley Davies and Shane Williams, the latest to come out in support of the 6ft 6ins second row.

Jones’s Osprey team mate said: “I know what it’s like to make a mistake, I wouldn’t solely put it on Alun-Wyn, obviously it contributed, it put us under the cosh and unfortunately 17 points were scored.

There were a lot of other boys on the pitch trying there best but unfortunately it didn’t work out, on another day it could’ve been someone else and they get away with it.

He is more disappointed about it than anyone else on the field.  He has learnt his lesson.  There are a lot of disappointed Welsh people out there, but there isn’t one more unhappy and gutted than Alun-Wyn.I hope he plays and on form he certainly should be.”

Davies also came out in support of his second row rival and said: “I think he’s a world-class player. He showed that for the Lions in the summer, I’m obviously disappointed for Al but he’s a great player and he’ll bounce back.”

Jamie Roberts looking forward to Six Nations

Jamie Roberts has vowed to hit the heights in this year’s Six Nations as Wales target a fourth consecutive win over the old enemy.

Since returning from South Africa, Roberts has struggled to hit the form which saw him named Lions Man of the Series.  But the 6 ft 4ins powerhouse is determined to make a big impact in this year’s tournament.

Roberts said: “I’m passionate about playing for Wales and that hasn’t changed.  I’m hugely determined to earn the right to wear the red jersey of Wales and perform when I wear it. It’s just a huge honour.

“There are always doubters out there but I feel fresh and I feel in form.  It was nice to get some tries under my belt last weekend, against Harlequins, and I feel back at the top of my game.

“There’s always people trying to knock you down, but I just get on with it, I train hard, work hard and just try to stay at the required level.

“Things have come so quickly for me that there is an expectation to perform.  It’s tough, but I’m not one to shy away from it, I just embrace it and enjoy it.”

And Roberts, who has been criticised for being quiet at times on the pitch, believes it is time for him to raise his game to the next level and become a more prominent leader within the set up.

“I enjoy responsibility, it’s something I thrive upon.  I believe it’s time to step up and deliver.  The Six Nations is a huge tournament, I feel I’m at about the stage where I really need to kick on and show more leadership.”

Twickenham provides a happy hunting ground for Roberts, having won on both occasions he has played there.  First came the Cardiff Blues EDF Cup triumph over Gloucester, then with the Barbarians.

“I won there with the Blues and the Baa-baa’s last year so Twickenham holds fond memories for me.

“And of course I always remember two years ago when we won there.  It was my first involvement in the Six Nations, I was water boy that day, but winning there really kick started us on our way to the Grand Slam.

“It’s an amazing place to play especially when it’s sold out, it should be a great occasion for the neutral.”

The game will also be the first time that Roberts lines up against the players he toured South Africa with, but the medical student does not see this as a problem.

“I don’t think it makes too much of a difference, it works both ways, you know stuff about them and they know stuff about you.  They’re guys I’ve become good friends with so I’m sure there will be an extra bit of spice and banter flying round.”

“I learnt a huge amount from Riki Flutey.  He is a very agile guy, he’s very skilful, he kicks well, passes well, plays into space and is a very tricky guy to contain.

“If he plays, whether with someone like Matthew Tait or Shontayne Hape, they can unleash the back three and be very dangerous, so our defence needs to be on the money.  But we have been doing our analysis, and I think we can contain them.

“With the ball it’s important that as a team we are scanning what’s in front of us, scanning each phase, playing clever and boxing clever around defences.”

It has been really good in camp this week, we’ve all really enjoyed it and had a bit of a laugh but there’s a good buzz about the place and a real determination to go to Twickenham and get the result.”

Gatland’s Young Guns

Tom Prydie

In 2008, as Wales marched to their second Gland Slam in four years with a 29-12 triumph over France at the Millennium Stadium, a group of 15-year-old team-mates were sat in Porthcawl Rugby Club drinking pints of orange squash.

Now almost two years later Tom Prydie finds himself included in Warren Gatland’s 35-man squad in what the 17-year-old has described as a dream come true.                                                                        “It’s amazing I couldn’t believe it at first, but it’s great to be here and it’s really starting to sink in now after meeting Warren [Gatland] and Shaun [Edwards].

“At the beginning of the season I was working towards playing each week for Swansea.

“I then got the call from Shaun Holley and Scott Johnson to train with the Ospreys and was hoping to get the odd game in the LV Cup or while the boys were away on international duty.  So to be here now is unbelievable.”

If Prydie does play a part in Wales’s Six Nations campaign, he will become the youngest player ever to pull on the red shirt, beating the record held by Norman Biggs who made his debut at 18 years and 24 days in 1888.

But the Ospreys’s flyer has admitted he does not expect to pull on the jersey just yet, but aims to make the most of being in an international environment.

Prydie said: “Obviously I’m not expecting to play, but if I do get on it will be a massive bonus.”

He faces a tall order if he is to be included in a match-day squad, with the likes of Lee Byrne, Shane Williams and Leigh Halfpenny all ahead of him in the pecking order – but Prydie was full of praise for the Ospreys duo.

“I don’t model my game on any particular player, but there are boys that I keep an eye on.  At fullback, players like Lee Byrne and Rob Kearney on the Lions tour were obviously fantastic.

“Shane Williams is another, he is one of the best players in the world, so you always try to pick things up from them but I just love watching rugby and trying to develop my own game.

“Speed is definitely one of my biggest strengths.  I have always been quick. I did a bit of athletics and represented Wales at the UK school games, but the boys there were a different class.”

If Prydie is involved in a match day squad he will follow in the footsteps of James Hook and Leigh Halfpenny who were both plucked from relative obscurity to play for Wales and Gatland will hope Prydie can have the same impact in this year’s Championship.

RHYS GILL

At the end of last season Rhys Gill feared his professional career was over.  He had been released by the Cardiff Blues and could not secure a contract at any of the other regions.  He was the unwanted man of Welsh rugby.

But after crossing the border to join Saracens, Gill has capped an astonishing turnaround with a call-up to the Six Nations squad.

“It is incredible, I was not expecting it at all and didn’t believe it at first – I thought it was a joke.  I knew the squad was being announced at 1pm, and after training I had a text saying I had been selected for the Six Nations squad.  I was ecstatic when I saw that.

“If you asked me last year if I would be sitting here today I would’ve said there was no chance in hell.

“I tried to get a contract with Cardiff but they’ve got some quality props like Gethin Jenkins who is just a legend, and said they had no room on their books.

“I tried the other regions but there was nothing available. Nobody wanted me.  I thought perhaps it wasn’t to be and began looking for full-time work in quantity surveying, while talking to Cardiff and Neath about playing semi-pro.

“But then quite late on, Saracens said they wanted to offer me a contract to become their third choice prop.”   Since then it has been onwards and upwards for the 18 stone prop.  He has been selected in the Saracens match-day squad on 21 occasions and received plaudits from a range of English commentators for his all-round performances.

Gill said: “I’ve started about 13 games so far, I didn’t expect that at all.  My goal for this season was to get involved in 10 games but things have just taken off, it’s been fantastic.

“Carlos Nieto the tight-head prop is a fantastic scrummager, he has been fantastic with me up there.

“All he wants to do is scrummage, that’s all he wants to do all day every day, and one of the coaches, Cobus Visagie is another legend of scrummaging so he’s taught me a lot.”

Gatland will almost certainly start with the Lions Test trio of Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rhys and Adam Jones against England and Gill knows he will be left to fight it out with Eifion Roberts and Paul James to secure a place on the bench.

“To get in a match day squad will be a dream but I’m just going to get my head down, work hard and see what happens.

“My friends and family have been ecstatic and really supportive, when I got the text I turned my phone off not sure whether to believe it.  I turned it back on and had 42 messages, so they’ve all been brilliant.”

Where is the ambition?

After announcing the re-signing of hooker Gareth Williams and second-row Deniol Jones, on three and two year deals respectively this week, the Cardiff Blues look set to sign Scottish fly half, Dan Parks.

Cardiff have been linked with several outside halves over the past few weeks including Wales and Lions duo James Hook and Stephen Jones, however Cardiff fans will be disappointed to hear it is Australian-born Parks who is expected to sign on the dotted line.

31-year-old Parks has made over 100 appearances for the Glasgow Warriors and has won 47 Scottish caps, but he is a controversial figure who well and truly divides opinion.

He has come in for a great deal of criticism from Scottish fans in the past for his lack of consistency and lack of attacking ability.  So is he really the answer to Cardiff’s problems?

Fly half has been a problem position for several seasons at Cardiff.  Nicky Robinson received a lot of criticism himself for being inconsistent and sometimes struggling to control a game.

Robinson hit fine form last season and was at one point tipped as a potential British and Irish Lion. Robinson however departed at the end of the season and Australian Sam Norton-Knight was brought in to fill the vacant number 10 shirt.

Norton-Knight has so far struggled in the role, having played the majority of his rugby at fullback. He has been unable to make the shirt his own and has at times looked lost at outside half.

If true it will be an incredibly underwhelming signing, especially after Peter Thomas’s comments last spring (which I wrote about it the previous post).

Sure Parks is fine tactical kicker, but he is a Magners League player at best.  He will undoubtedly be an asset grinding out wins on cold and wet Friday nights against the likes of Connaught.

But Thomas talked of bringing Cardiff back to the top of European Rugby. For this to come to fruition Cardiff need a top-class outside half, which Parks isn’t.

The signing of Williams and Jones on long-term contracts is another example of Thomas’s lack of ambition.  They both give their all for the Blues, but at the very top of European rugby they struggle.

To achieve European glory Cardiff need greater strength and depth and class of players than present and these signings are hardly the answer.  Unless Thomas has bigger signings up his sleeve it looks like he will have to wait a little longer.

Peter’s Promises

In the build up to Cardiff Blues’s EDF Cup triumph, Peter Thomas told the Western Mail the dark days were over and that Cardiff rugby was entering a new golden age.

So where are we eight months on?  Hardly a dawning of a golden age.  Many feared that the successes of last year were as good as it was going to get and believed the current squad had reached its peak and come to the end of its cycle.

So far this season the Blues have been mediocre at best.  They languish eighth in the Magners league and a 15-9 win over Toulouse in the Heineken Cup last weekend did little to paper over the cracks.

The team showed plenty of grit and determination but in all honesty it was a game of dire standards, with Toulouse putting in one of the worst performances I have ever seen from a team with such class.

In the interview last April, Thomas said:

“Those dark days have gone. I have made the commitment and given the backing.

“I want us to be recognised over the next few years in the same breath as Munster, Leicester and Toulouse.”

Thomas continued:

“We are currently in negotiations to try and fill those positions by the start of next season. We are looking for top quality. If there is a particular position that we want to fill we want the very best available in that position.

“And, if for whatever reason, someone leaves, then the person who comes in has to be at least the same level if not better.”

To date it is debatable whether this season’s signings are top class and they are certainly not equal or better than the players they replaced.  Cardiff have struggled all season with a lack of control in the halfbacks; two positions which saw changes and two positions where the replacements thus far have not been up to scratch.

Quite an amazing statement from Thomas and if Cardiff are entering a golden age it is hard to see at the moment.  If anything they are slipping into a new dark age and the unpopular move to CCS has done little to help this.

Rugby – Team of 2009

World player of the Year – Brian O’Driscoll

A toss-up between centurion BOD and the IRB’s World Player of the Year Richie McCaw, McCaw has been imperious yet again this year but  O’Driscoll has been more prominent and achieved more throughout the duration of the year.  2009 could be said to be the year of BOD.  At the beginning of the year he played a crucial role in Ireland’s first Grand Slam since 1948, then in May came Heineken Cup Glory with Leinster, then a Lions tour to South Africa and finally just last weekend he capped of an unbelievable season when Ireland beat the world champions.  In every one of these occasions O’Driscoll has played a massive role.  In the Six Nations he scored in all but one game and was named Man of the Match in the final game against Wales.  In the Heineken Cup semi final he scored that famous interception try which put Munster to bed and was again named MOM.  In the final he was equally inspiring and landed a vital drop-goal.  During the Lions tour, O’Driscoll formed arguably the best centre partnership in the world with Wales’s Jamie Roberts and to cap it all off it was O’Driscoll’s bone crunching tackle on Zane Kirchner that dislodged the ball and secured a famous victory against South Africa this autumn

Welsh Player of the Year – Gethin Jenkins

Who else but Jenkins, he is simply unbelievable and has cemented his place as the best loose head in the world.  Jenkins’s scrummaging is sometimes overlooked, but he is more than a match for any tight head currently playing in the world game.  His work in the loose certainly cannot be overlooked.  Having Jenkins in your team is like having an extra back row forward.  He has a great engine, soft hands and is unbelievably fast considering he is a prop.  He has proved crucial to both the Cardiff Blues and Wales this season and was one of the first names on the sheet for the Lions in South Africa.

Young Player of the Year – Leigh Halfpenny

This was a close call with many youngsters making prominent steps into world rugby.  Most notable are Australia’s current crop of rookies including James O’Conner David Pocock and Will Genia, not to mention Heinrich Brussow.  But it is Halfpenny who has shined the brightest throughout the year.  From playing for Wales in the Six Nations to grabbing a brace of tries in the EDF Cup Final, Halfpenny has been a joy to watch.  He capped of a meteoric rise when he was selected for the Lions although his trip was cut short by injury.  He has struggled to hit the heights so far this season but will be hoping to spark into life over the festive period

Try of the Year – Imanol Harinordoquy v Ireland, Feb 7

Club Try of the Year Leigh Halfpenny v Gloucester, EDF Cup Final, Apr 18

Team of the Year

15 Mils Muliaina

A difficult one, Lee Byrne was the standout performer at the start of the year but has been blighted by injuries since the Lions tour.  Rob Kearney picked up the no.15 and put in some big performances. But Mils has performed consistently for New Zealand and guided the Chiefs to a first S14 final.

14 Tommy Bowe

Has been a stand out performer through out the season whether playing on the wing or the centre for the Ospreys, Ireland or the Lions. Bowe is big fast and gutsy.

13 Brian O’Driscoll

The year of BOD.  He has been a class above the rest this season and has achieved more in one season than many achieve in a career.  Was written off by many but has bounced back and returned to fine form.  Fearless in defence, a master of the tackle and jackal, and as threatening in attack as ever.

12 Jamie Roberts

Another tough decision but I have gone for Roberts over the likes of Ma’a Nonu and Jean de Villiers.  The Lions player of the series was in sublime form and shot from being relatively unknown to one of the biggest names in world rugby.  He shone for Wales in the Six Nations, was a fundamental part of Cardiff’s cup conquests and ran through Springboks for fun.  He has been quieter so far this season and will want to find his Lions form in time for the Six Nations

11 Bryan Habana

There has been a glut of talent on the left wing this season.  Joe Rokocoko, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Shane Williams have all put in big performances but Bryan Habana has again been a cut above the rest. Habana is a threat with or without the ball and terrorises the opposition.  Habana was consistent in the S14, scored crucial test tries for South Africa to knock the Lions out and bagged a hat trick in when Barbarians beat New Zealand last weekend

10 Daniel Carter

Again a number of players have stood out this season.  Stephen Jones for the Lions,  Morne Steyn in the Tri-Nations and Matt Giteau sporadically throughout the season. After a six-month stint in Perpignan was cut short by injury Carter returned to New Zealand and has regained the no. 10 slot.  He has become New Zealand’s record points scorer and continues to set the standards of fly half play.

9 Fourie Du Preez

The best scrumhalf in the world.  Has been pushed all the way by Mike Phillips but just edges due to Phillips missing the Autumn Internationals.  Shoving the likes of Bakkies Botha around is no mean feat and Du Preez controls the game like no other .

8 Sergio Parisse

A difficult position to fill with no real standout candidates.  But Parisse’s form in the Six Nation deserves a place.  He is inspiring for the Azzuri and is at the centre of everything good the Italians do. A fantastic leader and one of the best carriers off the back of the scrum

7 Richie McCaw

The IRB world player of the year.  McCaw continues to define the role of a modern open side flanker and is a master of the dark arts.  He is both destructive and constructive, often providing the link for the All Blacks. McCaw is an assuring presence in the side and they struggle without him.

6Rocky Elsom

With Brian O’Driscoll, Elsom inspired Leinster to Heineken Cup glory and Murrayfield echoed with chats of Rocky.  Has a phenomenal work rate and always makes yards.  The current Wallabies captain

5 Victor Matfield

The best lineout operator in the business.  Matfield dominates the opposition and is a major force with or without the ball. He has done it all.

4 Simon Shaw

The old war horse battles on and 12 years after first pulling on the red shirt of the British and Irish Lions he returned to South Africa with the class of 09.  The man is an enforcer in the tight and his contribution rucking, mauling and scrummaging is invaluable

3 Ben Alexander

Has been the corner stone of the Australian pack this season.  Two years ago the Australian scrum was in pieces but with Benn Robinson, Alexander has turned this around.  Australia finished the season with the best scrum in the world.

2 John Smit

This is cheating a bit since Smit played much of the season on the tight head but his leadership is invaluable and a place had to be found for the Lions series winning captain.

1 Gethin Jenkins

Another vintage season from the man they call melon and he is finally getting the plaudits he deserves. Jenkins’s scrummaging is world class and his defensive covering and work in the loose unbelievable.

Is there a future?

Today’s announcement that the Cardiff Blues will play Australia on November 24th raises one simple question – Do mid-week club vs country games have a future in the professional era?

We all have nostalgic memories of being on packed terraces watching proud clubs go up against touring international teams.  In the six games against the Wallabies, Cardiff have never lost against the men from down under but this will be the first game against the Aussies in the professional era and Cardiff  Blues’ first game against any international opponents as a regional entity.

In today’s professional era the Autumn Internationals are merely a money spinning series of games.  International players are solely with their country during the allotted window and therefore club sides in this case Cardiff will have to field a severely depleted team – especially considering their massive absentee list through injury and illness.

With Australia set to play Scotland two days prior to Cardiff and Wales on the following Saturday the Wallabies will no doubt also field a second string team ultimately leading to a game featuring few top players.

So we’re left with a situation where two teams with such a rich and illustrious tradition will compete in effectively a dead rubber game.

Blues’ director of rugby Bob Norster said : “The opportunity for our team to play international opposition at our new home is one to be relished.”

…and Bob is quite right it is a fantastic opportunity to fill the new stadium but I see this as an unlikely scenario.

There have been cases in the past when touring team matches have produced rousing occasions such as Munster running New Zealand close at Thomond Park last year.  But this game, although being potentially a huge money spinner for the Cardiff Blues will see two second string sides competing in a game which betrays the illustrious history between the sides.  As well as this Cardiff put on line their impressive 6-0 record in what may turn out to be a relatively meaningless game

There is a future for these sorts of games but in the right circumstances. At the beginning or end of the season, on a Saturday where both teams can field their strongest teams and do the tradition of such fixtures proud.