3 hot takes as Warren Gatland names Wales team to play Ireland
Look away now, Wayne Pivac. It was January 17, the day when Warren Gatland named his 37-strong Wales Guinness Six Nations squad, when the Kiwi took a sideswipe at his fellow New Zealander. Too many players over the age of 30 was the issue Gatland took umbrage with, claiming some should have perhaps been moved on earlier with a view to better developing a more youthful squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup
Yet, 14 days later, there we were looking at a ‘Dads army’ style teamsheet after Gatland named a Wales side on Tuesday to tackle Ireland that contained seven 30-somethings in the starting XV and another four on the bench – two of whom were last capped in 2017.
That doesn’t exactly suggest a bright new, fresh-faced era under Gatland. Then again, as much as Wales versus England was always annually hyped up to be the big one in their Six Nations calendar, beating Ireland has always been the priority for the Kiwi who has never forgotten his 2001 IRFU sacking.
With the title favourites first up in Cardiff, it would have been revolutionary if Gatland had ripped up the nucleus of what he inherited from Pivac. Hence the presence of so many old reliables – a 37-year-old in Alun-Wyn Jones, a 36-year-old in new skipper Ken Owens, three 34-year-olds, a 33-year-old in Dan Biggar, two 32-year-olds and three 30-year-olds – in a matchday squad the coach claims to have been written off for the championship.
Not that there is anything wrong with golden oldies. Look at how Leicester snapped up the services of the 37-year-old Mike Brown on Tuesday through to the end of this season in England. It’s just it was a bit rich of Gatland to criticise his predecessor as the Wales coach for not sufficiently overhauling the squad when he hasn’t done much himself in recent weeks to do anything different from the ‘rely on experience’ Pivac approach.
The luxury back row
One thing Wales have never been short of is quality back-rowers and their latest selection highlights exactly that with Tommy Reffell left on the bench behind the starting trio of Jac Morgan, Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau. Reffell has been to the fore in this season’s Premiership with Leicester, his calling card being the 17 turnovers won so far in the English league, and he had been the player in possession of the Test shirt coming into the Autumn Nations Series.
A rib injury did for Reffell, though, in November after he had started versus the All Blacks and Morgan has since taken his opportunity, scoring four tries in his starts versus Georgia and Australia.
Scoring regularly is no mean feat at Test level and having also dramatically come up with the decisive converted Champions Cup try for the Ospreys at Reffell’s Leicester just the other week, the wind is very much in Morgan’s sails. Reffell, however, should be one heck of a replacement to throw into the second-half fray versus Ireland.
It’s now Monsieur Biggar
It will be interesting to see how Dan Biggar adapts to life with Wales under Gatland. He had been chosen as Pivac’s skipper for the 2022 Six Nations and the subsequent tour of South Africa, but circumstances are now very different for the out-half.
He swapped Northampton for Toulon ahead of an Autumn Nations Series he missed through injury and having played seven times for his new club, clocking up 467 minutes either side of Christmas, he has now been restored to the Wales No10 jersey with much expected of him with Gareth Anscombe again out injured.
Set to go up against his old rival Johnny Sexton on Saturday, we will soon know what wintering in the south of France has done for Biggar’s game. Meanwhile, the identity of his backup has very much piqued the interest as well as it was 2017 when Owen Williams won his last Test cap, a gap he shares with fellow replacement Scott Baldwin.
Williams has been an inspired recruit by the Ospreys after the Worcester collapse, but can he now elevate that form to the international stage?
Comments on RugbyPass
Interesting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
37 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to comments