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
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments