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'It's definitely the most inexperienced squad Wales have had for a long time'

By Josh Raisey
Johnny Sexton/ PA

Ireland and Wales kick off the 2022 Guinness Six Nations this Saturday, as the reigning champions travel to Dublin to take on an Ireland side that are brimming in confidence following a hugely impressive autumn campaign.

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It will be a clash of two fly-half captains, as Ireland’s skipper Jonathan Sexton locks horns with fellow British & Irish Lion Dan Biggar, who will be leading his country for the first time. This is a clash that is greatly anticipated by everyone except referee Jaco Peyper, who will get an earful for 80 minutes.

When, where and how to watch the match
The match will kick-off at 14:15 (UK) on Saturday February 5th at the Aviva Stadium and will be broadcast live on ITV and S4C in the UK, RTÉ in Ireland, Stan Sport in Australia and SuperSport in South Africa.

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Head-to-head
Wales currently lead the head-to-head battle with Ireland since their first contest in 1882, registering 70 wins to Ireland’s 55, with seven draws. But Ireland just shade their opponents over their last ten encounters, winning five with one draw. It is ten years as well since Wales last won a Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium.

Match odds from bet365
bet365 have the handicap on Ireland at +14, with 1/3 odds that they win both halves. There are also 6/1 odds that Wales come out victorious.

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Prediction

Former Wales captain Sam Warburton downplayed Wales’ chances both against Ireland and in the Championship as a whole on BT Sport’s Rugby Tonight this week, citing the injuries in the Wales camp as an area of concern. Then again, he does not rule out the possibility of another surprise triumph like last year.

“I do think it’s probably, and I mean this with the least disrespect to any of the players picked, it’s probably one of the weaker Six Nations squads I’ve seen for a long time because of the lack of leaders,” the two-time Six Nations winner said.

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“But I’ve seen it coming. I thought after the World Cup there would be a big changing of the guard and there hasn’t been a whole lot. Then I thought after the [British & Irish] Lions tour there would be an even bigger changing of the guard and it’s only really been forced through injury because a lot of the guys who are older, you hit 30 years of age if you can play 20 games a year, that’s great. But a lot of these boys are getting injured for big chunks of the season.

“But in a way I think it forces Wales’ hand so they have to pick some younger guys. They’ve had to put faith in [Louis] Rees-Zammit because the likes of George North are not available. They’ve got to give these boys a go. So I think it’s a little bit of a blessing in disguise. Of course you want all your big hitters out for the Six Nations but with a World Cup looming 18 months away.

“But also the priority is the here and now and Wales have got the best squad they possibly can, but there’s going to come a time where there’s going to be a big generation of players from the Welsh squad who are going to move on, and that’s going to happen in the next 24 months maximum. So guys have to get trialled out now, and that’s what we don’t really know. It’s definitely the most inexperienced squad Wales have had for a long time but only time will tell. But as we stand right now, Wales aren’t a title favourite in most people’s eyes. But one red card, as we saw last year, and everything can change. So it will be really interesting to see what happens there.”

*Odds accurate as of 02/02/22.

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A
Adrian 29 minutes ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

6 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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