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Wales boss Wayne Pivac does not expect to have captain Alun Wyn Jones available for this season’s Six Nations Championship. Jones will undergo shoulder surgery after being injured during last Saturday’s Autumn Nations Series opener against New Zealand. It is the same shoulder he hurt ahead of the British and Irish Lions’ South Africa tour earlier this year, although on that occasion he made a startling recovery and featured in all three Tests.
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Pivac, whose Wales team won the title last term and start their defence against Ireland in February, said: “I don’t think Alun Wyn Jones will be available for the Six Nations. You learn a lot about the worth of people when they are not there. A lot of people take Alun Wyn for granted – he has always been there and got seniority. That leadership is really important. The essence is on others to step up and take that role on.”
Jones, 36, would have won his 150th Wales cap against world champions South Africa on Saturday and he remains an integral part of Pivac’s plans, with a return to playing likely before the current season ends. Asked about Jones’ prospects for the 2023 World Cup in France, Pivac added: “The intention is always to see if Al can get to the World Cup. It’s a realistic goal, personally.
“You have just got to see him in training and when he is playing, the efforts he puts in. I don’t see anything going anywhere near backwards in terms of his performances. A bit of time off, we spoke about this before Al left camp. It’s not ideal for him. We are all looking forward to him playing 150 Test matches for Wales.”
Ellis Jenkins, meanwhile, will make his first Wales appearance for three years this weekend. The Cardiff flanker suffered a serious knee injury during Wales’ 2018 autumn victory over the Springboks and was sidelined from all rugby for 26 months, but he now returns to Test action among six changes following a 54-16 defeat against New Zealand. Jenkins replaces shoulder injury victim Ross Moriarty, while Will Rowlands takes over from skipper Jones in the second row.
TEAM NEWS: 6?? alterations for Wales after their hammering by the All Blacks #AutumnNationsSeries #Wales #WASvRSA
https://t.co/PtBxxPCkAG— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 4, 2021
Elsewhere, there are starts for Louis Rees-Zammit, Nick Tompkins, Dan Biggar and Rhys Carre, with centre Jonathan Davies captaining the team. Jones and Moriarty are among a number of injured British and Irish Lions unavailable to Pivac, with that list also including Taulupe Faletau, Ken Owens, George North, Justin Tipuric and Josh Navidi.
Jenkins has shaken off a rib injury to start, but more surprising selections are Saracens centre Tompkins being preferred to Johnny Williams – a try-scorer against New Zealand – and Carre replacing Lions Test loosehead prop Wyn Jones.
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Tompkins, Gloucester wing Rees-Zammit and Northampton fly-half Biggar were unavailable for the All Blacks fixture as it fell outside World Rugby’s autumn international window and Gallagher Premiership clubs do not release non-English players to feature in those games.
Rees-Zammit is preferred to Owen Lane with Biggar in for Gareth Anscombe, who drops to the bench, as Wales take on a South Africa team that beat New Zealand in the Rugby Championship last month. Pivac’s replacements include uncapped South Africa-born Ulster hooker Bradley Roberts. He was drafted into the national squad last week and qualifies for Wales through his paternal grandmother.
Pivac said: “We know the threat that South Africa bring. They have got a magnificent set-piece, so discipline is going to be a key, trying not to give them too many set-pieces. They have a very strong defence. It is world-class and probably what won them the World Cup (in 2019). Everyone is going to have to look after the ball in contact.
“They are a side that just recently beat New Zealand, so it is going to be a big, big challenge. South Africa have a huge kicking game, and they are very good at it. It puts teams under pressure, and there is a lot of work being done by Neil Jenkins (Wales assistant coach) with the boys in terms of aerial receipt and that our reaction time is good.”
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The Springboks on why they have turned the clock back three years with Jesse Kriel, and why they have a new side project for the axed Willie le Roux #AutumnNationsSeries #Springboks #WALvRSA #SouthAfricahttps://t.co/P71BuAfG92
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 2, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
The RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
1 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
2 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
2 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
2 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
21 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
21 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to comments