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Rob Howley Confirms The Worst-Kept Secret In Wales As Six Nations Squad Announced

By Lee Calvert
Sam Warburton has offloaded the captaincy to Alun Wyn Jones (Photo: Getty Images)

Wales have named their squad for the 2017 Six Nations. Lee Calvert takes a look at the list and wonders if they can do a better job than last November.

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The thirst for change among Welsh rugby fans is palpable.  The miserable, stuttering efforts they were forced to endure from the national team over the previous six months has left the population stuck somewhere between fury and depressed resignation. Can the squad named by Rob Howley turn this around?

The worst-kept secret in Wales has been confirmed as Sam Warburton relinquishes the captaincy of the team. He has not been in his best form in the last 12 months and after six years in the role it seems a sensible move for him to focus solely on returning consistently to what he is: one of the best sevens in world rugby. This is no embarrassing resignation for Warburton, who has been exemplary in the role after being given the captaincy and relatively tender age of 23, and neither is he leaving his side in the lurch as the literally and figuratively towering Alun Wyn Jones takes over. England, for example, with their depth of leadership issues, would love to have such a player as the next off the rank.

Several uncapped players have been brought in. Back row Thomas Young has been ripping the Premiership apart at Wasps, and fellow breakaway Olly Cracknell is revelling in Ospreys’ resurgent season. They are joined by lock Rory Thornton, Leicester five-eigth Owen Williams, Scarlets scrum half Aled Davies and outside backs Ashton Hewitt and Steffan Evans.

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Perhaps more notable than the new faces are the old ones who have returned. Jamie Roberts is still there to once more showcase his world-class holding onto the ball to kill attacking momentum, Jon Davies is in such poor form that he was dropped by Scarlets for their huge European fixture vs Saracens last weekend and Alex Cuthbert, a player in such wretched form and confidence he could do with a six week-long cuddle rather than selection in an international team. Completing the old dogs, old tricks parade is Leigh Halfpenny, who appears to have contracted permanent sunstroke in his time in the south of France such is the hideousness of his recent showings.

And therein lies the problem. For all the new blood and newish prospects like Ospreys out-half-cum-fullback Sam Davies, the core of this side remains the one that has often been abject, and Howley – Stan Laurel’s less amusing, permanently confused cousin – will be overseeing this from his bafflebox on high. Whoever is in the side, there are plenty of questions for him to address.

Can he use Taulupe Faletau in a wider handling role that utilises his immense talents, as Bath have done? Will the backrow of Faletau, Moriarty and Warburton be empowered to be the best in Europe or will they be trapped by the invisible force-field around the ruck as before? Will the ball get beyond the 12 shirt and will someone – anyone! – run off Dan Biggar to make their attack just a little less obvious? Speaking of Biggar, will he finally shut his forever-flapping mouth and get on with his job? And will Howley find the minerals to finally play the mercurial, bow-legged wonder Liam Williams at fullback ahead of the recently lumpen Halfpenny?

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We’ll find out in a few weeks.

WALES SQUAD

Forwards: Scott Andrews (Cardiff Blues), Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Rob Evans (Scarlets), Rhodri Jones (Ospreys), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Samson Lee (Scarlets), Kristian Dacey (Cardiff Blues), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Rory Thornton (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Bath Rugby), Cory Hill (Newport Gwent Dragons), James King (Ospreys), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Olly Cracknell (Ospreys), Ross Moriarty (Gloucester Rugby), Taulupe Faletau (Bath Rugby), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues), Thomas Young (Wasps).

Backs: Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Rhys Webb (Ospreys), Aled Davies (Scarlets), Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Sam Davies (Ospreys), Owen Williams (Leicester Tigers), Jamie Roberts (Harlequins), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Ashton Hewitt (Newport Gwent Dragons), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Steffan Evans (Scarlets), George North (Northampton Saints), Liam Williams (Scarlets) Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon).

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J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours 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

39 Go to comments
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