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Wales to assess Biggar as Howley dodges Davies quandary

By Harry West
Wales fly-half Dan Biggar in action against Italy

Rob Howley was giving little away when asked whether Sam Davies would start in place of Dan Biggar at 10 when Wales host England in the Six Nations next weekend.

The interim head coach attracted criticism from some quarters over his selection for Sunday’s opener against Italy in Rome, which Wales won 33-7 after overcoming an uncertain start.

Howley’s detractors felt the XV had been picked on reputation rather than form, with Biggar given the nod at fly-half instead of Davies.

Biggar was forced out of the action at half-time with a rib injury, and Davies impressed as his replacement as Wales scored 30 unanswered points in the second period.

“Dan has taken a bump to his ribs but we’ll wait for more info on that,” Howley said in his media conference.

“I thought he [Davies] played well when he came on. He did what we thought he could do. He’s created opportunities and space, and showed composure.

“We’re fortunate, along with Owen Williams, to have three 10s putting pressure on each other. Hopefully Dan will be available for England.

“I think he [Davies] showed in [November] that he’s ready to start. We came here with a selection plan in terms of experience. Sam has shown lovely touches, he’s got a unique left foot and that aids him.

“We’ll have to wait and see how Dan comes through. Sam has come on and done well that puts pressure on us as coaches.”

Howley’s opposite number Conor O’Shea, meanwhile, saw enough from his side at the Stadio Olimpico to suggest they can improve on last year’s campaign, which saw them lose all five matches under Jacques Brunel.

“People will say ‘it was the same old Italy’ – challenge for 50 minutes and then lose the legs but I feel we got on the wrong end of the referee,” O’Shea said, in quotes reported by BBC Sport.

“I thought defensively we were brilliant. We have to go away and look at ourselves as we didn’t execute well but had plenty of opportunity to take something from that game.

“I think it will take time to change perceptions but we are at the outset of something here. We have to refocus very quickly and be realistic about where we are.

“We have shown a lot there in that first half. We have a long way to go, we know. But the players play with heart and we will be fine.”

 

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Jon 9 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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