Warren Gatland seldom minces his words where international rugby is concerned and he did not do so yesterday when he named his 35-strong Wales squad for the 2010 RBS Six Nations Championship.
The opening encounter with England at Twickenham on February 6 will be, Gatland said, a “huge game” for both countries.
“You have two countries going into that first game a little bit concerned about where their teams are,” the New Zealander said after confirming a squad lacking critical experience at scrum half. Neither England nor Wales had much to shout about in their autumn internationals and it will take more than the RFU’s proposed 300-strong choir — a challenge in itself to any self-respecting Welshman — to change that.
The choir forms part of the celebrations for Twickenham’s centenary, a party that Wales would dearly love to poop. But Gatland will be without his two Lions scrum halves, Mike Phillips and Dwayne Peel, and although he has a third Lion in Gareth Cooper, he could look at two younger men, Martin Roberts and the uncapped Richie Rees, who has overtaken Cooper as first choice for Cardiff Blues. Peel’s availability will depend on the results of a scan of his damaged groin and Phillips will miss at least three internationals because of an ankle injury.
Rees, 26, is in a senior Wales squad for the first time, as is Rhys Gill, the Saracens prop, and two Ospreys, Tom Prydie and the 19-year-old Kristian Phillips. Indeed Prydie, 17, became the youngest player to appear in the Heineken Cup when the full back played against Viadana in December.
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Their selection is part of Gatland’s wish to examine his resources in a post-Shane Williams era. The wing will be 33 next month, while Leigh Halfpenny will miss this summer’s tour to the southern hemisphere so that he can have a shoulder operation. Since Tom James, the other Blues wing, is still relatively inexperienced, Gatland is turning over his talent in that area, although he acknowledges wings do little more than chase kicks.
“The teams that kicked the most in the autumn won the games,” Gatland said. “The biggest thing we need to look at is getting the balance right in our kicking game. Do we need more variation because of the way the game is at the moment? I haven’t got the solution and, as a spectacle, the game is disappointing.
“We try to play positive rugby but I’m looking at the numbers and teams now need to dominate in the air.”
If this runs contrary to the tenets paraded by Wales three years ago as “the Welsh way”, that is hardly Gatland’s fault. Nor has he been much encouraged by the results of the Welsh regions in the Heineken Cup this season, although he does have a couple of returning Lions, Lee Byrne and Adam Jones, who were not available in the autumn.
Wales squad: Backs: L Byrne (Ospreys), L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), T James (Cardiff Blues), K Phillips (Ospreys), T Prydie (Ospreys), S Williams (Ospreys), A Bishop (Ospreys), J Davies (Scarlets), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues), D Biggar (Ospreys), J Hook (Ospreys), S Jones (Scarlets), G Cooper (Cardiff Blues), R Rees (Cardiff Blues), M Roberts (Scarlets). Forwards: R Gill (Saracens), G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), P James (Ospreys), A Jones (Ospreys), E Lewis-Roberts (Sale Sharks), H Bennett (Ospreys), M Rees (Scarlets), G Williams (Cardiff Blues), L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), B Davies (Cardiff Blues), A W Jones (Ospreys), D Jones (Cardiff Blues), I Gough (Ospreys), D Lydiate (Newport Gwent Dragons), R Jones (Ospreys), A Powell (Cardiff Blues), J Thomas (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues), M Williams (Cardiff Blues).
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Venter to face disciplinary tribunal tonight
Brendan Venter, the Saracens director of rugby, who landed himself in hot water for allegedly querying the integrity of the referee after his club’s Guinness Premiership defeat by Leicester, will appear before an RFU disciplinary tribunal in London tonight charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game.
Sackey out for three weeks after cheekbone surgery
Paul Sackey, will be out for three weeks after surgery to the cheekbone fractured playing for London Wasps against Roma in the Amlin Challenge Cup last week. The England wing will miss the Saxons game against Ireland A in Bath on January 31.
Morris agrees Northampton deal
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Northampton have signed Darren Morris, the former Wales and Lions prop, for the rest of the season as cover for Santiago Gonz?lez Bonorino, the former Argentina prop, who has been forced to retire because of back injury. Morris, who played for Worcester Warriors from 2006 to 2009, had been on the books of Cardiff Blues, without making an appearance.