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Warren Gatland is relishing the prospect of sending an all B&I Lion front row into battle against England's newbies next week.
Wales boss Warren Gatland is poised to name an all-British and Irish Lions Test front row of Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees and Adam Jones.
And that revered unit could find itself opposite a largely untried England combination of Tim Payne, Dylan Hartley and David Wilson.
It is an obvious area for potential Welsh domination, and Gatland did not shy away from it at today's Six Nations launch in central London.
"We will target certain areas, depending on who they (England) pick up front," he said.
"I am happy with our experience in the front five. Games are won up front, and it is important that our tight five fronts up."
Crucial to Welsh victory ambitions - it would be only a second Twickenham triumph in 22 years - is the return of Ospreys tighthead Jones.
He enjoyed a magnificent Lions tour of South Africa last summer before a serious shoulder injury suffered in the second Test prematurely ended the 28-year-old's trip.
Jones missed Wales' four November Tests as a result, but he is now back and in full destructive mode, as illustrated by his powerful display against the Ospreys' Heineken Cup opponents Leicester last weekend.
"It is good to have Adam back," said Wales skipper Ryan Jones.
"You cannot win Test matches without a set-piece, and Adam brings a certain stability to our scrum."
Gatland will name his starting line-up for Twickenham next Sunday evening, although those plans could now be affected by Wales full-back Lee Byrne's disciplinary hearing two days earlier.
Byrne must answer a misconduct complaint following his brief appearance as a 16th player for the Ospreys against Leicester.
If Byrne lands a ban, then Gatland might have to retain James Hook in the number fifteen shirt he wore during November, rather than consider a possible alternative role of centre.
"We haven't settled on where James Hook will play," added Gatland, speaking before news of Byrne's hearing broke.
"He prefers to play at ten, but his performances for the Ospreys in midfield have been pretty good and the balance between James and Andrew Bishop against Leicester was very good.
"Bishop's defence was outstanding, and James dictated. He did a good job at full-back against Australia, and he is a player you have got to find a position for and get him the ball.
"He can play ten, and he is equally capable at fifteen. You have got to find somewhere for him to play."
Despite Wales opening their Six Nations campaign at a stadium where they suffered some serious beatings during the past two decades, Gatland is relishing the contest.
"It is a great game to be starting with," he said.
"I just hope it will be the catalyst it was two years ago (when a Wales victory kick-started a Grand Slam campaign), which gave us the confidence and momentum for the rest of the championship.
"Both teams are very similar, and whoever wins will go in with a bit of confidence for the rest of the championship.
"The two sides will be desperate to win the game. and both sides realise how important it is to win the first game.
"Our performance against Australia (Wales' last game in November) was disappointing, and we need to be a bit smarter.
"But the pleasing thing, both against Australia and New Zealand, was our territory and possession increased from the previous year. We had them under pressure."
Ahead of Sunday's team announcement, Gatland will keep a close eye on players he has temporarily released from Six Nations squad duty to gain important game time during this weekend's LV= Cup action.
The list includes Adam Jones and Rees, plus star wing Shane Williams, who has played little rugby since being hurt during the Wallabies encounter.
Gatland added: "Adam Jones and Matthew Rees have not had a lot of rugby, and Lee Byrne and Shane Williams not a significant amount of time.
"The weekend will be pretty critical with a number of players playing for their regions.
"Shane is definitely under-cooked, but for a player who has not played a lot in the last six to eight weeks, his performance against Leicester was pretty good.
"He played a lot better than one might have expected. He was error-free and pretty dangerous."
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3...5888856,00.html
-----------------------------------------------------------
Defelcting attention from himself again... Or getting excuses in early?
Wales boss Warren Gatland is poised to name an all-British and Irish Lions Test front row of Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees and Adam Jones.
And that revered unit could find itself opposite a largely untried England combination of Tim Payne, Dylan Hartley and David Wilson.
It is an obvious area for potential Welsh domination, and Gatland did not shy away from it at today's Six Nations launch in central London.
"We will target certain areas, depending on who they (England) pick up front," he said.
"I am happy with our experience in the front five. Games are won up front, and it is important that our tight five fronts up."
Crucial to Welsh victory ambitions - it would be only a second Twickenham triumph in 22 years - is the return of Ospreys tighthead Jones.
He enjoyed a magnificent Lions tour of South Africa last summer before a serious shoulder injury suffered in the second Test prematurely ended the 28-year-old's trip.
Jones missed Wales' four November Tests as a result, but he is now back and in full destructive mode, as illustrated by his powerful display against the Ospreys' Heineken Cup opponents Leicester last weekend.
"It is good to have Adam back," said Wales skipper Ryan Jones.
"You cannot win Test matches without a set-piece, and Adam brings a certain stability to our scrum."
Gatland will name his starting line-up for Twickenham next Sunday evening, although those plans could now be affected by Wales full-back Lee Byrne's disciplinary hearing two days earlier.
Byrne must answer a misconduct complaint following his brief appearance as a 16th player for the Ospreys against Leicester.
If Byrne lands a ban, then Gatland might have to retain James Hook in the number fifteen shirt he wore during November, rather than consider a possible alternative role of centre.
"We haven't settled on where James Hook will play," added Gatland, speaking before news of Byrne's hearing broke.
"He prefers to play at ten, but his performances for the Ospreys in midfield have been pretty good and the balance between James and Andrew Bishop against Leicester was very good.
"Bishop's defence was outstanding, and James dictated. He did a good job at full-back against Australia, and he is a player you have got to find a position for and get him the ball.
"He can play ten, and he is equally capable at fifteen. You have got to find somewhere for him to play."
Despite Wales opening their Six Nations campaign at a stadium where they suffered some serious beatings during the past two decades, Gatland is relishing the contest.
"It is a great game to be starting with," he said.
"I just hope it will be the catalyst it was two years ago (when a Wales victory kick-started a Grand Slam campaign), which gave us the confidence and momentum for the rest of the championship.
"Both teams are very similar, and whoever wins will go in with a bit of confidence for the rest of the championship.
"The two sides will be desperate to win the game. and both sides realise how important it is to win the first game.
"Our performance against Australia (Wales' last game in November) was disappointing, and we need to be a bit smarter.
"But the pleasing thing, both against Australia and New Zealand, was our territory and possession increased from the previous year. We had them under pressure."
Ahead of Sunday's team announcement, Gatland will keep a close eye on players he has temporarily released from Six Nations squad duty to gain important game time during this weekend's LV= Cup action.
The list includes Adam Jones and Rees, plus star wing Shane Williams, who has played little rugby since being hurt during the Wallabies encounter.
Gatland added: "Adam Jones and Matthew Rees have not had a lot of rugby, and Lee Byrne and Shane Williams not a significant amount of time.
"The weekend will be pretty critical with a number of players playing for their regions.
"Shane is definitely under-cooked, but for a player who has not played a lot in the last six to eight weeks, his performance against Leicester was pretty good.
"He played a lot better than one might have expected. He was error-free and pretty dangerous."
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3...5888856,00.html
-----------------------------------------------------------
Defelcting attention from himself again... Or getting excuses in early?
