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RBS 6 Nations - Wales vs Scotland (12-02-2012, 15:00)

The one thing I don't want from Scotland is another "Could have, perhaps even should have won the game".

Either a win (not saying it's likely) or a complete drubbing please :O)
 
Draggs said:
Halfpenny is a better option at 15 and perhaps more natural at the position. He has greater pace and a more powerful boot than Hook, and won't whinge when picked there.
Halfpenny is a long term option, as is Cuthbert for the wing. Hook just isn't an outside back.
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Halfpenny wasnt thrown into the deep ask him and he will tell you his preferred position and his best position is full-back so to say he was thrown in at the deep end was a little mis guided, he played at full-back for most of his early playing days and youth days and only played at wing when he started in the Blues team.
 
Robert Prosser said:
Halfpenny wasnt thrown into the deep ask him and he will tell you his preferred position and his best position is full-back so to say he was thrown in at the deep end was a little mis guided, he played at full-back for most of his early playing days and youth days and only played at wing when he started in the Blues team.
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That may be the case, but he had almost no experience of playing fullback at regional level or for country. Even for the U20's, he was playing wing with Tovey at fullback. For him to play his first international game at fullback at the WC (I think), was still a big ask, and it really didn't need to be, with Gatland having chances to try him there much before, but always chose to shift Hook to fullback. I have even less understanding as to why the Blues hadn't given him more than a couple of games at fullback, instead preferring Czekaj, and even more recently, Henson (with Gavin Evans at centre).

Ahyway, back to point. Hook is not, nor will he ever be a fullback. That is even more true now that he plays 10 week in week out for Perpignan.
 
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Robert Prosser said:
Halfpenny wasnt thrown into the deep ask him and he will tell you his preferred position and his best position is full-back so to say he was thrown in at the deep end was a little mis guided, he played at full-back for most of his early playing days and youth days and only played at wing when he started in the Blues team.
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So you don't consider being asked to play in a World Cup in a position that you have NEVER started an International game at, being thrown in at the deep end? His Regional and International career was forged on the wing.
It doesn't matter what he prefers to play! Even at Under 21 level he was a winger and I think Tovey was the fullback.

Anyway... I love him at Fullback, I think he's a real find. Massive boot, extra kicking option, a natural attacker. He's a tad short, but there we go!

It might be a bit controversial but Clive Woodward was spot-on when he said after Englands win in 2003 that "We need to get rid of the notion that HE's a winger and HE's a fullback. The back three should be totally interchangeable"​ That might be a bit idealistic thinking, but it's the way forward.
 
I like the look of Shingler, and would welcome him onto the bench for sure. 2nd row worries me a little, whats the thoughts on Lou Reed? Although if Wynn-Jones comes back for the Ospreys Friday like expected that will be massive for us. also hope the back 3 get a few games together, Hook is definitely not the answer he is not a full back! Gavlar on the bench, or would that be a backwards step from Scott Williams who would need to step down. I would also definitely have Melon on the bench
 
i'd probably go for shingler, he can apparently cover second row, otherwise it would have to be lou reed. am i being stupidly unrealistic to expect AWJ to have 15 mins for the spreys tomorrow night then get on the bench for wales on Sunday?
 
Stoney21 said:
i'd probably go for shingler, he can apparently cover second row, otherwise it would have to be lou reed. am i being stupidly unrealistic to expect AWJ to have 15 mins for the spreys tomorrow night then get on the bench for wales on Sunday?
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Might not be, especially as we've got a bit of a second-row crisis.

Pitty Tips has picked up an injury. He looked to have made his international breakthrough last week. Although Warburton is obviously stil by far our number one choice, having a back-up like Tipuric on the bench was just awesome. Hopef he's not out long.

What is it with players all picking up the same injuries. For a while everyone was picking up claf strains, and now it's ankle injuries. Is it the intensity of training putting too much stress on a particular body part?
 
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dullonien said:
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What is it with players all picking up the same injuries. For a while everyone was picking up claf strains, and now it's ankle injuries. Is it the intensity of training putting too much stress on a particular body part?
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i have thought this for a few years everyone seemed to get calf strains. from working up the Vale i thought it may have been something to do with the ground not being to good up there as it looks quite soft.

i mentioned to a friend who is mates with a wales squad member (don't wanna coem across as name dropping) and he said its more to do with the difference between the training surface and playing being so different.

i suppose the same could be said for an ankle injury.
 
Stoney21 said:
i have thought this for a few years everyone seemed to get calf strains. from working up the Vale i thought it may have been something to do with the ground not being to good up there as it looks quite soft.

i mentioned to a friend who is mates with a wales squad member (don't wanna coem across as name dropping) and he said its more to do with the difference between the training surface and playing being so different.

i suppose the same could be said for an ankle injury.
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If it is something like that, then something needs to be done.

Ankles are pretty easy to injure in any sport, so that may just be a coincidence, you can understand a groin injury aswell, but there really was no obvious reason why so many Welsh players were picking up ****ling calf injuries. None have been hugely serious, but they seem to be re-occuring (Gethin Jenkins was constantly re-straining his calf), and they are disruptive.

Our injury rate was very low during the WC (only Lydiate and Priestland if I remember right), which was a pleasant change, but it seems to have shot up again.
 
WALES: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North, Rhys Priestland, Mike Phillips; Gethin Jenkins, Huw Bennett, Adam Jones, Ryan Jones, Ian Evans, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton (C), Toby Faletau

REPLACEMENTS: Ken Owens, Paul James, Lou Reed, Andy Powell, Lloyd Williams, James Hook, Scott Williams

WALES


15 Leigh HALFPENNY (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,060)
DoB: 22.12.88. 5'10" / 1.77m. 13st 2lbs / 83kgs
International record: 28 caps (W 13, L 15; 83 pts – 9T, 1C, 12PG)

14 Alex CUTHBERT (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,089)
DoB: 05.04.90. 6'6" / 1.98m. 16st 5lbs / 104kgs
International record: 2 caps (W 1, L 1)

13 Jonathan DAVIES (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,066)
DoB: 05.04.88. 6'1" / 1.86m. 16st 3lb / 103kgs
International record: 23 caps (W 12, L 10; 35 pts – 7T)

12 Jamie ROBERTS (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,057)
DoB: 08.11.86. 6'4" / 1.93m. 17st 5lbs / 110kgs
International record: 40 caps (W 19, L 21; 20 pts – 4T)

11 George NORTH (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,078)
DoB: 13.04.92. 6'4" / 1.92m. 16st 5lbs / 104kgs
International record: 17 caps (W 7, L 9, D 1; 50 pts – 10T)

10 Rhys PRIESTLAND (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,080)
DoB: 07.01.87 1.82m / 6'0". 13st 9lbs / 87kgs
International record: 11 caps (W 7, L 4; 50 pts – 1T, 12C, 7PG)

9 Mike PHILLIPS (BAYONNE – Cap No 1,022)
DoB: 29.08.82. 6'3" / 1.91m. 15st 10lb / 101kgs
International record: 61 caps (W 29, L 29, D 2; 40 pts – 8T)

1 Gethin JENKINS (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,006)
DoB: 17.11.80. 6'2" / 1.88m. 18st 9lbs / 118kgs
International record: 83 caps (W 37, L 44, D 2; 20 pts – 4T)

2 Huw BENNETT (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,017)
DoB: 11.06.83. 6'0" / 1.83m. 16st 8lbs / 105kgs
International record: 50 caps (W 24, L 25, D 1)

3 Adam JONES (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,018)
DoB: 08.03.81. 6'0" / 1.83m. 18st 12lb / 120kgs
International record: 76 caps (W 36, L 37, D 3; 10 pts – 2T)

4 Ryan JONES (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,029)
DoB: 13.03.81. 6'5" / 1.96m. 17st 5lbs / 110kgs
International record: 59 caps (W 29, L 28, D 2; 5 pts – 1T)

5 Ian EVANS (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,045)
DoB: 04.10.84. 6'8" / 2.04m. 18st 3lbs / 116kgs
International record: 18 caps (W 7, L 10, D 1; 5 pts – 1T)

6 Dan LYDIATE (NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS – Cap No 1,071)
DoB: 18.12.87. 1.93m / 6'4". 17st 10lbs / 112kgs
International record: 20 caps (W 8, L 11, D 1)

7 Sam WARBURTON (CARDIFF BLUES, CAPTAIN – Cap No 1,070)
DoB: 05.10.88. 1.88m / 6'2". 16st 4lbs / 103kgs
International record: 25 caps (W 13, L 12; 10 pts - 2T)

8 Toby FALETAU (NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS – Cap No 1,082)
DoB: 12.11.90. 1.88m / 6'2". 17st 5lbs / 110kgs
International record: 12 caps (W 6, L 6; 10 pts – 2T)


REPLACEMENTS



16 Ken OWENS (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,088)

DoB: 03.01.87. 6'1" / 1.86m. 17st 8lbs / 112kgs
International record: 1 cap (W 1)

17 Paul JAMES (OSPREYS – Cap No 1,021)
DoB: 13.05.82. 6'1" / 1.86m. 18st 2lbs / 115kgs
International record: 32 caps (W 13, L 18, D 1)

18 Lou REED (SCARLETS – Uncapped)
DoB: 10.09.87. 6'6" / 1.99m. 17st 11lbs / 113kgs
International record: Uncapped

19 Andy POWELL (SALE SHARKS – Cap No 1,061)
DoB: 23.08.81. 6'4" / 1.94m. 18st 0lbs / 114kgs
International record: 22 caps (W 12, L 10; 5 pts – 1T)

20 Lloyd WILLIAMS (CARDIFF BLUES – Cap No 1,086)
DoB: 30.11.89. 6'0" / 1.83m. 13st 9lbs / 87kgs
International record: 5 caps (W 3, L 2; 10 pts – 2T)

21 James HOOK (PERPIGNAN – Cap No 1,047)
DoB: 27.06.85. 6'0" / 1.83m. 14st 12lbs / 94kgs
International record: 60 caps (W 26, L 32, D 2; 326 pts – 12T, 40C, 58PG, 4DG)

22 Scott WILLIAMS (SCARLETS – Cap No 1,084)

DoB: 10.10.90. 6'0" / 1.83m. 15st 3lbs / 97kgs
International record: 8 caps (W 4, L 4; 20 pts – 4T)
 
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Very strong team. A little disapointed Beck's not on the bench instead of Scott Williams, but overall very happy.
 
Shame for Gill but understand the reasons. His time will come soon.

This side should be far too strong for the Scots. Can't see Wales being toi complacent or the Scots dramatically improving.
 
Gats did say the only reason Gill ain't on the bench is since James can over both sides of the scrum.

personally, I would have had GIll starting with Jenkins on the bench but never mind.

got a ticket for this, can't wait!
 
Nothing really to moan about with that side. Think Cuthbert needs to have a good game, was anonymous against Ireland and did look a bit iffy on defence. Otherwise, very confident. Bring it on
 
You would have the think that Wales should start this game as (deservedly) big favourites, but I think it would be a mistake to completely write Scotland off.

I see Wales having an edge in the front row, especially given they have gained Jenkins this week, while Scotland have lost Murray. I thought Gill had a strong game last week, but Jenkins does add another dimension to the Welsh team with his ability at the breakdown. Where I see Scotland having a slight edge is in the locks. This largely due to the fact that Wales are missing three of their premier locks, and though Evans has filled in well since his return, he will certainly have a big challenge against the giant Scottish locking trio. It will be interesting to see how Ryan Jones goes at lock, as I thought he payed very well last weekend at 6. I think Scotland will definitely look to target Wales at the lineout, as Bennett seemed to miss his target a few times last weekend.

The loose-forward battle is particularly intriguing, with both teams possessing very well balanced trio (though I do favour the Welsh trio). It will be good to see two genuine 7's going head to head this week, and I'm sure Warburton will want to up his game last week after he was in a way outshone by Tipuric when he was replaced at halftime. It is good to see Lydiate back for Wales, as I think the largely unseen work that he provides is vital for Wales (in a similar role that Strokosch plays for Scotland). I'm really looking forward to watching Denton again at 8, as he was exceptional last weekend.
Wales do seem to have the edge in most departments in the backline. It will be interesting to see whether Laidlaw can bring a more attacking approach to Scotlands play, though I suspect it will take more than one man (and one game) for this to happen. I expect Scotland's midfield defense will be tested by Roberts and Davies, and wings Lee Jones and Max Evans may have trouble containing Cuthbert and North in full flight. Scotland's best chance of scoring may well be to get the ball to Max Evans in a bit of space, as Cuthbert is very inexperienced at this level and looked shaky at times on defense last weekend.

Overall I'm picking Wales by 10-15, but I'm hoping (perhaps in vain?) that Scotland may score a try of two this week!
 
TRF_Darwin said:
You would have the think that Wales should start this game as (deservedly) big favourites, but I think it would be a mistake to completely write Scotland off.

I see Wales having an edge in the front row, especially given they have gained Jenkins this week, while Scotland have lost Murray. I thought Gill had a strong game last week, but Jenkins does add another dimension to the Welsh team with his ability at the breakdown. Where I see Scotland having a slight edge is in the locks. This largely due to the fact that Wales are missing three of their premier locks, and though Evans has filled in well since his return, he will certainly have a big challenge against the giant Scottish locking trio. It will be interesting to see how Ryan Jones goes at lock, as I thought he payed very well last weekend at 6. I think Scotland will definitely look to target Wales at the lineout, as Bennett seemed to miss his target a few times last weekend.

The loose-forward battle is particularly intriguing, with both teams possessing very well balanced trio (though I do favour the Welsh trio). It will be good to see two genuine 7's going head to head this week, and I'm sure Warburton will want to up his game last week after he was in a way outshone by Tipuric when he was replaced at halftime. It is good to see Lydiate back for Wales, as I think the largely unseen work that he provides is vital for Wales (in a similar role that Strokosch plays for Scotland). I'm really looking forward to watching Denton again at 8, as he was exceptional last weekend.
Wales do seem to have the edge in most departments in the backline. It will be interesting to see whether Laidlaw can bring a more attacking approach to Scotlands play, though I suspect it will take more than one man (and one game) for this to happen. I expect Scotland's midfield defense will be tested by Roberts and Davies, and wings Lee Jones and Max Evans may have trouble containing Cuthbert and North in full flight. Scotland's best chance of scoring may well be to get the ball to Max Evans in a bit of space, as Cuthbert is very inexperienced at this level and looked shaky at times on defense last weekend.

Overall I'm picking Wales by 10-15, but I'm hoping (perhaps in vain?) that Scotland may score a try of two this week!
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That's a pretty good, and probably fair assesment. Ryan Jones has been playing the majority of his regional rugby at lock this season, with the Ospreys inexplicably preferring Tom Smith at blindside. He's been in great form aswell, although still plays a flanker role, which is not necessarily a bad thing. He does a fair share in the lineout, and has always been one of Wales' most secure lineout jumpers, pulling off some spectacular catches over the years. He probably lacks a little grunt compared to most locks, but I can't see this effecting the scrums, considering we've got such a strong front-row and Scotland are missing Murray.
 
Don't mean to be pedantic but could someone change Ireland's TS (Tries Scored, I presume?) to 2? Cheeaaarrzzz!
 

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