Wales going into the 6 Nations

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Are Wales struggling that much for wingers that Cuthbert gets in on default or is he playing well again?

 

[Lé Ddanno]

Developing into a very rounded 10. Excellent kicking and distribution game, solid running game, acceptable defence. Definitely the future, and I'd argue the present.



Halfpenny signed his original contract before the policy came into effect, with an option for a third year which he took up. Lydiate plays for the Ospreys....

Thanks. My bad, I didn't mean Lydiate, but others.

 

[Bluemoon]

Hmm Cuthbert over Tom James is a very strange decision. I feel for Cuthbert, he is trying hard at Cardiff and I think it's a matter of time before he hits a bit of form. Suggests Howler is going to find it difficulty to bring himself to try a few new combinations.

 

[welshglory]

I don't really understand the outrage in not selecting James. He's proven time and time again that he's not international standard never mind Lions class which Cuthbert has.

 

[Bluemoon]

I don't really understand the outrage in not selecting James. He's proven time and time again that he's not international standard never mind Lions class which Cuthbert has.

Time and time again? I think he managed to show a lack of fitness against Scotland to miss a try. He said afterwards that he wasn't used the Welsh training camps and it fatigued him. Prior to that he was younger was a little abrasive in camp and ended up saying some silly things. I'm not saying he can make the step up, but he's scoring for fun at the moment.

The point is that Cuthbert may be a lion, but has not shown that sort of a ability for a long time. Not to mention his defensive positioning is poor and has been shown up frequently for Wales in recent times.

 

[welshglory]

How is he not used to the Welsh training camps? He's a 29 year old professional who's been in and out of the Welsh set up since 2008 when Gats first came in.

The way i see it is Cuthbert has proven himself to be one of the most prolific finishers in the global game and his weaknesses are nowhere near the levels of James', or at least they don't outweigh his positives. He's a genuine x factor player who can score tries against the best teams in the world, i'm willing to take a punt on him.

 

[AzaMatt]

How is he not used to the Welsh training camps? He's a 29 year old professional who's been in and out of the Welsh set up since 2008 when Gats first came in.

The way i see it is Cuthbert has proven himself to be one of the most prolific finishers in the global game and his weaknesses are nowhere near the levels of James', or at least they don't outweigh his positives. He's a genuine x factor player who can score tries against the best teams in the world, i'm willing to take a punt on him.

you certainly have a lot of faith in cuthbert. how long can people hold onto the "but he has proven before he is quality" excuse. so did priestland once upon a time, but we cant just hope he'll suddenly get back to that form out of nowhere. he was a class player but our other wingers that were left out should feel increcibley dejected, james has throughly outplayed cuthbert at the blues this season and had no injuries, cuthburt scored a couple of tries and is carrying an injury even at the moment. id love for him to hit form again but hes just trying too hard

 

[Bluemoon]

How is he not used to the Welsh training camps? He's a 29 year old professional who's been in and out of the Welsh set up since 2008 when Gats first came in.

The way i see it is Cuthbert has proven himself to be one of the most prolific finishers in the global game and his weaknesses are nowhere near the levels of James', or at least they don't outweigh his positives. He's a genuine x factor player who can score tries against the best teams in the world, i'm willing to take a punt on him.

It's worth having a read of this if you missed it.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/tom-james-six-nations-heartbreak-11262184

Tom was on a reduced training schedule with Cardiff at the time due to recovery from an injury and as we know, Team Wales demands full intensity training. He's not actually had that many chances for Wales - but again I am not saying he still can step up, it's just a a lot of people cite that break against Scotland - a try he'll more often than not finish with ease.

I suppose the two aren't really related - other than Tom has been much more consistent for Cardiff in the last season or two. Tom James aside - I don't think Cuthbert is ready for the return. When he was scoring trys for fun at Cardiff, he was doing the same for Wales. It's clear he's lost his form and I think he would have benefited more from a run with Cardiff than a call up right now. He's weaknesses are clear and teams have been exploiting it in defence. It has cost Wales on a number of occasions. I feel for the guy, he's working hard and I want him to turn it around.

 

[valley commando]

How do we all see Wales' chances going into the AI's? With Gatland on Lions duty, Howley will take control, which imo will benefit Wales, as it allows for a new voice in the form of Mark Sherratt to join the squad. Not a fan at all of Howley as an attack coach, but he performed well as the head honcho last time round, which suggests he may be better at overseeing than he is at being an attack coach.

There's question marks surrounding the availability of the English based players for the first game v Aus. Will Faletau still be crocked? Will Howley make some changes that many of the public have been crying out for? This is what I'd pick, based on having the English players available:

01 Gethin Jenkins. Still going strong, and with Rob Evans injured, should certainly be first choice. Nicky Smith has returned to the form which saw him earn his first cap, but a bench spot makes more sense.

02 Ken Owens. Baldwin has lost his starting spot at the Ospreys to Sam Parry, so it'll be interesting if that affects his Wales cause. Owens should retain his starting spot after his exploits in the summer.

03 Samson Lee. Looked far more solid in the scrum v's Sale yesterday. Needs a run of injury free game time now to hopefully show that there's more to him than simply a scrummager. Still not to much backup available. Been a little disappointed that Dillon Lewis hasn't had much of an opportunity at the Blues this season, so he can't be seen as a credible option. Francis may or may not be available, but in any case he feels distinctly like a stop-gap option. Andrews is improving in the scrum under Wilson at the Blues, but it'd be a bit of a miracle if he managed to make him an international standard scrummager.

04 Luke Charteris/Bradley Davies. Still like the balance of Alun-Wyn and Charteris together, but Cherteris may not be available. Davies is growing into his Ospreys role, whilst Thornton has had an impressive start to the season, very much in the mold of AWJ.

05 AWJ. After looking a little tired at times last season, he's looking back to his best again now.

06 Ross Moriarty. Impressed me out in NZ, and has been playing well in a struggling team at Gloucester. Adds aggression and a carrying presence that we need more of. If he isn't available, then there's the likes of Lydiate, King, or playing dual opensides with Jenkins, Warbs or Navidi playing at 6.

07 Justin Tipuric. Should be a starter. Offers too much to only be used as an impact sub. In the form of his life following his concussion layoff. Crazy stats doing the rounds after the first three Pro12 games, of him making 70 tackles, missing none. Shows that he does the unseen stuff as well as scoring 60m try's etc.

08 Dan Baker. I expect Faletau to still be out, and we really need to develop some backup. Baker is back playing well, offering some good go forward. Other options include King and Navidi, or shifting Moriarty.

09 Rhys Webb. Class player who's been in top form for the Ospreys this season. Gareth Davies had a great game yesterday, but still takes the wrong decision on occasion, such as kicking the ball after Jon Davies' break and Scott Williams' round the back pass in the game v Sale.

10 Sam Davies. Screw it, get him in there. If we want to get the best out of the likes of North, Liam Williams and our centers, then Davies is the one to guide Wales imo. His variety of play is far superior to Biggar's, and he fits the modern game like a glove. Biggar would be a great option to have on the bench. Problem is, it royally screws over the Ospreys, losing both of their 10's. Anscombe, Patchell and Owen Williams are decent option too.

11 Leigh Halfpenny. Will be nice to have him back. His solid all-round game helps to balance the backline. Wouldn't mind if he's retained at fullback, but Liam deserves to continue there imo. Eli Walker has put in a string of consistently excellent displays for the Ospreys this season, combining solidity in defense, with some electric running. Watch out for Keelan Giles, could be offered an opportunity at some point in the AI's.

12 Scott Williams. Had an indifferent start to the season, but showed real class v Sale and the sort of variety we need if we are to develop our attacking game. Mind, I'd be interested to see how Roberts could be brought into the game by Sam Davies. His pull back passes on the gain-line could really suit Roberts. I'd like to see Beck back involved at some stage, but after such a horror run with injuries, he needs to concentrate on getting some game time at the O's.

13 Jon Davies. Another player to have had an indifferent start to the season, but hopefully turned the corner now.

14 George North. Been showing some great form for Northampton of late. Cuthbert is returning to some form, whilst Tom James has had a great start to the season, but it has to be North if available. Nice to see a little depth developing on the wings. With a little luck we'll have a few good options available on both wings soon.

15 Liam Williams. Become a really reliable performer, and deserves to play at fullback where he makes most impact in a game.

16 Scott Baldwin/Sam Parry. Most likely to be Baldwin, but I like Parry myself. Dacey is another option who's been playing well for the Blues.
17 Nicky Smith. Big future for this talented youngster. Imo he'll be Wales first choice when Jenkins finally calls it quits.
18 Tomas Francis. If he's available that is.
19 Bradley Davies/Luke Charteris. If Charteris isn't available, then Rory Thornton.
20 Sam Warburton/Ellis Jenkins. Plenty of options here, with James Davies another. Navidi would provide good bench cover too, covering all three backrow positions with aplomb.
21 Gareth Davies.
22 Dan Biggar.
23 Jamie Roberts/Cory Allen.

Good shout I picked the same with the exception being Warbs instead of Moriarty. I said a couple of weeks ago on here that Sam D should be 1st choice 10 for Wales and if he carries on a Lion next year

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you certainly have a lot of faith in cuthbert. how long can people hold onto the "but he has proven before he is quality" excuse. so did priestland once upon a time, but we cant just hope he'll suddenly get back to that form out of nowhere. he was a class player but our other wingers that were left out should feel increcibley dejected, james has throughly outplayed cuthbert at the blues this season and had no injuries, cuthburt scored a couple of tries and is carrying an injury even at the moment. id love for him to hit form again but hes just trying too hard

Eli Walker is better than James or Cuthbert and Keelan Giles will be even better

 

[Lé Ddanno]

Good shout I picked the same with the exception being Warbs instead of Moriarty. I said a couple of weeks ago on here that Sam D should be 1st choice 10 for Wales and if he carries on a Lion next year

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An uncapped 10 over one or more of Sexton, Ford, Farrell, Russell, Biggar, Cipriani, Jackson, Slade, Wigglesworth, Burns....

Ok!

 

[AzaMatt]

Eli Walker is better than James or Cuthbert and Keelan Giles will be even better

i would prefer walker or Giles too, however i just couldnt see it happening. james is more of the kind of winger gats and co like.

 

[ALJ]

Halfpenny signed his original contract before the policy came into effect, with an option for a third year which he took up. Lydiate plays for the Ospreys....

So is that the situation for Charteris'? I thought there'd been problems?

What about Moriarty and Francis? Exempt?

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Good shout I picked the same with the exception being Warbs instead of Moriarty.

Can't comment on the other B/row and you really do have some depth there but Moriarty has been the stand out player for Gloucester this year - he looks a class apart right now.

 

[dullonien]

So is that the situation for Charteris'? I thought there'd been problems?

What about Moriarty and Francis? Exempt?

Charteris wasn't offered a contract by one of the regions until after he signed for Bath, so that makes him exempt.

Moriarty and Francis' current contracts pre-date the policy, but both will be captured when their current contracts expire unless they move to one of the regions. Rumors are that Moriarty looks set to move to the Scarlets next season for that reason.

 

[AzaMatt]

Rumors are that Moriarty looks set to move to the Scarlets next season for that reason.

that would be an excellent signing for the scarlets

 

[valley commando]

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An uncapped 10 over one or more of Sexton, Ford, Farrell, Russell, Biggar, Cipriani, Jackson, Slade, Wigglesworth, Burns....

Ok!

He's better than half of that bunch already and improving week by week

 

[dullonien]

He's better than half of that bunch already and improving week by week

He's potentially talented enough to make the Lions, but that depends on Howley giving him a proper chance for Wales, and I don't think it'll happen.

He'll likely be overlooked for the 3 games vs Aus, SA and Arg, then start v Japan where Howley will have made 13 changes, the players won't have played together before, look rusty and scrape a win or draw/lose.

I hope it goes differently, and maybe there's a sliver of hope in that Biggar struggled to break into the side over Priestland, so maybe Gats/Howley won't mind dropping him and giving Davies a shot.

 

[AzaMatt]

I hope it goes differently, and maybe there's a sliver of hope in that Biggar struggled to break into the side over Priestland, so maybe Gats/Howley won't mind dropping him and giving Davies a shot.

no chance, priestland would have had to have been a wild card over falatau roberts or north which was not going to happen. and he has barely played any rugby. i expect we'll see Davies get maybe a couple of mins off the bench in some of the games and possibly start V Japan but as you said, a raft of changes will be made so he will be made to look terrible

 

[valley commando]

He's potentially talented enough to make the Lions, but that depends on Howley giving him a proper chance for Wales, and I don't think it'll happen.

He'll likely be overlooked for the 3 games vs Aus, SA and Arg, then start v Japan where Howley will have made 13 changes, the players won't have played together before, look rusty and scrape a win or draw/lose.

I hope it goes differently, and maybe there's a sliver of hope in that Biggar struggled to break into the side over Priestland, so maybe Gats/Howley won't mind dropping him and giving Davies a shot.

Your probably right Howleys been holding Wales back for years, we should be looking at someone who can change things in attack we've been running the same attack lines for years from set piece, the only time we look dangerous is in broken play.

 

[AzaMatt]

apparently warbs will only play a single game before Aus -_-

 

[sigesige00]

If Wales was a separate island like Mannin (Isle of Man, Ellan Vannin)...
By the way, why Wales is part of England in Cricket?