N
Nidhogg
Guest
I'm personally a fan of having a squad with "only" two scrum-halves, but the omission of Peel seems like a bit of a gamble. I'm not a big Peel fan, but he does offer something very special, like when he came on for Sale last weekend. He has that ability to find gaps where there are no gaps, to break the line where there it seems strong, I get the same feeling when he or Shane Williams have their hands on the ball, you know there is a chance they're gonna do something that the other 13 players simply can't.
Perhaps there is an alterior motive? Cooper might be good for the atmosphere in the dressing room, maybe Gatland wants a vet in the squad. Perhaps he's also looking to take the pressure of Phillips, since Cooper is not as much of a challenge to his position. He seemed to be changing his rotation policy a bit in the AI's, perhaps he's looking to establish a more settled squad, with Cooper only coming on to provide a fresh pair of legs, rather than a viable tactical option, choosing stability over tactics.
I'm sure the whole "but he plays for Sale!" argument fits in somewhere, but I can't picture Gatland actually choosing based on that.
Perhaps there is an alterior motive? Cooper might be good for the atmosphere in the dressing room, maybe Gatland wants a vet in the squad. Perhaps he's also looking to take the pressure of Phillips, since Cooper is not as much of a challenge to his position. He seemed to be changing his rotation policy a bit in the AI's, perhaps he's looking to establish a more settled squad, with Cooper only coming on to provide a fresh pair of legs, rather than a viable tactical option, choosing stability over tactics.
I'm sure the whole "but he plays for Sale!" argument fits in somewhere, but I can't picture Gatland actually choosing based on that.
