Good to see people already writing Wales off here ...
Ooooh, yew *****!Was there really any need?
What's the bet Hartley gets targeted throughout the game to try and rile him up?
Certainly didn't work last year when Wyn-Jones legged him up and we got two tries for it
Disclaimer: I'm not saying Alyn Wyn-Jones specifically targeted Hartley, just saying what happened
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_6702524,00.htmlAt Wednesday's launch of the championship, Gatland commented: "I hope the words are going to be used as motivation.
"Do I regret making the comments? No, not at all. We needed to sell a couple of thousand tickets and I am on a basic from the BBC.
"There's always a bit of spice between England and Wales. We will see how Dylan responds."
"Dylan Hartley has been down to Wales in a tough European game, taken what they have thrown at him on the field, produced a winning performance as captain and taken a team into the knock-out stages of the Heineken Cup," stated Johnson.
Its just a bit of banter, who cares?
Gatland has hinted at a Jamie Roberts/Jonathan Davies centre pairing. Not much creativity, but certainly a heavy combination.
hook at ten then mabey?
The Jon Davies - Jamie Roberts partership showed some very promising signs in the second test v NZ in the Summer. I think it's a bit of a myth that neither are creative, it's just the way they are used when paired alongside the likes of Laulala, King or Hook. Just look at the Scarlets recently, with a midfield of Stephen Jones, Jon Davies and Maul, that doesn't appear very creative, but the Scarlets have been one of the most creative teams in Europe when the backs are supplied decent ball. If Roberts and Davies are told to play what's in front of them, I can't see why they cannot create opportunities with the likes of Shane, Halfpenny and Byrne coming into the midfield to spice things up. Being creative isn't necessarily down to individuals, it's about running lines of three or four players holding defenders and creating space for a specific runner, this is what Wales and the Ospreys need to learn, otherwise we'll continue to rely on Shane Williams to create everything for us.
I'm not sure if Hook will be used as a centre or o/h. I wouldn't be surprised to see a return to the role Jones and Hook played in '08, one starts with the other coming off the bench to change the game. I think Jones will almost certainly start v England with Hook on the bench, with him coming on to replace Jones in the second half when the game will hopefully open up a bit, or coming on to replace Roberts / Davies depending on where he's needed.