Wales team to face Australia

Posted on Nov 29, 2012

Wales have made four changes – all to the pack – for the final clash of the 2012 Dove Men Series, against Australia at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 2.30pm)

In the front row Blues prop Scott Andrews, who came on for Osprey Aaron Jarvis in the first minutes of the defeat to the All Blacks last time out, is handed his second Wales start and he is joined by former Blues colleague and 93-times capped veteran prop Gethin Jenkins (now Toulon).

Jenkins, who has been released by the French club for the fixture which falls outside the IRB international window, replaces Bath’s Paul James, who by contrast has been made unavailable.

Elsewhere Ospreys lock Ian Evans completes his return from injury (knee) to replace Bradley Davies (Blues) who has been ruled out with concussion and Scarlets flanker Aaron Shingler replaces another Osprey, Ryan Jones, in the back row – with Jones retained on the bench.

The same backline which started against New Zealand last time out is selected, with Ospreys fly-half Dan Biggar coming in for another player returning to his club, Perpignan’s James Hook, in one change to the backs cover provided by the bench.

Uncapped Scarlets tight-head Samson Lee has the potential to make his international debut after joining the training squad on a full time basis this week providing front row cover as a replacement alongside Ospreys prop Ryan Bevington in the final change to the match-day 23.

Lee turns 20 tomorrow (Friday), missing out on the chance to make his debut as a teenager, but he still has the opportunity to pick up the late birthday present of an international cap should he appear from the bench.

“We need to pick up again where we left off in the second half last week,”said Wales head coach Warren Gatland.

“We managed to retain 73% possession after the break against the All Blacks and win the territory battle, and we need to put Australia under similar pressure from the outset.

“We have played them regularly over the last couple of years and have come close to winning on a number of occasions, but have not quite been able to get ourselves over the chalk of the finish line.

“Both sides have had injuries to cope with, but there is every reason for optimism.  The Millennium Stadium crowd will be in full voice again, they were outstanding last week, and we are aiming to reach the end of a tough series on Saturday and finish off on a high.”

WALES: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, Liam Williams; Rhys Priestland, Mike Phillips; Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees, Scott Andrews, Ian Evans, Luke Charteris, Aaron Shingler, Sam Warburton (captain), Toby Faletau
REPLACEMENTS: Ken Owens, Ryan Bevington, Samson Lee, Ryan Jones, Justin Tipuric, Tavis Knoyle, Dan Biggar, Scott Williams

 

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Ryan captains Wales again as Warburton and Priestland drop to bench

Posted on Nov 14, 2012

Ryan Jones will lead Wales for a record 29th time in the Dove Men Series clash with Samoa at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night (Kick-off 7.30pm).

Jones takes the record from Ieuan Evans and is handed the armband after squad captain Sam Warburton has been moved to the bench in one of five changes to the forward pack made for the visit of the South Sea Islanders.

A total of eight changes have been made to the starting line-up which went down to Argentina in the series opener, with three of those enforced through injury and the rest largely due to a desire from the coaches to make full use of their squad for the series.

Up front Ospreys flanker Justin Tipuric takes over from Warburton with fellow Osprey Jones also joining the back row in place of the injured Josh Turnbull (Scarlets). Blues lock Bradley Davies comes into the second row in place of the injured Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) – with both Turnbull and Jones ruled out for the rest of the series.

Osprey Richard Hibbard starts in the front row, replacing Scarlets hooker Matthew Rees, who was unavailable for selection this week with a calf problem. Bath prop Paul James completes the changes up front replacing Toulon’s Gethin Jenkins, who provides cover from the bench.

In the backs Mike Phillips (Bayonne) replaces Scarlets scrum half Tavis Knoyle and Osprey Dan Biggar comes in for Scarlets fly-half Rhys Priestland. Finally Ashley Beck (Ospreys) completes his return from a hip injury to partner Jamie Roberts (in the centre) in place of Scarlet Scott Williams – with all three Scarlets players included in the reserves.

Scarlets hooker Ken Owens and Blues prop Scott Andrews provide the front row cover on the bench and Perpignan lock Luke Charteris completes the reserves.

“With a short six day turnaround it was important for us to freshen things up and also make use of the competition for places we have within this squad,something which has been a key ingredient for the success of the squad over the last 18 months,” said Wales interim head coach Rob Howley.

"In making changes we also needed to bring in some genuine experience. It is important to have leaders throughout the team and we are hoping the likes of Mike Phillips, who made a positive impact last week, can bring his experience to the side.

“Ryan reaches an impressive personal milestone, it will be a huge honour for him but in the context of what happened last week his and the team’s priorities are about producing a performance.

“We know we are under pressure to perform and that pressure is greatest from within. This squad has shown in the past that we have the character and resilience to get back to winning ways. We have every confidence that we will come back strongly on Friday night.”

If Wales beat Samoa on Friday night Ryan Jones will take another record, this time of his interim head coach Howley – the pair currently share top billing with 15 wins each as captain.

Wales: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Ashley Beck, Jamie Roberts, George North; Dan Biggar, Mike Phillips; Paul James, Richard Hibbard, Aaron Jarvis, Bradley Davies, Ian Evans, Ryan Jones (Capt), Justin Tipuric, Toby Faletau
Replacements: Ken Owens, Gethin Jenkins, Scott Andrews, Luke Charteris, Sam Warburton, Tavis Knoyle, Rhys Priestland, Scott Williams

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The Welsh squad for the AI’s and Rhyfel’s best starting selection

Posted on Oct 22, 2012

Discuss this in the forum. Rob Howley has named a 35-man Wales squad to contest the 2012 Dove Men Series at the Millennium Stadium this autumn which includes just one uncapped player and the returning Jamie Roberts.

Howley, Wales’ interim head coach in the absence of Warren Gatland, has selected six players who did not figure in his original 34-man summer tour squad to Australia, including talismanic Blues centre Roberts, with Ospreys tight-head prop Aaron Jarvis the only potential debutant.

Jarvis is one of six props named – only five travelled down under in the summer, which accounts for the larger contingent this time – with fellow Osprey Ryan Bevington and Blues front row Scott Andrews recalled to join incumbents Adam Jones (Ospreys), Gethin Jenkins (Toulon) and Paul James (Bath).

Scarlets pair Rob McCusker (flanker) and Tavis Knoyle (scrum half) both also return to the fold alongside Ospreys fly-half Dan Biggar, whilst Blues flanker Sam Warburton is retained as captain.

Knoyle returns in place of Ospreys scrum half Rhys Webb and Biggar alongside Roberts completes the 15-man backs contingent with Aled Brew (Biarritz Olympique) and Andrew Bishop (Ospreys) the players missing out.

Scarlets prop Rhodri Jones (shoulder), Exeter Chiefs prop Craig Mitchell (bicep) and Dragons back row Dan Lydiate (ankle) were unavailable due to injury.

Wales begin their campaign against Argentina on Saturday, 10 November, before facing Samoa the following Friday evening.

The arrival of New Zealand in Cardiff ahead of their clash with Wales on Saturday, 24 November will coincide with Gatland’s return to the national squad coaching staff.

He re-joins the squad for the clash with the All Blacks and to see them face the Wallabies in the series climax on 1 December, before returning to British & Irish Lions duties and leaving Howley in full charge once again for the 2013 RBS 6 Nations Championship.

"We are really pleased with the strength and depth of the squad with some pleasing individual performances over the last three or four weeks, but we all understand and realize the skill, physicality and intensity will go up over the next five weeks,” said Howley.

“This is one of the reasons we are going back to our training camp in Poland to sharpen minds and bodies.

“Argentina are first up and after the experience they have gained in the Rugby Championship they will be a challenging and tough opponent, but this is a challenge we will look forward too.

“We know how important momentum is going into any series and the bigger picture is the Rugby World Cup draw at the beginning of December and how we perform against the Pumas, Samoa, the All Blacks and the Wallabies will have a direct effect on our seeding in that draw.

“We need a successful November to back up our performances at the RWC in New Zealand and the Six Nations Grand Slam earlier this year and we are determined to achieve it.”

The Wales squad will begin their preparations for the Dove Men Series with a week’s training camp in Spala, Poland, beginning this Sunday, 28 October – the same Olympic training village which they visited prior to the 2011 RWC.

The Welsh squad for the Autumn Internationals announced by Rob Howley today is:

Backs: L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), Liam Williams (Scarlets), A Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), G North (Scarlets), H Robinson (Cardiff Blues), A Beck (Ospreys), J Davies (Scarlets), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), S Williams (Scarlets), D Biggar (Ospreys), J Hook (Perpignan), R Priestland (Scarlets), T Knoyle (Scarlets), M Phillips (Bayonne), Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues).

Forwards: S Andrews (Cardiff Blues), R Bevington (Ospreys), P James (Bath), A Jarvis (Ospreys), G Jenkins (Toulon), A Jones (Ospreys), R Hibbard (Ospreys), K Owens (Scarlets), M Rees (Scarlets), B Davies (Cardiff Blues), L Charteris (Perpignan), I Evans (Ospreys), A-W Jones (Ospreys), T Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons), R Jones (Ospreys), R McCusker (Scarlets), A Shingler (Scarlets), J Tipuric (Ospreys), J Turnbull (Scarlets), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt).

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Halfpenny reaches points milestone–team announced

Posted on Jun 21, 2012

Leigh Halfpenny’s 13-point haul last week means he has broken into the top 10 list of all-time points scorers in Welsh international rugby. The Blues full back and wing goes straight in at number eight ahead of 1970s fly half Phil Bennett with 168 points in just 34 internationals.

He now needs 33 points to progress above Gareth Thomas who is in seventh, but is some way off his mentor and kicking coach Neil Jenkins, who heads the list with 1,049 points.

Meanwhile, Wales field an unchanged side for the third Test of their Australian tour at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday (kick-off 3.05pm local time).

The same starting XV which led the Wallabies for the majority of the match in Melbourne last weekend – only to be denied by the last-minute penalty which made the home side 25-23 victors – has been handed a repeat chance to notch up Wales’ first victory on Australian soil since 1969.

The replacements’ bench shows one change with Scarlets hooker Ken Owens, who started the first Test two weeks ago in Brisbane, coming in to replace Ospreys front rower Richard Hibbard, who misses out on this occasion.

“We know what we have to do to beat Australia, but there is a difference between knowing how to win and achieving that aim,” said Wales caretaker head coach Rob Howley.

“This Wales team was within around 30 seconds of beating the Wallabies on their home patch for the first time in 43 years, the challenge now is to go one better than that and make sure we are ahead on the scoreboard, not just when the hooter goes, but when the game finishes this weekend.

“The players can take some credit for the way they played for the large part of the match on Saturday, but that will be scant consolation if we don’t come home with a win in this Series.

“We have risen to our highest position (4th) in the IRB World rankings because of our performances so far this season, which can have positive repercussions for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but now we want to stay there and that means coming away with the spoils on Saturday afternoon.”

Wales’ leading points scorers (all time):Neil Jenkins 1,049, Stephen Jones 917, James Hook 346, Paul Thorburn 304, Shane Williams 290, Arwel Thomas 211, Gareth Thomas 200, Leigh Halfpenny 168, Phil Bennett 166, Ieuan Evans 157

WALES: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Ashley Beck, George North; Rhys Priestland, Mike Phillips; Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees, Adam Jones, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton (Captain), Ryan Jones

REPLACEMENTS: Ken Owens, Paul James, Luke Charteris, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, James Hook, Scott Williams

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Wales team vs Barbarians

Posted on May 30, 2012

Wales will field three debutants and remain on course to award a 100th cap to veteran flanker Martyn Williams, when they face the Barbarians in the Test match, powered by Under Armour, at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, 2 June (Kick-off 2.00pm).

Blues wing Harry Robinson and Scarlets pair, full back Liam Williams and prop Rhodri Jones, will all make their first appearance in Wales colours.

Scarlets hooker Matthew Rees will make his ninth appearance as captain in a side which also features a return to the international set-up for Ospreys backs Andrew Bishop (centre) and Dan Biggar for the first time since before the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

“The Ospreys have been in a rich vein of form and their victory over Leinster last weekend to take the RaboDirect PRO12 title was a boost for the whole of Welsh rugby,” said Wales caretaker head coach Rob Howley.

“Dan and Andrew have been playing particularly well and we are looking forward to seeing both players in a Welsh shirt again.

“We have picked a side on form, with an eye on bringing players through for the future, but very much with the intention of getting the summer campaign off to a winning start.”

Elsewhere the Ospreys also provide both locks in Ian Evans and Alun Wyn Jones and most of the back row with Ryan Jones (No 8) and Justin Tipuric packing down alongside Scarlets blindside flanker Josh Turnbull.

Saracens prop Rhys Gill joins Rees and Jones in the front row to complete the pack.

In the backs Bishop is joined in the centre by his former club-mate, Perpignan’s James Hook, while Blues scrum half Lloyd Williams teams up with Biggar and Dragons wing Aled Brew completes the line-up.

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