Wales Centre Partnership

Watched the game yesterday and just becoming frustrated/concerned with the predicability and the ineffectiveness of Roberts and Davies together, thought Davies was way below par yesterday and almost stunted our back line, what do you guys think? Am i being rash our would you look elsewhere?

I would say it is more Roberts stunting the backline at the moment, as the ball doesn't actually tend to get to Davies that much.

Ideally you would want one of them alongside a player like Hook or Henson in there, but if Gatland is to persist with them, then I think they would be better suited the other way round with JD at 12 and Roberts at 13.

JD has the better hands and Roberts runs better lines from 13 than he does 12, so it's the only way I can see it really working.

Davies was below par apart from the clever inside ball for Norths try, he was way off the pace. Saying that although Hook and Roberts did a lot very well indeed, their distribution was pants.

Roberts defence was outstanding and he carried superbly, but apart from the pass to North for his run down the touchline, some of his passing was very poor.

Also Hook who kicked for touch and goal superbly and silenced a lot of the people (including me) who have doubted his defence, he still struggles to run the backline. Is it lack of game time at 10 or is it not in his make up? Clearly too good to leave out of the side, but Preistland and Jones must still be ahead at 10.

Davies hasn't been brilliant over the last 3 games. He does have talent and vision, you only have to see his deft ship over the top in the Scotland game for Shane Williams try to see that, and he can pin his ears back and run,

Roberts looks like he;s coming back into form though which is great for us.

AlynDavies wrote:Davies hasn't been brilliant over the last 3 games.

indeed, he was totally anonymous in one of them.

Just cant see why davies cant bring his club form to international, it pains me to say but for the 30 henson was on it looked liked a much more rounded, potent back line with his running angles

Davies, Roberts, Williams and Henson are all inside centers, we dont have any outside centers in the squad.

That is the problem and it needs a solution.

Roberts is the form 12 at the moment, playing the best rugby of his career right now. Henson looked brilliant for thirty minutes but injury took away his chance, Scot Williams looks excellent and needs to be in the squad, he is quite adaptable positionally. Jon Davies is a great inside center but is struggling to adapt to the outside role.

my thought is we keep either JD, JR or GH as insides and use either Scott Williams or Hook as an outside center.

has to be hook and roberts or hook and davies, no way can we play davies and roberts.

Any midfield 3 of priestland/jones hook and roberts would do for me.

Davies needs to work on his handling skills at this level he makes too many mistakes

Have a gut feeling we may see Henson back sooner rather than later....., but agree something between the two needs to give

Davies has had a couple of quiet games but there is no doubt that he is a talented player who's size is going to be beneficial to our back-line but he needs a bit more time with the ball.
He seems to be standing a bit too flat so by the time he gets the ball the defender is already in his face.
Things will get better and when it does a back line of Roberts Davies North all big lads is going to cause major headache to many a defencive coach.

yeh we need hook or henson at 12 with roberts at 13, with davies coming off the bench.

if hook goes 12 i would like to put priestland 10 that would be an awesome back line- but what about priestland at 12?

After I seen the stats for our line-outs is it any wonder our back line is standing so flat.

do we even practice line outs?