Hook gets the nod

Wales team: Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues); George North (Scarlets), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues), Shane Williams (Ospreys); James Hook (Perpignan), Mike Phillips (Bayonne); Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Dragons), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (Dragons) Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), Toby Faletau (Dragons).

Replacements: Lloyd Burns (Dragons), Paul James (Ospreys), Bradley Davies (Cardiff Blues), Ryan Jones (Ospreys), Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues), Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets).


After only 5 minutes of rugby at 10 in this RWC, James Hook takes the reins in the biggest game in Wales history, since the last one.

Disruption at 10 and 12 cost England certainly. I only hope this last minute change doesn't do the same for Wales, but if you had to pick a sub then JH is a pretty fine one.
I am surprised that Gatland didn't opt for Jones but this selection is balls out; it means we attack, attack and attack some more from KO.
The first 10 minutes of this game may well be savage as both teams chase the advantage.

Balls out attack indeed. Halfpenny at 15, Hook at 10. Potentially the most exciting Welsh team in years.

Please Hook. no wild blind passes. Be Safe.

Not a last minute change really , hooky and wellies have been training at fly half all week

I think Hook will be hungry after being out for a couple of games, and the way the team are playing will fire him up. He's much more creative the SJ, he'll be jinking all over the shop Saturday. His temperament better suits the way the team is playing now more Jones or even Priestland. He will be pivotal IMO.

Splitting hairs, the loss of the established form 10 in the days before a semi to be replaced by a guy whose 10 skillset has been brought under the spotlight is obviously a disruption, what we don't know is how Hook's lack of recent match experience at 10 will affect what was becoming a very well oiled 9-10-12

Gatts wrote:Splitting hairs, the loss of the established form 10 in the days before a semi to be replaced by a guy whose 10 skillset has been brought under the spotlight is obviously a disruption, what we don't know is how Hook's lack of recent match experience at 10 will affect what was becoming a very well oiled 9-10-12

Hardly splitting hairs , Priestland had 10 minutes notice , Jones and Hook have had a week

Runster wrote:He'll be jinking all over the shop Saturday.

This is a serious problem if he's 'jinking all over the shop' when the French have an organised defensive line - they'll just let him fanny about, push up, and by the time Roberts gets the ball Rougerie will be on him. In broken play Hook can be brilliant, but what we really need from him is to do the basics.

munkian wrote:

Gatts wrote:Splitting hairs, the loss of the established form 10 in the days before a semi to be replaced by a guy whose 10 skillset has been brought under the spotlight is obviously a disruption, what we don't know is how Hook's lack of recent match experience at 10 will affect what was becoming a very well oiled 9-10-12

Hardly splitting hairs , Priestland had 10 minutes notice , Jones and Hook have had a week

Yeah look, RP getting the nod in a warm up game is hardly the same as hook being pulled into a semi with 10 mins at fly half but i hear you on the training front.Nevertheless my concern is that patterns have been broken. in addition Hook is a different 10 and i think SJ , whilst more conservative, might have been a better pick. Either way both are fine substitutes.

Most on here have been screaming for Hook at 10 and I think most were bit wary when Priestland started against England and in the openeing WC game.

I think it shows how lucky we are at the moment to have a choice between a Hook/Jones combo as our BACK UP

C'MON CYMRU

I think with our game plan at the moment we could have put anybody in at 10 and they would have been fine.
If Hook keeps his head the rest of the backline will do the job.

I personally would have started with Jones, but I dont mind Hooky starting, he has played some good rugby at 10 this season, remember that he finished off the English in the warm up tests.

Oh dear, I do hope hook plays like priestland and not like hook. If he messes up his fans will say 'well he hasnt played there'

i say , he either wants to be a 10 or he doesnt. goes with the territory. priestland stepped up with no international experice. hook has to play as the team have been playing, not his usual game , which will destroy us.

if he goes back to his old ways and we lose this one he won't be in the 10 shirt again.

Someone said 'exiting' 'running everywhere'well we dont want it. watch hook closely, see what he does, not what you THINK he does.
i hope he's changed and has a good game. We deserve to win.

Gatland has done the right thing - can't see any fault in his picks for the entire 22.

Rougerie is the same size as Jamie Roberts, so running at him will be a different experience from running at Darcy. Jones would have been solid but slow when we need fast hands and fast minds. Still, he's on the bench if he's needed.

As somebody noted, if one of the wingers comes off Jones will come on at 10, Hook will move to 15 and Halfpenny to the wing. If Hook doesn't go well, he'll be on at halftime. And if we're well ahead with 15mins to go, he'll be on to close out.

But what potential there is in this team! On paper, one of the most attacking I've ever seen. C'mon Wales!

hook can be very greedy. wales have lost out on try scoring chances in the past because hook wanted it all for himself.

as hook has not had many chances in this world cup i fear that he will try and claim some glory and will ultimately cost us the game.

i think this is a big mistake

I agree with dogtooth.

Hook is a greedy player when what we need is for him to ship it on quickly to Roberts at pace. He needs to do what Priestland has been doing which is bringing others in to the game not trying to do it all himself and then when he gets caught fling a hopeful pass anywhere.

I would have started with Jones but thats just personal preference and have no qualms about Hook starting.

He just needs to play sensible rugby and bring Roberts and North into the game like Priestland has.

I do hope he just doesn't try through those telegraaphed long passes that are ripe for interception.

I can see slow ball from Phillips to Hook who then wastes another 2nd or 2 adjusting himself before passing to Jamie who by then has Rougerie travelling at 90 mph straight into Roberts. Rougerie then breaks into a 1000s pieces as a consequence of what has become known as the "Donnacha Affect" and Jamie waltzes under the posts after flicking off the french full back - JD then congratulates him before suggesting in welsh that he could have passed - JD then quips never mind Jamie keep your chin up and just as Jamie does that the sun diappears.

I'm sure the coaches have made it quite clear to him what they want from him: someone to do the basics well. I imagine they've also told him that they don't want him to try to be a hero.

yes, bedford. i am extremely worried that the word 'interception' will signal the end of our world cup run.

I think people are being a bit harsh on Hook here. He's not stupid and is more than capable of playing the percentages. I doubt whether he has been at 10 with such a commanding scrum, a SH in form and 2 centres who are hungry for the ball. In the past he has been the one that has been expected to produce the goods. This is no longer the case. We might just see a more composed James Hook who is also a better option for the posts (particularly if the ref and linesmen aren't blind ) Come on Walessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

If Hook feels there is a gap to be exploited then he should go for it and there is a good chance that there will be gaps in his channel due to the French being fearful of the Davies Roberts threat.
I wonder if they will have him doing his rip the ball tackle or will it be go for the legs like we did against Ireland.

Eight of this side are 23 or under that's brilliant for Welsh rugby.

Cymroglan wrote:If Hook feels there is a gap to be exploited then he should go for it

True, but we can't afford for him to dilly-dally in the hope a gap will appear before he passes the ball.

Roberts is going to be making a huge mistake if he thinks he can crash through Rougerie. I seem to remember he tried it against Bastereaud in 2009 and that didn't work out too well.

I expect Gatland's instructions to Hook will be slightly more complex that "ship it to Jamie and let him bosh through. "

Probably worth remembering the monster coming over the hill that was the James Hook brigade before we stumbled upon finding out Priestland is a perfect fit for international level.

Hook can play very well at fly half, he can kick the corners superbly, he can bring runners into the game superbly and he can make the right decisions. (Out O'gara'ing O'Gara this year for instance?)

CAN - operative word. He's incosistent, and when it goes wrong, it tends to go pretty wrong. (France this year for instance?)

Still, I'd put him in over Stephen Jones. Either way, its the Pack and the defense that'll win us this game, as it did against Ireland, our defence in our own 22 is the best I have seen from any team in a long while.

Lets all calm down boys,

Gatland came in for some harsh but fair criticism leading upto the WC but it seems to be going pretty well at the moment .

Lets have some faith that he knows what he's doing and has picked a team to beat France and beat them well.

It will be interesting to see what happens though if we win and if Hook plays well. Will he bring Priestland back in.

Hook at 10!

My moneys on two intercept passes, there was only one real choice at 10 in a game like this 'the Count'.

Why

102 caps, 912 points for Wales, plus he has the big game temperament and his played in France for a couple of seasons.

Big Mistake and one that I fear will cost them a place in the final.

England for the final!

Oh... wait...

BTW the days of Hook intercept passes are gone.

He passes more and runs less and he is the one that can slot the pressure goal kicks over. Halfpenny is also a plan b if Hook kicks badly.

Hook is also the one out of all of them that can have a "Shane Williams" moment and leave 3 or 4 French defenders on their backsides to get a miracle try.

Hersh, thanks for your words of wisdom. I'm sure Gatland will be revising his plans after carefully reflecting on them.

As for the Count's "big game termperament", the problen is that it hasn't led to us winning any big games, at least not since February 2009.

Hook isn't a big game player.

F A C T.

[quote="walesworldcup"]Hook is also the one out of all of them that can have a "Shane Williams" moment[quote]

Yes. Wales v France 2010 - Two interception tries to France, one from a pass thrown by Hook and one from a pass thrown by Shane. Wales 21 - 0 down at half time...

i dont want to appear anti-hook.

on a possitive note, hook is quicker than wellies. if he can maintain a high tempo and play a resonably conservative game while keeping an eye out for an exploitable gap (we all know how dangerous he can be) then i think wales remain favourites for this game.

dog,

Were or are we really favourites? I know France have been poor at best for most of the tourament but they still have top class players with experience (Ireland did to I know) and have the edge in recent results.

I would say it's another 50/50 game that's gonna leave me and thousands like me in tatters and need of a stiff drink by the end.

beddybyes

i think we are favourites. we have played the best and the most consistant rugby.

france are no push over and it will be close but les bleu will have to be on their very best to match us.

the worry is that france will produce one of their exhibition displays. i think they will attempt it and that will be their undoing.

wales need to stick to the game that has made them the toast of rwc2011.

even with hook at fh we will be the better side

dogtooth wrote:if he can maintain a high tempo and play a resonably conservative game while keeping an eye out for an exploitable gap (we all know how dangerous he can be)

This is what made Hook such a good 10 when he burst onto the scene, he just needs to get back to playing it simple, he already carries a threat from just being at first receiver, if bases his game around simple options from there it will mean theres gaps appearing. Especially with Phillips back on form and sniping, and Roberts auditioning for the role of Juggernaut, thats a very dangerous 9 and 12 already, simple things hooky boy, simple things. I honestly think he can become held in a higher regard than the coopers/spencers of this world. However, he needs to play well as a 10 first, then play well as James Hook.

Pragmatic Hook = excellant in my eyes.

I know this is bit 'sucking eggs' statement but we need to get on the scoreboard first, I am happy enough with Hook at 10 but if we have to chase the game then thats when I think he becomes bit of a risk with his passes.

HERSH wrote:Hook isn't a big game player.

F A C T.

[citation needed]

HERSH wrote:Hook isn't a big game player.

F A C T.

Seem to remember him doing rather well on the lush green fields of Twickenham in 2008.....

Comfort wrote:

dogtooth wrote:if he can maintain a high tempo and play a resonably conservative game while keeping an eye out for an exploitable gap (we all know how dangerous he can be)

This is what made Hook such a good 10 when he burst onto the scene, he just needs to get back to playing it simple, he already carries a threat from just being at first receiver, if bases his game around simple options from there it will mean theres gaps appearing. Especially with Phillips back on form and sniping, and Roberts auditioning for the role of Juggernaut, thats a very dangerous 9 and 12 already, simple things hooky boy, simple things. I honestly think he can become held in a higher regard than the coopers/spencers of this world. However, he needs to play well as a 10 first, then play well as James Hook.

Pragmatic Hook = excellant in my eyes.

I agree with this. If he sticks to the basics, works them well, then he can be formidable. Look at Phillips, for example. Focused on his game, getting the basics right, and the Irish defense parted and he had a lovely individual try. I see Hook in the same light, and I think he could have a blinder.

OH DEAR to quote 2 posts ''he can leave french backsides on the floor, score a miracle try'' WE DONT WANT IT. '' if he sees a gap go for it'' WE DONT WANT IT.

What games have people been watching! Wales do not play like this, thats why we are winning. Miracles and running away from support, or dragging our team across the field away from the pattern we have been following, WE DONT WANT IT!! PLEASE MR HOOK, PLAY LIKE PRIESTLAND, UNSELFISH.

I'm worried about you guys losing Priestland, I thought he looked like a real star in a kind of composed and humble way.

He made a lot of good decisions, mixed things up well, and kicked accurately. Looks like a DC in the making there.

I worry that Hook is a step back to the lateral, monotonous, robotic form of the past.

I'm wondering what a real Welsh die-hard stalwart like Seabiscuit has to say on this matter.

Looks like a DC in the making there.

Kidney is spelt with a 'K'

"Looks like a DC in the making there."

Danny Cips?

HERSH you must have missed the bit where I said "composed and humble" and "looked like a real star" and "made good decisions" and "kicked accurately".

But otherwise I can see your confusion.

I've always rated Priestland, I've never understood why the Welsh rated Biggar ahead of him.

BATH_BTGOG wrote:I've always rated Priestland, I've never understood why the Welsh rated Biggar ahead of him.

Biggar, remember him he was meant to be world class

Bless 'im, hes world class in biggin himself up!

TheGreyGhost wrote:HERSH you must have missed the bit where I said "composed and humble" and "looked like a real star" and "made good decisions" and "kicked accurately".

But otherwise I can see your confusion.

Whats Dwain Chambers got to do with it?

HERSH wrote:

TheGreyGhost wrote:HERSH you must have missed the bit where I said "composed and humble" and "looked like a real star" and "made good decisions" and "kicked accurately".

But otherwise I can see your confusion.

Whats Dwain Chambers got to do with it?

DC=DC Comics=Captain Marvel=Sam Warburton.......................got it?