Are Wales struggling to put out a team next week?

Before this series we were missing, probably our 4 most important players ie

Ryan Jones
Dan Lydiate
Adam Jones
Jon Davies

Whilst we have now got Ryan back the last 2 games have seen up lose

Alun Wyn Jones
Dan Biggar
Matthew Rees
Ian Evans
Hibbard


So that's our tighthead, blindside, both second rows, first and second choice hookers, the form fly half and our best centre.

That's before any other knocks we know about after last nights mugging.

Wales has shown, all to often, that without first choice players we struggle due to lack of depth. I am seriously concerned about what sort of team we can put out.

Well done to Samoa last night.

Wales have always had a policy of not competing on opposition line outs, we now seem to have extended that to not competing at the ruck and scrum as well. Fantastic.

Surely this is a good time to be a Welsh rugby player on the fringe of selection, put in an all guts performance now and the Worlds your oyster.

I agree Laurie. I'd like to think we're in a new World Cup cycle (convenient way of attributing our poor performances!), so we should be trying out some new players now if our ultimate goal is 2015. These injuries will force our hand and get some of the fringe players exposed, in more ways than one probably, and hopefully get those players busting a gut to get into the team to show what the can do. Short term it could be very painful though, especially with NZ next up!

More now than ever, the Rugby season is a slog and a grind. Very long physical seasons with inadequate recovery in between. The sport is no longer about the best XV players, rather about the whole team and including those, as Laurie put it, on the fringes. Its rare now to see a team comprising the best XV as someone is always hurt. Strength in depth is everything. Its now what defines the success of teams.

Strength in depth is so important given rugby is such a physical sport. I recall an article of Jonno during the last rwc and he said on average he had 20% injuries at any one time .... That's 3 players at any given match.

The only teams which tend to be able to replace quality with quality are SA, NZ and France and to a lesser extent England.

However spare a thought for the so called minnows of rugby, the samoas, Argentinas, Fijis and to gas of this world.... They play most matches without a handful of player s due to club commitments... Even during the rwc... Makes Injuries only sound like plain sailing.

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Surely this is a good time to be a Welsh rugby player on the fringe of selection, put in an all guts performance now and the Worlds your oyster.

One might think so but we very few players on the fringe of selection that are any where near international class.
Very sad really.

offload wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Surely this is a good time to be a Welsh rugby player on the fringe of selection, put in an all guts performance now and the Worlds your oyster.

One might think so but we very few players on the fringe of selection that are any where near international class.
Very sad really.

Maybe I'm displaying my ignorance but wouldnt there be hundreds of young players doing everything possible (hard work) to get the eye of the National selectors?

offload wrote:

aucklandlaurie wrote:
Surely this is a good time to be a Welsh rugby player on the fringe of selection, put in an all guts performance now and the Worlds your oyster.

One might think so but we very few players on the fringe of selection that are any where near international class.
Very sad really.

How about James Hook, Lee Byrne, Richie Rees , Andy Powell, Dwayne Peel and, dare I say it, Gavin Henson?

It doesn'y matter what team we put out next week, even if everyone was fit and on form we would still be on the wrong end of a tonking.

Whilst the management continue to insist on our tactis and the players cant or wont change them when its going so obviously wrong then it wont matter one iota.

You can add R Hibbard to the list his arm was in a sling at the end of the game.