Wales Likely To Call Up No10 Cover

by bedfordwelsh Sun 09 Nov 2014, 5:41 am

Early reports say Gatland is likley to call up an outside half cover for Biggar after his injury yesterday so who do people think it will be whose out there?

I guess the obvious choice would be Hook as he then has the versatility element of Hooks game as well what with Halfpenny injured to.

Patchell - Think a lot were hoping he would have been selected i the first place but he is being moved about a lot by the Blues at the moment between 10 and 15.

Tovey - Been inconsistent at best for us this season and has never really figured in Gatlands plans.

O Williams - Playing very well for Leicester and with them using him at 12 as well I guess it adds bit more versatility to his options. Was also originally selected in the SA tour party but ill-discipline let him down but it proves he is figuring in the managements plans.

Have I missed anyone else at the moment? For me I would like to see him take a bit of a gamble and pick Williams.

by Seagultaf Sun 09 Nov 2014, 8:34 am

Common sense dictates that it should be Owen Williams, he seems to have displaced Burns as first choice and is a first choice kicker, which with Biggar and Halfpenny injured is of real value to Wales.

Hook has been tried at 10 and failed at Ospreys, Perpignan and Wales and is struggling to establish himself at Gloucester. Tovey and Patchell have been dropped by their Regions (IMO wrongly in Patchell's case) and Anscombe is yet to play for the Blues.

I also think Williams ability to play centre will be useful with injuries to JD2 and Scott Williams, the squad is well blessed with full backs with Liam Williams, Amos and Prydie.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 09 Nov 2014, 8:58 am

Gets my vote seagul and agree 110% - though feel it may be Hook, hope I am wrong.

by The Saint Sun 09 Nov 2014, 9:40 am

I hope it's not Hook, and I certainly hope Priestland doesn't start against NZ or SA.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 09 Nov 2014, 9:44 am

If Biggars injury is only a groin strain then hopefully he should be ok for those 2 games Saint, I imagine Priestland will start against Fiji.

by The Saint Sun 09 Nov 2014, 9:46 am

What front-row combo would you try for Fiji? As I knew before yesterday then seen it with my own eyes, Jenkins Hibbard (or Baldwin I guess) and Lee are the best when it comes to scrum time. Would you give them more game time together? Or rest them and start the guys we'd expect to be in the squad for SA?

by bedfordwelsh Sun 09 Nov 2014, 9:51 am

I thought James was as good at scrummaging as Jenkins abd Baldwin was better than Hibbard. I think we have to give a start to at least the L/Head and Hooker likely to play in the Boks game so that they have some time together so I would expect to see Jenkins and Baldwin start along with either Rh Jones or Jarvis.

by Seagultaf Sun 09 Nov 2014, 10:58 am

The Saint wrote:What front-row combo would you try for Fiji? As I knew before yesterday then seen it with my own eyes, Jenkins Hibbard (or Baldwin I guess) and Lee are the best when it comes to scrum time. Would you give them more game time together? Or rest them and start the guys we'd expect to be in the squad for SA?

It certainly looked that Hibbard was the weak link in the scrum as Wales scrum improved significantly, particularly on the tight head when Baldwin came on. Hopefully Gatland gave him a kick up the backside and told him that he has to scumage as well as run around the pitch!

I would expect Lee to be rested after his exertions on Saturday, can Wales risk starting with Rhodri, or will Jarvis (who has also struggled at scrum time recently) start? Baldwin and James to make up the three.

Alan Wyn and Ball were superb yesterday and both must be inked in for the All Blacks, so may be give Charteris and Bradley a start, Baker maybe at 8, Lydiate has to start as he looked unsurprisingly rusty on Saturday.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 09 Nov 2014, 11:14 am

Sea,

I though Lydiate looked good considering how little he has played, he tackled himslef to stand still by the end as for the T/Head with no Adam Jones we have little option but to start either Rh Jones or Jarvis really.

Hibbard seems intent on the big hit all the time, don't get me wrong a massive hit like he can put in really galvanises a side but a few times yesterday he rushed out for the hit but missed which then left a gap.

Lee put in a great effort so I would definately rest him against Fiji, agree on the 2nd row changes but how many changes should he make. You could make a case for virtually a complete new starting XV but that would be way to much in my book and asking for trouble.

by The Saint Sun 09 Nov 2014, 11:59 am

I think Jenkins has been our best scrimmaging LH for a while, I don't get what people see in James. He doesn't exactly make an impact off the bench either, Jenkins can do both. People must be holding that seeing to from scrum dr Poite at Twickenham against him, he was unlucky there IMO.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 09 Nov 2014, 12:09 pm

Saint,

My view on it is that Jenkins has never been renowned as a destructive scrummager (remember in 05 he wasn't even first choice but D Jones got inured and well he's never looked back), he can scrummage of course he can but what he brought to the party was his all round ability, his tackling, his loose play and workrate around the park and on the ground.

He has lost some of that over the years now through his numerous injuries and the toll taken on his body so I think on scrummaging alone James has been better and he has been in great form for Bath.

I think its worked well that we have had the both of them and that they have different strengths to their game. We do however need to start developing their replacements and young Smith seems a great prospect.

by The Saint Sun 09 Nov 2014, 1:53 pm

Anyway, I think it will be either Owen Williams or Rhys Patchell. It would depend on Williams' availability. Remember Patchell can still play the play-maker role well, even from 15, so reverting back to 10 will be no problem.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 09 Nov 2014, 2:21 pm

Well Williams will be available for the Fiji and ABs game as they are inside the window but he won't be free for the Boks.

by glamorganalun Sun 09 Nov 2014, 2:21 pm

The Saint wrote:Anyway, I think it will be either Owen Williams or Rhys Patchell. It would depend on Williams' availability. Remember Patchell can still play the play-maker role well, even from 15, so reverting back to 10 will be no problem.

Agree with your logic as Williams and Hook will not be available for SA game. Not sure Patchell is fit but unlike Priestland he offers potential.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 09 Nov 2014, 2:28 pm

Judging by the original squad picked he always intended for it to just be Biggar and Priestland so he might just want cover for those 2 games if he thinks Biggar will be fit in time for the Boks.

by Guest Sun 09 Nov 2014, 5:58 pm

Looks like theyve called up Hooky

by bedfordwelsh Sun 09 Nov 2014, 6:07 pm

Well its no surprise but a shame, think the opportunity to call up Williams has been wasted for now.

by Guest Sun 09 Nov 2014, 6:26 pm

Shame Rhys Patchell is now injured for 2 months, Owen Williams was probably our only other likely candidate.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/wales-fly-half-crisis-worsens-rhys-8077535

by Seagultaf Sun 09 Nov 2014, 6:46 pm

Could be Hookeys last chance chance saloon. His style of running across the pitch and playing off the cuff unstructured rugby, does not fit well into the modern game. From the statement issued, he is probably now behind Patchell and Anscombe is also likely to be ahead of him at 10. Halfpenny, Sangay and now Prydie and Amos are ahead of him at 15.

I would have liked to see Williams get a chance, but Hook has been a regular with the squad so will probably fit in quicker. Being without Biggar and Halfpenny significantly weakens Wales goal kicking, Priestland has been inconsistent again this season and Hook has not been kicking for Gloucester.

by bedfordwelsh Sun 09 Nov 2014, 6:47 pm

Well if we have him and Webb playing together intercept city Wink

by maestegmafia Sun 09 Nov 2014, 7:27 pm

Seagultaf wrote:Could be Hookeys last chance chance saloon. His style of running across the pitch and playing off the cuff unstructured rugby, does not fit well into the modern game. From the statement issued, he is probably now behind Patchell and Anscombe is also likely to be ahead of him at 10. Halfpenny, Sangay and now Prydie and Amos are ahead of him at 15.

I would have liked to see Williams get a chance, but Hook has been a regular with the squad so will probably fit in quicker. Being without Biggar and Halfpenny significantly weakens Wales goal kicking, Priestland has been inconsistent again this season and Hook has not been kicking for Gloucester.

I thought Priestland played well when he came on for Biggar. He's been playing well for Scarlets too.

by The Saint Sun 09 Nov 2014, 7:32 pm

What a backwards step the Hook call-up is. It gives us two 10s that can single-handedly lose the game. Priest certainly hasn't been playing well for Scarlets, every time he gets his hands on the ball I'm now on the edge of my seat for all the wrong reasons and I can't remember another player ever doing that to me.

by glamorganalun Sun 09 Nov 2014, 7:54 pm

Gatland now has egg on his face after one game only having two flyhalves in the squad (if you can call Preistland a flyhalf) which was questioned by many on this forum. Hook will probably find himself playing fullback, I would not blame Hook if he told the coaaching team to take a long walk on a short pier for the way he has been treated.

by Jhamer25 Sun 09 Nov 2014, 9:08 pm

With Bigger out we are in a very tricky situation but i think deep down we all know that Priestland will be starting for the rest of the series.
I think we need to start breeding 2 new 10's which doesn't mean hook and Priestland. One of those 10 should be Owen Williams and the other patchell. Im also praying that Anscombe comes over hear and lives up to the hype that has been set around him.
However for the rest of the autumn series hook has to be 10. Priesltand consistency has been anonymous with scarlet's and it wont change with wales.
Would like to see a mixture against fiji of starting player who need to proves themselves and some young boys.

1. Nicky Smith - Showed Saturday that Gethin Jenkins is our best all round loosehead and yes that means scrummaging. Paul James is a good club player but he has never shone when he has started. Yes he gave us a stable scrum but thats all he will ever give us and didn't offer anything around the park. I think it's time we start to look past Paul and look at the younger looseheads like smith Rob Evans and gill.
2. Scott Baldwin - looks a good prospect and we need cover for hibbard and ken
3. Samson Lee - best he has played all season, hasn't had a great season so far with the Scarlets
4. Luke Charteris - I see Jake Ball and Alyn Wyn as the way forward. Let Bradley and Charteris fight it out for the bench spot
5. Bradley Davies - above
6. Dan Lydiate - thought he played awesome Saturday and i don't think anyone else has said but he started to challenge more at the beakdown which would be great for him to adapt for his all round game
7. Justin Tipuric - deserves the chance to prove himself but again i thought Sam was awesome and will be rested.
8. Dan Baker - has so much to offer and deserves the shot like tipuric
9. Rhys Webb - yes good and bad points but e should stick with him and let him get to grips with the step up to international rugby
10. James Hook - I would stick with him for the rest of the series and this could give him the chance to prove himself
11. Alex Cuthbert - no one else to put there and i wouldn't risk north. Just don;t rate him personally
12. Scott Williams - need to rest Roberts because i thought he was our best player saturday and i wouldn't risk him
13. Johnathan Davies - was close to playing Saturday as we have been told and could do with a game as NZ approaches
14. Hallam Amos - rest north give him a chnace to show what he can do but again very short on good wing options.
15. Liam Williams - thought he played ok against Australia didn't do anything wrong but didn't shine either. With Halfpenny looking to be he needs to step up

by The Saint Sun 09 Nov 2014, 9:12 pm

We can't have Hook 10 rest of the series because he plays in England. He would only be capable of playing there if he had Gavin Henson, Owen Williams or Rhys Patchell at 12.

by glamorganalun Sun 09 Nov 2014, 10:13 pm

Just read on Wales on line about BBC sport making a mistake about Jake Ball calling him Jake Ballsack! Very Happy

by Jhamer25 Sun 09 Nov 2014, 10:35 pm

The Saint wrote:We can't have Hook 10 rest of the series because he plays in England. He would only be capable of playing there if he had Gavin Henson, Owen Williams or Rhys Patchell at 12.

Oh yes. Were screwed then as far as I see it because I don't trust priestland to do a job at all. Doh

by bedfordwelsh Mon 10 Nov 2014, 5:34 am

Jhamer25 wrote:With Bigger out we are in a very tricky situation but i think deep down we all know that Priestland will be starting for the rest of the series.
I think we need to start breeding 2 new 10's which doesn't mean hook and Priestland. One of those 10 should be Owen Williams and the other patchell. Im also praying that Anscombe comes over hear and lives up to the hype that has been set around him.
However for the rest of the autumn series hook has to be 10. Priesltand consistency has been anonymous with scarlet's and it wont change with wales.
Would like to see a mixture against fiji of starting player who need to proves themselves and some young boys.

1. Nicky Smith - Showed Saturday that Gethin Jenkins is our best all round loosehead and yes that means scrummaging. Paul James is a good club player but he has never shone when he has started. Yes he gave us a stable scrum but thats all he will ever give us and didn't offer anything around the park. I think it's time we start to look past Paul and look at the younger looseheads like smith Rob Evans and gill.
2. Scott Baldwin - looks a good prospect and we need cover for hibbard and ken
3. Samson Lee - best he has played all season, hasn't had a great season so far with the Scarlets
4. Luke Charteris - I see Jake Ball and Alyn Wyn as the way forward. Let Bradley and Charteris fight it out for the bench spot
5. Bradley Davies - above
6. Dan Lydiate - thought he played awesome Saturday and i don't think anyone else has said but he started to challenge more at the beakdown which would be great for him to adapt for his all round game
7. Justin Tipuric - deserves the chance to prove himself but again i thought Sam was awesome and will be rested.
8. Dan Baker - has so much to offer and deserves the shot like tipuric
9. Rhys Webb - yes good and bad points but e should stick with him and let him get to grips with the step up to international rugby
10. James Hook - I would stick with him for the rest of the series and this could give him the chance to prove himself
11. Alex Cuthbert - no one else to put there and i wouldn't risk north. Just don;t rate him personally
12. Scott Williams - need to rest Roberts because i thought he was our best player saturday and i wouldn't risk him
13. Johnathan Davies - was close to playing Saturday as we have been told and could do with a game as NZ approaches
14. Hallam Amos - rest north give him a chnace to show what he can do but again very short on good wing options.
15. Liam Williams - thought he played ok against Australia didn't do anything wrong but didn't shine either. With Halfpenny looking to be he needs to step up

Jh,

Agree and dis-agree with a few options there,

Agree about looking for new props and that includes Jenkins to, I thought James had a good game and tackled very well. Yes Jenkins looked god as well but can he last full game these days? Baldwin also looked good and infact our scrummaging improved when Hibbard went off. Lydiate tackled everything that moved again and considering his lack of game time his work rate was huge.

Dis-agree on the half backs but in Webbs case only in the fact that if he plays against Fiji then he is likely to play in all 4 so I would give him a rest next week (same with Lee so use Jarvis or Jones) and use Phillips and Rh Williams. Why stick with Hook he's had 75 chances to prove himself and has never convinced any (not just Gatland) of his coaches totally. I would have called up Williams from Leicester.

by gavstar Thu 13 Nov 2014, 1:42 pm

Oh dear no !!! Hook a chance to prove himself!!!! He has proved he cant do 10 everywhere hes been
15 at perpignan, and hes no 15 either!!!
He is not playing well at gloucester and
not even the kicker.To be benched and
may not even come will be worse for
hook than not making the squad and
quietly finishing his career. Also theres
a chance if he comes on and loses us
the game by missing a kick or turned over and gifting one his game could slide even further at his club, as it did after that bog rwc he had

by maestegmafia Thu 13 Nov 2014, 2:13 pm

gavstar wrote:Oh dear no !!! Hook a chance to prove himself!!!! He has proved he cant do 10 everywhere hes been
15 at perpignan, and hes no 15 either!!!
He is not playing well at gloucester and
not even the kicker.To be benched and
may not even come will be worse for
hook than not making the squad and
quietly finishing his career. Also theres
a chance if he comes on and loses us
the game by missing a kick or turned over and gifting one his game could slide even further at his club, as it did after that bog rwc he had

Where would you play hook?

He is not a bad player, he has attributes that win games

by gavstar Thu 13 Nov 2014, 5:24 pm

Not a bad player true.but there are better at 10 12 and 15 .also has howley said in the press " we are looking at james getting the best out of others"
and he wants the half backs to play within the team model.gats wants hook
to play square not lateral.so , for a guy
on 70+caps its a bit late in the day to
now come up with changing the way he
plays. Have they tried and failed witj him in the past, like other coaches. hook cant help going off plan. In todays game riightly or wrongly you stick to the script.

by maestegmafia Thu 13 Nov 2014, 7:06 pm

gavstar wrote:Not a bad player true.but there are better at 10 12 and 15 .also has howley said in the press " we are looking at james getting the best out of others"
and he wants the half backs to play within the team model.gats wants hook
to play square not lateral.so , for a guy
on 70+caps its a bit late in the day to
now come up with changing the way he
plays. Have they tried and failed witj him in the past, like other coaches. hook cant help going off plan. In todays game riightly or wrongly you stick to the script.

I don't see where anyone has failed with Hook?

As you say he is a good player, not the best flyhalf, centre or fullback we have. Which shows how strong the competition for places is...!

But like you said we have a 70 plus cap player who can fill a roll in the squad covering a few options.

I can't see the failure there. He is an asset.

by gavstar Thu 13 Nov 2014, 7:43 pm

Failed to reach his potential surely. And how come the coaches are now coming out and saying they found it a concern that he plays laterally. They have mentioned it before i would guess and FAILED to get the message over. Anyway good luck to whoever is at ten, because a stiff arm or high tackle is on the cards of we're up as we were last week.

by Cardiff Dave Thu 13 Nov 2014, 7:48 pm

"Hook turns tide to catch England cold"
England 19-26 Wales - Sunday 3 February 2008

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/feb/03/rugbyunion.sixnations

by gavstar Thu 13 Nov 2014, 8:33 pm

I was soooo good 6 yrs ago .give it a rest the baddies out weigh the goodies wums !!!!!

by Casartelli Thu 13 Nov 2014, 9:11 pm

"Hook in fine form this season...." from Gloucester's local paper.

http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/James-Hook-left-Wales-squad/story-23298016-detail/story.html

Perpignan fans voted him player of the year, when he was playing outside half.

It's all moot now, but when he was given a run of games at 10 early in his international career, he was superb. Since then he has been shuffled around all over the backline and subs bench, but has still performed adequately (more often than not) when called upon. An unsung hero of the pro era for Wales.

by maestegmafia Thu 13 Nov 2014, 10:03 pm

He isn't playing badly at Gloucester this season.

I think the lack of confidence shown in Hook and Priestland verges on the ridiculous on this forum.

by The Saint Thu 13 Nov 2014, 10:12 pm

gavstar is right, from what I seen of him at Glaws he isn't playing that well. Twelvetrees is one of the main operators.

by maestegmafia Thu 13 Nov 2014, 10:18 pm

The Saint wrote:gavstar is right, from what I seen of him at Glaws he isn't playing that well. Twelvetrees is one of the main operators.

You said that the other week when Twelvetrees spent all game dropping the ball and running up blind alley's.. Gloucester won well, Hook didn't have a spectacular game that night, but 36 had a shocker.

by gavstar Fri 14 Nov 2014, 12:42 am

I'm yawning now guys/gals. We all know hook was a talent. Flashes have come and gone. BUT every coaching set up he's been with can't be wrong. He loses a 10 shirt they give
him a 12 then hes a 15 disaster. Moved around yes, unfair
no. If he was good enough anywhere he would have kept
the shirt. His fans blame everyone who replaces him.the
stick biggar got taking the 10 at the ospreys was crazy.
The fan base for hook want the old game , and thats it, nostalgia,the way it used to be, rinky dink, oohs and ahs.but thats gone its about control , on and off the pitch. From grass roots up ......but thats another topic......

by samuraidragon Fri 14 Nov 2014, 3:40 am

gavstar wrote: I'm yawning now guys/gals. We all know hook was a talent. Flashes have come and gone. BUT every coaching set up he's been with can't be wrong. He loses a 10 shirt they give
him a 12 then hes a 15 disaster. Moved around yes, unfair
no. If he was good enough anywhere he would have kept
the shirt. His fans blame everyone who replaces him.the
stick biggar got taking the 10 at the ospreys was crazy.
The fan base for hook want the old game , and thats it, nostalgia,the way it used to be, rinky dink, oohs and ahs.but thats gone its about control , on and off the pitch. From grass roots up ......but thats another topic......

It's a little more complex than you say. The complete 10 has both aspects to his game, guile and control. The All Blacks have three guys who can do it, Oz has a couple, and even the Boks have moved on from Morne Steyn, who was a Jenks type kicking machine.

Here in the northern hemisphere, Sexton is pretty close to the complete 10. England have been persisting with the one-dimensional Farrell, but the guys coming up below him have good running games. It wouldn't be a surprise if Cipriani featured in the WC squad and Farrell got displaced. Even the Scots have more guile at half-back now, with the outstanding Hogg getting chosen as fly-half cover for the Lions.

I would say that internationally Priestland has had far more chances @ 10 than Hook and has also had worse form for his club. Hook was chosen player of the year by Perp fans and captained the club on several occasions. Don't forget Dan Biggar had to wait ages before displacing RP - if in fact he has! We don't know for sure. If RP gets the nod, it will be because he is better at following orders.

The larger question is about Gatland's gameplan and overall strategy, as clearly revealed in recent comments from the coaching team about the requirements for the half-backs - forget the fancy stuff and ship it out to Jamie and George. What happened to Halfpenny's running game? Who's the ball-carrier in the backrow?

We know we can do a job on any team in the NH with this approach, but so far we have a worse record against the SH big 3 than Ireland, England and even Scotland. Coincidence? Surely not.

by samuraidragon Sun 16 Nov 2014, 8:36 am

Feel sorry for Hookie having to watch this poor stuff from the bench instead of turning out for Gloucester.

by Guest Sun 16 Nov 2014, 8:55 am

I actually think Hook would have made things worse to be honest, the game was chaotic enough as it was.

by glamorganalun Sun 16 Nov 2014, 10:36 am

IronMike wrote:I actually think Hook would have made things worse to be honest, the game was chaotic enough as it was.

We will never know, how many chances will the current 10 get, he has now even developed the dropped pass, the bounce pass and maintained his kicking skills.

If Hook came on at 60mins at least there was a chance kicking points in both Aus and Fiji games(if on the bench).

by maestegmafia Sun 16 Nov 2014, 10:39 am

Reads like you are squabbling over the lesser of two evils

by Seagultaf Sun 16 Nov 2014, 10:50 am

samuraidragon wrote:
gavstar wrote: I'm yawning now guys/gals. We all know hook was a talent. Flashes have come and gone. BUT every coaching set up he's been with can't be wrong. He loses a 10 shirt they give
him a 12 then hes a 15 disaster. Moved around yes, unfair
no. If he was good enough anywhere he would have kept
the shirt. His fans blame everyone who replaces him.the
stick biggar got taking the 10 at the ospreys was crazy.
The fan base for hook want the old game , and thats it, nostalgia,the way it used to be, rinky dink, oohs and ahs.but thats gone its about control , on and off the pitch. From grass roots up ......but thats another topic......

It's a little more complex than you say. The complete 10 has both aspects to his game, guile and control. The All Blacks have three guys who can do it, Oz has a couple, and even the Boks have moved on from Morne Steyn, who was a Jenks type kicking machine.

Here in the northern hemisphere, Sexton is pretty close to the complete 10. England have been persisting with the one-dimensional Farrell, but the guys coming up below him have good running games. It wouldn't be a surprise if Cipriani featured in the WC squad and Farrell got displaced. Even the Scots have more guile at half-back now, with the outstanding Hogg getting chosen as fly-half cover for the Lions.

I would say that internationally Priestland has had far more chances @ 10 than Hook and has also had worse form for his club. Hook was chosen player of the year by Perp fans and captained the club on several occasions. Don't forget Dan Biggar had to wait ages before displacing RP - if in fact he has! We don't know for sure. If RP gets the nod, it will be because he is better at following orders.

The larger question is about Gatland's gameplan and overall strategy, as clearly revealed in recent comments from the coaching team about the requirements for the half-backs - forget the fancy stuff and ship it out to Jamie and George. What happened to Halfpenny's running game? Who's the ball-carrier in the backrow?

We know we can do a job on any team in the NH with this approach, but so far we have a worse record against the SH big 3 than Ireland, England and even Scotland. Coincidence? Surely not.

There is no argument that Wales are struggling at 10 at present, Biggar is one dimensional, Priestland blows hot and cold. Perhaps Anscombe or Patchell will come through. But Hook is not the answer. Yes he was player of the year at Perpignan, but his reward was that hey bought Camille Lopez who took his shirt, Hook eventually ended up 3rd choice at 10 behind Lopez and Tommy Allen.

Pristland had a curates egg of a game on Saturday setting up two trys but also throwing an interception pass and (one of many Welsh players) dropped the ball. As far as kicking for goal, it's not currently in Gatland's plan, that's 160mins of rugby now without a single penalty attempt.

The problem on saturday was that the forwards did not take the game to Fiji, leaving the backs attacking behind the gain line with a rush defence in their face. It was one of those games where virtually every Wales player had a mare (apart from Liam Williams), hopefully that will not happen too often.

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