Wales v Japan 19/11/16

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WALES v JAPAN
19 November 2016
KO: 14:30
Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Assistant referees: John Lacey (Ireland), Craig Maxwell-Keys (England)
Television match official: Eric Gauzins (France)
Assessor: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)

Wales played 9 Won 8 Lost 1

Wales: Liam Williams; Halfpenny J Davies, Roberts, Cuthbert; Anscombe, Lloyd Williams; Smith, Baldwin, Lee, Hill, Alun Wyn Jones, Lydiate, Warburton (capt), King.

Replacements: Dacey, Gill, Andrews, Ball, Moriarty, G Davies, S Davies, Giles.

Japan: Matsushima, Yamada, Lafaele, Tatekawa, Fukuoka, Tamura, Tanaka; Nakatani, Horie, Hatakeyama, Kajikawa, Anise, Ilaua, Nunomaki, Mafi

Replacements: Hino, Yamamoto, Ito, Helu, Matsuhashi, Mimura, Uchida, Lotoahea

This is a potential banana skin game for us, IMO we cannot treat Japan with contempt and select a completely different team from last weekend, we should try to bed in a couple of alternatives to our first choices in crucial positions.

rumpelstiltskindoh wrote:

uncle_nigel wrote:

rumpelstiltskindoh wrote:so incredibly slow moving the ball from the ruck

That'll be Lloyd Williams then?

amazingly - no. gareth davies apparently is being coached to play like Lloyd

Davies is an attack-minded scrum half, so he must have been under instruction to kick every time. Now if the coaches hadn't realised by that point that Japan looked dangerous running it back, then they really are not up to the job.

Anscombe and Brymoor Jnr are not test quality players.


I think Hill did Ok- steady lineout, some good carries - all that was asked of him.

Hill was alright but I think he needed to carry and hit rucks harder. I wouldn't dismiss Anscombe just yet, as behind Biggar we don't even have a capped fly-half who can do the basics very well - this was his first start at 10 for Wales remember. If I were coach I would be willing to persist but at the same time I wouldn't keep on throwing him into the test arena in the hope that he will soon come good (as was the case with Priestland and Cuthbert).

uncle_nigel wrote:Hill was alright but I think he needed to carry and hit rucks harder. I wouldn't dismiss Anscombe just yet, as behind Biggar we don't even have a capped fly-half who can do the basics very well - this was his first start at 10 for Wales remember. If I were coach I would be willing to persist but at the same time I wouldn't keep on throwing him into the test arena in the hope that he will soon come good (as was the case with Priestland and Cuthbert).

I would, the guy is a liability, my only image of him is missing tackles!
He just bounces off people, it's like playing with 14 men in defense, if not worse because he plugs a gap and lets his opponent through the line, causing havoc.

Shifty wrote:

uncle_nigel wrote:Hill was alright but I think he needed to carry and hit rucks harder. I wouldn't dismiss Anscombe just yet, as behind Biggar we don't even have a capped fly-half who can do the basics very well - this was his first start at 10 for Wales remember. If I were coach I would be willing to persist but at the same time I wouldn't keep on throwing him into the test arena in the hope that he will soon come good (as was the case with Priestland and Cuthbert).

I would, the guy is a liability, my only image of him is missing tackles!  
He just bounces off people, it's like playing with 14 men in defense, if not worse because he plugs a gap and lets his opponent through the line, causing havoc.  

Fly halfs don't like to tackle. Messes with their hair.

They also don't like tackling coz they're the ones that usually have most brains. If their brains get befuddled.......... game over

mid_gen wrote:Japan are in danger of becoming a very good side.

They are so technically switched on, smart players. As someone said, NZ like. If they keep developing their player base they are going to be a serious force.

Were blydi marvelous in the WC just gone.

SecretFly wrote:They also don't like tackling coz they're the ones that usually have most brains.  If their brains get befuddled.......... game over

Like Gavin Henson then.

Well he was an genetic experiment in trying out a flyhalf without a brain

Needless to say, it didn't catch on....................

SecretFly wrote:Well he was an genetic experiment in trying out a flyhalf without a brain

Needless to say, it didn't catch on....................

He's a legend, mun.
Next time you're in Llanelli, pick up a local and throw him to the floor. They love it.

Ah, when I get back to reality, I didn't mind Gavin at all. A little loopy when inebriated it appears but didn't seem all that bad. A wild child. Not everyone can be a dutiful wallflower.

There's a difference in the size of the Japanese players over the years

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/38023857


Two cracking tries.. Remember watching them live at the old National Stadium (aka Arms Park).

Cardiff Dave wrote:

Shifty wrote:

uncle_nigel wrote:Hill was alright but I think he needed to carry and hit rucks harder. I wouldn't dismiss Anscombe just yet, as behind Biggar we don't even have a capped fly-half who can do the basics very well - this was his first start at 10 for Wales remember. If I were coach I would be willing to persist but at the same time I wouldn't keep on throwing him into the test arena in the hope that he will soon come good (as was the case with Priestland and Cuthbert).

I would, the guy is a liability, my only image of him is missing tackles!  
He just bounces off people, it's like playing with 14 men in defense, if not worse because he plugs a gap and lets his opponent through the line, causing havoc.  

Fly halfs don't like to tackle. Messes with their hair.

Cardiff Dai, that's true!

Shifty, I think you're seriously overegging it there. Where were all these missed tackles? My concern is this and it's quite simple; if Biggar gets a serious injury and cannot play then Wales do not have an able deputy to step up. There are a No. of reasons for this and one of them being the selectors favoring Priestland as the second choice when it had been obvious for a while that his international days were over. That is part of the reason why Anscombe has rarely featured at 10 for Wales, was it not his first start at fly-half against Japan? If the selectors think Sam Davies is the one to take over then why have they not given him more game time? Certain players need further development. Howley, McBryde and Edwards cannot give it to them through shear incompetence - that is a concern for me.