Gatland Tells it as it IS

In that like we all know this game on Saturday is being played purely for one reason, MONEY.

Not one minute have the stopped to think about player welfare or burnout after the WC and ceratanly no thought to fdans coming so close to Xmas.

But then again the corporation and hospitality seats be full so the powers at be at the WRU will be happy.

Well that makes a change from the goading which was a regular occurrence pre WC.
Long may it continue.

I can not think of or remember anyone being in denial about why this game is being played since it was announced. The article you read was about Gatland conjuring up new ways to motivate this rag-tag team into beating the Wallabies during post WC burnout.

Rag tag team explain?

The game should never have been played and the WRU are purley guided by money nothing else.

The Aussies have played as many tests as we have lately, more in fact if you count the Barbarians thrashing on Saturday, so logically they ought to be suffering from burnout as much as us.

Aside from the locks, this is largely the team that went through the World Cup morgannwg.

bedfordwelsh wrote:Rag tag team explain?

The game should never have been played and the WRU are purley guided by money nothing else.

A team blighted with injuries, unavailable players and inexperience. Did not say it was bad team though. Aussies are in a similiar position RE injuries.

What is disgusting about this fixture is the use of Shane to sell tickets for this game, this fixture was set up well over a year ago, at that time Shane was only thinking about retiring from Internationals, it was much later he decided and set the date as at the end of the WC, it was only at the WC he extended the retirement date to this game.
This weekend the Blues play Leinster and my team the Ospreys play Munster, Munster have possibly their strongest squad named for this match, will the Regions benefit one penny from this fixture NO, the only money the Regions recieve from the WRU is the television money negotiated for the Rabodirect matches.

Morgannwg wrote:

bedfordwelsh wrote:Rag tag team explain?

The game should never have been played and the WRU are purley guided by money nothing else.

A team blighted with injuries, unavailable players and inexperience. Did not say it was bad team though. Aussies are in a similiar position RE injuries.

Blighted by injuries - Ok missing four to injuries with Jones, AWJ & Charteris being the big losses, Sc Williams coming in for JD2 is not a big loss as he had v good WC. A Jones is always going to be a loss but Davies was recent 1st choice lock and Evans has a huge chance.

Players unavailable - IMO out of the ones unavailable only Phillips would currently be close to being 1st choice, Hook, Byrne, Powell, Mitchell or Peel are nowhere near 1st choice so not worried.

Notice that I said blighted by all 3, not just injuries. Look at the whole squad and who might have been in, not just the starting XV. Seeing as one or two are carrying knocks I'd expect the bench to be unloaded.

Injured: Paul James, Adam Jones, AWJ, Charteris, Davies.
Unavailable: Byrne, Hook, Phillips, Powell, Mitchell.

These are the ones I feel would be involved some way or another in the matchday squad, maybe except for Byrne. All were at the world cup. Hook and Powell would have been considered utility from the bench if picked. That's 10 players, so more than half a team.

Well the WRU has cut their debt down from 60m to 20m so i think we can't exactly complain. The sooner it all goes, the more money will go straight to the regions and grassroots .

Let's hope nobody gets injured playing this meaningless match.
We are doing well in the cups and the last thing the regions want or need is for their key players to get injured.

morgannwg,

Fair enough and I agree that if we were at full strength then all the injured would be involved in some way shape or form along with Phillips and Hook but I think rag tag is very harsh on the team he picked.

After all we have to try and build up our strength in depth so as its a good opportunity for some and agreat one for Evans

He is correct in everything he says.Its not ideal from a purely rugby perspective to play this fixture however it will generate more income than those players playing in robocop fixtures (where they would get just as beaten up) and ultimatley its the money that keeps welsh professional rugby going.

Its quite sensible of swilliams to make this his exit game, it gives him a vague chance of going out on a win, realisticaly they were always going to end the world cup on a loss (unless they hadnt made it ought the group i guess)
I dont think its unreasonable top market the fixture around him either. It needs marketing and if folk are willing to pay to see swiliams retire then thats surely proof the fixture has value for the fans. The fans want to see him play for wales one last time. Its a pity in a way that mwilliams isnt up to it as well, that would have been a great send off for the pair of them and a fabulous night out for the people who have treated them as heroes for over a decade.
Gatlands a gobshine at times but i cant really disagree with what hes said this time.