Lydiate, Priestland and G Jenkins

All to miss opening 2 games of 6 Nations.

Still, Wales have not been able to put out their first chocie front row since November 2010

advantage ireland then i think, especially as (i think) Roberts is out too

We will be told soon enough who is in or out.

Ireland are truly on their way down if they don't win this.

Cymroglan wrote:We will be told soon enough who is in or out.

What do you mean by that?

Chunky Norwich wrote:

Cymroglan wrote:We will be told soon enough who is in or out.

What do you mean by that?

When the team is announced

Cymroglan wrote:

Chunky Norwich wrote:

Cymroglan wrote:We will be told soon enough who is in or out.

What do you mean by that?

When the team is announced

Well it isn't going to contain the three players above is it, so that's a bit of a worry.

Hook at 10?

Sends shivers down my spine.

Chunky over the years I have heard the press or should I say Western Mail inform us that players are out only for them to be included when the team is officially announced.

Cymroglan wrote:Chunky over the years I have heard the press or should I say Western Mail inform us that players are out only for them to be included when the team is officially announced.

I can confirm these injuries are 100% real.

Wales are set to be without prop Gethin Jenkins and fly-half Rhys Priestland for the start of the Six Nations.

Both players have knee injuries and are likely to miss the opener against Ireland on Sunday week, while Jenkins may be sidelined for up to five weeks.

"Gethin is struggling and could be out for four to five weeks," said Wales coach Warren Gatland at the Six Nations launch on Wednesday.

"Rhys will be struggling for the first game. We're assessing him day by day."

Jenkins limped off during the Blues' Heineken Cup win over Racing Metro on Saturday.

He has stayed behind in Wales to have treatment but is set to go to Poland by the end of the week.

Priestland and flanker Dan Lydiate (ankle) were injured during their European matches, but both players will train in Poland.

Centre Jamie Roberts (knee) is progressing well and will also continue his rehabilitation on Eastern European soil.

Gethin is a huge blow, but Preistland is worse

Hook needs to put the WC behind him and really manage the game.

Paul James is a decent deputy, but we will really miss Gethin in the loose against Ireland (though they may be missing Healy too)

Fingers crossed Roberts and Lydiate will be fit - especially Roberts, if Hook is in the midfield we will need a stronger defence.

Who will cover 10 off the bench? - Henson? Or will they not put a 10 on the bench and hope (what if Hook gets injured just before the game?!)

Call up Stephen Jones - NOW!

They'll have to call up a 10 surely?

It has to be Stephen Jones. Unfortunately for the Scarlets.

Also, does anyone else think this is Hooks last chance if he ever wants a starting position for Wales?

He has been playing regularly at 10 this season - no excuses, this is his chance to impress.

If Preistland and Roberts are out that would be Gatlands wet dream, he could feild Hook and Henson at 10 and 12 without being accused of overlooking better players for his favourites.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:If Preistland and Roberts are out that would be Gatlands wet dream, he could feild Hook and Henson at 10 and 12 without being accused of overlooking better players for his favourites.

His wet dream will become a nightmare when Wales lose by 20 points in Ireland.

I would rather see JD play 12 his natural position as for 10 then the experienced Stephen Jones should be included.

I woulodn't advocate selection of either Hook or Henson in a starting shirt to be honest. I would rather see Beck or Foxy at inside centre, and I would rather see Ceri Sweeney or Matthew Jones starting at fly half than either Hook or Henson.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:I woulodn't advocate selection of either Hook or Henson in a starting shirt to be honest. I would rather see Beck or Foxy at inside centre, and I would rather see Ceri Sweeney or Matthew Jones starting at fly half than either Hook or Henson.

Really!?

Hook had a bad world cup - but he is still a good player.

Peoples opinions seem to change very quickly.

Henson at 10 ? I would rather see young Mathew Morgan play there than him.

Wales 606 - my opinon on Hook has not changed since 2007. I have said he is not a brilliant fly half, but a but of a new Henson, able to fit in where you need to plyg a gap. Maybe saying Matthew Jones over him is a bit harsh, but I really can't see why we only have Hook and Henson as back up fly halves in the squad when (as much as i dislike him) Biggar has not bee too poor this season, neither has Morgan or Tovey.

Paul James IMO is actually a better scrummager, so losing nothing in the tight (although the loose I agree is a big loss). 1/2 penny also a more reliable kicker than Priestland IMO, so losing nothing on the penalty attempts. Of course as far as anyone running the game from 10...........God help us, the cupboard is a bit bare. Unfortunately I believe we'll get a spanking as, unlike a number of other posters, I think that the amazing Irish provincial form in the HEC will definitely translate to dominance at international level too

Form, maybe, dominance- history tells us no. Once you get into the tournament it's purely about a good start and then building momentum game after game...

Well we all know what the excuse will be now if Ireland win..

Reports on BBC Wales says Jenkins out for 5 weeks, Priestland & Lydiate likely to miss the Ireland.

For me Priestland is the biggest loss out of those and thats despite me being a huge Lydiate fan.

James has most probably played more of late than Jenkins and his seen by some as a the stronger scrummager.

Lydiate will he a big loss to but by his absence maybe now people will actually realise how good this lad is and how much work he puts in around the park. I guess R Jones or Shingler maybe will step into replace him.

Priestland, now here's the worry. Out of the initial training squad picked I am guessing Hook will now be 1st choice 10. I am not happy with that as despite hims having the ability to be brilliant we haven't seen that for a while and he isn't in very good from for Perpignan.

I am guessing that Wellies or Biggar (should be Tovey) will be called into the squad as cover.

Jenkins will be a loss in the loose, but with Bevington hopefully on the bench to come on around 60minutes, i have been dubbing in geth mk2, he'll bring a lot of energy. James is a a solid international test player now, he wont set the world alight, but he wont let you down and he'll put his shift in.

Priestland is a massive blow. We've seen Gatland can get the bet out of players, and Priestland at his best at the moment is head and shoulders above anyone at flyhalf in wales.

Lydiate to me is irreplaceable. Ryan Jones doesnt cut it at international level at 6 lanywhere near as Lydiate does. Im hoping shingler impresses and gets his shot at 6 against Ireland if Lydiate is definitely out.

Roberts is a huge miss aswell. Although, hopefully Bevck can carry his form into the 6nations and gets his chance in the centre with JD2. That could be very, very potent in attack. We can still get go-forward from both players, but not quite the forward-destroying runs of roberts.

a mixed bag. against ireland, Lydiate and Priestland are the biggest misses, Lydiate was near perfect against them in the QFs and showed how to tackle Ferris/SOB etc back into their shell. Also, the flank pairing of Lydiate/Warburton has a great understanding and if you watch them they tend to hunt in pairs at the tackle/breakdowns, its partly this understanding and balance thats helped Warbs shine.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Well we all know what the excuse will be now if Ireland win..

Winner of annoying quote of the week!

Having your best players out injured is not an excuse for losing it's a valid factor towards it. What will Irelands excuse be when they don't beat our depleted team?

mckay1402 wrote:

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Well we all know what the excuse will be now if Ireland win..

Winner of annoying quote of the week!

Having your best players out injured is not an excuse for losing it's a valid factor towards it. What will Irelands excuse be when they don't beat our depleted team?

Something to do with a ballboy again probably.

I proudly accept my award.

Seriously though, many teams have to deal with injuries (we have lost BOD for example), and NZ were missing their best players for the majority of the RWC and still won. Wales have players to replace Jenkins, Lydiate and Priestland. Losing a few players isn't an excuse to me. Ireland can say they were missing BOD just as easily.

And I am just dreading the moment that if Ireland win the first comment by one of the welsh fans will be "if only we had such and such" or "well done Ireland, but it was only because we were missing blah blah". Whoever wins are the better team. Simple as that (and of course that goes both ways..).

Chunky Norwich wrote:

mckay1402 wrote:

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Well we all know what the excuse will be now if Ireland win..

Winner of annoying quote of the week!

Having your best players out injured is not an excuse for losing it's a valid factor towards it. What will Irelands excuse be when they don't beat our depleted team?

Something to do with a ballboy again probably.

Although that was a ridiculous moment, I remember on the forums that the Irish fans agreed that Wales outplayed us, regardless of that poor decision. We would have lost anyway. No doubt about that.

Wales only have a first XV that can compete. New Zealand have about 3 first teams that are class.

Another silly comment Rory.

Hang on - what replacement did NZ have for McCaw/Read/Carter in the World cup? They ended up with Donald at 10 in the final. Vito for Read, who isn't that good. No real 7 back-up. Wales have adequate replacements for all of those players.

Think before you post.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Hang on - what replacement did NZ have for McCaw/Read/Carter in the World cup? Vito for Read, who isn't that good. No real 7 back-up. Wales have adequate replacements for all of those players.

Kaino, Read, Thomson, Vito.

Yeah real rubbish

They ended up with Donald at 10 in the final.

3rd/ 4th choice fly half. Wales' 4th choice is Tovey? Matthew Morgan?

You're making youself look silly now.

Chunky Norwich wrote:Wales only have a first XV that can compete. New Zealand have about 3 first teams that are class.

Another silly comment Rory.

Thats a bit harsh. We have plenty of depth, but unfortunately we tend to make excusses for not giving people their chances. The general excuse is 'he is too young, and unproven at international level' or my favourite 'he hasn't been involved for some years and last time he played he had a howler'.

We have Iestyn Thomas and Paul James who are both very competant loosehead props. Yes they are not Gethin Jenkins, but to be fair they are no real liabilities are they.

At fly half we have Stephen Jones, Dan Biggar, Jason Tovey, and even Matthew Morgan (who are not even in the squad) that are very capable fly halves.

In the centre we have heaps of option. Andrew Bishop was meant to be something exceptional a few seasons ago, Ashley Beck is IMO one of the best centres in the country at the moment. Jon Davies was a first choice during the RWC, and Scott Williams has not let the national side down when he has been on the feild (yet).

None of those backrowers are a 7. Vito (who is average at best) was the replacement for Read. Read was injured you fool why are you mentioning him? Thomson was McCaw's replacement (but he is not a 7).

Well done, you recognised he is their 4th choice out-half. Now read this carefully - that is exactly my point. They won a world cup final with a pretty average 10, and didn't make excuses. THey used what was available to them.

You just want to pretend Wales don't have options to replace your 3 musketeers so that you have an excuse if you lose. The point is you have a plethora of back-row options, you beat us in the 6 nations with Hook (I think) at 10. You have options. That is a good thing. Stop pretending you don't.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:

Chunky Norwich wrote:Wales only have a first XV that can compete. New Zealand have about 3 first teams that are class.

Another silly comment Rory.

Thats a bit harsh. We have plenty of depth, but unfortunately we tend to make excusses for not giving people their chances. The general excuse is 'he is too young, and unproven at international level' or my favourite 'he hasn't been involved for some years and last time he played he had a howler'.

We have Iestyn Thomas and Paul James who are both very competant loosehead props. Yes they are not Gethin Jenkins, but to be fair they are no real liabilities are they.

At fly half we have Stephen Jones, Dan Biggar, Jason Tovey, and even Matthew Morgan (who are not even in the squad) that are very capable fly halves.

In the centre we have heaps of option. Andrew Bishop was meant to be something exceptional a few seasons ago, Ashley Beck is IMO one of the best centres in the country at the moment. Jon Davies was a first choice during the RWC, and Scott Williams has not let the national side down when he has been on the feild (yet).

Thank you for having a brain friend and realising having options is a GOOD thing.

Mathew Morgan/ Tovey at test level? That must be a joke. There is no loosehead in Wales wityh Gethin Jenkins work / tackle rate, which is a crucial part of Wales' gameplan.

By the way Rory, you're awfully aggressive. It's only a chat about rugby. Lighten up babycakes.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Well we all know what the excuse will be now if Ireland win..

Was there any need for this comment ? People were just having a good debate on replacements.
Defend your country by all means but do it when it's called for.

Ummm, the only person who has said that Wales will/can use injuries as an excuse for losing is an Irishman

So what are you arguing about New Zealand for?

Cymroglan wrote:

Rory_Gallagher wrote:Well we all know what the excuse will be now if Ireland win..

Was there any need for this comment ? People were just having a good debate on replacements.
Defend your country by all means but do it when it's called for.

It's Rory Gallagher! He's a 10 out of 10 troll.

Chunky Norwich wrote:Mathew Morgan/ Tovey at test level? That must be a joke. There is no loosehead in Wales wityh Gethin Jenkins work / tackle rate, which is a crucial part of Wales' gameplan.

By the way Rory, you're awfully aggressive. It's only a chat about rugby. Lighten up babycakes.

I have shown no aggression though.. but I'm glad you have steered off the topic as you are wrong, and are now making comments about my personality

wales606 wrote:Ummm, the only person who has said that Wales will/can use injuries as an excuse for losing is an Irishman

So what are you arguing about New Zealand for?

Chunky was implying Wales do not have options, and others that it is a valid reason to losing. I was using NZ as an example of a team who recently won the World Cup without their best players, using the replacements they had available.

Chunky made a comment at the top saying "Ireland will really be on the down if they lose this" which sparked my first comment. Clearly that is suggesting we should win just because Wales are missing those players listed.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:
I have shown no aggression though

Name calling is a sign of weakness in my opinion, but I'm willing to look beyond it

but I'm glad you have steered off the topic as you are wrong, and are now making comments about my personality

Not sure how my opinion is wrong, It's just an opinion. I guess that's what you think when you're mind is a closed book though.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:

Chunky was implying Wales do not have options, and others that it is a valid reason to losing. I was using NZ as an example of a team who recently won the World Cup without their best players, using the replacements they had available.

Of course Wales have options. I'll play if they pick me. Trouble is, I'm not as good as Rhys Priestland.

Chunky made a comment at the top saying "Ireland will really be on the down if they lose this" which sparked my first comment. Clearly that is suggesting we should win just because Wales are missing those players listed.

Of course they should. The players replacing them are not even hallf as good. Therefore Ireland should win if they have a RELATIVELY shorter injury list.

How many players do Wales have to be without before it's considered an excuse? 150? 160?

Name calling is a sign of weakness yet you have called me an idiot plenty before on this forum? And silly just on this topic? Just there saying my mind is a closed book. Practice what you preach, friend.

Your opinion is that you have no options? But you do have options. I don't see why you are arguing you have no options when you do, other than to make excuses. Wales have some great depth these days, and that is a good thing. Wales can still beat us just because they are missing 3 players. THey have more than adequate replacements.

So there you go to those above suggesting it is only me saying it is an excuse. Read Chunky's comments. That is why I have been using NZ as an example and saying you do have options. Good options too.

Rory_Gallagher wrote: And silly just on this topic? Just there saying my mind is a closed book. Practice what you preach, friend.

Hardly name calling? That again, is just an opinion, which you seem to be struggling with.

Apologies if I have ever called you an idiot. It is clearly not true.

Your opinion is that you have no options?

Okaaay then..point me to where I said this please.

The options we have are limited. Thats my point.

But you do have options. I don't see why you are arguing you have no options when you do

Yes we do have options.

Wales have some great depth these days, and that is a good thing. Wales can still beat us just because they are missing 3 players. THey have more than adequate replacements.

Yes we have options. Just not very good ones compared to those injured.

Just to clarify: we do have options.

You do have good options though.. this is becoming a cycle now. Refer to your comments throughout this thread that you do not have good enough options (which, just to remind you, you do).

Well I think this little debate has ran its course and I have things to be doing. But I will say I am excited for this game, and I think Wales will be no less dangerous than they were at the world cup. Ireland will have to really put up a fight. Good luck to yous anyway!

Rory_Gallagher wrote:. Refer to your comments throughout this thread that you do not have good enough options

Yay. Finally you said it right.

I think Wales will be no less dangerous than they were at the world cup.

Wales played alot better with Priestland at 10. Wales play alot better when Gethin Jenkins is playing. Ditto Lydiate and Jamie Roberts. 4 crucial players to Gatlands game plan.

Good luck to yous anyway!

And to you

fairplay, you could start an argument over anything online!

Rory, its a pretty obvious thing to state that losing players the calibre of Roberts/Gethin Jenkins/Priestland/Lydiate is going to affect our chances of winning against Ireland in Ireland. 3 of those players were monumental in the last game. No-one had bought it up as a ready-made excuse, merely looking at alternatives and the possible impacts of them not being available.

However, can we all not get so touchy over a comment that was probably made with a smile and the intention of causing a response.

step back, take a breathe, put your left leg in, take your left leg out, now shake it all about.

[quote="Comfort"]
Lydiate to me is irreplaceable. Ryan Jones doesnt cut it at international level at 6 lanywhere near as Lydiate does. Im hoping shingler impresses and gets his shot at 6 against Ireland if Lydiate is definitely out. quote]

Hoo bloody- ray,

I was beginning to think it was only me who appreciates just how good Lydiate is.