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Steely Resolve
by TycroesOsprey Tue Dec 04, 2012 11:17 pm
As 2012 draws to a close the rollercoaster of Welsh Rugby has it seems gone into overdrive this year. From glorious highs to embarrassing lows it has been a massive year. When Wales are good they are very very good, when they are bad they are awful. There are a number of issues that need to be adressed but one is the lack of steely reslove in closing out a game. We have lost 3 games to the second ranked team in the world in the last minutes by giving them the ball. If we have learned anything this year we must address that issue.
The setpiece has been a very mixed bag. The scrum without Adam Jones is not a weapon but at least it has held its own. However the lack of a real alternative at tighthead is the major issue facing the welsh forwards. Jarvis and Andrews have shown up well and Mitchell is to come back so we are developing strength in depth. In Samson Lee we also have a youngster coming through who relishes the scrum and is a destructive tight head. In three years time if he is developed properly by the Scarlets and Wales he could really make a name for himself on the international scene. The lineout has been dire again, changes in personnel havent helped with injuries to our top four locks but this really is a basic building block of a game that needs to be fixed urgently. Charteris proved how important he is to Wales in this aspect of the game. We need to be more streetwise at the breakdown but we are learning there and the addition of Shingler was for me a plus as he brings the Athleticism in the loose as well as doing the dirty work on the floor.
At halfback Phillips hasnt been at his best this autumn but neither has he been at his worst and he is still first choice by default. Its up to Tavis, Lloyd and Rhys to unseat him if they can. However, Wales have suffered from a misfiring ten all year. RP came back from the world cup with an enhanced reputation but his mental fragility is frightening. Only in the Ireland game at the start of the year has he looked confident and its no coincidence that the welsh backs were at there most potent in that game. When Priestland plays well so do Wales but when he misfires so does our whole backline. This problem is exacerbated by Wales playing a crashball at 12 instead of the playmaker. We have got some very potent strike runners but unless they are given the ball in space they will be closed down. The stuttering distribution in the midfield caused by Priestland and Roberts delays the movement of the ball moving wide giving defences time to scramble. Who plays in the midfield in the six nations has to be the big question. Biggar cant really do much more at regional level to prove himself nor can Hook in France so Howley has to think about selection. Similarly with Roberts who has misfired all Autumn, alternatives need to be considered.
Our tactics and selection have been plain wrong at times, Both in the first test in Australia and the match against Argentina Wales failed to pick the form players and suffered the consequences. The 10/12 axis has been stubbornly selected time and time again despite evidence it wasnt working. Howley is at the moment losing any chance he has of gaining the job full time after Gatland leaves. He needs help with the backs and he needs to be more flexible with selection. Our best thirty players are capable of beating anyone in Europe and should have kicked on this year to challenge the SH. A failure in the six nations would be disastrous so the heat is on Howley because these guys are the most talented bunch Wales have had in a very long time.
1. James/Gethin
2. Rees/Hibbard
3. Adam/ Mitchell
4. Evans/Bradley
5. Charteris/AWJ
6. Lydiate/Shingler
7. Warburton/Tipuric
8. Faletau/Ryan
9. Phillips/Tavis/ Williams
10. Priestland/Biggar/Hook
11. North/Brew
12. Roberts/Beck/Henson
13. JD/Williams
14. Cuthbert/Walker
15. Halfpenny/Williams
Barring injury these 33 players should be the basis of our six nations squad and almost all should make it to the next RWC. They are all good enough and if they have learned some steely resolve in the disaster of the Autumn then the next three years should really hold no fears for them.
The setpiece has been a very mixed bag. The scrum without Adam Jones is not a weapon but at least it has held its own. However the lack of a real alternative at tighthead is the major issue facing the welsh forwards. Jarvis and Andrews have shown up well and Mitchell is to come back so we are developing strength in depth. In Samson Lee we also have a youngster coming through who relishes the scrum and is a destructive tight head. In three years time if he is developed properly by the Scarlets and Wales he could really make a name for himself on the international scene. The lineout has been dire again, changes in personnel havent helped with injuries to our top four locks but this really is a basic building block of a game that needs to be fixed urgently. Charteris proved how important he is to Wales in this aspect of the game. We need to be more streetwise at the breakdown but we are learning there and the addition of Shingler was for me a plus as he brings the Athleticism in the loose as well as doing the dirty work on the floor.
At halfback Phillips hasnt been at his best this autumn but neither has he been at his worst and he is still first choice by default. Its up to Tavis, Lloyd and Rhys to unseat him if they can. However, Wales have suffered from a misfiring ten all year. RP came back from the world cup with an enhanced reputation but his mental fragility is frightening. Only in the Ireland game at the start of the year has he looked confident and its no coincidence that the welsh backs were at there most potent in that game. When Priestland plays well so do Wales but when he misfires so does our whole backline. This problem is exacerbated by Wales playing a crashball at 12 instead of the playmaker. We have got some very potent strike runners but unless they are given the ball in space they will be closed down. The stuttering distribution in the midfield caused by Priestland and Roberts delays the movement of the ball moving wide giving defences time to scramble. Who plays in the midfield in the six nations has to be the big question. Biggar cant really do much more at regional level to prove himself nor can Hook in France so Howley has to think about selection. Similarly with Roberts who has misfired all Autumn, alternatives need to be considered.
Our tactics and selection have been plain wrong at times, Both in the first test in Australia and the match against Argentina Wales failed to pick the form players and suffered the consequences. The 10/12 axis has been stubbornly selected time and time again despite evidence it wasnt working. Howley is at the moment losing any chance he has of gaining the job full time after Gatland leaves. He needs help with the backs and he needs to be more flexible with selection. Our best thirty players are capable of beating anyone in Europe and should have kicked on this year to challenge the SH. A failure in the six nations would be disastrous so the heat is on Howley because these guys are the most talented bunch Wales have had in a very long time.
1. James/Gethin
2. Rees/Hibbard
3. Adam/ Mitchell
4. Evans/Bradley
5. Charteris/AWJ
6. Lydiate/Shingler
7. Warburton/Tipuric
8. Faletau/Ryan
9. Phillips/Tavis/ Williams
10. Priestland/Biggar/Hook
11. North/Brew
12. Roberts/Beck/Henson
13. JD/Williams
14. Cuthbert/Walker
15. Halfpenny/Williams
Barring injury these 33 players should be the basis of our six nations squad and almost all should make it to the next RWC. They are all good enough and if they have learned some steely resolve in the disaster of the Autumn then the next three years should really hold no fears for them.
TycroesOsprey- Posts : 1839
Join date : 2011-06-01
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