Wales team for Murrayfield???

First topic message reminder :

Here's the Wales team then:-

WALES: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North, Dan Biggar, Mike Phillips; Paul James, Richard Hibbard, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Ian Evans, Ryan Jones (C), Sam Warburton, Toby Faletau.

REPLACEMENTS: Ken Owens, Scott Andrews, Ryan Bevington, Andrew Coombs, Justin Tipuric, Lloyd Williams, James Hook, Scott Williams.

Sam Warburton, Paul James and Alun Wynn in, Andrews and Bevington on the bench.

Surprised to see Warburton given his place over Tipuric, I guess Gethin is out injured.

Taffineastbourne wrote:

thebluesmancometh wrote:AWJ didn't look great this weekend, decent but no impact like the week before. Coombs has done nothing wrong and is playing in a dominant pack, why should he automatically give his place back up???

Warbs too, for me he shouldve played for the Blues for gametime, but as he hasn't he should stay on the bench, our pack beat Italy up, and were more than a match for France, theres little to suggest the same 8 won't be too much for Scotland to it has to stay the same!

I have given this some further thought and have changed my mind.We should start with AWJ and then strengthen the side by bringing Coombs on when AWJ starts to tire.Sorted

I agree.

From The Guardian
Monday 4th March 2013

Six Nations 2013: Wales set to change winning side for Scotland clash

• Paul James likely to start in place of Gethin Jenkins

• Second-row Alun Wyn Jones is fit and poised to play

Wales' interim head coach Rob Howley has some decisions to make about his Six Nations line-up to face Scotland.

Wales' inclination to name the same team for the second match in succession as they look to break their record of four successive away victories in the Six Nations is being tested by the calf injury sustained by the prop Gethin Jenkins in Italy last month and the return to fitness of the second-row Alun Wyn Jones.

Wales, like their opponents Scotland, will announce their team on Tuesday. Paul James is likely to start in place of the 97-cap Jenkins, who has been plagued by calf strains in recent seasons, while Jones is in line to replace Andrew Coombs to add experience as Wales look to go into their final match against England with a chance of retaining their title.

"The physios are working on Gethin," said the Wales defence coach, Shaun Edwards. "Alun Wyn came back from injury in the middle of last year's Six Nations and made a good impact and his return gives us more strength in the second row. Andrew Coombs has done well and I am sure Rob Howley [the interim head coach] is thinking long and hard about the position; he has the end say."

Wales will keep the same back division and the only other area of contention is the back row.

Sam Warburton, the squad captain, was on the bench in Rome and the choices facing Howley are to leave him there, play him at blindside wing-forward, which was the decision for France in Paris last month before the flanker was ruled out by a neck injury, or bring him back at No7 in place of Justin Tipuric.

Howley's dilemma is deepened by the impact made by Ryan Jones as both a blindside and captain. Wales went to Paris having lost eight successive matches and they go to Murrayfield, where they have not lost since 2007, in confident mood.

"We have got a good record in the Six Nations in recent years," said Edwards. "It is a tournament in which we come alive. We have only conceded three defensive points in two matches – the other 12 have been from scrum penalties.

"If we can continue in that form over the next two games, we are in with a chance," he added.

Edwards said that Wales would be focused solely on beating Scotland, not on substantially improving their points difference, with England facing Italy the following day. "That would be disrespectful to Scotland," he went on. "We just have to win our next two games and hope it leads to the title even if, at the moment, you have to say England are in a healthy position with their points difference."

With Scotland also needing to win by a bundle to have any chance of overhauling England at the top on the final weekend, an open game would suit both sides, who have each scored six tries in the championship so far. All of Scotland's have come from their outside backs compared with five of Wales'.

"I can see the ball being thrown around if it is a dry day with the calibre of players in both teams," said the Wales wing Alex Cuthbert, who has scored five tries in his past seven Six Nations appearances. "We will certainly be looking to exploit space once the game wears down.

"The title is definitely a possibility given the way we have been playing, but no one is talking about the England game. We know we have to keep improving and Scotland will be up for it in front of their own supporters. They have had a couple of victories and the game is a sell-out. There is all to play for."

maestegmafia wrote:From The Guardian

"I can see the ball being thrown around if it is a dry day with the calibre of players in both teams," said the Wales wing Alex Cuthbert, who has scored five tries in his past seven Six Nations appearances. "We will certainly be looking to exploit space once the game wears down.

Fair play to him, five tries in seven Six Nations games isn't too shabby.

I think this is right - my prediction is its decided by the odd try from 5 ie both sides will score a couple

At least the weather prediction is dry for Sat so hoping for a fast and open game with lots of points, ideally for Wales.

There has been some classic matches over the years between the two teams, with some spectacular tries.

On the contrary there has also been some very dull games.

With the way the two teams are looking like lining up I imagine Scotland will be trying to play some glamourous rugby and that will hopefully encourage Wales to throw the ball about a bit more.

Apparently Wales have been working hard on their back line moves from the set piece to open gaps in Scotland's defence.

I know many fans on this board think it would be great to see more per planned intricate moves in attack, like cuthberts effort against Italy.

Back line moves? Don't tease me, Maes!

Does getting turned over count as a back line move, Maes?

Max Evans has that one down to a fine art.

George Carlin wrote:Does getting turned over count as a back line move, Maes?

Max Evans has that one down to a fine art.

He does not deserve to be anywhere near the 1st team when it is announced today.

Here's the team:

WALES: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North, Dan Biggar, Mike Phillips; Paul James, Richard Hibbard, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Ian Evans, Ryan Jones (C), Sam Warburton, Toby Faletau.

REPLACEMENTS: Ken Owens, Scott Andrews, Craig Mitchell, Andrew Coombs, Justin Tipuric, Lloyd Williams, James Hook, Scott Williams

So Tipuric is rewarded with a bench place after two decent performances. Has Warburton done enough to get his starting spot back (but not the captaincy I see)

Someone on Scrum V, think it was Delme, suggested RH would pick the team he intends to play Eng v Scots.

AWJ will solidify our lineout and bring much needed experience but Coombs will make an impact as will the rest of a strong bench

Well done RJ for retianing captaincy much deserved, it will keep Sam , who i sno Capt, honest and I feel for Tips but he will go on the rampage as the game opens up

I guess Warbs has been given a chance to win back his shirt to face England - hence why Ryan remains as captain.

If Warbs doesn't perform I expect Tipuric to face England.

Happy with the other chances, although it is a pity Gethin gets injured just as he returns to form - hopefully he will be back for England

We will miss Geth but James will show his worth at scrum time which will be a humdinger....yes I expect Sam to target breakdowns and carry with renewed vigour or both England and Lions will be gone.

My gussett runneth over

Coombs will be miffed. AWJ was pretty average against Munster wheras Coombs has been good and consistent in his outings for Wales.

As a Scottish fan, the relief of not seeing Tipuric & Lloyd Williams in the 1st XV was massive.

As a Blues supporter, the relief of not seeing Lloyd Williams in the starting lineup was massive

Here's the team:

WALES: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North, Dan Biggar, Mike Phillips; Paul James, Richard Hibbard, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Ian Evans, Ryan Jones (C), Sam Warburton, Toby Faletau.

REPLACEMENTS: Ken Owens, Scott Andrews, Ryan Bevington, Andrew Coombs, Justin Tipuric, Lloyd Williams, James Hook, Scott Williams.

wales606 wrote:As a Blues supporter, the relief of not seeing Lloyd Williams in the starting lineup was massive

Do you not think he has improved a great deal lately?

I'd have kept Tipuric in the side - but then again, Tipuric off the bench is more of a gamechanger than Warburton off the bench.

Still, Tipuric is playing better so should be starting.

[quote="maestegmafia"]

wales606 wrote:As a Blues supporter, the relief of not seeing Lloyd Williams in the starting lineup was massive[/quote
Do you not think he has improved a great deal lately?

Improvement in his 40 minutes off the bench for Wales does make up for a season of complete ineptitude.

Such a selection of threads to choose from on this one!

Hmmm, let me see. I do ever so like the liqueurs.... Wales Team (with the whiskey in the middle) to face the Scots (IrnBru)

Yeah, that's the thread for me. Sorry folks but I'm off to that one to give my opinions.

[quote="wales606"]

maestegmafia wrote:

wales606 wrote:As a Blues supporter, the relief of not seeing Lloyd Williams in the starting lineup was massive[/quote
Do you not think he has improved a great deal lately?

Improvement in his 40 minutes off the bench for Wales does make up for a season of complete ineptitude.

To be fair, you could be talking about pretty much any facet of Welsh rugby there, from Region, international performances or coaching...

More poor wumming from you jimpy...very very dull

The press are making a huge deal about the fact that RJ is still captain and not Warbuton. Is it really that much of a thing? Seems to me to be perfectly sensible to let the man concentrate on his game given his recent lack of match practice.

I agree, keeping Jones as captain makes perfect sense. It's also obvious that Warburton will be replaced with Tipuric as some stage in the game if all goes to plan, so why not elect a captain who is down for the full 80 minutes.

A good call from Howley.

Not a WUM though, unless WUMMING is stating the bleeding obvious. If so then yes, a WUM is what I am.

Happy with the starting 15. Bit confused by the bench though, Andrews and Mitchell are both TH's, Paul James covers TH as well if need be so where's the LH cover(Bev)? An early injury to James might make the scrums difficult for Wales.

What's the point in retaining Bevington in the welsh camp (meaning he misses 2 important Pro12 games) when he isn't even called up to the bench when Gethin Jenkins is injured?

Pete, can you merge this with the pre exisiting selecrtion thread?

Right looks like i was on wrong thread! Bev and Andrews now on the bench right??? Makes sense but wheres Mitchell?

ignore previous message. sorry.

You're very jumpy, Jimpy.

I don't see people's logic behind Coombs' omission. He hasn't done anything wrong in the lineout to warrant dropping. I'm not saying I'd have started him, but I'd probably use a better line of reasoning like he was pretty quiet last game and caused two turnovers when carrying. There was nothing wrong with his set piece work.

Warburton coming in, I don't understand. His dad mentioned how he's lacking in confidence on twitter the other day, so why place him under this much pressure? Also what has Tipuric done wrong really?

Rev, I agree with you regarding Coombs. I personally would have replaced him because hes been turned over a couple of times in every game so far and he hasnt been that good at the breakdown. You know what AWJ will give you and I think Coombs is better placed coming off the bench to make an impact, he can also cover 6 allowing us to have whichever 7 we're not using on the bench which gives us options.

I would have had Tips starting though, he hasnt dominated a game yet but hes been everywhere making a nusiance of himself in defense and hes making the extra yard or 2 in contact (using his excellant footwork, not through power - to clarify) that helps set a platform. I'd like to see him given the ball in a bit more space to link with the backs but that'll come. I think this was a bad decision but the scots do have a big powerful pack and I guess the coaches think Warbs is better suited to play against that and it gives him a chance to reclaim his jersey. I can understand it at least.

Happy with the team in general, we have the players to come on and make an impact from the bench, Owens/Coombs/Tips will bring more mobility to the pack and present a different obstacle to the starting 8.

Looks like our strongest possible side, given the Gatland/Howley preferences.

I'd have played Tips, Ryan and Warbs in the backrow and Hook at 10, obv, but then I am more significantly more creative and attack minded than the current coaches.

Fingers crossed Gameplan Bishbosh is enough against the Scots! Game on, gentlemen.

Looks as if Howley is learning (or Gatland), starting to go up in my estimation, the big test is when Lydiate returns will he go back to players that have not proved themselves (e.g., Warburton, Gethin, JR and Lydiate). I think it is worth giving Warburton a game but it should have been with the Blues last weekend (like AWJ for the Ospreys) but there are different rules for some players in the squad.

Warbs over Tipuric irks me a bit considering the latter has done nothing to lose out. He's been hitting the breakdown faster and presents more of a prominent pilfering threat than Sam was able to prior to his injury. Hopefully he'll choose this game to hit some form otherwise we've missed out on a chance to disrupt the Scottish breakdown.

Why drop Mitchell off the bench?

Glas a du wrote:Why drop Mitchell off the bench?

I'm assuming he is injured, otherwise there is no reason at all.

That's what I thought. ASBO seems to think he's not though, and he's umbilically linked to Exeter.

he's umbilically linked to Exeter.

So he isn't heading to Cardiff next season then?

ASBO not Mitchell!

Did Tipuric have a really bad last time out. I thought he had a good game to be honest. Cannot understand what he did to drop him from the starting line up and bring back Sam Warburton.

Is Howely truly incharge of Wales? Or is Gatland pulling the strings still.

Just dont understand the logic of dropping Tiperic to the bench for an out of form Warburton.

Dont really see why the fuss over Tips being dropped. He hasnt played badly but not great either. And id imagine he going to feature anyway, and like someone said, a fresh Tips coming on against tiring opposition could be a real game changer. If Warbs has a mare and then still retains the shirt against Eng then its a different story.

kingjohn7 wrote:Dont really see why the fuss over Tips being dropped. He hasnt played badly but not great either. And id imagine he going to feature anyway, and like someone said, a fresh Tips coming on against tiring opposition could be a real game changer. If Warbs has a mare and then still retains the shirt against Eng then its a different story.

I agree. He's put in two admirable performances. Nothing majorly impressive.

Rugby is now a 23 man game.

Which is why Howler is a prat. When BBC Wales were asking he should have said "Tipuric remains an integral part of the match day squad. We have plans for him."

Glas a du wrote:Rugby is now a 23 man game.

Which is why Howler is a prat. When BBC Wales were asking he should have said "Tipuric remains an integral part of the match day squad. We have plans for him."

Why?

Putting tips on the bench could be a great way of maintaining the competition for the 7 jersey. They both want to earn their place, this is warbs chance, if he isn't exceptional he'll be off by half-time, if he is he'll be off by 60 and we'll have a hungry tips with 20-40 mins to earn the place for next week. A good performance isnt good enough, outstanding is the.benchmark to get the nod for england. Genius really.
And is it apparent that. The captaincy is shouldn't be given so early to young players. Ryan lost form when holding the captaincy and now warbs. Ryan is far more mature now and seems more able to lead the team and play well. Warbs was a fantastic.player.in the rwc. But not a great leader. As soon as the Poopie hit the fan in summer and autumn and wales needed a leader his.form went.

21!!!

I thought Duncan Weir was 40!