Wales' Summer Tour to Japan

First topic message reminder :

Not long left of this season, and I imagine there are still a fair few places up for grabs for the Japan tour.

Considering most of the Wales starting 15 will be on the plane to Australia, and a fair few players will be rested it will be interesting to see a few new combonations

1. Ryan Bevington (James rested, Gethin lions)
2. Ken Owens (Hibbard lions)
3. Scott Andrews (Adam lions)
4. Andrew Coombes (Charteris injured, AWJ lions)
5. Bradley Davies (c) (if fit, otherwise James King. Evans lions)
6. Aaron Shinger (Ryan injured, Lydiate rested, Warbs lions)
7. Josh Navidi (Tips lions)
8. Ieuan Jones? Andreus Pretorious? (Faletau lions)
9. Lloyd Williams (Phillips lions)
10. James Hook (Biggar lions)
11. Eli Walker (North lions)
12. Ashley Beck (Roberts lions)
13. Scott Williams (JD2 lions)
14. Tom Prydie? Harry Robinson? (Cuthbert lions)
15. Liam Williams (1/2p lions)

16. Matthew Rees (experience)
17. Rhodri Jones
18. Craig Mitchell
19. James King (Lloyd Peers?)
20. Lewis Evans
21. Gareth Davies/Tavis Knoyle
22. Rhys Patchell
23. Adam Warren?

Reserve props
?

Reserve hooker
Scott Baldwin?

Reserve locks
Lloyd Peers

Reserve backrow
Ieuan Jones/Andreus Pretorious
?

Reserve Halfback
Webb/Knoyle/Davies
?

Reserve Centres
Adam Hughes?

Reserve back3
Tom Prydie/Harry Robinson
?

Cory Allen will be in 20s world cup along with Samson lee and patchell. Owen Williams of blues could go

welshboii15 wrote:Cory Allen will be in 20s world cup along with Samson lee and patchell. Owen Williams of blues could go

I think Allen is now ineligible

Im sure it said on the 7s on weekend that he's going be away at the junior world cup

You can be 20 and still eligible, not sure what specific age the deadline is. Fingers crossed all these guys go to the JWC. We're grouped with Samoa, Scotland and Argentina. If we play well enough and have our best players available we should finish top seeds, likely facing NZ, SA or England in the play-off.

They have to be 20 or under on January 1st of the year they are selected, so anybody who was eligible for the six nations will be for the jwc, Samson Lee missed the cut off date by a month.

The under 20s seems to be a very good competition for the young guys to take part in before they step up.

Considering most of them have had good quality senior, exposure in the regions or premiership, playing in their own age group will give them some good confidence going forward.

Eli Walker can't make tour -- just had back surgery:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/rugbynation/rugby-news/2013/03/26/young-ospreys-winger-eli-walker-out-for-rest-of-season-91466-33066546/

how on earth did Walker get injured so bad he needs surgery? Was it in training in the Wales camp or was he already injured? - don't recall it happening. What kind of injury is it? A shame because the boy is bloody lightning with a great step

sorry Osprey - that'll teach me to read the thread properly before posting!

Jonny Evans must go! Best welsh 9 in Wales!

From the dragons I'd take (presuming faletau is a lion)

J Evans 9 -
I jones 6/8
D Evans
S Perry

- dan Evans is a good player and the whole back 3 could be lions + walker is injured. Perry is a young hooker, he might not go but J Evans n I Jones are class and should definitely go.

Sorry if its been suggested but how about WU20s Jordan Williams and the 9...forget his name..Rhodri Williams ? Daniel Thomas - big blonde back row player. Ethan Lewis - the prop ?

There's actually ALOT of the U20 team I'd take.

Plus Adam Hughes, Steffan Jones, Matthew Pewtner, Lewis Evans, Jack Dixon, Hallam Amos.

That's great but your forgetting about guys like James, Bevington, Rees, Mitchell, Andrews, Lee, Davies, Charteris, Coombs, Shingler, Navidi, L.Williams, J.Evans, Beck, S.Williams, L.Williams, D.Evans, Prydie. All of which will likely be in the 23. Time to stop this obesession with chucking in teen-agers, let them progress with the U20s in a big tournaments environment first.

I wasn't forgetting about them, they were obvious ones....

And the u20s players are used to big pressure tours, they should do fine in Japan

A number of them haven't experienced a big game on the world stage yet. A mix of them with some of the guys from last year would be better for their progression. They would be unlikely to get a game in Japan behind all of those guys, but will play about 5 games at the JWC.

I agree that we should not just throw in kids on the grounds that their 'the next big thing', however I do think we should consider allowing lads who featured in the 6Ns a bit of time off, and the same for some of hte lads who are either just coming back or looking to come back from injury. There is nothing really riding on this tour, the RWC pools have been drawn etc, so lets just use this to test the players at the fringes of the international squad, with the odd experienced players too.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:I agree that we should not just throw in kids on the grounds that their 'the next big thing', however I do think we should consider allowing lads who featured in the 6Ns a bit of time off, and the same for some of hte lads who are either just coming back or looking to come back from injury. There is nothing really riding on this tour, the RWC pools have been drawn etc, so lets just use this to test the players at the fringes of the international squad, with the odd experienced players too.

Not many players got much gametime at the 6Ns - Some of the many capped players coming back from injury may be rested, but I am sure Ashley Beck for example will want to tour

1. Bevington
2. Owens
3. Mitchell
4. Coombes
5. King
6. Evans
7. Navidi
8. Pretorious
9. Lloyd Williams
10. James Hook
11. Robinson
12. Beck
13. Williams
14. Prydie
15. Williams

All those players have been in the squad recently, and failed to get much gametime

Would prefer to see cory allen, patchel, harry robinson, ieuan jones play in the under 20's world cup which wales could have an excellent chance of winning especially given the fairly straight forward route they have to the semi finals. They are in a pool with argentina, samoa and scotland.

Scrumdown I and a number of others agree with you there. I also don't think they would get enough time on the pitch in Japan. I would rather see them tested against the best juniors from NZ, RSA, Eng, etc..

Yep under 20s have the JWC to go to.

Wales Xv could be very exciting though. So many permutations?

Bevington
Owens
Andrews
King
Coombes
Evans
Nalvidi
I Jones
Lloyd Williams
Owen Williams
Prydie
Steven Shingler
Adam Hughes
Tom Grabham
Liam Williams