Welsh World Cup Squad - Ryan Jones

Ryan Jones will surely make the Wales squad but where does he fit into the team?

Wales have an exciting young back row with players like warburton, lydiate, faletau. all playing with old heads on very young shoulders. is there room for Ryan in the back row now?

Ryan has played a lot of rugby at second row this year but gats has said he isnt an international lock. would there be any room for him in the boiler room?

if selected for the bench ryan could cover the back 5. if he were used off the bench he would bring a cool head and a lot of experience, maybe just what wales would need to close out a game or save one.

or, has Ryan had his day. 50 caps is no mean feat for any rugby player. he has had a great carreer, but not without its ups and downs with injuries and loss of form. is it time for Wales to move on or will Wales need Ryan in RWC 2011?

Despite having knocked him a fair bit early on last season IMO he more than deserves his place in the Welsh Squad but not starting.

He had been playing some good rugby in the second row towards the end of the season.

That said I would:

Pick Davies, AWJ and Charterris ahead of him in the 2ndrow.

Faletau and Delve ahead of him at No8

Lydiate ahead of him at No6 though I would have Jones at No6 ahead of JT.

I'd find a place for him somewhere, though I might give Faletau a game against the Fijians and Samoans. Tongans do love giving them a walloping!

Alyn,

I think 'finding a place for him' is dangeorus tactic. If he best in a position then fine but he's not our best No6 or our best 2nd rower.

He may have experience over Faletau and Delve at No8 but he's not our best 8 on current form.

Bench for me is his best position.

bedfordwelsh:

I fail to see how you say Falatau and Delve are ahead of Ryan Jones!

Faletau is a very promising prospect and played well, in a not particularly competitive BaBaas game. He has also played well, on occasions for the Dragons. He still looks a bit small to me for an international 8. Maybe his future is at 6.

Delve was player of the year for the Rebels, who are the weakest side in their leauge only winning 3 games all season! Despite being 28, he has never been first choice for Wales. He turned his back his national team, so I personally would not have him in the squad.

Jones on the other hand despite not being at his best, is a test lion and ex Wales captain.

I personally think that there is all to play for at 8, next 6 nations Ben Morgan may also come into the mix.

I think we do have a lot of options but I'm not prepared to write off Ryan Jones!
He's only just turned 30 and still has a lot to offer. He's 6'5 and just under 18 stone, frankly we don't produce many players like that.
You do need old work horses in any game and Ryan is one of those, just because Faletau has come on the scene doesn't mean we should put Ryan out to pasture. I think Faletau is a good prospect but he has a hell of a lot to do and learn before he cements himself in that No8 shirt.

He doesn't fit into the squad for the big games, but I'd take him to the WC if I were Gatland. Wales can take 4 props to accommodate him.

Bench for me, if he can even make the bench. The cert's in my Wales 2nd row would be Charteris, Davies and AWJones in that order. Ryan can be back up to those if needs be. If it meant he came into the team at the expense of JT and Martyn Williams then he'd waltz into my squad. On that note hopefully we've also seen the last of Huw Bennet.

Back-row: Lydiate, Warburton, Faletau, Turnbull, maybe Delve.

Props and Hookers: Adam Jones, Gethin Jenkins, Paul James, Craig Mitchell, Matthew Rees, Rich Hibbard, Lloyd Burns.

Seagulf,

I admit he has the edge over them both in terms of experience ( i admitted that in original post) but on current form he is not our best No8 at the moment.

I know a lot has been said about who he played majority of his games with and he ended up doing a lot of the No6 work as well.

But Delve was on of if not the form 8 when he played in England and now in the SH.

Faletau makes the hard yards that I haven't seen Jones make for many a season.

Personally Id have him on the bench, covering the backrow (id start Lydiate, Warbs and Delve) Lydiate can switch to openside if Warbs gets injured.

NJ - I'm coming round to Ryan Jones covering as the 4th lock. I'd take him in that role ahead of Jonathan Thomas personally.

That would mean the 16 forwards being:

Props: Mitchell, Jones, James and Jenkins
Hookers: Rees, Hibbard and Bennett
Locks: Charteris, A-W Jones, Davies and R Jones
Back-row: Lydiate, Warburton, Williams, Falateu and Delve

Exiled,

There's only one problem with that 16 man forward squad you mentioned and its Bennett but we all know he will be there.

If it was a straight choice between Jones and JT to miss out then IMO thats a no brainer, JT is nowhere near as good as Jones at 2row or backrow.

Agree on Bennett, but as you say, he's going so I guess you'll have to live with it.

He'll make a good squad player, useful cover for 4,5,6 & 8. No more. His form has been adequate at best over the last two years. Defends well, supports well but still suffers from that dreadful tendency to drop to the floor imeadiately someone approaches to tackle him. Is he scared of having the ball mauled off him?

He'll make a very useful squad player. Plus he's one of our leaders within the group and has been a good influence on Lydiate and Warburton. I wouldn't be overly surprised to see him start if I'm honest.

Risca,

I wouldn't be surprised likewise I won't be surprised to se Bennett get on plane whether its right or not is another matter

I think Jones will start the crucial games. He may not be flavour of the moment, but he does bring two crucial elements to the team:

1) He has huge experience.

2) More importantly he seems to be one of the few players who makes rational decisions on the pitch - we have too many players making rash decisions (in fact this has been a MAJOR problem in the Welsh team for a few years now).

Also picking him as a backrow player who can also cover the second row gives Gatland the ability to take 5 props instead of 4 without culling one of the backs from the squad

bench option imo Can cover second row 6 and 8. I'd say he is proably our 3rd best lock, our 2nd best 6 and our 3rd best 8.

Good leader and a nice guy to will be a good tourist and a cert to travel

Seagultaf wrote:bedfordwelsh:

I fail to see how you say Falatau and Delve are ahead of Ryan Jones!

Faletau is a very promising prospect and played well, in a not particularly competitive BaBaas game. He has also played well, on occasions for the Dragons. He still looks a bit small to me for an international 8. Maybe his future is at 6.
Delve was player of the year for the Rebels, who are the weakest side in their leauge only winning 3 games all season! Despite being 28, he has never been first choice for Wales. He turned his back his national team, so I personally would not have him in the squad.

Jones on the other hand despite not being at his best, is a test lion and ex Wales captain.

I personally think that there is all to play for at 8, next 6 nations Ben Morgan may also come into the mix.

Faletau was playing the best 8 in the world, and is by far wales' best option at 8 currently (can comment on delve as havent seen him play for ages)
he isint a six you can tell by how he plays, he doesnt make enough tackles for a six and is a big ball carrier (him playing at 6 would also mean no lydiate who is by far wales' most underrated player)

Delve has been plagued with injuries and despite playing for the the worst team in the league the SH guys are raving about him.


for me Ryan Jones is a bench player, played well after his AI humiliation and should go bench due to the positions he can cover.

"I fail to see how you say Falatau and Delve are ahead of Ryan Jones!"

Because Ryan Jones has been garbage for going on two years?

Faletau was outstanding in his first cap and has been for the Dragons for a while. I hope that continues and we'll soon find out if he's given at least half the chances an out of form Ryan Jones was.

I guess it depends what type of ball Wales want. If we have our first choice scrum (well Adam at 3 anyway), then add a dynamic 8 like Toby Faletau off the scrum and we have very good go forward ball. If they want to play our usual kick the ball away game, then they just as well call me up as I could just make a yard off the back of a scrum. Ryan is a good footballer at the base of a scrum, but when it comes down to busting off the back of it, you don't get that with him. You'd think Filo Tiatia or Jerry Collins might have had him doing it more, given that they are both a good few years older but still more dynamic from the base.

Furthermore, I'm sure Gareth Delve has been playing well, but he isn't very dynamic either. What Faletau also offers is that he is exceptional at backtracking and making superb cover tackles and he also plays very much with his head up (example being Ash Smith's try v the Ospreys at RP).

I have no doubt R Jones will be in the squad even with everybody fit. Against SA he will play 8 as part of an effective back row shown in this year's 6N, I can't see three inexperienced back row players against SA, they will field three big lads with lots of experience in the back row. Against Fiji or Samoa I suspect he could be second row or on the bench covering the back five. I would prefer R Jones as the captain as both Wales and the Ospreys were lacking in leadership last season. M Rees will be under pressure from Hibbard as the WC goes on (hopefully to keep Bennett out) so we will need another captain with experience and a brain.

we have a lacked a carrier at 8 since ryan in 2005, has to be toby f and then look at morgan as an option come next 6 nations.

Yep, I really hope Morgan chooses Wales next year. He'd be some player for us.