Wales Back-Ups fail to impress

It's been two weeks since Wales played Ireland at the Millenium Stadium and Warren Gatland's selection issues still remain difficult. The side that took the field was severely outplayed by a better drilled and more assured Irish side. The problems stemmed from a woeful ability to look after possession by the Wales forwards, at scrum time the young front row were picked apart by much more experienced Irish forwards, the line-out looked okay if a little clunky, however the real issue was the breakdown battle.

The selection of Wales' back row proved their downfall in the end, especially in tandem with their second rows. With the two second rows looking to carry the ball around the breakdown, and both Moriarty and Baker wanting to offer a hard carry slightly further out, and then the marvellous Tipuric even further out than that. It meant that Wales had a severely limited amount of people actually

Moriarty carries the ball

supporting the ball carrier's as they went into contact, this against a team which is renowned for their ferocity at the point of contact. Things noticeably improved when Baker was replaced with Faletau - who has built a reputation for working hard at the breakdown - and Wales begun to look after the ball during phase play a lot more. It is certainly something that the coaching team must have noticed and something they'll have to take into consideration when it comes to the important games. In the end Hibbard was the main casualty of the pack, it seems Gatland has been unimpressed with his fitness and line-out throwing skills. Instead keeping the inexperienced ex-flanker Dacey in the squad, which could prove to be risky with neither Baldwin or Owens possessing the same amount of experience that the long-haired Hibbard brought.

Behind a beaten pack the Welsh backline had limited opportunity to show what they were capable of. The two half backs were the major casualties, both James Hook and Mike Phillips - with over 150 caps between them - were ejected from the training squad shortly after the game. Phillips looked s
ome-what like himself in the first ten minutes with two excellent clearing kicks, and bossing his forwards around. However as the game wore on his speed dropped, the ball spent too long at the breakdown and Wales couldn't play at the tempo they wanted, and was demanded by the coaches. Meanwhile James Hook fell into the predicted trap-hole of any player in a trial match, he tried too hard. He always looked to pull of the magical, make the break, instead of offering a controlled presence and manipulating the game, and in the end Wales never looked like threatening.

Hook and Phillips dropped from the squad

In fact the most creative player was Justin Tipuric who once again produced a mesmerising display of

Tipuric scores the try of the game

skill, passing, and intelligence. He has made a yet another big claim for Gatland to select him in the starting line up alongside Warburton. Especially after producing (and scoring) without a doubt the try of the game, linking up with the two Dragon youngesters Amos and Morgan who managed to show why they were in the training squad if little else. Eli Walker also staked a claim for a place in the final 31 with a fine display in attack, almost scoring a fantastic try which showed a glimpse of his finishing ability - something Wales have been missing since Cuthbert has lost his form. From the bench Matthew Morgan showed excellent attacking intent making multiple half breaks, although it was
against a tired Irish side, he could certainly be a wildcard selection especially if Gatland is looking to rack up the points against the likes of Uruguay. Perhaps those who did the greatest job from the replacements bench were the Cardiff Blues half-backs. Lloyd Williams showed a marked increase in pace at releasing the ball compared to Mike Phillips, if nothing spectacular. Gareth Anscombe however showed a little bit as to why Gatland brought him over from New Zealand. Nothing perhaps to the level of incumbent Dan Biggar, but he certainly brought a level of control to the red-shirts that was missing with Hook, executed his kicks to touch with calm assurance and to round off a good debut claimed a lovely assist with a well chosen looped miss pass to send Cuthbert in unopposed. He could be fighting Priestland for that substitute bench.

It's worth mentioning that Wales' defence was pretty poor against Ireland, however that is likely down to missing their ever present defence captain in Jamie Roberts organising the defensive line. Although Alex Cuthbert's infamously well documented positioning was caught out twice down the blindside giving Ireland simple tries, and it something that has to be cut out by the World Cup, either by cutting the problem out or serious work from the coaching staff, especially with Liam Williams still remaining injured.

Cuthbert at risk?

So with one week left till Wales head to Ireland for the replay and the final chance for players to fight for positions in the World Cup and match day squads, it's expected to be an all but full-strength Wales side put out next weekend. Most positions are spoken for, although three big selection questions remain. Can Tomas Francis fill the big void left by the injured Samson Lee at tight-head, it's a big ask for a test débutante but he has been playing well in the Aviva Premiership. Who will (momentarily) fill the gap left by the creative Liam Williams at wing? Will Gatland revert to type at give Cuthbert one last chance to show the form he had, or will he give the youngsters a chance to claim the shirt.
Hallam Amos appeared more confident at winger than fullback last time out and Eli Walker could bring a certain spark that has been missing. And lastly can Scott Williams cope with the pressure of playing at outside centre, he has shown many times his ability at Test level, but normally at inside centre, playing in the 13 shirt brings a very different defensive mentality. Could Wales be better off selecting a true outside centre in Tyler Morgan in the long run?

Can Francis cope at Test level?

Suggested Wales 23 vs. Ireland (29/08)
Backs:- L Halfpenny, H Amos, S Williams, J Roberts, G North, D Biggar, R Webb
Forwards:- G Jenkins, S Baldwin, T Francis, AW Jones, L Charteris, D Lydiate, S Warburton, T Faletau
Replacements:- K Owens, P James, A Jarvis, J Ball, J Tipuric, G Davies, R Priestland, E Walker

Suggested World Cup 31
Backs:- L Halfpenny, L Williams, G North, H Amos, E Walker, J Roberts, S Williams, T Morgan, D Biggar, R Priestland, G Anscombe, R Webb, G Davies, L Williams
Forwards:- G Jenkins, P James, N Smith, S Baldwin, K Owens, K Dacey, S Lee, T Francis, A Jarvis, AW Jones, L Charteris, J Ball, R Moriarty, S Warburton, D Lydiate, T Faletau, J Tipuric