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Halfpenny ruled out of England clash as kicking duties change hands
By Christopher Devine
Wales suffered a major blow ahead of their Six Nations clash with defending champions England as full-back Leigh Halfpenny was ruled out.
British and Irish Lion Halfpenny enjoyed a fine start to the championship, scoring two tries and contributing 24 points in total to a 34-7 thrashing of Scotland in Cardiff.
However, the 29-year-old - one of Wales' most experienced players - was confirmed as an absentee for the England game just over an hour before kick-off on Saturday, with a foot infection the reported reason for his withdrawal.
Gareth Anscombe was drafted in at Halfpenny's expense, with fly-half Rhys Patchell expected to take on kicking duties.
Anscombe's spot among the replacements was taken by Owen Watkin.
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Even with absences we still had the cattle to make the playoffs. As it was, we nearly stumbled our way into the top 8. Which shows just how easy it was to get there. And still we failed. As for Razor, there are many instances of him patching up the Crusaders roster. Numerous. Several players Id never heard of. Also, using AB legend John Afoa was a classic.
But, some of the games we were losing were from schoolboy errors, or downright confusion. Either the players were really dumb (they weren’t) or they were poorly coached. Given the repetitive nature of errors, brain fades, poor decision making, & loose structures, this all lands with the coaching group.
With only six playoff spots now in SR, & Aussie franchises now consolidated to four, 2025 looks like a tight one. We'll have to tough it out under Penney & hope for the best.
Go to commentsAgree we need a 10, 12, 13 refresh. ASAP. Well, next season now lol. Reiko should be put back on the wing. He'll be an absolute menace there. Imagine 11 Reiko 14 Clarke 15 Jordan as the backfield unit.
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