1
Gatland axes 3 Lions as Wales name team for Scotland
By Liam Heagney
Warren Gatland has named a Wales team to play Scotland this Saturday in Edinburgh that shows five changes from last Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations round one loss to Ireland in Cardiff. The Welsh were beaten 10-34 at the Principality Stadium and Gatland has reacted by massively reshuffling his pack, the area of the team where all five changes have taken place.
Dafydd Jenkins, a sub last weekend, will make his first start for Wales, partnering Adam Beard in the Six Nations second row with veteran Alun Wyn Jones missing out despite being declared fit in midweek. The uncapped Rhys Davies is instead the lock named on the bench.
At loosehead, Wyn Jones is back having missed the Autumn Nations Series with an injury. He takes over from Gareth Thomas, who is omitted from the match day 23, while Dillon Lewis, a replacement versus the Irish, now starts at tighthead with Tomas Francis absent through injury. Leon Brown fills Lewis' bench position.
In the back row, Jac Morgan moves to No8 to accommodate Christ Tshiunza starting at blindside with Tommy Reffell named at openside. Taulupe Faletau drops to the bench with Justin Tipuric - the Autumn Nations Series skipper under dismissed boss Wayne Pivac - missing out altogether.
With Jones, Faletau and Tipuric all dropped, it means that Gatland, the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour boss, has axed three of his picks from that tour to South Africa. Meanwhile, there is one bench change amongst the backs from round one, Rhys Patchell getting the nod as the reserve ahead of Owen Williams.
Wales (vs Scotland, Saturday - 4:45pm)
15. Liam Williams (Cardiff Rugby – 82 caps)
14. Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby – 45 caps)
13. George North (Ospreys – 110 caps)
12. Joe Hawkins (Ospreys – 2 caps)
11. Rio Dyer (Dragons – 4 caps)
10. Dan Biggar (Toulon – 104 caps)
9. Tomos Williams (Cardiff Rugby – 41 caps)
1. Wyn Jones (Scarlets – 45 caps)
2. Ken Owens (Scarlets – 87 caps) captain
3. Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Rugby – 46 caps)
4. Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs – 2 caps)
5. Adam Beard (Ospreys – 42 caps)
6. Christ Tshiunza (Exeter Chiefs – 3 caps)
7. Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers – 5 caps)
8. Jac Morgan (Ospreys – 7 caps)
Replacements
16. Scott Baldwin (Ospreys – 35 caps)
17. Rhys Carre (Cardiff Rugby – 18 caps)
18. Leon Brown (Dragons – 22 caps)
19. Rhys Davies (Ospreys – uncapped)
20. Taulupe Faletau (Cardiff Rugby – 96 caps)
21. Rhys Webb (Ospreys – 37 caps)
22. Rhys Patchell (Scarlets – 21 caps)
23. Alex Cuthbert (Ospreys – 56 caps)
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Jake White: Ireland, Australia and Wales have the same problem
3
David Campese names his Springbok world player of the year winner
4
Let's be real about these All Blacks
5
Latest Comments
Borthwick has obviously earned the right to expect people to look elsewhere when the sort of personal problems likely at the heart of Jones' departure occur but it's hard to believe he's, if not entirely to blame, at least most of the problem.
England see between choices in every aspect of their play
Go to commentsBM My rugby fanaticism journey began as a youngster waking up in the early hours of the morning with a cup of coffee to watch the Boks play the ABs on that 1981 rebel tour, where we lost the last game in the dying seconds to a penalty, and ended up losing the series 2-1. Danie Gerber, Naas Botha, Ray Mordt, and DuPlessis, to name a few; what a team! I believe we could've won another World Cup with those boys playing in their prime.
Go to comments