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WRU statement: Rhys Carre cut loose from Wales’ RWC training squad
By Liam Heagney
Wales’ Rugby World Cup training squad has lost another player – only this time the decision has been taken by Warren Gatland. Having named a 54-strong panel on May 1, the head coach has had to cope with a series of Test rugby retirements in recent weeks with Justin Tipuric, Alun Wyn Jones and Rhys Webb all opting out from the preparations for the upcoming finals in France.
The resources at Gatland’s disposal, though, have now decreased to 50 with a decision taken to cut loose Carre for failure to meet individual performance targets.
A WRU statement about the Cardiff prop read: "Rhys Carre has been released from the Wales senior men's preliminary training squad for Rugby World Cup 2023.
"Following ongoing discussions between the player and the Wales coaching team, Carre has failed to meet individual performance targets set at the end of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations."
The 20-cap loosehead was part of the 2019 Wales squad that reached the semi-finals in Japan. He played three times off the bench in the 2023 Guinness Six Nations, most recently in the February home loss to England, but he has now been excluded as a contender for the 33-strong squad that Gatland will eventually take with him to France.
It isn’t the first time that Carre’s conditioning has been an issue with Wales. Last November, during the last block of games with Wayne Pivac as the head coach, it was alleged that the front-rower had fallen short in his general conditioning despite impressing for Cardiff.
Having been recalled to the set-up by Gatland when the change of head coach took place during the winter, Carre was one of 10 props named at the start of May for World Cup training.
Those preparations will see Wales play three matches in August – versus England (twice) and South Africa) – before they head across the Channel for a pool schedule that begins with the September 10 clash with Fiji in Bordeaux.
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Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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