The world’s in motion as Cup fixtures are released... and it’s good news

RUGBY work-mates of Gavin Henson have sprung to his defence in the wake of scathing criticism of his approach to training, writes Simon Thomas.

The startling attack came from Times columnist Matthew Syed, who also pointed the finger at England international Danny Cipriani.

Writing on the subject of what separates the greats from the wasted talent, Syed claimed the two men brought a swaggering attitude and arrogance to training.

The former table tennis player said they didn’t feel the need to knuckle down in practice, undermining their ability to perform on the pitch.

But his comments have been strongly rejected by people who know the two stars well, including Henson’s Dragons coach Bernard Jackman and former team-mate of both, David Flatman.

In his column, Syed wrote: “Gavin Henson and Danny Cipriani have plenty of swagger and oodles of self-belief.

“The problem is both brought this attitude not to the performance environment, where it is precious, but to the training environment, where it is catastrophic.

“Given they were (in their own minds) close to perfect, they didn’t feel sufficient need to knuckle down in practice.

“They partied. They felt that a celebrity lifestyle was their due.

“Instead of continuous improvement, which can be driven only by a realistic appraisal of one’s weaknesses, they had lifestyles of continual self-gratification.

“They undermined their ability to perform for club and country, creating self doubt at the very moment they needed self assurance.

“Their problem was not a lack of talent. Their problem is they applied swagger to the wrong part of the cycle.

“Arrogance when practising; self doubt when executing.”

A number of colleagues of the two players took to social media in response to the comments.

Henson’s current boss Jackman said: “I coach Gavin at the moment and have rarely seen anyone train as hard or with as much detail. Everyone I know says he has always been this way.”

Former England prop Flatman wrote: “Henson and Cipriani are two of the most professional trainers the game has seen. Incredibly hard-working. Shockingly written off here.” WORLD CUP FIXTURES

It was a major ask of a side hit hard by injuries, but Wales were fortunate to be back on home soil and scraped through, just.

This time around, Gatland’s squad has a welcome 10 days to recuperate from their date with Australia in Tokyo – a tie that could potentially decide top spot in Pool D – before taking on Fiji at the Oita Stadium on Kyushu Island in the south of Japan.

The Fijians are again going to be a significant threat, they dominated their Pacific qualifiers and possess world-class game-breakers like Montpellier powerhouse Nemani Nadolo and Racing second row Leone Nakarawa.

They are ranked ninth in the world, just two places behind Wales.

However, the draw hasn’t been as kind to the men from the South Seas.

By the time the islanders face Wales, they will have already played three matches, including Georgia on October 3, just six days prior. They also have just four days between their opener against the Wallabies and their next game against Americas 2 – either Canada or Uruguay.

An opening match against Georgia should allow Wales to gain confidence and gather momentum before turning their attention to the Wallabies at Tokyo’s national stadium six days later.

Wales do have a sharp turnaround for their final match, just four days between Fiji and Americas 2 in Kumamoto. But having probably the easiest tie to finish should ease the jeopardy surrounding their qualification.

By then, Wales could have already wrapped up qualification, heading to Kumamoto unbeaten; they could be going there needing a win to qualify, or, in the worse-case scenario, be facing the ignominious prospect of a dead rubber with their bags already packed for an early trip home.

If Wales avoid that fate and seal their place in the last eight they will meet either the winners or runnersup of Pool C in the knockout stages in Oita, where England, Argentina will be waiting.

Potentially, if they do win their pool and their quarter-final, they could also avoid the All Blacks in the semis.

As for Gatland, he gave little away in the statement issued by the Welsh Rugby Union this morning, although he did point to “the good block of time” between the Australia and Fiji matches.

“It is good to have the full details announced as the excitement for the tournament continues to grow,” he said. “We have spoken recently about our aims and belief for 2019 and how our focus over the next two years is to provide a platform for us to peak in Japan.

“With this announcement we can continue our planning and preparation for the tournament in finer detail.

“We kick off the tournament against Georgia before facing Australia, both of whom we play this November in Cardiff. We then have a good block of time before facing Fiji in Oita, before the short turnaround before our final pool encounter versus Amercias 2.

“We have four cities to visit so it is important we buy into the culture of Japan and the tournament.”

The opening match of the tournament sees hosts Japan take on the European qualifiers — Romania are currently leading the race for that spot. But you sense the competition will really kick off the following day, when a Super Saturday sees the Wallabies take on Fiji, France meet Argentina and South Africa clash with defending champions New Zealand.

Wales will have to wait until the Monday before beginning their challenge against Georgia at the Toyota Stadium.

Eddie Jones’s England start their campaign with a four-day turnaround between their opening games against Tonga and USA. France or