Head to head... but who has Dublin advantage?
THE figures underline how difficult a period this has been for Wayne Pivac’s side as they prepare to take on Ireland in the Autumn Nations Cup clash in Dublin tonight.
Only twice before in their history have Wales recorded more consecutive losses.
They are on a run of five defeats – nowhere near the 10 suffered under Steve Hansen between 2002 and 2003 or the eight they endured between 2012 and 2013 – but the challenge facing them at the Aviva Stadium is a significant one.
Providing a dot of encouragement is that Ireland lost last time out, too.
We look at how the teams compare...
Jacob Stockdale 6 v Leigh Halfpenny 6
Which Stockdale will turn up? Will it be the dangerous runner from deep who terrorised the Ospreys recently? Or will it be the errorprone individual whose defence was found wanting against France last time out?
All things being equal, Halfpenny would be the pick for a coach who doesn’t want his blood pressure running out of control during a match.But he hasn’t quite been at his best of late. He’s due a good game.
Hugo Keenan 6 v Josh Adams 7
Keenan’s a promising young player who didn’t let his head drop against France. He kept competing in the air and was able to leave the field with his head held high.
Adams showed up well in the first half against Scotland, only to fade after the break. But Ireland will know they’ll be punished if the Cardiff Blue sees a plentiful supply of ball.
Chris Farrell 6 v Jonathan Davies
Farrell is an especially direct, strong runner. Subtlety isn’t his game, but he hits the gain-line hard and tests the defensive mettle of opponents.
Davies shouldn’t be found wanting there. His great plus is his ability to manage defensive situations. He makes good reads and he’s a good organiser. He’s not yet back in top gear after a long time out, but Wayne Pivac will hope the Scarlet shows his best in Dublin.
Robbie Henshaw 7 v Owen Watkin 6
Henshaw wasn’t the first to have found Virimi Vakatawa a whole heap of trouble, but he stuck at it last time out and earned reward with a second-half try.
Watkin is that rare beast, a Welshman who emerged from the loss against Scotland on Halloween with his reputation intact. Maybe, if he gets the right ball, he could surprise a few in attack.
James Lowe 7 v Liam Williams 7 Lowe is making his Test debut at the age of 28. But he’s a gifted player and a free spirit who will cause Wales problems if they give him room. Not that Williams is likely to lose sleep. He may still be working his way back to match fitness after a protracted spell on the sidelines, but the self-styled bomb defuser is a top player.
Jonathan Sexton 7 v Dan Biggar 7
Two Lions colleagues from 2017, both winners. Sexton has high standards and demands the same off others. He may not be everyone’s cup of Earl Grey, but teams tend to have more chance of winning when he’s playing for them rather than against them.
Biggar is the same. He has four years on Sexton now and it’ll be interesting to see if the Irishman has lost a yard of pace. There again, he’s always relied on his speed of thought.
Jamison Gibson-Park 6 v Gareth Davies 6
Gibson-Park can fairly lay claim to the title of super-sub, with a remarkable stat this week showing that in Super Rugby/Champions Cup over the past eight years, just 11 of his 67 appearances have been as a starter, with the rest coming off the bench. How will he cope with being in the run-on side?
Davies is due a good game, though in his defence he hasn’t been helped by the quality of the ball the Wales pack have been sending back.
Cian Healy 7 v Tomas Francis 7
Healy has experience to spare with 100 caps in the locker. But there were signs of vulnerability when he came off second best in the scrums
against Vincent Koch in the Leinster v Saracens European game earlier this autumn.
Koch is a feared scrummager, mind, but, still, it should give Francis encouragement.
Ronan Kelleher 6 v Ryan Elias 5
Kelleher carries hard and racks up the tackles. With just three caps, though, he’s still finding his way in international rugby.
Elias needs a big game to boost his confidence. His throwing was awry against Scotland but the conditions were awful. Encouragingly, he showed up well in defence.
Andrew Porter 7 v Rhys Carre 5
Wales have kept faith with Carre, which will lift the youngster, but he has yet to impose himself at this level – unsurprising as he’s only 22, and it can take years for props to mature.
Porter can scrummage and he likes to carry.
Iain Henderson 7 v Will Rowlands 6
The temptation is to give Henderson an extra mark because he’s a player who’s into everything – carrying, tackling, jackalling, line-outs: the lot. Is the converted back rower a bit loose for a second row?
Rowlands made a few mistakes on his first Wales start but has been consistently strong for his club, Wasps. He’s a dynamic player who works hard around the field; his challenge on Friday will be to put an imprint on the game.
James Ryan 8 v Alun Wyn Jones 7
In adversity against Scotland, Jones still stood tall, making his tackles, trying to make headway with ball in hand, looking to hold up opposition players. He needs support from
those around him – a lot more support. At 6ft 8in, Ryan is a lock who boasts commanding height and he uses it well at line-outs. He also works hard around the field. He’s a quality player and the battle between these two will be important.
Peter O’Mahony 7 v Shane Lewis-Hughes 6
Lewis-Hughes couldn’t have done a lot more on his Test debut. He waded into opposition ball carriers and made ground with the ball. But this is still only his second cap and his challenge will be to maintain that standard.
O’Mahony will never be confused with a member of the Chuckle Brothers. But he’s a dog of war and hard work to play against.
Josh van der Flier 7 v Justin Tipuric 8
Wales missed Tipuric acutely against Scotland, where they were routed at the breakdown. Van der Flier is a fine player, quick and able to achieve turnovers. But it’s advantage Wales.
Caelan Doris 7 v 6 Taulupe Faletau
Have Wales managed to locate the real Taulupe Faletau in the couple of weeks or so since the Scotland game?
If they have, it would aid their cause hugely because the great performer of days gone by could transform their effort. Pivac will be desperate for that to happen.
Doris is young but a fine prospect, a player who carries hard and packs a presence at the breakdown.
TOTALS Ireland 101
Wales 95