Wales sweat on Hill’s fitness as key man North returns to fold
Wales are sweating on the fitness of Cory Hill for the Six Nations trip to Twickenham on Saturday.
The Dragons lock, who earned rave reviews for his ball-handling skills against Scotland, has been undergoing Head Injury Assessment protocols after the knock which forced his removal in the 56th minute.
Warren Gatland paid special reference to the 25year-old’s improvement in the wake of the win over Scotland and the coach will be keen to see his line-out caller start against England. He may even keep a place open for Hill in the starting XV he is due to name today, with Ospreys’ Bradley Davies ready to fill in.
Gatland has been urged by Shane Williams, the former World Player of the Year, to go with the same team, despite George North and Liam Williams both proving their fitness in training yesterday.
If Gatland is to make a change, it would likely be on the right wing, where he would bring in North, who looked sharp on his return for Northampton on Friday night, at the expense of Josh Adams. Williams, Wales’s record try-scorer, believes it would make more sense to stick with the status quo.
“I’d leave Williams, North and [Hallam] Amos to bide their time,” he said. “Even though all those three are proven internationals, reputations should count for only so much in selection.”
However, Neil Jenkins, the kicking coach, underlined the importance of having North and Williams back in contention. North’s 80 minutes against Harlequins in the Anglo-welsh Cup was his first full game since October because of knee problems, while Williams has played only once since November due to an abdominal injury and there have been fears he might require an operation.
“George playing last week was a big plus for us and Liam’s fitness likewise,” said Jenkins. “They are two worldclass players. It’s a big bonus for Wales.”
Meanwhile, Ireland have lost flanker Josh van der Flier for the rest of the championship with a serious knee injury. The 24-year-old hobbled out of Saturday’s 15-13 win against France in Paris and it appears that he will require surgery.