GATLAND EYES EASY WIN TO GIVE ENGLAND A MISS
WALES may just be the luckiest team in Japan right now. They have three wins from three, the Rob Howley betting scandal is a distant memory and they are unaffected by the typhoon that has thrown the World Cup into chaos. As their game against Uruguay goes ahead as planned tomorrow, Wales moved into the hotel that France, their probable quarter-final opponents, had just vacated. The squads could not be in more different moods. While Wales are relaxed, confident and happy, France are threatening mutiny, with rumours they might usurp their coaches at a World Cup again. Asked about France, who will come into the quarter-final having not played for nearly two weeks, Wales coach Warren Gatland said: ‘That’s going to be an interesting dilemma for them and what they do in the next few days in terms of preparation. ‘Some teams will welcome it because it gives them an opportunity to freshen up and get back on the training pitch. ‘For us, it’s about continuing the momentum. Hopefully after Sunday we can start thinking about getting down to Oita and preparing for a Sunday game against France. ‘They would be very tough but we have to do a job this Sunday first and make sure we get that win. Otherwise, it’s England.’ There are some balls in the air for Gatland as he tries to keep the frontline members of his squad rested, allow time for others to regain fitness, and test those yet to play. ‘It’s a bit of a juggling act with the four-day turnaround,’ he added after changing 13 in his team. ‘We knew from the start that we were going to expose a few players.’ On that exposed list are most of the back line and a fair number
of the bench. Gatland did not want to risk Josh Adams after he suffered a dead leg against Fiji, but as George North has a sore ankle he has to play. Jonathan Davies is nursing a knee injury but should be fine for the quarter-finals so Hadleigh Parkes, still with his fractured hand strapped, is thrown back into the centres. With Dan Biggar concussed for the second time in consecutive matches in a collision with team-mate Liam Williams, Rhys Patchell starts at No 10 with no established cover. Wing Hallam Amos, on his first involvement in Japan, might need to cover fly-half. Flanker James Davies or new captain Justin Tipuric could end up featuring in the backs and the two scrum-halves on the bench — Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies — may be on the wing. But Gatland refuses to see negatives. ‘We’ve got to make sure we do a job early on against Uruguay,’ he said. ‘It’s challenging with such a short turnaround but that’s what World Cups are all about. We’ve spoken about creating as much strength in depth in the squad as we could over the last three or four years. ‘The squad is in a good place mentally. They are a group of players that are excited about the chance to go out and, for a lot of them, get their first game at a World Cup. The message to the players against Uruguay is that the door is not shut. There are opportunities to go out there and impress and stake a claim for a quarter-final spot.’ One who is sure to play when Wales revert to their preferred starting XV is Gatland’s 15th Welsh captain, Tipuric. ‘He seems to be like a good wine and getting better with age,’ said Gatland on his 30-year-old flanker. ‘We’re very lucky to have him in the form he’s in.’
WALES: Halfpenny; Adams, Watkin, Parkes, Amos; Patchell, A Davies; Smith, Elias, Lewis, B Davies, Beard, Shingler, Wainwright, Tipuric (c). Subs: Dee, Carre, W Jones, Ball, Moriarty, James Davies, T Williams, G Davies. Referee: Angus Gardner (Aus). Kick-off: 9.15am tomorrow. TV: Live on ITV.