Charteris backs new boys to earn places
LUKE Charteris has praised Rob Howley’s Wales selection gamble, insisting fresh faces Owen Williams and Thomas Young can fire them to Six Nations glory.
The giant second row knows all about Leicester back Williams and Wasps flanker Young – two of six uncapped players in Howley’s squad – from his time with Bath.
And with Wales’ tournament opener with Italy in Rome now just a week away, Charteris is tipping his team’s new blood to have an immediate impact.
Wales face the Azzurri and meet England in Cardiff six days later as they search for a first title since 2013 with a bang.
Charteris said: “It’s a bold selection. The coaches always back a player who looks good and some of those boys coming in have been playing really well.
“Owen and Thomas have been outstanding, so it’s great to see them get a shout. Hopefully they’ll put their hands up in training and get some game time.”
Charteris joined Bath from Racing 92 in the summer, but goes into the Six Nations campaign on the back of an injury-hit season.
The beanpole lock has made just six appearances for his new team but remains a firm favourite of the Wales hierarchy. He faces competition from Jake Ball to partner new Wales skipper Alun Wyn Jones at lock, and knows Wales will have to come out of the blocks firing against Italy if they are to be considered serious contenders for the Six Nations crown.
“It has been frustrating for me so far,” he said. “I’ve had a few niggles so I haven’t been able to get a run of games. Rome is going to be hard. Italy are a physical side and we saw in the autumn how much better they are with a new coaching structure and set-up.
“They have some quality players there and we don’t not to start the best so we need to make sure we’re on the money this year.”
Wales won three of their four November clashes under interim head coach Howley, but still came under fire. Nonetheless, Charteris believes the men in red can be confident.
“We’ve been one of the better teams over the last seven or eight years in the Six Nations,” he said. “It is going to be very tight this year, all the teams are very strong.
“If you look at the November results, every team had a big win so I think it’ll be one of the closest tournaments in a long time, particularly with bonus points.
“Scotland will be very good. The French in France will be a tough one, and you have England coming to Cardiff which is one to look forward to.”