Jenkins praised by Howley as a natural leader for Wales
ROB Howley has lavished praise on Wales skipper Dafydd Jenkins, labelling him a ‘leader with actions.’
At just 21 years old, Jenkins is skippering his country in the absence of another younger captain in Jac Morgan.
There had been some suggestion that Warren Gatland could shake up his pack options this week for the trip to Dublin, to shift Jenkins to six to accommodate the experienced Will Rowlands, but Howley says the Racing 92 man will have an important role to play from the bench.
Although delegating the decision to Gatland and Jonathan Humphreys, Howley explained his thoughts behind the call, once again hammering home the high regard in which Jenkins is held.
“I think Warren and Jonathan (Humphreys) can probably answer that in more detail than I can,” he said when asked about the temptation to bring Rowlands back into the starting fold.
“Daf Jenkins is some player, he’s a young player to lead this group of players over the last four weeks. He’s been outstanding. He’s a leader with actions.
“Adam Beard gives that experience.
“He’s a Lion. So we’ve decided to go with the same second-rows. Rugby is a 23-man game.
“Will will be coming off the bench with his experience, his know-how and his grit.
“We’ll need Will. We’ll need all 23. You’ve seen in the World Cup, the number of changes that make an impact off the bench, as they did against Scotland.”
Meanwhile, Ireland assistant coach Simon Easterby says Welsh players are “different beasts” when they pull on the red jersey and likens their passion to that of this weekend’s opponents.
It is well documented the problems in the Welsh game at present, with belts being tightened and Gatland attempting a massive squad rebuild as he ushers in a new generation of talent.
Easterby, who still lives in Wales, knows better than many the issues affecting Welsh rugby at the moment and says despite the hurdles, players always perform on the international stage.
“There’s a lot of crap going on in regional rugby and it’s tough for clubs, it’s tough for individuals within the clubs, not just players but for all the backroom people affiliated to the different clubs who have worked over the years to sustain regional rugby,” he said.
“Supporters as well have kind of suffered a bit, but when they [the players] get into Welsh camp it’s been proven time and again they have a huge amount of belief in what they’re doing when they put on a Welsh red jersey.
“It showed really in the Scotland game at home, 27-0 down, lots of reasons why they’re 27-0 down, but they go back and nearly win the game.
“They go to Twickenham and arguably should have won the game.
“When they go into Welsh camp they know how to prepare and know how to make a difference, the coaching group are part of that, but the players are different beasts when they put on that red jersey; they understand what it is to represent their country, as our guys do as well.
“[There is] a huge amount of support for our team and the players feel it, the Welsh are the same; they’re a passionate people, they just want to see the players go out and give everything.
“That doesn’t mean it’s going to be a success, but a performance and you’ll always get that from a Welsh team.”