Six Nations Selection

Warren Gatland has included 6 uncapped players in his six nations training squad who will take to Poland to endure a rigorous training regime. The chosen six are in-form Ospreys duo Rhys Webb and Ashley Beck, Cardiff Blues flyer Harry Robinson as well as Rhodri Jones, Liam Williams and Lou Reed of the Scarlets.

The squad in full reads:

Backs: Mike Phillips (Bayonne), Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues), Rhys Webb (Ospreys), Rhys Preistland (Scarlets), James Hook (Perpignan), Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Gavin Henson (Cardiff Blues), Ashley Beck (Ospreys), George North (Scarlets), Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Harry Robinson (Cardiff Blues), Liam Williams (Scarlets), Lee Bryne (Clermont Auvergne)

Forwards: Craig Mitchell (Exeter Chiefs), Adam Jones (Ospreys), Ryan Bevington (Ospreys), Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Paul James (Ospreys), Rhys Gill (Saracens), Rhodri Jones (Scarlets), Matthew Rees (Scarlets), Huw Bennett (Ospreys), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Bradley Davies (Cardiff Blues), Ian Evans (Ospreys), Lou Reed (Scarlets), Ryan Jones (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (Newport Gwent Dragons), Sam Warburton (capt, Cardiff Blues), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Toby Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons), Andy Powell (Sale Sharks).

The most talked-about inclusion is that of the marmite man of Welsh Rugby; Gavin Henson. Your opinion on his selection will either be greeted with welcome optimism or it will make your blood boil, dependant on your views of the ex-Osprey. Those who love him will say that he offers something at 12 that no one else can offer. He’s an absolute rock in defence, he’s got a siege-gun boot and he can unlock the most rigid defences with ease as well as class. He’ll be viewed as an alternative to the uber-physical centre partnership of Jamie Roberts and Jon Davies. Those on the other side of the fence will question the validity of his selection given that he’s only played 3 games of rugby for the Blues and only one of which was at his preferred position at inside centre. Added to this, Henson has failed to make even the match-day squad for their crunch Henieken Cup match against Racing Metro this weekend. Henson’s inclusion has meant that Stephen Jones’ international exile is extended further from missing out the only autumn international against Australia in December.

Gatland’s foreign player policy is all but extinct with French trio Lee Byrne, James Hook and Mike Phillips all making the cut as well as English-based Rhys Gill, Andy Powell and Craig Mitchell.

Sam Warburton keeps hold of the captaincy from the returning Matthew Rees following his well documented success as skipper in New Zealand. Both have publicly stated their desire to wear the captain’s armband and Warren Gatland has stuck to the theme of breeding youngsters in the international environment by backing his 23-year-old over his 32-year-old. This could be the main reason; however, Matthew Rees isn’t guaranteed his place given the World Cup form of Osprey Huw Bennett. Bizarrely and typical of the Ospreys, since returning from New Zealand, Bennett has played second fiddle to Richard Hibbard in the Celtic League as well as the Heineken Cup. The Ebbw Vale man must be wondering why he’s starting the majority of his games on the bench when he’s in possession of the national number two jersey. Furthermore, the man keeping him out of the starting berth at the Ospreys doesn’t even feature in the Welsh squad. Yet another head-scratcher for those on the outside looking in to the Liberty Stadium.

One man in particular must be sat questioning everything that surrounds him today. He’s a stand out performer for his region and has all the physical attributes for the international stage. Although his performances for Wales have not been as eye-catching as his performances for his region, he’d have still been confident of a spot in the 35-man-squad. One can only imagine the rage circling Aled Brew’s body as he see’s young pretenders Liam Williams and Harry Robinson get the nod ahead of him. There is no denying that they are both unquestionably talented and their inclusion in the squad will stand them in good stead for the future. However, if these wingers are deemed good enough to be exposed to the full national set-up, surely there’s a case for Ospreys fly-half Matthew Morgan? With Gatland only opting to name Rhys Priestland as his only out and out number ten, is there no place for a third option alongside James Hook? There are five wingers in the squad as well as Lee Byrne and Scott Williams who are more than capable of deputising on the wing. Understandably, the selection committee are looking for a long-term replacement for retired hero Shane Williams, but Brew must be seething that he’s not seen as one of the five front-runners.

Although 35 players have been named in the squad, Gatland has expressed,

"We are also taking the opportunity to look at one or two youngsters before probably cutting our numbers even further before the start of the RBS Six Nations.

"We have kept a couple of older heads and we have injuries, with Alun Wyn Jones, Josh Turnbull, Rob McCusker and Luke Charteris all unavailable to us, but the emphasis on development and planning for the future is there for everyone to see.

"These are exciting times for Welsh rugby.

"We showed a huge amount of potential at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and we will be working as hard as humanly possible to ensure that we reach our potential in this year's Six Nations championship."

The potential that the Wales Head Coach refers to is indeed quite staggering, especially in the backline. Barring injury, the team could look like this;

15. Lee Byrne
14. George North
13. Jon Davies
12. Jamie Roberts
11. Lee Halfpenny
10. Rhys Priestland
9. Mike Phillips
8. Toby Faletau
7. Sam Warburton (c)
6. Dan Lydiate
5. Bradley Davies
4. Ian Evans
3. Adam Jones
2. Matthew Rees
1. Gethin Jenkins

16. Huw Bennett
17. Paul James.
18. Andy Powell
19. Justin Tipuric
20. Rhys Webb
21. James Hook
22. Gavin Henson

If this squad takes to the field for the majority of the six nations, there won’t be many teams that will match it for talent. The only area of concern for Gatland’s men is the second row. This heaps yet more pressure on Robin McBryde as he looks to sure up the lineout which has been an area of limited success in the past. With his two main jumpers gone in Alun Wyn Jones and Luke Charteris, he’s got his work cut out. Sort this area out and Wales will be a serious force in the tournament, if it remains creaky, all that potential in the backline will go to waste.

Off-Field Issues

In the light of recent misbehaving by yet another international rugby player, it seems that we have an epidemic of unruly behaviour in the world of rugby union and the problem is visibly magnified in Wales. Mike Phillips was suspended indefinitely by the Welsh Rugby Union following an incident outside a fast food restaurant in Cardiff city centre in the early hours. Although the former Osprey was on an agreed holiday period, he was asked not to report to training with the national squad due to a clear breach of the standards Warren Gatland’s men have set.

With anyone else, it could be argued that it’s a one-off. However, anyone who has seen the 6’3” scrum half out in Cardiff on a night out knows that he’s no angel. He recently dropped the charges for an assault made on him back in October which left him knocked unconscious outside a Mill Lane bar. We’re in no position to say for sure how he gets himself into these positions, but the line “do you know who I am?” is one that the Camarthen-born star has made a bit of a trademark for himself.

The worrying thing is, Phillips is not unique in finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Andy Powell’s most recent antics ended up with the ex Wasps man losing almost two pints of blood following an altercation with Queens Park Rangers fans on a night out in London. This added to the back-rower’s feeble track record that includes the infamous trip he took up the M4 in a buggy following a dramatic victory over Scotland in the 2009 Six Nations Tournament.

Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to write anything about Welsh rugby without mentioning the name that sends a shockwave of fury and excitement from Blackwood to the Beacons of Brecon, not Haldane Luscombe but Gavin Henson. Since taking his sabbatical from rugby 21 months ago, he’s been nothing short of a desperate cry for attention. When he closed the rugby door following his departure from the Ospreys he found himself opening a door to a room full of like-minded individuals. Such creatures go by the names of Jodie Marsh, Kerry Katona, Paris Hilton and Chantelle from big brother but to name a few. Luckily for everyone involved in rugby it looked as if he’d finally decided to concentrate on the one thing that he was put on earth to do (because let’s be honest, there’s not much prospect for him as an academic). Saracens had offered him a reprieve and a chance to play rugby and be a father at the same time. A month after his debut, he was in the South of France allegedly beating up his team-mates on nights out. Needless to say he wasn’t offered a full time contract and he’s now, once again, looking for someone who is willing to work with his given his wretched history of being a nob.

Of course, these players aren’t alone in getting themselves into trouble off the pitch. There are plenty of non-Welsh examples of disciplinary problems. Danny Cipriani, Matt Stevens and the Bath drug trio Alex Crocket, Michael Lipman and Andrew Higgins are just a few recent examples of this. It’s very rare, though, that you hear of Dan Carter, Quade Cooper, Richie McCaw and co involved in a booze-fuelled fracas, so why is it becoming a regular occurrence in the home nations?

The media in this country doesn’t help by scrutinizing players’ off-field antics, but the players are their own worst enemies the majority of the time. The players know that the goldfish-bowl environment they find themselves in requires them to act whiter than white on and off the field. It was argued that the South Wales goldfish-bowl was the reason for the rebellious nature of the players’ actions. However, it took one career move of notorious wild-boy Andy Powell to prove that this is just not the case.

Gone are the days that international rugby stars socialize with supporters following games. The pre-professional era allowed this. Players weren’t contracted to behave in a certain manner, they were just rugby players that fought hard for club or country for 80 minutes, showered up and had a beer, much like the rest of us. The game has changed infinitely since 1995, which has led to the elite being very isolated. In bygone years, bumping into an international rugby superstar in the local pub was nothing out of the ordinary. Nowadays, spotting a famous face in a social environment triggers a frenzy of camera phones and a bombardment of praise or abuse. With the amount of rugby played in a season, these social outings are limited for the elite level sportsmen. Perhaps this is half the problem in that if they do go out, they go out all guns blazing because they don’t know when their next drink is going to be.

Of course, this isn’t a defence for the minority of players that do go over the top and end up with their face in a Queen Street/Fat Bouncer sandwich. There is a licence for us to go out and do as we please, these people are being paid to play rugby and with that comes a responsibility off the field.

Rugby is becoming increasingly professional with every season, but it’s vitally important that the sport doesn’t forget its roots. In order for the game to move forward, it must look back. Coaches, physiotherapists, analysts and the rest of the laptop crew are developing their skills year on year which is being passed onto their playing staff. Unfortunately in doing so, the rich history and tradition of the game is being left further and further behind. Socially, a lot could be learned from the past players and the way that they go about their business when they step off the field.

One of the great claims rugby union has is that it is constantly compared to other sports, and in many facets, it comes top of the class. Ground atmosphere, respect for officials, respect for opposition for example are areas that we, as rugby fans, can hold our heads high. For socializing, we used to be right up there too, but over the last few years rugby has started to slide down the pecking order. It’s by no means a crisis, but if something isn’t done to nip it in the bud, it’s a matter of time until a rugby player turns up at the training ground and shoots a work experience student with an air rifle.