how Gatland's new-look young team measure up to Townsend's England conquerors
Experiments in Test rugby are best carried out outside tournaments, we have long been told, but maybe Warren Gatland can cite special circumstances as reason for breaking such a rule.
It’s hard to imagine too many coaches being bold enough to do what the New Zealander has done with his pick for Wales' trip to Murrayfield this weekend.
But the Grand Slam and Triple Crown are already gone for Gatland's team in the Six Nations this season. Realistically, they are not going to win the title, either.
So development ahead of the World Cup appears to be the name of the game. Whether that carries into the match with England in round three remains to be seen, but there appears to be a fair amount of backing for his policy of giving youth a fling.
Shining up players on the Test scene is a challenge, mind.
Here’s how the two sides rate in the head to heads.
Stuart Hogg 7 v 8 Liam Williams
Two Test Lions who are game-changers, Hogg has speed and skill and can cause havoc for opponents if given room. On the debit side, he can wobble in defence.
Williams has the courage of a lion and was Wales’ best player against Ireland. His game is about total commitment but he’s skilful with it, a player most would want on their side in the trenches.
Kyle Steyn 7 v 8 Josh Adams
Steyn would not be in the side if Darcy Graham were fit, but the Glasgow captain takes responsibility, is defensively sound and also quick, as you’d expect from a player with a background in sevens.
Adams wasn’t at his very best last time out — there again, the Welsh backs had a woefully rickety platform to work off. He is capable of marking high-class opponents and posing problems with his strong running. In short, he knows how to get the job done.
Huw Jones 7 v 7 George North
Jones can slash open an opposition rearguard with his lines of running. He is skilful, too, and someone Wales will need to keep under lock and key. His defence has been questioned but he was flawless in that respect against England: 12 tackles made, all of them successful.
While North had a solid autumn, Gatland will want him to come up with a reminder of what made him a special player. Potentially, he can be a handful for any defence, but Ireland handled him well. The goal for Wales will be to give the big man opportunities to cause problems.
Sione Tuipulotu 8 v 7 Joe Hawkins
Tuipulotu is quick and punches his weight, metaphorically. It’s an understatement to suggest defenders find him hard to stop. That said, Owen Watkin did a fine job of opposing him when the Ospreys defeated Glasgow Warriors 32-17 in Swansea in the autumn, and Tuipulotu can occasionally lapse in defence.
Hawkins is settling nicely in Test rugby. Aged just 20, he has shown maturity beyond his years and can mix his game up, with the ability to run hard but also create space with passing or deft kicks.
Duhan van der Merwe 9 v 7 Rio Dyer
Van der Merwe gets an extra mark for the blistering form he showed against England, when he registered one of the Six Nations’ greatest tries, one that saw him beat five defenders. So good was the big man that comparisons with Jonah Lomu were made in the aftermath. Wales will give him ball and space at their peril, then, for when he stars motoring he can take a lot of stopping.
Dyer prefers to pick locks rather than blast down doors. He is new to this level and still learning, but he beats defenders and doesn’t let his head drop.
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Finn Russell 8 v 8 Dan Biggar
Different styles. Russell is a free spirit who operates on the edge, a risk taker who is wonderful to watch. The phrase ‘playing the percentages’ is not in his vocabulary. On a good day he can cause coaches to rise to their feet in acclamation; on a bad day he can cause those in charge to curse in frustration.
He can miss tackles, with six English ball carriers passing him last weekend. But it’s a treat to watch him play. There are few more inventive players in European rugby.
Biggar is a game-manager with a ferocious will to win. No-one could ever accuse him of a lack of effort. Last week against Ireland it was his voice that was most audible over the ref mic, attempting to drive the team forward. He has vast experience and can implement a game plan. Coaches tend to trust him when he’s on the field. Not at his best against Ireland, but Warren Gatland knows his worth.
Ben White 7 v 7 Tomos Williams
We will let Gregor Townsend list White’s strengths. “He’s got an all-round game, the basics are very good and he’s a tough competitor who likes to defend but has also got a break and an eye for a gap,” Scotland’s head coach is on record as saying. White scored against England and ran play with authority.
Williams had a fine game against Argentina in November but Gatland will want him to make that his default setting. The Cardiff man is skilful, quick and feisty, a player with a high ceiling when it comes to potential. But he needs to impose himself more.
Pierre Schoeman 7 v 7 Wyn Jones
There are not many props who work harder than Schoeman, who made 16 tackles without missing against England and 25 metres from 10 carries. Dan Cole drove through him in the first scrum after coming on as replacement, but usually the Scotland player is hard to shift.
Gatland will want the 2021 version of Jones to put in an appearance. The trouble is the Scarlet has not been playing often enough since the Lions tour of that year. But the word from the Wales camp is positive: the 30-year-old has been training hard and looking much more like his old self. A Wyn for the head coach, then.
George Turner 7 v 7 Ken Owens
Turner oversaw a perfect Scottish lineout against England, helped by having the 6ft 10in Richie Gray as a target. There was also a lot of hustle and bustle around the field from the Glasgow man, who is holding off the challenge of the consistently impressive Fraser Brown for his country’s No. 2 shirt.
Warren Gatland’s removal of senior players from Wales’ pack didn’t touch their captain. The odd dart may have been off beam last week, but in other areas Owens worked himself to a standstill. The visitors will need him to be at his best at Murrayfield.
Zander Fagerson 7 v 6 Dillon Lewis
Fagerson is starting back after more than two months out with a hamstring injury. Can he be match-fit after his enforced layoff? Scotland will hope it’s a positive answer to that one.
Lewis isn’t renowned for his scrummaging but he is a strong performer around the field, almost Gethin Jenkins-eque over the ball and a player who can handle and tackle. If the Welsh set-piece holds up, he can be an asset.
Richie Gray 8 v 6 Dafydd Jenkins
Gray was one of Scotland’s top-performing players against England, reliable at the lineout and a barricade in defence. At 33, he’d have been keeping his head down if he were in the Wales set-up this week, but he was excellent in round one and will look to cause Gatland’s team problems in the throwing, jumping and catching game.
Jenkins appears to have all the attributes for a long and successful Test career. The 6ft 7in player is a quality lineout operator who enjoys having the ball in his hands and is capable of doing a lot with it. His appetite for defensive duties calls to mind a young Alun Wyn Jones, while Exeter Chiefs captain also leads. It’s probably wise not to expect too much from the 20-year-old at this level just yet, but, whatever happens this weekend, he’s a player for the future.
Grant Gilchrist 7 v 7 Adam Beard
There were mixed reviews for Gilchrist after the Six Nations opener. One writer called him a warrior, another reckoned he made little impact. The truth was somewhere in between, with the Edinburgh man stacking up the tackles and doing a lot of hard graft for his side. Not everyone can fill the Leone Nakarawa role.
Beard is a better player than his effort against Ireland suggested. But it’s fair to say that he owes Gatland a big performance.
A Test Lion, he worked hard in defence but didn’t make enough yards with ball in hand and gave away too many penalties. Some appear to feel he should have walked the plank for such an effort, but he has been playing well at regional level and needs to bring that form to the table on Saturday. A young pack will look to him to perform.
Jamie Ritchie 8 v 6 Christ Tshiunza
If the Lions were touring this summer, Ritchie would be there or thereabouts to make the squad. He is in his prime, a leader who contests the breakdown strongly and points the way for his team-mates. Tshiunza is starting a Test for the first time. The 6ft 6in Exeter Chief will add height at the back of the lineout and can carry powerfully, while he’s also capable of piling up big tackle counts. Playing regularly for Exeter Chiefs would have accelerated his development and, like Dafydd Jenkins, he boasts a steely resolve.
Luke Crosbie 6 v 7 Tommy Reffell
At 6ft 5in and 17st 6lb, Crosbie will have a height and weight advantage over his rival, but Reffell will fancy his chances at the breakdown. Without saying it out loud because that’s not his style, Reffell always fancies his chances at the breakdown. And why not? When he played against South Africa in the summer, the Springboks were shocked by his quality in that area. Reffell is also tough. Inexperienced he may be at Test level, but Scotland will know he’s on the field.
Matt Fagerson 8 v 7 Jac Morgan
Fagerson put in 26 tackles last weekend, five more than anyone else managed in round one. He also found time to carry the ball nine times. He’s taller and heavier than his rival and has been on the Test scene longer, but Morgan has a relentless appetite for hard work and his performance against Australia in November led some to talk of him as a Welsh Ardie Savea. It’s way too early for such a comparison, and Morgan’s best position is openside, but he’s someone with huge promise.
Replacements: Scotland 7 v 7 Wales
Scotland have impact in reserve in the shape of hooker Fraser Brown, lock Jonny Gray and utility back Blair Kinghorn, while WP Nel can lock out the scrum and Chris Harris is one of the best defensive centres in the British Isles.
Any bench with Taulupe Faletau on it has an extra mark. Wales also have two monster props among their replacements in Rhys Carre and Leon Brown. Those two may be unproven as Test-class scrummagers at this point, but they are tank-like carriers.
