Wales' Leigh Halfpenny praises Warren Gatland's skill for spotting young talent – Rugby News
Welsh international Rugby Union player, Leigh Halfpenny, has praised the head coach of the Wales national Rugby Union team, Warren Gatland, for his ability to identify young and talented players. He made the comments in an interview given to PA on Friday, October 14.
Wales are currently preparing themselves for their semi-final encounter against France. Both teams will face each other in the first semi-final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC) on Saturday, October 15 at Eden Park, Auckland.
Praising his coach’s talent for identifying the next stars of the game, Halfpenny said, “Warren spots talent, and once he sees that he believes in the player and brings him in.” Saturday’s semifinal appearance is Wales first RWC since 1987. It would have been difficult for Wales to make it so far without Gatland’s strategy of using young players for the tough job.
Gatland has selected a relatively younger squad, when the rest of the teams in the tournament were selecting experienced squads. Wales match day 22 for their crucial encounter contain eight players below the age of 23 years and Halfpenny is one of them.
Halfpenny added that the inclusion of young players has overhauled the whole unit. He termed Wales success in the 2011 RWC as a result of this strategy. He added, "I hope we are inspiring young kids. Young players have come into the side and played how they know they can. They have brought freshness and given a real buzz to the atmosphere.”
Wales qualified for the knockout stage of the 2011 RWC from pool D, which was called the pool of death. Wales so far has lost just one match in the tournament, in which they kept Springboks checked for the most part of the game, before later coming back strongly to steal the match by a point. They defeated Ireland, who started the match as favourites in their quarter-final clash to confirm their outing with France in the semifinal.
The 22-year-old Halfpenny started his professional Rugby Union career with the Cardiff Blues in 2008. He made his young international debut for Wales in 2008 after playing for Wales under 20s and Lions squad in the same year.
The Swansea born Halfpenny so far has made 24 international appearances for Wales, which includes 22 starts. He has also scored 70 points in these game, which consists of 8 tries and 10 penalties.
Halfpenny also has praised the team’s consistent performance and depth in the squad, which has helped them to progress their way up in the tournament. He added, “We have just gone about our business quietly and have always believed we could be serious contenders.”
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