Welsh coach Warren Gatland announces his match day squad – Rugby News
Wales’ head coach, Warren Gatland, has revealed his match day squad to take on Wallabies on December 1, at Millennium Stadium. The coach has made many changes to his side to ensure a victory in the match which is also a farewell for their veteran wing, Shane
Williams. Gatland unveiled his 22-member crew on November 29 and gave Shane Williams a starting role and put him at number 11. Sam Warburton will lead the side after completing his two match suspension which was issued during Rugby World Cup 2011.
According to the details, Gatland has featured six changes in his side. Some of the players, who missed the RWC, have been recalled to the team and few have been dropped. Ian Evans has joined the party after a long absence of three years. He played his last
match with the Welsh side in 2008 against All Blacks. He remained away from the team due to fitness problems and will replace Luke Charteris, who was ruled out from the match at eleventh hour due to a wrist injury.
Among the other changes, Jonathan Davies and Mike Phillips will not be seen in action. The pair will be respectively replaced by Scott Williams and Lloyd Williams.
Talking to reporters about his squad and upcoming match, “Gatland said that, Saturday is a great opportunity for the fans to show Shane what he has meant to them and we all hope to send him off on the right note.”
He added that, “But as we remember the highs and lows of New Zealand and the World Cup the focus must now be to build for the next four years, the immediate future of the 6 Nations next year and towards the 2015 World Cup, with players like Scott Andrews,
Ian Evans and Lloyd Williams with an immediate opportunity to impress and also the likes of Justin Tipuric, Dan Biggar and Alex Cuthbert with a chance from the bench.”
Wales’ squad for Wallabies test:
WALES: Leigh Halfpenny; George North, Scott Williams, Jamie Roberts, Shane Williams, Rhys Priestland, Lloyd Williams; Gethin Jenkins, Huw Bennett, Scott Andrews, Bradley Davies, Ian Evans, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton (C), Toby Faletau
REPLACEMENTS: Matthew Rees, Ryan Bevington, Ryan Jones, Justin Tipuric, Tavis Knoyle, Dan Biggar, Alex Cuthbert
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