Wales have been dealt a major blow ahead of the Rugby World Cup with the news that the injuries sustained by Rhys Webb and Leigh Halfpenny during the win over Italy will keep both players out of the entirety of the tournament.
According to the WRU, Webb has sustained a ‘significant midfoot injury’, while Halfpenny has ruptured his ACL – an injury that will likely keep him out until the new year, according to the Toulon supporters blog.
It means a reprieve for both Mike Phillips and Eli Walker, who are called into the squad after having been set to miss out on the tournament initially.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland said: “It is extremely disappointing for both Leigh and Rhys. They have worked exceptionally hard to establish themselves on the world stage and to prepare for the tournament and we wish them all the best with their recovery.
“After announcing the squad we spoke about the need for players to remain ready for action and is a great opportunity for Mike and Eli. It’s great that we can call on players of this calibre. To bring Mike’s experience into the squad is a bonus along with Eli’s exciting talent.”
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I’m happy with these replacements. Mike is a big game player and offers us something different to the speed of Davies and Williams. This isn’t saying it doesn’t matter though – Webb is clearly our best scrum half but if I am honest he wasn’t quite hitting the heights of last autumn and early 6Ns form – I was getting worried about the age he was watching the ball at the base and we lost a few scrums where a sharper Webb would have sorted the ball out earlier.
Eli Walker is a class wing – though I am worried that this leaves us with only one recognised full back in the squad (Matthew Morgan is probably the 10 cover but he’s an out half really) and he is half crocked.
Overall it’s a massive hit to any chances Wales had of a meaningful world cup. Halfpenny was our metronome – not to everyone’s taste but in knockout rugby he kept us in touch with an average or more of 9 pts a game. Biggar is an excellent kicker (top in the Pro 12 for a number of seasons, not sure if he was last year) but he doesn’t have the range and accuracy that Halfpenny had, nobody has. So we’ve lost the best kicker in the world. That’ll make a difference. Any chance of optimism? Before the last WC our nailed on starting half back, Stoddart, broke a leg so we had to give the slot to this relative new boy called Halfpenny. A chance for Liam Williams to shine then?
You make some good points on how injuires can be an opportunity too and how quickly it has been forgotten that many fans were calling for HP to be moved to the wing, such was LW’s good form at fb. Certainly this will have effed up the plans Eng will have been working on for the Wales match.
And despite the worry over the fitness of AWJ, LW etc, could it not be a blessing to put out a more attacking, experimental side against Uruguay, with Morgan and Walker, in a match where points difference will he key?
The goal kicking will be a loss, though. I seem to recall the last match at Twickenham being a lot closer than it should have been due to HP.
However I will call you up on describing MP as a “big match player”. A cliché that is as overused, and as increasingly redundant as Easter being described as a great thinker and ball carrier (which you rightly called BS on recently)!
Fair call Benjit, to be honest I said it more in hope i.e. “Come on Mike, PLEASE be a big match player and not the lumpen sod you seem to have turned into since the Lions….?”.
For Uruguay would have expected Morgan et al to start anyway – it’s why I think Gats did a full strength match for Italy as next match for those boys would the have been England (for the record I have a lot of sympathy with Gats on the difficulty of how to call playing/not-playing boys in the warmups.).
A lot of our matches are close/wins because we have HP. Don’t agree with you about ” being a lot closer than it should have been due to HP” :-) I mean, he is one of the XV on the pitch so it’s a valid way for us to score — but I know what you meant. He keeps us in games – but all the best teams have players who can do that when other things are not coming off for them. Even NZ have relied on Carter’s boot in matches.
I was referring to his ability to knock them so consistently from on or near half way! Most teams would kick for the corner, which statistically has a low success rate for scoring. Interestingly Ben Kay reckons teams might me more aggressive now at the breakdown, not sure I fully buy that argument?
In time I’m hoping Slade will provide that handy ability for England.
I disagree Phillips is a liability and during the six nations when he came off the bench it coincided with a drop in Welsh performance. Last 10 vs england poor box kick led to a penalty which put England 5 ahead. Agaisnt Scotland he was partly to blame for the final try which nearly allowed Scotalnd back into the game didnt feature against France or Italy and was decidedly average when he came on against Ireland.
Although Liam is a better fullback it means Cuthbert is now probably a starter on the wing and the kicking range of Bigger is about 5-10 meters shorter. Also Liam is fresh back from injury as is MM so their performance may not be their best.
Given who is available it is probably the best option athough I thought they may have swapped one fo them for a third hooker
Brighty, I agree thoroughly with the general drift – there’s no point in drama queening, let’s get behind the squad, which still contains a huge amount of talent.
Two points in passing; Hallam Amos is a ‘recognised’ full-back too, though he has probably played, in his short career so far, a bit more on the wing. And Morgan Stoddart was a wing/full-back, definitely not a half-back! Good player that he was, his loss at the time, which sadly led to his early retirement, was not anything like the blow to Wales that losing these two has been.
“we’ve lost the best kicker in the world” – ordinarily that would sound hyperbolic, but here it really is a statement of fact. Wales without Halfpenny is a different proposition, no two ways about it. As an England fan, I take absolutely no pleasure in any perceived advantage; I want to see both teams at full strength and on a personal level I just feel gutted for the bloke.
Now you have to wonder about Gatland’s player management. Halfpenny was clearly not in peak physical condition for this. Did you see how much strapping he had on that knee already!? For it to give way on its own like that (no impact) is a clear indication that there was significant damage there, which the medical team must have been aware of, hence all that strapping. Why on earth would you risk your greatest asset in a meaningless warm-up game, when he could be getting some physio treatment or simply a proper amount of rest and recuperation?
Now he’ll miss the entire tournament and that’s a loss for all rugby fans, not just Wales.
To be fair to Gatland, I don’t think this injury had much to do with him playing in the match – it was just rotten luck and could have just as easily happened in a non-contact training session. Webb was a different matter, mind, but the nature of his position means game time is more valuable to him.
I am Welsh, but with you all the way on your comments.
I have seen this referred to elsewhere, that Gatland was at fault for playing Halfpenny whilst (possibly) carrying a knee injury. Often ACL ruptures are gradual injuries, and this could have been an injury waiting to happen. Hence the strapping?
It is better for Wales that this happened now, than during the Uruguay game, or possibly the England game. IF, and I accept it is only an “if” he did have a problem with the knee, then perhaps he was expected to prove it in this game.
Better that it hadn’t happened at all of course, but perhaps earlier better than later?
I’m not overly fussed about how it affects Wales. It’s a case of player safety and a bloke’s livelihood.
And I don’t think it’s case of “if” he had a knee problem; all that strapping and the fact it went so easily indicate that there was an issue already. As you say, this type of injury develops over time and surely the players are monitored closely enough for this to be picked up.
I find it hard to believe, with the level of attention and medical supervision these guys have (or maybe I’m misinformed on how great that is), that they were not acutely aware of the damage and that some rest and physio would be required to make it right.
You’re not wrong Stroudos, but I guess some if this comes down to the player himself, on the eve of RWC, perhaps not being fully honest, or fully aware of how bad it could be.
I ruptured mine many years ago, and I remember it went from being a bit achey, to snapping.
That was during a RWC too, although it didn’t affect my involvement strangely. Just got me a better seat in the bar.
Ha, love the last bit!
Players often need protecting from themselves. To get to this level, they must have that inbuilt “scrappy-doo” mentality. You very rarely see a concussed player, for example, leaving the pitch voluntarily.
For Halfpenny, it’s not as if he had to play to confirm his place in the squad; he’s the definition of “nailed-on” / first name on the team-sheet.
I wanted Mike Philips to be included in the 31 to be fair that’s more out of appreciation for past worth than current, but we all know he has (on form) the quality needed so hopefully this reprieve will inspire some great performances.
Obviously losing halfpenny is a loss of pts but with bigger taking the kick as was stated last week he is a solid kicker that most teams would be happy with. If nothing else it means the far range kicks that we snuck in 3 points will now be for the lineout, if we get a good driving maul setup then we can see some of those 3’s become 7’s which would be beneficial provided we do it well.
My only hope is we can get a solid lineout going which I know in the past we have had so time to sort out the set pieces and we’ll be back on track, still holding faith!
Michael, on your middle paragraph: I admire your optimism, but setting up lineouts simply doesn’t compare with keeping the scoreboard ticking over. Extracting three points every time your oppo makes a mistake keeps your team’s momentum going and exerts a psychological advantage over the oppo. When Halfpenny plays, an opposition player contesting a breakdown anywhere in his own half (and beyond) knows he simply cannot afford to concede a penalty. That is a huge weight of responsibility and it inhibits players from contesting as fiercely as they ordinarily would, allowing Wales to win more of those breakdowns and create opportunities elsewhere. The bloke is worth his weight in gold and I seriously believe his loss has scuppered Wales’s chances of getting out of their pool.
Totally agree Stroudos
Kicks from halfway will normally go out around the 22m line or up to 5m further up. The conversion percentages from there are very low compared to lineouts on or around the 5m.
Its very cliche but “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”
Also that psychological advantage at rucks and mauls is not to be underestimated. Eng v Wal in 6N this year May gave away a penalty in the 1st 5 mins on the halfway near the touchline. Normally wouldnt have bothered me but this time had me shouting at the telly because i knew halfpenny would convert it.
That’s kind of what I’m saying, whilst it is a loss of points which I would have preferred, biggar is usually closer to the 5 than the 22 which gives the option (with a solid lineout) to either a) maul and go straight, b) go wide c) get creative and run it through the middle
If they focus on getting the set pieces such as lineouts then they could assert a lot of pressure from them, whilst it’s not the 3pts that most teams are concerned with when Halfpenny on the pitch, there is no reason why an affective 5m lineout cant be feared just as much and Biggar is good at getting the distance they would need so they don’t need to run it from the 22
I’ll take three points in the bank over an attacking 5m lineout any day.
I’m great fun on a night out too…
Gutted for the pair of them and the RWC will be poorer for not having them and JD playing. All players I love watching. Losing 3 world class players will hurt however well the replacements go. I think Halfpenny is the biggest loss. Goal kicking is so important at RWCs and he was so reliable from such a range.
Philips is rubbish and has been for years. So it is no surprise that he is picked.
No point going back to him whatsoever.
Eli Walker will only play v Uruguay (may be Fiji from the bench) as Cementhead’s blinkers only allow him to see C+ntbutt on the wing and as many so-called golden boys or Gats’ old mates. For Gatland and Wales in 2014-2015, read Clive Woodward and the Lions of 2005.
As a direct consequence of Roger the Dodger’s greed we were always more than likely to be going out at the pool stage following the crazy idea to rank nations almost 3 years b 4 the tournament. Now without 2 key backs it is a certainty.
It is not as if the IRB are surprised that NZ, SA, AUS, Wales, France, Scotland, lreland, Italy, Argentina were going to be playing in WRC 2015 is it???
There again games are won and lost upfront and with Samson Lee injured and the always-selected ‘best prop Wales have ever had’ unable to scrum his way through a wet paper bag, Wales will be on the back foot upfront in every important pool game.
Gats is just picking the same old players over and over, ignoring their form, ignoring the form of others and trotting out the same old mantra telling us to ‘keep the faith’.
If I was Gats I would collect my salary asap because it is England and Oz in the pool games and we haven’t beaten 1 for 10 years anywhere in the World and we’ve been crunched up front by the other team in the 6N 2014 and 2015.
People forget that Galtand’s record v Eng is v. poor, (lost in the 6N in 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015) and that the 30-03 game of 2013 was under Howley. Then factor in Gats v Oz with a dreadful run of 10 defeats on the trot!
Fiji must be licking their lips at the thought of facing Wales in 2015.
As I have a prior engagement on the 26th I shall hopefully miss the looming disaster v England and do all I can to avoid the usual anti-Welsh media gloating that will be rammed down our throats after the game for days on end by ITV/the English ‘National’ press/the English-Biased Broadcasting Corporation.
I have been watching Welsh Rugby since I was a young boy in the early 1970s and the English Media is already sharpening its pens and getting its microphones ready to endlessly mock
Wales over and over for this RWC exit. They did in 1991, they did in 1995, they did in 2007. They have always looked for a way to rub our noses in the excrement at every opportunity.
Time to get out my NZ and Bokke jerseys for this tournament.
Why don’t you swap the Boks jersey for an irish one? – celtic brothers and all that shite – don’t forget we hate Warren the Floating Turd too…………………..and we have a great love for the English!
DDD
Are you really a Welsh fan? Hard to believe. Your abuse is so nasty. Not in the spirit of the game. Hope non Welsh people don’t get the impression that we are all like you.
Teehee Prophet E – all good stuff, well done. But a load of Baloney all the say
I’m English…..Sorry to hear about your 15, and 9…..very sorry….if we are rugby fans we love watching great players regardless of what colour shirt they have on..Ever time Half penny kicks at an English goal I have to leave the room in a rage over the stupidity of the (normally a prop) idiot who gives him 3 points…. Halfpenny will be a great loss to the Welsh, and world viewers I wish him a speedy recovery. Your 9 was good, far better than Phillips who I have said before is too slow at delivering the ball from set pieces./breakdown, Halfpenny is easily worth 9-12 points every match where silly penalties are punished anywhere within 50m of the goal, your replacement kicker will now have more pressure on him to produce the goods. I am sure that who ever replaces him is no mug, but if I was facing Wales now I would be less worried about the match than I was. I still think England are worthy of a banana skin…..and shudder to think of the grief you Welsh will give us if you and the Aussies get through!!!!!
Quite so!
To all Welsh fans – PLEASE NOTE keep agreeing that Phillips is “rubbish” and always has been. Just to remind you, he’s the huge slow useless guy who was Lions first choice scrum-half for five of the last six tests. Ian McGeechan thinks he’s TERRIBLE (wink wink).
The webb loss is unfortunate, but as a very keen pro 12 fan I can tell all you “fans” Biggar is the best kicker in the NH. He’s kicked under huge pressure(v leinster) and his accuracy is undeniable. Plus what we gain in Liam Williams is more than a fiar replacement, he makes other teams look pathetic week in week out. Its sad HP is out but I prefer the replacement. As for Webb, discarding Davies’ nightmare last season(injuries and bans) he was the superior SH in league play, Webb won’t be missed for long. Wales to top the group, an England team who lost to france and an Aus team who lose by 30 points stand very little chance.
Williams is fit for game #1 planned to bring him to match fitness ready for England :D
It cracks me up how quickly Welsh fans have swung from despair at loosing their two best players, to “they were never that good”, “the repalcements are far better” and “now we are going to top the pool playing exciting attacking rugby”.
Halfpenny is the best kicker in the world let alone the NH and that is backed up by stats and evidence, not conjecture or hearsay.
Webb was by far the best player in a Welsh shirt in the 6N IMO followed by AWJ who also has injury niggles
Both players are a big loss to the world cup and have weakened the Welsh 1stXV but have especially weakened the squad.
It’s not a case that we aren’t losing out, HP is amazing, but losing him puts us from having one of if not the worlds greatest kicker, to a kicker who is exceptional and still world class (bigger), it brings in Williams which is more aggressive in the position (provided his fitness isn’t an issue). So whilst we lose the magic 3pt guaranteed we gain in other aspects. It will also mean we take less of the lengthier 3pt’s and go for more lineouts which if solid could increase are winning margins (or losing margins) so although painful its still exciting.
Webb again is great, but Philips offers a slower pace but much more experience. I wanted Philips in the squad initially so although it’s not good to lose Webb I see potential in the replacement.
Again it’s a big loss to the world cup, but individual players don’t win this tournament it’s about a squad of players, I’m happy that after losing 2 great players we have a player of Philips quality to call up, and Williams is fit as well allowing us to bring in Walker too, every situation has both upside & downside. The mark of a true fan is supporting the team through it!
Hmmmm…for a World Cup I think I’d take Halfpenny’s almost guaranteed 3 points from any penalty within the oppposition half, over the relatively faint possibility of scoring from a line-out
World Cup games are on the whole cagey affairs, won and lost by small margins and Halfpenny would have been Wales’ best weapon.
Still no point crying over what might have been,
Biggar is indeed a good kicker but not really tested in the same way that Halfpenny has been and without the same range.
L Williams is a danger at fullback – he runs fantastic lines and personally I’d have had him there anyway with Halfpenny on the wing – but Wales need to hope he’s lost the petulance that can make him a bit of liability.
As for Phillips, well it very much depends which Mike turns up. The one that looks like he’s running through treacle and is vaguely disinterested or the one that plays to every inch and pound of his size and is a constant physical threat around the fringes. As an England fan I’d hope we get the second Mike, but fear we might get the first.