With just 143 days to go until the Rugby World Cup, which players’ international stock rose and which fell during the weekend’s domestic action?
GOING UP
Joe Simpson
Wasps & England
Simpson’s was the kind of solo try that only come along once or twice a season – a breathtakingly brilliant run that saw him duck and weave past the initial defensive line, before turning on the afterburners and arcing his run so that the covering defence stood no chance. That kind of electric pace and ability to conjure a try from nothing is the kind of thing you see in sevens all the time – to do it in XVs is special. England possess few attackers with that potency – for that reason he should be included in their World Cup squad.
Iain Henderson
Ulster & Ireland
What a performance it was from Henderson at the weekend. Wearing six on his back he showed his versatility with a barnstorming performance that highlighted, above everything else, his insatiable work rate. He made 18 tackles and 15 carries, topping the stats for both, and showed his potency when doing so in beating five defenders. On top of that he cut a glorious line back towards the breakdown to gallop through Leinster’s wide open defensive line and cross for a crucial try.
Nicky Smith
Ospreys & Wales
Smith has missed a large chunk of this season due to injury and did not feature in Wales’ Six Nations campaign, so some big provincial performances are needed if he is to add to his two caps in time for the World Cup. On Judgement Day, with a record crowd that included Warren Gatland looking on, he excelled, showing lovely hands to give an offload in the build-up to his side’s first try, and making 11 tackles without missing a single one. Prop is not a position in which Wales are particularly well blessed, so more showings like this should give him a good chance of making Gatland’s final squad.
Liam Williams
Scarlets & Wales
This guy has to be one of the form fullbacks in the world right now, and for all Leigh Halfpenny’s technical brilliance from the tee, it is Williams who should wear the Wales 15 shirt at the World Cup. There are few better counter attackers, as evidenced by his glorious chip, gather and offload for Scott Williams’ try against the Dragons. He capped a fine performance by dancing his way past several defenders for a close range score.
Luther Burrell
Northampton Saints & England
During the Six Nations there were times when Burrell looked to be lacking a yard of pace, which make his ghosting outside break in the build up to Samu Manoa’s try all the more encouraging. It was a punctuation of brilliance in an otherwise quiet but solid outing for the Northampton inside centre, who came out on top of his individual battle with Saracens’ Brad Barritt.
GOING DOWN
Billy Twelvetrees
Gloucester & England
Highlights can be deceiving and despite scoring two tries (that, to be fair, included a dazzling sidestep few knew he was capable of) there was too much of the frustrating inconsistency that has come to define Twelvetrees as a player. He threw several wayward passes – a couple straight into touch – and kicked out on the full on more than one occasion. The juxtaposition of the brilliant and the dire makes the Gloucester captain truly one of the most frustrating players to watch.
Euan Murray
Glasgow & Scotland
Glasgow picked up an impressive win in Galway but their ageing tighthead was put in his place at scrum time, conceding a whopping four penalties at the set piece. With Edinburgh’s WP Nel very much on the up and qualifying for Scotland before the World Cup starts, there are increasingly loud whispers suggesting Murray could retire before the tournament proper even starts. On this evidence, it could be a blessing in disguise for Scotland.
Isaac Boss
Leinster & Ireland
Leinster built a lead against Ulster but their speed of play slowed down dramatically thereafter, and much of that owed to scrum-half Boss who too often looked ponderous at the breakdown. His service was slow and also too inaccurate at times, which made things more difficult for Jimmy Gopperth outside him. He also failed to vary his game sufficiently to worry the Ulster defence – in fact, in 64 minutes of being on the pitch, he didn’t run the ball once. If a scrum half doesn’t vary his game, he becomes too easy to read and the defence can simply focus on the men outside him.
Dario Chistolini
Zebre & Italy
Martin Castrogiovanni is getting old – that much we learnt in the Six Nations. Chistolini is the next cab off the tight-head rank for Italy, and on the basis of his performance against Edinburgh, that is a real concern. Against Alasdair Dickinson – not the most fearsome of scrummagers – he conceded a whopping four set piece penalties and received a yellow card. If Italy are to have any hope of progressing at the World Cup they will need their traditionally strong set piece not to falter.
Who were you impressed/disappointed with at the weekend? Leave your thoughts below.
By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43
10 replies on “Rugby World Cup Stock Check: 143 days to go”
Robbie Henshaw had a bit of a Billy Twelvetrees at 12 for Connacht, not helped by some erratic passing from Jack Carty. The two combined to gift Matawalu a try and Carty’s kicking from the tee was dreadful.
Blimey, didn’t anyone see Dan Biggar? A ‘masterclass’ performance at outside-half, in every aspect – place-ki king, aerial, running, distribution, defence. Alarmingly complete!
Only saw highlights from the ‘Judgement Day’ games but yes, Biggar looked brilliant.
As did Liam Williams. Some of his play was astounding. As an England supporter, I really hope Gatland sticks with Halfpenny for the RWC
Its a shame that this RWC will be too soon for Sam Burgess. I was sure he’d end up at centre but by the looks of it, he’s found his place on the blindside.
Williams at 15 and 1/2p at 14 would be my ideal. Leaving out Cuthbert. Retain 1/2p’s boot, and has always looked more dangerous at 14 than he has 15 in my opinion.
Wales seldom drop enough players back to support the fullback making counter-attacking harder and much more of a gamble, so I don’t think we’d see Williams being as effective as he could be and is probably the reason Halfpenny is still being picked there.
That said, I’d pick Halfpenny at 14 anyway for his own health if nothing else – his tackling technique is fine when the ball carrier is running to his right.
Hmm, see the point, but just as likely to be tackling to your left if you’re playing 14 (right wing)?
Not as much as 15, I think. Most of the ‘traditional’ tackles you make are when your opponent is trying to beat you, rather than trying to take contact and recycle. On the wing this generally means trying to take you on the outside. Coming inside is generally done to recycle the ball, in which case your tackle is much more upright to try to slow it down.
When you’re at 15, particularly the way Wales defend with the fullback almost exclusively as a sweeper, almost all of your tackles are going to be lower, round the legs type, but the number of such tackles is naturally much more even across both shoulders.
If Wales want to score tries (+ win more games!!!) then its Liam Williams, Eli Walker, Scott Williams and Tipuric.
However Cementhhead wants powerball so its Halfpenny/North/Cuthbert, Dr Chin and Warburton.
Liam Williams has been the form Welsh No15 all year. I still think he can be a loose cannon and a total donkey at times. I still have not really forgiven him for the penalty try in SA in the 2nd test in 2014.
However his counter-attacking is just what Wales need right now to provide some creative spark.
Halfpenny’s kicking is not as key as many people think when you have Biggar in the side doing that job and Halfpennny could be benched!!!
Halfpenny just does not offer as much at fullback as Lee Byrne did or Liam Williams does now.
But as we all know Cementhead has his favourites and won’t change even when Wales are dumped out of RWC 2015 at the pool stage.
Even then we can’t sack Roger the Dodger as he going b 4 he gets pushed!
Interesting point on Halfpenny vs Biggar kicking. I had been thinking much the same, and in terms of percentages I still do. However I read an interesting comment, can’t think where, that seemed to ring true. Opposition teams are very concious of Halfpenny’s kicking threat, much as they were with Wilkinson. This makes them more careful of penalties – less holding on, less competition for the turnover etc. While Biggar may punish them just as effectively, he does not have this aura.
I would still select Williams’s at full back and centre and possibly Walker on the wing, though he did not look that amazing on Judgement day. Is he back to his best?
Biggar is an excellent kicker. He simply does not have the range of 1/2p. 10 metres inside his own half in front of the posts is bread and butter for him. That does pressure the opposition not to concede penalties, certainly, from anywhere inside their own half.
1/2p can be an elusive runner, and i maintain that when he originally started in the Wales squad at 14 he was a potent attacking threat. However, i do agree Williams runs the better angles, which is why i’d like to see him moved to FB and 1/2p back to 14.
1/2p would bolster the wing in defence, which has been Cuthberts weakness.
His technique may be awful but he does get the job done – he could be even better if they could sort his technique out.
Walker simply hasn’t done enough for me yet to warrant a starting berth.
I’d agree with S Williams in for D Dan.
I dont understand why it’s always Warbs called for the drop. Get rid of Lydiate, move Warbs to 6 and Tips to 7 – both offer a lot more than just a tackle, in a team full of decent tacklers! – It’s also a combo that we’ve not seen since they dismantled England.