Tonga are the weakest of the sides that Wales will play this autumn and have been given the Friday night fixture. It is a strange game for the players and one that a lot of players would rather avoid. Tonga will be very physical but should be a fairly straightforward task. So many of the big names have been rested and they are probably grateful for the rest, not least so that they can avoid injury before the main game of Wales' autumn, Australia. So we can probably guess the line-up that Gatland will be going with from the Tonga selection. He has made no less than eleven changes to the starting XV which was so dominant against Argentina, with only George North, Leigh Halfpenny, Justin Tipuric and Rhodri Jones still in the team. Of course there were some issues at centre so change has been enforced there but on the whole the Welsh set up is looking fresh, and Gatland is adding fresh faces all the time.
There are yet more debutantes in this game, the Friday night game of the autumn is traditionally the 'debutantes game' to blood young players. Again more new players will gain their first caps this year, the baby-faced Hallam Amos will make his debut on the left wing, making him the 53rd different player to play for Wales this year in just 10 games. The Dragons back has a great turn of speed and a good step, he proved what he could do at the under 20's World Cup earlier this year, helping Wales all the way to the final. Only just nineteen, if he is not overawed by the occasion then he could be one to watch, a very dangerous runner when he gets going. He has played a lot of rugby from full back for the Dragons, so look out for him taking the high ball and running from deep.
If you follow the Llanelli Scarlets at all or have seen them play this year, then the last man on the bench will excite you a little bit. Feels like a long time coming although he is only twenty, Jordan Williams is likely to receive his first cap from the bench. A magnificent player, made in the Shane Williams mould. He is certain to become a Welsh fan favourite and he could show a lot of people that it isn't all about power in the modern game. In defence he isn't quite there yet but he is learning quickly, but in attack he is devastatingly good. If you take your eye of the young man for a second then you will be punished just ask Harlequins who suffered to him in the Heineken Cup. He was also a member of that Welsh under 20's squad that reached the final, putting in some unbelievably good performances. When the Tongan's begin to tire around the hour mark there is no one better to bring off the bench than Jordan Williams, he will exploit any weaknesses in the defence and don't be surprised if we see a debut try.
It should be a straightforward game for Wales but Tonga have beaten Scotland in recent times. I would expect it to be an open attacking performance from Wales with James Hook starting at fly-half, his first start for a year and a half, he will want to impress. I think the Tongan defence will hold firm for the early parts of the game but tire as it goes on and Jordan Williams could have a great time running at a tired defence on his debut.
No comments:
Post a Comment