James Hook has won the race to play in the pivotal position of outside half as Wales attempt to complete a Six Nations Grand Slam at home to France on Saturday.
Stephen Jones started at stand off in Wales' last two wins, over Italy and Ireland, after Hook had been the man running out at 10 in the victories against England and Scotland.
Now new Wales coach Warren Gatland has opted for Hook, whose creative talents could shine against a France side that have shown a fondness for attacking rugby under their new boss, Marc Lievremont.
PHOTO: REUTERS
"We have a historic opportunity and we intend to grasp it with both hands," said New Zealander Gatland, one victory away from steering his adopted country to a Grand Slam in his first season in charge.
"Just like every game, we have looked at the 10 situation and who would do the best job for the game. We have afforded ourselves the luxury of bringing in James Hook," he said.
"We have spoken to the players and we feel that, against France, James gives us slightly more attacking options," Gatland said.
"It is no consolation to Stephen but coming off the bench he gives us that maturity and experience in being able to change a game if we need to, or close it down," the former Ireland, Wasps and Waikato coach explained.
"We have used both players in every game except England and I see that happening again on Saturday," he said.
CLOSE CALL
Gatland said it had been a desperately close call between the two flyhalves before he opted for the younger man, more of a "flair" player than the steadier Jones.
"It was an agonizing decision to make. I have a huge amount of respect for Stephen as a person and I am sure his experience will add to us this week," Gatland said.
The only other change to the starting side that beat Ireland 16-12 in Dublin last Saturday to clinch the Triple Crown saw hooker Huw Bennett return after missing the Croke Park triumph with flu.
Scrumhalf Mike Phillips, who pulled off a try-saving tackle on Ireland wing Shane Horgan, retained his place despite receiving a yellow card for kneeing prop Marcus Horan in the back.
In the end, Wales coped well while Phillips spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin.
"If the result had been different perhaps it could cost him his place. I hope there has been a lesson in it because I have told Mike he can be the biggest, most physical, imposing scrumhalf in world rugby," Gatland said.
Wales' 1st XV this weekend will feature nine players involved in the 2005 Grand Slam season.
"They [the players] have not spoken about 2005 but it is a bonus that they know what the week is like," Gatland said.
Wales can afford to lose by 19 points on Saturday and still win the Championship title but Gatland, who took over after Gareth Jenkins was sacked following the team's first round exit at last year's World Cup, has his sights set on a bigger prize.
SPECIAL
"To win on points difference would be something of a hollow victory," he said. "We have already achieved something in this campaign that can't be taken away from us with the Triple Crown, but we have an opportunity now to push on and do something a little bit special in front of our home crowd."
France have won their last six matches at the Millennium Stadium, including the World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand.
"We have momentum, which is what this tournament is all about, but you can never underestimate the French," Gatland warned.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
Former Formosa Dreamers player Ilkan Karaman was killed in a traffic accident in Datca, Turkey, Turkish media reported yesterday. He was 34. The former Turkish national team player was reportedly hit by a car, the driver of which was allegedly drunk, while he was standing on a sidewalk, Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported. Karaman and his friends were on their way to the beach town of Dalaman to go scuba diving when they stopped at a gas station to buy gasoline, it reported. Karaman was hit by the car while waiting on a sidewalk as his friends were buying gasoline, it
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later
RSS