Hooker problems for Welsh

[Burgs]

10/10 for Sportals Sub Editor, love this heading

Hooker problems for Welsh

May 23, 2007 - 7:42am
Story by: Sportal

Wales hooker Gareth Williams has been ruled out of the two-Test tour of Australia after tearing a calf muscle in training and will fly home this weekend.

Gloucester rake Mefin Davies and Dragons hooker Steve Jones will join the 28-man tour squad to replace Williams and Matthew Rees, who will return to Wales to be present at the birth of his first child after facing the Wallabies this weekend.

"Gareth broke down in training last Sunday and a scan has revealed a tear to his left calf," said Wales team physio Mark Davies.

"He will not be able to run for at least 10 days, ruling him out of preparations for both tests and leading to the decision to send him home."

Meanwhile, former Wales captain and British Lion Colin Charvis has been passed fit with a clean bill of health although wing Aled Brew is still suffering with a knee injury and will not being considered for the first Test.

"Colin was put through his paces on arrival in Australia on Monday to test a bone bruise he sustained to his knee," said Davies.

"He has come through the fitness test and has benefited from sitting out on the Dragons game last week leading to him being made available for selection for the first test.

"Aled will not be considered for the first game after carrying a ligament injury to his knee for the last three weeks, but he is making progress and is fully expected to be ready and available for the second test."

The Welsh team for the first Test against Australia in Sydney this Saturday will be announced on Thursday.

[Burgs]

Even funnier when combined with this otherwise innocent heading earlier in the week

Welsh Rugby Union: We've Got the Talent

May 21, 2007 - 4:22pm
Story by: Other

Neil Jenkins says James Hook is so talented he doesn't need a coach. The Wales kicking guru believes his squad is overflowing with talent in the fly-half position ahead of the first test against Australia at the Telstra Stadium in Sydney on Saturday.

Hook, Gavin Henson and Ceri Sweeney - who joined up with the tour squad early this morning - are the three options for Wales in the pivotal no.10 role. "The boys are working really hard on their game in training and we are blessed with a choice of three very talented kickers," said Jenkins.

"Take James Hook as an example he is such a talented individual and right on his game at the moment, that the best thing for us to do as coaches is just leave him to get on with it. You don't want to create robots as coaches, you want to nurture talent and players like Hook do things in a game instinctively, we've got to make sure we don't over coach and detract from that instinct."

And the world record holding points scorer also doesn't mind if any of his players miss the odd kick on tour as he recalls the day he missed seven kicks against Ireland in 1993 and believes adversity can turn good players great. "I missed seven kicks in one game and it made me progress more as a kicker, it seems funny in a sense you miss that amount of kicks and your devastated, but it helped me in a funny way, helped to make me as a kicker," said Jenkins.

"It's when you have a bad day at the office that you find out about yourself, you soul search, look at where you may have gone wrong and get on with it. I changed my kicking routine after that time in '93 because I felt I was practicing too much and didn't really look back. But the real difference was that it made me look into myself, ask questions and decide if I was up to it - I decided I was. And we've got some special talent in this squad that is undoubtedly up to it as well."

The squad have been training in the salubrious surroundings of Central Coast Grammar school in Terrigal this week.