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Four changes for Wales as Warren Gatland looks to end winless run

Dewi Lake looks dejected as he leads Wales off after last Sunday's loss to Fiji (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Warren Gatland had announced four changes to his Wales team that will host Australia next Sunday in Cardiff. The Welsh were beaten 19-24 last Sunday at Principality Stadium by Fiji and they will go in against the Wallabies with two alterations to the starting backs and two more up front.

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Tom Rogers has been named on the right wing in place of the injured Mason Grady, with Ellis Bevan promoted from the bench to start at scrum-half in place of the excluded Tomos Williams, who is believed to have a shoulder injury.

In the pack, both changes are in the back row where James Botham and Jac Morgan come in for Taine Plumtree and Tommy Reffell.

Video Spacer

Wallaby centre Len Ikitau and lock Jeremy Williams

Video Spacer

Wallaby centre Len Ikitau and lock Jeremy Williams

There are three changes to the replacements which this weekend will have a five/three forwards/backs split rather than the six/two used against the Fijians.

The benched Reffell will now provide the lone back row cover following the promotion of Botham and Morgan into the starting XV. Rhodri Williams is the sub scrum-half with Bevan now starting, while Eddie James has been added as the additional backline option.

Team Form

Last 5 Games

1
Wins
2
2
Streak
2
16
Tries Scored
21
-53
Points Difference
-26
2/5
First Try
3/5
3/5
First Points
2/5
2/5
Race To 10 Points
3/5

Gatland said: “We have had honest reviews after last week’s match. We are expecting an Australia side on a high after their win against England.

“They are a much-improved side since the summer and have played a number of Test matches since we last met. We know we need to put in an 80-minute performance on Sunday.”

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The loss to Fiji was Wales’ 10th successive defeat, equalling the low bar set when Steve Hansen was in charge of the side more than 20 years ago.

Wales (vs Australia, Sunday)
15. Cameron Winnett (Cardiff Rugby – 8 caps)
14. Tom Rogers (Scarlets – 4 caps)
13. Max Llewellyn (Gloucester Rugby – 3 caps)
12. Ben Thomas (Cardiff Rugby – 5 caps)
11. Blair Murray (Scarlets – 1 cap)
10. Gareth Anscombe (Gloucester Rugby – 38 caps)
9. Ellis Bevan (Cardiff Rugby – 4 caps)
1. Gareth Thomas (Ospreys – 34 caps)
2. Dewi Lake (Ospreys – 16 caps) captain
3. Archie Griffin (Bath Rugby – 4 caps)
4. Will Rowlands (Racing 92 – 34 caps)
5. Adam Beard (Ospreys – 57 caps)
6. James Botham (Cardiff Rugby – 14 caps)
7. Jac Morgan (Ospreys – 16 caps)
8. Aaron Wainwright (Dragons – 51 caps)

Replacements / Eilyddion
16. Ryan Elias (Scarlets – 42 caps)
17. Nicky Smith (Leicester Tigers – 47 caps)
18. Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff Rugby – 8 caps)
19. Christ Tshiunza (Exeter Chiefs – 13 caps)
20. Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers – 21 caps)
21. Rhodri Williams (Dragons – 3 caps)
22. Sam Costelow (Scarlets – 16 caps)
23. Eddie James (Scarlets – 1 cap)

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Comments

1 Comment
J
JK 4 days ago

Good luck to Wales - you'll need it as the Aussies look re-energized

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J
JW 2 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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