The Welsh backrow fans are demanding makes the World Cup plane

Warren Gatland announced his 42-man training squad for the World Cup this year, and it has received a positive reaction from fans on Twitter.

Many are hailing this as one of the strongest and deepest Welsh squads in a long time, as Gatland hopes to improve on his Grand Slam success with a World Cup win in Japan later this year.

While this is a strong squad, there are some omissions that have raised a few eyebrows., notably the absence of Ellis Jenkins and Thomas Young. However, Gatland has emphasized that the two flankers are only omitted because of their injuries that they are currently suffering, and that they may still get their chance to prove themselves.

In light of these statements made by Gatland, many Welsh fans feel that Jenkins deserves a place on the plane to Japan, and while he has been out the entirety of 2019 so far, he still merits a place.

Jenkins sustained an ACL injury in late November in the test win against South Africa, which required surgery. While these injuries take a long time to heal, there may be a window of opportunity for him before the World Cup.

This is what the fans have been saying:
https://twitter.com/Bigt8409/status/1123483645560393728?s=20
https://twitter.com/Dev_Decorating/status/1123337550809182208?s=20
https://twitter.com/edjenx/status/1123276863755911168?s=20
https://twitter.com/LeeHughes2/status/1123247860194131969?s=20
https://twitter.com/RobHurley1827/status/1123238271918780418?s=20
https://twitter.com/buck_mitchell/status/1123193516316868608?s=20
https://twitter.com/CraigPrice1/status/1123187965990187008?s=20

Will bring him in once fit

— Liam Mackay (@caerau10) April 30, 2019

The 26-year-old Jenkins is a hugely admired player in Wales, and many felt that he would hold the number six shirt for a long time when he was awarded it to play against the Springboks in November. However, this devastating injury to the Cardiff Blue has allowed other players to stake a claim for a World Cup place, and the Grand Slam would have only helped their cause.

However, many feel that if Jenkins can replicate the form he showed for the Blues before his injury, he must be picked for Wales. He will face a race for time to be fit for the warm-up tests against England and Ireland, but he seems to be many fans’ wildcard for Japan.