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The Voice From the Stands

May 26 2008

Call me a pessimist but it seems Wales' tour to South Africa is destined to fail before it has even begun.

In the aftermath of the Grand Slam party Head Coach Warren Gatland was quietly mulling over his playing options, which at that stage must have appeared very healthy indeed. Two months can be a long time in rugby, just take a look at the current predicament Wales find themselves in.

No sooner have we, yes I am an ardent Welshman, come to terms with the loss of key players such as Martyn Williams, Gavin Henson, Mike Phillips, Dwayne Peel and Lee Byrne, than the latest injuries take their toll.

Huw Bennett and Andy Williams are the latest casualties, with Williams' withdrawal the major worry. Suddenly Gatland's idea of taking the uncapped Warren Furry along for some much-needed experience could be greatly exposed - he is now in line to sit on the bench in both Tests.

Shane Williams can provide cover at nine if needed but his talents, quite clearly, lie elsewhere and should not be squandered. Thus the prospect of Furry being thrown in at the deep end is becoming, rather worryingly, all too real. No disrespect to the kid but he has only featured twice for London Irish this season, hardly ideal preparation for taking on the world champs in their own backyard.

At the outset Gatland had vowed not to use the summer tour as a development tool, like so many of his predecessors have done to their detriment. Nonetheless, and it is through no fault of his own, that is exactly what this tour is turning into, and at an alarming rate.

The Springboks may have picked an interesting training squad, but you can rest assured come June 7 their side will be pretty close to that which won the World Cup seven months ago. Dark memories of that ill-fated day in June of 1998 are slowly coming back for Wales, you know, that 96-13 disaster. The worry is that history has a nasty habit of repeating itself.

One bit of good news for Wales is the continuing substandard form of South African hooker Bismarck du Plessis. He may be playing second fiddle to John Smit but chances are he will play some part in the series, and that can only be good for Wales.

I just don't see what all the fuss is about, he is a distinctly average player and Saturday's Super 14 semi-final was further evidence of that. Correct me if I am wrong but a basic requirement of a hooker is to be able to throw into the line-out, a skill Du Plessis is clearly lacking.

Over the past three weeks, culminating in the Sharks defeat against the Waratahs, he has shown a total lack of composure and accuracy with his throwing. No doubt Wales will have picked up on this and will target him accordingly, as despite his poor form the chances are he will be selected - he enjoys something of a 'golden boy' status in South Africa.

The problem Head Coach Peter de Villiers has, and it is of his own making, is that he named John Smit captain a good while back. Without a doubt the form hooker available to him is Schalk Britz of the Stormers, yet with Smit as captain and 'Golden Boy' Du Plessis the coaches favourite Britz is set to miss out once again. One therefore has to ask what is the incentive for playing consistently well?

Away from the international scene it would seem Wasps have developed a penchant for ageing back row players, as no sooner are they bidding Lawrence Dallaglio a fond farewell than they welcome Serge Betsen to Adams Park.

Whilst their motives are clear, international duty will deprive them of regular service from the likes of James Haskell and Tom Rees, their player choice seems rather peculiar. Betsen, at 34, is no spring chicken and having once been a force of the game has seen his form wane over the past year.

Having retired from the international scene at the end of the 2007 World Cup, with 63 caps, his Top 14 appearances have been sporadic this season. Strange then that Wasps have chosen to sign him for two years rather than focusing on bringing a young academy player into the first team.

Looking ahead, and sticking with Wasps, this Saturday is the Guinness Premiership Final, Dallaglio's last ever game. Let's just hope that this does not detract from the game itself.

How do you see the world of rugby this week?

By Marcus Leach