Warren Gatland once again made a number of changes as he continues the search for the first win of his second spell in charge of Wales.
Ahead of the clash with Italy this Saturday, Gatland has made six changes from the side that were beaten by England last time out.
Here's everything he had to say at a Press conference to discuss his team selection...
Talk us through the six changes?
“It’s an opportunity for a number of players. We haven’t picked Alun Wyn Jones, it was something we’d spoken to him about at the start of the campaign. Jac Morgan coming back in as we just feel with the way Italy play there’s an opportunity to put pressure on the ball.
"Wyn Jones probably has more experience starting as a loose-head and we feel Gareth Thomas will come on and make that impact in terms of the second-half around the field when the game loosens up a bit. With Rhys Webb, it’s a chance to see where he’s at at this level.
"For Rio Dyer coming back, we’ve been really happy with him. He’s been training really well and his work-rate has been outstanding. He’s raw and green and still has a lot to learn at this level. There was a good debate at full-back with Liam Williams coming back in.
"We discussed whether we put Louis Rees-Zammit there. The thing with Louis is he had that ankle injury for a number of weeks. He’s still getting back to pace. We thought having that impact from the bench for 30 minutes or whatever that he’ll have an impact. We realised last time there’d be a lot of kicking from England, but this will be high-tempo.”
There's no specialist fly-half cover on the bench with Dan Biggar missing - is that an issue?
“I think there is conventional fly-half cover as Joe Hawkins has played there a lot. He’s covered that position on a number of occasions for the Ospreys.
"We’ve been running him in training there and he’s looked comfortable there. It gives us more cover on the bench with Louis and George North in the midfield. We’re pretty happy with how he’s been going. He definitely looks comfortable at 10 as a cover option.”
Where do you see Jac Morgan's long-term position?
“We see him as a seven long-term. There’s great competition in that position. There’s three in the squad and more good sevens in Wales who aren’t in the squad.
"There’ll be some opportunities over the ball with the way Italy play. We’re looking for guys who can compete pretty hard on the ball.”
Is it the reality of the current situation that you need to keep on making changes?
“Yeah, it is. We’ve got some older players that we’re not overplaying them. How do we manage their load during this campaign? That’s why we’ve given them some opportunities but haven’t backed them up the following week.
"I thought Leigh Halfpenny was outstanding defensively and positionally against England, but he had some tight hamstrings so he wasn’t considered for this game. Liam Williams gets an opportunity to come back.
"We’ve had a good chat with him about the yellow cards and we weren’t happy with that. We were disappointed with that. He’s got to just concentrate on playing rugby and playing to the letter of the law.”
Is this the best Italy side you've faced?
“They’re definitely the most athletic side that we’ve seen. Losing Ange Capuozzo is a big loss for them. They try to play a wide-wide game.
"They’ve had some success in the tournament, but they’ve also been squeezed. England knocked them back and put them under pressure. Ireland changed defensively after being caught narrow and put them under pressure as they got more width in the second-half.
"They’ll try to move the ball from their own 22 and play a lot of rugby from coast to coast. If you get caught and get narrow, you’ll get punished. But you can also get rewards from getting your spacing and line-speed right.”
Are you close to your strongest team?
“We’re still working through that. We’re still giving players a chance to impress. There’s a balance between continuity and seeing where player are at this level.
"We didn’t include Christ Tshiunza as we’re happy with his progression. It’s sometimes hard when those players are going back to England and missing fallow weeks and the work we’re doing. But there’s some players who have improved and others who still need time at this level.”
It's another chance for the young centre partnership of Joe Hawkins and Mason Grady?
“I think they’re still developing. There’s a lot of work to do as a partnership. That continuity was quite important. We’ve had a lot of changes and midfield partnerships so it’s about getting some continuity there.
"There’s a 9-10-12 familiarity there with the Ospreys and the centre partnership from the U20s. We’re probably looking for more from Josh Adams.
"He struggled a bit against England as he was sick at half-time. That’s why we made that change at half-time. The same with Tomos Williams. They weren’t feeling 100 per cent for that game. For this group, it’s a big opportunity to go out and impress.”
Is Dan Biggar injured?
"He's had a tight back and hasn't taken part in training this week so basically he was ruled out for selection."
How impressed have you been with Dafydd Jenkins and the edge he can provide?
"He's still a young player and he's still learning his roles in terms of calling the lineouts defensively and learning that but he has got a bit of a hard edge about him.
"For him the challenge is the pace and intensity of international rugby and coping with that. He's physical and carries the ball well. He's definitely got a lot of attributes in terms of improving over time really."
Is it a case of short-term pain for long-term pain with some of the younger players?
"That's definitely the thinking at the moment. We know we have to go through that process. We are trying to keep some experience around younger players. We see some talent.
One of the things I've always said is you can't coach experience. Sometimes young players make mistakes and you've got to allow them to do that. They learn from playing at the highest level and gain that knowledge from international rugby. That's why for a number of them we've got to give them time in the middle."
Have the off-field issues been parked and will it be beneficial being out of Welsh rugby's goldfish bowl for a week or so?
"Yes, I think it will be. We are taking 33 players, the number that you'll have for the World Cup squad, so we are kind of having a bit of a look at what it's like for that preparation for later in the year.
"On reflection, and I know a couple of people have commented on it in terms of the stuff that was going on off the field, that definitely had an impact. There was quite a significant split in the group over which way to go and I think that definitely caused some tension within the group for a couple of weeks.
"I think if things do get signed and get sorted and we get Welsh rugby back on the right track I think it will be positive for everyone."
Is it tough to take all these defeats given the success you've been used to?
"It's a new experience. It's about trying to get a handle on where we are and we've still got a lot of work to do. We've got some young players who are pretty exciting and need a bit of time.
"For a number of players it could be their last year in a Welsh jersey as well so there'll be that sort of transition going forward. We are not quite where we want to be in terms of that process but I can tell we are working hard.
"There's clear messages about the improvements we are trying to make, and the improvements defensively against England. We got caught a couple of times on certain set-piece plays so we've adjusted that.
"We've done some good review stuff this week against Italy and where their strengths are. There'll potentially be opportunities for us from a defensive point of view and things from an attacking perspective as well is focused on the opportunities we've created.
"We've probably been a bit lateral as a backline. We are working on resetting early and trying to create more width and getting square as well. There's definitely been work ons for the squad and as a group of players they have been working hard to try and correct some of those things."
Will Owen Williams have the goal-kicking duties?
"Yes. He's been doing the work with Jenks and Joe has been doing a lot of work with him as well and kicking stuff out of hand as well."
How difficult was it to mend the split in camp?
"It was just time really. Time was the healer. It was definitely quite fractious there which is understandable because people have different opinions.
"I don't have an issue with that but sometimes that can create tension and on reflection that definitely happened with guys having strong views one way or the other. I think things have settled down over the last couple of weeks and probably the best reflection of that was the comments Justin Tipuric made to the group in terms of their body language.
"There were big moments in the England game where there were no celebrations from our players. No slapping backsides or congratulating guys about turnovers.
"That's sort of been the message this week making sure we celebrate as a group and definitely helps to bring the team together. When I look back and saw we weren't doing that against England that's probably a reflection of where we were as a group."
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