Memo To Warren: Let Scarlets Lead Way

IN February 2008 I was part of a Wales side which went to Twickenham and beat England in the opening game of that year’s Six Nations.

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The match – Warren Gatland’s first as head coach – was notable for the fact our team contained 13 Ospreys in the starting XV. In terms of the make-up of the side, I can see history repeating itself when Wales host Scotland at Principality Stadium on Saturday.

The only difference this time is that it will be Scarlets players not Ospreys dominating selection.

I think it’s the logical way for Warren to go for this game. I’m still remaining positive, but Wales’ injury curse has been nothing short of brutal in the run-up to this Six Nations campaign.

To have seven British & Irish Lions out of action would rip the heart from any team, let alone a side like Wales who don’t have the sort of strength in depth England and France can boast.

We’d already lost Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate, Taulupe Faletau and Jonathan Davies for Scotland, but to see Rhys Webb, Dan Biggar and Liam Williams all join the injury list this week is just heartbreaking. It’s a massive, massive blow and I’m sure fans across the country will be disappointed. It means we’ll go into the Six Nations as huge underdogs, but that’s not all bad.

The thing with losing both Rhys and Dan is that they’ve been first choice in two key positions for a long time now. A rugby team is controlled by your scrum-half and fly-half.

Their role is to boss everyone else around the pitch, make the right decisions, control the game, and ensure it’s played in the right areas of the field.

Both Rhys and Dan are world-class players and they’ll be a huge loss. You can bet your bottom dollar though that Warren won’t be dwelling on their absence and that’s the right attitude to have.

Modern-day rugby is a brutal game and while Wales don’t have the resources of other nations, we’re not exactly at our bare bones.