Six Nations latest – Tindall leads Poms
2 Feb 2011
Keo.co.za brings you news from the Six Nations.
Tindall leads Poms – Mike Tindall will captain England in their opening Six Nations match against Wales on Friday. Tom Wood will replace Tom Croft at flank in the match to be played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
James Haskell will replace the injured Lewis Moody at openside flank while in the second row Louis Deacon comes in for the injured Courtney Lawes.
World Cup winning flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson will watch the match from the bench.
England - 15 Ben Foden, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Mike Tindall (c), 12 Shontayne Hape, 11 Mark Cueto, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Nick Easter, 7 James Haskell, 6 Tom Wood, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Louis Deacon, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Subs: 16 Steve Thompson, 17 Danny Care, 18 David Wilson, 19 Simon Shaw, 20 Matt Banahan, 21 Joe Worsley, 22 Jonny Wilkinson.
Gatland backs Hook at fullback - James Hook, who played inside centre against New Zealand in November, will play fullback in Wales’ opening Six Nations clash with England on Friday. Hook replaces Lee Byrne who has been moved down to the bench.
Jamie Roberts returns to inside centre after missing all of Wales’ November Tests due to injury. Together with Roberts in the midfield will be Jonathan Davies who replaces the injured Tom Shanklin.
Morgan Stoddart will play wing following the ankle injury Leigh Halfpenny sustained at a training session on Monday.
Coach Warren Gatland was also forced to make changes in the front row due to injuries to props Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones. The two Ospreys props, Paul James and Craig Mitchell, will take their place.
A possible test debut from the bench could be waiting for Rhys Priestland, the only new face in the 22-man squad.
Wales - 15 James Hook, 14 Morgan Stoddart, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Paul James, 7 Matthew Rees (c), 6 Craig Mitchell, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Dan Lydiate, 2 Sam Warburton, 1 Andy Powell.
Subs: 16 Richard Hibbard, 17 John Yapp , 18 Ryan Jones, 19 Jonathan Thomas, 20 Dwayne Peel, 21 Rhys Priestland, 22 Lee Byrne.
Kidney trusts in McFadden – The 24-year-old Leinster centre Fergus McFadden has been named in Ireland’s starting line-up for their opener against Italy in Rome on Saturday. McFadden will play wing in the place of the injured Tommy Bowe.
Scrumhalf Tomas O’Leary returns to the side after missing all of Ireland’s November Tests due to a hand injury. Sean O’Brien will wear the No 8 jersey following an injury to Jamie Heaslip. Denis Leamy will take the place of Stephen Ferris, who also was ruled out due to injury, at blindside.
Former British & Irish Lions captain Paul O’Connell returns to the team after being absent since a groin injury sidelined him in last year’s Six Nations.
In total, Ireland have made nine changes to the team that beat Argentina 29-9 in November.
Ireland – 15 Luke Fitzgerald, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Brian O’Driscoll (c), 12 Gordon D’Arcy, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Tomas O’Leary, 8 Sean O’Brien, 7 David Wallace, 6 Denis Leamy, 5 Paul O’Connell, 4 Donncha O’Callaghan, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Subs: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Tom Court, 18 Leo Cullen, 19 Shane Jennings, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Ronan O’Gara, 22 Paddy Wallace.
18 Comments
2 Feb 2011, 12:22 pm
My kidneys want to trust in me but I always let them down.
2 Feb 2011, 12:34 pm
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-1: Hahaha – with the loooooong rugby season (and cricket WC) coming up, I bet alot of people are going to be damaging their kidneys! Onto the story – a few injuries, but I believe Ireland will get the job done with ease.
2 Feb 2011, 13:54 pm
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-1: LOL
2 Feb 2011, 15:52 pm
Bring on the beers, braais, birds and befok rugby.
2 Feb 2011, 18:30 pm
Tindall should not be in that team to begin with, and definitely not at 13.
My money is on Wales here.
3 Feb 2011, 08:13 am
Matthew Rees is a hooker, Sam Warburton is a flank.
3 Feb 2011, 08:14 am
@WillieVZ – I know what you are saying, but I wouldnt waste good money on either of them.
3 Feb 2011, 11:36 am
Well done Mike, stuff dreams are made of, leading your country out onto the pitch AND marrying the Queens Grandaughter all in one year!!
3 Feb 2011, 15:06 pm
Toby Flood is K@K, is JW injured because he’s 100X the player Flood is.
3 Feb 2011, 15:38 pm
@JA-JA(JA-JA)-9: It’s probably just because Wilkinson plays for a French club and the RFU wants its players to be based in England. Having said that, though, I don’t think Flood is that bad.
3 Feb 2011, 16:48 pm
Flood is more of risk-taker than Wilko, and we need to take as many risks as we can in the backs because our pack isn’t what it used to be back in the glory days.
3 Feb 2011, 16:48 pm
@kaksioek(kaksioek)-10: He kicks when he should run and runs into contact when he should kick and his defence is not very good.
He has had some good games not great but good.
The RFU should bend the rules for Wilkinson, he’s the best they got by a country mile and his probibly the best 10 on defence, the man tackles like a monster.
The Stormers could do with him in the S15 hell the Bulls as well.
Break the bank boys, Bulls ek weet waar gaan julle geld kry nie. Stormers vra vir Oom Johann Rupert vir so bietjie geld, hy sal dit nie eers voel nie.
3 Feb 2011, 16:52 pm
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-11: He looks as if he should play cricket, he’s almost built like a rugby player.
It probibly sounds if I hate the guy but I don’t, he actually looks like a nice young man.
3 Feb 2011, 16:53 pm
Sweet Chariot…
3 Feb 2011, 16:53 pm
Coming forth to carry me home…
3 Feb 2011, 16:55 pm
Allons enfants de la patrie…
Le jour de gloire est arrive…
3 Feb 2011, 16:58 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-15: What a daft anthem. As far as I can tell it’s about a bloke that gets pissed and needs to call a cab at the end of the night.
3 Feb 2011, 16:59 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-17: LOL
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