Uruguay opener puts Wales on the back foot, insists Gatland

Lloyd Williams and Matthew Morgan complete the replacements.

She found this experience crucial when she was playing full back for Wales: “It is the loneliest position on the rugby pitch and you are the last line of defence”.

Warren Gatland will equal a record with his third World Cup participation as a head coach. Now they might not be quite so anxious .

Considering Wales’ bad luck with injuries, resting first choice fly-half Dan Biggar was vital for Wales.

“I really don’t know what is going to happen”.

Wales are expected to win comfortably but, in the most competitive pool, Warburton is calling for ruthlessness. Cory Allen and Scott Williams make-up the midfield partnership.

Which country will surprise a few people?

It is a sentiment that holds most relevance to North; the Northampton wing suffered three concussions over a period of five months last season.

How will Wales cope with the loss of influential players Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb?

“I think we have to be respectful to Uruguay, we are expecting them to be a lot more organised than when we saw them play against Japan and Russian Federation “.

“We’ve got a short training week next week so we’ve mixed and matched, some of this week has been focused on England (who Wales play on September 26) and the latter part of this week has been on Uruguay“. Well, firstly it is such a shame that three such good sides are in the same pool. Look at now. We are hearing the French say there are not enough designer shops in Croydon, where they are based.

That was the case when the pool was drawn and it remains so now. “They have trained incredibly hard and Sunday is a great opportunity for them”, coach Warren Gatland said ahead of the match at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

But this is no ordinary Welsh side.

“I wouldn’t minded having them last”. When she retired in 2010 she had scored more global tries (67) than Brian O’Driscoll, Gareth Thomas and Jonah Lomu and is still Wales’s leading try scorer. It did not seem logical, considering that Walker had replaced Halfpenny.

Fiji is taking a positive approach in their so-called “pool of death”, which features hosts England, Rugby Championship winners Australia and Wales, as well as Uruguay. “It’s about looking after potentially those two players and a couple of other players that may be involved who we have to think about for the following week and particularly the Fiji week”.

But in general this is a wonderful opportunity for northern-hemisphere rugby to increase its popularity.

World Cup referees’ chiefs have already underlined the firm stance that will be taken against offenders, including punishment for any players guilty of diving or similar histrionics.

The Manu made the knockout rounds of the 1991 and 1995 World Cups and Schwalger is tipping them to make the quarter finals and possibly the semis this time around. You will not find that happening now.