Williams, Rees & Jenkins out of Wales' game against France

Wales physio Mark Davies today confirmed Matthew Rees, Gethin Jenkins and Gareth Williams will not be available for selection for the RBS 6 Nations clash with France at the Millennium Stadium a week tomorrow (kick-off 8.00pm)

Scarlets hooker Rees has failed to recover from a groin problem, Blues prop Gethin Jenkins has a calf injury and fellow Blues player, hooker Gareth Williams, has damaged knee ligaments.

“Matthew (Rees) is progressing well and will continue his rehab in camp with Wales,” said Davies.

“He will undergo exhaustive testing over the next few days which will give us a clearer idea of when he may be available, but we can confirm that the France game will come too soon for him.

“Gethin (Jenkins) has been scanned since leaving the field against Scotland and, as we thought, he has aggravated the calf injury which kept him out against England. At this stage we are not putting a time limit on his recovery, but again we know he will not take the field against France.

“Gareth (Williams) sustained medial ligament damage to his knee during the win over Scotland last weekend. He will undertake a rest and rehab programme and his progress will be re-assessed next week, but the injury rules him out of contention for the Friday night Test.”

Andy Powell - drunk in charge of a golf cart

The Wales national squad management team has confirmed back row forward Andy Powell will be removed from the Welsh 35-man RBS 6 Nations squad with immediate effect, following his arrest by  South Wales Police  on Sunday morning and has since been charged with drink driving and, after discussions with the player himself, it has been decided by management that he should be suspended from the squad for behaviour contrary to the squad’s code of conduct.

“We take matters of player conduct extremely seriously and have been happy with the professionalism and discipline of this squad in general terms,” said Wales team manager Alan Phillips.

“Andy knows he has misbehaved and is apologetic, but he also knows that he must take responsibility for his own actions and accept the repercussions.

“This kind of behaviour cannot be tolerated in a professional, elite sporting environment and we have acted quickly and incisively in order to leave no ambiguity over the dim view we take of this situation.
“The player has made his private apologies to the Welsh management team as well as apologising in a public statement and we have also asked him to apologise to the Vale Resort Hotel, before asking him to leave the squad.

“We will now leave the South Wales Police service to conclude the matter and we will be making no further public statements at this time.”

A specific replacement for Powell will not be added to the Wales squad, although the inclusion of Scarlets hooker Ken Owens as cover for his injured regional colleague Matthew Rees (groin) and Blues hooker Gareth Williams (knee) means the squad retains 35 members.

Craig Hill raced over in the first half and Lee Rees scored in the second period to lead Wales’s charge to a 14-5 victory over Russia in a hard fought final. Gareth Rees banged over two conversions to complete the scoring for Wales.

Russia rallied late on to score through Lev Sleptsov but it proved too little too late as Wales picked up their second title in two weeks.

En route to the final Wales swept aside the challenge of Tunisia 33-0 in the quarter-final before brushing aside the rapidly improving Portugal 24-7 in the semis.

After being knocked out of the main draw after finishing their pool in third place behind New Zealand and Samoa, Wales were looking to assert their authority in the Bowl competition.

In the quarter-final bowl against Tunisia there was only one side in it. Wales led 19-0 at the break thanks to tries by Justin Tiperic, Ashley Beck and Ifan Evans.

Wales suffered a setback when Chris Davies was sin binned in first minute of second half but tries by Alex Cuthbert and Gareth Davies ensured passage through to the semis.

Portugal put up a tougher fight in the semi-final and held Wales to a 5-0 lead after a Cuthbert try. But Wales stepped up a gear in the second spell and got the perfect start when Davies scampered over. Goncalo Foro hit back with Diogo Miranda adding the extras but Justin Tiperic put the issue beyond doubt with two smartly taken tries.

Wales coach Paul John was a delighted man after guiding his young side to their second success within seven days.

“Let’s be realistic, we’ve got eight brand new players in the squad. Eight players who have not played sevens tournament rugby before. But this bunch of youngsters have grown and grown tremendously on and off the field.

“They have pushed all the sides really close over the first two tournaments. We’ve played all the big teams over the past couple of weeks except for Kenya and England and to be fair, they have done themselves proud.

“We’ve got a lot more points than we did this time last year, so we’ve exceeded expectations from the first two tournaments so they can take confidence from what they have achieved.

“They have won both Bowls comfortably and two win two Bowls is difficult. They’ve shown they have the potential to get into the semi-finals of the main draw.”

Davies is currently with the Wales Sevens squad in Dubai having caught the eye of Paul John and the Wales Sevens management team.

Principality Premiership holders Cardiff are currently fifth in the table but only three points behind leaders Neath, and were the only Welsh side to win both their opening British and Irish Cup ties in November, beating Pontypridd 22-16 and Birmingham & Solihull 51-20. Davies has amassed 145 points already this season, already closing in on last year’s tally of 208.

Premiership head coaches, WRU and Regional academy staff, and selected journalists select the winner who receives £100 from the Principality Building Society, title sponsors of the competition.

Davies, who hails from Cefn Hengoed and played all of his junior and youth rugby for Penallta Rugby Club said, “I’m really enjoying my rugby at the moment. It’s my third season with Cardiff and my game seems to have come together well this season. The coaching has been good and Lee Jarvis has helped a lot with my kicking and my all-round game and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my Wales Sevens experience so far.”

Cardiff assistant coach Jarvis added, “Gareth produced consistently good performances last season and has upped his game again this season, earning him a call-up to Wales Sevens.

“He is working very hard on his game, developing week by week and hopefully he will get some Regional rugby for the Blues by the end of the season. He has a good group of players around him at Cardiff but he controls the game well. I’m sure the experience of these two Sevens tournaments will benefit him greatly, both in terms of his game and his confidence.

“As far as our goals as a team are concerned, we are satisfied with where we are in the League at the moment. This time last year we were in a similar position and we went on to win the title so we are not too worried at the moment. We started slowly but we are now building well. We have played a lot of games recently and we’ve got a tough match on the weekend at Sardis Road but we are definitely keen to retain our title – and go as far as we can in the British and Irish Cup too.”

Mark Richards, Principality Retail Sales Manager for Cardiff, said: “Congratulations to Gareth Davies on winning this month’s Player of the Month award. Gareth has had an outstanding start to the season and we hope he returns from Dubai with even greater determination.

“We wish Gareth and the team all the best in the New Year and hope that they will once again reign as Principality Premiership champions.”

Gareth Davies fact file:

• DoB: 02.03.84
• Place of Birth: Caerphilly
• Club: Cardiff RFC
• Player most admired: Matt Giteau
• Sportsman most admired: Tiger Woods
• Career outside rugby: Bricklayer

Only captain Chris Davies (Aberavon), Newport’s Craig Hill, Cross Keys flanker Jevon Groves and Llandovery flyer Ifan Evans have previous international Sevens experience, with Hill the only member of Wales’ Rugby World Cup Sevens winning squad set to return to Dubai. All four are contracted WRU core Sevens players, as are uncapped trio Chris Morgan (Aberavon), Nicky Thomas (Swansea) and Lloyd Wiliams (Blues).

Ospreys youngsters Ashley Beck and Justin Tipuric, Cardiff outside half Gareth Davies, Scarlets Academy scrum half Lee Rees and UWIC’s Alex Cuthbert have been added to the squad for these two legs of the Series.

Wales have a tough draw at next week’s Dubai tournament, with last year’s Series winners South Africa, Australia and Arabian Gulf their Pool opponents.

John said, “Following our success at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai, a lot of our squad have gone on to secure new professional contracts in the fifteen a side game, which is a positive result of the win, and we have taken the opportunity to bring in some new players into the squad so it’s a fresh start in lots of ways.

“The WRU has introduced core contracts for Sevens players which is hugely positive for us. It means we are able to achieve a consistency of selection that we have never had before. As a full time member of staff I also have more time to work on preparation, analysis and coaching with the players.

“Ashley Beck, Justin Tipuric and Nicky Thomas have already played some Regional rugby this season but Sevens is a key development tool for us as a Union and we hope players like these will gain a huge amount in skill levels, experience and confidence from international Sevens which will serve them well in the professional game. Gareth Davies and Lee Rees have been playing exceptionally well in the Principality Premiership and Alex Cuthbert has played quite a bit on the invitational Sevens circuit.

“Chris (Davies) has been selected as captain for these tournaments. He has a terrific work ethic and we believe he will lead by example.”

Despite the tough draw, John is buoyed by his side’s preparation for the season ahead.

“We recently played in a training tournament in France, where we played France, Scotland, a Moroccan side and an Argentinean team. We played five games and managed to pip Scotland in the final to win the tournament. That was the first time we’ve been able to play some competitive rugby before the Sevens season kicks off, so it was great for us. It means the new players have some matches under their belt before Dubai. We usually start the season slowly due to lack of playing and training time but hopefully that experience will help us this time around.

“We have a tough pool with last year’s champions, South Africa, Australia, who we failed to beat in a number of meetings last season and the Arabian Gulf so we just want the players to play to their potential and the aim, as it was in the world cup, will be to try and get out of the pool and go from there. That will be the aim throughout the season – to try and get into more Cup quarter-finals and move up the IRB rankings.

“It will be a steep learning curve for our squad and while they are a very talented group of boys, they may take a while to gel.

“Dubai is a fantastic competition, there is a huge Welsh contingency in the crowd and I’m sure our players will grow through the tournament.”

Wales Sevens squad for Dubai and George:

Chris Davies (capt, Aberavon), Lee Rees (Scarlets Academy), Chris Morgan (Aberavon), Gareth Davies (Cardiff), Nicky Thomas (Swansea), Lloyd Williams (Blues), Ashley Beck (Ospreys), Ifan Evans (Llandovery), Craig Hill (Newport), Alex Cuthbert (UWIC), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Jevon Groves (Cross Keys)

Speaking ahead of the match Young said,

“The players are certainly looking forward to the Gloucester match.”

“We always get excited about playing English opposition, but it’s probably not the same tournament as we won last year.”

“It’s a little bit disappointing from my point of view that they are being played without the major international players and so on.”

With 10 Blues players in the Welsh squad the Cardiff Blues squad will be tested again this weekend.

“Certainly the way I see it, the English teams are going to be affected far less than the Welsh teams.”

“The Blues and the Ospreys will be affected most, but it gives the opportunity for young players and fringe players in all the squads a chance to play against quality teams in the English premiership.”

“I think Gloucester will want to put the record straight after we beat them three times last season in the Heineken and Anglo Welsh Cup.”

“They are probably still carrying a lot of pain from our fixtures last year and I would have thought there will be a determined group of players at Gloucester who will want to put the record straight.”

15 Sam Norton-Knight 14 Richard Mustoe 13 Gareth Thomas 12 Gavin Evans 11 Chris Czekaj 10 Ceri Sweeney 9 Richie Rees

1 Darren Morris 2 Gareth Williams 3 Gary Powell 4 Deiniol Jones 5 Scott Morgan 6 Ben White 7 Robin Sowden-Taylor 8 Xavier Rush (c)

16 Rhys Williams 17 Taufa’au Filise 18 Sam Hobbs 19 James Down 20 Josh Navidi 21 Darren Allinson 22 Dafydd James 23 Dai Flanagan

The talismanic X-Man

Cardiff Blues Number 8 Xavier Rush has been passed fit to play in this Saturday’s Heineken Cup clash against Harlequins at the Cardiff City Stadium.

A real boost for us – Dai Young

Rush, who dislocated his finger in the win over the Scarlets had a successful operation and now has been given the go ahead by medial specialists to play on Saturday.

Speaking of the announcement Cardiff Blues Director of Rugby David Young said,

“Xavier underwent a successful operation on his finger and was given the all clear by the medical team.”

“It’s great news that he has recovered so quickly and is a real boost for us ahead of the big match against Quins.”

Tim Atter the Cardiff Blues Physiotherapist has worked hard with the players all week and the Blues are also boosted by the news that Ben Blair, Jamie Roberts, Sam Norton-Knight, Richie Rees and Taufa’au Filise have all recovered from minor injuries picked up last week.

Speaking of the selection Young added,

“Selection is a responsibility that I do not take lightly and it’s always difficult to make choices especially ahead of big games.”

“The front row of Gary Powell and T Rhys Thomas pushed very strongly for inclusion and are unlucky to miss out in the starting XV.”

“Deiniol Jones is always near being selected in a starting spot but we felt that Bradley Davies gives us extra carrying capacity for this match.”

“I feel very sorry for Robin Sowden Taylor who has played exceptionally well for us so far this season, but we picked Sam Warburton at Openside because of the back row balance at the line out.”

“In the backs Richie Rees had shaded it and there were tough choices to make in the back three.”

“We felt Tom James was our most potent attacking back last season and it was a difficult choice for the other wing berth with Richard Mustoe and Gareth Thomas playing really well and Leigh Halfpenny working really hard to recapture his form after some minor injuries.”

15 Ben Blair 14 Gareth Thomas 13 Tom Shanklin 12 Jamie Roberts 11 Tom James 10 Sam Norton-Knight 9 Richie Rees

8 Xavier Rush 7 Sam Warburton 6 Andy Powell 5 Paul Tito (c) 4 Bradley Davies 3 Taufa’au Filise 2 Gareth Williams 1 John Yapp

16 T Rhys Thomas 17 Darren Morris 18 Gary Powell 19 Deiniol Jones 20 Robin Sowden Taylor 21 Gareth Cooper 22 Ceri Sweeney 23 Leigh Halfpenny

Tito: impressed by Glasgow

Following their win over the Scarlets last weekend the Cardiff Blues welcome Glasgow Warriors to the Cardiff City Stadium this Saturday, 6.30pm kick off.

The Warriors have had a mixed start to the season, beating Munster and Scarlets, but recorded losses against the Dragons and the Ospreys in the opening matches of this season’s Magners League campaign.

Speaking ahead of the match Cardiff Blues Captain Paul Tito said,

“I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen of Glasgow this season. I watched their match against the Ospreys last week and they scored a nice try and looked very dangerous.”

“They have a very good set piece, a very solid line out, and I’m sure Dan Parks will be aiming to control things from fly half.”

“They play a good kicking game, and put in high balls to put pressure on our catchers, so we have to be aware of those threats and be prepared for them.”

“We lost heavily to them up there last season so will be looking to get one back on them today.”

“Against the Scarlets I think we played well for 65 minutes, but it was disappointing to let them back in to the game for the last 15 which made the end of the match tense.”

“However, we have to give credit to the Scarlets, they put some nice moves together and really threatened us, so we must make sure the same thing doesn’t happen on Saturday.”

15 Ben Blair, 14 Richard Mustoe, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Gavin Evans, 11 Gareth Thomas, 10 Sam Norton-Knight, 9 Gareth Cooper

1 John Yapp, 2 Gareth Williams, 3 Gary Powell, 4 Deiniol Jones, 5 Paul Tito(c), 6 Sam Warburton, 7 Robin Sowden-Taylor, 8 Andy Powell

Replacements

16 Darren Morris, 17 Rhys Williams, 18 Bradley Davies, 19 Scott Morgan, 20 Richie Rees / Darren Allinson, 21 Ceri Sweeney, 22 Leigh Halfpenny

Late Changes

Cardiff Blues have made a late change to the twenty two to face Glasgow Warriors this Saturday.

Ben Blair and Richie Rees have withdrawn from the squad, both suffering with their hamstrings. However, both players will be available for the Harlequins match.

Leigh Halfpenny moves from the bench to play at Fullback, while Darren Allinson replaces Richie Rees on the bench at Scrum Half.

Chris Czekaj moves onto the bench in place of Halfpenny.

Gareth Delve

Gareth Delve of Gloucester Rugby has appealed against his three week ban for striking London Irish’s George Stowers during the Guinness Premiership match at the Madejski Stadium on September 13, 2009.

The appeal will be heard by the RFU Disciplinary Officer Jeff Blackett at the offices of the Judge Advocate General, Chancery Lane on Monday, September 28 (3pm).

Roberts returns for Blues

The 2009 British and Irish Lions man of the series, Jamie Roberts, returns to the Cardiff Blues side to face Connacht this Friday, 7.00pm kick off at the Sportsground, Galway.

Speaking ahead of the match Cardiff Blues Director of Rugby David Young said,

“I think our performance against Munster was far more spirited and far more together than our match against Edinburgh, where we looked totally disjointed.”

“Having said that, our primary possession especially in the line out just wasn’t good enough and also our play in the contact area needs to improve.”

“These are two massive issues that we have to address. We find it difficult to get into our game at the minute because we are not winning quality ball and when we do win it we are not holding on to it.”

“It’s as simple as that really. Until we sort those two areas out we are going to struggle.”

“Connacht are a very abrasive team and very confident at home. It always seems to be windy over in Galway and they play the conditions well.”

“They are a very difficult team to beat over in Ireland as the Ospreys found on the opening weekend. If you look back at last year, if I’m being honest it was a game that we sneaked right at the end. We are under no illusions we always find it difficult over there.”

“Where we are at the moment I feel the next two matches are massive games for us. We want to get the win under our belt and then we face the Scarlets at home.”

“We start with Connacht, who are a difficult team for any side to face at the Sportsground but I feel we have enough quality to win. However, we have to make sure we match that quality with the desire, hunger and accuracy to get the right result.”

15 Ben Blair 14 Leigh Halfpenny 13 Gareth Thomas 12 Jamie Roberts 11 Chris Czekaj 10 Ceri Sweeney 9 Richie Rees

1 John Yapp 2 Gareth Williams 3 Taufa’au Filise 4 Bradley Davies 5 Paul Tito (c) 6 Maama Molitika 7 Sam Warburton 8 Xavier Rush

16 Gary Powell 17 T Rhys Thomas 18 Deiniol Jones 19 Andy Powell 20 Gareth Cooper 21 Sam Norton-Knight 22 Gavin Evans