The Wales head coach, Warren Gatland, has told his players to treat next year’s World Cup as their Olympics, saying that qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament from a pool that includes the hosts, England, and Australia is more important than the imminent autumn internationals and next year’s Six Nations.
Gatland has named an experienced squad for next month’s Tests against Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Australia with the Ospreys prop Nicky Smith the only uncapped member of the 34. Gatland will use the six weeks he has with the players from Monday to start preparing for the World Cup.
It is one reason why he rationed himself to 10 players who were based outside Wales. All of them except the Northampton wing George North, who has full release in his contract, will have to leave the training camp at various points and miss the last of the internationals, against South Africa, because it falls outside the official window.
The Gloucester fly-half James Hook, who has won 79 caps, and the Saracens prop Rhys Gill were among the exiles who missed out but the most surprising omission was Adam Jones, who is based in Wales and has been a key member of the team since Gatland took over at the end of 2007.
Jones, who reached the 100-cap mark when he played in the first Test against South Africa in June, – five for the Lions – said this month that he had set himself the goal of playing in his fourth World Cup next year but he finds himself behind Samson Lee, Aaron Jarvis and Rhodri Jones.
“The door is not closed to Adam but the game never stays still,” said Gatland. “The change in the scrum engagement put a lot of pressure on tightheads and probably dropped their value by half overnight. What has become paramount is the need for front-rowers to be more mobile and get around the park. We’ve had that conversation with Adam and it is something he is working on.
“Our whole planning and preparation is about the World Cup. We are selling the World Cup to the players as the Olympics. While the rugby is important, there are a number of other things that we want to be putting in place during the autumn and the Six Nations to make sure that first of all we get out of our group.
“I don’t see any point in winning every game in the autumn and winning every game in the Six Nations and not qualify out of our group. For us, that is paramount. I am not saying the autumn and the Six Nations games are not important, but our whole focus is making sure that we qualify in 2015 and get our of our pool.”
Gatland’s decision to maximise the number of Wales-based players in his squad, before a decision expected shortly over the 11 who will join the captain Sam Warburton on a dual contract that will make the Welsh Rugby Union and the region they play for their joint employers, means the Ospreys scrum-half Rhys Webb is likely to oust the experienced Mike Phillips while in the second row Jake Ball has an advantage over Bradley Davies and Luke Charteris, who play for Wasps and Racing Metro respectively.
Hook lost out because only two fly-halves were picked, as will be the case in the World Cup, and he would not have been available against South Africa.
“There is always a risk for players if they are based outside Wales,” said Gatland. “If they are not in the matchday 23 they have to be released back to their clubsand they are not available for the fourth international. England have a hard rule about not picking anyone outside the country and our goal is to have as few as possible.”
Wales start their campaign against Australia, their World Cup group rivals, opponents they have not beaten since 2008 who are in turmoil after the weekend resignation of the head coach Ewen McKenzie. “I don’t think it’ll have any effect on the Aussies who probably handle adversity better than any nation in the world,” he said. “It will make them more dangerous: anyone underestimating them will do so at their own peril. What’s happened might make them stronger.”
Meanwhile, Wales have confirmed the election of Gareth Davies as the new chairman of the governing body to replace David Pickering. Davies beat off comeptition from current board director Martin Davies and will take up his post immediately. He said: “It is a fantastic honour to be elected chairman of the WRU and I will aim to live up to my old Gwendraeth School moto which is : ‘There is no honour without responsibility.’
“I want to thank the Board of Directors for their support and confidence in my ability to represent the WRU in this prodigious role. I have also been encouraged by the support I have already received from so many grassroots clubs.
“I also want to personally thank the departingcChairman, David Pickering, for the immense contribution he has made across the past eleven years he held this post.”
Wales squad for November Tests
Backs L Williams (Scarlets), L Halfpenny (Toulon), T Prydie (NG Dragons), G North (Northampton), A Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), H Amos (NG Dragons), S Williams (Scarlets), J Davies (Clermont Auvergne), J Roberts (Racing Métro), C Allen (Cardiff Blues), R Priestland (Scarlets), D Biggar (Ospreys), M Phillips (Racing Métro), R Webb (Ospreys), R Williams (Scarlets).
Forwards G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), P James (Bath), N Smith, A Jarvis (both Ospreys), S Lee, R Jones (both Scarlets), R Hibbard (Gloucester), E Phillips (Scarlets), S Baldwin (Ospreys), AW Jones (Ospreys), J Ball (Scarlets), B Davies (Wasps), L Charteris, D Lydiate (both Racing Métro), J King (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues), J Tipuric, D Baker (both Ospreys), T Faletau (NG Dragons).
