These are your evening rugby headlines on Monday, July 8.
Gatland announcement delayed
Wales have pushed back their team announcement this week as they wait on injury updates to a number of key players.
Warren Gatland was due to reveal his side on Tuesday in Melbourne, but will now wait until Thursday to finalise the team tasked with levelling up the series and ending Wales’ eight-game losing run.
Liam Williams, Aaron Wainwright, Gareth Thomas and debutant Josh Hathaway all picked up knocks in Sydney on Saturday – with the first three accounting for more than half of Wales’ caps in the first Test.
Were they to lose any, if not all, of those, you could be looking at one of the most inexperienced Wales teams in recent memory, outside of summer tours in Lions years.
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Earlier this year, Wales put out a starting side with just 413 caps – the least number of caps in a Welsh Six Nations in five years.
However, the team that took to the field in Sydney on the weekend boasted just 306 caps. Williams, Wainwright and Thomas accounted for 170 of those caps.
If you replaced those three with arguably the most likely like-for-like replacements – Cameron Winnett, James Botham and Kemsley Mathias – Wales’ starting XV for next week would also only boast 170 caps.
Wales ‘monster’ urged to step up
Former Wales star James Hook has urged Christ Tshiunza to “step up” for his side in the second Test against Australia this weekend.
The Exeter Chiefs lock arguably had his best game in a Wales jersey in Sydney, putting in a whopping 20 tackles and saving his side from conceding another try with fine work at the breakdown. But while he was impressive defensively, he was part of the continued Welsh problems at the lineout and, in Hook’s eyes, not offering enough of an attacking threat.
Speaking on the Scrum V Podcast, the former fly-half said the second clash with the Wallabies was winnable for Warren Gatland’s side, but would need to rely less on the ball carrying abilities of Aaron Wainwright and Dewi Lake to do so. Tshiunza was the player singled out by Hook to take on more of those carries as he was urged to use his huge 6ft 6in frame to full effect.
“On the scoreboard, they could have won,” said Hook as he reflected on Saturday’s defeat. “If they tidy up their discipline, their scrum – there were some silly errors in there with some knock-ons, loose kicks etcetera – they are going to look at that game and think [they could have won].
“They need to tidy that up and not just rely on [Aaron] Wainwright or Dewi Lake to ball carry. You’ve got a monster of a man in Tshiunza there. We were watching him warm up before the game and looking at how big and strong he looks.
“He’s got to step up and attack and ball carry a little bit more, from my point of view,” he added. “Because he’s that big and we need ball carriers to get over that gainline. I think he’s one who could probably step up a little bit more in terms of attack.”
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Wales must ‘stay in the arm wrestle’
Wales will meet Australia in Melbourne after slumping to an all-time world ranking low and facing a possible ninth consecutive Test defeat.
A 25-16 first Test loss in Sydney meant that Wales dropped to 11th place – they have been overtaken by Fiji – only five years after briefly being ranked world number one.
It is the first time since World Rugby launched its rankings in 2003 that Wales have fallen outside the top 10.
They meet the Wallabies again next Saturday, when another loss would make it nine Tests on the bounce since beating 2023 World Cup pool-stage opponents Georgia.
Wales’ worst run since they began playing international rugby 143 years ago was 10 games in 2002 and 2003 under Steve Hansen.
That sequence included two Tests against New Zealand, while also incorporating a Six Nations wooden spoon.
This time around, Wales have lost to Argentina, Scotland, England, Ireland, France, Italy, South Africa and Australia, with head coach Warren Gatland’s Test record for his second stint in charge showing 14 defeats from 20 starts.
And life is unlikely to become any easier, with the Melbourne clash being followed by autumn Tests against Fiji, Australia and South Africa before Wales open their 2025 Six Nations campaign by tackling France in Paris.
Speaking after the Sydney setback and asked about lifting his players for Melbourne, Gatland said: “I don’t think we have to raise them.
“The way the boys have trained and the buzz around them, they have been outstanding.
“We know we are going through a process playing at the highest level, which is about learning to handle some pressure.
“It is just staying in the arm-wrestle. That takes a little bit of time in terms of on-the-field stuff. I have been through that with other teams in the past.
“Once you get across the line, players in the team learn that understanding and turn those games that are close into wins. That is what we have got to work through at the moment.
“When you win once, you build confidence and learn how to close out games. There are a lot of inexperienced players who are going through that process.
“It is about taking the lessons (from the first Test) and applying them, saying ‘where can I improve my game and be better next week’?”
All Black ruled out of England Test
By PA Sport Staff
New Zealand scrum-half TJ Perenara has been ruled of Saturday’s second Test against England because of a knee injury.
Perenara made his first All Blacks appearance since 2022 in the series opener in Dunedin having recovered from an Achilles problem.
But his comeback was cut short when he limped out of the 16-15 victory in the first-half and New Zealand have confirmed he will play no part in the Eden Park rematch.
It leaves New Zealand exposed at scrum-half following the international retirement of Aaron Smith, who is now playing club rugby in Japan.
“We are waiting on a specialist to determine an exact return to play date. Hopefully it is not too long but we haven’t got an exact date yet,” assistant coach Jason Holland said.
Finlay Christie is poised to start the second of two Tests against England in Perenara’s absence. New Zealand name their team in the early hours of Thursday morning.
