2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Glen Williams)
Here are your rugby morning headlines for Friday, November 8. Gatland to make team announcement Warren Gatland is set to announce his team for Wales' autumn opener against Fiji, with Max Llewellyn set to win the battle for the number 13 jersey. The Wales head coach will reveal his Test XV at around 11am, with many up and down the country waiting with bated breath with regards to how the back line shapes up.
One thing is for sure, it is going to be a different team to the one we saw against the Wallabies earlier this year, with a number of first-choice stars now back in contention. As Jonathan 'Jiffy' Davies said in his WalesOnline column, who Gatland selects for that No.10 jersey will go a long way to deciding the sort of game plan he wants to implement on Sunday.
We understand that Gareth Ansccombe is set to start at fly-half, with Blair Murray being handed a debut on the wing. You can read more about that here . Gloucester centre Llewellyn is predicted to start outside Ben Thomas in the midfield.
We will have the announcement and all the reaction in our live blog, which you can follow here . SIGN UP: Get the new exclusive Inside Welsh rugby newsletter here for full insight into what's really going on behind the scenes. Cuthbert: Llewellyn reminds me of Jonathan Davies Alex Cuthbert believes the make-up of the midfield could define Wales' style under Warren Gatland and hopes Max Llewellyn, who reminds him of Welsh great Jonathan 'Foxy' Davies, gets given the 13 jersey.
Wales, who have gone nine Tests without a win, have a stronger squad this autumn than they did for the three defeats in the summer — one against the Springboks and two Down Under against Australia — and Cuthbert believes that gives them a real chance to regain some momentum after a torrid year. However, as Cuthbert alluded to, we are still yet to really find out what Wales want to be under Gatland. They lack a rugby identity, with the head coach having experimented with the back line in order to find a magic formula to get Wales on the front foot and dominating games.
But the ex-Wales and Lions star thinks Gloucester's Max Llewellyn, the 25-year-old who has one cap to his name, has all the tools to become a real Test mainstay and likened him to one of the finest to don the Welsh jersey in recent times. Speaking on The Rugby Paper podcast about the team, he said: "I like Gareth (Anscombe) at 10. I like Eddie James, he's got a bit of class about him.
He's not just a bruiser, he has that passing ability. He's got a little skill where he looks like he's carrying to tuck (the ball in) but he's very good at just drawing the last defender and putting players through holes, one on one. "And Max Llewellyn.
I like Owen Watkin, but attacking-wise, we need the ball in the hands of our No.13 more often, like Jonathan Davies had the ball in the wide channel with that bend and offload. I think Max Llewellyn has the capabilities to do that.
He is 6ft 5in, he's huge, 112kgs. He is fast and can play on the wing, he has speed. "I like that combination, but you have to go back to, 'How do we want to play?' Because we could have Ben Thomas at 12 and he could shift the ball to the wide channels early.
This is the question for the last 18 months since Warren came back." England star opens up on 'proud Welshman' dad after death Leicester Tigers and England centre Megan Jones has opened up about how a three-month injury layoff gave her the space to grieve for her father. The Cardiff-born star, 28, is poised to make her season debut for Leicester against Bristol Bears on Saturday, in what she anticipates will be an emotionally charged return.
Speaking to the BBC , Jones said: "He was a proud Welshman, so obviously didn't love me wearing the rose, but he loved coming up to Tigers and watching me. This will be the first time playing without my dad watching, so it will be special for me." After representing Team GB at the Paris Olympics, Jones was preparing to join the England squad when her father passed away.
An ankle injury subsequently forced her out of the international scene and delayed her start with the Tigers. Reflecting on the timing, she said, "It’s always tough missing out on games, but personally it came at a really good time for me," and "It came at a good time for me because it meant I could really process the grief and I could have time to myself and be home with family. "As sports people our results define us, how we perform defines us, but truth be told our health, our friendships and connections are more important than the game itself.
" Jamie George speaks out after Eddie Jones revelations By Duncan Bech, PA England Rugby Correspondent Jamie George recognises Danny Care's damning assessment of Eddie Jones' England regime but insists the Australian's contribution to the national team is reflected in his success. Danny Care, who won 101 caps until his international retirement earlier this year, is highly critical of Jones in his autobiography 'Everything Happens for a Reason', claiming that "everyone was bloody terrified of him". The Harlequins scrum-half added that Jones' England environment was "like living in a dictatorship, under a despot who disappeared people".
Jones was sacked in December 2022 after presiding over a slump in results with Steve Borthwick, his former number two with Japan and England, taking charge. George, who became first choice hooker under Jones, reveals that players have more of a voice in the environment created by Borthwick. "Everyone has their own experiences.
I lived it with Danny at the time, I knew how he felt about it," the England captain said. "Eddie was someone who never wanted to sit still, always wanted to get better and pushed people. It was challenging at times, of course it was, and I understand what Danny is saying.
"Equally, what he said in his book is that Eddie was one of the best coaches he worked with and that runs true. Eddie did brilliant things for English rugby. We got to a World Cup final in 2019 and we probably live with regret that we didn't win that.
"We won a Grand Slam and a couple more Six Nations - that is the sign of a good coach to me. You have got to reflect on the good times and the bad. "Eddie was very clear in his ways and what I know is that now we have got a much more inclusive environment in which we can challenge and accept and speak to all the members of staff.
I guess it hasn't always been that way." While lifting the lid on Jones' brutal management style, Care also praises the 64-year-old and suggests his methods are necessary to reach the pinnacle of the game. "He gave me some of the greatest memories of my rugby career - that came at a price.
Maybe it had to be that way to get the success that we had," Care said. "Maybe you have to go through some really tough times, and be that driven, and there be that much pressure, to get that.".
