Warren Gatland will field all 31 of the players he has taken to France and Italy as he looks to prepare his players for Japan
Each country had an extended break in the Five Nations, the odd number of teams in the tournament meaning someone sat out a round, which were then every two weeks. It is almost like that now with six as sides tend to use the fixture against Italy as an opportunity to rest players. For all the effervescent enthusiasm of their head coach, Conor O’Shea, Italy’s results – 18 straight defeats, all bar two by a double-figure margin – raise questions about the value they bring.
Italy have improved under O’Shea yet they are falling further behind. Wales have made 11 changes, one positional, from the side that won in Paris in the opening round despite having an eight-day turnaround and two weeks to prepare for their third-round match against England in Cardiff. Their head coach, Warren Gatland, is not quite treating the game as if it is an autumn match against a tier two nation, taking out a few insurance policies, such as Alun Wyn Jones on the bench and Jonathan Davies in the midfield, but he is using it to gauge his strength in depth.
Written by Paul Rees
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/feb/08/wales-italy-six-nations-world-cup under the title “Wales use Italy Six Nations trip to test strength in depth for World Cup”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
