Wales vs NZ Team announcements

[UKHamlet]

Wales: Blair Murray; Louis Rees-Zammit, Max Llewellyn, Joe Hawkins, Tom Rogers; Dan Edwards, Tomos Williams; Rhys Carre, Dewi Lake (capt), Keiron Assiratti, Dafydd Jenkins, Adam Beard, Alex Mann, Harri Deaves, Aaron Wainwright.

Replacements: Brodie Coghlan, Gareth Thomas, Archie Griffin, Freddie Thomas, Taine Plumtree, Kieran Hardy, Jarrod Evans, Nick Tompkins

New Zealand: Ruben Love; Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Caleb Clarke; Damian McKenzie, Cortez Ratima; Tamaiti Williams, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Pasilio Tosi, Scott Barrett (Captain), Fabian Holland, Simon Parker, Du’Plessis Kirifi, Wallace Sititi

Replacements: George Bell, Fletcher Newell, George Bower, Josh Lord, Christian Lio-Willie, Finlay Christie, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Sevu Reece

[UKHamlet]

Wales have named their team to face New Zealand in the third match of their autumn internationals campaign. Harri Deaves is making his Test debut at openside flanker and will be joined by Alex Mann and Aaron Wainwright in the back row.

Dafydd Jenkins and Adam Beard link up in the boiler house, with Rhys Carre and Keiron Assiratti starting in place of Nicky Smith and Archie Griffin. Brodie Coghlan, Gareth Thomas and Griffin are the front row replacements.

Tom Rogers replaces the banned Josh Adams on the wing, with Blair Murray and Louis Rees-Zammit retaining their places in the back three. There is a switch-up in midfield, with former Exeter Chiefs centre Joe Hawkins linking up with Max Llewellyn in the centres. It’s the first time Hawkins will have pulled on the Welsh jersey since 2023.

Dan Edwards and Tomos Williams continue their half-back partnership while Jarrod Evans, the hero against Japan last weekend, retains his place on the bench.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rug ... e-32906675

[UKHamlet]

Cracknell dropped from the squad?
Murray retained at FB?
Llewellyn retains his place?
Jenkins AND Beard both picked despite their similarities?

Seems they have missed the lessons.

I wonder if LRZ will switch sides of the pitch?

[Buggaluggs]

Cracknell injured. Two weeks in a row our best player is ruled out the following week.

[Sandydragon]

Gutted for Cracknell, he was inked into my selection.

I assume they see the aerial issues we’re having as being structural rather than individual. Murray may be in for another torrid afternoon.

Glad Hawkins has an opportunity. He is more direct than Thomas and that might add another threat in what is quite a sizeable midfield.

Same again for the locks- not sure about that one of them needs to make way.

The All Blacks have made 13 changes which is interesting. Does that give us some hope or does it just mean that hungry kiwis wanting a starting place are about to tear us a new one?

[Son of Mathonwy]

We'll miss Cracknell - and that's it for him, back to Leicester.

Still no Morse? I had him ahead of Deaves, although Deaves will be interesting!?

Would have preferred Rogers at full back.

Beard and Jenkins is the strongest combo but with both missing next week I thought we'd give someone else a start.

Altogether though, I think it's not a bad selection. Let's see if Hawkins can bring some life to the midfield.

[Sandydragon]

We'll miss Cracknell - and that's it for him, back to Leicester.

Still no Morse? I had him ahead of Deaves, although Deaves will be interesting!?

Would have preferred Rogers at full back.

Beard and Jenkins is the strongest combo but with both missing next week I thought we'd give someone else a start.

Altogether though, I think it's not a bad selection. Let's see if Hawkins can bring some life to the midfield.

Good point about Morse. I suppose, given the lack of any genuine open side, that gave Dezves the advantage. we did struggle to get ball back last weekend. I’m slightly surprised that Mann starts with Plumtree on the bench. It’s a small front row so they might have been tempted by Plumtree starting, but Mann has been a consistent 0layer for us which shouldn’t be ignored.

[Graigwen]

Is there a chance that there is a cunning plan to deal with high balls?

.

[morepork]

You are in with a chance here. The ABs are under the pump with a possible walking dead at the tiller.

[pompey-zebra]

We'll miss Cracknell - and that's it for him, back to Leicester.

Still no Morse? I had him ahead of Deaves, although Deaves will be interesting!?

Would have preferred Rogers at full back.

Beard and Jenkins is the strongest combo but with both missing next week I thought we'd give someone else a start.

Altogether though, I think it's not a bad selection. Let's see if Hawkins can bring some life to the midfield.

Good point about Morse. I suppose, given the lack of any genuine open side, that gave Dezves the advantage. we did struggle to get ball back last weekend. I’m slightly surprised that Mann starts with Plumtree on the bench. It’s a small front row so they might have been tempted by Plumtree starting, but Mann has been a consistent 0layer for us which shouldn’t be ignored.

Wales Online reporting that Wainwright is out, Plumtree starts with Morse on the bench.

[Graigwen]

So we have a Mann, Deaves, Plumtree back row. That will be interesting.
.

[Sandydragon]

So we have a Mann, Deaves, Plumtree back row. That will be interesting.
.

I can only hope that our new players catch the All Blacks unawares. That doesn’t inspire confidence.

[Son of Mathonwy]

So we have a Mann, Deaves, Plumtree back row. That will be interesting.
.

I can only hope that our new players catch the All Blacks unawares. That doesn’t inspire confidence.

Morgan, Cracknell and Wainwright out, pretty grim after 2 matches.

[Graigwen]

So we have a Mann, Deaves, Plumtree back row. That will be interesting.
.

I can only hope that our new players catch the All Blacks unawares. That doesn’t inspire confidence.

Morgan, Cracknell and Wainwright out, pretty grim after 2 matches.

Just imagine what we might have left for S.A..
.

[pompey-zebra]

And so it begins. 7-0 after 5 minutes.

[pompey-zebra]

Well fuck me, we've caught a high ball and scored a try! 7-7!

[Sandydragon]

Well fuck me, we've caught a high ball and scored a try! 7-7!

That was a cracking try.

I sense we’re struggling to get the ball back and we give it up too easily.

[Sandydragon]

The centre partnership looks far more solid this week. Hard to say too much about going forward as we have had so little ball.

And as I type, we concede a try, although it was Carre who missed the tackle

[pompey-zebra]

Good try for Wales, then Wales fluff the restart!

[Sandydragon]

Another very well worked try, but a silly mistake by Plumtree which hurts us at the restart.

Hugely competitive game so far.

[pompey-zebra]

Ah for God's sake! Not Plumtree's finest five minutes

[Sandydragon]

Lineout not helping us.

[Sandydragon]

Ah for God's sake! Not Plumtree's finest five minutes

He frustrates the hell out of me. He can do great stuff, but also has this habit of appearing to switch off.

[Sandydragon]

We’re ten points down at half time, but this is probably our best half of the AIs thus far.

The pace that the all blacks put on their attack is causing problems and we still have some basic errors. Keeping them out for the whole of the second half feels almost impossible.

But two very nice tries scored and defence looks much stronger.

Reaves looks busy, not hugely effective at the moment. Mann is working hard, if he can bulk up a little the we have a very good blindside in the making.

[pompey-zebra]

We’re ten points down at half time, but this is probably our best half of the AIs thus far.

The pace that the all blacks put on their attack is causing problems and we still have some basic errors. Keeping them out for the whole of the second half feels almost impossible.

But two very nice tries scored and defence looks much stronger.

Reaves looks busy, not hugely effective at the moment. Mann is working hard, if he can bulk up a little the we have a very good blindside in the making.

The All Blacks have been stronger and faster but when its clicked for Wales we've made inroads. But we can't keep giving The AB's an easy out. Its stopping any hope of putting them under sustained pressure. It nearly cost us against Japan, it will against New Zealand.