WALES COACH Warren Gatland has given two of his injured World Cup stars, outhalf Rhys Priestland (knee) and blindside flanker Dan Lydiate (ankle), until Friday to prove their fitness ahead of Sunday’s Six Nations match against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.
The opening match has been confirmed as a sell-out.
If neither recovers in time, Gatland can at least turn to experienced players like Ryan Jones, James Hook or even the recently-recalled Stephen Jones.
Former captain Ryan Jones would replace Lydiate at number six with Hook, who is playing regularly at outhalf for Perpignan in France, favourite to see off the 104-times capped Jones.
World Cup secondrow pairing Luke Charteris and Alun Wyn Jones are already unavailable along with Gethin Jenkins, another long-serving member of the Welsh side, while Shane Williams has retired. However, powerhouse centre Jamie Roberts is expected to return from an injury sustained over the Christmas period to start.
There are a number of Welsh players who were not in the pre-Six Nations camp in Poland as they are no longer centrally contracted to the WRU.
Scrumhalf Mike Phillips was replaced after 63 minutes of Bayonne’s 50-10 defeat to Toulon, where Jonny Wilkinson piled up 25 points by converting all five of their tries and landing five penalties.
Fullback Lee Byrne didn’t feature in Clermont Auvergne’s 17-10 victory at Bordeaux Begles while tighthead prop Craig Mitchell came through Exeter Chiefs’ 30-16 success against London Wasps in their Anglo-Welsh Cup.
The Leinster Schools Senior Cup first-round encounter between Blackrock College and Terenure College, initially set for last Sunday but postponed due to a waterlogged pitch at Donnybrook, will now take place at the same venue this Friday at 2.30pm.
