Are Wales breathing without Dragon Fire

Warren Gatland has named his 22-man squad to face world champions, South Africa in the Prince William Cup clash on Saturday. Gatland has handed debuts to Cardiff Blues duo Leigh Halfpenny and Andy Powell, but no Dragons players have reached the final team.


Wales Team to face South Africa is, as follows:

15. Lee Byrne
14. Leigh Halfpenny
13. Jamie Roberts
12. Gavin Henson
11. Shane Williams
10. Stephen Jones
9. Gareth Cooper
1. Gethin Jenkins
2. Matthew Rees
3. Adam Jones
4. Alun-Wyn Jones
5. Ian Evans
6. Ryan Jones (capt)
7. Martyn Williams
8. Andy Powell



Replacements: Richard Hibbard, Duncan Jones, Ian Gough, Dafydd Jones, Dwayne Peel, James Hook, Tom Shanklin.

Three former ‘Men of Gwent’ have been selected; Ian Gough, Andy Powell and Gareth Cooper. But there is no place for any current players from the Dragons, which for me is quite a surprise as over the last few games there has been an immense improvement. Luke Chateris is now a well-rounded player with his tight defence and height in the line-out, he is sure to be called up for one of the Invesco Perpetual Series matches. Prop Rhys Thomas brings a different dimension to the front-row, maybe not quite as consistent, but he carries a threat with the ball and will be certainly fired up when his chance arrives.

As for the Welsh team, I believe we have a strong team out and have every chance of competing with the Springboks. If the pack produce good ball that we can spread wide, Habana will be no match for our dancing wingers, and expect young Jamie Roberts to break a few tackles. This is an exciting Welsh team, but can they perform against the best in the world?